Living Liberally's blog

Created by Bec Zajac

Yes folks, it's time for the biggest political event of the season.... More controversial than the presidential elections, a damn sight sexier than the Democratic National Convention, wackier than the Conservative Political Action Conference, and more talked about than the National Tea Party Convention... It's the 82nd Annual Academy Awards!!! And this year, to spice it up a little for all you lefties out there, we've put together a “Who Am I?” about all your favorite pinko Oscar nominees. So turn those TVs up and put those thinking caps on for this year's …. "Living Liberally Oscar Trivia Quiz"

1) I drive a Toyota Prius? Who am I?

A – Meryl Streep
B – Maggie Gyllenhaal
C – Penelope Cruz
D – Sandra Bullock

2) A former Canadian Prime Minister is my great grandfather. Who am I?

A – Anna Kendrick
B – Christopher Plummer
C – Jeremy Renner
D – Stanley Tucci

3) Despite dropping out of high school, I have an IQ of 160. Who am I?

A – Quentin Tarantino
B – Lee Daniels
C – Vera Farmiga
D – Ethan Coen

4) I said, “"There is a need, especially right now in America, to be a bit provocative."

A – Kathryn Bigelow
B – Jason Reitman
C – T Bone Burnett
D – Maggie Gyllenhaal

5) Concerned about the lack of Hispanic-oriented sitcoms on American television, I approached George Lopez about producing a sitcom with him as the star.

A – Penelope Cruz
B – James Cameron
C – Sandra Bullock
D – Jason Reitman

6) I once criticized Sarah Palin, by comparing her candidacy to "a bad Disney movie." Who am I?

A – Randy Newman
B – Mo’Nique
C – Matt Damon
D – Meryl Streep

7) I won top honors at the Rome Film festival for my role in a movie about a gay love affair between two members of a neo-Nazi group.

A – Penelope Cruz
B – Helen Mirren
C – Carey Mulligan
D – Colin Firth

8) I was involved in an anti-coal reality campaign, which aimed to debunk "clean coal" industry propaganda.

A – Anna Kendrick
B – Ethan Coen
C – Jason Reitman
D – Woody Harrelson

9) I have been spotted marching in pro-abortion demonstrations held in Washington, D.C.

A – Meryl Streep
B – Stanley Tucci
C – Matt Damon
D – Maggie Gyllenhaal

10) I founded a non-government organization, which has set up a home, a school and a clinic for homeless girls and people suffering from tuberculosis in Calcutta.

A – George Clooney
B – Penelope Cruz
C – Stanley Tucci
D – Gabourey Sidibe

11) I once said, in describing the Bush administration, “The US and the world just didn't deserve these people. They're a good deal worse. They don't even know the rules.”

A –Peter Jackson
B – Christopher Plummer
C – Morgan Freeman
D – Randy Newman

12) I once took a bicycle tour down the west coast, escorted by the “Mothership,” a Chicago city transit bus fuelled by hemp oil and powered by solar panels.

A – Lee Daniels
B – Jeff Bridges
C – Maggie Gyllenhaal
D – Woody Harrelson

13) I said, “I always want to make films. I think of it as a great opportunity to comment on the world in which we live. …. There will always be issues I care about.”

A – Morgan Freeman
B – Matt Damon
C – Lee Daniels
D – Kathryn Bigelow

14) I am such a big "South Park" fan, I got a hold of Trey Parker, the creator of the series, and asked for a part in an episode. I was given the role of "Sparky," the gay dog.

A – Quentin Tarantino
B – George Clooney
C – Matt Damon
D – Peter Jackson

15) On moving to LA, before getting involved with the film industry, I worked for a nursing agency, and then, by the age of 21, had started my own. Who am I?

A – Jeremy Renner
B – Vera Farmiga
C – Lee Daniels
D – Sandra Bullock

16) I was passionate about dancing and toured with a Ukrainian folk-dancing company in my teens.

A – Vera Farmiga
B – Anna Kendrick
C – Christoph Waltz
D – Helen Mirren

17) I founded the End Hunger Network an organization aimed at encouraging and supporting action to end childhood hunger.

A – Helen Mirren
B – Colin Firth
C – Jeff Bridges
D –Mo’Nique

18) I said, "Then the September 11th attacks happened and the idea of a domestic comedy adventure film about an anti-terrorism unit just didn't seem all that funny to me anymore."

A – Quentin Tarantino
B – Kathryn Bigelow
C – James Cameron
D – Ethan Coen

19) I am the only actress to date to have a film, which was marketed with my name solely above the title, top the $200 million domestic box office mark. Who am I?

A – Meryl Streep
B – Helen Mirren
C – Penelope Cruz
D – Sandra Bullock

20) I have been referred to as having played Obama’s favorite “movie president.”

A – Morgan Freeman
B – Christopher Plummer
C – Jeff Bridges
D – George Clooney

21) I said, “I am not loving Obama - he made this statement when they were talking about what they were trying to accomplish with the new legislation on global warming and he said, ‘Let's not let great be the enemy of good.’ That just stayed with me and haunted me.”

A – Woody Harrelson
B – Gabourey Sidibe
C – Matt Damon
D – George Clooney

22) I once said, “I feel quite strongly about anti-Americanism. I share people's grievances about the current Administration ….”

A – Nick Hornby
B – Peter Jackson
C – Helen Mirren
D – Colin Firth

23) Before entering the movie industry, I was a truck driver. Who am I?

A – Jeremy Renner
B – Peter Jackson
C – James Cameron
D – T Bone Burnett

24) I proudly support the American Civil Liberties Union, participated in anti-war demonstrations, wore a peace sign pin in support of the organization ‘Artists United to Win Without War,’ and achieved some notoriety for being quoted as saying America was "responsible in some way" for the 9/11 attacks.

A – George Clooney
B – Maggie Gyllenhaal
C – Jeff Bridges
D – Quentin Tarantino

25) I was inducted into New Orleans’ Warren Easton High School “Hall of Fame” for my help rebuilding the school after Hurricane Katrina.

A – Kathryn Bigelow
B – Joel Coen
C – Morgan Freeman
D – Sandra Bullock

26) I said, “If celebrity is a credit card, I'm using my credit. My job is to try and find ways of talking about issues that move us forward. I don't make policy, but I can shine a light on faulty or good policy.” Who am I?

A – James Cameron
B – George Clooney
C – Ethan Coen
D – Meryl Streep

27) I made a documentary about the common factors that bring women into the penal system
A – Jason Reitman
B – Mo’Nique
C – Joel Coen
D – Helen Mirren

28) When I was 11, I got a suit and a briefcase, went to the Minneapolis International Airport with a Super 8 camera and made a movie about shuttle diplomacy called "Henry Kissinger, Man on the Go"

A – Quentin Tarantino
B – George Clooney
C – Jason Reitman
D – Joel Coen

29)I said, “The myth of the liberal media is one of the great jokes played on us. The media are owned lock, stock, and barrel by the right wing.”

A – Morgan Freeman
B – T Bone Burnett
C – Jeff Bridges
D – Ethan Coen

30) In a profile of me for the NY Times Magazine I notoriously mentioned that I am in an “open marriage.”

A – Maggie Gyllenhaal
B – Woody Harrelson
C – Mo’Nique
D – Peter Jackson

31) I once climbed the Golden Gate Bridge and put up a sign that read, "Hurwitz. Aren't ancient redwoods more precious than gold?" in protest of Pacific Lumber CEO Charles Hurwitz.

A – Sandra Bullock
B – Woody Harrelson
C – Jeff Bridges
D – Randy Newman

ANSWERS:
1) A 2) B 3) A 4) D 5) C 6) C 7) B 8) B 9) B 10) B 11) D 12) D13) D 14) B 15) B 16) A 17) C 18) C 19) D 20) C 21) A 22) D 23) C 24) B 25) D 26) B 27) B 28) D 29) B 30) C 31) B

• The backyard of our favorite Rudy’s Bar and Grill has been unfairly closed by the city! Help us get it back by signing a letter to the Commissioner of Buildlings…TODAY!

• Here’s an argument about the negative role of the media in the health care debate

• House Dem leaders: No health care vote as recess nears

• What China and health care have in common

• Marjane Satrapi, the author of the graphic novel Persepolis (which was released as a motion picture film last year), has come out with a new graphic novel based on the recent Iranian elections. You can download a PDF version of the novel here

• Fireworks over Baghdad—No, this isn’t Part 2 of an Outkast song. Iraqi’s celebrate “National Sovereign Day” as U.S. troops officialy move out of Iraq’s town’s and cities

• The ousted president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, has said he will return home later this week, after being forced into exile on Sunday in what President Obama has described as a “coup.”

• Read Bob Herbert’s article on an Afghanistan youth’s long six years in a Guantánamo Bay prison, and what happens after a confession through torture is deemed inadmissible.

• See what important issues are on AlterNet’s mind: Mountaintop Removal Mining and AlterNet's Top Take Action Campaigns of The Week

• Chris Weigant for the Huffington Post weighs in on Rep. Barney Frank’s introduction of two pieces marijuana legislation.

• From Daily Kos: In "Sustainability," "Community," and How the West Will Grow," “the author here looks at Boise's unsustainable growth pattern--one created by "a legislature that seems to be dominated by men living in 1959 and all on farms"--and reported on conclusions drawn about this typical western sprawl at a planning conference last week”

• CNN reports that people on terrorist watch list are allowed to buy guns

By Samantha Friedwald

• It seems high schools put more of a focus on having their students attended colleges and universities. Though more students are attending, will these places of higher learning be able to adapt to the technology generation and with the latest digital advances?
• North Korea, lately, falls into the same pattern: it's often forgotten about in the media until it does something to remind us why we should be afraid of it, then gets forgotten about again under heaps of press about Iran, Iraq, and Jon & Kate Plus Eight updates.
• Health News: Are pesticides a potential cause of Parkinson's Disease?
• Looks like Paterson leaves out gay marriage in the special session he called.

Living Liberally has a great line-up of events for our Summer Series at The Tank. We'll add more soon, but here’s a taste of what we have to offer in the next few weeks. Take a look, grab some of your progressive pals and come check them out!

Thursday, June 18 (Tonight!)—7 PM
SCREENING LIBERALLY SHORT FILM OPEN MIC & FILMMAKER MIXER
Join Screening Liberally and guest speaker Negin Farsad to watch short films from progressive filmmakers in the the NYC area at our open mic showcase. See event page for more details!

Wednesday, June 24—9 PM
LAUGHING LIBERALLY “OFFICE POLITICS” INTERN SHOW
All interns and like-minded progressives are invited to join our Laughing Liberally comedians for a great night of comedy—stuff you’ll want to be talking about at the water cooler.

Sunday, June 28
PICNICKING LIBERALLY AT THE GAY PRIDE PARADE
Join us in the park before and during the parade as Living Liberally spends a day "out."
Location & time: TBA (contact livingliberally@gmail.com for details)

Wednesday, July 1—7:30 PM
LIVING LIBERALLY PRESENTS BOB MOSER & “BLUE DIXIE”
Political writer Bob Moser, author of the book “Blue Dixie,” examines the progressive roots of the “Republican” South with comedy, live music, and free beer (see more info about this event here)

Wednesday, July 8—7:30 PM
SCREENING LIBERALLY PRESENTS “EXCUSE ME, MR. SPEAKER”
Come and watch this documentary about Paul Newell’s 2008 run against NY assembly speaker Sheldon Silver. Then, join in a discussion about the challenges facing insurgent primary candidates.

Wednesday, July 15—7:30 PM
LAUGHING LIBERALLY NIGHT OF SUPREME COMEDY
Laughing Liberally comedians providing their own spin on Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings.

By Lee Camp

Check out this video about a Virginia high school girl suspended 2 weeks for birth control:

By Brian Sonenstein

• The debate continues as to whether or not the outcome of the Iranian election was fraudulent. The Washington Post (among others) have reported that Ahmadinejad’s re-election should not be quite the surprise everyone is finding it to be, as polling data collected before the election seems to indicate that the incumbent enjoyed a wide margin of support. If you’re still trying to figure out how you feel about all this, check out this article from Juan Cole’s blog “Informed Comment,” where guest-writer Monsoor Moaddel picks apart the statistics.
• The NY Times reports that President Obama has disbanded former President Bush’s bioethics panel for its tendency to favor ideology over practicality. The commission, which exists primarily at the presidential level, is given the task of informing the public on new advances in technology while providing the administration with guidance on hot-button issues like cloning and stem-cell research. President Obama plans to reconvene a new panel with a mandate to present the administration with ‘more practical policy options.’
• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) came out with a report on arms trafficking to Mexico. It can be summed up by a quote by Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D., NY), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, who has been tasked to hold hearings (starting today, June 18th) on arms trafficking: "It is simply unacceptable that the United States not only consumes the majority of the drugs flowing from Mexico, but also arms the very cartels that contribute to the daily violence that is devastating Mexico."
• Think Progress has compiled some evidence to corroborate Obama’s insight that Fox News has chosen to represent the “voice of opposition” in American media (surprise!). Some Fox contributors have even decided to speak out about it.
• CBS News points out that the US Veterans Affairs Dept. (VA) is reaching a benchmark that it would rather avoid—1 million claims to be processed by veterans of multiple wars. Most importantly, it highlights how badly claims systems in this country must be reformed, and how our nation’s wounded heroes are still missing out on the care they more than deserve.

By Jenny McCartney

Gallup has released a few interesting polls in the last few days that are definitely worth checking out.

A poll posted yesterday shows that a year ago in 2008, 50% of Iranians were confident in the election system while 40% were not. The poll also shows that rural citizens had significantly more faith in the elections than people living in urban areas and older people had more confidence in elections than younger people.

This health care poll evaluates the American people's level of confidence in various players in the health care debate. Americans trust doctors and university professors the most, trust Obama more than Democratic leaders in Congress, and trust Republican leaders in Congress the least.

• The Huffington Post has a live blog going about the Iran crisis. It’s appropriate since technology is playing such a key role in the rebellions.
• The Washington Post reports that Obama plans to overhaul the financial regulation system. New deal anyone?
• Think Progress’s Andrea Nill posts a study that shows a close correlation between the immigration debate and the number of hate crimes Latinos. This proves an interesting connection between policy debates and social consequences. And it’s kind of terrifying.
• The AP reports that Obama will extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, a big step for gay rights from a President who hasn’t done much in the area yet.
• Feministing has an interesting guest blog from Audacia Ray about HIV in the porn industry.