This is so great! Websites designed for each gender to shop for the other, with the assumption that left to their own devices, they won't do as well... and created by Minneapolis-based Gen-Xer Michelle Courtright Bjork.
www.romeoshops.com - for guys looking to buy gifts for the girls
and
www.julietshops.com - vice versa
Actually, the Juliet Shops site is better - full of fun, creative things for guys that aren't readily available elswhere. The Romeo site had a lot of jewelry & more obvious stuff - but also some cool & creative ideas.
I don't think this kind of thing offends Gen X - we know we're equal, and are too busy to spend hours shopping - we appreciate the help. I loved the guy stuff on the Juliet site & had three things in my cart within 10 minutes. Outstanding.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The Bull$#!* Begins
Whatever happened to honest democracy - the idea that real debate about social issues was a good thing, and may the best candidate win?
In an effort to stop Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency, a team of Clinton-haters has a creative idea: make an anti-Hillary movie. Doesn't have to be accurate to hurt her at the polls...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/25/whill25.xml
Also this week, Taylor Marsh blogs for HuffPost about an anti-Clinton flyer she found on her car - purporting to be from Dems about why Hillary "can't win" and thus Dems should go for other candidates, but of course full of inaccuracies and having no attribution anywhere on the flyer. Marsh doesn't believe it came from Dems at all.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/hillary-hit-piece_b_42018.html
The conventional wisdom in DC is apparently not only that she CAN win, but that Republicans are already shaking in their boots. We shall see.
In an effort to stop Hillary Clinton from winning the presidency, a team of Clinton-haters has a creative idea: make an anti-Hillary movie. Doesn't have to be accurate to hurt her at the polls...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/25/whill25.xml
Also this week, Taylor Marsh blogs for HuffPost about an anti-Clinton flyer she found on her car - purporting to be from Dems about why Hillary "can't win" and thus Dems should go for other candidates, but of course full of inaccuracies and having no attribution anywhere on the flyer. Marsh doesn't believe it came from Dems at all.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/taylor-marsh/hillary-hit-piece_b_42018.html
The conventional wisdom in DC is apparently not only that she CAN win, but that Republicans are already shaking in their boots. We shall see.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Oh, the Irony
I finally read the Mpls St Paul mag article about Mpls City Council Member Don Samuels that launched the whole "burn it down" controversy, and I'm mystified. http://www.mspmag.com/features/features/50761.asp
On just about every other topic, it seems the man gets it. He challenges the community to help itself, to help each other - and community leaders to walk their talk. I have been saying for the last couple weeks "I will share his outrage - when he points his finger at those who are abusing our children, and that's not the schools." Ironically, if the article is to be believed, he is mostly pointing fingers in the right direction.
Why, then, his ignorance about the schools?
Is it simply ignorance, taking inaccurate statistics to make assumptions that lead to politically convenient positions? School-bashing has been trendy since Bush took office, so go along & you don't look too liberal?
In fact, the article named support of public education a "white sacred cow" - which in this state it clearly is NOT. (At least not anymore - we're over 30 years past the Minnesota Miracle. See http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/18public.html) I wish the education of all American children was sacred to all Americans...
Samuels didn't give any reason in the article as to why he would dismiss the entire school system with: "Get rid of the damn thing! It hasn’t worked!” beyond the widely-quoted but still wrong statistic about black male graduation rates. I guess that is the mystifying part - what does he really believe about us?
Despite all the bad press, great things are still happening every day in all of the Minneapolis schools. Timothy J. O'Brien, an editorial letter-writer from Minneapolis made a great point in the Strib the other day in response to Samuels' call for vouchers:
On just about every other topic, it seems the man gets it. He challenges the community to help itself, to help each other - and community leaders to walk their talk. I have been saying for the last couple weeks "I will share his outrage - when he points his finger at those who are abusing our children, and that's not the schools." Ironically, if the article is to be believed, he is mostly pointing fingers in the right direction.
Why, then, his ignorance about the schools?
Is it simply ignorance, taking inaccurate statistics to make assumptions that lead to politically convenient positions? School-bashing has been trendy since Bush took office, so go along & you don't look too liberal?
In fact, the article named support of public education a "white sacred cow" - which in this state it clearly is NOT. (At least not anymore - we're over 30 years past the Minnesota Miracle. See http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/18public.html) I wish the education of all American children was sacred to all Americans...
Samuels didn't give any reason in the article as to why he would dismiss the entire school system with: "Get rid of the damn thing! It hasn’t worked!” beyond the widely-quoted but still wrong statistic about black male graduation rates. I guess that is the mystifying part - what does he really believe about us?
Despite all the bad press, great things are still happening every day in all of the Minneapolis schools. Timothy J. O'Brien, an editorial letter-writer from Minneapolis made a great point in the Strib the other day in response to Samuels' call for vouchers:
SCHOOL CHOICE: Vouchers to the rescue
I've always been strongly against school vouchers. However, after reading Minneapolis City Council Member Don Samuels remarks, Nick Coleman's columns and Mitch Pearlstein's Feb. 21 Counterpoint, I now see vouchers as the only way for Minneapolis public schools, which my three adult children attended, to be saved.
However, I have some restrictions on how the vouchers will be dispensed. If you missed school five or more days in a semester, you get a voucher; if you acted out in class more than twice in a semester, you get a voucher; if you fail to do your homework on a timely basis, you get a voucher; if you were arrested for anything anytime, you get a voucher.
Now, after all of the just voucher recipients are warmly accepted into the schools of their choice, the remaining students -- the ones who attend every day, act appropriately, are prepared and law-abiding -- will excel as never before and the voucher system will be a huge success. I'm sure all of the charter and private schools will accept these new students with open arms.
That's the bottom line that folks don't mention when KIPP schools and other successful charters are touted as the magic bullet: they are full of kids whose parents had the good sense to send them there. Imagine if all the kids in the Minneapolis Public School had parents who were involved at the level that KIPP parents are...
Even so, the sins of the parents should not hold back their kids. I've always maintained that my daughter's elite private school has only two things that my public school needs: over $20,000 per kid, and the ability to kick out anyone they don't want. Give us those two things in the Minneapolis Public Schools and our results will match theirs in no time.
Want something to be outraged about, Mr. Samuels? How about the fact that no one with power in this state has any interest in that idea?
Watching and waiting...
Watching the '08 presidential race shape up has been interesting so far. Folks may not realize there are as many old white men in the race as there are, given the attention that Clinton & Obama are getting!
I would love to support Obama - just because he's young and enthusiastic! But he knows less about the workings of Washington (and world politics) than Bush Jr did, and relying on experienced but less accountable advisers is not my first choice after the last 6 years of disaster! And my bet is that at some point he will crash hard - if only because that's what the media does to celebrities in this day & age. He might be perfect, but at whatever point the media gets sick of him, a cousin's financial troubles could bring him down. (And remember - given what Minnesota went through with the Ellison/Lee/Fine campaign, we know there are a lot of folks who like to think they'd support a candidate of color, but won't when it comes down to it.)
Similarly, it is sociologically fascinating to watch how people react to Clinton's candidacy. I think it's revealing of people's views on society in general. Optimists love her; pessimists say she can't win. Progressives who embrace gender equality embrace her; folks who prefer tradition (of whatever they're comfortable with) prefer more traditional candidates.
I suspect a significant generational difference in support for her too, only not the "younger folks more progressive, older folks more traditional" dynamic we've come to expect. In this case, I think Boomer women will vote for Clinton hands-down, but Gen X women will be a little more cautious. Ironically, I think because our generation is more open to a female candidate, we are less inclined to vote for Hillary because she's female. (Gen Y? Not sure. We'll see!)
Food for thought...
I would love to support Obama - just because he's young and enthusiastic! But he knows less about the workings of Washington (and world politics) than Bush Jr did, and relying on experienced but less accountable advisers is not my first choice after the last 6 years of disaster! And my bet is that at some point he will crash hard - if only because that's what the media does to celebrities in this day & age. He might be perfect, but at whatever point the media gets sick of him, a cousin's financial troubles could bring him down. (And remember - given what Minnesota went through with the Ellison/Lee/Fine campaign, we know there are a lot of folks who like to think they'd support a candidate of color, but won't when it comes down to it.)
Similarly, it is sociologically fascinating to watch how people react to Clinton's candidacy. I think it's revealing of people's views on society in general. Optimists love her; pessimists say she can't win. Progressives who embrace gender equality embrace her; folks who prefer tradition (of whatever they're comfortable with) prefer more traditional candidates.
I suspect a significant generational difference in support for her too, only not the "younger folks more progressive, older folks more traditional" dynamic we've come to expect. In this case, I think Boomer women will vote for Clinton hands-down, but Gen X women will be a little more cautious. Ironically, I think because our generation is more open to a female candidate, we are less inclined to vote for Hillary because she's female. (Gen Y? Not sure. We'll see!)
Food for thought...
Saturday, February 17, 2007
A New Frontier
New York Magazine begins its article with this on the cover:
"I am not interested in privacy. Online, I reveal everything - my break ups, by bank balance, my breakfast cereal, my body. My parents call it shameless. I call it freedom."
I think your reaction to that statement will tell you where you fall in the newest generational controversy - how much of one's life to reveal on the Internet.
As a 30-something professional, I am, of course, very careful what I share here and elsewhere. Although I like having a space through which to reach both friends and strangers, I am conscious that anyone - prospective employers, my ex-husband's new wife - can find it. Although my personal and professional selves are largely integrated (what you see is pretty much what you get!) I am still sensitive that my audience would be anyone.
And there are aspects of this new wave that are unimpressive - witness reality TV. As Lakshmi Chaudhry explains in the current issue of The Nation: "When it is more important to be seen than to be talented, it is hardly surprising that the less gifted among us are willing to fart our way into the spotlight."
However, when I imagine myself at 19 with the technology available today, I am sure that my very entertaining college life would have been chronicled extensively! I have huge photo albums (yes, we took pictures at parties!) and long journals from every period of my life. I can absolutely see the attraction young people have to things like MySpace, Flicker and Blogspot.
The article asks the question: what will be the results of all this? Will these young people grow up and regret putting themselves out there so raw? Or will they love having a chronicle of their lives? It also notes one important aspect culturally: we are losing much of our privacy in this country post-9/11 anyway - maybe it's better to adjust our attitudes & embrace living publicly than to fret over things we don't seem to be able to control anymore.
As they point out: "Every street in New York has a surveillance camera. Each time you swipe your debit card or use your MetroCard, that transaction is tracked. Your employer owns your emails. The NSA owns your phone calls. Your life is being lived in public whether you choose to acknowledge it or not."
Maybe the kids are on to something.
Read the article: http://nymag.com/news/features/27341/index.html?imw=Y
"I am not interested in privacy. Online, I reveal everything - my break ups, by bank balance, my breakfast cereal, my body. My parents call it shameless. I call it freedom."
I think your reaction to that statement will tell you where you fall in the newest generational controversy - how much of one's life to reveal on the Internet.
As a 30-something professional, I am, of course, very careful what I share here and elsewhere. Although I like having a space through which to reach both friends and strangers, I am conscious that anyone - prospective employers, my ex-husband's new wife - can find it. Although my personal and professional selves are largely integrated (what you see is pretty much what you get!) I am still sensitive that my audience would be anyone.
And there are aspects of this new wave that are unimpressive - witness reality TV. As Lakshmi Chaudhry explains in the current issue of The Nation: "When it is more important to be seen than to be talented, it is hardly surprising that the less gifted among us are willing to fart our way into the spotlight."
However, when I imagine myself at 19 with the technology available today, I am sure that my very entertaining college life would have been chronicled extensively! I have huge photo albums (yes, we took pictures at parties!) and long journals from every period of my life. I can absolutely see the attraction young people have to things like MySpace, Flicker and Blogspot.
The article asks the question: what will be the results of all this? Will these young people grow up and regret putting themselves out there so raw? Or will they love having a chronicle of their lives? It also notes one important aspect culturally: we are losing much of our privacy in this country post-9/11 anyway - maybe it's better to adjust our attitudes & embrace living publicly than to fret over things we don't seem to be able to control anymore.
As they point out: "Every street in New York has a surveillance camera. Each time you swipe your debit card or use your MetroCard, that transaction is tracked. Your employer owns your emails. The NSA owns your phone calls. Your life is being lived in public whether you choose to acknowledge it or not."
Maybe the kids are on to something.
Read the article: http://nymag.com/news/features/27341/index.html?imw=Y
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
It's Like Anybody
I was both amused and annoyed at Randy Foye's comment in the paper today about why he was involved in a fight that led to him receiving a disorderly conduct citation from police. Yes, he's a professional athlete and maybe I should bow to stereotype and not expect any better from someone whose cousins have to pull off the road when they argue so they can get out & have a fist fight... but I still take issue with it.
When asked what in the world a Timberwolves starter was doing in such a situation, his response included: "...you have family members around you and they're arguing... my family, they didn't mean to do it. It's like anybody, your family gets into it and you try to be the peacekeeper..." (See the full quote & story at http://www.startribune.com/511/story/997479.html)
Sorry, my family doesn't "get into it" that way.
Randy Foye seems to share an idea that many of my students from poverty have, which is that dysfunctional behavior like that is normal. That when cousins argue, getting so angry that you want to hit each other is normal. That acting on it by getting out of the car to fight is normal. That being in a car together at 2:30 in the morning - probably not all sober - is normal.
Randy Foye didn't say it was an unusual incident in his experience. He didn't say he was surprised at what happened. He said "It's like anybody..."
Not me.
When asked what in the world a Timberwolves starter was doing in such a situation, his response included: "...you have family members around you and they're arguing... my family, they didn't mean to do it. It's like anybody, your family gets into it and you try to be the peacekeeper..." (See the full quote & story at http://www.startribune.com/511/story/997479.html)
Sorry, my family doesn't "get into it" that way.
Randy Foye seems to share an idea that many of my students from poverty have, which is that dysfunctional behavior like that is normal. That when cousins argue, getting so angry that you want to hit each other is normal. That acting on it by getting out of the car to fight is normal. That being in a car together at 2:30 in the morning - probably not all sober - is normal.
Randy Foye didn't say it was an unusual incident in his experience. He didn't say he was surprised at what happened. He said "It's like anybody..."
Not me.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
More Hot Air from Samuels Fans the Flames
Stark contract between the Strib's editorial yesterday on the firestorm unleashed by Don Samuel's cry to burn down North HS and the city council member's own column on the subject in the paper today:
Editorial: http://www.startribune.com/561/story/990843.html
Samuels: http://www.startribune.com/562/story/992944.html
What's most striking to me is that Samuels is still giving a one-note answer: fix the schools. Nothing about fixing the kids, families, neighborhoods, housing policies, health care policies, education funding or juvenile justice system, all of which are players in this drama as well.
Now Samuels wants to bring "outstanding educators" from around the nation to Minneapolis this spring to teach us what we apparently don't know. Give me a break. He doesn't seem to have a clue what we ARE doing already. Come spend some time in the schools, Mr. Samuels, then we'll talk. (Your kids may never darken our doorways, but as an elected official, you should.)
It's my opinion that there is nothing new under the sun. Educators know what works, and what doesn't. As one of my colleagues once quipped: "Want to solve all the problems in the schools? Staff at 3:1." Ha ha ha. (My school staffed this year at 38:1, if you're not an educator & didn't get it. That means average classes of 38 kids with one teacher.) We simply don't have the resources needed to work the miracles asked of us. The people of Minnesota need to choose to pay for the results they want.
At least the Strib's editorial staff had the sense to speak to the larger issues affecting schools: "Turning all of that around is a lot to ask of the public schools, especially in light of the funding cuts forced on education, police and social services, and the persistence of a destructive popular culture that celebrates failure, glorifies crime and disrespects academic achievement." BINGO.
The editorial goes on to point out: "Mayor R.T. Rybak has it right when he routinely lists the city's two most basic problems: 'Too many kids raising themselves, and too many kids having kids.'" DUH.
In the end, Samuels asks, rightly, "Why aren't more people pushed beyond the boundaries of politeness and rational discourse - shouldn't this make us all crazy?" Right question - wrong topic. Go back up a paragraph to the mayor's quote and direct your anger where it belongs. We in the schools are doing God's work and having great success. Not 100%? Come fight WITH us, not against us.
Editorial: http://www.startribune.com/561/story/990843.html
Samuels: http://www.startribune.com/562/story/992944.html
What's most striking to me is that Samuels is still giving a one-note answer: fix the schools. Nothing about fixing the kids, families, neighborhoods, housing policies, health care policies, education funding or juvenile justice system, all of which are players in this drama as well.
Now Samuels wants to bring "outstanding educators" from around the nation to Minneapolis this spring to teach us what we apparently don't know. Give me a break. He doesn't seem to have a clue what we ARE doing already. Come spend some time in the schools, Mr. Samuels, then we'll talk. (Your kids may never darken our doorways, but as an elected official, you should.)
It's my opinion that there is nothing new under the sun. Educators know what works, and what doesn't. As one of my colleagues once quipped: "Want to solve all the problems in the schools? Staff at 3:1." Ha ha ha. (My school staffed this year at 38:1, if you're not an educator & didn't get it. That means average classes of 38 kids with one teacher.) We simply don't have the resources needed to work the miracles asked of us. The people of Minnesota need to choose to pay for the results they want.
At least the Strib's editorial staff had the sense to speak to the larger issues affecting schools: "Turning all of that around is a lot to ask of the public schools, especially in light of the funding cuts forced on education, police and social services, and the persistence of a destructive popular culture that celebrates failure, glorifies crime and disrespects academic achievement." BINGO.
The editorial goes on to point out: "Mayor R.T. Rybak has it right when he routinely lists the city's two most basic problems: 'Too many kids raising themselves, and too many kids having kids.'" DUH.
In the end, Samuels asks, rightly, "Why aren't more people pushed beyond the boundaries of politeness and rational discourse - shouldn't this make us all crazy?" Right question - wrong topic. Go back up a paragraph to the mayor's quote and direct your anger where it belongs. We in the schools are doing God's work and having great success. Not 100%? Come fight WITH us, not against us.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself
I just added English Al-Jazeera to my list of links. I did it because when I stumbled on it - from the Baghdad Burning site - I thought it was cool to see how other folks view the world. I was entertained that they had the Superbowl right on the front page of the site.
Then I thought - should I do that? What if the hunt for terrorists goes so far as to look for people with such connections?
Then I thought - LORD HAVE MERCY - this is America! Yes, we persecute our own with the best of them, but heaven forbid I should ever censor myself because I'm afraid of a witch-hunt. (I'll censor myself for professional or personal reasons, but hopefully never political!!!) And let me never be in the crowd that didn't speak up because it wasn't me they were coming for!
So I have added Al-Jazeera BECAUSE if this administration gets even crazier and starts coming for folks like me who do simple things like that, I'll be ready to stand on principle. My daughter is Muslim and I will look at Al-Jazeera is I darn well feel like it. You should go check it out just to say you did.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/55ABE840-AC30-41D2-BDC9-06BBE2A36665.htm#
Then I thought - should I do that? What if the hunt for terrorists goes so far as to look for people with such connections?
Then I thought - LORD HAVE MERCY - this is America! Yes, we persecute our own with the best of them, but heaven forbid I should ever censor myself because I'm afraid of a witch-hunt. (I'll censor myself for professional or personal reasons, but hopefully never political!!!) And let me never be in the crowd that didn't speak up because it wasn't me they were coming for!
So I have added Al-Jazeera BECAUSE if this administration gets even crazier and starts coming for folks like me who do simple things like that, I'll be ready to stand on principle. My daughter is Muslim and I will look at Al-Jazeera is I darn well feel like it. You should go check it out just to say you did.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/55ABE840-AC30-41D2-BDC9-06BBE2A36665.htm#
Ranting
A colleague told me yesterday that a discussion in his 12th grade class about homelessness turned personal as students started to share their own stories: four different kids told stories of being homeless because parents were absent, or on drugs, or just didn't have any money... and most of the rest of the class knew someone in similar circumstances.
One boy said that he had a job last year through which he made the most money in his family - but after losing that job felt he "had" to go back to crime to survive... another girl said she'd rather be homeless than with her abusive family... a third student said he was "sort of" homeless since although he has no parents, his aunt helps him out...
And who gets blamed when these kids don't graduate on time???
I absolutely believe that those of us in the schools need to do EVERYTHING we can - and then some - to ensure that kids have access to the knowledge & skills they need to be successful. I also believe that when they come to us unmotivated, it IS our job to try to motive them.
But that's why we do as well as we do. To do better, our kids need resources - better medical care, stable housing, support for families... Schools have had counseling & social work budgets slashed to ribbons in the last 5 years - but if we can't provide these services, then who will?
In an ideal world, teachers would be paid to do things like call home - or even visit parents at home - that would help our kids. But I routinely spend about 10 hours a week unpaid just on curriculum and assessment - my own daughter needs some of my time too.
One boy said that he had a job last year through which he made the most money in his family - but after losing that job felt he "had" to go back to crime to survive... another girl said she'd rather be homeless than with her abusive family... a third student said he was "sort of" homeless since although he has no parents, his aunt helps him out...
And who gets blamed when these kids don't graduate on time???
I absolutely believe that those of us in the schools need to do EVERYTHING we can - and then some - to ensure that kids have access to the knowledge & skills they need to be successful. I also believe that when they come to us unmotivated, it IS our job to try to motive them.
But that's why we do as well as we do. To do better, our kids need resources - better medical care, stable housing, support for families... Schools have had counseling & social work budgets slashed to ribbons in the last 5 years - but if we can't provide these services, then who will?
In an ideal world, teachers would be paid to do things like call home - or even visit parents at home - that would help our kids. But I routinely spend about 10 hours a week unpaid just on curriculum and assessment - my own daughter needs some of my time too.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Yay, Tony Dungy!
The first black coach to win a Super Bowl is a former Gopher - pretty cool! :)
I know that some Gopher fans were hoping the Colts would lose much earlier in the playoff season this year so maybe Tony Dungy would consider taking over the U of MN football program from fired Coach Mason, but no luck. Our loss is Indiana's gain.
Fun Tony Dungy trivia: he is the first NFL head coach to defeat all 32 NFL teams.
See more Dungy trivia at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Dungy - I was amused to find that it had already been updated to include the Super Bowl win only an hour after the game was over!
Burn What???
I’m disgusted with Don Samuels for suggesting that we should burn down North HS because it’s not successful enough. Of course it's just a metaphor - but his point is NOT well taken here.
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/977085.html
That school is in the middle of the most dangerous neighborhood in the state – an oasis of calm where students feel safer than anywhere else – but Samuels, who represents that neighborhood on the city council, has the gall to suggest that it’s the school’s fault those kids aren’t doing BETTER academically. With a 70+% graduation rate, I say they’re doing DARN WELL given what few assets some of those kids come to school with!
The StarTribune provided some context last week - Minnesota ranks 8th in the nation in our rate of black homicide victims. http://www.startribune.com/467/story/968247.html
When will society stop expecting the schools to raise the children? I like to think of myself as a good liberal, but I have HAD IT with abused, violent, stressed and/or scarred children coming to school and (duh) doing poorly, then lawmakers blaming the teachers and/or the school system for their failure. It's not right.
Samuels is reported to be a voucher fan - what a surprise.
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/977085.html
That school is in the middle of the most dangerous neighborhood in the state – an oasis of calm where students feel safer than anywhere else – but Samuels, who represents that neighborhood on the city council, has the gall to suggest that it’s the school’s fault those kids aren’t doing BETTER academically. With a 70+% graduation rate, I say they’re doing DARN WELL given what few assets some of those kids come to school with!
The StarTribune provided some context last week - Minnesota ranks 8th in the nation in our rate of black homicide victims. http://www.startribune.com/467/story/968247.html
When will society stop expecting the schools to raise the children? I like to think of myself as a good liberal, but I have HAD IT with abused, violent, stressed and/or scarred children coming to school and (duh) doing poorly, then lawmakers blaming the teachers and/or the school system for their failure. It's not right.
Samuels is reported to be a voucher fan - what a surprise.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Molly Ivins RIP
Molly Ivins died of cancer on Wednesday and it’s taken me three days to sit down & finish writing about it. Such a huge loss, to journalism and to America. It takes time to digest.
Few people have both inspired and entertained me more. I love her work and I love her attitude. Expressing outrage with humor is a unique skill – one that I don’t possess – but one that I admire. I am not into celebrity-worship, but she is truly a hero to me.
The Strib yesterday had an example of typical Ivins, talking about the Texas legislators she often pilloried: “When I would denounce some sorry sumbitch, I would courageously prepare myself to be horsewhipped at the least. All the ever happened was, I’d see the sumbitch in the capitol the next day, he’d beam, spread his arms, and say, ‘Baby! Yew put mah name in yore paper!’”
I remember hearing her speak at some fancy dinner probably a decade ago, and loving every minute of it. She speaks truth on serious topics, but always with humor. I still have her autograph somewhere.
In her honor, I will try to write more often in 2007! Check out her most recent columns (click a choice under her picture):
http://www.creators.com/opinion/molly-ivins.html?columnsName=miv
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