http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/opinion/nora-ephron-the-best-mailgirl-ever .html?nl=todaysheadlines <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/opinion/nora-ephron-the-best-mailgirl-eve r.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120628> &emc=edit_th_20120628 The Best Mailgirl Ever Gail Collins NY Times Op-Ed: June 28, 2012 When Nora Ephron graduated from college in 1962, she applied for a job as a writer at Newsweek, was told women werent allowed to be writers there, and settled for mailgirl. I used that story as a kind of centerpiece in a book I wrote about American women because it reminded me of one of those old movies about a Broadway musical with pompous stars played by actors youve never heard of, plus Judy Garland in the back of the chorus. We talked about the grand saga of how the bad old days gave way to the womens movement one afternoon while she was cooking lunch in the apartment on the East Side where she lived with her husband, Nick Pileggi. (She famously said that the secret to life was marrying an Italian, but, obviously, she meant the secret was marrying Nick.) When she worked as an intern at the White House, she recalled, she took a man who was her then-fiancé on a tour of the White House past one fabulous room named after what color it was painted after another, until at the end he looked at her and said: No wife of mine is going to work in a place like this.
The whole world is going to remember Nora for her books and essays and scripts and blogs and, of course, movie directing. A rather hefty chunk of the world is going to remember her as a dear friend, because she had armies and armies of friends. Really, you are talking Normandy Invasion of friendship. (Are there still going to be book parties in New York? It seems inconceivable. Nora defined New York book parties. She was really more the point than the actual books.) Im pretty sure she would also want somebody to point out that she was an ardent feminist. She could get a little wry about the more self-obsessed aspects of the movement at its height, like the meetings where everyone was required to bring mirrors and examine their private parts. (It is hard not to long for the days when an evening with the girls meant bridge, she wrote.) But she was a proud defender of the cause, supporter of younger womens careers, and fearless in an industry that was not particularly welcoming of women in the directors chair. Also, since she was so glamorous and stupendously witty, she was an excellent life lesson for some of the people who have been insisting for the last 90 years that feminists are dour and wear unattractive shoes. Nora was a sort of universal organizer, giver of dinner parties, cheerleader of new projects. A while back, she co-founded the One-Time-Only Book Club, which gathered at her apartment to discuss The Golden Notebook, which most of us had been under the impression was one of our all-time favorites, until we read it for the first time in 30 years. The One-Time-Only Book Club actually did meet a second time, when we disagreed about Mrs. Dalloway and I thought Nora seemed a little frail. But she never said anything about being sick. I cant, looking back, ever remember her complaining about any physical issue that could not be described with a joke, or at a minimum, deep irony. Things I learned from Nora: The best restaurant in New York for calfs liver. The way to behave when youre in charge and you think other people might not really believe you know what youre doing, even though you really do. The fact that John Edwards was having an affair. (Look at how flushed his face is, she said, pointing to a YouTube posting of the presidential candidate and his videographer chatting on a campaign flight.) She was a master of multiple art forms. She was a fierce and loyal friend. In her later essays, she became her generations brilliant, brutal and funny chronicler of the aging of the pre-boomers. She totally transformed my opinion on the appropriate size of spoons. Once, years ago, we made a list of things to worry about. Her No. 1 was George W. Bush. I mentioned global warming. Not a middle-aged issue, she said. I was in Texas when she died, remembering that she had once made a movie in Austin and her entire crew got sick from an allergic reaction to cedar pollen. On the way into Dallas, my driver swerved to avoid another car and sort of flung me into the front seat. It was not very much of an accident at all, but I suddenly burst into a fit of loud weeping, scaring the poor man half to death. Nora could have turned this into a life lesson with an eminently quotable and totally true moral. Sniffling, I wondered what it would have been. Big girls dont cry? The tendency of second- and third-string mourners to attempt to turn the grieving process into a story thats all about them? She was so practical. It would probably have been about the critical importance of wearing seat belts. * * * Hi, all. Aside from the importance of the issue and articles, please note that the 2nd one appears in the Echo Park Patch, an on-line, community daily journal, edited by Anthea Raymond, brilliantly. She's totally on breaking news, with a tremendous variety of subjects, ongoing wide-ranging calendar and undaunted, editorial opinion. Also, a surprisingly (to me) interesting range of ads. I signed up on suggestion of a friend, several months ago, and met her when she called about the Ash Grove's exhibit and show in the Grammy Museum. She and photog guru Gary Raymond interviewed me and Jeff Landau, AG curator and web master, at the exhibit and outside my home. We became friends, but I learned about her law degree and scholastic achievements only when I was asked to promote the recent forum on Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood, which she mc'd and questioned the panel. When we spoke at the great spread, after the wonderful session, I complimented her on the event and chided her about her modesty. In talking about the Patch, she discloosed that she needed more subs to maintain her status. I offered to ask my subcribers (you) to give it a try and sign up. It's free, and there may be a Patch in your area; with a different editor, of course. So, youse guys who live in East Ho., Silver Lake, Echo Park, ELA, Burbank, et al, this is a double ask. Their Website is http://link.patch.com Thank you, Ed _____ From: Kathleen Hernandez [mailto:[email protected]] Here are two articles written by Robert Skeels an adult ed teacher and writer who is also a VFP vet. Both articles are important. As an Elementary teacher I see the value of Adult Ed every day in my students that I teach. These are the families who are able to help their kids the most. We need more not fewer. I hope for the day we don't have money for war instead. http://blog.ncladvocacy.org/2012/03/on-adult-educations-critical-role-in-soc ial-justice-2/#notes <blocked::http://http//blog.ncladvocacy.org/2012/03/on-adult-educations-crit ical-role-in-social-justice-2/#notes> Kathleen Hernandez _____ Dear Everyone, Please read. The cuts to Adult Ed. affect the parents, relatives and neighbors of our Early Ed.-High School students. Click on the link http://echopark.patch.com/blog_posts/blog-adult-education-rip <blocked::http://echopark.patch.com/blog_posts/blog-adult-education-rip> jd _____ No virus found in this message. 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