By: Monica Gupta,
on 10/15/2016
ट्रंप हिलेरी – ट्रंप ने भारत और मोदी जी की जो तारीफ की वो कितनी सही है या गलत ये अलग मुद्दा है पर राष्ट्रपति पद के रिपब्लिकन उम्मीदवार डोनाल्ड ट्रंप की महिलाओ के प्रति सोच कुछ अलग ही तस्वीर पेश करती है ट्रंप हिलेरी – ट्रंप ने की तारीफ ट्रंप हिलेरी – का […]
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By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 12/10/2015
Barack Obama’s favorite book of the year was, Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff, according to People.
A finalist for the 2015 National Book Awards for fiction, the novel tells the story of a marriage from two perspectives — the husband’s and the wife’s — over the course of twenty-four years. The title was NPR Morning Edition’s first book club pick.
Michelle Obama’s favorite book of the year also focuses on marriage. Obama selected, The Light of the World, by Elizabeth Alexander, a memoir about the sudden death of her husband.
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By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 10/9/2015
By: Helena Palmer,
on 12/6/2014
In April 2009, Barack and Michelle Obama met Queen Elizabeth I during their first state visit to England. At one point during their encounter, Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen’s lower back and rubbed her shoulder, and the Queen reciprocated. It was the kind of gesture that might seem quite unremarkable when exchanged by friends, or even casual acquaintances: but, given the participants on this particular occasion, it unsurprisingly attracted a great deal more attention. The British tabloid press responded with all the measured calm for which it is so famous. The Daily Mail called their interaction “utterly astonishing,” and saw it as evidence of a “new touchy feely protocol.”
Responding to this scenario with faux amazement of this sort, however, wrongly suggests that the rules against touching a monarch differ fundamentally from those that govern the non-royal lives that the rest of us live. Rather than brewing a storm in a royal teacup in this way, we can instead use this moment to reflect upon the role that quieter, implicit, unspoken codes and rituals continue to play in our everyday interactions. The fact that the Queen cannot typically be touched doesn’t make her unlike the rest of us: it just means that the rules are clearer and less ambiguous in her case, and so too are the moments in which they are contravened.
Nowhere is the presence of such tacit codes clearer, perhaps, than in moments of greeting and parting, those ritualised exchanges that book-end so many of our daily interactions. Even something as routine as a handshake has a deeper symbolism buried within it – it is likely that the gesture first came to prominence among Quakers in the seventeenth century, as a deliberately egalitarian alternative to the doffing of hats, so it carries a political message of equality in addition to its social utility. The precise way in which a handshake is carried out – its degree of limpness or firmness, say – can tacitly set the tone for the conversation that follows.
Then there are the more intimate alternatives to the handshake – an embrace, or a peck on the cheek. It’s only at such a moment that both I, and the person with whom I am speaking, have to specify and give expression to our understanding of our relationship, and its level of intimacy. It’s a potentially fraught moment. What if I reach my hand out to be shaken at the precise moment that my interlocutor leans in for a hug? What if we exchange kisses on one cheek, but I swoop in for a kiss on the other side while the other person has already withdrawn his or her face, leaving me awkwardly to pucker up at thin air? It’s hard to say whether it is more embarrassing to be the one who has expected a greater degree of intimacy and been denied it, or the one who issues an accidental rebuff. A stiff moment of silence typically follows.
Described in this way, the most routine moments, which usually pass without incident, start to sound like a potential minefield of awkwardness and humiliation. We might hope to avoid experiencing such emotions ourselves, but the very fact that they are possible confirms just how important are these quiet, everyday exchanges. The more overt rituals that still structure touch-feely politics at the highest level are simply a magnification of the role that these rituals play in our everyday lives.
Once restrictions on touching the monarch have officially been formulated, it increases the political significance that casual acts of touch can assume. While restrictions of this sort have existed in many different cultures and eras, the point at which they were codified in English history can be pinpointed quite precisely. This occurred during the reign of Henry VIII, in the form of the Eltham Ordinances of 1526, orchestrated by Cardinal Wolsey. These regulations stressed that only Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber could dress the King, but insisted “that none of the said Grooms or Ushers do approach or presume…to lay hands upon his royal person.” The fact that Henry’s body couldn’t routinely be handled enabled him to invest those moments in which he did deign to touch his subjects all the more significant.
The implications of this situation were sharply recognised by Thomas More, as reported in the posthumous biography by his son-in-law, William Roper. Roper recalled the King walking with More in his garden after dinner one day, and “holding his arm about his neck.” Roper recognised this as a great sign of favour, and congratulated More, who wryly replied that “I believe he doth as singly favour me as any subject within this realm. Howbeit, son Roper, I may tell thee I have no cause to be proud thereof, for if my head could win him a castle in France … it should not fail to go.” More’s bleakly prophetic words recognised both the importance of these moments of unobtrusive intimacy, and their tendency to pale in comparison with the brutalities of realpolitik.
This moment suggests that the “new touchy-feely protocol” between the Queen and Michelle Obama was not in fact new, but continued a long-standing tendency for rulers to allow their bodies to be accessed in casual ways at carefully chosen moments. Barack Obama has shown himself to be no less aware of the symbolic force of striking moments of gentle contact, as with the 2012 photo, shown around the world, of the President allowing a five-year-old to feel his hair and confirm that it felt like the boy’s own. The real interest in such moments, however, lies less in what they tell us about the behaviour of rulers, than in the opportunity that they provide for reflection on the significance of such moments, so often fleeting and barely registered, in our own lives. The rituals that govern everyday conduct are less explicit than the Eltham Ordinances, but it is their unspoken nature that grants them both their quiet importance, and their perennial capacity for embarrassment.
Header image credit: ‘No Touching’ by Scott Akerman. CC-BY-2.0 via Flickr
The post Touchy-feely politics appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Jerry Beck,
on 11/11/2014
As DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg knows, there's lot of benefits to being President Obama's BFF.
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By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 6/9/2014
Over the weekend, friends and family gathered at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. to honor the author and poet Maya Angelou, who passed away in May. Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama were among the featured speakers at the event. We've embedded the video for you to watch.
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By: Maryann Yin,
on 2/11/2013
Musician Janis Ian beat out First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, political commentator Rachel Maddow and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres for the “Best Spoken Word Album” Grammy award.
Ian narrated her own book for the win.
Audible released the audiobook edition of her nonfiction book, Society’s Child: My Autobiography, in June 2012. The hardcover print version of this book actually came out back in July 2008.
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By: Jason Boog,
on 12/7/2012
The Grammy Awards nominations have been revealed for 2013.
Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton lead the Best Spoken Word Album Category for the prestigious music awards.
Follow the links below to listen to free audiobook samples of all the nominated audiobooks below…
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By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 2/15/2012
‘Charlotte’s Web’ tops the list of the 100 best books for kids (according to Scholastic’s Parent & Child magazine. Many of our favorites made the list, including the classics “Goodnight Moon” and “A Wrinkle In Time.” Did your... Read the rest of this post
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By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 9/20/2011
Turn off the TV and head outdoors this Saturday for Nickelodeon’s Annual Day of Play (an international event that encourages kids and parents to be active. While technology can positively influence kids, Nickelodeon also wants to promote a healthy... Read the rest of this post
By: Dianna Dilworth,
on 9/13/2011
For comic book publisher Bluewater Productions, it’s not superheros that bring in the big bucks, it’s politicians.
According to a piece on Politico, the publisher has sold 130,000 copies of a comic about Michelle Obama. “She competes with Justin Bieber just a little bit,” Darren Davis, the company’s president told Politico about the bestseller.
Comics about other politicians are also popular sellers. Politico has more: “More than 25,000 copies of both Clinton and Palin’s comic books were sold, and Davis and Schultz haven’t looked back since, going on to produce comic books on political figures including Colin Powell, Ronald Reagan, Bill O’Reilly, Caroline Kennedy, Al Franken, Nancy Pelosi, Michelle Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger and George W. Bush.”
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By: Lauren,
on 9/2/2011
By Michael Otto Dear First Lady Obama: I am writing this letter in support of your Let’s Move campaign against obesity. As you well know, traditional recommendations for physical activity and good nutrition have met with failure in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control, rates of adults who engage in no leisure time physical activity have been in the range of 20-30% for over 20 years. Moreover, over 75% of individuals do not
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 5/4/2011
Trendy retailer Express (may have figured out how to monetize its Facebook presence — by adding a “shop” tab. The full Express line is available on the site, and the purchase process is fully contained within the Facebook frame. Oh,... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 4/12/2011
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity has some very positive aspects, and some very negative aspects. As Youth Advisory Board member Camilla Nord points out, encouraging exercise and healthy eating is great, but... Read the rest of this post
By: James Preller,
on 3/12/2011
I’ve been reading a lot about cyberbullying in preparation for Tuesday night’s panel discussion. Here’s a quick link dump of a sampling of the better articles.
Colin Archer/AP Photo
* White House Ready to Rumble With Cyberbullies: President Obama takes a strong stance against cyberbullying at a White House Bullying Prevention summit.
It’s something that we care about not only as president and first lady, but also as parents,” Michelle Obama said. “It’s tough enough being a kid today, and our children deserve the chance to learn and grow without constantly being picked on, made fun of, or worse.”
But according to a new survey released Wednesday, the issue simply isn’t getting enough attention.
The report, released by the National Cyber Security Alliance in collaboration with Microsoft, claims that just 26 percent of K-12 teachers surveyed have taught kids how to handle cyberbullying, versus 15 percent who have spoken to students about hate speech online.
* Cyberbullying and Suicide: A summary from the Cyberbullying Research Center. As summarized by Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D. and Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D.:
One factor that has been linked to suicidal ideation is experience with bullying. That is, youth who are bullied, or who bully others, are at an elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, attempts, and completed suicides. The reality of these links has been strengthened through research showing how experience with peer harassment (most often as a target but also as a perpetrator) contributes to depression, decreased self-worth, hopelessness, and loneliness — all of which are precursors to suicidal thoughts and behavior.
* Five Things Parents Should Know About Cyberbullying: Harrison Pennybaker reports:
It is unclear exactly how prevalent cyberbullying is. However, some statistics suggest that anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of youth in the United States encounter the phenomenon, although this figure varies depending on age. Since cyberbullying can be done by computers, cell phones and other devices, and since these devices are widely owned, the means to cyberbully are easily accessible.
* Cyberbullying an Epidemic, writes Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson.
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By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 12/2/2010
Footlocker launches Sneakerpedia (a comprehensive archive run "by and for" the sneakerhead community. Check out the trailer after the jump) (PSFK)
- Primetime on Netflix (might be coming soon. CEO Reed Hastings is offering studios up to $100,000 for... Read the rest of this post
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 9/30/2010
Michelle Obama partners with Disney (to tell kids to eat right and get some exercise. The first lady has joined the "Disney Magic of Healthy Living" campaign, which complements her own efforts against childhood obesity, and will appear in PSAs... Read the rest of this post
By: Becky H.,
on 9/20/2010
If you are looking for
something fun to do this weekend (other than reading a book, of course), then look no further! This Saturday, September 25th, The Library of Congress and Honorary Chairs, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, will hold the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington D.C.’s National Mall. The Festival, for the 10th year running, will celebrate the joy and magic of reading by bringing together authors, their fans, and book-lovers of any kind.
This year, over 70 authors, including Rosemary Wells, author of Bunny Money (a First Book favorite), and Katherine Paterson, the current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and author of the Newbery Medal- winning Jacob Have I Loved, will attend the event to discuss their work, talk with fans, and sign books.
So come join this tremendous celebration of literature this Saturday from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM in the National Mall!
For more information about the 2010 National Book Festival, including a complete list of authors and events, visit http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/.
By: Anastasia Goodstein,
on 7/13/2010
This month's Seventeen is Rihanna's first teen magazine cover since the Chris Brown scandal, which undoubtedly made for touchy call on editor in chief Ann Shoket's end of whether to address domestic abuse or gloss over it. In this case, the... Read the rest of this post
By: Rebecca,
on 3/8/2010
Health Behavior Change and Treatment Adherence: Evidence-based Guidelines for Improving Healthcare, by Leslie Martin, Kelly Haskard-Zolnierek and M. Robin DiMatteo, synthesizes the results from more than 50 years of empirical
research, resulting in simple, powerful, and practical guidance for health professionals who want to know the most effective strategies for helping their clients to put long-term health-relevant behavior changes into practice. In the original post below, Leslie Martin Professor of Psychology, LaSierra University., looks at Michelle Obama’s fight against obesity.
Michelle Obama is taking on America’s obesity problem—starting with kids. But health behaviors are notoriously difficult to change, and food-related modifications are especially challenging because they require adjustments in an area that we are forced to encounter multiple times each day. Going “cold turkey” from food is simply not possible—we have to eat! And exercise—well, we don’t have time, it’s not fun—the excuses come easily. Michelle, along with the rest of us, needs some tools with which to address this obesity problem.
While not magical, the three-factor model is both simple and powerful. A review of decades of research on adherence and health behavior change reveals that three components must be in place in order for individuals to successfully adopt and maintain the healthy behaviors to which they aspire. First, people must have information—they have to really understand what it is that they need to do, and why. Second, people must be motivated—they have to want to make the change (sometimes this stems from a good understanding of their medical issue and the repercussions associated with failing to make changes, but there are many other potent motivators). Third, people need strategies—barriers will be encountered and obstacles will arise, so plans must be in place for dealing with these. Making healthy behavior rewarding in the short term, even if the ultimate goal will take much longer to accomplish, is also an important strategy; and many others, all solidly grounded in empirical research, are outlined in our book.
The Information-Motivation-Strategy model is relevant to a whole host of health behaviors, not just weight management. It emphasizes the pivotal role that provider-patient communication plays at each stage in the process and recognizes that there is no single strategy that works for everyone—instead tailored, multifaceted approaches work best. Despite its strengths, there is nothing high-tech or expensive about the IMS model, which makes it especially compelling as we strive to improve the quality and efficiency of our healthcare systems.
By: Shari Lyle-Soffe ,
on 10/22/2009
This morning as I watched GMA I was reminded of time spent with my parents playing baseball, shooting hoops, throwing a football. Oh none of us were very good but what fun we had together. I worry that too many children and parents in this hectic world are relying on television and video games for entertainment and down time. Michelle Obama sets a wonderful example for all of us.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8888172
What can you and your family do together that will exercise your bodies, fill your lungs with fresh air, and bring a smile to your faces? Wii is not the only way. I would love to hear your comments on this issue.
Shari ;o)
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By: Donna Pellegata ,
on 9/29/2009
Sister Silence Opening Saturday October 17th 7pm
Celebrity artists including Peter Soronen, the designer for First Lady Michelle Obama!
(Click on the picture to read all of the exciting details!!!!)
The bra show is a fund raiser for the Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Charach Cancer Treatment Center in Commerce Township MI. The show runs through December 17th 2009.
By: Chandler A.,
on 6/30/2009
Last Thursday, June 25th, I was lucky enough to join the President, the First Lady, and hundreds of Congressional family members to prepare 15,000 backpacks with books and other items for the children of servicemen and women. With the incredibly generous support of Random House Children’s Books and Disney Publishing Worldwide, First Book was able to donate 30,000 books (two for each backpack!) with a retail value of almost $250,000.
The service event highlighted ‘United We Serve,’ President Obama’s call to all 
Americans to engage in service projects and create meaningful impact in their towns and communities. The ‘United We Serve’ summer service initiative began June 22nd and runs through the National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th. The initiative is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency dedicated to fostering service in communities across the country.
Curious about the books the President and the First Lady helped us pack? Here’s the list — full of great choices for your own summer reading!
By: Stacy Whitman,
on 9/10/2007
But apparently Winchester the cat is more longsuffering.
Not to say we haven't tried, mind. Note the pitiful look in Tildrum's eyes as he wears the baby bonnet my roommate made for her new niece. Note also that none of the pictures of Mogget turned out because he wouldn't hold still long enough.
In comparison: the blur that is Mogget:
Bravo Chandler, Kyle, the most dynamic Jane R. and the rest of the First Book team for taking such an important role in this great new initiative! The country is watching and citizens are starting to rally. Glad that First Book and your work to bring books to kids is getting a fresh round of attention. First Book is an investment in the future of America, in my opinion.
Great work, friends!