Suggested by Shaker Intransigentia: What are your "favourite words and phrases in languages other than English"?
I will add that if you are not a native English speaker, and prefer to answer with what your favorite English phrases are, that is entirely welcome, too!
I'm gonna give it up to je ne sais quoi. It just has a certain something about it.
Question of the Day
Today in Jackasses
First up is a Walgreens pharmacist in Nampa, Idaho who refused to dispense bleeding control medication if the patient had an abortion:
NAMPA — Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest has filed a letter of complaint with the Idaho Board of Pharmacy regarding the actions of a Nampa pharmacist.Planned Parenthood said Walgreens Corporate Office had taken some measure of corrective action with regards to the pharmacist. Ah, "conscience clauses"...you are such garbage.
Idaho Board of Pharmacy Executive Director Mark Johnston confirmed that the board received the complaint alleging that on Nov. 6 a Walgreens pharmacist refused to fill a prescription ordered by one of Planned Parenthood's Boise-based nurse practitioners. The prescription was for a Planned Parenthood patient for Methergine, a medicine used to prevent or control bleeding of the uterus following childbirth or an abortion.
[...]
Planned Parenthood officials said the complaint states that the pharmacist inquired if the patient needed the drug for post-abortion care. The nurse refused to answer the question based on confidentiality of health information.
According to Planned Parenthood, the pharmacist then stated that if the nurse practitioner did not disclose that information, she would not fill the prescription. The nurse alleged that the pharmacist hung up when asked for a referral to another pharmacy that would fill the prescription.
Next is the charming North Carolina state rep Larry Brown (R-Eprehensible) who wants to cut off funding for HIV/AIDS patients. But only certain HIV/AIDS patients:
State Rep. Larry Brown said during a discussion of his legislative goals for the year that the government should not spend money to treat adults with HIV or AIDS who "caused it by the way they live."Pretty much everything about your thinking there is garbage, Mr. Brown.
Brown, R-Forsyth, made the comments when asked by the Winston-Salem Journal to talk about his goals for the N.C. General Assembly session set to begin this month.
He began by discussing his support for a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a union between one man and one woman, which would forestall any efforts to allow same-sex marriage.
He went on to say he thinks the government shouldn't spend money to treat HIV among people "living in perverted lifestyles."
"I'm not opposed to helping a child born with HIV or something, but I don't condone spending taxpayers' money to help people living in perverted lifestyles," said Brown, who ran unopposed in the November election to win a fourth term.
Brown wouldn't say Tuesday what he considers perverted, but did say that adults who get HIV through sexual behavior or drugs would be among those who should not be treated at government expense.
Daily Dose of Cute
Video Description: Dudley runs around the dog park like a wild thing on a bitterly cold day. It was just a desolate nightmare tundra out there, with the wind incessantly whipping around us like an aggrieved god with an ax to grind.
As soon as Dudley starts running, he heats up like a little oven. Meanwhile, Iain and I freeze our asses off. But, of course, we stay as long as Dudley wants, because puppeh love.
Earlier today, I put on Dudley's coat, because it's Baltic out there again, and he stood at the front door trying to pull it off with his teeth. I said, "Oh, you think you're all tough now, huh?" and opened the door. As soon as he got blasted with the cold air, he stopped pulling at it and gave me the greatest sheepish look ever.
He also took about three steps, pissed on a bush, and ran back to the house instantly, lol.
RIP Krissy Bates
[Trigger warning for violence, sexual assault, dehumanization, transphobia.]
Something I've been thinking about over the past couple of days is how a lot of the language of violence in this culture isn't actually explicitly violent. Marginalizing language is implicitly violent language, because people who are marginalized are at increased risk of violence.
I was thinking about this all day today, working a post in my head in the vague way that posts tend to do before I actually write them.
And then I read this article about Krissy Bates, a trans woman who is Minneapolis' first homicide victim of 2011, a trans woman we'll be remembering in November of this year, when we do the grim work of compiling the names of the dead for the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Because that thought was in my head, how the language of marginalization is itself violent language, it was particularly difficult to read the truly abysmal coverage of Ms. Bates' death. "Formerly known as Christopher Bates." In the update, it's even worse: "The Medical Examiner released the victim's name as Christopher Paul Bates and determined him to be a white male."
No. Krissy Bates was a trans woman.
A trans woman who had recently been sexually assaulted and was concerned for her safety. Her building management reportedly refused to fix a broken window in her apartment, told her she'd have to pay for it herself.
The thing about the language of marginalization is that it also means marginalized people will make less money, too.
So someone crawled into Krissy's window, or maybe got through one of the malfunctioning security doors in the building, about which she and others had complained to no avail, and killed her. The cause of death was "complex homicidal violence." That means lots of injuries, often of different types. Way more than needed to make sure someone is dead.
Dallas Drake, principal research at Center for Homicide Research, explains: "We see in GLBT homicide, it's common to see overkill. Overkill is excessive wounding, more injury than what is necessary to cause the death. Or second, multiple types of wounds."
The kind of killing that really underlines what the difference between a regular old murder and a hate crime is.
The kind of killing done by someone who's internalized a lot of hatred drawn out of the language of marginalization, whose hate comes exploding out in a geyser of violence.
Yes, yes absolutely, the person who did this ugly thing is to blame. But we are all accountable for the culture in which this ugly thing happened.
I am accountable. I'm so sorry, Krissy.
I didn't know Krissy, and so I can't say anything about her, about what kind of person she was. I don't know if she was funny or smart or kind; I don't know what talents she had or how she wore her hair. It's strange to write about someone you never knew, and be so sad.
I don't know what else to say but this: I'm all in.
My sincerest condolences to all who knew her and loved her.
[H/T to Eastsidekate, who notes the Star Tribune's coverage is, unfathomably, even worse.]
Helpful Advice for Working Moms
The benevolent and generous Gwyneth Paltrow has magnanimously dedicated the latest issue of her "GOOP" newsletter—a revoltingly indulgent project in which she explains to the average peasant how very easy it is to be beautiful, fashionable, cultured, thin, and healthy, if only you put in a little effort, geez—to bestow upon her grotty but fortunate readers precious knowledge about "finding a good balance between having a career and being a mom."
After passing on advice from her two friends, millionaire venture capitalist Juliet de Baubigny and millionaire fashion designer Stella McCartney, two TOTALLY TYPICAL working moms, Gwyneth, another TOTALLY TYPICAL working mom, recounts "a random one of my more manic days from last November," followed by her own words of advice.
Listen and learn, Shakers. There's an expert about to drop some mad expertise on our asses.
Gwyneth’s day on November 4th, 2010:
6. DO NOT waste time hitting the return bar. Ever. Added up over a lifetime, the time the average working mother spends hitting the return bar can mean nearly six hours that could have been spent doing butt lifts and the like.
When I got downstairs this morning at the crack of whenever, the coffee machine said “ERROR 8” and wouldn’t let me make the cup I had been dreaming about. This begs the question: is it odd to dream yourself to sleep thinking about the next morning’s coffee? Not a good beginning. Got Apple all fed and dressed in her uniform and ready to go but no sign nor sight of Moses at 8 am and we have to be out of the house by 8:20. I went up to arouse the little man from slumber and he quite happily got up and crawled into my arms. We got downstairs and I made him a quick breakfast of eggs and toast followed by a spoonful of lemon flavored flax oil that I try to remember to give them both every morning. Getting everyone into the car on time was a challenge; we’re going through a phase where no one seems to be responding to me (“Time to put on your shoes” … No response.) It is the school Christmas toy drive deadline today so before jumping into the car, we pack up and finish decorating the shoe boxes with toys, toothbrushes, hats, scarves, books, etc, for the school Christmas toy drive. Once the kids really understand that the toys go to children around the world who will not be as fortunate as they are this year, they very sweetly take trips to the playroom adding their own toys and books to the boxes. Somehow managed to get to school just as the old-fashioned bell rang. Moses was a bit teary today so I hung around and watched him through the window. Periodically he would check to make sure I was still there. When all was well I dodged off as fast as possible but was still late to the 9 am workout. Did dance aerobics for 45 minutes then all of the butt lifts and the like. Rushed upstairs to have a shower, doing my post workout stretch while the conditioner was doing its magic on my hair to combine activities/save time. Dressed quickly and rushed downstairs. On a less manic day, this would be my couple of hours in the office to work on GOOP, come up with ideas, write/edit and go over scheduling, travel, whatever else I have going but I have no time so I just pop the old cabeza in to see if there are any deadlines or fires that need putting out. When I am given the all clear I rush out the door, headed to rehearse with a band to prepare for the Country Music Awards which are just a week away. I’ve never performed live before so I’m preparing for this as if it were the Superbowl, which, in it’s own way, it is. I’ve been having voice lessons with my teacher, Carrie Grant, every day and rehearsing with an amazing London-based band. This will be my fourth and shortest rehearsal of the week, as the day is so full, but I am excited to get in there and see everyone. Had to do my vocal exercises/warmups in the car, sooo not a good look. Fellow drivers looked on a bit bewildered. Rehearsed with the band from 11:30 to 12:30 and then scooted back out to the car and had kind of a big interview on the phone while trying to subtly check/reply to well-overdue email. Got home and had a fitting with super stylist Elizabeth Saltzman for the upcoming Nashville trip (what to wear, what to wear?) from 1-2. This is my 4th out of 5 fittings for this trip. We tried on a myriad of dresses and outfits, and I had b.o. by the end of it from wrestling with all of those dresses. I have six looks I need to choose for the trip; there’s the radio press conference upon arrival, the red carpet for the Country Strong premier, press interviews, a Sony Music VIP dinner, the red carpet for the CMA’s and the outfit for my performance! We manage to finalize all of the looks for the (very nerve wracking) trip. At 2 pm I head into my office with a nice cup of tea for two hours of phone interviews. I am doing lots of these this week, but today’s session is only two hours. I call country radio station after country radio station speaking to some of the nicest and friendliest DJ’s on the planet. Thursday is the one day of the week that I do not pick my kids up after school. They go straight to an activity and I am able to really maximize work stuff. I always feel a bit guilty (obviously) about it, but it means I can focus fully on them when they get home instead of trying to do two things at once. At 4pm, my weekly owners' and managers' call takes place for the Tracy Anderson Method with our brilliant CEO Stephanie Stahl taking the lead. I basically listen and try to learn. Kiddies burst through the door and play in my office while I finish up, just drawing and hanging out and of course playing Plants vs Zombies on the iPad, their obsession that I have to limit like crazy! What up, gamers. Then downstairs to make cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale. It is ‘Bonfire night’ in the UK tomorrow and the bake sale is to celebrate and to raise money for charity. We decide on vanilla cupcakes with pink icing and green icing (from Tate’s Bakeshop cookbook with the icing from American Desserts cookbook). At 6:30 pm we all get in the bath and it’s hair washing night for the kids (every other night—never popular). Then back downstairs to check on cupcakes and have a visit from an auntie and uncle. The kids indulge in a super sugary cupcake before bed but I don’t feel too bad because they had a brown rice stir fry for dinner with baked sweet potato on the side. It’s all about balance! My night to lay with Mosey so I tuck Apple in, say a prayer and go into Mosey's room for a story, foot massage and quiet time. As soon as all was quiet, I rushed downstairs to grab a blazer and some blush and flung myself in the car for girls night. Lovely dinner and great conversation. 11:29 pm now, exhausted and ready to do it all again tomorrow!
Gwyneth’s time saving tips:
1. Schedule your time well. When I know what I am doing from hour to hour I get more done. Write it all in the day’s calendar, what you want to accomplish and in what time frame.
2. Focus on the task at hand. Be thorough.
3. I cook a lot, especially on the weekends, so I like to plan a rough menu for the whole weekend and get the food in on Friday. Obviously stores and websites that deliver make this a dream. In London I use Ocado. Also James Knight, my favorite fishmonger, will deliver. Having all of the ingredients means I'm prepared even when I don't think I am.
4. I always lay the kids uniforms and school things out the night before once they are asleep. When it’s quiet I can check the "kid list" for show and tell items to bring in, consent forms, ballet kit, etc, so that the morning is less of a scramble.
5. The school run is a great time to return calls (in whichever direction that the kids are not in the car) so don't forget your hands-free device.
7. If you don't have a hands-free device, a good alternative is a personal driver.
8. Be rich. I can't recommend this enough. It also helps if you are very, very famous. I strongly advise against working a job with a rigid schedule or making less money than allows you to be able to quit working for the rest of your life at any time.
9. Be white and straight and cisgender and able-bodied and beautiful. THIS SAVES SO MUCH TIME! People who are not these things have to spend ridiculous amounts of time convincing people they are even human! Definitely not advisable for a mom on the go.
10. If your favorite fishmonger doesn't deliver, send one of your servants to pick up the fish.
---------------------
Seriously, all I could do while reading this is laugh and laugh and laugh. It's literally the best satire on privilege that I have ever read, the only catch being that it's not actually satire.
Look, I don't begrudge Gwyneth Paltrow treating going to the gym and getting fitted for dresses as a necessity, given the industry in which she works, which makes demands on her to maintain her appearance that I couldn't be arsed to oblige even if I'd been born looking like Gwyneth Paltrow in the first place. It's not what she's doing that I find hilarious: It's the fact that she reports all of this shit without seemingly even the tiniest, infinitesimal speck of awareness about what a ludicrously privileged lady she is.
And she thinks that she's laying some real solid advice on the working moms of the hoi polloi.
If she thinks getting b.o. from wrestling with dresses is terrible, she ought to talk to the women who sit in sweatshops stitching them together. Is all I'm saying.
And this sort of aspirational garbage that disappears the reality of the vast majority of women in this country, not to mention the rest of the world, isn't just insufferable; it's part and parcel of reinforcing the narratives of marginalization. Martha Stewart, Oprah, Gwyneth...there's this whole industry of women with relative privilege exhorting less privileged women to aspire to opulence and indulgence, to consume and achieve and reach for this very specific idea of a very specific kind of perfection, which will naturally always remain out of reach, taunting its pursuers with the incessant reminder that they don't measure up, that they aren't good enough.
There's nothing revolutionary, or particularly helpful, about privileged women telling less privileged women, "You should be just like ME!" If Gwyneth wants to do something to help women, she could try listening to women who don't have lives like hers and finding a way to convey from her vast platform that their voices and experiences are valuable, too.
[H/T to Gabe.]
Quote of the Day
[Trigger warning for sexual violence and institutional rape apologia.]
"We received information that Chief Saylor terminated an investigation by his department of a sexual battery of a child to keep a friend from going to jail."—Joyce Dawley, special agent-in-charge for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, at a news conference yesterday in Orlando, commenting on the arrest of Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor, who allegedly refused to investigate his friend Scott Bush, who has also been arrested and "charged with sexual battery of a minor under 12, a capital offense, along with lewd and lascivious acts upon a minor, a third-degree felony."
No small amount of victim-blaming used against survivors of sexual violence is rooted in the misconception that police are universally interested in pursuing rapists.
This is not the case.
(My profound thanks to Special Agent Joyce Dawley, who is evidence that the reverse is not the case, either.)
Here Are Three Things That Are Totally Unrelated
And to suggest otherwise would be totally irresponsible, obviously. Each of these things exists in a void, drew on nothing from our existing culture, and contribute nothing to our existing culture. In fact, the entire idea of a culture is probably just the invention of some radical leftwinger with an anti-American agenda.
[Trigger warning for violence.]
1. Charles Turner Habermann has been arrested for threatening to kill Seattle Congressman Jim McDermott, who is, by total coincidence, a Democrat. Habermann, who used lots of Tea Party-type rhetoric about the Founding Fathers, made the two threatening phone calls on December 9. Also by total coincidence, on Dec. 9, Bill O'Reilly published a column attacking Congressman McDermott "for daring to suggest (while discussing whether to extend the Bush tax cuts) that Jesus might have been more concerned about helping the poor get their unemployment checks than he would in ensuring rich guys get their tax cuts."
[Click to embiggen.]
2. This billboard advertising Rush Limbaugh's radio show, calling him a "Straight Shooter," complete with faux bullet holes, stands in Tucson, scene of last weekend's deadly shooting by Jared Lee Loughner. Copyranter, whence comes the image, notes: "It's actually been there for quite some time. I know, because my girlfriend's mother lives in Tucson."
3. Glock Sales Increase After Arizona Shooting:
Yet another unsettling backlash of the Arizona shooting: glock pistols, just like the one used to attack kill six people last Saturday, are now flying off the shelves. Michael Riley at Bloomberg reports that one-day handgun sales have risen 65 percent in Ohio, 16 percent in California, 38 percent in Illinois, 33 percent in New York and 60 percent in Arizona from last year. Since Saturday the attendance list for a concealed weapons class at the Arizona Shooter’s World in Phoenix has already doubled. Riley quotes the stores manager who explains, "Whenever there is a huge event, especially when it's close to home, people tend to run out and buy something to protect their family."
Whatever happens, none of us should do any self-reflecting about whether we're taking in any unhealthy messages about violence or communicating any messages of violence, because that's just what the PC Police want! And fuck them.
Giffords Update
With the caveat that brain injuries are tricky and recovery is not necessarily linear, I want to pass on the very hopeful and joyful news that Rep. Gabby Giffords is, at the moment, doing very well:
Shot in the head less than a week ago, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords opened her eyes briefly for the first time Wednesday, with her husband, her parents and other members of Congress in the room.So much blub.
"It was extraordinary," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who was holding Giffords' hand at the time. "It was a miracle to witness."
...Giffords was squeezing and stroking Gillibrand's hand, as doctors previously said she had been able to do.
Giffords "absolutely could hear everything we were saying," Gillibrand said. "And Debbie (Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida) and I were telling her how much she was inspiring the nation with her courage, her strength, and we were talking about the things we wanted to do as soon as she was better."
Gillibrand mentioned having another night out with Giffords and her husband for beer and pizza. And Wasserman Schultz recounted telling her, "Come on, you've got to get better, because we expect you up in New Hampshire this summer" at Wasserman Schultz's vacation home.
"And just as I said that, that's when she suddenly was struggling to open ... her eyes," Wasserman Schultz said. "First just a little bit. And the doctors couldn't believe it. They said, 'This is such a good time.' "
Kelly saw her struggling, Gillibrand said, and he and the others began to encourage her, saying, "Open your eyes, Gabby. Open your eyes."
And Giffords did -- actually opening only one eye, as the other remains bandaged, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
"She took a moment to focus, you could see she was focusing," Gillibrand said. "And then Mark said ... 'Gabby, if you can see me, if you can see me, give us a thumbs-up ... She didn't only give a thumbs-up, she literally raised her entire hand. We were just -- we couldn't stop crying ... It was just one of those moments that life brings you so rarely."
But Giffords didn't stop there, Gillibrand said. She reached out and grabbed her husband "and is touching him and starts to really choke him like she was really trying to hug him." He asked her to touch his wedding ring, "and she touches his ring, then she grabs his whole watch and wrist and then the doctor was just so excited, he said, 'You don't understand ... this is amazing what she is doing right now and beyond our greatest hopes.' "
There are five other patients injured in the shooting still being treated at the same hospital. None of them remain in critical condition, although two are still in serious condition.
The Overton Window: Chapter Thirty-Two
Hi there, chapter thirty-two! And hello to your companion, Part Three! Yes, we're starting Part Three. All these parts, it makes me feel like I'm reading Tolkien; this chapter being less than two pages, not so much.
Since this is a new section, an arc for our story, I thought it might be a good time to recap what's gone on since we started our little journey across the shire together. First, though, let's look at our friends in the tale:
Dullis Personae:
Noah Gardner: Presumed hero of the piece, maybe. PR genius, maybe. Patsy, definitely.
Molly Ross: Our Heroine. Teabagging lady and True Patriot. You go, girl!
Darthur: Bad guy. Noah's father. Runs PR for the New World Order.
Danny Bailey: Youtube star, teabagger and sometime weed dealer.
Stuart Kearns: FBI agent undercover posing as former FBI agent. Has a bomb.
Hollis: Teabagging manchild, gun aficionado. AKA Ragnar Benson, noted author.
Beverly Emerson: Molly's mother. Salt of the Earth™.
Charlie Nelan: Awesome Lawyer.
Warren Landers: Darthur's head of security and Sith Lord.
Elmer: Domestic terrorist, planning to nuke Harry Reid's office.
Pretty straightforward, right? I mean, I think that's everyone and their role here. The writing is a little muddy, so it's hard to tell who is good and who is bad in this tale. But knowing Beck as I do (we went to summer camp together, we still exchange Christmas cards) I am leaning toward the teabagger camp being the good guys, and the NWO being bad. (The NWO is always bad. It seems so unfair.) Noah is the wildcard, except, you know, he's In Love, and so, by the end of things I expect him to be teabagging right alongside Molly.
Previously on The Overton Window:
Noah meets Molly and falls in love almost immediately. They go to a teabagging show together where Beverly gives a speech and so does Danny. The show is raided and Hollis is tazed and Noah gets hit on the head. Awesome Lawyer Charlie gets everyone bailed out. Everyone but Danny. Noah and Molly spend the night not fucking. Kearns takes Danny undercover to sell a nuclear warhead to Elmer. Molly and Noah break into Darthur's office to snoop at a Powerpoint about the New World Order. Later, Molly drugs Noah and she and Hollis go back and steal the Powerpoint. Landers tells Noah he's a sap. Darthur tells Noah the NWO starts tomorrow.
So far, so good, right? That was totally worth 212 pages.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The good news here is there's less than 80 pages left in this story. And as a bonus, this chapter a mere two. I mean, that's good because it's a short chapter. On the other hand, it's not bringing us much closer to the finale.
Noah washes his face and takes a piss in "the elegant stall in the corner of his father's private restroom." (Really, that's a direct quote.) He then storms off down the hall, because if nothing else, this book features plenty of movement: down halls, sidewalks, in limos.
He heads to the mailroom and demands info about Molly from her supervisor. It's poorly written and awkward and kind of convoluted because she's a temp and that info is only available at the temp agency. Nonetheless:
"You're talking about that temp girl, Molly?" Another of the mail-room staff had apparently overheard the conversation, and he came nearer. "Somebody called here for her over the weekend. I picked up the voice mail when I opened up this morning."
"Do you have that message?" Noah asked. "It's important."
"I deleted it, and I didn't write anything down, since it was a personal thing. The fellow who called must have just tried all the numbers he had for her. He said her mama was in the hospital."
Sigh.
As the news gripped him there he remembered what Warren Landers had said, up in his father's office. We'll make them sorry. That's how Mr. Landers had put it.
Poor Mama! She's the first victim of Darthur's evil scheme. Well, there was that janitor in the desert from the prologue. But who gives a fuck about him? Poor Bev. May I call you Bev? Poisoned, no doubt. Or maybe tazed. NWO likes tazers. (See above.) Will she pull through? Who knows.
But I sense a decision point coming up for young Noah.
Top Chef Open Thread
[Image from last night's episode: A bunch of dudes prepare to do some chef type shit.]
Last night's episode will be discussed in detail, so if you haven't seen it, and don't want any spoilers, move along...
George Lucas Has Enough Money
[Video Description: Scenes from various Star Wars episodes, interspersed with the following text: The wait is over / The complete saga / Together for the first time / On blu-ray hi-def / Star Wars blu-ray disc / Coming September 2011.]
So I keep seeing this trailer for all six episodes of Star Wars coming to blu-ray later this year, and, every time I see it, all I can think is that George Lucas totally needs to give a free set to every Star Wars nerd who's already bought the first trilogy individually on VHS, then in a special box set on VHS, plus the special edition on VHS, and the DVD set, the special edition DVD set, and the super-deluxe mega-edition DVD set with magical R2-D2 buttplug or whatever.
Proof of purchase can be the collection of dusty boxsets sitting in the corners of our living rooms.
Today in Great Ideas
Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is obviously bored because there's nothing important to do in his state, has made a rather remarkable suggestion: Sarah Palin needs to go unscripted.
He argued that unscripted, even adversarial exchanges with reporters and the public are essential to judging a candidate, and that if Sarah Palin continues to avoid them, "she'll never be president."I think whether US voters will countenance Palin's carefully scripted shtick is debatable. Less debatable is the fact that Governor Christie apparently doesn't want Sarah Palin to be president and wants the maximum entertainment possible watching her implode.
..."I think people need to be judged by the way they conduct themselves in the public arena, in a way that is as minimally staged as possible," he said. "That's where you really get to know people."
When it was noted that Ms. Palin has preferred communicating with the public in ways she can control, Mr. Christie said that "rightfully has been criticized."
..."You have to look at it and see, what are they like when they're tested, what are they like when they're not scripted, what are they like when they're pushed," he said. "And I would contend to you that if Governor Palin never does any of those things, she'll never be president, because people in America won't countenance that. They just won't."
Because sister's a trainwreck even when she's scripted. And carefully edited.
In all seriousness, this is a terrible idea not because it might be unpropitious for Palin, but because so much of what emanates from the Palin camp contributes to a culture that is dangerous for less privileged and less protected people.
And that's when it's being (allegedly) conscientiously considered.
Open Thread on Tucson Memorial
So the president gave a speech last night. And, in case you didn't know, both sides are just as bad and we all need to have some humility. Also: Jesus.
Question of the Day
As a followup to yesterday's QOD:
What fabulous word do you find some excuse to use often, whether appropriately or not?
Daily Dose of Cute
Matilda thinks she can get away with being naughty because she's cute. She is, of course, right. (Especially since she's not really being naughty at all, lol.)
Video Description: Matilda sits on a chair beside me, squeaking and squawking and generally being cute as I say things like, "What's that? Is that right?" And then she starts pawing at the cord on the camera, and I tell her she's bad. Throughout, there is purring, in addition to an exorbitant amount of adorable pink tongue and blue eyes action.
Quote of the Day
"Feminism is a whole state of being. It's having lenses on your eyes, your ears, all your senses all the time. You're not a feminist just when you're doing activism work; you're a feminist all the time. You're a feminist when you're watching a movie, where you decide to go out, the way you make your economic choices. All the smallest details and the biggest details."—Farah Salka, coordinator for Nasawiya, a Lebanese feminist organization which currently has "52 core collective members, both men and women, who embrace feminism not just as activism but as a holistic lifestyle."
[H/T to Shaker Catvoncat.]
Meanwhile...
...I'm trying to imagine on what planet a female actor would ever feel comfortable even saying this (emphasis mine):
"It was weird wearing suits every day, I have to say," [Seth Rogen, referring to his role in the upcoming film The Green Hornet] tells CNN. "Ties, lots of ties — haven't worn a tie in a movie before, I don't think." Another big change? Rogen's body.And because it won't stop him from getting starring roles in hugely successful films.
The 28-year-old "Knocked Up" star dropped approximately 30 pounds to play the superhero so that the audience's focus would be on his character's jokes instead of his weight. But, Rogen tells CNN, "Now that the movie's over I hope to get fat again. Because I enjoy it."
Like it would if he were a woman.
It Would Be Nice...
...if I never had to hear again another thin woman equate being pregnant with being fat.
There are a lot of things I don't like about that construction, but the top two are probably (1) that it entrenches the idea that pregnancy is the only "acceptable" form of fatness for women, and (2) that it effectively disappears fat pregnant women.
