August 2007 Archives

Yet another example of a powerful industry lobby pressuring a government agency to change course. This time, it's baby formula manufacturers convincing Health & Human Services to tone down an ad campaign urging mothers to breastfeed.

I have various opinions on this. I'm disgusted by the reasons the ad campaign was toned down... but on the other hand, I don't like the negative tone of the original ad campaign either. I strongly believe women should breastfeed if they can, I think there are a lot of benefits to it for mother and baby — and really, having been doing it for nearly a year now, I can tell you it's really a good experience overall — but I don't like the idea of making women who can't breastfeed, or who gave it a good try but it didn't work out, feel like sh*t either.

In an attempt to raise the nation's historically low rate of breast-feeding, federal health officials commissioned an attention-grabbing advertising campaign a few years ago to convince mothers that their babies faced real health risks if they did not breast-feed. It featured striking photos of insulin syringes and asthma inhalers topped with rubber nipples.

I'm sorry, but there are other factors that cause asthma. It seems like it's easier to blame the bottle-feeding mama than to, I don't know, do something about our weakened air quality standards.

Personally, I'd like to see a campaign with a more positive slant. What about the money you save? What about the convenience (once you get past those hellish first few weeks when it seems like you're nursing 24/7?) What about not having to get up to fix a bottle?

And also, can we please elect an administration that doesn't kiss the ass of EVERY CORPORATION OUT THERE?

Edited to add: and I'm apparently not the only one that feels this way about the ads.

Years ago, Michael and I went on a lightning-quick trip to New Orleans for JazzFest, where, among other things, we got to see a great concert by Galactic, a group which I had never heard of but which was very popular with Michael and his friends.

They just came out with a new album, From the Corner to the Block and I can't stop listening to the opening track. It rocks like a rocking thing, reminding me of how great a concert it was and how I hope to visit New Orleans again someday.

(By the way, it sounds to me like he shouldn't have been arrested and there wasn't really enough evidence... but he probably is gay, and that's why he pleaded guilty. All the more reason we should all stop treating being gay like something bad, so gay Republicans aren't driven into the closet... or the toilet.)

One good, and one absolutely enraging.

Solar power is catching on

Just how much is Bush screwing the country (not to mention our soldiers) on Iraq contracts? (I was practically screaming as I read this one)

I'm feeling pretty so-so about the 2008 elections. Why? Well, I like Barack Obama a lot, but then there was that fracas with his comments about Pakistan. I like John Edwards a lot too, but his campaign doesn't seem to be catching fire.

And then there's Hillary Clinton. NOT excited by her, to put it mildly, but this air of inevitability seems to be coalescing around her campaign. I don't think she could win. I think too many people have made up their minds about her. And frankly, I care more about getting a good president in office than electing the first woman president just for the sake of electing the first woman president, which, I sometimes get the impression, is what people are getting excited about.

And now I have some backup for my impressions:

Sen. Hillary Clinton is by far the most popular presidential candidate among her own party’s voters, but has among the lowest overall favorable ratings of the leading candidates. In sharp contrast, the front-running Republican candidate, Rudy Giuliani, evokes relatively modest enthusiasm from the GOP base, but is as broadly popular with all voters as any candidate in either party.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Aug. 1-18 among 3,002 adults, finds that 55% of voters who offer an opinion of Clinton express a favorable view of her, while 45% have an unfavorable opinion. Other leading presidential candidates, including Clinton’s Democratic rival Barack Obama (64%), have much higher overall favorability ratings.

Yet Clinton is highly popular with her own Democratic base. Nearly nine-in-ten Democratic voters (88%) who offered an opinion of Clinton express a positive view – with 38% saying they have a very favorable opinion. That is the highest percentage that any of the seven 2008 candidates tested – Democrats or Republicans – receives from their parties’ voters.

Can I just ask? WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!?! Was getting this close to victory just too scary for you?

(Mind you, I'm one to talk. I did support Howard Dean the last time around. OTOH, the "surefire winner" John Kerry wasn't...)

Spotted on Craigslist this evening. Identifying information has been removed so I don't get in trouble. I hope.

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Company Description: On-site work for Xxxxx, a semi-retired activist and retired non-profit founder/director, in her smoke-free, scent-free home office. It is a small, hectic household -- an oasis of fun and caring people, in an atmosphere of cooperation and camaraderie. The view is fabulous, and so are the memorabilia collected during the course of some 40 years as a social activist.

Job Description: You will take down memoirs as you go through the materials from the events and organizations in which Xxxxx participated. You will also help sort, box and ship these materials, plus records from various social movements, to a major state historical society.

Job Qualifications

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Office or archive/library/research/paper sorting experience.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS/JOB SKILLS REQUIRED : Be a good listener, take notes and send them out via e-mail with good writing skills; love e-mail and be fluent in Eudora, Excel, Word, etc.; have experience working for an individual; be caring and compassionate; be responsible about time, tasks and cleanup; think consequentially/plan ahead to avoid creating crises; have a sense of humor; value your own labor and the labor of others by being organized, clear and staying on task; be a centered, well-grounded person; be safety savvy in both office and home settings.

TRANSPORTATION: A car will be helpful for errands, split shifts, and occasionally for transporting Xxxxx. A driver's license is required for occasional use of Xxxxx's car and you must be a good driver.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Everyone in Xxxxx's oasis shares a commitment to being smoke-free and scent free to maintain an environment that is friendly to those who have allergies, asthma, or are environmentally sensitive. Due to a condition known as MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity), Xxxxx herself is subject to severe migraines when exposed to certain products. For these reasons, employees and members of their households must refrain from using products that are hazardous to others' health if they will be carried into Xxxxx's household on you or your clothes. Please do not apply if you think you will have difficulty giving up any scented products. (Synthetic fragrances are made from toxic petroleum and other chemicals.)

If you are particularly fond of perfume/cologne, fabric softener, scented detergents, dryer sheets, toxic cleaning products, air "fresheners," smoking, incense, scented hair-care products; this, sadly, is not the workplace for you. However, if you are eager, willing and able to make the transition to healthier products and simply lack funds to do so, Xxxxx will help in hardship cases with the purchase of basic scent-free products after your on site interview. Initially you will need only baking soda and Ivory or Basis soap to remove traces of any previous problematic products. Then, if you are hired, you can change over to the healthy products for you and all.

HOW TO APPLY: For your cover letter, just copy and paste this posting into your e-mail to qqqqqq@oyveh.com. Particularly in the Qualifications and Job Description areas, include information about your experience and each of the personal characteristics and job skills. TAKE CARE TO INSERT your replies between the appropriate lines in dialogue fashion, just like the in-person conversation we hope to have with you down the line after our initial e-mail screening process.

Give us EXAMPLES of your skills and suitability to the job, as well as the job's suitability to you, plus any comments and questions. Also, add your available times for us to schedule you both as a work schedule and for an interview, and your necessary hourly rate of pay and anything else. If you have a resume you may attach it, but it is not absolutely required, and please do NOT use it to miss out on the conversational reply to this ad. Kindly send us contact information for three references, and good times to reach your references and you.

Out of all the stories coming from Iraq... somehow this one really gets me now.

Ding dong, the witch is dead!

What did Karl Rove's poor family do to deserve more time with him, though?