Letterman On The Election
As Evan Robinson at Group News Blog and I have remarked before, you do not trifle with David Letterman. (Trifle is not the particular word Evan used, but it carries a cultural punch here in the South that works just as well.)
I was looking forward to Dave's take on the election outcome. Sure enough, he was ON FIRE. You can watch his monologue for November 5 here, but below are my favorite lines from it:
"Welcome to the Late Show. Attention, passengers: The Straight Talk Express is no longer in service.
"Ladies and gentleman, Barack Obama is our new President (waits for wild applause), yep, and I think I speak for most Americans when I say, Anybody mind if he starts a little early? Would that be a problem? (More wild applause and laughter, and Paul Schaffer shouts "Not at all!")
"I would like to say one thing to Senator John McCain: Listen, Senator, you don't show up for me, America doesn't show up for you.
"And then at the end of the evening, the electoral vote count was 349 for Obama, 148 for McCain, or as Fox News says, 'Too close to call.'
"Republicans had a bad night all around, everywhere you looked. Even the crooked voting machines in Florida broke down. That was tough.
"Right about now, Joe the Plumber is meeting with his transition team. They're going to help ease him from obscurity back to oblivion.
"Sarah Palin, right now on her way back to Alaska...And I'm thinking, whoo, I wouldn't want to be a moose now.
"And did you see the concession speech last night? John McCain was generous, he was gracious, he was statesmanlike...And I was thinking, well, he should have tried that earlier."
(Photo of supporters at rally with Michelle Obama in Las Vegas, New Mexico on 29 October 2008; photo by Adrienne Booth)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
LETTERMAN ON THE ELECTION
Thursday, October 30, 2008
HOW MANY SARAH PALINS CAN YOU FIT INTO A LENSCRAFTERS?
It was a bumper crop on David Letterman last night. He reprised a stunt he does regularly, sending large numbers of people dressed in particular costumes into a business near his recording studio and filming the reactions -- i.e., how many Spidermans can we fit into a Jamba Juice? But this time, it was how many women dressed as Sarah Palin can we fit into a Lenscrafters?
Usually nobody notices or reacts. Which is the joke.
Last night, however, after sending in three different Sarah Palins, all of whom stood primly in the front glass doorway facing the camera across the sidewalk, Dave sendd in another two Sarah Palins at once. At this point (up to 5 Palins in view), people on the street start pointing it out to each other. One guy stops to take a photo of his own. An employee of Lenscrafters, an uptight-looking white guy in a suit, is moved to action. Instead of talking to the Sarah Palins, however, he comes out, notices the guy with the camera, and goes to him, apparently thinking he must be behind he stunt. Amazing, how sexism works: It must be the nearest man in charge, not the phalanx of women actually doing the action themselves.
As this is going on behind the manager's back, Dave sends in seven more Sarah Palins. The guy with the camera apparently argues "Hey, it's not me", and the manager notices another bystander also taking a photo. Agitated, he finally turns to go back into Lenscrafters and discovers there are now 16 Sarah Palins clustered in the front of the store.
Dave has now run out of Sarah Palin costumes. He sends in a dog and two space aliens. The manager disappears into the back of the Lenscrafters. Dave sends in the remaining eight folks, dressed as (among other things) a cowboy, a football player, Jesus, Superman, Ironman, and a fat Spiderman.
Enjoy it while you can. Dave also had Alec Baldwin as a guest last night, who talked about his recent appearance on Saturday Night Live and meeting Sarah Palin. He called her Bible Spice. You can watch that segment here.
[Cross-posted at Group News Blog.]
Thursday, July 24, 2008
BITS'N'BOBS FROM THE SICKBED
(Cover from book three of what is probably my favorite sci-fi series of all time, by C.J. Cherryh. The figure is Pyanfar, a brilliant tactician and diplomat in a pocket of space inhabited by several different -- EXTREMELY different -- alien species. She is a hani, a feline sentient race that is matriarchal and fond of silk pantaloons. Read all five books if you can. I think it's an allegory of Native American response to European invasion of North America.)
I've been puny, as we say in Texas, for the last 24 hours so have been mostly sleeping, taking albuterol treatments every four hours and, when awake, watching broadcast TV. And even in these circumstances, interesting items bob to the surface.
(1) I have yet to see a national news broadcast mention the earthquake in Japan. Maybe I just didn't hit the right channel, but it seems to me like this is should be of national significance, don't you think?
(2) The way the three major networks handled Obama's speech in Berlin was fascinating. Couric followed with an equal amount of time, it felt to me (subjectively), about McCain in the Midwest, though the coverage had no substance despite everybody trying to make it seem relevant. Williams had a one-on-one sitdown with Obama, which I missed (the perils of channel-surfing). Gibson seemed to have the longest sound bites and camera shots of faces in the crowd, a couple of which choked me up, I have to admit. He also had the obligatory "Meanwhile, back at the corral, McCain..." return, but this included a little vignette with a Midwestern couple who had just watched Obama's speech interrupting the McNovocaine blah-blah by saying they had really like what Obama had to say and thought he looked "at ease" meeting all those foreign presidents. No Merkel mauling, is what I read into it.
(3) David Letterman's second guest last night was Jane Mayer, whose book The Dark Side has published only two days ago. The Dark Side is subtitled "The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals". As The New York Times review states, "It’s a cage match between the Constitution and a cabal of ideological extremists, and the Constitution goes down." Letterman is increasingly allowing his political convictions to show, and having Mayer on as a guest this immediately after publication was a clue as to his sympathies. He had clearly read enough of the book to speak intelligently about its main points, and he asked questions we dearly wish the so-called pundits would push out past their narcissistic lips, giving her lots of time to answer. He eventually began trying to maneuver her into saying that Chimpy McFlightsuit and Gunner Dick were the eponymous "dark side", that their intentions were neither patriotic nor in any way separated from their lust for power. He used that clear, smart Midwestern voice of his, and I could feel the breathlessness of the audience. She would not commit herself to this assessment, however. I haven't read the book, so I don't know if she's that guarded in print or if she was operating on air from a lawyer's strict admonitions. Still, it was a delight to see somebody on "regular" TV with Letterman's influence declaring that Cheney just wants the sick thrill of waterboarding people.
And, saving by far the best for last: I got an incredible mention by Kathy G. at The G Spot, talking about the dinner a wonderful bunch of us had at Threadgill's during Netroots Nation. I especially appreciated her assessment of Netroots Nation itself, her candor and courage, and agree with her 100%. I will write myself about it when I'm feeling more cogent. In the meantime, give her some sugar, ya'll.
Friday, June 13, 2008
OAKLAND FIRE CONTAINED IN TIME; MCCLELLAN'S ESCAPE FIRE SEEMS TO BE WORKING
(A helicopter drops buckets of water on a grass fire that broke out in the East Bay Hills in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 12, 2008. Photo by Alison Yin for The Oakland Tribune.)
I woke up this evening to an e-mail from Kat in Berkeley reading "Maggie, the Oakland Hills are on fire again. I'm really freaked out. No evacuations so far, and it doesn't look like it's moving as fast as in '91, but it's the same place (Hiller Highlands/Tunnel Road)."
I immediately searched for the story, and found it covered by the breaking news section of the San Jose Mercury, which stated:
"A brush fire broke out Thursday morning across 3 acres of steep hillside above Old Tunnel Road — eerily close to where the devastating 1991 Oakland Hills fire swept out of control — prompting a fast response from firefighters, who contained it in about one hour, and evoking fear among residents."
The article went on to comment "For the residents living on Charing Cross Road and surrounding streets, the wildfire was a terrifying reminder of the fire of 1991." Kat wasn't the only one.
The neighborhood where I lived in Oakland, moving away in 1989, escaped being leveled by the 1991 fire by only blocks. I went back on a visit shortly afterward, when tendrils of smoke could still be seen among the ashes, and toured the devastation with a former neighbor. I've written about the Oakland Firestorm before at this blog in my post Escape Fires.
To see some excellent footage of today's fire suppression, especially the physical effort involved in dealing with these extreme slopes, check out two videos from the Contra Costa Times:
Video Part One and Video Part Two
Last night I watched extended coverage of the flooding in Iowa and the Wisconsin Dells, as well as the devastating tornado who killed four boys at a leadership gathering for Boy Scouts. The same system destroying lives, homes, and crops in the Midwest has us here in Central Texas entering our 12th day of 100 degree heat and 23rd day of temperatures over 90 -- before summer even starts. We're already hurting for rain, as is huge swaths of the West.
We (human beings) have altered the weather patterns and balance for the entire globe.
I notice that no evangelical hatemonger has suggested that the people of Middle America have brought on the flooding and wrath of god by their insistence on liberty and human compassion. I guess some acts of god are not a toddler version of vengeance.
Scott McClellan was on Letterman last night, and by most who've reported on it, Dave conducted the best interview with him to date about the revelations in his book What Happened. The tone was set by Paul Schaffer leading the band in a rendition of "Turn, Turn, Turn" as Scotty walked on stage. You can watch the whole thing below, and should -- Scotty is opening windows and doors, however late.
Some of my favorite lines:
Dave (referring to Bush): "If I was doing the job he's doing, or that I think he's doing, I wouldn't go to work."
Scott (on Cheney): "He has a very dark view of the world, and he certainly believes some of the means justify the ends. And this President showed him way too much deference, I think, in terms of carrying out policies, whether it was detainee policies or energy policy, or policies relating to the war itself."
Dave: "My feeling about Cheney, and also Bush, but especially Cheney is that he just couldn't care less about Americans, and the same is true of George Bush. And all they really want to do is somehow kiss up to the oil people so they can get some great annuity when they're out of office (applause starts -- Dave counts out money as he continues) -- There you go, Dick, nice job, there's a couple of billion for your troubles. (Applause strengthens.) He pretty much put Halliburton in business, and the outsourcing of military resources to private mercenary groups and so forth. Is there any humanity in either of these guys?"
The bottom line is: Corporate values are not American values. The decisions about our environment, our food, our foreign policy, our military, our social services, our justice system, and all other rights which we accede to community control must be returned to elected government, not corporations. As Dave said, "We're screwed" until we do so.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
BROAD CAST, GROUNDHOG DAY 2008: ART, MAPS, BLUES, JEWISH QUEERS ON CAMPUS, ANACOSTIA, 2008 PREDICTIONS, AND DUMBASS
David Letterman is increasingly on fire with his political commentary. The returned writers are giving him gold. In his monologue on Thursday night, he said "So we find out today that John McCain has been endorsed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. (pause) Arnold indicated his approval using primitive sign language from his cage."
Later, in honor of it being Gunner Dick's birthday, he read Top Ten Things Overhead at Dick Cheney's Birthday Party:
Medic!
That's nice -- a card from Osama
He must be happy -- he's sneering from ear to ear
MMMMM! Chocolate cake with Lipitor frosting
Clear!
Dick, you don't look a day over 93
Hey, his daughter is making out with Condoleeza
Instead of a pinata, we're gonna beat a Gitmo inmate
How about a rousing chorus of "For He's a Miserable Old Prick"?
DUCK!
(Guess which one of the above was MY favorite?)
And from two nights earlier, Dave airs NBC's "promotion" of American Gladiators plus the State of the Union Address (this has appeared on other blogs, but is too funny to not share here in case you've missed it). 
("Regionalism and Religiosity" from Strange Maps)
Rummaging through Strange Maps (which I've plugged here before) turned up a couple of gems this week. The first, copied above, is a map of Regionalism and Religiosity of the United States. This is a must-have for activists, analysts, and cultural commenters alike.
The second map, designed by David Michael Miller, I would have sent immediately to my little brother Bill, a blues musician who had his own band (Bone Dance), had just appeared on an anthology album before he died, and whose favorite joke was to drawl during a performance "I'm dyslexic, and when I went to an abandoned crossroads in Mississippi to sell my soul for a blues career, I wound up signing it over to Santa."
The map, Birthplaces of Mississippi Blues Artists, was fascinating to me beyond the blues aspect. Much of my ancestry came through Mississippi, and likewise African-American history in the U.S. always leads back there (or South Carolina). Strange Maps has this to say about the map:
"Mississippi is the poorest of all states, but fortunately also has a happier distinction: It’s the place where most of the quintessentially American music genres originated, from blues and jazz to rock ‘n roll. An amazing accomplishment for a state that has under three million inhabitants, but it’s worth noting that most of the musical history of these genres was written by Mississippians outside of their native state. This is due to the Great Migration following the railroads north to Chicago, an exodus that continued throughout the first half of the 20th century. This mainly black exodus was caused as much by plummeting cotton prices as by the contiuned disenfranchisement of former slaves. It resulted in Chicago’s status as the capital of jazzs and blues music (and Detroit as a major centre for soul)."
("Birthplaces of Mississippi Blues Artists" by David Michael Miller)
My friend Mara in Seattle has sent me a sneak preview of vedic astrologer Joni Patry's predictions for 2008 before they appear at her website, Galactic Center. I'm including them below for your edification.
Predictions 2008
This will be a miraculous year for change and transformation. The planet will never be the same after these transitions take place on planet earth this year. It is a time of new beginnings. This is a year of many turning points. Planet Earth is an extremely volatile place to be. The duality has never been more obvious. But the quest for truth and humanity is on the rise. Consciousness is changing. Spirituality is a focus. This is a year of awakening. We are merging with the awareness of the Great Seers.
The Presidential race will predominate the year. There is a definite shift in the type of leadership needed for our country. People want truth. The government will create a better world to live in. This year, there is the changing of the guard and this will disrupt the status quo. The economy will be on a rise this year of 2008, but be prepared for the bottom to drop out in 2009. The transitions in the change of administration will create chaos in the economy for the USA.
Planet Jupiter in the sign of Sagittarius indicates spiritual awareness. The aspect of Ketu to Jupiter gives an interest in mysticism and metaphysical subjects. We all need to know why we are here. Jupiter in Sagittarius produces religious fanatics, who fight for their causes. Righteousness and justice face off on the political scene. The physical world is out of balance and is creating havoc on humanity for the abuses to this physical planet. Over population and greed are what have fueled the world and the planet will reverberate and shake due to this. Planet Uranus will oppose Saturn causing a huge wake up. There will produce more natural disasters than ever before. Mars opposes Pluto/Jupiter indicating explosions of anger. When there is a profuse amount of anger in this world, planet Earth begins to shake producing major earth quakes and destruction. The injustices in this world will surface. Injustice produces the rise of anger, producing a very volatile condition for this planet.
Expect the unexpected! There will be very strange and violent attacks. People seem to be losing their minds. Between 02/26 and 3/14 Uranus will cross over the eclipse degree point that occurred in September indicating massive explosions and shake ups.
Saturn and Ketu in Leo are fiery and dry, producing destruction with fire. Next July and August, Mars and Saturn will be together in Leo, producing a condition that is excessively hot and dry, creating an environment for fire and war. August is especially dangerous around the time of the solar eclipse. Earth quakes and extreme weather disturb the planet.
The time around the elections looks very turbulent. Uranus opposes Saturn indicating sudden changes that awaken a new awareness. The political shift to a new administration will be a surprise and will immediately create a new feeling and direction. Expect the unexpected!
The economy seems to be improving amongst all the chaos. Mars is the indicator of real estate. Jupiter and Pluto aspecting Mars indicates a shift in direction of the real estate market. Values will begin to rise creating a strong surge in the market. Changes in the economy will be positive for productivity with the real estate markets worldwide.
The American government will take charge, and make huge changes that improve the economy dramatically. Changes in laws and regulations produce more prosperity. Jupiter is the indicator of prosperity and being in Sagittarius gives it great strength producing a prosperous world.
Groups preaching prosperity through spirituality will predominate, and take over the world in a storm. People are looking for the mystical seeking out the miraculous. This is the true awakening in the world NOW. The defining point here is the need for ego gratification, or true spiritual enlightenment. Inspirational leaders who are in it for the greed will make a major fall, and their ulterior motives will be revealed. But those who inspire others to achieve their highest good will shine.
Proof of other worlds and aliens will change perception and consciousness. This will be the real turn about. The government cannot deny this anymore.
All these realizations are birthing a new consciousness on the planet. Spiritual organizations with the need to change consciousness will grow and begin to awaken a new world.
(Sand sculpture by Jim Denevan)
By way of Everyone Forever (a wonderful place to track down what artists around the world are doing), I discovered the work of Jim Denevan. His bio reads "Jim Denevan makes freehand drawings in sand. At low tide on wide beaches Jim searches the shore for a wave tossed stick. After finding a good stick and composing himself in the near and far environment Jim draws-- laboring up to 7 hours and walking as many as 30 miles. The resulting sand drawing is made entirely freehand w/ no measuring aids whatsoever. From the ground, these drawn environments are experienced as places. Places to explore and be, and to see relation and distance. For a time these tangible specific places exist in the indeterminate environment of ocean shore. From high above the marks are seen as isolated phenomena, much like clouds, rivers or buildings. Soon after Jim's motions and marks are completed water moves over and through, leaving nothing." Two of his pieces appear above and below.
(Sand sculpture by Jim Denevan)
Hillel, the nondenominational Jewish organization which has been the main source for Jewish community on college campuses, has just released a professional resource guide for Jews on campus, the first ever to be published by a Jewish student group.
"The resource guide is designed to help Hillel professionals reach out to and engage the LGBTQ Jewish student population and provides tools for welcoming and working with this growing population."
D'ror Chankin-Gould, editor of The Hillel LGBTQ Resource Guide and Senior Jewish Campus Service Corps, stated "There exists a common belief that religious groups are not open to the LGBTQ community. This guide is helping Hillel break down barriers and cultivate an inclusive, welcoming home for all Jewish students."
The guide is available for reading and download at the Hillel site. It's a damned good resource, including the glossary in which each term is differentiated as being pertinent to gender identity, sexual orientation, or both. 
(Wetlands planting by the Earth Conservation Corps, Anacostia, Washington, DC)
Last year I saw a PBS documentary about the Earth Conservation Corps, an extraordinary group of inner-city youth, black and poor from Anacostia, Washington D.C.'s blackest and poorest neighborhoods, who are working to clean up the "forgotten" Anacostia River, one of America's filthiest rivers. During the course of filming the documentary, one of the most energetic and charismatic of these young men was killed, a victim of random violence. I'll never forget how his colleagues individually and collectively dealt with his senseless loss, and found their way back to their underappreciated work.
Now I discover that Holly Jones has written a series of dispatches from working with and observing this group, available online at McSweeney's as Dispatches from the Anacostia.
The documentary was recently re-broadcast as part of Bill Moyers Journal and can be viewed there, as well as more information about the ECC and Anacostia. You can also read directly about the Earth Conservation Corps at their website, and, if you got it, send some money their way.
I, of course, haunt Liza Cowan's new blog, See Saw, for all the forays it offers into culture, history and art. My Google cache would reveal recent searches for Dolley Madison, Charles Eames, mourning jewelry, and a look-up for the meaning of "synecdoche" [A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword). From the Middle English synodoches, from Medieval Latin synodoche, alteration of Latin synecdochē, from Greek sunekdokhē, from sunekdekhesthai, to take on a share of : sun-, syn- + ekdekhesthai, to understand (ek-, out of + dekhesthai, to take).]
This week there are some photobooth artifacts of Liza herself, at ages 13, 20, and 25 or thereabouts. These accompany the opening this week of Nakki Goranin's show at Pine Street Art Works titled American Photobooth. I have to confess, I've become a bit obsessed with the gorgeous old woman and her dog whose image is used on the PSAW ad above. I really want to know who she was, and wish I had the chance to know her. I've actually dreamed about her, and had imaginary conversations with her (while sneaking morsels from my plate to her bright-eyed little pooch). +woodcut+on+paper.jpg)
("Snow at Inokashira" [Inokashira no yuki], woodcut on paper by Kawase Hasui, 1928)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
BROAD CAST 10 JANUARY 2008
Updates from David Letterman: He continues to mention the WGA strike every show. One night they played a fake ad from AMPTP explaining their side of the disagreement: It showed a graphic of two whole pennies plus a penny cut in half, saying "The Writers Guild of America is demanding we pay them two and a half cents of every dollar we make. We ask you: How can we cut a penny in half? It's an outrageous request." Another night, at the top of the show Dave was announced as "Stooge for the WGA!" He and Paul regularly make comments about how their material shows what can be produced by WRITERS -- usually after a joke or bit has bombed.
Two nights ago, Dave resurrected a stunt he's done before, tormenting the businesses around the Ed Sullivan Theater. This time his target was again the Jamba Juice across the street, which has a wide expanse of plate glass windows revealing the interior to a camera nearby. They sent in a WGA striker from the picket line, who stood in the front window and waves his sign. After a few seconds, they sent in three more strikers. Then six strikers -- at which point Dave said the Jamba Juice employee dialing the phone in the background was probably calling the cops. Then another five strikers, then all they had left, another dozen. By this time the Jamba Juice was crammed with strikers. Nevertheless, as is always the case with this stunt, no passersby paid any notice whatsoever, and one guy in a suit threaded his way into the place to the counter without acting like anything was out of the ordinary.
Next, Dave sent in somebody dressed as Spiderman. Then Moses. And the last to join them was somebody in a bear costume. Never once drawing a second glance from anywhere. I find this irresistibly funny.
Last night during his monologue, Dave mentioned that Dubya had gone to Israel, adding "It's always risky when they let him leave his comfort zone. He made a speech today in which he said 'Ich bin ein Jewish guy.'"
I am paying new notice to the late night format, monologues and shtick after watching the second installment of the PBS series on Pioneers of Television, this one about late night talk shows. They covered Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Johnny Carson, with entirely too much blather from Jay Leno but some interesting comments from Arsenio and Dick Cavett. They'd filmed an interview with Merv Griffin before he died, and he was nice to see the old queen again. The only really new nuggets for me was the fact that the late night concept was dreamed up by Pat Weaver, who was Sigourney Weaver's father, and she had some interesting things to say about how her father refused to underestimate the intelligence of the average viewer, aiming instead for real conversation and commentary.
(Thanks for Shadocat for sending me this cartoon.)
I always appreciate it when I get an e-mail that says "Do you really need to print this out? If not, save a tree". (Pam I., this means you, I recall.) Well, Tamara Krinsky at Change the Margins has an even Greener idea that I want us all to adopt and pass on: Her suggestion is that we change the default margins on all our documents to .75 inches instead of the 1.25 inches that Windows sets it at.
Currently her campaign has three goals:
1. Convince Microsoft to change the default margin settings in Microsoft Word to .75 on all sides. The more convenient it is for people to change their habits, the better chance there is that they will actually do so.
2. Persuade five corporations to officially sanction narrower margins for all company documents. In this way, people will get used to seeing documents with this formatting as the standard, as opposed to the exception. Never underestimate the power of peer pressure.
3. Challenge five universities to adopt narrower margin settings as the standard for their students and faculty, and include this information in their course guidelines.
She's focusing initially on Coca-Cola, Toyota, Continental Airlines and S.C. Johnson, so if you have a good contact at one of those corporations, go to her website and get in touch with her. Her website also has a petition you can sign urging Microsoft to change their defaults before the software leaves their factory.
Here are the stats from her website about paper consumption:
In prehistoric times, 60% of the earth's surface was covered by forests - today that amount has been reduced by 30% and is still shrinking.
-It takes 17 pulpwood market-sized trees and 390 gallons of oil to make a ton of paper
-That ton of paper, when disposed of, takes up nearly 8 cubic feet of public landfill space.
-That public landfill is approximately 36% waste paper products.
-Each one million pages of paper not printed saves 85 pulp trees.
-Each person in an office on average uses 2.5 pounds of paper each week. In the U.S., a ton = 2000 pounds, so that means every 2 years and 70 days, each person in an office on average uses a ton of paper. Now re-read the stats above and see how those numbers hit you. Suddenly, a ton doesn't seem like such an abstract number.
-Americans discard 4 million tons of office paper every year -- enough to build a 12 foot high wall of paper from New York to California.
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MARGINS
OK, so until we can get Microsoft to change the default margins in Word, here's how to do it on your own. It should take no more than twenty seconds and just a few clicks of the mouse. I suggest setting your margins to .75", which will save an immense amount of paper over the long haul, but still leaves you with a little bit of space on the sides. For those of you on the metric system, I'd recommend setting your margins to 2 centimeters, which is just over .75".
ON PCs:
On your WORD screen, go to FILE, then PAGE SET UP.
Click on the MARGINS tab, and fill in your desired settings. Then click on the DEFAULT button (it's on the bottom of the Margins tab). You'll be offered "Do you want to change the default settings for the page set up? This change will affect all new documents based on the normal template." Click YES.
ON MACs:
On your WORD screen, go to FORMAT, then DOCUMENT.
Once on DOCUMENT, click on MARGINS and you'll be able to fill in the settings for your margins.
I've a great article to recommend, by Courtney E. Martin in her book Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body. Posted at Utne Reader, her essay Love Your Fat Self points out:
"Sizeism remains the only truly socially acceptable form of discrimination on the planet. We see living in a fat body as an insurmountable disability. Nearly a decade ago, the feminist therapist Mary Pipher wrote that 'fat is the leprosy of the 1990s.' Today fat is the death penalty of the 21st century. Skinny girls, counting their carrot sticks for lunch, can’t imagine being lovable at that size, applying for a job at that size, even living at that size. When I asked 14-year-old Manhattanites how their lives would be different if they were fat, they were struck silent. After a few moments, one responded, 'I would be dead.'"
It's a great read, complete with an image gallery. Love your body and lead the way.
And, lastly, here's a link to a FABULOUS Tom the Dancing Bug cartoon posted at Angry Black Woman blog, the definitive answer to essentialists who claim there's a biological explanation for why blacks score lower on some IQ tests than whites. Pass it on...
(Another classic from the mind of little gator)
Thursday, January 3, 2008
TV DONE RIGHT
Last night David Letterman didn't just return to the air after having made a completely union-friendly deal with the WGA, he gave the strikers a loaded 9 mm and told 'em to fire at will. It was wild fun.
In his usual guise as political idiot (never let that fool you), he said the basic reason for the strike was because the producers refused to pay for the writers' pencils. Which got a big laugh, but four cents actually translates to a sharpened pencil or two. He entered the stage among a chorus line phalanx of "striking" dancers he introduced as the Eugene V. Debs. He pointed out that his show was the only show featuring jokes by union writers, which got a huge round of applause. He took staged questions from the audience about the strike. He allowed Bill Sheft, Late Show strike captain, to interrupt a sketch that was about to show Dave igniting a pair of men's boxers by pointing out that the strike wasn't over, then delivering a rant against AMPTP that was searingly funny.
And for his Top Ten, a group of writers still on the picket line for other shows (including Nora Ephron and several writers for Colbert and Jon Stewart) delivered ten demands that ranged from sly jabs to a plaintive skinny pale guy's plea for "A date with a woman." You can read the list, watch Sheft's rant or hear Dave's monologue at the Late Show website. Yeah, Dave's grown out a beard (which he intends to shave on air), Hillary did a pre-recorded message, and Robin Williams was his usual off-the-charts funny (especially doing Walter Brennan having rough cowboy sex in Brokeback Mountain, you had to see it), but the glory of this episode was the unabashed support for the Writers Guild of America. You ROCK, David Letterman. Let's show him how much we appreciate it.
Also on the air last night was the first installment PBS's four part documentary series "Pioneers of Television". This one focused on the situation comedy, specifically on five key sitcoms that shaped the genre: I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, Make Room for Daddy, The Andy Griffith Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show. The interviews were great (including a rare extended interview with Andy Griffith) and the details helped me understand exactly why these shows excelled, beyond the sentiment of them being from the "golden age". Catch it in re-run if you can. I'm looking forward to the future examinations of Late Night, Variety, and Game Shows.
And, making this a trifecta week for me, our local PBS station aired their American Masters' special on Cole Porter. It was fascinating to contrast his life story and career trajectory with that of George Gershwin, who was also recently featured in a PBS documentary. I was glad to see they treated his gayness openly, with frank interviews from straight friends and wonderful old queens alike. I was also intrigued by the details about his upper class upbringing, the role wealth played in his private life, and the details of his disability, all of which was news to me. It's clear that the previous film biographies of him are either off the mark or just flat-out lies. As usual, reality is a lot more interesting.
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