Happy Birthday, Mr. President

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

xo kate

Bracketology

I mean, I think this is pretty much what we've been saying.

xo kate

Tuesday Musings

One of my friends just posted this hilariously scary quiz of quotes by troubled sitcom actor Charlie Sheen and troubled Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Qaddafi (That's the spelling the New York Times has been using, so that's what I'm going with.)  It's shocking how difficult it is to distinguish these ramblings.  Give it a try.

If you aren't listening to Adele's new album, 21, you should be.  It's absolutely fantastic and she is definitely one of the freshest and most talented young female artist out right now.  My favorites are Someone Like You and Set Fire to the Rain.  I realize I'm totally coming off like a scorned lover here, which is not the case at all.  I promise, this isn't a secret cry for help, I just really like the songs.

In last night's episode, The Daily Show did a really funny segment comparing the way people are talking about teacher's unions and Wall Street executives.  I'm amongst the most anti-union educators you'll find, but I still think it's completely ridiculous to say that teachers are overpaid or under worked, or to make any claim that cutting education is how we should fix public budget crises.  Jon Stewart's critique is witty, biting and spot-on.

xo kate

"Basically, I absolutely love being a woman." - MKA

I know that I've mentioned here before how much I love TED Talks.  I don't watch them all, or even as much as I should, but every time that I do I'm entertained, I learn something new and, maybe most importantly, the talks stick with me -- I continue to think about them long after they are over.

This week, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (Wellesley '59) talks about the role of women and women's issues in diplomacy.  I'm a proud Democrat, woman and Wellesley alum, and as such, a huge fan of Secretary Albright, or Maddie as I like to call her.  But even if you're not, I think that you'll appreciate her frankness, fashion sense, humor and intellect in this conversation with Pat Mitchell.

My favorite quote is, "It doesn't mean that the whole world would be better if it were run only by women.  If you think that, you've forgotten high school."

Speaking of why it's absolutely fabulous to be a woman, one of my favorite shopping sites, ModCloth is having a huge sale right now.  I just brought two dresses for under $30 -- check it out now, wildcats.

xo kate

Inspiring. Hopeful. Salmon.

New York Magazine and NPR released this hilarious wordcloud comparison between what President Obama said during the State of the Union address last night, and what stuck with people (based on the words they use to describe it).  I'm not actually sure if I'm legally allowed to just outright steal the images, so here's the link.

The President's speech focused on the economy, and in particular on innovations in industry, education, science and technology.  Oh, and he also made a joke about salmon while discussion inefficiency in government bureaucracy.

For those of you who missed the speech, the full transcript and audio link can be found here.  And the following is the bit about the salmon:
"There are twelve different agencies that deal with exports. There are at least five different entities that deal with housing policy. Then there's my favorite example: the Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they're in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them in when they're in saltwater. And I hear it gets even more complicated once they're smoked."

Although I thought the salmon joke was funny, my favorite part of the speech was the end, which had a cadence that may as well have been written by Sam Seaborn.
We should have no illusions about the work ahead of us. Reforming our schools, changing the way we use energy, reducing our deficit — none of this will be easy. All of it will take time. And it will be harder because we will argue about everything. The costs. The details. The letter of every law.


Did Sam Seaborn join President
Obama's speech writing team?

Of course, some countries don't have this problem. If the central government wants a railroad, they build a railroad, no matter how many homes get bulldozed. If they don't want a bad story in the newspaper, it doesn't get written.

And yet, as contentious and frustrating and messy as our democracy can sometimes be, I know there isn't a person here who would trade places with any other nation on Earth. ...

We do big things.

From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That's how we win the future.

We're a nation that says, "I might not have a lot of money, but I have this great idea for a new company." "I might not come from a family of college graduates, but I will be the first to get my degree." "I might not know those people in trouble, but I think I can help them, and I need to try." "I'm not sure how we'll reach that better place beyond the horizon, but I know we'll get there. I know we will."

We do big things.


The idea of America endures. Our destiny remains our choice. And tonight, more than two centuries later, it's because of our people that our future is hopeful, our journey goes forward, and the state of our union is strong.

xo kate

There will never be another Camelot...

Love that Kennedy hair...

I'm an Irish Democrat from New England.  As such, I harbor a deep and abiding love for the Kennedy family (I think it's in the water here or something).  The politics, the tragedy, the hair -- I get swept away by all of it. A poster of JFK and Jackie (see right) was on my dorm room wall throughout college, sandwiched between Eminem and the cast of The Breakfast Club.  All great American heroes.  Once, when I didn't have internet or TV at my house (which I did for an entire year -- you know you're impressed) I watched an entire episode of Biography: Jackie Kennedy in YouTube on my cell phone.  And it wasn't a fancy iPhone, it was an old Palm Treo. 

Today, on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's historic inauguration, it's important to take a minute to remember the hope he gave to a generation of Americans, and how resonant his half-century's old words are today.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

(If you want more Kennedy history, check out this awesome website HKS put together.)

Can Katie pull off Jackie?

Also, I think this is the right moment to mention how horribly disappointed I am by the casting of Katie Holmes as Jackie Kennedy in the now temporarily defunked (and rumored salacious) eight-part mini-series, The Kennedy's.  Lookwise, I totally get it, but this isn't a teen rom-com -- this is Jacqueline Kennedy! Seriously, we couldn't do better than Joey Potter?  Maybe Mrs. Tom Cruise will surprise me -- if we ever get to actually see it -- with her acting chops, but count me among the skeptical.

xo kate

Expectations

There's a lot of reasons to question the state of the country and the world right now.  Just in the last few weeks we've seen thousands of blackbirds falling out of the sky in Alabama, hundreds of people killed in flooding in Brazil, millions of American still unemployed and underemployed, cops tampering with evidence in a rape case in Florida, Ted Williams -- the homeless man turned internet star -- getting sent to rehab, and the anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.  A year after a devestating earthquake all but leveled the country and killed over 200,000 people, over a million Haitians remain without homes, schools and basic infrastructure, and thousands more have been struck by the cholera epidemic sweeping the country.

Perhaps most poignant this week, was the tragedy in Arizona, where a gunman opened fire on a crowd gathered in a supermarket to meet their Congresswoman.  Almost immediately after the incident, elected officials, journalists and pundits began pointing fingers and casting blame for the actions of this disturbed young man, further fanning the flames of partisanship even as they blamed violent political rhetoric for poisoning our civility.

Last night, though, President Obama sought to begin our national healing with a speech at the memorial service for the victims in Tucson.  The president's oratorical gifts have long been lauded and last night he was at his best.  His speech managed to honor the victims, praise the heroes and give me hope for the future by articulating a vision of national unity that rises above violence and bitterness.

In remembering the shooting youngest victim, nine year-old Christina Taylor Green, he said:

"Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future.  She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful.  She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model.  She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want us to live up to her expectations.  I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it.  All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations."

Despite all the reasons to question the world, President Obama reminds us about the power of our democracy.  I, too, hope that we can live up to our children's expectations, and our own.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to President Obama's speech, you can listen or read it here.

xo kate