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Showing posts from January, 2012

Lead from behind

http://dovbaron.podomatic.com/ AMY SHOWALTER • yaktivist vs activist • ego vs getting something done • action shock vs action achievement • street cred • play by the rules • they could have taken the easy way, but didn't • underdog • unconventional in how you do it, but still moral • eyes up in a top dog world • pious and self aggradising • passionista - good in two circumstances - one: show passion of the top dog's interests and two: make top dog feel like a hero - calm face to face discussion first and don't start to look like a radical - make sure your passion is networkable - not just you • making a presentation: start with what's in it for them • time and personal contact with people you are persuading it • how you put your personal brand across, your reputation • changing minds through proximity • building your pack • takes the pack to make it happen • team - cohesive team leader, convert communicator, connected pack members need advocates who

The philosophy of ambiguity, the idiosyncrasies of English

The main reason that Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'where's the self- help section?' she said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. What if there were no hypothetical questions? If a deaf person signs swear words, does his mother wash his hands with soap? If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation? Is there another word for synonym? Where do forest rangers go to 'get away from it all?' What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant? If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages? Why do they lock gas station bathrooms are they afraid someone will clean them? If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked? Can vegetarians eat animal crackers? If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent? Why do they put B

The Big Picture: Why Can't a Woman ... Be a Man?

With all of its bustling and agenda setting, the new Democratic majority ought to think about passing an Affirmative Action Resolution for Women in Movies. Madame Speaker, women are more than half the population of this great country, yet onscreen they're an endangered species--the ivory-billed woodpeckers of cinema. Visit your multiplex, and try, just try, to find a movie where women are as plentiful and powerful as men. 300 , the Spartan workout video, has one important female role, of King Leonidas' wife (Lena Headey); that leaves 299 for the guys. In Shooter , the hero-on-the-run gets brief assistance from a young widow (Kate Mara) before returning to his mission of evaporating a million bad guys. Girlish Jon Heder, one of the two skaters in the Will Ferrell hit Blades of Glory , does have a love interest (Jenna Fischer), but Ferrell doesn't--unless it's Heder. Indeed, the one big new movie fully populated with strong women is the "double featur

Racial slurs or racial markers

Racism and Comedians: I agree with Silverman, there's never a reason to use a slur; and saying a word like 'woman', kinda cuts you off from men, e.g. The women took issue with the men's lascivious ass-slapping. What if it's a question, e.g. Hey, you're a woman, do you wanna make a case against those men for lascivious ass-slapping? Can racial and gender references be interchanged... I dare not give an example. *terrified* :) Great article. "The license to borrow terms other people have taken back can worry even edgy comics. A few months ago, I interviewed (Sarah) Silverman, who argued that her material was not racist but about racism (and I agree). But she added something that surprised me, coming from her: "I'm not saying 'I can say nigger because I'm liberal.' There is a certain aspect of that that I'm starting to get grossed out by. 'Oh, we're not racist. We can say it.'" http://www.time.com/tim