Zadie Smith on voice

Zadie Smith has a wonderful essay on voice, class, and social mobility called Speaking in Tongues, published in the Feb 2009 New York Review of Books, and originally delivered as a talk at the New York Public Library Dec 2008.
(via Snarkmarket, source of juicy ideas).

This would be a great essay to use in a class along with Edward Said's work.

After 15 whole days in office, how's Obama doing?

Geez, to read some bloggers, you'd think that Obama has failed to undo in two weeks the eight years of havoc wreaked by Cheney and Bush, not to mention the last thirty years of neoliberal policy. And he hasn't washed my windows, either!!

But, I like how PhoenixWoman has a handle on what Obama is doing to rally support for the stimulus bill. Ignore the whiners, watch his hands.

See also: He has done what Bush never did: apologize for an error by his administration.

Let's check in on the Promise-o-meter

Promises kept

COMPLETED:

No. 58: Expand eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
No. 125: Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq
No. 239: Release presidential records
No. 241: Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
No. 411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
No. 427: Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees
No. 503: Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet

NOT on their list, but on mine: overturned global gag rule on funding international family planning.

IN THE WORKS:

No. 27: Change standards for determining broadband access
No. 32: Create a tax credit of $500 for workers
No. 59: Invest in electronic health information systems
No. 175: End the use of torture
No. 176: End the use of extreme rendition
No. 177: Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center
No. 178: Develop an alternative to President Bush's Military Commissions Act on handling detainees
No. 373: Encourage community service through online outreach and social networking
No. 392: Expand broadband's reach
No. 393: Double federal funding for basic science research over 10 years
No. 405: Create White House performance team and chief performance officer
No. 449: Raise fuel economy standards
No. 452: Weatherize 1 million homes per year
No. 455: Work with UN on climate change
No. 476: Modernize the nation's electricity grid and use "smart grid" practices
No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy
No. 507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits

STALLED (by others):

No. 505: Create a $3,000 tax credit for companies that add jobs

Getting things done

On my to-do list today is
1) take out the garbage.
2) do the dishes
3) clean the bathroom

On President Obama's to do list are a lot of things people want him to do and that he has promised to do. In fact there is now an Obameter at a site called Politifact at the St Petersburg Times. They are tracking over 500 campaign promises made by Obama, with the categories promises kept, in the works, stalled, compromise, and broken.
So far, I am quite pleased with how fast things are starting to happen.
Revamp White House website? check
Sign order to close Guantanamo? check
Rescind the "global gag rule" aka "Mexico City policy"? check

From Whitehouse.gov, here is the statement released after the President rescinds "Mexico City Policy"

Yesterday, President Obama rescinded the "Mexico City Policy" and released the following statement:

It is clear that the provisions of the Mexico City Policy are unnecessarily broad and unwarranted under current law, and for the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries. For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development.

For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back and forth debate that has served only to divide us. I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate.

It is time that we end the politicization of this issue. In the coming weeks, my Administration will initiate a fresh conversation on family planning, working to find areas of common ground to best meet the needs of women and families at home and around the world.

I have directed my staff to reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies. They will also work to promote safe motherhood, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and increase educational and economic opportunities for women and girls.

In addition, I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries.