Oscar voters in the Motion Picture Academy

The distribution of voters at the Academy Awards in 2020 showed that the vast majority of voters were white, with just 16 percent of minority members. This is despite the Academy having vowed to increase the diversity of its members, a topic which has circulated in the media for several years. The '#OscarsSoWhite' hashtag on Twitter gained enough traction to draw attention to the whiteness (and maleness) of the Academy Awards, and the movement is still considered relevant this year as groups around the world seek increased representation and recognition.

a little slip, a crack in the veneer, and the madman emerges... Wait for it. Waaaaait forrr iiit....

Tell me about your job. How has it changed you? Made you who you are?

I've been a teacher, all levels K through 12, for 26 of the last 32 years. It's made me both idealistic and dispassionate. My optimism is far more grounded than it was when I was young.

My job has shaped me to see all sides of a situation, to be more aware that I may not know everything that's going on. Being a teacher has made me more patient and forgiving. Everyone is still learning, until they get too comfortable and accept a calcified world view.

It's made me both more comfortable in my assessments, but also more flexible about admitting when I'm wrong.

Damn little gets me angry now unless I see innocent people being hurt or threatened. I don't know if I would be like this if I hadn't gone back to teaching in my thirties.

What is your worklife like, and what has it brought out in you?

Dogs: genetic freaks or oxytocin junkies?

Shouldn't we all be oxytocin junkies? Just remember to eat a healthy diet.

What are the chances "Rock for president" is cloned by "Arnold for governor" hacks?

I don't have any evidence or intelligence to back up this concern. But I get the distinct impression that the "Dwayne Johnson for President" malarkey is just a superficial update of the Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor movement. A bunch of slick corporations and their PR firms trying to pose a plug-in a lovable (if cheesy) celebrity poses as a centrist to convince the voters that, just because he doesn't bash gays and immigrants, he isn't out to help corporations dodge taxes and screw up consumer protection laws.

I mean, he's slick and lovable about it, but Johnson seems a little too thirsty to be president, after that absurd TV show of his. This is some PT Barnum bullshit.

I need an accountability buddy

It's 10:30 and I'm done with this work week, but this work week ain't done with me.

I need a direct motivation infusion. I wanna lay down and gripe gripe gripe. It's a shame griping doesn't burn calories.

LOL.

Anyone else dealing with listlessness issues? I wonder why it's called "feeling listless" when I have all sorts of lists of things I need to get to.

How would describe this genre of rock, or this darker musical mood?

If you wanted to explain life in America to aliens, but could only do so with one song...

Which song would you choose? Which song (as Walt Whitman said) "sings America" for you?

My nomination would be something from the Coasters, who were fun, automotive, and youth-obsessed... just like America. Either "Charlie Brown" or...