The Obamas: An American Family

Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore Admitted to Augusta Golf Club

The Augusta National Golf Club made the surprise announcement yesterday that it will finally admit women as members.

The two women admitted were former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina businesswoman Darla Moore.

And though I love Condi Rice and think as an avid golfer, she's a great candidate, the cynic in me can't help thinking the old boys at Augusta wanted to break the woman barrier and the black woman barrier all in one shot.

This falls into the "it's about time" category, but I guess better late than never.

5 Things About Paul Ryan No One Else Will Tell You

Everyone's talking and writing about Mitt Romney's VP pick, Wisconsin congressman, Paul Ryan.  But what they won't tell you are a few select tidbits I discovered for myself.

1. Ryan has the prettiest eyes of any Republican ever. They're like a cross between blue and sea foam green.  I mean have you seen them?  They're like something a fairy from another planet would bestow on a human baby, they're that pretty.

2.  Within minutes of Romney's announcement, Paul Ryan's cowlick set up a Twitter account: @PaulRyanCowlick.  One of his best tweets:  

— Paul Ryan's Cowlick (@PaulRyanCowlick) August 11, 2012

Unfortunately he only has 65 followers, but give him time.  Give him time.

3. It's been widely reported Ryan's a gym rat, but what's less well known is that he's a HUGE Zumba junkie, and an expert at the macarena.

4. The reason the Romney campaign used Jerry Goldsmith's theme from the film "Air Force One" for Ryan's introduction is because as a child, Ryan has a cameo in the film.  He's one of those guys on the tarmac looking gobsmacked after the highjackers get the plane back in the air.  His closeup was cut because Harrison Ford insisted no one in the film could have eyes prettier than his.

5. Many people know that Ryan loves fly fishing, but what they may not know is that he learned the skill as a child using sneaker laces and his goldfish named Sam.

As I find out more, I'll be sure to share it.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien Will Speak at BlogHer '12

BlogHer '12 arrives tomorrow and I wanted to make note that joining the big lineup of speakers, including President Barack Obama via satellite today, will be CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

She'll be there talking about her foundation which provides college tuition assistance for deserving young women.

Last week, I had the pleasure of being a BlogHer guest at the New Orleans in the Hamptons Gala, a fundraiser for the Soledad O'Brien & Brad Raymond Foundation.  Several of the young women who've benefitted from the foundation spoke and were truly inspiring.

And since the theme of the party was New Orleans in the Hamptons, it was appropriate that the evening was as warm and steamy as any New Orleans summer night.  The food was fabulous, the music had the joint jumping and my dinner companions were amazing!  

They included BlogHer co-founders, Lisa Stone and Elisa Camamhort Page, BlogHer editor-in-chief, Stacy Morrison, Isabel Kallman of Alpha Mom, Marinka of Motherhood in NYC, Nikki Ogunnaike, online style editor at Glamour.com and Jenni from I Spy DIY.

On to BlogHer '12!

 

President Barack Obama LIVE via Video at BlogHer '12! | BlogHer

Today we are honored to announce that President Barack Obama will address the BlogHer '12 audience at 4:30PM Thursday, August 2, via live video feed. We will gather in the Grand Ballroom at the New York Hilton to hear from the president live, and understand why he has chosen to make this rare conference appearance. We will be recording the video and posting it as soon as we can post-appearance. All conference passes, from day passes to party and/or expo passes to full passes will be granted admission to this special event. 

via www.blogher.com

I was already jazzed about BlogHer '12 returning to New York this week, but now I really can't wait!

Mitt Romney Speaks to NAACP: Media and Romney Miss the Point

On Wednesday, presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke to the 103rd NAACP convention in Houston, Texas. He made his case before a skeptical African American audience that if they helped elect him into office, he would do more to improve the lives of black people in this country than Barack Obama has in the last four years -- or will in the next.

Romney talked about how he would create jobs by implementing a five point plan that would include increasing free trade, encouraging entrepreneurship, taking advantage of energy resources, and getting rid of "high taxation" and "destructive labor policies." He said he would be good for all Americans and especially black people who have a higher unemployment rate than the general population.

And while the majority of the headlines touted how Romney was booed, making it seem like a bad talent show night at the Apollo, I listened to the entire, nearly 24 minute speech, and Romney was only vigorously booed once, when he promised to repeal "Obamacare."

"Rock Center" with Brian Williams - Aaron Sorkin and Madonna Badger (Video)

Despite my lingering bitterness about the last couple of seasons of "West Wing,"--yeah, I've got to work on that whole holding grudges thing--I'll still watch this interview with Aaron Sorkin on this Thursday's "Rock Center."

He'll be talking about his writing style and his new HBO show, "The Newsroom" which premieres on Sunday.

Here's a clip of the interview:

 

On a much more serious note, this week's episode will also have an interview by Matt Lauer with a woman, Madonna Badger, who lost her parents and her three daughters in a Christmas Day fire in Connecticut. The house was under construction and the fire started from fireplace ashes disposed of in an adjacent mud room.  

It's hard to imagine a tragedy much worse than that.

Here's a clip:

 

 

"Rock Center with Brian Williams" airs Thursdays at 10pm/9c.

Memo to the Pope: Back Off the Freakin' Nuns

Something that's got me burning up right now is the condemnation of American nuns by the Pope and the Vatican because they've haven't been pro-life enough and anti-gay enough.  Ya' see, they've been spending too much time on those radical feminist practices of ministering to the sick, poor and downtrodden of society.

How dare they!?

As someone who monitors the media closely and has a healthy level of cynicism about all organized religion, could this possibly be a way for the Vatican to deflect attention from the ongoing pedophile priests scandals and the coverup of their existence by every level of the Catholic Church?

I mean seriously, American nuns?  What do you think they're doing?  Going out during Mardi Gras and flashing their boobs for beads?  Chug-a-lugging beer every time the Pope says a Hail Mary?  Encouraging little girls to strip down their Barbies and make porn movies with them?

Um no.  Last time I looked, American nuns were doing everything that the holier than thou men at the Vatican weren't doing.

I'm not Catholic.  I'm not religious.  But I do respect people's religious beliefs and contend that if someone wants to live by particular religious tenants, have at it.  That's supposed to be what freedom of religion is all about.

My problem is a bunch of old men in Rome and elsewhere telling women who are doing good for society that they aren't being true enough to the Catholic Church and therefore deserve to be reprimanded in the most public and humiliating way.

Some might say, well that's what the nuns signed up for when they joined the church.  If they didn't want to live by church tenants, they should have figured out other ways to serve the community.  You may be right about that, but the fact is, these women are doing more for the community than any of those old men in Rome busy counting the Vatican's money and figuring out ways to recruit more "faithful."

To me, what many American nuns are doing is exactly what ministering and service means.  Helping the poor, the sick, and people who have no where else to go.

Every organized religion as far as I'm concerned is about maintaining control of women.  Back to the dawn of time, men had to figure out a way to blunt the irresistible sexual power they saw that women had over them.  What was the best way to do that?  Create a religion that makes woman second class citizens and deems any sexual activity or desire as dirty and their fault.  Oh and that also makes any knowledge or control of their sexuality or their bodies as sacrilegious.

It's institutional misogyny in the guise of religious doctrine. 

How do I know?  Because if God didn't tell me to comb my hair this morning, he sure as hell didn't tell the Pope, or any other church elder of any religion for that manner, to tell me what to do with my body.

Megan's Minute Has Returned!

Knock, knock, knock..."Is this thing on?"

I know the few readers I have left may be scratching their heads and saying, "Where the hell is she?"

Well no, I didn't drop off the edge of the earth.  I didn't join the French Foreign Legion.  I didn't sell all my things and run off and join the circus.

Nope.  I went to graduate school.  For the past three years I've been reading, studying, researching, interviewing and testing.  But as of a couple of weeks ago that's all behind me. 

I've graduated with a Master's Degree in journalism, an accomplishment I can barely believe I was able to complete.  The photo above is of a bloom from a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers I got as a graduation present.  I look at that photo and all the golden optimism it seems to represent makes me smile.  Somehow it perfectly captures my re-energized frame of mind.

I'll write more about my school experiences in the coming weeks, but right now, I'm ready to launch back into the blogging world, breaking some boundaries with my ideas and my writing.

What does that mean for Megan's Minute?  

Damned if I know.  

Kind of like when I started this blog five years ago, I'm playing it by ear.  I may come up with some new features, I may have some guest bloggers, I may also tinker with the design.  But those changes will be gradual and as the spirit moves me. 

In the meantime:

• There's a presidential election going on and I'll have a lot to say about that.  
• I've been watching some amazing TV shows and I'll have a lot to say about that. ("Game of Thrones, anyone?" I'll have a review of the finale on Monday)
• I'm way behind on my non-school reading, so I'll throw in some book reviews.
• I'm still a huge tennis fan, so I'm sure I'll mention that as well.

So, I'm back.  Tell your friends, and don't be a stranger. 

A Pre-Thanksgiving Day Treat: Macy's Parade Balloons Up Close

 

Kermit the Frog

 
Last night I did something I’ve always wanted to do. That’s head over to Central Park West around 79th street, the night before Thanksgiving and watch as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons are inflated.  I’d never done it before so when I got the opportunity to go behind the scenes with a group of fellow bloggers, courtesy of Macy’s, I jumped at the chance.

B. Boy in Progress

Our small group met on Columbus Avenue and 75th street around 4 o’clock and were greeted with a steady drizzle but excited tourists and New Yorkers, eager to get a preview of the big parade.  As with any big event in New York, there are glitches and even though we had bona fide press passes firmly around out necks, the NYPD didn’t want to let us into the restricted area where all the balloon goodies waiting.  But our contact Lauren Roseman did some fast talking and got us through.  

Safely behind the police barricades, we were able to get a closeup look at some of the hard work that goes into getting the 15 giant balloons and 44 mid-size balloons ready for their Thanksgiving Day close-ups.  There were spotlights along the street so workers and spectators could see the balloons more clearly and large speakers piped out jaunty Christmas music.

Julius the Monkey

First we hit 79th street where the balloons at the head of the parade are located.  They’re lined up on the street in the order they will appear in the parade.  Earlier this week, they were transported through the Lincoln Tunnel from their new studio home in Moonachie, New Jersey, to the streets of Central Park West.

Tarra and Bella: An Animal Love Story (Video)

Image Courtesy CBS News

 

You may have heard the story about the bond between an elephant, Tarra and a stray dog, Bella who lived together as friends in a Tennessee animal sanctuary.

The original story was reported by Steve Hartman on CBS's Sunday Morning:

They were so close, in fact, that when Bella got injured a few years ago and had to spend three weeks recuperating in the sanctuary office, guess who held vigil the entire time? Twenty-two hundred acres to roam free, and Tarra just stood in the corner waiting. Home video of their reunion shows how inseparable they'd become and remained, right to the end.

Unfortunately the end of the relationship came last week.  Fair warning, keep the tissues handy.

Here's the original story about the pair.

Y'all know I'm a sucker for doggies, but now I think I'm a sucker for elephants too.

A Dead Qaddafi and the Media: Some Modest Thoughts

If you've been anywhere near a TV, newspaper or magazine this week, odds are you got a glimpse or more than that of Muammar Qaddafi's dead body, face or bloody wounds up close.  Personally, I'm happy for the Libyan people and won't lose any sleep because Qaddafi is dead, but I do question the broad dissemination of the images of Qaddafi's bloody face all over network and local news. 

First there was the shaky camera phone footage of Qaddafi when he was captured, alive but bloody.  Then there was the footage of his body being dragged through the streets after he was dead.  Then finally, the shots of his dead body in a meat locker where some Libyans understandably lined up to get a glimpse to prove that indeed Qaddafi was dead.

I'm surprised there wasn't more debate in American media circles about whether or not so much gruesome footage of Qaddafi should have been used.  During the first couple of days of coverage, there were warnings from news anchors before showing the footage, but by the end of the week, the shots just showed up out of nowhere.

Is it okay because he was universally considered a bad guy and deserving of whatever punishment the Libyans decided he should have?  Is it because once the footage was out there on the internet the networks and local stations didn't want to feel left behind?

Call me old fashioned and maybe the least bit squeamish, but I wish more restraint had been shown, because the almost casual broadcasting of the images has only added to our already high desensitization to that kind of violence.

RIP Steve Jobs

I'm not a Mac fanatic, never have been, but I have iTunes, an iPod, and a Droid X, none of which would exist without the visionary genius of the late Steve Jobs.  His impact in the technological and entertainment world will live for years to come.

September 11, 2011: I Wear Pink Now, I Wore Pink Then

Ten years ago today, the world changed.  As a New Yorker, I remember feeling like someone had broken into my house and destroyed everything I loved.

I didn't lose anyone close to me, thank God, but two acquaintances died that day along with the nearly three thousand others.

So I wear pink now because I wore pink then and I remember along with the rest of New York and the rest of the nation.

After the "Apocalypse" Smell the Roses

If you're reading this, odds are you're not in heaven.  Odd are you're also not in hell.

No, there was no Judgement Day, Rapture or apocalypse. 

Just some guys selling doomsday t-shirts in Times Square and a whole bunch of non-raptured citizens whooping it up on a Saturday night as usual.

But that doesn't mean a lesson shouldn't be learned out of all the false predictions of apocalyptic doom and gloom.

Yeah, all those people who sold their homes, packed up their cars and decided to see the world one last time, are gonna go home to some harsh realities, but they also did something maybe the rest of us should learn from. 

They took a little time to smell the roses.

Now I know they did that because of the false claims of a cult-like figure with delusions of grandeur, but in a small way, maybe the rest of us should be doing the same.

Just a little lesson from the day the Rapture died.

Osama Bin Laden is Dead, This New Yorker is Pleased

It seems only fitting that since I was at work when 9/11 happened, I was also at work when I found out the perpetrator of 9/11 was dead.

But what was I doing?

Why, watching "Celebrity Apprentice."  I kid you not.  I was killing time before going home when NBC ran a ticker that announced President Obama was going to make an address to the nation within minutes.

Now remember, this was just one night after Obama and Seth Myers had opened a big ol' can of whoopass on Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. So how cool was it that Obama's national address over whatever the important issue was, just happened to interrupt Donald Trump's show?

You couldn't script it better.

Then came the big announcement:  Osama bin Laden was dead. 

Turns out, not only was Osama bin Laden dead, our armed forces went in to get him.  And better yet, we had the body to prove it.

I'm a New Yorker so the news that this mass murderer was dead made me glad.  Yes, it's a little unseemly to celebrate the death of any human being, but on this occasion I have no problem making an exception.

Watching as a crowd spontaneously started celebrating outside the White House, I was surprised at how emotional I got.  Mixed in with that emotion was gratitude to the armed forces that pulled off the dangerous operation so flawlessly, pride in our country and especially our President.

Say what you want, and I'm sure many will, but Barack Obama will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents ever. 

Oh, and Trump fired Hope.

Megan's 4th Blogiversary!

 

As y'all know, it's Valentine's Day, but more importantly, here at Megan's Minute, it's Blogiversary Number 4!

Four years, I can't believe it!

Ironically, as a direct result of starting Megan's Minute, I don't have much time to write in celebration because I'm just a tad too busy.

I'm still writing for BlogHer but I'm also in graduate school, working full-time, working another job part-time--to help pay for school--and all around trying to keep my sanity.

But no way could I let this day slip by without a little toast to Blogiversary Number 4.

Oh and Happy Valentine's Day!

Courageous Journalism Allows Us to Get the Real Story form Egypt

Imagine that one day you're watching CNN and a breaking news story comes on saying that Diane Sawyer, anchor of ABC's World News with Diane Sawyer, has suddenly quit. 

In an interview, Sawyer says the reason she quit was because ABC was demanding, via the White House, that she read a story at the beginning of every newscast that says citizens are rioting in the streets of New York and the National Guard must be called in to restore order.

The problem is the streets of New York are quiet. Or as quiet as they ever are, and Sawyer knows for a fact that there are no riots. So instead of reading a story that she knows is not true, she quit.

That scenario actually happened last week, except it didn't happen in the United States; it happened in Egypt. And the famous anchorwoman in question was not Diane Sawyer of ABC but Shahira Amin of the Egyptian state owned broadcast network, Nile Television.

I'm Shutting Off TV for a Week: Day 1 - Tragedy Takes Precedent

Obviously my little No TV experiment pales in comparison to the terrible news yesterday of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 17 others at a shopping center in Arizona. 

As of now 6 people are dead, including a federal judge, John Roll, and a 9-year-old girl.  Five others, including Giffords, are in critical condition.

It's an awful tragedy and my heart goes out to Giffords' and her family and to all those who died or were wounded.

As I said, my little TV tune out is frivolous in comparison, but I think my reactions while trying to avoid TV and stay connected to developments throughout the day are worth writing about, so here goes.

Happy 2011!