Archive for January, 2009
Friday Funny : The Obamas Do What?
11:06 am By Maegan La Mala · Politics|sex · 3 Comments
23 Jan 2009Not English Only in Nashville
9:02 am By Maegan La Mala · Bilingualism|language · Comments Off
23 Jan 2009
Voters in Nashville made it clear that they do not speak English only. Yesterday a measure to make English the official language of all government business failed to pass. 57 percent of voters rejected the proposal. That is not a small margin. Seems that most voters agree with Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, who called the measure mean spirited.
Via / ABC News
Castro Hearts Obama?
7:03 am By Maegan La Mala · Argentina|Cuba|Latin America|Politics · 3 Comments
23 Jan 2009
Absent Cuban president Fidel Castro, ever wiling to say what’s on his mind in his weekly essays, said what might be the first kind words ever uttered about a U.S. president. But he didn’t write down his first impressions of Barack Obama; instead he leaked them to Argentine president Cristina Kirchner at a meeting between the two yesterday. You might want to sit down before you read on because this is pretty incredible:
Mrs Fernandez said: “Fidel believes in Obama. He told me he had followed the inauguration of Barack Obama very closely, that he had watched the inauguration on television all day.“He had a very good perception of President Obama.”
The Argentine premier said Mr Castro called Mr Obama “a man who seems absolutely sincere, who believes strongly in his ideas and who hopefully can carry them out”.
Praise Song for the Day
12:53 pm By la Macha · US Presidential Race 2008 · 3 Comments
22 Jan 2009Elizabeth Alexander (the woman who recited a poem during the inauguration) has gotten a lot of flak for her poem. Some have said very plainly that it just wasn’t a good poem. Others have gotten more academic and called it too prosy. Others–people I agree with–had this to say:
So leave it to a Woman of Colour…to say through poetry no less, and in a voice that reminds me of some spoken word artists, what I really wanted to hear. What stood out for me:
* Words are everything.
* Never forget history and whatever people have in the US, people of colour have BUILT IT and struggled for it. Also people of colour built capitalism!!!!
* Hope.
* Love – “What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national.” Yes, yes and YES!!!
Elizabeth Alexander also wanted to clarify some of the internet interpretations of her poem that are floating around and so sent this message out to followers:
hello my friends,
i wanted to send you all the official version of the poem. various
improper version of “praise song for the day” have been circulated on the internet and even in newspapers, culled from transcription. this community can understand how it feels for the poem to be out there with no line or stanza breaks — yikes. you can feel free to
circulate this *as long as you include the credit line from graywolf
press at the bottom*, which indicates that it is the official version
and respects copyright. in fact, given all of your networks, you’d be doing me a favor to circulate the poem — i’m trying to rectify those incorrect version out there.it was a day beyond words, i have to say.
i also wanted to tell you all that during the official sound check,
the day before, they asked me to speak some poetry into the mike so
they could get the sound levels right. i recited miss brooks’
kitchenette building. it went out for miles and miles across the
mall. at the end i said, “that was kitchenette building by gwendolyn
brooks.” hundreds of tourists burst into applause!that felt good.
love, elizabeth
Official version of the poem is after the cut.
Big Breaks and Being Mexican on This American Life
12:39 pm By la Macha · Immigration · Comments Off
22 Jan 2009
One of my favorite shows, This American Life, featured the voices of two Mexican immigrant girls who also happened to be undocumented. It’s a pretty heartbreaking story. And as Ira Glass points out–it’s one that’s a lot more common than people think.
From This American Life
Host Ira Glass tells the story of Marisela and Yadira, who were honors students in high school. They wanted to go to the best colleges, but they couldn’t get federally-funded scholarships because they weren’t U.S. citizens; they had come from Mexico when they were little. Through a series of fortunate breaks, they manage to scrape together enough money to go to college. Still, because of their illegal status, they have no idea if their education will get them anywhere in America. Helen Thorpe, a reporter in Denver, interviewed the students.
President Obama Dia 2 : Shutting Down Gitmo
11:25 am By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Cuba|Justice|Politics · 1 Comment
22 Jan 2009
Yesterday, I wrote how President Obama suspended some trials of Guantanamo Bay prisoners. Obama will signed executive orders not just shutting down Gitmo within a year, but also other U.S. secret prisons globally.
Some polls are showing mixed public reaction to the expected undoing of Bush detention policies. My question is why? If the United States really wants to clean up it’s global image then it needs to get rid of these centers that amount to torture camps and function outside the rule of law that so many are fond of talking about.
I’m still waiting for Obama to call for a suspension to ICE raids.
Via / NYT
Oscars: The Nominations Are In
9:18 am By Maegan La Mala · Entertainment|Events|Movies · Comments Off
22 Jan 2009
Here’s a quick and dirty list of the nominees for the 2009 Oscars. Check it out!
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated feature film of the year
“Bolt” (Walt Disney)
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation)
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney)
President Obama Retakes Oath of Office
9:04 am By Maegan La Mala · Controversia|Politics · 3 Comments
22 Jan 2009Who else thinks Chief Justice Roberts messed up President Obama’s Oath of Office on purpose?
Regardless, the 44th president, did it all again, allegedly joking, “We decided it was so much fun . . . ”
Really it was a president covering his behind since there are people who will do anything to undo this historic presidency. There are still people saying that Obama’s birth certificate is fake! Por lo menos if we are going to knock the Obama administration let it be for something he actually does, or doesn’t do.
Via / The Latin Americanist
Caroline Kennedy Retracts Senate Bid
7:04 am By Maegan La Mala · Celebrities|Controversia|New York|Politics · 1 Comment
22 Jan 2009
The controversial candidate to replace Hillary Clinton as New York State Senator, Caroline Kennedy, is bowing out just days after New York governor David Paterson hinted that she would be his choice. CNN reports:
In a one-line statement citing personal reasons, the widely considered front-runner said Thursday she told New York Gov. David Paterson a day earlier that she was no longer interested in the job.“I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate.”
The statement, provided by Kennedy’s press person Stefan Friedman, was issued after hours of divergent reports Wednesday evening
I wonder what the personal reasons are…I’m hoping they are significant because building up all that hype and basically having the job just to turn it down looks quite bad on her. And I don’t think she’d ever get a second chance.
Some media is speculating that Caroline is pulling out because she’s been asked to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.K.
Via / CNN
Obama Flubs Oath, Experts Call for Re-Do
5:20 pm By Maegan La Mala · Politics|US Presidential Race 2008 · Comments Off
21 Jan 2009Is this for real? I mean it was Roberts’ fault anyway (by the way: didn’t he look smug up there?) for mixing up the words on him!
The 35-word oath is explicitly prescribed in the Constitution, Article II, Section 1, which begins by saying the president “shall” take the oath “before he enter on the execution of his office.”The oath reads: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
In giving the oath, Roberts misplaced the word “faithfully,” at which point Obama paused quizzically. Roberts then corrected himself, but Obama repeated the words as Roberts initially said them.
A do-over “would take him 30 seconds, he can do it in private, it’s not a big deal, and he ought to do it just to be safe,” said Boston University constitutional scholar and Supreme Court watcher Jack Beermann. “It’s an open question whether he’s president until he takes the proper oath.”
He “misplaced” a word and so he’s not really the president? This is the kind of bullshit that makes people like me poo-poo this ritualistic protocol stuff. Boo!
Via / SF Gate
Hola!
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