4 Charming 'SNL' Stories From Amy Poehler & Seth Meyers

As part of the promotional push for her new book, “Yes Please,” Amy Poehler sat down with Seth Meyers at New York’s 92Y on Wednesday to discuss her career, their friendship and “Saturday Night Live.” Poehler and Meyers were both hired before the start of the 2001-02 season, and shared the Weekend Update desk from 2006-08. Ahead, four of the best “SNL” anecdotes they shared with the 92Y audience (but not that one about Jon Hamm making Amy Poehler laugh while she was pregnant, because she might have told that one a billion times in the last month).

1. Amy’s Sarah Palin rap was one of Seth’s favorite “SNL” moments

sarah palin snl

“I was on the show for 12 and a half years, and there were maybe 10 times where you thought you fucking nailed it. That you wished no part of it had gone different,” Meyers said. “It’s like when baseball players hit the ball and flip the bat because they know it’s going out of the park.” That’s how Meyers felt about Poehler’s Sarah Palin rap during Weekend Update, which she performed while being nine months pregnant and in front of Palin herself.

“I was an animal. It’s really fun to be that pregnant because you freak everybody out,” Poehler said.

2. Amy thought Ashlee Simpson’s lip-sync flub wasn’t a big deal

ashlee simpson snl

It’s a story Poehler recounts in “Yes Please”: This is what the reaction was like backstage when Ashlee Simpson was caught lip-syncing during her “SNL” performance.

“We were about to do a Merv the Perv sketch. I was dressed as ‘Kill Bill.’ Rachel Dratch was Raggedy Ann. And Maya Rudolph was in a pregnant cat suit,” Poehler said. “They ran by, and it was one of those things where it was so hectic that we hid under the table.” Poehler recalled how Lesley Stahl happened to be backstage as well, as “60 Minutes” was following Lorne Michaels around for a segment on the “SNL” executive producer. Her recollection from under the table: “A thin lady with heels ran by.”

For Meyers, things were a little different. “I was getting hair and makeup, so I didn’t see it. It was like being in the town next over when Godzilla attacks. People ran by [screaming],” he said.

Despite the chaos, Poehler felt the incident would blow over.

“I remember drunkenly at the party being like it’s not a big deal, nobody’s going to care,” she said before mimicking her drunk voice. “‘Who cares? Nobody is going to talk about it tomorrow.'”

3. Johnny Knoxville apparently brought loose pills to “SNL”

johnny knoxville snl

When Johnny Knoxville hosted “SNL,” Rachel Dratch threw her back out after sneezing during the read-through couldn’t move. Fortunately, Knoxville was there to offer some assistance. “He reached into his pockets and pulled out 12 loose pills,” Poehler said. “None of them were downers. All of them only wanted to make you want to party.”

As it turned out, Dratch didn’t need Knoxville’s pharmaceuticals. She received help from the NBC doctor. “She brought the Vicodin, and Rachel didn’t want to take one,” Poehler said. “Everyone else was like, ‘You should take one.'”

4. Amy & Seth’s first show was after 9/11, and it started with a “beautiful joke”

snl rudolph guiliani

Poehler and Meyers both started on the show in 2001, and their first read-through was supposed to happen on Sept. 11.

“It was a very strange time to be starting a new job at a weekly comedy variety show,” Poehler said. “There was a lot of talk about comedy being over. There was a lot of, ‘Will we ever laugh again?’ That happened, of course, when JFK died. There were all these proclamations about when will we ever be able to get back. That felt truly … it really felt like we were never going to get back anywhere close to where we were. The wound felt so psychic. I was living in New York for six or seven years, so it was my hometown at that point.”

Poehler recalled how the aftermath of the terrorist attacks mixed with the jitters associated with starting a new job created an odd juxtaposition. “It was just that combination of, ‘Where are the bathrooms? And are we gonna die?'” she said. “Also there was anthrax in our building, which was great too.”

The season premiere aired on Sept. 29, 2001 with Reese Witherspoon as host. Paul Simon sang “The Boxer” at the beginning of the show as a group of first responders and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani appeared on stage. After Simon’s song, Lorne Michaels came out.

“It was a beautiful New York moment and there was that great joke where Lorne says to Mayor Giuliani, ‘Can we be funny?’ And Mayor Giuliani says, ‘Why start now?’ It’s so hard to write a joke like that. What fucking joke do you open with?” Poehler said. “It’s so self-effacing and funny. The mayor gets the laugh. It’s just a beautiful joke. We wanted the mayor to be in charge.”

After the show, Poehler and the cast went to the after-party with some of the first responders. “Those guys were a blast,” Poehler said. “They were just full of life, having seen so much sadness. Life and death, sadness and happiness live right next to each other. If you’re lucky you get to serve them both. That was an amazing time to be on that show for sure.”

I Was Too Poor for an Abortion

This post originally appeared on xoJane.

Anonymous

I was unemployed and attending college. My husband was working full-time at just a few cents above minimum wage. We could barely afford ourselves.

2014-09-25-uptown_pinktrees.jpgA soothing scene near the clinic

I had been getting fatter and throwing up nearly everyday.

I assumed it was because I had been eating (free) pizza proffered by a friend on a near-daily basis, despite being lactose intolerant. I’d had irregular periods all my life, even while on hormonal birth control, so I wasn’t concerned that I hadn’t had my period for a couple of months.

My husband was concerned, though. He had noticed my midsection growing larger, and thought it should be addressed, at least. Neither of us wanted children, and even if we did, we certainly couldn’t afford it. We had a credit card, and it was used just for buying groceries and gas.

I was unemployed and attending college (fully paid for by a loving relative). My husband was working full-time at just a few cents above minimum wage. We could barely afford ourselves.

“I really think you should just take the test,” he said.

So, finally, one day after class I stopped at a Safeway and picked up a pregnancy test.

I was pregnant. I had purchased a pee-stick that “Pregnant” or “Not Pregnant” so it was a little hard to get confused at the results.

I didn’t feel anything. Others talk of how their head swam, or they were terrified, or elated, or any number of emotions. Not me; I was blank. Perhaps it was shock.

I turned the corner from the bathroom to the bedroom, where my husband was lying in bed, reading.

“I’m pregnant.” I’m deadpan. Blank. Nothingness.

“Fuck!” His voice is terrified, erupting. But he doesn’t move. We stand there, silently, staring at each other.

***

I went to the doctor, where I dutifully peed in a cup to verify that I was, most definitely, with child. The doctor gently palpated my belly, and estimated that I was 14 weeks along.

The doctor asked me what I planned to do. Have the child? Terminate? Adoption?

“I want an abortion.” The words shot out of my mouth. There was no hesitation; I had known for years that if I had ever gotten pregnant, I would terminate. I had no moral qualms about it, even though my family was all devoutly pro-life.

I was given the number of a clinic in town that did abortions through the second trimester.

2014-09-25-tsunami_evac.jpgMy feelings encapsulated in a sign.

The clinic told me it was 800 dollars and a one-day procedure, if I could get in soon enough. After 15 weeks, the price would go up and the procedure would take two days.

I felt like throwing up, and for once, it wasn’t from morning sickness. How the hell could we scrape together enough money? There was no one we could ask for such a sizable amount. We couldn’t even afford a third of that in a week by ourselves.

After some frantic and tear-filled Googling, I discovered that our state covered abortion. Well, sort of. There was a full reimbursement, but we would have to get the money up front. Plus, we had to get insurance.

This was the most stressful point in my life, ever, and it severely strained our marriage. I was growing larger by the day — turns out I am not one of those women that stay small for quite a while; I had a definite baby-bump going on.

As a pregnant lady, I was allowed to have my request for insurance expedited. This meant that I should have insurance in 30 days. Thirty days meant that I would be nearly 20 weeks along. I hoped that the bureaucrats would be quick.

The bureaucrats were maddeningly slow. It had been two weeks, and we had heard nothing. Finally, one day a thin white envelope from the state arrived. I let my hope get the better of me, and my stomach dropped like lead when I realized the letter was informing me to get documents from my doctor. Documents I thought the clinic had already mailed out.

In a panic, I called the doctor and asked her to please, please get whatever it is mailed out. Turns out she had been on vacation for a week and nothing had gotten done. She promised to fax it over that day.

It was 30 days exactly before my husband and I got a letter saying that we now held state health-care. I got on the phone immediately with the abortion clinic, and made the soonest possible appointment — a few days later in the week. I was told the fees would now be around $,1200 and I would have to make two trips there: once for counseling and to have my cervix softened, and the next day for the surgery.

We still didn’t have the money, not even close. What we did have, though, was our credit card. We would max it out, and then later be reimbursed some months down the line.

2014-09-25-hospital_sign.jpgUnlike this WW2 hospital, mine was clean, sterile, and modern.

A few days later I had just finished with the counseling session and was undergoing an ultrasound to see just how far along I was. No one had ever actually verified where in my pregnancy I was, other than a guess made by my doctor.

My doctor was wrong. How far wrong, I’m not actually certain and will never know. The ultrasound technician had an unreadable expression on her face, and let me know that I was further along than I had been told. However, she was going to mark it down as 19 weeks and some number of days.

Most likely, I was 20 weeks or more along, which meant that had she not done so, I would have been unable to get an abortion, as there was no medical need for it. If it had not been for that kind woman (and health care), I would have a five-year-old today.

I was too poor to have a baby, and too poor to have an abortion.

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Best Journalism of the Election Season by Local Reporters

Here’s my list of top election-season journalism by local reporters:

Fox 31 Denver’s Eli Stokols didn’t take Cory Gardner’s falsehood for an answer on personhood. And, and in the same five-star interview, he tried harder than any other journalist to get a straight answer from Gardner on the details of his health insurance plan.

Only the Colorado Independent’s Susan Greene offered a comprehensive look (with Mike Keefe cartoon) at the extreme right-wing comments of gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez. See Bob Beauprez’s Last Eight Years: Conservatism at its Extremes.

The Associated Press’ Nick Riccardi explains why senatorial candidate Cory Gardner says he favors immigration reform. And he points out that that Gardner’s actual support for reform proposals is limited and illusive.

Corey Hutchins, who writes for a variety of outlets, broke the shocking story on Medium about Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) urging a military revolt against Obama. (Reminder: Our country is at war.) This instantly made Lamborn vulnerable, even if remotely so.

9News’ Brandon Rittiman was the first local journalist to press senatorial candidate Cory Gardner on the hypocrisy of his withdrawing support for state personhood measures but remaining a co-sponsor of a federal personhood bill. Other journalists, besides Stokols and Rittiman, deserve credit for challenging Gardner on this: 9News’ Kyle ClarkThe Grand Junction Sentinel’s Charles Ashby, The Denver Post’s Lynn Bartels, and The Durango Herald’s Peter Marcus.

Stokols wrote the definitive piece on Rocky Mountain Gun Owners toxic impact on Colorado Republican Party’s election prospects. See The New Front in Dudley Brown’s War: Jefferson County.

Colorado Community Media’s Vic Vela provided the first comprehensive look at the Republican turmoil in all-powerful Jefferson County. See Jeffco Limps Forward in Races.

The Denver Post’s John Frank wrote an insightful piece on the potential impact on the election of the school-board protests in Jefferson County.

They err themselves, but local TV news fact checkers Shaun Boyd (CBS4), Brandon Rittiman (9News), and sometimes Eli Stokols make a huge contribution to rational electoral debate with their Reality Check, Truth Test, and Fact or Fiction pieces.

Freelance journalist Sandra Fish filled a media gap with detailed reports on election-ad spending, mostly written for Colorado Public Radio (e.g., here and here).

The Associated Press’ Kristen Wyatt was quick to expose Gardner’s hollow claim of being a leader of Colorado’s new energy economy. See Senate candidate in Colo. touts a failed measure.

The Denver Post’s Mark Matthews wrote intelligently about how the outcome of the Coffman-Romanoff race, in district whose demographics reflect America’s, could portend how well the GOP does in 2016. See GOP incumbent in Colorado 6th CD in a Race with Implications for 2016.

Denver’s longtime TV talk-show host Aaron Harbor churned out an ambitious series of TV programming focusing on major election issues and candidates. An unbelievable TV public-affairs-programming resource for the election cycle. Probably nothing like it in the country.

The Denver Post’s Lynn Bartels told the story of how the grand fracking compromise was reached, with its implications for the upcoming election. See Let’s Make a Deal: How Colorado Came to a Fracking Compromise.

Finally, and I’m a progressive media critic being completely objective here, the Colorado Independent‘s Mike Littwin has been brilliant over the past few months, writing with humor and insight that you can’t help but appreciate, even if you love the people he lampoons or shreds.

All in all, at a time when everyone complains about the demise of local journalism, we saw some great stuff. Of course, there were epic lapses, but I’ll get into those later, or perhaps at our (bipartisan) Nov. 11 panel discussion on media coverage of the 2014 election.

Peshmerga Fighters Bring Weapons To Kobani, Prepare To Battle ISIS

MURSITPINAR, Turkey (AP) — Iraqi peshmerga fighters prepared Saturday to battle Islamic State group militants in the Syrian border town of Kobani, just hours after they arrived in a town that’s become a focal point in the battle against the extremists.

The force brought in badly needed heavy weapons including artillery, heavy machine guns and anti-tank missiles, material that could tip the balance of power in favor of the embattled Kurds fighting there. The deployment came as Syria’s al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front scored a major victory against a moderate rebel faction, capturing their headquarters as well as the mountainous strategic region of Jabal al-Zawiya in the northwestern province of Idlib. Jabal al-Zawiya was one of the first areas to fall out of President Bashar Assad’s control after the uprising against his government began in March 2011.

The push in Idlib against the moderate rebel faction could be a blow to the U.S. as it plans to work with moderate rebel factions in the future to fight jihadis and Assad’s forces.

“This is a blow to the Syrian moderate opposition in general,” said Asad Kanjo, an activist based in Idlib via Skype.

Shorsh Hassan, a spokesman for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or YPG, said the peshmerga and the YPG are preparing a role for Iraqi Kurdish troops. Hassan’s comments came after some 150 peshmerga fighters on Friday night entered Kobani to fight the extremist group that controls parts of the town.

“The priority will be to recapture Kobani neighborhoods that were taken by Daesh and then the goal is to liberate all villages in the countryside of Kobani,” Hassan said by telephone from Kobani, using an Arabic acronym to refer to the Islamic State group.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday that the peshmerga force had yet to take part in any battles in Kobani.

Mustafa Bali, a Kobani based activist, said the peshmerga force will play a supporting role and will mostly work inside the town adding that they still haven’t deployed. He added that YPG fighters will benefit from the weapons that the Iraqi Kurds brought with them.

Since mid-September, Islamic State group fighters have captured dozens of predominantly Kurdish villages near Kobani and entered the town they have been trying to capture for weeks. More than 200,000 people have fled to Turkey and more than 800 people have died, activists say.

Islamic State group positions in Kobani also have been targeted by more than 150 airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition over the past weeks.

On Saturday, the U.S. Central Command said American military forces conducted five airstrikes near Kobani that suppressed or destroyed nine Islamic State group fighting positions and struck one building used by the jihadis.

The Observatory said the Islamic State group launched another offensive Friday night on YPG-held areas in Kobani but failed to advance. The group, which relies on reports from activists on the ground in Syria, said that more than 100 jihadi fighters have been killed over the past three days in the clashes, as well as the U.S.-led airstrikes.

An Associated Press reporter on the Turkish side of the border facing Kobani said it sounded like several explosions struck the town early Saturday, though no more information about them was immediately available.

The U.S. Central Command said Friday that American warplanes conducted four airstrikes near Kobani, damaging four Islamic State fighting positions and one building occupied by the group.

In Idlib, the Nusra Front captured wide areas in Jabal al-Zawiya after five days of clashes with the moderate rebel Syrian Revolutionaries Front, the Observatory and Idlib-based Kanjo said. Among the areas capture was the village of Deir Sinbul that is home to the rebel faction headquarters, they said.

The Observatory said “tens” of fighters with the Syrian Revolutionaries Front have defected and joined the Nusra Front.

Jamal Maarouf, the leader of the Syrian Revolutionaries Front, said in a video released Saturday that his rebels withdrew from Jabal al-Zawiya “for the safety of civilians because this faction (Nusra Front) does not hesitate in killing civilians. We withdrew from Deir Sinbul to preserve the blood of civilians.”

“You (Nusra Front) killed more people than those the regime killed,,” Maarouf said.

Kanjo said that since the Nusra Front captured the Jabal al-Zawiya region they can now shell villages inhabited by members of Assad’s minority Alawite sect in the nearby province of Latakia. The country’s Sunni majority dominates opposition groups.

FCC considering backup system to prevent 911 service outages

FCC considering backup system to prevent 911 service outagesThe U.S. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has said it is looking into options for ways to power backup phone systems that would allow people to call 911 emergency services even in the event of a disaster or other causes of power outage. This comes after the FCC says it has observed a rise in 911 service outages, not necessarily caused … Continue reading

Why Space Travel Matters More Than Ever

Why Space Travel Matters More Than Ever

Yesterday, somewhere in the Mojave desert, investigators began the long process of understanding the events that led to the tragic accident that killed one pilot and left another injured. And even after they finish, plenty of questions about the future of the commercial space industry will remain. But the one we’ll always know the answer to is if space travel is worth pursuing.

Read more…



This Emergency Response Drone Carries a Defibrillator

The ambulance drone was invented by 23-year old Dutch student Alec Momont. Good idea Alec, but outfitting a drone with a defibrillator inside immediately makes me think that it will be used for evil purposes. Like say, instead of saving people, swooping down and electrocuting humans dead. At random.

ambulance drone 620x476magnify

Anyway I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for now. The unmanned remote-control flyer was designed to be able to reach cardiac arrest victims quicker than traditional emergency response teams, which have to go by road in most cases.

Basically if you see someone having a heart attack, you’ll call 911. The drone would then be dispatched and would find you using GPS. It has a webcam on board so professionals can help walk someone through the defibrillation process. It’s pretty cool actually. We could be looking at the future of emergency medicine here. On the other hand, we might just have created robots that could some day swoop down out of the sky and shock you just because.

[via Geekologie]

Why Flu Strikes In Winter

By: Rachael Rettner
Published: 10/31/2014 10:35 AM EDT on LiveScience

Winter is almost here, and that means there will likely be an increase in people getting the flu. Indeed, you may have already gotten your yearly flu shot in preparation for the season. But why is flu season in winter anyway?

In the United States, flu activity typically picks up in the fall, and peaks between December and February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, flu season is unpredictable, and can start as early as October, and continue as late as May.

Researchers don’t know for sure why the illness is more common in winter, but they have some ideas:

Studies suggest that under cold, dry conditions, flu virus particles can remain in the air for longer periods of time and travel longer distances than they can at higher temperatures. A 2008 study found that the outer coating of the flu virus hardens at colder temperatures, which allows the microbe to travel in the air from person to person.

“The virus likes to live in cold temperatures in the air,” said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “It seems to survive better in cold temperatures.” [6 Flu Vaccine Myths]

People also spend more time indoors in the winter, and congregate together for holiday gatherings, Horovitz said, which may provide more opportunities for the virus to spread to others.

Schools also start new sessions in September, which may allow for more spreading of the virus among kids, Dr. Bruce Lee, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, told Live Science in a 2012 interview.

The best way to protect yourself from the flu is to get an annual flu shot, the CDC said. The agency recommends a flu shot for everyone ages 6 months and older.

Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

Copyright 2014 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

How Too Little Sleep Affects Us At Every Age

As an adult, you’re used to the tell-tale signs of getting too little sleep: You’re famished, emotional and in serious need of caffeine.

But it turns out a lack of sleep affects various age groups in different ways. Kids, for example, may be less likely to feel sluggish and feel riled up and hyper instead, according to Aneesa Das, M.D., a sleep specialist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

Meanwhile, teens might be at a higher risk for acne when they don’t get enough shut-eye and are more likely to make risky decisions behind the wheel, she explains in the video above.

Check out the full clip for more on the varying effects of sleep deprivation by age.

5 Simple Steps to Increase Daily Performance

Education, social connections, resume and pedigree are all helpful ingredients in today’s formula for success, but they’re not always the determining factors – although they might get you in the door for the job you want, they won’t keep you there. In our saturated business environment, performance and time management are the real secrets to success and may very well be the most valuable currency we have.

Today, the amusement park is the only place that has room for coasters. It takes expertise, energy, and innovative thinking to deliver successfully in today’s workplace. Those who perform and deliver by correctly managing their time will be here tomorrow; likewise, those who don’t will be gone before they know it.

Everyone has the same 10,080 minutes in a week. Yet some people have time to change the world, while others barely have time to change their socks. Having the energy to use your time effectively and efficiently is what drives success. If you’re looking to increase your daily performance and see a noticeable spike in productivity, try making these easy changes:


1. Be a creature of habit.
Have a daily routine–almost a ritual–that empowers you. Get up, go to work, eat, exercise and go to bed at the same time every day. Finding a routine that allows for optimal sleep and a healthy diet will also instantly decrease stress.

2. Take care of yourself first. High achievers have daily routines that allow them to take care of themselves before they take care of others. Some exercise first thing in the morning, others read or pray. These routines put them in a stress-free mindset before taking on the day. You’ll find that the effect is long-lasting: it will also help you manage tasks and prioritize later.

3. Eat for Energy. Eat all of the lean protein and raw or steamed veggies you want. Use healthy fats like olive oil and coconut oil for cooking, and drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. Indulge in the foods that help your body stay strong and healthy, and be cautious of everything else.

4. Exercise. There is no downside to exercise: it increases energy, boosts mood, stokes metabolism, increases stamina, and relieves stress. President John F. Kennedy once said, “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” I think the good President was trying to tell us if we want to be a good thinker, we need to get into the gym and be a bit of a stinker.

5. Schedule downtime. Even the most ambitious will burn out if they run too hard for too long. My business coach and friend, Dan Sullivan, stresses carving out some free time or time 100% away from work activities every day. He insists on it because he knows that you cannot be “on” all the time.

The key to a successful life is to use what you’ve got– your education, social connections, resume and pedigree– to bring value to the world. The best way to fulfill this goal is by being an energetic contributor to the environment you are in. Performance is today’s universal currency, and with the right focus on health and productivity you can enhance your performance and bring long-lasting value to your workplace.