We woke up at 4:30 Sunday morning, rolled out of bed, and, unshowered, drove into New York City to get in line for The Clock – the 24-hour film/ art installation showing at Lincoln Center until August 1. If you haven’t heard about The Clock yet, it’s the ambitious project of collage artist Christian Marclay, […]
Where Have I Been? Digital Family Summit!
Have you been missing me? Wondering where I’ve been? I know it’s a long time since I’ve posted, but there is a very good reason. In addition to my baby names work, I have been working tirelessly (although tired-fully is probably the more accurate word) to produce the first-ever Digital Family Summit, which is coming […]
My Big Debut
I’m posting this video for my family in Europe, who were not able to access the US version of the MTV News story in which I discuss Beyonce’s baby name. Get More: Music News (If you are someone who found this blog through my OWS posts or my father’s story, my “real job” is that […]
Thanks
I have so much to be thankful for this year and I know how lucky I am given what a rough year it’s been for so many people. More than anything, I would like to thank my father. A little less than a year ago, I started him on a blog, and almost every day […]
To Have & Have-Not: What Happened to Middle Class?
For most Americans, the pursuit of great wealth is more fantasy than reality. The real pursuit, for most, has been the promise of a “middle class lifestyle”. But what does “middle class” mean, in real terms, in 2011? You probably consider yourself “middle class” if you have a roof over your head, live in a […]
To Have & Have Not: Are All Men Created Equal?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” This quote is practically religion in the United States. Many historians consider it to be the most significant and enduring of all texts of the American Revolution. So what if I told you it was false? And that our insistence on its […]
We Stand As One: Joseph Arthur #OWS Protest Song
I admit it! I love Joseph Arthur. So I was delighted to hear he’d written an Occupy Wall Street song. My good husband tracked it down on YouTube and I share it with you now. Enjoy! (If you’d like to download the song or learn more about Joseph Arthur, this is the link for his […]
Occupy Wall Street: The Party’s Over
In my first OWS post I stated that the OWS movement is truly non-partisan. Frank Rich, among many other cultural commentators has noted that both OWS and the Tea Party emerged out of frustration with the status quo in government today. Tea Partiers and Occupants share a belief that politicians have gone too far in […]
Why Capitalism Trumps Democracy – Even in Occupy Wall Street
In the United States, the right to become rich has become collapsed with the very notion of liberty. From the time we are children, Americans learn to confuse democracy (a system of decisionmaking and governance), with capitalism (a system for regulating and releasing money flows. —From the Occupy Wall Street Frequently Asked Questions one-pager I […]
Occupy Wall Street: Is Griping Good?
Anyone can show up in Zuccotti Park with a placard and a gripe and occupy. No one will dictate one message or another about this movement. Your health problems and the operation of a nuclear power plant and student loan debt are all reasons to feel aggrieved and OWS tells us to get that anger […]