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Diane Tucker: Women-Made Films Mostly Ignored by the National Film Registry. Why?

2009-11-09T12:27:35Z

Of the 500 films archived in the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress, less than two dozen were directed by women. As I bemoaned this shameful statistic to everyone within earshot, my colleagues reminded me that very few women have ever written or directed a major Hollywood movie. They're right, of course.

The situation for women who want to make movies is grim. Despite the fact that film schools graduate as many women as men, just 4% of Hollywood directors are women. That's roughly the same minuscule percentage of women archived in the National Film Registry. (You can help change that by voting below.)

The movie business "is absolutely consistently more difficult for women from beginning to the end," said Debra Zimmerman, executive director of the nonprofit organization Women Make Movies.

How difficult? Did you know that a woman has never won the Oscar for best directing? Maybe more to the point, only three have ever been nominated: Lena Wertmuller for 1975's Seven Beauties, Jane Campion for 1993's The Piano, and Sofia Coppola for 2003's Lost in Translation.

"It always comes back to male being treated as the default state of humanity, and female a deviation therefrom. This creates a culture in which men's stories are considered human stories to which everyone is expected to relate, while women's stories are considered an inferior subset," said cultural anthropologist Melissa McEwan, who writes about the political marginalization of gender-based groups on the Web site Shakesville.

When a woman's story is dismissed as "less than," it makes women "others" and makes them seem mysterious to men, explained McEwan. "This underwrites the justification for ignoring women's stories on the ground they are inaccessible and uninteresting to men."

The majority of women directors today are indie, arthouse, or experimental filmmakers -- a creative bunch, however, the statistic also suggests women are being denied access to financial backing. Filmmaker Cristina Cassidy told The Huffington Post, "I honestly believe my current film would have gotten backing in a snap if I was a guy. I know that sounds like sour grapes, but it's true."

Even Nora Ephron, the writer-director (and fellow HuffPost blogger) whose hit movies include Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, has difficulty getting studios to greenlight her screenplays. "I always think every movie should begin with a logo that says, for example, Warner Bros. did everything in its power to keep from making this movie," scoffed Ephron.

It's a self-reinforcing cycle that results in women-centered films being branded genre films, McEwan told The Huffington Post. "Nora Ephron makes 'chick flicks,' but Michael Bay doesn't make 'dick flicks,' he just makes movies."

Hollywood is still an old boys' club. But does the National Film Registry have to be? Maybe not, because you can nominate films for inclusion. The Washington D.C. chapter of Women In Film & Video (disclosure: I am a member) has nominated the following women-made films to the Registry in 2009:

-- The Big House (1930), written by Frances Marion

-- New Sensations in Sound (1949), animated and produced by Mary Ellen Bute

-- Growing Up Female (1971), written and directed by Julia Reichert and Jim Klein

-- Will (1981), produced by Jessie Maple

-- Big (1988), directed by Penny Marshall

Clockwise from upper left: Penny Marshall, Jessie Maple, Mary Ellen Bute, Frances Marion
(Not pictured: Julia Reichert)

Why these women?

Frances Marion was the first woman to win the Oscar for an original screenplay, and is still the only screenwriter (male or female) to win back-to-back Oscars in this category. She is often cited as the most renowned female screenwriter of the 20th century.

Mary Ellen Bute was a pioneer in the use of abstract animation to "show" sound. Her short film New Sensations in Sound predates Disney's Fantasia, yet it is rarely seen today.

Julia Reichert's Growing Up Female is considered the first film of the modern women's movement. It's a vital resource for young women who have no idea how much has changed for women in just one generation. Since feminist films are not yet represented in the Registry, this movie would be the first one.

Jessie Maple is included in nearly every who's who of film except the Registry. Will is the first post civil rights feature-length film produced by an African-American woman. (Hollywood guilds are more than 80% white.) Maple's film received the Special Merit Award at the Athens International Film Festival.

Penny Marshall is the first woman to direct a film that earned in excess of $100 million at the U.S. box office. The film, Big, also received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay and gave Tom Hanks his first Oscar nomination. Marshall's long career as a producer, director, and actress deserves recognition by the Registry.

Vote today to include more women in the National Film Registry

The Registry has been charged with illustrating the vibrant diversity of American filmmaking, but how can they possibly achieve this goal if the stories they archive are almost exclusively told from a man's point of view?

To nominate the work of Frances Marion, Mary Ellen Bute, Julia Reichert, Jessie Maple, and Penny Marshall to the National Film Registry, click here through November 20, 2009.

Please do vote. (You, too, fellas!) The number of public votes a film receives is a factor seriously weighed during the selection process by the Librarian of Congress and members of the National Film Preservation Board.

Hollywood billboard courtesy of the Guerrilla Girls in 2006.

Thomas Scheff: Practical Therapy for Soldiers' Depression

2009-08-21T14:54:10Z

In response to the Army's plan for mass therapy (NYT, A1, Aug. 17) my previous blog outlined the basic causes of depression: hiding emotions and no secure bonds. How can we confront these problems? My first suggestion is to have each soldier compile a list of the Best Moments in their whole lives. Here are three early examples from my own personal list (now up to sixty):

1936-- In second grade in Kilgore, Texas, teacher asked if anybody knew what happened in Ethiopia last week. Mine was the only hand raised. I said it was invaded by Italy. She asked, how did you know? I said, I read it in Time Magazine. She looked at me as if she were seeing me for the first time. .

1938-- Class play in the 3rd grade. We had many rehearsals for a play about the Declaration of Independence that our class was to present to the entire school. I played Thomas Jefferson reading the Declaration of Independence. But in the actual performance, there was a surprise for me. The teacher had arranged for a pianist to accompany me with My County Tis of Thee. I felt that the music helped bring my words to life.

1943-44-- To my surprise and delight, I found I was treated with respect by the scoutmaster and his wife in Leesville, Louisiana. I felt that I had at last found my real home in their house and in the troop, the place where I belonged.

Exercises

1. Best Moments: List memories of times where there was deep contentment and/or a secure bond with at least one other person, or better yet, a sense of community with a group. Explore each memory at length, to the point that you feel genuine pride. Depression should lift at this time, if only temporarily. This step, when it works, provides a powerful incentive for further explorations. Men particularly find that they can learn to cry in this way. (Think of the photos of all three Olympic track winners crying on their pedestals when they receive their medals.)

2. Gratitude Letters: Compose letters to all those persons in your life, alive and dead, to whom you feel especially grateful, Martin Seligman's idea. This exercise, in conjunction with Best Moments, also helps men to learn to cry.

3. Try to form an empathic emotional union with at least one other person, by hook or crook, no matter the content. Get off topics, into relationship talk. Anything that is not happening in the moment is topic talk. An example of relationship talk is "I didn't understand what you just said. Could you repeat it?" or "You seem sad," "I am proud of you," "You seem distracted," and so on. Relationship talk is about what is happening in the moment, to either person, or between them. For most people, it is very difficult to avoid topic talk.

4. When you feel connected to your confidante, or secure enough to do memory exercises by yourself, remember and re-experience unresolved shame and other emotional episodes to the point of acknowledgment.

Acknowledgment means verbal recognition of an emotion state accompanied by the actual experience of that emotion. Most of the confessions of shame in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings don't qualify, since they seem to be merely verbal.

Unacknowledged grief provides another example. I heard a woman at a party saying that she stays on anti-depressants because she gets "weepy" when she goes off them. Perhaps she needs to cry. There is a detailed description of a situation like hers in Iris Dement's song, No Time to Cry (1993):

My father died a year ago today,
the rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
There beside my mother, in the living room, I stood
with my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good
Well, I stayed at home just long enough to lay him in the ground
and then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
because I'm older now and I've got no time to cry
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
the pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
...
I guess I'm older now and I've got no time to cry...

Soldiers, especially male soldiers in or anticipating combat, need time and the confidence to cry, resolve their fears, acknowledge their shame, and deal with their other emotions. For this purpose, they also need a secure bond, perhaps first with a therapist or teacher, then with a buddy. Experiencing emotions head-on and securing bonds has worked well for me and for a majority of my students for the last 20 years. It might also work for the Army.

Maddisen K. Krown: Ask Maddisen - How to Free Yourself from Confusion

2009-08-20T15:49:27Z

Dear Maddisen:
Lately, I've had so much on my plate with caring for my family and my business, that I've been spinning into confusion and overwhelm, and feeling exhausted. I'm also worried about a few problems, anticipating others, and feel like there's a circus going on in my head! I'm pretty good with time management, but would love to know if you have any great tips for managing myself when I get like this! Many thanks, JM

Dear JM,
Thanks for your great question. I have a very simple technique to share that should help you release the confusion and overwhelm, and return you to a more peaceful state. Let's get to it now! Grab a piece of paper and a pencil, sit down, and follow these steps:

STEP 1 - LIST EVERYTHING
In a line-by-line format, write down everything that is on your mind, including to-do's, worries, problems, etc.

For example:
- Take Champion to vet for shots
- Order Jinny's birthday present
- I'm afraid Frank is binging on sugar again
- I've skipped 2 cardio classes this week, and feel guilty
- Deposit checks at credit union
- Worried about Josh since V broke up with him
- Set appointments with Chris and Samantha
- Order business brochure refills
- Book flight for NY
- Why do we have algae growing in the pool?
- Do we need to change pool service again?
- Read 2 chapters for renewal exam
- Grocery shop
- Should I get botox?
- Pick up dry cleaning

STEP 2 - PRIORITIZE EVERYTHING
Prioritize every item on the list, including problems and worries.

For example:
3. Take Champion to vet for shots
4. Order Jinny's birthday present
12. I'm afraid Frank is binging on sugar again
10. I've skipped 2 cardio classes this week, and feel guilty
1. Deposit checks at credit union
11. Worried about Josh since V broke up with him
7. Set appointments with Chris and Samantha
6. Order business brochure refills
5. Book flight for NY
13. Why do we have algae growing in the pool?
14. Do we need to change pool service again?
9. Read 2 chapters for renewal exam
8. Grocery shop
15. Should I get botox?
2. Pick up dry cleaning

Notice how you feel after you list everything and prioritize the list.

First, writing everything down in a simple list format and seeing it all in front of your eyes will often times completely eliminate any confusion you were feeling. Second, prioritizing the list helps you clearly see and realize what is really important, what needs to get done, and what might need loving attention.

When I first begin this exercise, I usually start off feeling serious and worried and overwhelmed; and by the time I'm putting numbers in front of items to prioritize them - I'm often giggling at or at least amused by myself and how I've over-magnified the immensity of everything before I did the exercise. When I'm done with the exercise, I usually feel clarity about the tasks I'd like to complete, and relief at the manageability of it all. Plus, I receive the benefit of bringing formerly unconscious worries to the surface so that I can address and heal them.

Try this exercise and see what happens for you. Feel free to drop me an email at askmaddisen@krown.us, and let me know your results.

JM, thank you for bringing this issue to the surface and into the light so that we could address it and provide a healing solution for you and all the readers. Even when we're busy, there's definitely time to carry out the two simple steps above - 1) list everything, and 2) prioritize the list. May we remove the circus from our heads and place it back on the stage where it belongs!

Your Coach, Maddisen

Submit your questions for "Ask Maddisen" to askmaddisen@krown.us.

Let us hear your thoughts -- include your COMMENTS below.

Copyright 2009 Maddisen K. Krown

5 Corporate Promotions That Ended In Disaster

2009-07-02T15:51:41Z

So you need to create some instant excitement for your company, or product. You need to shake things up. You need to create buzz.

And really, what creates "buzz" better than some kind of riot, or stampede? Or people running screaming away from fires? That's the lesson we've learned from these fine examples...

Tara Stiles: Help -- I'm Overwhelmed! 10 Ways to Deal

2009-05-30T09:00:37Z

Ever get the feeling there's not enough time in the day? You have a long list of things you need to get done and can't see the pile ever shrinking? Do you sometimes feel like you just need to scream but don't have the energy because you're overworked? Well, me too.

We work so hard to get where we want to be. There isn't time to relax. We have loads of things that need to get done in order to keep climbing to where we are headed. In times like this we're not looking to unwind, we're looking to stay afloat just enough to keep on going. I've been feeling like that a lot lately so I've come up with a list of ways to deal with being overwhelmed. Add your own in the comments. I think everyone will appreciate the advice.

10 Ways to Deal

1. Don't Waste Your Time. I was in Boulder this weekend for the BolderBoulder race. Olympian Ryan Hall was talking to a room full of runners after I had given them a 15 minute yoga warmup. He was telling them a story about a run he took earlier that day up one of the mountains in Boulder. At the top, he saw an old man smoking a joint. Ryan was tired and in pain but he wanted to run up to the man. He felt like the guy had something to say to him. The old man told Ryan "Don't Waste Your Time." I think that's a good one.

2. Make Lists. When you've got a lot going on it's easy to forget things. Make a list by your work area, or stick it on the fridge. It helps. I like to mix it up with goals and tasks and check them off after they're accomplished.

3. Eat properly. Your body can't work for you if it's given the wrong fuel. Take care of your body with healthy foods and you will be able to work more efficiently.

4. Get rest. Sleep is important. Too much or too little and your body can be off for the whole day.

5. Be nice to people. The busier we get the more demanding we can become. Don't become a crazy person everyone talks about behind your back. Look for nice ways to approach people in every situation.

6. Have boundaries. You're busy. Don't be afraid to tell your friends that. If they're your friends they will still be around when you have some time to hang out.

7. Stay connected. Stay in touch with yourself and your family or close friends. Don't go off the deep end in isolation. Do what you need to stay grounded during busy times. Yoga breaks help.

8. Change it up. If you are busy working in one spot bring in some fresh flowers or a candle. Simple things can perk up your mood.

9. Cut out alcohol. Having a drink or more to unwind may feel good temporarily, but alcohol is poison and when you're calling on every ounce of effort from yourself it's probably not the best idea.

10. Don't go all psycho hedge-fund. Know what your goals are, and keep your health high on the list. I used to teach a hedge fund CEO yoga in his office. He was crazed by his work to the detriment of many other aspects of his life. Many times over he had reached and passed his goals, but he wouldn't consider switching to a healthier work path. He just kept raising his number. That is what I call psycho hedge-fund.

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Tracy Jordan's Best Lines From This Season OF "30 Rock" [UPDATED]

2009-05-19T14:07:13Z

Friend of "Eat The Press" Amanda Mattos today shares news of one of the most magnificent things you will find on the web today or any day: this post from the blog Unlikely Words, which chronicles every single thing that 30 Rock character Tracy Jordan ever said during the show's third season. The list is complete, it is comprehensive and it is hilarious. The post's author does a nice job describing the vertiginous comedy of Jordan's always bizarre utterances:

Anytime Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan has a scene on 30 Rock, my brain shuts off and it's difficult to function. It's the combination of delivery and content, and there's hardly ever a scene throughout which I'm not giggling foolishly. In celebration, I thought I'd post everything he said in 30 Rock Season 3. If you guys like it, I'll do Season 1 and Season 2, too.

My recommendation is that you do whatever you can to encourage this!

Huff Post's Comedy Editor Alex Leo and I have risked the strange looks of our officemates as we strained to contain our laughter while looking over this list of Jordanisms to bring you our annotated favorites:

Alex Leo likes:

"Nobles Oblige, yes. Let's go shopping. To the Bat Mobile!"
Is there anything more condescending than the rich person motto "nobles oblige"? Tracy understands that the real obligations of the wealthy are to spend money on useless shit and pay off women they've sexually harassed.

"I watched Boston Legal 9 times before I realized it wasn't a new Star Trek."
William Shatner humor is always gold.

"Do you know it's still illegal to be black in Arizona?"
Arizona didn't recognize Martin Luther King Day until 1992, probably because that would teach the children that it's OK to be black.

"That's not me, that's the Tracy Jordan Japanese sex doll. You can tell us apart because it's not suffering from a vitamin deficiency."
I can't tell who the butt of this joke is, which makes it awesome.

"You're going to sue me? Who do you think you are, the San Diego zoo?"
This line is near and dear to my heart because of the lasting comedy it's inspired in my mind, trying to imagine what he did to what animal and in what hole.

"How come there ain't no Puerto Ricans on Star Trek? They got every race and lifeform in the galaxy, except for Puerto Ricans. What's up with that?"
Valid point.

"There's no link between diabetes and diet. That's a white myth, Ken. Like Larry Bird or Colorado."
This is just the right amount of crazy and truthy to be right on point. Of course diabetes is linked to diet, but Colorado is indeed a fallacy.

"What is this, Horseville? Cuz I am surrounded by naysayers. Wordplay!"
As a comedy editor I can in fact confirm that this is wordplay.

"I don't need to read it. The entire thing is loosely based on an evening I spent with Isaiah Thomas."
Tracy says this when referring to his parent company's sexual harassment handbook. So many 'ball' and 'piston' jokes are whizzing through my mind.

"Friendship and trust in the entourage is the most important thing. Like that HBO show, John Adams." Nice.

Jason Linkins likes:

"I watched Boston Legal 9 times before I realized it wasn't a new Star Trek."
I have to imagine that Jordan is not alone in this.

"There you are, you stupid cracker. Do you know why I get a hotel room? To poop in peace! No kids banging on the door, no phones ringing. It's my time! Every Tuesday and Thursday at three PM. I don't know why I only go twice a week. That's what Angie should be worried about."
I can sympathize. Seems like almost everything one can do for fun kills you now. Eating, drinking, sexing... you know how many people die in their sleep? LOTS. But a man can still take a luxuriating dump without dying, right? Right? Anyway, I maintain a reservation at the Mayflower for the same reason.

Do you know what happens to a comedian when he gets old and loses his audience? He starts to get offered serious roles. And do you really want to see me play Arthur Ashe?"
I used to live in Richmond, and during that time, Monument Avenue got a statue of local hero Ashe. All the racists in town hated the statue because they didn't want it on the same street as the statuary of their beloved Civil War generals. I didn't care for it because it sort of looks like Ashe is about to brain a group of terrified children with his tennis racket. I think Tracy Jordan would play that Ashe quite well. The movie would probably be called Back That Ashe Up or something and would feature Method Man as Bjorn Borg.

"OK. Sorry it took me so long to answer. I was just thinking about how weird it is that we eat birds."
Classic Jordanian non-sequitur.

"There's no link between diabetes and diet. That's a white myth, Ken. Like Larry Bird or Colorado."
I have been to Colorado and it IS a white myth!

"Look. I grew up here, Larry, in the days before Starbucks. And if Wall St crashes, it'll be the 1970's all over again. People will get mean. The streets won't be safe. It'll be graffiti everywhere. And the movies will only cost 3 dollars."
Jordan's apocalyptic vision is still preferable to a million New York Magazine cover stories trying to get us to sympathize with i-bankers.

"Don't patronize me with your Celtic slang, Liz Lemon, we have a black president now."
Jordan truly does live the post-racial ideal.

"I struggled through that sentence."
Ok, this needs some context: Jack Donaghy, while talking with Tracy, says, "That's easy for you to say." He responds: "No it wasn't. I struggled through that last sentence." The average episode of 30 Rock is chock-a-block with these delightful sorts jokes on wordplay, and Tracy carries more than his share.

"Uh uh. I've changed, Ken, into a badass adult. I have a wolfdog, and I have two bad knees and I have a gun. That I lost!"
Those are, indeed, the classical trappings of adulthood.

"Is there nothing sacred? Have we lost our moral center? It just makes me want to pee on someone."
Yes, I like excretory humor. It's not like I've ever pretended to be some monument to elevated discourse.

UPDATE: Ana Marie Cox joins in the fun! This is becoming, like, a thing. Maybe this will tide us over until the show comes back. (Which Alex tells me won't be until NEXT WINTER. Bah!)

RELATED:
Everything Tracy Jordan Said [Unlikely Words]

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Sam Greenfield: Post Passover Ponderings

2009-04-14T10:54:00Z

1) William Kristol, the Frank Sinatra Jr. of neocons, comepletely misquoted President Obama's speech before the Turkish parliament. Why? Had he not, he would have been right for the first time since he stated his name to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

2) Sixteen year old Miley Cyrus said dating her twenty-one year old boyfriend brings her "closer to the Lord". So I guess yelling "oh Jesus" during sex is actually a religious act.

3) Cyrus also said that after reading "Alice in Wonderland",she is certain Lewis J. Carroll took Ecstacy. Ecstacy first hit in 1988, Carroll died in 1898. Good luck on that Celebrity Jeopardy appearance,Miley.

4) I read that Tiger Woods is a lousy tipper because he doesn't carry cash. See that line on the charge slip that says "Tip",Tiger? It doesn't require cash. I will now take the field against this miserly brat.

5) Telling GM to prepare for bankruptcy is like telling Rush Limbaugh to prepare for lunch.

6) Did you notice how the screenplay of "Don't Mess With the Zohan" dumps on Mel Gibson because of his anti-Semitic rants? Thank you Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow.

7) Two thousand six hundred dollars for a seat in Yankee Stadium? For that money, do i get a lap dance during the seventh inning stretch?

8) I wonder if the bandits in the waters off the coast off of Somalia will put a damper on "The Pirates of the Carribean" franchise.

9) Did you notice the increase in heterosexual divorces in Vermont once gay marriages were legalized? Me either.

10)I thought it was great when the NRA apologized for all the murders committed by firearms in the hands of the deranged. Oh,that's right, they didn't.

Neal Rodriguez: 10 of the Hottest Girls @Twitter

2009-04-07T21:10:33Z

Alright gentlemen, throw on some Michael Phelps goggles, so your eyes don't pop out of their sockets. These ladies put the brain back in sexy. Here's the inside track on these angelic Twittettes. They run their own Twitter feeds as efficiently as a Core 2 Duo assembly line, these ladies don't turn into bigfoot when the DJ turns the lights on in the club at 4 am, and they reply.

Veronica Belmont

Wrap your head in a scarf so your jaw doesn't pop out of your temples, fellas. @Veronica tweets about the razor-edge sharp interviews she conducts on her show.

Marina Orlova

@HotForWords is a bad philologist who can make you hot for more than just her tweet. Orlova was voted by Wired.com as the sexiest female geek of 2008.

Natalie Gulbis

@Natalie_gulbis is Tiger Woods in a female super model's body. Gulbis's "twit pics" unveils the cute girl under the tweeting, or should i say teeing exterior.

iJustine

Twitter power hottie, @iJustine, is a blonde who will cut the hand off of anybody who throws her iPhone in a Blendtec. On Twitter, she has amassed a larger following than Ghandi.

Felicia Day

@Feliciaday, half geek, half Hollywood headliner, is a recommended Twittette.

Sarah Austin

Bubbly Blonde, @Pop17, introduced herself to the web, hosting segments at Justin.tv. The New York Times classified Austin as one of the baddest night-life techies.

Brea Grant

@Breagrant stars in Heroes. Grant considers herself a "true geek" by way of comics and other sci-fi shows. Her personal blog covers topics on charitable work.

Gina Mom

@Smaknews is 'Chief Editrix' of a female-targeted social news site which leaks juicy entertainment gossip and ensures women are on the cusp of breaking health and lifestyle issues like plaque on teeth.

Julia Roy

@Juliaroy is "An entirely digital girl." A cute blonde with a sexy exec look Sarah Palin could only fold her hands in prayer to dream of.

Alana Taylor

@Alanataylor is an NYU journalism student who writes sizzling content on Mashable. Taylor is Kina Grannis with a Twitter account releasing "The Twitter Song" on Gawker media.

And making the list for the hottest men on Twitter under 40: @number 2 is yours truly, @notifyneal.

Bettina Duval: Congratulations Hilda Solis!

2009-03-10T19:43:23Z

Congratulations to Congresswoman Hilda Solis who was confirmed as Secretary of Labor last week!

Secretary Hilda Solis is one of the reasons that I founded the CALIFORNIA List. I was working for EMILY's List and met then Califoria State Senator Hilda Solis, who was running for Congress. She was challenging longtime Congressman Marty Martinez, who she believed did not represent the district with any enthusiasm or effectiveness. It was inspiring to watch her as a candidate and she won! I saw first hand how the pipeline of terrific, qualified leaders works, and I see it again today as Barack Obama's choice of one of California's finest public servants was confirmed by the Senate 80-17.

Hilda Solis's story, like President Obama's, is emblematic of the way America can and should work for gifted and hardworking public servants who come from humble beginnings. Solis, one of seven children of Mexican immigrant factory workers, who met in citizenship class here in Southern California, was the first of her family to attend college. From her start as an intern in the Carter Administration through her rise to the cabinet, her dedication and diligence were always informed by the drive to make better lives for working families like the one she came from.

And her story is not just an example of the American dream at work, but also of little-d democratic ideals, and of the pipeline of leadership that produces our best in government. Secretary Solis demonstrated skill and effectiveness as a representative of her district in Eastern Los Angeles, honed through representing her constituents thoughtfully, loyally, and tirelessly as an Assemblywoman from 1993-1994, and as a State Senator for the following six years before winning her House seat. Secretary Solis's rise, far more incremental than meteoric, reminds us all why we need to elect women locally to keep the pipeline of Democratic women leadership producing more women like her.

Congratulations Hilda Solis!

Emily Bracken: Keeping Down With The Joneses: A Top Ten List

2009-02-25T13:10:11Z

Ever since we punted the redcoats back to England, tea and crumpets in hand, kicking butt became a favorite American past time. We love to compete. And we love to win. But since our favorite sport, conspicuous consumption, has gone the way of the 8-track, Americans have been forced to play a new game called "Keeping Down with the Joneses."

And these are the top ten ways our drive to save will change America's future:

10. With bonus caps, Wall Street seeks alternative incentives to keep bankers happy. Ashley Dupre, Elliot Spitzer's hooker, tops the list.

9. With marketing budgets slashed, The Gap, Banana Republic and J. Crew merge because consumers realize advertising is the only differentiating feature of their clothing.

8. Plastic surgeons offer two for one breast jobs.

7. Female air travelers buy only one gossip magazine rather than three.

6. More families have octuplets and save millions by staring in reality shows with sponsorship deals from Huggies and Gerber.

5. Dumpster diving gets so popular, it becomes a 2012 Olympic sport.

4. Towns compete to become the most energy efficient. "Battle of the Bulbs" emerges as a national holiday.

3. Gym memberships go unpaid on the assumption that the Obama administration will nationalize that, too.

2. Starbucks is forced to rename their "skinny tall soy decaf frapaccinos" when customers recoup hours of lost work time by using the words "small coffee."

1. Illegal immigrants' work ethic becomes a source of national pride. No one works so hard for so little money with such inadequate health care.

Fortune : 100 Best Companies To Work For

2009-01-22T15:37:31Z

Even in this economy, some companies are going out of their way to please employees. This year, there's a new no. 1, as Google slips to no. 4. See detailed profiles of the top 100 employers, including interactive maps, key perks, contact information, and more.

John Wellington Ennis: Top 10 Most Overhyped of 2008

2009-01-08T02:44:21Z

Everyone is a sucker for the year-end lists. Beyond re-hashing highlights of hoopla, I propose revisiting the topics herein with hindsight, rather than reflex. It is in the spirit of moving forward in 2009 with wisdom and renewed faith in other Americans that we (impatiently) approach this historic inauguration, and re-examine the issues we previously lost our shit over.

1. Hillary citing RFK's assassination as a reason to stay in the primaries.

I admit it, I flipped out over it, even though I remember her first making the comment months before. It just came at a point when her opportunism and goal-post hedging made the race seem like Obama vs. Omarosa. Now she's, like, Secretary of State to-be, and everyone's happy.

2. Gas Prices

Now that gas has abruptly gone from over $4 a gallon to less than $2 a gallon, can we just call out these oil price regulators for their inflated greed and exploitation? Once the economy deflated like a souffle on a Seventies sitcom, they eased the reins at the pump to keep the beast breathing. Invading Iraq was supposed to stabilize the oil market -- perhaps it has made it all the more controllable?

3. Rev. Jeremiah Wright

If it was in a conservative white church...

4. ACORN

That a community organization with a history of helping poor neighborhoods can be so broadly maligned for non-existent voting crimes by a major political party with a proven history of numerous voting crimes is testament to how far the media will carry water for the conservative agenda. Unlucky winner of The Golden Swift Boat for 2008.

5. Anything on "The View"

The very premise that this tabloid tea party speaks for women is patently insulting.

6. Rev. Rick Warren's Invocation at the Inauguration

The outrage over Rick Warren is not really a real fight over anything real. There are lots of bigots, there always will be. Let's fight the institutionalization of intolerance in the courts, at the polls, in the streets, and in the press. I myself will fight Rick Warren in the Thunderdome. (Two men enter...one man leaves.)

7. Sarah Palin, the new GOP Spokesmodel

The alarming percentage of people who alienated us by blindly embracing Sarah Palin despite her inability to complete sentences or describe reality are actually the same percentage who still think Bush is doing a good job. She'll give that base hope, because she has not personally fucked up everything yet. But she is so not a real threat, even the conservative pundits who sat nodding through the entire Bush Reign of Error had to do a spit-take at her arrival. (And maybe in 2009 we'll finally see those Palin birth records Andrew Sullivan keeps demanding like he's Nurse Ratchett.)

8. Miley Cyrus Bareback

A non-revealing photo of an over-hyped teen star is not a sobering cultural watermark to examine the objectification of underage girls in modern society. American Apparel ads are.

9. Cable Network News

It might seem that including the corporate media machine that actively over-hypes 24/7 would be redundant in a list of Most Overhyped, but the amount of concern over what these overpaid pinheads say has jumped sharks, whales, and that weird Montauk Monster. It's tabloid TV, turning political faux-pas into a Brangelina catfight, utterly distracting us from real issues.

10. The 2008 Campaign

In our desperation for hope at the end of the tunnel, the media and the public utterly abandoned oversight of our Problem Child-in-Chief. While we worried about American flag pins, American flags were adorning more coffins. While the pundits scoured Hillary's inflated record of sniper fire, inflated prices of homes and Wall Street brokerage houses were about to shoot down our entire economy. In our historic race for the first female or black president, we neglected to check in on our first dyslexic president, except when he made a drunken cameo at the Beijing Olympics worthy of a Cannonball Run outtake.

Let us all make a concerted effort in 2009 to not chase shiny things in the news that distract us from the not-so-easily digested issues that demand attention and action, not outrage.

Karen Leland: New Year Resolutions Week

2009-01-06T14:14:53Z

The last few days of the year (the procrastinators among us hold off until the first week of January) is the time when most people sit down to formulate their New Year's Resolutions. I think the reason this beginning-of-year activity is so popular is that we are a nation that loves the "do over."

We fancy the idea that in one relatively short time span (a week, a day) we can raise the magic wand of declaration and erase the past year's mistakes with its missed opportunities and make a fresh start. It's the kind of feeling we get from putting on a clean white shirt, or opening a new box of Kleenex, or unwrapping an unused sponge for the sink and throwing away the grimy old one.

As we roll into January, I have been reflecting (in between shopping, cooking, planning, and partying) on my past resolutions of 2008 and my goals for 2009. To start, I sat down yesterday to review the goals I had set for myself with such good cheer and optimism in that first week of January, a mere twelve months ago.

Perhaps it's twenty-five plus years as a management consultant, or all that time I have spent leading time management courses, or just my natural obsessively organized personality, but I always write down my goals and list them under subheadings by category - body/health, marriage, finance, family, creativity, etc.

The interesting thing is that the goals from the current year often bear a striking similarity to the goals from the previous one. The same desires appear, year after year, like flowers that bloom every spring from long-dormant bulbs. They have been hibernating, storing energy, and every year around this time are ready to spring forth with a fresh bunch of flowers, yet are still part of the same old plant.

Among other things, my yearly blooms always seem to include fitness, career, money and love. Doesn't everyone's? The fact that each fresh crop of resolutions is a slight variation on the same theme does not stop me from making them. I keep coming back for more.

Looking back, it's actually been a pretty good year. I've achieved, if not all my goals, enough progress on them to make me feel like a productive member of my own life. I did write that series of books, sing in that play and start that exercise program.

As for the goals that I did not achieve in 2008, I have come to realize that some (i.e., run a marathon) were just good ideas, never meant to move beyond the page to the real world of action. To others, I gave my best shot (lose twenty pounds) and fell short (I lost nine).

Thankfully, this coming week is officially New Year's Resolution week, so I can declare a "do over," wipe the slate clean, and start again, bringing a fresh perspective and enthusiasm to my "new" goals, even if they happen to look an awful lot like the old ones.

Karen Leland is author of the recently released books Time Management In An Instant. She is the co-founder of Sterling Consulting Group. For questions, comments or to book Karen to speak at your next event, please e-mail kleland@scgtraining.com.

Michael Maslansky: Words That Worked in 2008 (and Some That Didn't): A Report Card

2009-01-05T16:56:31Z

It's easy to bemoan the state of the English language today. But the fact is, words still matter. Arguably, more than ever. It's hard to think of a year filled with so many iconic words as 2008. The following is a list of words used to great -- or not so great -- effect this past year. Language by its very nature is always evolving, and 2008 imbued these words with different meanings than they had in 2007. Those who saw those new meanings emerged ahead. The following is our admittedly subjective ranking of the top ten words of 2008 and how well people used them.

#1 Change:
There are few arenas in which as many words fly as in a U.S. presidential election. And this year, "change" was by far the big winner. It was the perfect word for unsettled times. A word that previously suggested uncertainty today conveys a move toward stability. By September, both candidates tried to use it to their advantage. But as in any debate, victory almost always goes to the person first able to define the terms. And the Obama campaign's incredibly disciplined use of this one word inspired millions of new voters to head to the polls -- and carried him to the presidency of the United States. Final assessment: right word, right time. Grade: A

#2 Maverick:

In 2007, a maverick was a rebel who played by his own rules. In 2008, a maverick was a 70-year-old Republican senator with a voting record in almost perfect lockstep with the administration's. Was it a good word for the McCain camp? Probably. However, while he used to have a legitimate claim to this powerful word, Americans simply didn't find it credible in 2008. And when Saturday Night Live latches onto your word, it's generally a sign it's not working for you. Final assessment: right idea, wrong candidate. Grade: B

#3 Experience:
This word got tossed around a lot during the presidential campaign. First Clinton. Then McCain. Then he didn't. Regardless of who was using it, this election showed the word had less importance this year than it used to. Extremely experienced people -- be they legislators, regulators or stockbrokers -- brought us to where we are today. Final assessment: right word, wrong time. Grade: C

#4 Surge:
In the beginning of the year, "surge" represented a counterintuitive plan to pour more gas on the fire that people viewed Iraq. But it was a canny use of language designed to suggest the mission's temporary nature combined with an image of overwhelming military power. The Bush administration's commitment to the word -- combined of course with the operation's immediate-term success -- turned it the word from a much maligned negative to positive. It now stands for a successful effort in a seemingly doomed war. Final assessment: right word, as long as it worked. Grade: A

#5 Bailout:
This may be the worst word of 2008. Congress, the media and America have been using the term continuously to talk about proposed solutions to the current financial crisis. The problem is obvious: "bailout" connotes charity. No one wants to help the fallen titans of Wall Street or reward U.S. automakers for their perceived ineptitude. But the rationale behind this support is not about charity. They can alternately be viewed as self-help. When they fail, everyone fails. The fact that proponents of these measures have adopted the "bailout" terminology has probably done more damage to their cause than anything else. Final assessment: wrong word for everyone except Herbert Hoover wannabes. Grade: F

#6 PC:
This was the year Microsoft began to take back the PC. The extremely effective Mac vs. PC ad campaign has been running since 2006, redefining the very meaning of the word "PC." It had come to mean unsecure and unreliable. Microsoft's recent "I'm a PC" ad campaign is a great example of a brand reclaiming -- and redefining -- a word. With the help of hundreds of ordinary people and celebrities from Tony Parker to Deepak Chopra, Microsoft is poised to successfully re-repurpose PC to mean useful and familiar. Final assessment: a word in progress. Grade: B

#7 The Volt:
The Chevy Volt, to be precise. The word effectively reflects what it describes - Chevrolet's in-development emissions-free electric car. Its ubiquitous use during the debate over federal assistance for the auto industry has turned it from a small scale and limited research project into the future of Detroit ingenuity. While the Volt represents only a small investment in Chevrolet's overall strategy and many experts say it's nowhere near ready, the way Chevy executives talk about it has turned it into a powerful, successful word. Final assessment: the emperor has few clothes, but has been used to good effect. Grade: B

#8 Drill:
The McCain campaign took what used to be a dirty word -- and still is for many -- and tried to reposition it as a home-grown energy production solution. No matter that virtually every expert pointed out that expanded domestic oil drilling today would have no impact whatsoever on the high price of gas and wouldn't even yield any results for another ten years. The use of the word to address the nation's security concerns combined with people's frustration over the exceedingly high price of gas was interesting, but ultimately unsuccessful. Final assessment: an artful bluff that was ultimately called. Grade: C

#9 Subprime:
A great example of if you repeat something often enough -- even something nobody understands -- it will join the national lexicon. More importantly, this is our bet for the new "Enron." It has become the new shorthand for the economic mismanagement of our age. Final assessment: Ken Lay will be able to rest more peacefully. Grade: B

#10 Sorry:
Unlike the other nine, this word is one we have not been hearing this year. And it's been obvious. As more and more stories emerge regarding the mismanagement and poor judgment that have resulted in our current economic malaise, it's time for those involved to step up to the table and take responsibility. Far from showing weakness, the impact will be to increase their hugely damaged credibility. The grade is based on how few people have used this word. Perhaps it will go up on 2009's list. Final assessment: is there any accountability in this country? Grade: F

Forbes : Biggest CEO Firings Of 2008

2009-01-03T11:46:07Z

The bloodletting in the c-suite started in 2007. It still hasn't stopped.

Another year goes by and more chief executives get the ax -- probably more than in any previous year. People shook their heads when Charles Prince III at Citigroup and Stanley O'Neal at Merrill Lynch got the boot in 2007. Now it look like they were lucky. They got out just in time.

Jamie Frevele: From Barack to Heath to Sarah: My Obligatory List of 2008's WTF Moments

2008-12-31T14:13:24Z

I love lists. I look forward to the end of the year every year because of the lists. I don't know if it's related to an anal-retentive need to organize and rank things or if it's just an efficient and simple way to remember what happened in the past 365 - in this year's case, 366 - days, consumed in tiny little amuse bouche-sized bites.

But I've compiled my own list that spans politics, media and entertainment, gives both honorable and dishonorable mentions, and yes, plugs my past writing and toots my own horn. Look, it's a rough economy, I'm trying to make a name for myself, and if I have to be redundant and make fun of babies, I'm going to do it.

For me, a WTF moment can be either good or bad, but has to be in some sense a little bit unbelievable, as in "You can't write this stuff." So behold - my first annual list of WTF moments:

10. Barack Obama wins the presidential election. I don't know about any of you, but I was really biting my figurative nails down to the quick until 11:01 PM on November 4th. Sure, the circumstances of the past eight years could only logically lead to a Democratic victory, let alone an Obama victory, but for those of us who celebrated it, it was a moment I'll never forget. I was with friends in Union Hall in Brooklyn, one of the last places that was allowing people in, and the place just erupted with a wave of joy upon the call for Obama. After we left, the streets were still celebrating. It was a total 180 from the same time four years ago, when NYC was walking around as if it has been dumped.
10.1. Rick Warren? WTF? I understand inclusion, and as a liberal Democrat, I embrace it, but why the megachurch, book-hocking, celebrity "pastor" who has said deplorable things about same-sex marriage so soon after the Prop 8 debacle? There was no one else? No one? Really?
10.2. Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State? The irony of that one debate moment in Iowa when Hillary laughed about Obama's advisors being from her husband's administration is kinda wonderful, especially since Obama said, "I'm looking forward to you advising me too." Wow.

9. Proposition 8 passes in California. Such a huge kick in the gut for this country, thanks, in part to Rick Warren and his ilk who spread misinformation and ignorance to voters in California. It's sad when supporters of an unconstitutional and illegal ban on same-sex marriage use democracy to be intolerant, but this fight is far from over. The California Supreme Court who originally ruled earlier this year that the bans were against the law will now hear challenges to Prop 8, and the state's Attorney General Jerry Brown - who originally supported the ban - now thinks it should be repealed.

8. Eliot Spitzer gets caught with a hooker. Holy crap, this was what I was talking about when I said you couldn't write this stuff. A governor who ran on fighting corruption and cleaning up Albany gets caught with a hooker. What a fucking moron. And really, that's all there is to it. What a total, fucking moron.
8.1. By the way, I was right. Not long after the scandal broke, possibly even the same day, I got my ass handed to me in a sling for saying that the state GOP would try to compare Obama's campaign to Spitzer since both candidates ran on change and such. Well, I"ll say it again: I was right. Well-spoken wordsmith and former NY Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno this past September:

"Who was more articulate than [Spitzer]?...Who was more charismatic...Who had the best Hollywood ads that money could buy? And you know what, for those of you in the press, don't forget it. Articulate. Fancy. Dancey. Prancey...You have people like hi, OK, who would fool the people. Now let's fast-forward to Barack Obama. Everybody says: Man he's articulate. What a presence. How bright. Good [ol'] American. Stand-up guy. Yeah, yeah. He's all of those Hollywood things that they can project. What has his life been about?"

7. The NY Giants win the Super Bowl. If there was ever a moment besides the election that gave me the most pure joy and happiness, it was the wild card Giants beating the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the last 35 seconds of the game. While it would have been a real neat trick to see a team go 19-0, the Giants are my team, and this was a true underdog victory that made me believe anyone could not only exceed expectations, but achieve the impossible. It has also completely instilled in me the need to wait 'til the fat lady sings. To remember that it ain't over 'til it's over. Like I pointed out before the election. (I also blog about the Giants at www.nygiantsmix.com.)
7.1. My joy didn't last too long. The Super Bowl took place on February 3rd and I was fired from Edelman, a NYC public relations firm, on February 14th. Valentine's Day. Bummer. What can I say? I am not fit for corporate PR. But then again, maybe Edelman isn't either, that "soulless, Wal-Mart shilling firm that shouldn't lecture about ethics." (Thank you, Gawker's Hamilton Nolan.) PR being exposed as BS isn't exactly breaking news. And I felt like I was prostituting my writing skills to write treacly copy about snack foods and beauty products. But that article to which I linked was published the day I was fired, so you can imagine the delicious schadenfreude. (Read more about Edelman hijinx, like the time it paid professional journalists to pretend they were regular ol' folks "Wal-Marting across the country.") Whew, good to get that out of my system!
7.2. Plaxico Burress shoots himself in the leg. Plax, WTF? Super Bowl hero to total idiot. Plax, you broke my heart...

6. The Season 3 finale of "Bones" rips my heart out and eats it. Following up on the glorified copywriting I did during my tiny, tiny stint in PR, this is what got me really writing again. Fox's "Bones" became my favorite show during the primaries. I wrote all about it, even called it the "perfect show." Not even two months later, my favorite character, Zack Addy (Eric Millegan) was revealed to have been in cahoots with a cannibalistic serial killer and would no longer be on the show. What followed was what those of us in "Bones"-land called a "Zack-lash." And fans and critics absolutely hated the story, especially since anyone watching the show knew it was even beyond "way out of left field." It was way out of the stadium, and then the stadium was torn down to be replaced by a new one, and it was way out of that stadium's left field. In this case, you shouldn't write this stuff. But I defended the show's creator, Hart Hanson, and continue to do so. I also will continue to promote a show that I still consider to be one of the few diamonds in the rough still on television. (Seriously, watch it! It returns Thursday, January 15th at 8:00 PM!) Why will I always defend this show? Because it gave me my writing groove back. I wrote a full-length TV script explaining what could have happened with Zack's whacked out head, the first full-length project I've completed in 10 years. Thank you so much, Hart and Eric, for ripping my soul to shreds so I could finally write again. (Now, on to original things!)

5. Rachel Maddow - another hour of fine programming on the television machine! I'll admit, my slight crush on Dan Abrams made me kinda sad to see him leave MSNBC. But giving Rachel Maddow her own show was probably the best decision made by cable news all year. (Even better than letting E.D. Hill say "terrorist fist bump" while on the air!) Most of us listened to Rachel on Air America radio (where she still broadcasts nightly) but when she started appearing on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and became Keith's regular fill-in host, it was time to give this supremely talented and intelligent woman an hour to herself. And every night, we thank MSNBC by giving her superb ratings. (At least for MSNBC.) What's so perfect about Rachel Maddow's show is that she's clearly a lefty, but she's an inclusive lefty. Most of us are, and we all should be. There is almost always an opposing viewpoint represented (it's Pat - Buchanan!) and if there isn't, Rachel lets us know that hey, they tried. But she also isn't angry. While I like Keith, the only time it seems he has on conservatives and Republicans is when they've jumped ship and started railing against the same things against which Keith rails. Watching KO can feel like you're getting drunk on whiskey and then getting emotional when you realize you've had too much, and now all you want is a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut. Nothing with sprinkles, no jelly, just the plain, wonderfully savory and sweet kind. It's what you want, and it's enough. Rachel Maddow is that doughnut. But don't get me wrong - I still like whiskey! (And KO keeps it light by bringing the funny - Bailey's on the rocks?) But most importantly, MSNBC finally put a woman in prime time on a permanent basis who isn't Rita freaking Cosby.

4. The deaths of Tim Russert and Heath Ledger. Neither death should have happened. Neither one. Some may believe that such premature deaths are a part of destiny, but why would fate take such passionate, talented souls? Why not let them experience a scare, then allow them the opportunity to correct their fatal flaws and try again? It smacked of injustice to see Tim Russert deleted from this election. He was one of the few on-air newsmen who conquered the bloody massacre that was the primary season like a happy warrior. This should have been the year of Tim Russert, and he was so sorely missed by his friends and family as well as his audience. And Heath Ledger, who was just starting to emerge as one of my generation's finest actors and had a baby girl whom he loved, had to miss out on the accolades he received for his work in "The Dark Knight." He turned himself over to play the Joker, a purely evil, anarchic criminal who killed for the fun of it and banked on never being caught or exposed. After his heartbreakingly repressed character in "Brokeback Mountain" to his utterly unleashed and chaotic Joker, wondering what could have been is just achingly frustrating.

3. Speidi and "The Hills," Tila Tequila... It is truly an unjust world when good actors like Eric Millegan are haphazardly written off shows and people like Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt get air time. I really wish I never ever knew who they were. At all. And I kind of don't, but they're everywhere. It's way too easy to be a stupid asshole in this country, and now we reward stupid assholes by giving them TV shows? (Or blogs? Heh...oh.) I also wish they would get off the TV so real actors can get back on. Why? Because back in ye olden times, people went on the TV machine to entertain the TV-watching audience. This gave them great success. More people wanted to share in this success, so they trained, and they worked, and they built up a resume, and they were deemed talented. And thus, stars became stars. Let's get the clunky, aimless asteroids that threaten our planet off the TV and let the stars shine again. Please.
3.1. Bronx Mowgli. Really? Okay. Then I am Westchester Cinderella.
3.2. Speidi "weds" - the picture of marital sanctity. And armageddon. Really? This is allowed? People getting married for publicity, getting married again and bringing cameras to the courtroom, letting people wonder if it's even real? Because there are thousands upon thousands of couples in the country right now who are real and can't legally do anything about it except pray that laws and people and culture all change.

2. Cheney totally admits to approving torture.

How this lasted only one news cycle I will never know. Indict this man for war crimes now. How do I capitalize all caps? WTF??

1. GOP stupidly chooses comedy lady doppleganger as VP candidate. Wow, Republicans. Good work. The White Democratic Lady is overcome by the Black Democratic Man. So, White Republican Man plus White Republican Lady = White Democratic Lady's votes? Really? And hey, very smart move picking the one woman in the country with the most imitatable voice (especially if you've seen "Fargo") who looks like the smartest female comedian in pop culture right now and who has apparently seen "all" the newspapers, but hasn't actually read them. Right. "Saturday Night Live" - a program not known for its political parodies at all - will never catch on to this. Oh, you betcha. Good work, GOP. Good thinking. Even I have a Sarah Palin impersonation.

Can't really say I'm sad to see 2008 go, especially knowing the progress and corrections that can be made moving forward. But while I'm here, thank you for reading my silly blogs, whether you like my writing or not, I'm really happy to have you here. I hope you'll stick around for more in 2009!

(I know I skipped the economic crisis, but let's face it - that's going to be sticking around for a while.)

Sarah van Gelder: 10 Reasons to Be Hopeful About 2009 and 3 Reasons to be Terrified

2008-12-31T13:49:00Z

We're entering a new year at a time unlike any other in recent memory. Here are 10 reasons I'm filled with hope as I look ahead at 2009 -- and three reasons I'm terrified.

Young people are stepping up. They know that they formed the backbone of Barack Obama's presidential campaign and that their work infused the country with the "Yes, we can" spirit. Now that these young people know what success feels like, many will be in it for the long haul.
Election protection is working. Grassroots vigilance, successful lawsuits, and media exposure are making voter suppression efforts less successful. More remains to be done, but the trends are in the right direction. (One terrifying note, though, is the death in a December 19 plane crash of GOP IT expert Michael Connell, who many believe was poised to reveal secrets related to vote stealing.)
There is now overwhelming support for universal health care. This grassroots commitment coupled with Obama's leadership could make this the year when we finally overcome the roadblocks big insurance and drug corporations have placed in the way of progress. A majority of Americans favor a tax-supported single-payer system like Canada's. The Obama plan, while it's not single-payer, is nonetheless a good plan--as long as it retains the option for all Americans to join a public health insurance plan.
Corporate power is on the wane. Barack Obama ran for office without relying on corporate donations in a campaign that saw candidates competing to establish their tough-on-corporate-power bonafides. Even before the Wall Street meltdown, a majority of Americans thought corporations had too much power. The economic collapse is further eroding goodwill towards corporations and big finance, showing instead how both were instrumental in concentrating wealth, creating unsustainable bubbles, and putting our way of life at risk. After the trillions of taxpayer money paid out in corporate bailouts, the American people are looking for more fair and sustainable alternatives.
The failing economy is giving us lots of reasons to be terrified (see below) but also reasons to be hopeful. That rip-roaring economy we're all supposed to be trying to bring back was tearing through the world's rainforests, mountaintops, aquifers, fisheries, soils, and other resources, driving thousands of species toward extinction, changing the climate, and leaving billions behind in the rush for "economic growth." So, painful as it might be, this downturn represents a chance to build a different sort of economy - one that offers dignity, livelihoods, and a future for our children.
We're finally getting real about the urgency and scope of the climate challenge. The incoming Obama administration takes science seriously, which means taking climate change seriously, too. The nay-sayers have quit denying the existence of global warming, and have resorted to random delay tactics. Many now see the conversion to a climate-friendly economy as a major opportunity, with new jobs and investment needed to weatherize buildings, re-tool factories, develop renewal sources of energy, and rebuild transportation infrastructure (see below for the terrifying flip side).
Social movements are building people power. Nonviolent civil disobedience is back. Climate organizers conduct "die-ins" and climate camps to shut down coal plants. Workers at Republic Windows & Doors occupied their factory when they were abruptly dismissed without severance and vacation pay. President-Elect Obama backed the Republic workers, implicitly inviting others to stand up for their rights. He also continues to organize people at the grassroots - right now through health care discussion groups. Thousands of these meetings being held across the country could build a health care reform movement with enough clout to overcome entrenched interests and move forward. (We may wind up calling Obama, Organizer-in-Chief.)
DIY (do it yourself) communities are piloting the shift to a people-centered society. These folks understand that real security during tough times is found in the "social capital" of community. At the same time, they are creating experiments in green and just ways of life. They aren't waiting for policy changes or bailouts, instead, they are helping each other now and getting on with the most extraordinary project of our time: building a better world.
International cooperation is now possible, and it's none too soon. The day of the lone wolf is over. Likewise, the day of the sole superpower that could bend the rest of the world to its will. Climate change, nuclear proliferation, failed states, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the collapse of ocean fisheries, outbreaks of genocide, environmental and human rights refugee crises, HIV/AIDS and other pandemics--all require international cooperation. That means everyone has a seat at the table, no one gets bullied, and the solutions have to be real ones.
Obama! It's true, he hasn't lived up to all our hopes with his cabinet picks. On the left-right scale, he's been pretty centrist, and especially his choices for foreign policy and agriculture posts suggest he may repeat the mistakes of the Clinton and Bush appointees he is surrounding himself with. But on the people-versus-big-money scale, he leans towards people and the common good, as the examples above illustrate. And he has elevated the national dialogue, setting a new standard for intelligent, inclusive, nuanced leadership.

Not bad to be coming into the new year with 10 reasons to be hopeful. That's as good as it's been for awhile. But there are also some good reasons to be terrified:

Runaway climate change. The biggest question of the 21st century may be whether policies can catch up to the dangerous realities of a rapidly changing climate in time to avoid disaster. Will we come together to stabilize the climate? Or are we be the last generation to live on a planet that can support complex civilization?
Loose nukes. We are all in danger from loose nukes, the spread of nuclear materials around the world, and nuclear warfare between India and Pakistan or other nuclear-armed adversaries. Ridding the world of nuclear weapons may be the only way of avoiding a nuclear catastrophe; figures across the political spectrum support such proposals, including former Secretary of State George Shultz. Will we have the political will to rid ourselves of this danger?
Mad Max world. Disruption of life-as-usual could come from economic collapse, runaway climate change, war, peak oil, pandemics, or some unforeseen combination of these and other factors. What makes these prospects especially terrifying are potential human responses to them. We could see either societal breakdown -- in which each person turns on others in a battle for dominance or survival -- or fascism, in which people allow all-powerful leaders to run things out of fear of chaos.

So which will it be? Are you hopeful or terrified by the coming year and by what we face in the coming decades?

What I keep coming back to is this: we humans have the free will to make choices that assure our collective survival, or to do otherwise. We do have the creativity, compassion, and intelligence to build on the best possibilities while averting the worst.

This historic moment will test everything we have built and everything our ancestors have passed down to us. The answers are readily available, embedded in all the world's spiritual traditions, in all the mothers and fathers who have sacrificed to make a good life for their children, and in all the peacemakers who have worked to build a better world for everyone.

Will we make the choices for a just and sustainable world? We know, as Obama says, that, indeed, Yes! we can. But will we?

Jonah Peretti: The 12 Most Viral Web Stories of 2008

2008-12-31T12:38:29Z

When I am not working on HuffPost, I run a site called BuzzFeed that tracks the web's obsessions in real time. Here is our 2008 report on the most viral, buzzy web stories of the year. Enjoy!

1. Obama Shirtless

Obviously Obama's victory was an inspirational moment in American history. But history can't compete with the web frenzy that ensued each time Obama was photographed shirtless!

Presidential Porn

Obama Shirtless

2. Miley Cyrus Half Naked

Obama was not the only one taking off his top in 2008. This was the year that Miley Cyrus replaced Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears at the web’s favorite underaged, half-naked celebrity pop star.

Miley Cyrus
in Vanity Fair

Miley Cyrus
Wet T-Shirt Pics

Miley Cyrus
Bikini Photos

3. The Sarah Palin Phenomenon

HuffPost readers will not be surprised that Sarah Palin was a total and complete web sensation in 2008. Web surfers wanted to know all about her legs, her family, her SAT scores, her SNL impersonator, her porn star impersonator, and her beauty queen past.

Sarah Palin
vs. Tina Fay

Sarah Palin’s Legs

Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper & Trig Palin

Sarah Palin’s
SAT Scores

Sarah “Paylin”

Miss Alaska 1984

4. Zombie McCain

Senator McCain was also big in 2008 (although not nearly as big as his running mate or opponent). McCain’s his big online moment came when he transforming himself into a brain eating Zombie.

McCain As Zombie

Photoshopped
Zombie McCain

5. Disaster Girl

Most of the catastrophes in 2008 (and throughout history) were caused by one evil little girl.

Disaster Girl

6. The Montauk Monster

Still an unsolved mystery - and isn’t it better that way?

Dead Monster Washes Ashore

New Photo of the Montauk Monster

7. Throwing Shoes At Bush

The web changed forever the moment that Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President Bush. Or at least it changed for two or three days as the animated gifs and games flooded the Internet.

Throwing Stuff at Bush

Bush Shoe Attack Flash Games!

8. Lois Feldman

The web LOVES Lois Feldman. Why? Because she had sex in a stadium bathroom during a football game with someone who wasn't her husband while a crowd gathered and cheered. Oops.

Lois Feldman

9. The Consequences of Gay Marriage Chart

Finally the Internet got a simple chart that clearly explained the consequences of Gay Marriage.

Consequences of Gay Marriage

10. The Authentic Women’s Penis Size Preference Chart

Women think this chart is really funny but men don’t seem to like it.

The Authentic Women’s Penis Size Preference Chart

11. Chuck E. Cheese Bands Wants Love In The Club

Usher’s music performed by the Chuck E. Cheese band.

Chuck E. Cheese Band Performs Usher Song

12. Russian Cheerleaders

If the cold war was settled by a cheerleading battle instead of the arms race, apparently the Russians would have won.

Russian Cheerleaders

And for what is going viral right now check out BuzzFeed.com or the widget on the front of Huffington Post.

Washington Post: Top 5 TV Shows Of 2008

2008-12-31T08:07:13Z

Ebb was a more powerful force than flow on TV in 2008; splendid, seductive new shows were scarce if not nonexistent. Networks took risks on goofy premises and departures from the norm, but the departures were mostly quick to depart. The whole idea of a "TV series" in the old sense -- 24 weeks on, some reruns, then a return -- may be dying.

Popular Mechanics: Top 10 Best Gadgets Of 2008

2008-12-30T23:12:13Z

The early 20th century produced a breathtaking succession of innovations--the Wright Flyer, the Model T, the Panama Canal. It was a golden age of engineering. A century hence, observers may well look back at our era in much the same way: Cars are being reimagined from the wheels up. Advances in solar energy show the way past fossil fuels. And space probes explore planets that could become our future homes. These pages salute the product designers who have already transformed the present.

Slate: The Best Viral Political Videos Of 2008

2008-12-30T22:37:45Z

In the final episode of "The Power Recap," Slate V looks back at the top 20 viral videos of the 2008 presidential campaign.

The Biggest Business Scandals Of 2008; From Jerome To Bernie

2008-12-30T17:14:37Z

Looking back on it now, Jerome Kerviel's $8 billion trading loss seems almost quaint.

It's hard to recall the shock that greeted reports of the young Societe General trader's scheme after the year we've been through, marked by the craven come-ons of the subprime mortgage industry, overpaid overly-optimistic CEOs, a bailout that defies the imagination (just imagine almost 8,000 tons of $100 bills) and that long weekend at Bernie's.

Bernie Madoff, that is, whose massive $58 billion Ponzi scheme continues to claim victims and the imaginations of headline writers.

Herewith, let's wallow in the biggest scandals in the world of finance and business. (Sure, there are bound to be plenty of targets missing in the following slideshow. Some would include Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, others would blame former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan. But there's only so much room.)

Worst Trends Of 2008 (SLIDESHOW)

2008-12-30T15:13:21Z

As promised, here is a highly subjective, totally biased walk down memory lane for the naughtiest fashion and fads of 2008! See the Best Trends of 2008.

And if you want to go even further back, take a nostalgic look back at the worst trends of 2007.

Village Voice Runs Down Dubious Achievements Of The Conservative Blogosphere

2008-12-30T14:40:56Z

The Village Voice's Roy Edroso has one of those end-of-the-year listicles up, recapping a year spent monitoring the right wing of the political blogosphere, culminating in an accounting of their most dubious pronouncements of 2008. The big hits are there: The Dark Knight as stealthy proof of the wisdom of the Bush Doctrine, the "Whitey tape" (look for Rick Warren to finally reveal this at Inauguration!), the Campaign To Save America By Never Tipping Waiters ... it's truly a cavalcade of whimsy.

Naturally, I have some issues. As the New York Times' Chris Suellentrop points out, the notion that Fred Thompson would emerge as a dynamic savior of the Republican Party was promoted by "plenty of mainstream pundits." Michelle Malkin's campaign against Dunkin Donuts was a riveting example of stupidity, but largely lacking in impact. But the strangest inclusion, by far, is this complaint against Megan McArdle:

#3: A Megan McArdle Christmas.
The Atlantic's Megan McArdle saw one upside to the financial crisis: "It may break the rat race of constantly ratcheting consumption, which has surrounded most Americans with nice things that don't really make them happy." Later she provided readers with a "Holiday Video Game Guide ("[Mario Kart for Wii] comes with one Wii wheel, but I recommend getting at least one more for multiplayer; we have four") and a "Holiday Gift Guide: Electronics Edition" ("You don't want [the Sony Blu-Ray] player if your television is smaller than 40 inches"). Well, she didn't say these things made her happy.

My point of view on this is perhaps skewed, seeing as I'm acquainted with McArdle, but I'm not terribly comfortable in lumping her in as a member of the monolithic right-wing blogosphere. In the first place, it seems to me that inveighing against "constantly ratcheting consumption" and the race to procure "nice things that don't really make [us] happy," is apostasy to dyed-in-the-wool free-marketeers. But more to the point, I fail to see how making this suggestion in November and then, three weeks later, providing a "holiday Gift Guide" (at a time when we strive to relearn how giving gifts to others can bring happiness) constitutes a significant gaffe. If that's a "Top Ten"-worthy mistake, I'd have to conclude that, on balance, the righty blogosphere had a pretty good year!

Of course, I got this funny feeling that I was repeating myself! And sure enough, it turns out that I've defended McArdle from these sorts of associations before! Well, maybe McMegan has somehow ensnared me with her Siren-like libertarian charms. Or maybe, Roy Edroso has himself a little crush to which he's not copping!

CNBC's 2009 Stock Predictions

2008-12-29T19:12:56Z

This New Year, if your resolution is to give your investment portfolio a much needed boost, you may be in luck.

While the overall market is unlikely to stage a major turnaround any time soon, experts agree there are a handful of investments that are heating up and could help you recoup some gains.