In their new book, Superfreakonomics, Levitt and Dubner discuss the rapid, unprecedented rise in social violence that occurred in the US between the 1950’s and 70’s. They trace a possible cause to the advent of television. Children, watching innocuous shows like Ozzie and Harriet and Leave it to Beaver were slipping a gear, because so much time spent in front of the tube meant they were missing out on getting emotional needs met. The attentive, funny, caring messages of Sesame Street filled a gap that might never have been met otherwise.

Among all the program’s accomplishments, the road to Sesame Street has led directly to the White House. And now to children in the MidEast. 

Everything’s A-OK with Sesame Street. What an achievement for Joan Ganz Cooney and all her collaborators. Congratulations, and keep going. The kids will come around again.

Do you know the handicapping system was conceived by a woman? Discovered this when I was hired (by a man) to write a book about golf. About business and golf: fiction, of course. This required endless research on one of the subjects I knew nothing about. Before this, golf courses were just fancy graveyards to me, spas for the deceased.

In the process, I uncovered the secret that makes people so worshipful of the sport. And yes, it involves a certain brain capacity that comes naturally to women. I would tell you all about it, but the book hasn’t been published yet. The sport is wildly sexist; many women still play to the forward tees. Better to not get completely run off-course.

Now Levi does it with protection. "And look, Ma, I’m smokin bills."

(Whoopsie. Edit.)

Linguistics Expert? I miss Safire godawfully, but this is clearly a job for a female.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTPlguKEK2s&

http://tinyurl.com/ygl

It was their second real date.

Melvin had a pocket-full of Orange Sunshine, a waterbed and two front-row tickets to see Pink Floyd.

Misty had a new polyester snap-crotch teddy, a job at the bookstore - and Roe v Wade.

Nothing short of fascinating is the recent NYTimes piece about bringing Sesame Street to Palestine. Wondering if you are still involved with these workshop projects, or in the loop about their goals and challenges? Would love to hear your thoughts on warming up children’s lives  - and their surrounding ideology - with hairy Muppets.

Article snippets: NYT Source:  http://tinyurl.com/yc9cj56

The most contentious segments were the ones in which the Israeli and Palestinian The most contentious segments were the ones in which the Israeli and Palestinian Muppets interacted. Each set of Muppets lived on their own set — so where would they meet? An American adviser from Sesame Workshop proposed the Muppets meet at a neutral third location on the border of their sets, perhaps a park, but the Palestinians weren’t comfortable with that idea — they wanted to know who owned the park.

WHEN I ASKED Sayegh exactly how producing a fledgling puppet show was more effective than working for the prime minister, she told me about Muppet “walkarounds.” Every few months, “Simsim” brings human-size versions of the Palestinian Muppets to schools to publicize the show and to promote early-childhood education. “I sit and I look back at the eyes of the kids,” Sayegh told me. “They suffer a lot, and during the show I can see how happy they get. I would like to do these shows twice a day, every day, in every village in Palestine.” 

About that public option…this summer, I met a guy who designed an approach to sustainable healthcare reform, based on "front loading" with use of revenue bonds  - just like other utilities. This could affordably expand and assure access, save costs, prevent system fragmentation and minimize inflation with no downside risk. No deficit. A bona-fide public option.

He’s presented this strategy (HIRB™) to politicos and industry wonks, mostly meeting with astonishment at how practical and possible this approach could be, although it would (cough) require repurposing and reconstructing the entire financial system. He’s IN DC this week - we’ll see what happens. 

Are our representatives sincere about reform? Let’s be realistic about how beholden they are to the insurance and phama industries, by design. If President Obama shares this dilemma, we’ve got to stand firm and press him for true reform.

It seems hoards of under or un-employed citizens are getting plenty of time to tinker and dream up all kinds of concepts for healthcare, energy use, pollution reduction and other pressing challenges we face. Consider that in FDR’s day, the average guy or gal didn’t have access to computer technologies, global research tools and sophisticated CAD modeling systems. Starbucks is but a holding tank for American ingenuity.

We got gung, so where’s the ho? We’re due for a National Innovation Council for receiving, vetting, testing, funding and implementation of fresh solutions. The future is right here in our laps. If we can only pry all those greed-stained fingers out of our sad, old, tattered pockets.

"Sex is a part of nature. I go along with nature."

— Marilyn Monroe

Last night, I watched Notorious - Claude Rains play third wheel to Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. His ‘foolish’ ardor provides the perfect zing to heighten and illustrate their lust. 

Today, I watched Bergman’s offspring Isabella impersonate a limpet. Thereby employing her acting skills to illustrate how these creatures survive as ‘sequential hermaphrodites.’

http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno/

Mother Nature has quite the imagination. And clearly, the beat goes on.

Perhaps, to paraphrase Bergman’s character in Notorious, "The important sexing hasn’t started yet!"

So Fox News called.

Seeking yippy weanie-dog.

Must be willing to: sit, beg, roll over, jump through a flaming hoop, make a big stink, never bite the hand that feeds him ~ and pass himself off as a bad-ass American patriot.

I wish I could give you a good reason for being born in these times. God knows, you deserve better.

I see you hunkered over a battered table with Da Vinci breathing down your neck, as you gleefully pour out a pile of fresh coins delivered to your door by the ever-grateful Medicis. Or floating over Paris in a balloon gondola, dictating words of other-worldly wisdom as Madame Blavatsky laughs and scribbles furiously in her notebook. Or lounging, diaphanous, on a pale-blue triclinium, plotting with Cleopatra as grape-feeders clamor to press their precious morsels to your lips.

So, why now? You may wonder, even as as you sit stranded in filthy, hot traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard, with NPR bleating on about The Fall of Civilization. Then, of course, an old pink Pontiac overheats in front of you. Now, there’s nothing to do but wait. Your eye drifts down to a bumper sticker on the rear fender that says: “Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself.”

Happy Birthday Lily - and congratulations on making these times your own. With you around, I’d rather be living in the here and now.