2008 - the year of the woman in politics . . . and mediocrity?

The Washington Post today has an interesting read - "Ideology Aside, This Has Been the Year of the Woman." It's basically about the positive impact that both Hillary and Palin have had on the role and perception of women in American politics. There's a discussion about Palin and feminism, with comments from liberal and conservative women activists as well as "regular" women about what feminism means in 2008. WHile I don't agree with everything it says, it's definitely worth a look.

However, I bring it up because the absolute best part of the article comes in the last paragraph.

. . . some GOP women, along with their Democratic counterparts, have openly questioned Palin's qualifications. [Conservative activist and lawyer Cleta] Mitchell has an answer to that. "Even if Sarah Palin is as 'unqualified' as the left would have us believe," she wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, ". . . then former congresswoman Bella Abzug's lifelong goal has been achieved. She used to say that she was 'working for the day when a mediocre woman could get as far as a mediocre man.' "

Ha! I guess after decades of mediocre male politicians, Sarah Palin demonstrates that women can be just as inexperienced and average as men in politics. Classic. Go equality!

Lost Season 5 promo

I think I just piddled myself a little when I watched this. I too much of a geek. Now if they'd just explain that damned 4-toed statue!

Political models predicting Obama win and Congressional seat gains for Dems

This is one of the few times I'm actually going to say something positive about modeling in political science. I've talked in the past here and here about why I intensely dislike the hegemony of mathematical modeling and statistical methods in the discipline. However, I will allow myself to be completely hypocritical when I serves my own personal viewpoint.

The American Political Science Association recently came out with press releases claiming that the majority of Presidential election forecasting models are predicting an Obama win in the popular vote and that Democrats will make seat gains in both the House and Senate. If both these predictions actually come true I will eat my words on modeling in political science . . . well for just a few days :)

Armchair anthropologist - Seveteen Magazine then and now

I was at my fabulous hairdressers today getting a touch-up on my color (re: gray hairs were starting to poke through again) and I accidentally picked up a Seventeen magazine instead of The Economist. Imagine my shock when instead of the latest news on the global financial meltdown I saw pictures of Zac Ephron and a how-to- feature on French kissing!

Okay, okay, I admit it. I picked up Seventeen on purpose. As I was riffling through the stack of magazines next while waiting for my color to set, I came across Seveteen and was intrigued. I hadn't looked at a copy since . . . well . . . probably since I was 17 if not younger. Call it armchair cultural research. I was like an anthropologist re-entering a community she had lived in 15 years after she had left. And what I found was intriguing.

Many things wer exactly as I remembered them. Celebrity gossip, notes on hot fahsion trends, pictures of cute famous boys (even I can admit Zac Ephron is pretty dreamy), relentless hocking of overpriced beauty products. Even some of the clothes wer similar to what I was wearing (or more likely what I wished I was cool enough to wear) 20 years ago. There were two things I was not expecting, though.

First, was a noticable different in the "romance and dating" sections. Sure there was a section on kissing that could have been ripped from the pages of Seventeen in 1990 or even 1980. However, that was by far the most innocent article on this topic. What I found that would never have been there 15 years ago was a frankness and openness about sex. There was a discussion about the benefits and side-effects of going on the pill, with a heavy slant towards encouraging teenagers to go on it even if they are just thinking about having sex, along with Planned Parenthood's national 1-800 number (as well as a reminder that abstinence was the only 100% effective method). There were frequent references to having sex with boyfriends in the advice and "personal horror stories" sections. A story about getting over a break-up included tips that assumed some couples will have been sexually active. And there was a wonderful feature about a college-aged lesbian couple who had met in high school and recently were able to marry in California. I was quite surprised.

It's not that teenagers are having sex at such as higher rate now than they were when I am in high school. (I am not substantiating this empirically. It's just an educated assertion. Call me out if I'm wrong.) But in 1990 magazines geered towards teenaged girls (that are also read by tweens) were not that explicit in recognizing the sexual activeness of its readers. And you know what? I think this is a wonderful thing. It made me smile the whole time I was reading it. If all teenagers in this country were raised in a culture of openness, education, and self-awareness that I felt Seventeen magazine was promoting, then perhaps we would have lower rates of teen pregnancy and more sexually well-adjusted adults.

The second thing that surprised me was a full-paged ad promoting Seventeen magazine's Body Peace Treaty. A number of teen-world celebrities had signed it (Miley Cyrus, Fergie, Amanda Bynes, Ashlee Simpson, Carrie Underwood) aned the magazine was encouraging all of its readers to sign the plege for themselves. It would have been nice to see some fuller-figured celebrity names on it, but I did notice that a couple of the models in the fashion spreads were larger girls, so at lease they're trying. I looked up the Body Peace Treaty online so I could re-print it here. I think it's something worth mulling over for woman of all ages.

I vow to:

• Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
• Never blame my body for the bad day I'm having.
• Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
• Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
• Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I'd never want anyone to do that to me.
• Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe...
• Quiet that negative little voice in my head when it starts to say mean things about my body that I'd never tolerate anyone else saying about me.
• Remind myself that what you see isn't always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
• Remember that even the girl who I'd swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates.
• Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
• Realize that the mirror can reflect only what's on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
• Know that I'm already beautiful just the way I am.

You go Seventeen!

Elitism and American Politics

In an election where Barak Obama has been charged by many from the right with "elitism" and Sarah Palin proudly flaunts her lack of Washingon experience, I think it's important to ask what is so bad about elitism in politics? Why do so many Americans look down on experience and education in favor of someone who is just your "average Joe" (or Jane is this election)? and In his Newsweek column a couple weeks ago, Sam Harris address this very question.

. . . how has "elitism" become a bad word in American politics? There is simply no other walk of life in which extraordinary talent and rigorous training are denigrated. We want elite pilots to fly our planes, elite troops to undertake our most critical missions, elite athletes to represent us in competition and elite scientists to devote the most productive years of their lives to curing our diseases. And yet, when it comes time to vest people with even greater responsibilities, we consider it a virtue to shun any and all standards of excellence. When it comes to choosing the people whose thoughts and actions will decide the fates of millions, then we suddenly want someone just like us, someone fit to have a beer with, someone down-to-earth—in fact, almost anyone, provided that he or she doesn't seem too intelligent or well educated.

I think this is kind of attitude that got W. elected and re-elected and is behind much of the popularity of Sarah Palin. Of course, there's also the fact that supposed "elitists" tend to be more of the rationalist persuasion, and therefore don't believe that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. Perhaps "elitism" is just a code word for "educated enough to not believe in irrational nonsense."

The entire article is worth a read for it's engagin criticism of the cringe-inducing mixing of religion and politics we would get with Palin running the country.

V is coming back!

What Generation X-er doesn't have fond memories of lizards-wearing-human-skin-guinea-pig-eating aliens? For all of us into sci-fi nostalgia TV, Variety is reporting that ABC is developing an updated version of V, the (in)famous 1980s miniseries and TV show. W00t!

If it's half as good as the new version Battlestar Gallactica, I am so there.

A religious movement a can get behind - the Unitarian Jihad

Found this manifesto of the "Unitarian Jihad" from a freethinking website (don't remember now which one). I guess it circulated around the internet a few years ago, but I missed it then. I did a little research and it actually turns out it was a humor piece Jon Carroll of the SF Chronicle. Enjoy.

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary.

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States! Too long has your attention been waylaid by the bright baubles of extremist thought. Too long have fundamentalist yahoos of all religions (except Buddhism -- 14-5 vote, no abstentions, fundamentalism subcommittee) made your head hurt. Too long have you been buffeted by angry people who think that God talks to them. You have a right to your moderation! You have the power to be calm! We will use the IED of truth to explode the SUV of dogmatic expression!

People of the United States, why is everyone yelling at you??? Whatever happened to ... you know, everything? Why is the news dominated by nutballs saying that the Ten Commandments have to be tattooed inside the eyelids of every American, or that Allah has told them to kill Americans in order to rid the world of Satan, or that Yahweh has instructed them to go live wherever they feel like, or that Shiva thinks bombing mosques is a great idea? Sister Immaculate Dagger of Peace notes for the record that we mean no disrespect to Jews, Muslims, Christians or Hindus. Referred back to the committee of the whole for further discussion.

We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with. Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity notes for the record that he does not have a moral code but is nevertheless a good person, and Unexalted Leader Garrote of Forgiveness stipulates that Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity is a good person, and this is to be reflected in the minutes.

Beware! Unless you people shut up and begin acting like grown-ups with brains enough to understand the difference between political belief and personal faith, the Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. We will not try for "balance" by hiring fruitcakes; we will try for balance by hiring non-ideologues who have carefully thought through the issues.

We are Unitarian Jihad. We will appear in public places and require people to shake hands with each other. (Sister Hand Grenade of Love suggested that we institute a terror regime of mandatory hugging, but her motion was not formally introduced because of lack of a quorum.) We will require all lobbyists, spokesmen and campaign managers to dress like trout in public. Televangelists will be forced to take jobs as Xerox repair specialists. Demagogues of all stripes will be required to read Proust out loud in prisons.

We are Unitarian Jihad, and our motto is: "Sincerity is not enough." We have heard from enough sincere people to last a lifetime already. Just because you believe it's true doesn't make it true. Just because your motives are pure doesn't mean you are not doing harm. Get a dog, or comfort someone in a nursing home, or just feed the birds in the park. Play basketball. Lighten up. The world is not out to get you, except in the sense that the world is out to get everyone.

Brother Gatling Gun of Patience notes that he's pretty sure the world is out to get him because everyone laughs when he says he is a Unitarian. There were murmurs of assent around the room, and someone suggested that we buy some Congress members and really stick it to the Baptists. But this was deemed against Revolutionary Principles, and Brother Gatling Gun of Patience was remanded to the Sunday Flowers and Banners committee.

People of the United States! We are Unitarian Jihad! We can strike without warning. Pockets of reasonableness and harmony will appear as if from nowhere! Nice people will run the government again! There will be coffee and cookies in the Gandhi Room after the revolution.

Sign me up! Oh, and according to the Unitarian Jihad Naming Committee, my jihad name is Sister Holy Axe of Compassion. I'm putting that on my business cards (if I ever get any).

Google's Mail Goggles Prevents Drunk Emailing

This is pretty amusing and it would have helped me save face on more than one occasion. My only comment - wouldn't a spellcheck test have worked just as well? Some people might not be able to solve the math problems sober, but all drunk emails, in my experience, have egregious spelling errors.

Google’s Mail Goggles Prevents Drunk Emailing | Epicenter from Wired.com