I see myself in the older bloggers, many of whom worked for newspapers until they took buyouts or were laid off, as well as in the aspiring reporters. These men and women love the trade. They want to make a difference. They have the integrity not to sell themselves to public relations firms or corporate-funded propaganda outlets. And they keep at it, the way true artists, musicians or actors do, although there are dimmer and dimmer hopes of compensation. They are victims of a dying culture, one that no longer values the talents that would keep it healthy and humane. The corporate state remunerates corporate management and public relations. It lavishes money on the celebrities who provide the fodder for our national mini-dramas. But those who deal with the bedrock virtues of truth, justice and beauty, who seek not to entertain but to transform, are discarded. They must struggle on their own. The sale of The Huffington Post to AOL for $315 million, and the tidy profit of reportedly at least several million dollars made by principal owner and founder Arianna Huffington, who was already rich, is emblematic of this new paradigm of American journalism.
The highly successful [Huffington Post] site, like most Internet sites, is largely pirated from other sources, especially traditional news organizations, or is the product of unpaid writers who are rechristened “citizen journalists.” It is driven by the celebrity gossip that dominates cheap tabloids, with one or two stories that come from The New York Times or one of the wire services to give it a veneer of journalistic integrity. Hollywood celebrities, or at least their publicists, write windy and vapid commentaries. And this, I fear, is what news is going to look like in the future. The daily reporting and monitoring of city halls, courts, neighborhoods and government, along with investigations into corporate fraud and abuse, will be replaced by sensational garbage and Web packages that are made to look like news but contain little real news.
He kissed me today, and it was very sweet.
This is kinda funny!
From another…
“WANTED: MOTHER”
DESCRIPTION: Daily care for two young children. Shake bottles of formula, microwave bagels, make cheese sandwiches. Wipe pee off the toilet, change wet and soiled diapers, take out trash often. Do laundry daily. Clean spit-up off of clothes, wood floor, the couch and carpet. Look for signs of sickness and anxiously call pediatrician or friends to describe symptoms. Empty dishwasher. Explain to toddler why he can’t eat chicken nuggets every night for dinner. Pack diaper bag with daily necessities, including coloring book and crayons. Referee playdates. Play fireman. Laugh. Read stories. Remember to brush teeth. Empty dishwasher. Fold laundry. Monitor number of hours in front of television, and then say “F**k it” under breath. Bathe children, try to find time to bathe self. Try to lay off the cookies, then give in. Put laundry in drawers. Explain to toddler why he can’t drive the car. Wipe snotty noses. Dance. Fall asleep after five minutes of stillness, but wake up at the slightest noise. Endure shrieks, grunts, and cries. Clean up toys. Shop for food and plastic items. Lug baskets of laundry up stairs. Empty dishwasher.
REQUIREMENTS: Must be able to lift heavy children. Must have love, patience, abundant energy. Must look like me, act like me, and, well, be me, just improved.
HOURS: Day and night. You’ll get small breaks when children sleep. (As long as they agree to this function.)
SPECIAL SKILLS: Ability to use the following phrases: “Take turns,” “We’ll see,” “Not now,” “No!” “1-2-3,” “Do you want to go in time-out?”; “Ma-ma-ma-ma,” “Da-da-da-da.” Capacity to eat quickly and avoid department store sales (especially Target) so that the children have a college fund.
SALARY: Nil.
PERKS: Lots. More apparent when children are sleeping (see “HOURS“).
I am loving this…
The tassel is awesome. The color is perfect.
It totally reminds me of my mum… I’m getting one now!
I just happen to
SURRENDER!
In the beginning of January our nanny decided it was her time to move on… and since that moment I have been in Nanny hell… the kind that has been self imposed of course. I searched, I refined my search, I listened, I interviewed, I scoured Craig’s List, my mommy community and I even did the ultimate NO NO… I tried to poach from the playground… Which led me know where so I don’t feel any guilt, at all. I posted on the nanny sites, I asked for referrals, I kept searching high and low, week after week. Now let me also say that I interviewed over 20 nanny’s and hired someone the first week, who never showed up, then hired another who did show up, and was on time! Here is where the self imposed crisis had occurred. I THOUGHT I could find someone else… for more money. Yes, that is correct I said, more money. I thought if I offered more money I could find someone who would be better, more suited, more, able, more, more, more I don’t know? After three MORE weeks of the search, and the second hire doing her job, “watching my son”, I decided to watch… I watched her, I watched my son, I watched the dogs, and my husband. Here is what I caught, I caught the dogs greeting her with excitement. I caught her feeding the dogs, great! I caught her folding the laundry, and picking up the mess… I caught her PLAYING with my son, and reading to him as he laughed hysterically. I caught… and this was it… I caught my son kissing her and gently taking his hand to her face.
Surrender.
She is the ultimate nanny.
![mammalingo:
MOMSULTATION n. [Fr. mom + consultation]: Asking another mom for advice about whatever it is your child is doing that no parenting book has covered. Example: “I called Linda for a momsultation when my three year old started only answering to the name T-Rex and eating his food without using his hands, just sticking his face in the bowl.” Also see: NON-MOMSULTATION n. Unsolicited parenting advice from people who are not moms. “I just got another non-momsultation call from my sister-in-law about how I am ruining my children.” (Submitted — awesomely — by Jennifer in Long Beach, CA)
Yup.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhilp1gUQq1qb0fs4o1_500.png)
