OF COURSE HE DOES: Joe Wilson endorses Hillary Clinton.
Archive for 2007
July 16, 2007
SKIRTING CHILD LABOR LAWS at CBS:
But even more important was the state housing the town.
New Mexico has long been considered to have some of the most lenient labor rules governing kids on entertainment productions. Two years ago, TNT ran afoul of Native American groups after extras claimed adults and kids were overworked and mistreated on “Into the West.”
On July 1, New Mexico passed legislation closing a federal loophole that had exempted television and theatrical productions from child labor law restrictions.
“We didn’t have anything in our statutes that said they can’t work a child 10 hours a day, so we had hoped that [productions] would operate in the best interests and do what’s best for the children,” said Tiffany Starr-Salcido, who specializes in child workplace rights at the New Mexico Department of Labor.
Today New Mexico (like California, New York and most states) has strict limits on the number of hours children can work on a production (18 hours during a school week, and no shooting after 7 p.m.). Many popular filmmaking states also require the presence of studio teachers and a parent or guardian, as well as regular meals.
The New Mexico labor law changes weren’t prompted by “Nation,” but they likely will prevent a second season from shooting there.
On “Nation,” kids were on camera from dawn till dusk, and then some.
“We would wake up the kids at 7 a.m. and were shooting them until sometimes midnight,” said a member of the production crew.
Kids were on the show for seven days a week, for up to 40 days, and were responsible for cooking their own meals. Though there were no teachers or parents (aside from a few at the start of the shoot), an array of physicians and an emergency medical technician were available at all times.
In addition to shooting in a state that didn’t govern child labor on TV shows, the producers legally characterized the show in a unique way to avoid complaints that kids were overworked.
If Wal-Mart did something like this it would be a national scandal . . . . (Via Ann Althouse).
UPDATE: Hey — you can work for CBS for no pay! Wow, what a deal! Maybe this kind of thing explains Daniel Brook’s unhappiness . . . .
OBSTRUCTIONISM, TURF FIGHTS, and the war on terror.
“WE’VE ALREADY KILLED ALL THE STUPID ONES:” Michael Yon posts another report from Iraq. He also emails: “The situation in Baqubah is still dangerous. Got into an interesting fight today. AQ is still kicking here. I made video of today’s fight and will post it in next few days.”
MEDIA MATTERS: A too-close connection to Hillary?
JOSHUA SHARF looks at the importance of reiterating the narrative.
SUBSTANTIAL PENALTY FOR EARLY WITHDRAWAL: “An American general directing a major part of the offensive aimed at securing Baghdad said Sunday that it would take until next spring for the operation to succeed, and that an early American withdrawal would clear the way for ‘the enemy to come back’ to areas now being cleared of insurgents.”
THE POLITICO: Unfair to Ron Paul.
Does McCain’s support of the Iraq war really account for his “cratering” ranking among Republican primary voters? May I suggest that another “I” issue played a more significant role.
The timing is on Mickey’s side — the politics and talking points are on Arianna’s.
UPDATE: Similar thoughts from TigerHawk:
Now, I am not an accomplished student of presidential politics, but it has literally never crossed my mind that John McCain’s campaign for the Republican nomination has suffered among Republican activists because of his steadfastness on Iraq. I assumed that the two big problems were his amnesty-before-border security position on immigration and sheer mismanagement (the second of which Huffington tosses in as a “bonus” reason). Since Huffington is an accomplished student of politics and we know that Republican donors and primary voters do not read what she writes, either I am wrong or Huffington is disingenuously trying to push mainstream journalists — who do read what she writes — to ask the question, “did John McCain implode because of his support for Iraq?”
Indeed. Some interesting stuff in the comments.
MORE ON THE DECLINE OF traditional handyman skills. And a line from the comments: “I do worry about the next ones as there are no video games showing the dad-hero installing a light switch or fixing the leaky faucet for a bonus 300 points.” And nobody knows how to sew on a button. Videogame designers, take up that challenge!
CONTRASTING APPROACHES: Antiterrorism in New York and Los Angeles.
FROM VILLARAIGOSA TO AMY JACOBSON: Howard Kurtz looks at sex and stonewalling in the media world.
D.C. IS SEEKING SUPREME COURT REVIEW of the D.C. Circuit’s decision overturning the gun ban in Parker v. District of Columbia.
IN THE MAIL: Daniel Brook’s The Trap: Selling Out to Stay Afloat in Winner-Take-All America.
As with Anya Kamenetz’s Generation Debt, this seems like more excessive complaint from the privileged classes. (Brook and Kamenetz overlapped at Yale, in fact). And is it really true, as the back cover asserts, that only the “corporate elite” can now enjoy middle-class comforts?
I opened Brook’s book up and saw this passage:
After graduating Yale in 2003 with a double major in film studies and gender studies, Tara moved to San Francisco to pursue queer documentary filmmaking. She settled in the Castro district, the historic epicenter of American gay culture, and quickly discovered plenty of enticing projects. “There were lots of opportunities to do film and to help people with their films, but no one had any money to pay me so I did a lot of volunteering and part-time work,” she told me in a Castro coffee shop.
My goodness. What message could the market system have been trying to send?
UPDATE: Another perspective from reader Robert Holmgren:
My goodness, since when is a Yale double major in film studies and gender studies not able to make it in San Francisco’s Castro district? Better get word back to Yale on this.
I too have lived in the Castro district with a different perspective. I had a modest education, community college followed by a 2nd tier state university. During my time in the Castro I was able to earn a handsome living as a photographer for many national magazines. In fact, I was able to provide temporary support for other photographers who went on to similar or greater accomplishment. All of us now own homes in a ridiculously priced real estate market. Our secret–none of us had double-majors in anything with the word ‘study’ in them…plus, we provided a service for which there was a ready market.
Better get back to Yale on that.
I think it’s that “service for which there was a ready market” bit that really makes the difference. But Yale, like other top schools, does tend to imbue its graduates with a sense of entitlement that often serves them poorly out in the world. You only get so far by acing standardized tests.
ANOTHER UPDATE: More thoughts from a Yale alumnus: “I found this hilarious because I’ve been Tara once upon a time, immediately upon graduating from Yale. But thankfully, real world intruded and I was able to wake up. . . . I know the vast majority of my fellow Yalie — even some with degrees in Film Studies — have productive, extremely well-paying jobs in some of the largest companies in the world. Or they’re lawyers.” You can’t win ’em all.
JULES CRITTENDEN HAS DOUBTS about the Administration’s Iran strategy.
EXPLOITING POLITICAL IGNORANCE in Europe.
THE NEW Ask Dr. Helen is up! Among other questions, can people with different political views be happily married?
IT’S NOT YOUR FATHER’S Washington Post.
I MENTIONED WARD FARNSWORTH’S new book on legal analysis the other day. Now here’s a podcast interview with Farnsworth.
WEALTH AND DIET:
People on low incomes have similar diets to the rest of the population, a government report has said.
The Food Standards Agency found that contrary to popular belief, nutrition, access to food and cooking skills are not much different in poorer families.
Well, food’s cheap. And cooking skills are in decline everywhere. That evens things out, I guess.
CIVILIAN SUBMARINES: Making the military unhappy:
Over the last decade, luxury boat builders have begun building submarine yachts. Submarine construction technology has come a long way in the past century, and it’s possible to build these boats at an affordable ($15-200 million) cost. They are safe, and there are about a hundred of them out there. . . .
If you get close to one of these yachts, it becomes obvious that they are built to dive. Military subs are still not used to encountering this civilian traffic underwater. The military boats have the right of way, but military boats are now warned to exercise extra care when approaching coastal areas used by civilian subs.
Interesting.
UPDATE: They’re entertaining to dolphins!
One of the world’s top designers of luxury subs, US Submarines president Bruce Jones, told Bloomberg that dolphins were a problem for the amorous owners of his multi-million dollar vessels.
“Dolphins are easily excited when they sense people making love. They get jealous and bang their noses against the window,” Mr Jones said.
The best solution was to block the dolphins out with a set of curtains, he said.
Heh.
A LOOK AT IRANIAN YOUTH: I have to note, though, that I see these stories whenever the mullahs are under pressure, but somehow the hoped-for revolution never comes.
TROUBLE FOR HAMAS: “The degree of the self-inflicted catastrophe that Hamas created with its rebellion has come into clearer focus after polling Gaza voters. The territory used to serve as Hamas’ political power base, but now a plurality of voters support their rival, Fatah. Even worse, two-thirds of previous Hamas voters would not repeat that mistake:” This may or may not be a catastrophe for Hamas, depending on whether the voters ever get another shot.
Meanwhile, there’s this: We’re a first-class revolution and we travel first class! I knew law firms with a similar slogan, but mine generally sent us coach. That spared me embarrassment when I travelled with the President of one of our clients, and he flew coach too — I’ve heard some stories about the awkwardness when bigshot executives who fly coach see their lawyers, sometimes second-year associates, flying first class.
Hmm. Now there’s a book that will never get written: What Terrorists Can Learn from Wall Street Law Firms.
HUH. I figured he’d wait until November to unveil this.
UPDATE: Dave Weigel’s take is funnier than mine. I should’ve thought of the Simpsons reference.