Yourish.com

10/10/2009

SNN preview

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 10:00 am

I’m pretty happy with my contribution this week.

So you can all give a listen early if you promise to go to the SNN site and hear the podcast in full later. Remember, you don’t need an iPod to hear our podcast—just a computer that has a media player.

07/17/2009

Podcast bleg

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 12:13 pm

If anyone out there has an mp3 or wav file of clucking chickens—or even a person imitating clucking chickens—I’d appreciate an email. I need to get mind done early if possible, so I’ll be trying to squeeze it in between end of work and going to synagogue.

07/07/2009

Compare and contrast: Purdum on Palin; Purdum on Obama

Filed under: Media Bias, Podcasts, Politics, The One — Tags: , , — Meryl Yourish @ 11:00 am

I’m going to do something very different today. Following is the script from my most recent segment on Shire Network News.

There are the titles and pullquotes to two of Todd Purdum’s Vanity Fair profiles.

Raising Obama
Is he tough enough? That’s the question being asked of Barack Obama. To those who have known the candidate since boyhood, it’s not just those “dreams from my father” that make Obama a contender, but also his mother’s daring, his grandmother’s grit, and his own relentless drive.

It Came from Wasilla
Despite her disastrous performance in the 2008 election, Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics, with a lucrative book contract for her story. But what Alaska’s charismatic governor wants the public to know about herself doesn’t always jibe with reality. As John McCain’s top campaign officials talk more candidly than ever before about the meltdown of his vice-presidential pick, the author tracks the signs—political and personal—that Palin was big trouble, and checks the forecast for her future.

And here are quotes from the articles. First, Obama:

The Barack Obama who wrote so poignantly of adolescent alienation and the search for racial identity is the same Barack Obama who learned, the hard way, how to deal with the likes of Emil Jones Jr., a man whose cell-phone ring tone is the theme from The Godfather. Obama’s good looks and soft-spoken willingness to ponder aloud some of the inanities of modern politics have masked the hard inner core and unyielding ambition that have long burned beneath the surface shimmer. He is not, and never has been, soft. He’s not laid-back. He’s not an accidental man. His friends and family may be surprised by the rapidity of his rise, but they’re not surprised by the fact of it.

Now, Sarah Palin

Palin is unlike any other national figure in modern American life—neither Anna Nicole Smith nor Margaret Chase Smith but a phenomenon all her own. The clouds of tabloid conflict and controversy that swirl around her and her extended clan—the surprise pregnancies, the two-bit blood feuds, the tawdry in-laws and common-law kin caught selling drugs or poaching game—give her family a singular status in the rogues’ gallery of political relatives. By comparison, Billy Carter, Donald Nixon, and Roger Clinton seem like avatars of circumspection. Palin’s life has sometimes played out like an unholy amalgam of Desperate Housewives and Northern Exposure.

That’s some difference. Obama wasn’t compared with Michael Jackson or Al Sharpton. But Purdum felt it relevant to bring up the memory of the first woman elected to both the House and Senate side by side with a publicity whore and Playboy Playmate. Subtle. It’s the writer’s way of getting the reader to compare Palin to Anna Nicole without actually making the comparison. And it also denigrates the memory of Margaret Chase Smith, another female Republican politician.

Purdum says that Obama has a hard inner core and unyielding ambition, but those are good qualities in a man. Palin? The same qualities, but with a very different spin.

It is the story of a political novice with an intuitive feel for the temper of her times, a woman who saw her opportunities and coolly seized them. In every job, she surrounded herself with an insular coterie of trusted friends, took disagreements personally, discarded people who were no longer useful, and swiftly dealt vengeance on enemies, real or perceived.

Does that description sound like anyone who was recently president of the United States? In fact, it sounds like the current office holder, as well as the last two presidents. But when it’s a woman who shows these qualities, well. You know the drill. Man—relentless drive. Woman—narcissistic personality disorder. Republican woman? Superbitch.

The double standard about Sarah Palin is overwhelming, especially when you consider that she really hasn’t done anything much different from any other politician. She’s not a hundred percent truthful? Whoa, shocker! A politician who lies! She’s egotistical? She’s driven? She’s tough on her enemies and rewards her friends? Holy crap, alert the media! We’ve never seen any politicians like that before!

The Palin attack machine will continue for a long time to come, especially if the reason that Sarah quit this week is to ramp up for a run for President. But for now, I’m going to take her at her word. I’d quit, too, if I had to undergo the kind of vicious attacks that she’s been dealing with even now, eight months after she lost her bid for the vice-presidency and went back to Alaska to govern. Can you name another politician that’s been attacked as often, as viciously, and as widely as Sarah Palin?

Neither can I.

06/30/2009

New Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 8:55 pm

The latest SNN is up, and it has a new contribution by yours truly, one of my better ones.

I will be updating my podcast page this weekend, probably. If you want to hear me before then, well, you know what to do.

06/07/2009

SNN is up. I’m not.

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 11:32 am

This week’s Shire Network News is up, and you folks had better listen to it, because I stayed up way late last night getting it done.

I cover, of course, Obama’s Cairo speech.

05/02/2009

Lazy day

Filed under: Life, Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 10:00 pm

Since I was busy last weekend and will be busy next weekend, I decided to be lazy this weekend. Catching up on soaps, Dollhouse (wow, what an AMAZING episode, pleasepleaseplease renew it, Fox!), Being Erica (yay chick flick TV shows!) and writing and recording my segment for the SNN podcast. Which, come to think of it, no longer has a link on my left navbar because there is no left navbar. Must fix. (Not add leftnav, just add SNN.)

Yes, Sabba Hillel, I know I have to update the page. I promise, I will. Tomorrow, probably.

03/25/2009

Shire Network News: Why, yes, yes it is

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 11:30 am

Is there a new Shire Network News out this week?

Why, yes. Yes there is.

Am I a part of it?

Why, yes. Yes I am.

Do we have the usual bunch of snark, a fascinating feature interview by Tom Paine, and my pal Doug Payton?

Why, yes. Yes we do.

Do you need an iPod to hear it?

Why, no. No you don’t. You can listen to it with Windows Media Player or another audio listening device on your computer.

03/16/2009

Latest edition of Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 6:00 am

Hear all about it. You don’t need to have an iPod to hear it, just Windows Media player or some such program on your computer.

I’m on a roll, I think. I like my segment this week a lot, too.

03/13/2009

Shire Network News is back

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 10:00 am

Did I forget to tell you that SNN is back?

Yes, yes I did.

Go listen.

03/05/2009

Shire Network News is back in a few days

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 11:49 pm

I know you’ve been waiting for the next SNN podcast. I sent Tom my segment tonight, and he’ll be working on the podcast over the next day or two.

Those of you who clicked on the link in the sidebar in the last few days will have found our new website.

We are moving onward and upward, and trying to bring you the best, snarkiest podcast in the, uh, podcastosphere.

I’ll post my segment after the show comes out.

01/05/2009

Special edition of Shire Network News

Filed under: Gaza, Podcasts — Tags: — Meryl Yourish @ 4:30 pm

The special edition of SNN is up.

Listen, and forward the link to a friend. Remember, you don’t need an iPod. All you need is a computer that has a media program, like Windows Media, to listen.

And go vote for us in the 2008 Weblog Awards while you’re at it.

12/20/2008

Talk amongst yourselves

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 9:12 pm

I’m too tired to post anything tonight.

However, for my SNN fans, I just emailed Tom my latest segment. There will be a year-end SNN podcast with a few new pieces and some of our greatest hits from 2008.

11/03/2008

SNN, the Vote-for-McCain edition

Filed under: Podcasts, Politics — Tags: — Meryl Yourish @ 9:23 pm

We put out a special edition of Shire Network News. I have a contribution. Go listen.

10/06/2008

This week’s Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Tags: — Meryl Yourish @ 5:32 pm

Don’t miss the latest exciting episode of Shire Network News, in which:

  • Our guest is Australian writer John Birmingham, who has just published a book in which the Left gets it’s oft-stated wish that the world wakes up one day and America is simply not there anymore.
  • We hear disturbing evidence of the cult-like worship of the Dear Leader, Obama, patron Saint of Hopeful Change and helmsman of all our destinies, Slow Joe Biden does a passable impersonation of Grandpa Simpson and alerts us all to the real danger we’re in from….er….corn syrup.
  • Doug Payton arises like Lazarus from a bed of pain to talk about political philosophy, but honestly it’s way more interesting and relevants than that sounds.
  • The BBC gets a caning from Muslim clerics for not bending over and saying “thank you sir, may I have another” enough, Muslims get to hold religious events on state property and the ACLU doesn’t dare utter a sound, and the one-eyed nature of Saudi religiosity is finally revealed for all the world to see.
  • Meryl Yourish says Sarah Palin is making Democrats go a little funny in the head, and Evan Sayet is not surprised that the endorsement of Sarah Palin by the chair of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization of Women has apparently slipped down the memory hole as far as the media is concerned.

Exciting stuff! I can barely handle it myself. You don’t need an iPod to listen, just some kind of computer media program like Windows Media Player.

09/28/2008

Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Tags: — Meryl Yourish @ 12:38 pm

This week’s Shire Network News is up and ready for your listening pleasure. Dr. Rusty Shackleford of the Jawa Report is our feature interview. My segment is a little longer than usual. It’s on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s mirroring Hitler, only the new term for “Jews” is “Zionists.”

I’ve also updated the On Second Thought page, where you can listen to my segments if you don’t have time to listen to the whole podcast. But you’re missing out if you’re not listening to all of it.

09/09/2008

The return of the podcast

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 11:53 pm

I have rejoined SNN and my first podcast back with them is about—Sarah Palin, of course. (That’s the general link. Here’s the individual one.)

If you listen very carefully, you will hear Tig on it.

He and Gracie decided that the best time to play kitty tag was while I was (sigh) recording the podcast.

06/21/2008

Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Tags: — Meryl Yourish @ 6:04 pm

This week, hosted by one of our token Gentiles, Doug Payton.

And I’ll be advertising it again on Monday. We got it out a bit late this week.

I do have a contribution, and I wrote a few blog news items. You may want to give it a listen.

06/04/2008

This week’s SNN, hosted by yours truly

Filed under: Podcasts — Tags: — Meryl Yourish @ 11:58 pm

I hosted Shire Network News this week, and the juvenile scorn content level rose sharply. Sarcasm levels stayed about the same, though.

The feature interview is with Anne Bayefsky, who reports on the anti-Semitic hatefest that will be Durban II. The first Durban conference on racism ended up being the UN Conference on Jew- and Israel-hatred. Oh, yeah. This one’s shaping up to be worse.

Go and listen, and don’t worry if you don’t have an mp3 player. All you need is Windows Media player or something like it.

05/29/2008

This week’s Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Tags: — Meryl Yourish @ 1:00 am

This week’s Shire Network News features the return of Tom Paine. If you’ve never heard him present SNN, well, go listen.

The feature interview? Tom scored an interview with Philippe Karsenty, who just won the appeal of his libel case by France 2 over the Mohammed Al-Dura hoax.

My contribution this week does not make fun of Doudou Diene’s name, but only because I couldn’t think of a way to sneak it into my essay on the Eurovision contest.

You don’t need an mp3 player to hear it. Just a media player on your computer.

05/25/2008

European cultural superiority

Filed under: Juvenile Scorn, Podcasts, Pop Culture — Meryl Yourish @ 1:18 am

The next time someone tries to tell you how culturally superior Europe is to us, send them to YouTube to see the entries in this year’s Eurovision contest.

Pay particular attention to the Russian entry. It won.

Snoopy, if you can enlighten me as to what on earth the ice skater is supposed to represent, I’d be grateful. If you want to see the Russian entry in its entirety, feel free. I’m thinking there isn’t a single straight man in that video, but hey, book, cover, etc.

As for the rest, well, check out Estonia and Belgium. Oh. My. God.

I’ll be discussing the Eurovision contest in my upcoming Shire Network News contribution.

Oh, I almost forgot: I have something in the recent SNN, which is actually hosted from the Shire this week. I’ll split out my essay later this weekend.

04/29/2008

This week’s Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 8:39 am

Shire Network News is up, and I have a piece in this week regarding the Syrian “peace” overtures.

It’s a full house this week; Doug and Damian have commentary as well. Tom’s interview is with Barry Rubin of the GLORIA Center.

04/15/2008

Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 10:48 pm

Did I forget to tell you about this week’s SNN?

You should listen to it. I talk about Jimmy Carter for my segment.

04/08/2008

Better, but not quite there

Filed under: Israel, Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 9:00 am

I’m doing better, but I’m heading back to bed.

In the meantime, this week’s Shire Network News can keep you entertained.

Here’s an article about Jews with guns saving themselves from terrorist attacks.

Hamas is threatening to break through the Israeli border. That would be a huge mistake. But it’s just hot air.

Now this one I’m interested in: The JPost says that Israel has found proof that Saddam’s WMDs were shipped to Syria, and that’s what Israel bombed in the desert. I’m rather skeptical, but interested.

03/23/2008

The latest Shire Network News is up

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 10:11 pm

The new SNN is up early, what with Brian finally staying in one place for a change.

Tom Paine continues his streak and interviews a member of the British Parliament about the new EU constitution that is being pushed forward even though it’s been voted down in several nations which, uh, was supposed to mean that the EU was pretty much over. Funny, that.

Doug’s got a segment, but I’m taking a break from last week’s exhausting hosting duties.

03/18/2008

My hosting debut at SNN is up

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 8:59 am

Go listen.

03/17/2008

Hosting this week’s Shire Network News

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 12:30 pm

This week’s Shire Network News should be up sometime today. You definitely want to listen to it. I’m the host. That means about 80% of Blog News was written by yours truly, and 100% of it was announced by me. Unless Tom snuck in a few bits while I wasn’t looking. I won’t find out until tomorrow. No time to listen to it during the weekly NorVA work trip.

There’s also a great piece by Tomer Israeli, who talks about having his life threatened by Israel’s Fifth Column, and the effect this has had on Israel’s left.

Plus the feature interview and Evan Sayet. Go. Listen. You’ll like it. Guaranteed, or your money back.

03/04/2008

This week’s podcast is up

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 12:30 pm

This week’s Shire Network News is up. My contribution this week answers questions from listeners on how to vote in the upcoming election.

02/25/2008

Shire Network News is up

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 7:00 pm

Shire Network News features the second part of Tom Paine’s interview with Ezra Levant, the Canadian Human Rights Commission gadfly who is now going to really have his day in court (check out his latest post, and the newest lawsuit against him).

I’ve got a contribution this week. As usual, you can find my podcasts in the usual place. But really, if your’e not listening to all of SNN, you’re missing some superb interviews, and some funny blog news, as well as podcasts from my fellow essayists. You don’t need an iPod. All you need is an mp3 player (Windows Media Player works just fine).

02/18/2008

The latest SNN

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 9:26 am

The newest Shire Network News is up, with an interview by Ezra Levant, the man being persecuted by Canada’s thought police.

02/04/2008

This week’s Shire Network News: It’s Steyn time

Filed under: Podcasts — Meryl Yourish @ 1:30 pm

The podcast is up, and it’s another good one, with another great feature interview: Mark Steyn, talking about many things, but also about the suppression of his work in Canada.

My contribution is about scientology and Sderot, with a special guest appearance by Tom Cruise.

Remember you don’t need an iPod or an mp3 player, just a computer with Microsoft Media Player (most of them come with it). You can also catch my portions alone by clicking on the “On Second Thought” page.

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