Cross-posted at MotherTalkers.

Today I was accused of wanting to bear John Edwards' children, much to my astonishment. I'm not much in the mood to bear anybody's children these days, as I wrangle my busy toddler and simultaneously try to complete a coherent thought about the state of politics in the U.S. But the accusation that I loved John Edwards (PeeWee Herman style "Why don't you marry him?! Huh Huh!", along with today's NYT Op-Ed, made me remember a claim I made years ago. I love Jared Diamond, not to the point of bearing his children, but enough to read his books and opinions with groupie-like reverence. That guy is smart, and I don't know if I'm worthy enough to even drink a beer with him, never mind getting relaxed enough for sex.

Crossposted at MotherTalkers
There are some interesting, short video clips up on Al Gore's Current.com site. Go check them out and vote on your favorite. In his own words (mass e-mail), Gore says:

The Alliance for Climate Protection challenged people from around the world to make provocative ecospots -- short video messages that inspire people to get involved in solving the climate crisis. Hundreds upon hundreds of ecospots were submitted. George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, Orlando Bloom, Rihanna and the rest of the judges picked the semifinalists based on which were the most inspiring and relevant to climate change.

Now you get to tell us which of the semifinalists' entries inspired you the most by picking the winners of the �:60 Seconds to Save the Earth� Ecospot Contest.

(cross posted at BuyBlue.org)
I just finished Barbara Ehrenreich's new book, Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream. It was miserable but very interesting, mostly because it describes a business culture that is completely foreign to me, where,

the atheistic philosophy of individual will and the distorted Christianity [Ehrenriech] encountered both offer the fantasy of omnipotence. And if you can achieve anything through your own mental efforts-just by praying or concentrating hard enough- there is no need to confront the social and economic forces shaping your life.

Basically, any failure you encounter is your own fault, so work harder and change that attitude.