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Dec
17
Remains of the day, 12-17-07
Filed Under Remains of the Day | 4 Comments
1. BlogHer ’08 registration info. San Fran. July 18-20. The Westin St. Francis. Wanna go?
2. Kike Like Me. A documentary by Jaime Kastner – are you related to the Kastners in Connecticut? Or the Josefsbergs in Miami? Anyway, Kike Like Me is not a title like “Black Like Me.” It would have to be “Nigger Like Me” to be analogous. Which isn’t what the book was called. I don’t really care whether you’re Jewish or not, Jaime, but I was called a kike when I was in junior high. I didn’t like it. And the kid got in trouble. I really don’t recommend it as a useful word. But, Jaime, that’s me.
3. For-profit charter school shenanigans – do Ohio taxpayers really not care? Some complain so much about the money in public schools, you’d think what Plunderbund notes would make the same Ohioans absolutely stark-raving insane. Our tax dollars, going to a for-profit that is now owned by probably primarily non-Ohioans, influencing and directing what the company does – with Ohio students and money.
4. Potential for-profit charter school shenanigans in LA? Read more about Steve Barr here and here.
5. Dave, you are wrong to suggest that Obama needed to or should have changed his name when he entered the race for the presidential nomination. Obama doesn’t need to “fix” his name like people “fix” their teeth. What are you ingesting?
6. I haven’t had time to give this wrestling match it’s fair share of time, but please, if you haven’t read Dave Hazinski going through a Dick Feagleresque review of blogs and journalism (the piece is called, “Unfettered citizen journalism is too risky” – and he posits that journalists have no rules but they should develop some and subject all citizen journalists to them) and Dan Gillmor’s takedown of Hazinski (titled, “Needed: Regulation to Prevent Journalists-Turned-Professors from Embarrassing Themselves), you need to stop what you’re doing and read both now.
7. Help East Cleveland get a playground grant.
8. Bob Stark, Israel, $3-4 billion dollars. One source I have in Israel tells me that rumors say Safed is a poor town that’s been riddled by corruption. I visited there in the 1980s – it’s reputation was of an artsy, religious enclave. I guess we’ll have to watch and see.
9. This is why I could never vote for Mike Huckabee: he’s hired the Family Research Council’s communications maven. Though I guess that’s better than bringing on another FRC person: Ken Blackwell.
10. The title of this article says it all: Mom who homeschools kids elected chair of SC public school board. Wow.
11. What’s the state of publishing in Cleveland? realNEO wants to know.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:04 pm December 17th, 2007 in Remains of the Day | 4 Comments
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Dec
17
Striking writers try move to Internet, supported by venture capital
Filed Under Economy, Media, Politics, Social Issues, Writing | 2 Comments
Wow. Just how is this going to play out? (LATimes article seems to be behind free registration firewall; it’s titled, “Striking writers in talks to launch Web start-ups.”)
Dozens of striking film and TV writers are negotiating with venture capitalists to set up companies that would bypass the Hollywood studio system and reach consumers with video entertainment on the Web.
At least seven groups, composed of members of the striking Writers Guild of America, are planning to form Internet-based businesses that, if successful, could create an alternative economic model to the one at the heart of the walkout, now in its seventh week.
Three of the groups are working on ventures that would function much like United Artists, the production company created 80 years ago by Charlie Chaplin and other top stars who wanted to break free from the studios.
“It’s in development and rapidly incubating,” said Aaron Mendelsohn, a guild board member and co-creator of the “Air Bud” movies.
The prospects?
“I’m 100% confident that you will see some companies get formed,” said Todd Dagres, a Boston-based venture capitalist who has been flying to L.A. and meeting with top writers for weeks. “People have made up their minds.”
What effect this would have on the strike is unclear. So far, the percentage of the guild’s 10,000 striking writers who are in discussions with venture capitalists appears to be small. Any deal of this kind, however, could put pressure on the studios and help the writers’ public relations campaign. Writers who are talking to venture investors say the studios would suffer a brain drain if high-profile talents received outside funding and were no longer beholden to them.
Mendelsohn and others said they would stick with their ventures after the strike ended.
There’s a lot more in the article. Fascinating.
Hattip to PJNet.org.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:23 pm December 17th, 2007 in Economy, Media, Politics, Social Issues, Writing | 2 Comments
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Dec
17
From PR Newswire (though I received the notice via e-mail):
For this exclusive annual list, PINK looks beyond the traditional women’s workplace issues such as lactation centers, on-site daycare and flextime. Instead PINK’s editors take a hard-numbers approach, challenging companies vying for a place on the list to give a 360-degree view. For example, how many women are top earners, and what roles do they play in impacting the bottom line and the company’s future? Companies must prove they’re delivering the goods to help women succeed — not just in their jobs but in their careers and their lives.
This year’s winners were: American Express Co., Heller Ehrman LLP, Kelly Services, Aflac Inc., FedEx Services, Grant Thornton LLP, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and Wachovia Corp. Bebe Stores Inc. received an honorable mention.
To nominate your company, e-mail topcompanies@pinkmagazine.com. All entries are due by January 21, 2008.
ELIGIBILITY: For-profit U.S. companies that, at the time of nomination, have been in business at least five years. Companies must have more than 1,000 employees and a minimum of two women on the board of directors at the time of nomination. The names of companies that apply but do not make the list will remain confidential.
I wasn’t sold on PINK when it first came out a couple of years ago, and I don’t read it regularly. But the few times I have looked at it since 9/05, I’ve thought that it’s definitely better than what I thought the first time around.
Whether this competition means much, I don’t know. Can you think of any Ohio companies that should apply?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:19 pm December 17th, 2007 in Business, Women | Comments Off
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Dec
17
What a fantastic image. Thanks to John Hockenberry and Harvey Pekar as well as the others mentioned in this post at Your Billion Dollar President.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:45 pm December 17th, 2007 in Ohio, Politics | Comments Off
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Dec
17
National Abstinence Education Assn. push polling?
Filed Under Culture, Education, Government, Health Care, Marketing, Media, Ohio, Parenting, Politics, Social Issues, Women | 11 Comments
I just received a called from the National Abstinence Educ. Assn. When I tried for the third time to hear the question, the system stopped allowing me to answer that question, which was:
Do you believe that Ohio students should continue to have access to abstinence education?
Note, it doesn’t say abstinence-only, which is the only program in danger of not being used. Abstinence has been and will continue to be taught in Ohio schools. Do not believe otherwise.
I’ve left a message for Patra Stephan, the group’s communications director, at 202-248-5420, who, I’m told, is the only person who can answer questions about the poll such as:
1. Why at the beginning does it refer to itself as an “FEC Survey” – what is that if not elections?
2. What’s the survey sample they’re working on? Only in Ohio? Across the country?
3. Why didn’t I get a chance to answer the questions?
4. Why were the remaining questions:
Are you a parent or grandparent of a school-aged child?
Are you male? (not “Are you female” – so, who are they calling?)
Are you between the ages of 35 and 65? (why that age group – younger women’s opinions are…what?)
Anyone else get this call?
Here’s the group’s board of directors and advisory board.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:30 am December 17th, 2007 in Culture, Education, Government, Health Care, Marketing, Media, Ohio, Parenting, Politics, Social Issues, Women | 11 Comments
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Dec
17
Saying that Steve King endorsed you just won’t help Thompson
Filed Under Campaigning, Elections, Government, Politics, WH2008 | 6 Comments
Even though it’s the politician, Iowa Congressman Steve King (R), who is in Iowa, where the caucuses will occur, and not the writer in Maine, Stephen King. The name confusion is just a field day – not to mention, how many primary voters outside of Iowa know of the politician Steve King?
Fred, it’s just not happening.
Here’s the news on the endorsement from The Fix.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:12 am December 17th, 2007 in Campaigning, Elections, Government, Politics, WH2008 | 6 Comments
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Dec
17
ABC perpetuates anxiety-creation, mommy wars myth-pharma ads increase too
Filed Under Culture, Media, Mental health, Parenting, Women | 2 Comments
I wouldn’t even have known that this show, Notes from the Underbelly, existed if not for this BlogHer post by Nordette, about it (it’s a great collection of views and reviews). It caught that BlogHer writer’s attention because one of the characters in the show keeps a mommy blog.
But the fatal flaw for me, included in the BlogHer post, is this note in Slate.com’s review of Notes:
Notes pits housewives against career gals and constrained fathers against liberated bachelors. It’s about the loss of identity, the accrual of responsibilities, the social rivalries among friends, and—what’s that in the Maclaren?—ah, yes, the baby. Coochie-coochie-coo.
O.M.G. The only war going on is between who the media listens to (supporters of the myth) and who they ignore (debunkers of the myth – who happen to be pretty powerful women, and mothers).
Where are those myth-supporters? I would like to meet one because none of the moms I know believe in the mommy wars anymore than the Tooth Fairy.
About the pharma ads: I don’t know if that’s true because I don’t watch enough television, but I’m thinking of all those “I just couldn’t do another load of laundry” ads for pills that should make women feel better. Have we really not come any farther than the Rolling Stones in 1965?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:56 am December 17th, 2007 in Culture, Media, Mental health, Parenting, Women | 2 Comments
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Dec
17
CT residents leaned to Lieberman like they do w/golf balls but it was just as useless
Filed Under Elections, Politics, WH2008 | 4 Comments
If you want to tell CT residents that you still resent their choice of Joe Lieberman (I) over Ned Lamont (D), fine.
But to suggest that they didn’t know what they were getting, nuh-uh. I know they knew – I know people who voted for Lamont and then for Lieberman. Those voters knew what they were doing – there was no mystery about it. Connecticut voters have a long history of voting for predictably unpredictably politicians.
You know how you lean when you hit a golf ball or roll a bowling ball, hoping that your leaning is going to make it go the way you want? Well, CT residents did that with their votes. How often does that leaning help your golf ball or bowling ball? Yeah – doesn’t work too well with politicians either, does it?
Who is Joe Lieberman’s endorsement really able to persuade? Not Democrats who supported Lamont. And very unlikely Democrats in CT who supported Lieberman.
As for the Independents, there are too many GOP candidates and not enough critical mass behind any one of them for the Independents, as a group, to be a factor based on Lieberman’s say so. Come on.
U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) isn’t going to be the GOP nominee. And frankly, do you really imagine Lieberman endorsing any of the Dems?
Me neither.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:19 am December 17th, 2007 in Elections, Politics, WH2008 | 4 Comments
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