February 29, 2008

I haven't worked up the nerve to splurge on the Frye boots, but I did get these shoes by Frye the other day that I'm in love with. This week I procrastinated on all of my work projects, so now I will have to do them over the weekend. Working at home isn't always the most productive locale - I spend probably two hours a day just reading news on the internet (and shopping, apparently). I need structure! Luckily I have colleagues in another state that I am working with who check on me and keep me on track somewhat. I think this is why an academic job (at least a traditional one) wouldn't work for me - I want smart, innovative, non-territorial people around me to collaborate with and motivate me to do my best work, and forward-thinking clients who want to use our work to help change the world. Anyway, that's the latest. That and the fact that I've sworn off the anti-Clinton anti-woman hacks at CNN and MSNBC. I will only watch Anderson Cooper, and that with a jaundiced eye. From now on it is the Lehrer News Hour.

February 27, 2008

I am aggravated that the Fed keeps lowering interest rates. I mean, I'm no economist so I suppose it's necessary and whatnot, but for people who are savers and not over-spenders, it totally sucks! And it's a little bizarre that the idea is to get people to take out more loans and charge more on credit cards and thus get further into debt. Meanwhile, savings accounts, CDs, and savings bonds get crapola as far as interest earnings. What is a fiscally conservative gal to do??

February 9, 2008

The Pattern of Sexist/Misogynist Outbursts at MSNBC (compiled by Media Matters).

February 7, 2008

I wanted to add this snippet too, from an editorial in women's enews:

"...Journalists seemed to take without a grain of salt the idea that the torch had been passed directly from JFK to Obama; from one young man to another, and no anti-heroic women in between, thank you. All this is not to disparage Obama, whose charisma, oratory, intelligence, message of hope and appeal to young voters are a real plus for Democrats. But so, too, are Hillary's resonance with lower-income voters and women.

She may be prose while he's poetry, but where are the voices saying that her command of the issues and her long experience as an advocate for children fit today's needs like a glove? Any admiration I sense for her among opinion journalists is grudging at best and, at worst, she's seen as a combination of Lucrezia Borgia and Lady Macbeth; power-mad, shrill and calculating. And, of course, there's that "cackle."
On the CNN-Time blog, The Page, critic Mark Halperin noted that Kennedy endorsement was important because:

• "He has a huge following among working-class, traditional Democrats, one of Obama's weaknesses.
• He has a huge following among union households, another of Obama's weaknesses.
• He has a huge following among older Democrats, yet another of Obama's weaknesses.
• He has a huge following with Hispanics, a big deal in California and other Super Tuesday states, and one of Obama's weaknesses.

Note the key word here? Weaknesses. They are also Hillary's strengths, but that fact was little noted in the orgy of TV coverage. (And I watched hour after hour of it.)

Of course, the Obama narrative has elements the media love. He's a fresh face, he's calling for an end to the divisive politics we all loathe, he's young in a culture where youth rules. To many he embodies redemption for America's racist past. He would indeed turn a very different American face to the world. But the first female president would also be a huge departure from our past and that's been downplayed by a media run by men."
Pasted from http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3484

February 6, 2008

It has become somewhat of a hobby with me lately to point out (i.e., obsess over) the misogyny leveled against Senator Clinton during this campaign, and I swear it is getting worse. One example is CNN's seeming inability to call races for Clinton long after other media outlets have, because they just can't believe that Obama won't pull out a heroic victory at the end when the urban population centers report their results. One piece of data I heard that I think is really interesting: exit polls showed that people who made < $50,000 voted for Clinton, and people who made > $50,000 voted for Obama. Paul Begala joked that the talking heads in the media are so smitten with Obama because they don't know anybody who makes less than $50,000.

I don't even know who I'm voting for yet, but the bias against Clinton raises my hackles in a big way - my sexism radar is on full alert, and I just feel compelled to defend her or at least point out the bullshit. Democrat white men go something like 2 to 1 for Obama over Clinton and would totally vote for McCain over her in a general and I doubt they could come up with a rational reason. Simply a matter of where they stand on policy issues? I think not. The criticism of her is fueled in no small part by sexism. But I guess people don't vote rationally, eh? We've seen that before.

Excellent article from the Seattle Times:

Hillary hatred finds its misogynistic voice

February 4, 2007

Bison spotted at Yellowstone National Park by my mom last week.