SavvySugar

What White People Fear

stephley — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 08:02:22 -0700

By Robert Jensen, YES! Magazine
Posted on March 19, 2010, Printed on March 21, 2010
http://www.alternet.org/story/146040/

In the struggle for racial justice, it’s time to pay more attention to the fears of white people.

In a white-dominated world, that may seem counterintuitive. In the racial arena, what do we white people have to be afraid of?

There are lots of things to fear in this world, of course; race is not the only aspect of life in which people face injustice and inequality. A majority of people of all colors (including working-class and poor whites) struggles economically in a predatory corporate capitalist system, and all women, regardless of race, cope with gender discrimination and the threat of sexual violence in a male-dominated world.

But what fears could white people have as white people?

Understanding the fears behind the racial politics of both conservative and liberal whites can help guide strategy for changing a society in which wealth and well-being are still tied to race. And make no mistake, there is still a racialized gap between white and non-white America on measures of wealth and well-being-income, home ownership, graduation rates, access to health care, infant mortality, etc. In fact, the gap between white and black America on some of these measures is greater today than in the immediate aftermath of the major legislative achievements of the civil rights movement, and on some measures the rate of improvement is so glacial that it will be decades, if not centuries, before we reach equality. The legislative achievements that ended legal apartheid in America were a great victory, but the economic apartheid that remains is a reminder of our failures.

Put bluntly: The United States abolished a formal apartheid system but remains a white-supremacist society. After more than a decade of writing and speaking about these issues, which has sparked lots of feedback from all political angles, here’s what I have concluded about white folks and our fears.

Aren’t We Special?
For conservative white people, the dominant fear is of someday living without the privilege that comes with whiteness. Polite conservatives defend the primacy of “Western civilization.” More reactionary whites are openly racist about the threat that non-white peoples pose to “our way of life.” Both versions defend the existing distribution of wealth and power, even though many of the working-class and poor whites who endorse such views have access to precious little wealth or power. Race is used by white elites today, just as it was in the nation’s formative years, to drive a wedge between people who would otherwise come together to challenge those elites. Divide-and-conquer strategies, it seems, never go out of style.

Liberals are quick to denounce both the thinly veiled and the openly reactionary conservative racism. But what of the fears of liberals? White liberals might reject the very idea that they are afraid, citing their support for diversity and multiculturalism. But my experience suggests that while white liberals reject assertions of white supremacy, many fear the loss of white centrality. They are willing to renounce the idea that white people are superior, as long as they are allowed to live comfortably in a world where white is the norm.

In short, both the conservative and liberal positions are based on the same underlying assertion: “I’m white, and I’m special.” Conservatives are more likely to say it openly, while liberals tend to offer platitudes about racial justice while avoiding the risks required to make good on anti-racist principles.

What remains obscured is the distinctly uncivilized nature that Europeans and European Americans exhibited during their barbarous conquest of much of the world. The inherently fragile sense of white self-importance that emerges from that history is at the core of white fears-at some level, we all know that the truth of the depravity of white supremacy belies claims of white superiority.

In the institutions that adopt the liberal view, diversity is just fine (as long as whites remain in control) and multiculturalism can flourish (as long as white norms remain dominant). Institutions defined by the values and practices rooted in white Europe can open up to non-white people, as long as we white people remain comfortable. In such a white-defined liberal world, “people of color”-abstracted into a single group, erasing the particularity of people-are welcome, even sought after, to prove that we have transcended white supremacy.

Getting Uncomfortable
This analysis of the dynamics of mixed-race settings is hardly original. Non-white people have long recognized that white liberals are happy to engage with folks who aren’t white as long as their white-centric worldview isn’t threatened, and that white groups are happy to have non-white members as long as the power dynamics don’t change.

I observe all this not from some arrogant high ground, but as someone stuck in the same dynamic, struggling to get out. I know that for all my writing and political work on racial justice, I still feel most comfortable in settings where my understanding of the world defines the interaction, no matter the racial composition of the group. Rather than pretend otherwise, I start with that reality and search for ways to move forward.

I have a choice: I can rest comfortably in the privileges that come with being white, or I can struggle to be fully human.
A first step for me has been to question the value of the seemingly endless “race dialogues” that are popular in white liberal groups. In the pseudo-therapeutic setting of such dialogues, with more talk about personal healing than about political change, white people are guaranteed that we won’t be forced out of a white-defined world. White-dominated institutions-corporations, nonprofits, universities, government agencies-are happy to sponsor such dialogues, diversity trainings, and multicultural events, precisely because they don’t threaten the fundamental distribution of wealth and power.

I have been involved in many of those events myself, as a facilitator or a participant, and I have learned from them (typically as much from my failures as successes). The most important lesson I take away is that race dialogues are not enough. As long as we stay confined in a safe world that doesn’t challenge power, we guarantee failure-if our goal really is to change the distribution of that power.

There’s no easy recipe for this kind of challenge, but we move in the right direction when we seek out places where we don’t feel comfortable, looking for relationships in which we can help change the dynamic. For me, that means putting myself in situations where I have to face my fear of being seen-or, more accurately, being seen-through-by non-white people. What if I step into those uncomfortable spaces and non-white people see the ways in which I hang onto some sense of my own supremacy/centrality? What if they see the ways in which I haven’t shaken off my racist cultural training?

A desire to confront that fear has led me, over the past year, to organizing efforts with the Workers Defense Project. It’s a local group that advocates for workplace justice for immigrant workers, addressing problems such as wage theft within a larger social justice framework.

This project has forced me to cross lines around race and ethnicity, class, language, and age. The members and staff are predominantly Latina/Latino and working class. They speak Spanish and/or English, while I’m monolingual in English, and the leaders of the group include a number of people who are at least two decades younger than me.

The collaboration between WDP and the Third Coast Activist Resource Center (a predominantly white group to which I belong) to buy and renovate a building for a progressive community center has gone forward with explicit conversations about all these differences and how they affect decision-making. The trust necessary to move forward has been built slowly over time, and I’m aware that the WDP staff and members are watching for signs that we are serious about establishing a truly egalitarian relationship.

As tricky as this Latina/Latino-white collaboration can be, we also recognize that a successful community center with progressive politics cannot leave out African Americans, the third largest racial group in Austin. That means not just casting around for some black people to add to the mix, but engaging in serious discussions with people from that part of the community to find out what kinds of collaborations are needed and possible. Austin is a white-dominated city, but that’s no guarantee that black and Latina/Latino groups will automatically come together; such alliances have to be built as carefully as any other. For us white folks in the mix, our contribution is to use the resources we have to aid in that process-not trying to control it, but also not pretending to be detached.

While there is a lot of dialogue necessary in this work, the dialogue is focused on a common goal: to provide office space for organizers, rehearsal space for artists, meeting space for the community, and a place for people to get to know each other. That common goal doesn’t mean we will naturally, or easily, put aside differences, but it means we all have a tangible stake in our collective success.

My interest in this project flows from moral and political principles-a belief in the dignity of all and the struggle to eliminate hierarchy in all forms. But I would be naïve or dishonest if I pretended that was my only, or even my most powerful, motive. In the end, I have committed to this project out of selfishness-I would like to claim my full humanity before I check out of this world. To do that, I have to move beyond the framework of conservative versus liberal and adopt a truly radical politics.

I have a choice: I can be white-that is, I can refuse to challenge white supremacy or centrality-or I can be a human being. I can rest comfortably in the privileges that come with being white, or I can struggle to be fully human. But I can’t do both. Though the work is difficult, the choice for those of us who are white should be easy.

Protect Your Peepers When on the Run

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 07:30:00 -0700

After a Winter of being cooped up indoors, daylight saving has arrived, the weather is warming up, and I can't wait to get outside for regular runs in the sunshine! But besides being dangerous for your skin, increased time in the sun can be bad for your eyes, too - UV exposure can lead to cataracts and glaucoma. I wear sunglasses while I'm walking to work or outdoors on the weekends, but I completely space when it comes to wearing them on a run. To tell the truth, I dislike wearing them when I'm out on a run - plus, a good pair can cost just as much as a good pair of running shoes! Besides, I wear contact lenses that advertise UV-A and UV-B protection, so I'm set, right?

Wrong. After a recent trip to the eye doctor, I found out my contacts aren't enough protection because they only protect the part of the eye they cover, leaving the rest exposed to the harmful rays. A closer look at my lenses' packaging revealed this:

"UV-absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV-absorbing eyewear such as UV-absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area."

I wear a hat when I run on super-bright days, but since sun still gets in my eyes, I figure it's not providing me with 100 percent protection. Aside from running in the dark (which isn't the safest option), it looks like I'm resigned to learning to deal with sunglasses. And if you have a suggestion for a great pair to try, let me know!

Motivation

Leilanic1 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:24:44 -0800

Aside from the military motto of 'Pain is weakness leaving your body', I like this one which is part of a poem by William Ernest Henley....
'...I am master of my fate
I am captain of my soul'
My girlfriend sent me a necklace with this on it and when I wear it, I feel the strength of those words. She sent it to remind me to remember that I have control of my life not others. I see it as meaning that but also the strength behind the words push me to strive and work harder at my goals. I ran 4 miles nonstop on Monday...today its 5....I can do anything for an hour...OH! thats another thing i do to motivate...If I am on the treadmill and I've committed to running for say 45 minutes, there are certain points during the workout that hurt. I just look at the clock and say I have ten minutes left, i tell myself...Its only ten minutes. You can do anything for only ten minutes. Keep going.

Dita Von Teese EXCLUSIVE: Ok.co.uk gets up close and personal with the burlesque goddess

kty — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:13:05 -0800

DITA Von Teese is a busy lady.

When the famous burlesque dancer isn't performing at the Crazy Horse or dancing in a martini glass she is coming up with new routines and keeping her to-die-for figure in shape.
Ok.co.uk snatched a precious moment with the curvy beauty to find out what she's been up to recently, how she keeps fit and what she likes to wear in bed...

Hi Dita, how are you and what have you been up to recently?

I've been great! I've been spending a lot of time at my Paris apartment, taking French lessons and learning to live as a Parisienne! But now I am getting set to go back to Los Angeles to prepare for my shows at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas at The Crazy Horse Paris there.

What are your naughty wardrobe must-haves?

Great fitting lingerie. I always buy sexy bras of good quality that fit me well and give a good shape, and I always buy the string and the bikini that match. I am also obsessed with the perfect vintage fully-fashioned back-seamed stockings, so much so that I have my own brand which are made precisely as they were in the 1940s.

You obviously have an incredible (and world famous!) figure, how do you stay in shape?

I mostly do pilates on a reformer, but I also do yoga and take ballet classes. For me, variety is the key to a successful workout regime. When I get bored, I don't want to go.

What are you most comfortable wearing?

Something uncomfortable!! Ha!

Do you ever take a day off and just throw on some jeans/jogging bottoms?

Kidding aside, yes, of course I have days "off", and I do like to be physically comfortable. I don't know why everyone thinks jeans are so easy and comfy... I can get dressed more quickly and comfortably- not to mention chicly - in a pretty 50's era cotton day dress with a single zip up the back!With jeans you have to squeeze into them, button, zip, etc then you have to find a shirt to wear with it, and finally some silly socks and trainers! I grab one of my vintage dresses, one quick zip up the back, and I slip on a pair of ballet flats or easy heels, and voila, I look nice and I got dressed quickly and easily and I'm off! I hate that "I don't want anyone to think I care but look at me in my carefully-planned disheveled look" thing! I don't actually spend hours getting ready on a day-to-day basis, and I'm certainly not about spending a fortune on or making the effort with something as unappealing to me as jeans. I look silly in jeans.

What do you wear to bed?

Either a little lace slip or nothing at all. I love being nude in very fine sheets. I keep a dressing gown next to the bed and that's what I slip in and out of to wear around the house.

Who is your style inspiration at the moment (that is current)?

My modern influences are designers like John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier, and I reference things from books I have and old films I see. I definitely see other celebrities who look lovely, but my inspirations go beyond "lovely" and into eccentric, over-the-top territory!

Which staple item of clothing should every girl have in their wardrobe?

The perfect black dress that shows a bit of cleavage, but not too much of anything else. There should be one focal point. If you find the perfect dress, you can wear it over and over in different ways, with a great statement brooch, or a pair of shoes and handbag in a vibrant color, with gloves or a hat. I have a few of these perfect black dresses that I wear over and over, but no one notices it's the same dress because I wear it with different accessories.

How can girls with a tight budget achieve the ‘Dita’ look?

It's actually fairly easy because the fact is, my look is derived from not having money to buy expensive clothes. That is the reason I began collecting vintage clothes! I could see parallels between my favorite designers and vintage styles, so I would shop for vintage. Nowadays I see so many modern made clothes of all price points, I think it's become quite easy to look chic on a budget. My number one rule these days is to buy timeless, good quality pieces that I can wear year after year rather than trying to buy lots and lots of clothes. I would suggest to save up for the day you see that perfect dress that you might have considered to be too expensive. I find that it's actually more economical than snatching up piles of clothes. Whenever I do that, I end up with a bunch of things I never wear.

What’s it like being in your giant martini glass for The Bath? It looks uncomfortable!

Nothing worth doing is easy, and nothing that looks effortless actually is. I'm really only in there for about 3 minutes, and onstage, I never feel any kind of pain or discomfort anyway! I've come offstage with scrapes and cuts, but never feel it until later on.

Every girl likes to feel sexy and confidence is obviously the key, but do you have any mantras or routines that help you to feel sexy even when you’re having an ‘off’ day?

Well, like any woman, I do have off days, and I guess I just do my best to get through it and try to do something that makes me feel better, like exercising or making more of an effort with my appearance, like wearing a favourite dress. And sometimes there's nothing to do but go to bed and count on tomorrow being another day!

You’ve said the reason your style evolved was because you didn’t feel comfortable or suit the ‘normal’ look, what are your tips for girls who want to look different?

The most important thing to remember is that there can be no real definition of beauty... that old saying that beauty is "in the eye of the beholder" is the truth. Being true to yourself and using what you've got it the best way, I'm really just a girl who is enhancing what she's got, and that's it! I think there is something to be said for the women of the world that achieved glamour rather than being born a natural beauty, look at women like Marene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth etc all these women that once looked very average but managed to undergo a reinvention to become the icons we still remember today. There is no real reason that anyone can't do that with enough ambition, even if it's not for the silver screen, but for yourself, in your own movie - the one called your life!

What would you say are rules for a first date or dating rules in general?

I don't really have rules for first dates, because you never know but I do try to reveal myself to a degree, for instance I never try to dress down to make my date think I'm "normal" or anything like that! I like to make a good impression, but I don't want to make a man think I'm something I'm not. I think he ought to know right away that I like to wear this much eyeliner and this much lipstick! I think when I was younger I thought about what others thought of me from time to time, but that's out the window now. Being different and taking the road less travelled is what made me successful.

You always look incredible on stage, but do you still get nervous before a routine?

Of course I do! There's a lot to think about, and nervous energy is part of what makes a good show. When I feel too much at ease, the show usually doesn't go the way I want it to. I never relax into it. I control my nerves very well, I just do what I need to do to be in the right frame of mind, I have a few little rules to help keep it that way, mostly related to being alone to think and prepare. The cardinal rule is to not let anyone interrupt my backstage alone time.

What would you say is the difference between stripping and burlesque?

The term "Burlesque" as we know it today comes from a type of risque variety show in America that one would go to see in the 1930's and 40's, and performing striptease - stripping - is the word to describe what the burlesque performers did onstage. It's not just my opinion, it's a fact. Nowadays we use the word "burlesque" to describe this retro-styled striptease that is seeing a big revival. Without the strip, it's not burlesque, that's for certain, and the greatest burlesque star that ever lived, Gypsy Rose Lee, called herself a stripper. 'Stripper' is not a bad word, and you aren't going to hear me tell you that there is a difference between burlesque and stripping, because I think that's awfully pretentious to go on and on about how burlesque isn't really stripping - it is! Burlesque-style striptease is where the modern pole dancing type strip originated from, and essentially, we're all related. Initially, I worked in strip clubs, as did most of us that were at the forefront of the burlesque revival in the early 1990s, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I believe that those years spent on strip club stages is part of what makes me good at what I do.

What was it like performing at Crazy Horse?

I have a very high regard and respect for The Crazy Horse, it's a historic place. When I was a teenager, I saw one little picture in Playboy of these beautiful nearly nude 'toy soldiers' lined up, and I was desperate to find out more about this mysterious place. There was no internet yet, and I couldn't find out anything about it. I didn't even have the name of it, just this image that was in my head for all those years. So years later, when I was finally in paris when I was in my early 20s, I kept asking people about these naked 'toy soldiers', and I finally saw the show, and I was amazed. I went to the show every night I was in Paris, and for the next decade I would go see the show every chance I got. I also befriended a Crazy Horse historian and so I would get to see all the archives and meet former dancers. A few years ago I did a photo shoot there, which is something they never allowed, in order to preserve the mystery of the place. Little by little, I became more involved, and I became the first guest star in the history of The Crazy, so that was exciting. Everyone who was anyone went there, since 1951, and for me, just to be in that theatre to see the same stage that all these stars went, from Marlene Dietrich, Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, John F Kennedy, Gypsy Rose Lee, Salvador Dali, the guest list is impressive, and well, I just think it's incredible to think that there was once a time when a show like this was revered like that. It's the art of nude, the glorification of the female form, absolute perfection. There is no show like it on earth, and the history and mystery of this place is amazing. I'm a big fan, and part of my driving force in performing there was to bring attention to this amazing show, and of course I liked the challenge in creating acts for it that are both true to their history and ideals, and at the same time true to mine, which is based in American style classic burlesque, which is what originally inspired the founder to create the Crazy Horse in Paris.

How do you come up with your routines?

Ah well, coming up with the ideas isn't the problem, it's following through that is. I have lots of ideas for shows but then I have to really take some time to think about whether I want to invest the money and time into the idea. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to build one new act, and I am my own financier! Sometimes it can become frustrating because I do build all these big new elaborate shows and I will still get asked to do one of my oldest, simplest shows, like the Martini glass! And when I come up with these opulent new acts, they don't fit on some stages, or it's too expensive to ship...so there are lots of factors that come into play when making a new act.

* Crazy Horse Paris with Dita Von Teese available on DVD nowInterview by Nikki Barr.

Romney Makes 'No Apology' For Going After Obama

Roarman — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:36:48 -0800

Mitt Romney has been a governor, the head of an investment capital firm and the man who ran the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. More recently he applied for an even bigger job but finished out of the money in the Republican presidential primaries of 2008.

Romney seems set on another run in 2012, the latest sign being the release of his new book. No Apology: The Case for American Greatness comes with a big promotional tour starting Tuesday.

Romney's presidential run came to an end in February 2008 before members of the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, in Washington. Romney had bounced back a bit after crucial early losses in Iowa and New Hampshire the month before. But he could see he was done.

"I entered this race because I love America," Romney told the crowd then. "Because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside for our party and for our country."

It was a difficult day for a man accustomed to success but Romney wasn't ready to regard the setback as permanent. He spent two years helping raise money for Republican candidates across the country. He's making friends and collecting favors and last month he was back at CPAC - this time having more fun.

Romney told the crowd he was just back from the Olympics: "You probably didn't hear the news this morning - late-breaking - that the gold medal that was won by Lindsey Vonn has been stripped. It was determined that President Obama has been going downhill faster than she has."

The joke was followed by a by a broad critique of the administration: "When he assumed the presidency, his energy should have been focused on fixing the economy, creating jobs, succeeding in our fight against radical violent jihad in Afghanistan and Iraq; and keeping us safe," Romney asserted.

"Instead, he applied his time and political capital to his ill-conceived take over of health care, and to building his personal popularity in foreign countries. He failed to focus, and so he failed."

In his book, the title No Apology echoes a common critique of the president by Republicans - that Obama has been too willing to apologize around the world for American actions.

Elsewhere in the book Romney lays out a vision for U.S. economic and foreign policy. It argues that the current path is one toward weakness and decline.

As for the book tour, Romney will be all over network and cable TV Tuesday - ending with a stop at the Late Show David Letterman. So far the travel schedule includes 42 stops in 19 states.

"You look where he's going on this book tour and he has surrounded himself with the same guys he had in 2008," says Erick Erickson, who publishes the popular Republican blog RedState.com. "He's definitely in for President."

Romney's 08 campaign had trouble with conservatives, particularly evangelicals who had doubts about his Mormonism and about his switch from pro-choice Massachusetts governor to pro-life presidential candidate.

Some analysts wondered why he didn't simply run on his resume as a highly successful business man and executive. With polls showing the struggling economy and weak jobs picture to be the dominant issue for Americans, Erickson says Romney has an opportunity while on this book tour.

"He needs to set himself up as the fixer," Erickson adds. "As the guy who knows what's wrong with the economy and can fix it."

But a big book tour also risks comparison to others on the same well-trodden path - including one whose book came out in November: Sarah Palin.

Kevin Madden, a GOP strategist who worked for Romney in 08, is quick to head off comparisons to Palin's massive crowds. "This is not about building crowds, instead it's about going out and meeting people sharing his ideas and his vision for the country with as many people as possible. Rather than being an event, it's a process of engaging on many of these ideas and issues."

The Republican party is searching for a new standard bearer, as polls show it is on track to make big gains in this year's mid-term elections.

Mitt Romney wants to make sure his name is more than just part of that discussion.

Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124227822

Frugal Tip Monday-10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You

FashionWithoutGuilt — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:24:41 -0800

Money, without it we are not able to enjoy the necessities in life, let alone the luxuries. Loving shopping and fashion as much as I do, I always have a passion for finance and building wealth. By building true wealth you have to be a conscious spender, according to Ramit Sethi of Iwillteachyoutoberich. Aside from being a frugal/savvy shopper, I am concerned about building my wealth for years to come. You hear all these fancy terms and ways you should spend but sometimes I love hearing the real-life scenarios that separate the Poor from the Wealthy. I came across this great article, "10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You" and immediately a eagerness to see what the story was about. These are some very great points to adapt to your everyday life.
10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You
“You may think I’m rich, but I don’t.” Real millionaires understand that 1 or 2 million will not take them through the next 30 years.
“I shop at Wal-Mart . . .” Most millionaires how they got there was by buying smart and saving money by clipping coupons. Not shopping at what I like to call "Boutique Supermarkets".
“. . . but I didn’t get rich by skimping on lattes.” Most millionaires,by statistics made their millionaires by being a entrepreneur, not skipping the Starbucks line.
“I have a concierge for everything.” Let's worry about a concierge when you make you millions, average folks can't afford that.
“You don’t get rich by being nice.” I agree with this 100%. Being nice will never get you to the top. You will have to say "no" and mean it. Walk away from things that are not profitable but at the end of the day always keep your integrity. Never burn any bridges but try to get to the top is a lonely road and lots of enemies will come.
“Taxes are for little people.” Plainly put millionaires under taxes and file under capital vs. middle class because middle class is taxed 15% more than capital gain.
“I was a B student.” Clearly states that the straight "A" student is mostly likely not going to be your boss nor business owner, so that means there is hope for me. YYYIIIPPPEEE!!!
“Like my Ferrari? It’s a rental.” They do not spend money on things that are not of true value. Why buy when you can rent?.
“Turns out money can buy happiness.” Research shows that wealth does bring happiness. Roughly 65% of millionaires say that money “created” more happiness for them.
“You worry about the Joneses - I worry about keeping up with the Trumps.” What more can I say to that.
So let me know what you think? Do you Agree or DisAgree? Let me know your thoughts?
Photo Source: Changeyouractions

Obama tells NY Governor to Step aside

samantha999 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:57:39 -0700

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/09/19/2009-09-19_obama_administrati...

Obama administration asks Gov. Paterson not to seek reelection in 2010

BY ELIZABETH BENJAMIN AND KENNETH LOVETT
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU

Sunday, September 20th 2009, 12:39 AM

ALBANY - In a stunning request, the Obama administration has made it clear to poll-challenged Gov. Paterson that the White House would prefer he not seek election to a full four-year term next year.

The Obama administration sent the message through White House political affairs director Patrick Gaspard, who met with the governor at his campaign headquarters for nearly two hours last Monday, according to a source with knowledge of the conversation.

"They expressed concern about his chances about being reelected and the likelihood his presence in the race made it more likely that Rudy Giuliani would enter the contest," the source said. "The preference is that he not run. That message was conveyed directly."

The bombshell meeting between Paterson and Gaspard occurred the same day President Obama was in New York City to deliver a Wall Streetaddress - a speech Paterson was not invited to, according to several sources.

The White House's preference he not run was reiterated to Paterson during a Friday evening dinner with Rep. Greg Meeks, a Queens Democrat.

Paterson, according to the first source, raised his Monday conversation with Gaspard during the dinner, which also included a couple of state senators.

Meeks, the source said, told Paterson that he had spoken in Washington, D.C., with Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who he said doesn't think a Paterson run is "tenable."

The message to Paterson not only represents the White House trying to heavily influence a top state race, but also is a case of the first black president pressuring New York's first black governor to step aside.

Fife, a veteran New York political operative, was a volunteer New York adviser for the Obama campaign and was an Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Paterson has irked the White House several times.

The governor, despite the historic nature of the campaign, initially endorsed homestateSen. Hillary Clinton for president over Obama.

Earlier this year, while it was clear Obama preferred that Paterson select Caroline Kennedy to replace Clinton in the Senate, Paterson picked little-known upstate Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand.

His aides then trashed Kennedy publicly after she withdrew her name for consideration.

More recently, Paterson went on a rant that racial bias was behind his negative coverage and claimed that Obama was the next target, a charge refuted by Obama's press secretary.

Paterson took office in March 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal. While his poll numbers were high at first, they began plummeting over his handling of the budget, which dramatically raised spending and taxes and fees, and his handling of the U.S. Senate appointment.

As Paterson has failed to resurrect his dismal poll numbers - 70% of New Yorkers, including 65% of Democrats said in a Marist poll last week that they don't want him to run next year - momentum has been building for him to step aside.

Democratic lawmakers and labor union leaders have openly challenged and mocked him, with many saying they fear his weak standing could hurt other Democrats' chances at the polls next year.

All the while, Cuomo has gone about his business while noticeably refusing to rule out a run next year.

With Glenn Blain

Website of the Day: MapEnvelope

GeekSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:47:44 -0800

If you're into sending a bit of snail mail every once in awhile, then check out MapEnvelope and toss those boring plain white envelopes aside. MapEnvelope allows you to print out a custom DIY envelope that's adorned on the inside with a map of your location (or anywhere Google Maps can go), along with a message to your recipient. Just cut it out, glue, and you're ready to stuff with a letter to your far off love. Me? I wish you were here.

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Johnny Depp's Kids Give Alice a Thumbs-Up

kty — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:16:28 -0800

By Simon Perry

Alice in Wonderland hasn't been released yet – but Johnny Depp is already getting glowing reviews from the critics that matter. "My kids actually saw the film because I send them out there in the frontlines," the actor told reporters Thursday at a press conference at London's Dorchester Hotel. "They saw it – and they loved it." In the fantasy film, which arrives in theaters March 5, Depp sports a bright orange wig, top hat and a kilt in character as the Mad Hatter. "I like wearing skirts, too," he said of the garb. But outlandish costumes and antics aside, the actor's kids, Lily-Rose, 10, and Jack, 7, weren't fazed by the freaky spectacle. "They absolutely adored it, " Depp, 46, said. "They loved every character. They weren't freaked out by it whatsoever." But what about even younger children? "Our 2-year-old is up for anything," Helena Bonham Carter, who's married to Alice's director Tim Burton and plays the Red Queen in the film, told reporters. She and daughter Nell were watching Burton give interviews on morning television that day, but Carter said, "[Nell] wasn't really interested in seeing daddy. She wanted to see the monsters again." The jury's still out about how the couple's 6-year-old son, Billy, will react, though. 6 and he's sensitive. [But] he saw it being made so he knows it's pretend."
RELATED: Fans Get All Access to Alice in Wonderland
Kids of a slightly older age were on Depp's mind when asked about his enduring role as a teen idol around the world. "Clearly someone's Photoshop is working really well if people are buying posters of me," PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive said. "I just keep doing a bunch of movies," he continued. "I never really thought about whether they were teen movies or not. You always feel that you cross some sort of boundary that allows a film to be enjoyed by [kids] from the age of 5 to the age of 85. You want to be Bugs Bunny." "Billy's going to see it tonight," she said. "It could be a disaster because he's

All Seriousness Aside

Grandpa — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:06:17 -0800

All Seriousness Aside
By Paul Chesser on 1.30.09 @ 6:07AM

It is like the Peanuts gang laughing in derision after yet another Charlie Brown gaffe. It is like the doubling-over at the double-stumble (video) during fashion week in Paris.

The cackles and guffaws now come routinely. Global warming alarmists, led by inconvenienced (because of cooling weather) Al Gore, are seeing their prophecies of doom dissolve. Now that big ice grows, big winter is bad (like last year), cold temperatures hit record levels, and global mean surface temperature has not continued upward -- despite continued increases in that demonized "greenhouse" gas, carbon dioxide -- the panic peddlers look like flailing jesters.

Look at the recent responses to the self-caricature, Gore. The late nighters already found global warming (targeting both sides) to be fodder for yuks. But after the former vice president gave a repeat command performance before Congress this week, the scorn against alarmists is stronger than ever. The acerbic Dennis Miller, who said Gore probably is otherwise a good guy, called him a "doofus" because of his global warming beliefs. And during Gore's Wednesday testimony one of those independent, go-astray-to-not-get-along Western congressmen dribbled sarcasm during his questioning:

Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) begged (Gore) to look further into the future. "What does your modeling tell you about how long we're going to be around as a species?" he inquired.

(Gore) chuckled. "I don't claim the expertise to answer a question like that, Senator."

While the rest of us flick dandruff over why the timeframe of human extinction falls outside Gore's Magic 8-Ball, even those in the mainstream media who once bowed before him now write in mockery:

The lawmakers gazed in awe at the figure before them. The Goracle had seen the future, and he had come to tell them about it.

What the Goracle saw in the future was not good: temperature changes that "would bring a screeching halt to human civilization and threaten the fabric of life everywhere on the Earth -- and this is within this century, if we don't change."

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry (D-Mass.), appealed to hear more of the Goracle's premonitions. "Share with us, if you would, sort of the immediate vision that you see in this transformative process as we move to this new economy," he beseeched.

"Geothermal energy," the Goracle prophesied. "This has great potential; it is not very far off."

Those, skeptics and alarmists, were the observations of the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, about whom the Powerline blog's Scott Johnson observed, "Milbank himself is generally a reliable indicator of mainstream liberal opinion. Is anthropogenic global warming not the crisis it's cracked up to be?"

Actually it's the proponents who are cracking up as their theories crumble and the opposition strengthens. One alarmist blogger -- an Al Gore camp counselor -- devolved into a snit over the proliferation of skepticism produced by Internet search results.

Causing them greater concern is the parade of their former rally monkeys marching into the skeptics' camp. As word of the scientific skeptical mass mounts, the public appears to follow. A Rasmussen poll conducted earlier this month found that more people believe global warming is due to planetary trends instead of human activity. And a Pew Research poll determined that global warming gave respondents the chills, ranking it dead cold last (20th of 20) among policy priorities for 2009.

Juxtaposed against Gore's remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it's easy to see why Milbank takes him less seriously than he used to. Here's Al:

• "We have arrived at a moment of decision. Our home -- Earth -- is in grave danger. What is at risk of being destroyed is not the planet itself, of course, but the conditions that have made it hospitable for human beings."

• "This is the one challenge that could completely end human civilization, and it is rushing at us with such speed and force."

• "If something has never happened before, we tend to think, 'Well, that's not going to happen.' The problem is, the exceptions can kill you, and this is one of them."

It's not limited to Gore. Even scientists recognize they have a credibility and perception problem, yet they still can't harness their own panicky rhetoric:

"I think you have to think about (greenhouse gases) as more like nuclear waste than acid rain: The more we add, the worse off we'll be," said NOAA senior scientist Susan Solomon. "The more time that we take to make decisions about carbon dioxide, the more irreversible climate change we'll be locked into."

The faltering reputation of the alarmists, so dependent on the climate change industry bubble they've inflated, now drives environmental reporters to find quotes that attempt to shore up credibility:

Miss Solomon's report "is quite important, not alarmist, and very important for the current debates on climate policy," said Jonathan Overpeck, a climate researcher at the University of Arizona.

Since when does the mainstream media need quotes of validation to support their fellow environmental activists? You would never have seen this, even six months ago. The alarmists are desperate.