This past Sunday there was a featured article in the Tennessean about a "tent community" outside of Nashville in nearby Wilson County. Not exactly homeless people, but people living in tents and/or RV's on a campground (in which they do pay rent) instead of a house or apartment. They have community showers/bathrooms. Most are here because of lost jobs and houses due to the current economy. Today, there was a follow-up article on the outpouring of assistance that residents of this encampment, particularly the ones featured in the article, have received in the past 48 hours.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090714/NEWS01/907140355/Campground+residents++struggles+hit+home+with+readers
I used to work for a program that was often given positive press, which is always great because you definitely get a spike in donations and general community awareness of your cause. What always bothered me though, is that people were really insistent that they wanted to help the family that was featured in the article. We would get a few "general" donations of cash or material items, but most wanted to give specifically to the family. They'd call and ask for the kids' clothing sizes, donate Kroger cards, and many times write personal checks-made for hundreds or even thousands of dollars-directly to our client. They'd often include personal notes about how the story touched them in some way and they just felt like they needed to give. The good fortune of our agency choosing a family for the focus of an article literally could bring them more cash in a week than they'd make on their own in months. And the other hundreds of families we served, each as needy, each of their stories just as heartbreaking/inspiring, didn't get the same attention as they anonymously went about their lives, trying to make ends meet. At a point, I'd be instructed to try and gently steer people away from direct donations to a particular family and mention the many other families we could assist if a general contribution was made. I had people tell me that if they couldn't donate to the "featured" family directly, they wouldn't make a donation at all, despite being told that the family's current needs were all met but there were others they could help instead. What kind of logic is that? Because you don't have a visual of any of these other families, they are easy to ignore, but the one that you see that is in need you feel compelled to assist? Why we choose to give, and who we choose to give to, is fascinating to me.
It seems, based on this follow-up article today, that some of the same "psychology of giving" has affected this situation too. The article actually mentions someone that brought a photo from the paper of one of the residents in order to identify him and offer him employment. I mean, ultimately, that is good news, the guy may get a job, but for the residents of this community who weren't named and photographed for the article, will anyone reach out to them and offer employment to all? Now-I will note-the article does also mention donations of food, clothing, etc. that were made in general. But there were folks who offered to take one woman in particular to the store, doctor's appointments, etc due to her health problems. If another resident asks these same donors for a ride, will they agree to help?
I don't have a lot of money, but I'm the kind of person who thinks "every little bit helps" and you never know what your gift may mean to the person you are helping. How many of us have a friend or neighbor who might need a simple kindness every once in a while? Would it take an article in the Tennessean for us to feel bad enough about it to make an offer to give someone a ride, or offer to pick up extra groceries at the store? What a great reminder that not everyone in need will have a "help me" sign attached or be featured in the newspaper. Why not just offer help when you can give it, donate money or goods when you can, even if you don't have a photo you can look back on to say "look who I helped." Just because you can't see those who your donations or volunteer hours help doesn't make your assistance any less appreciated-or important.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Drop Your Stones
I haven't blogged in a while. I went on vacation, and came back to a world that has been kind of nauseating these past couple of weeks, and I feel like I rode the Hangman at Opryland one too many times, and my head hurts a little bit from all the jarring against the headrest.
Last night I sat on my couch, watching the televised memorial service for Steve McNair. If you are not a Nashvillian and/or NFL fan, Steve was our Tennessee Titans quarterback from the time the team moved from Houston to Nashville until about three years ago, when we couldn't afford to keep him anymore and he played his last two seasons with our arch-rivals the Baltimore Ravens, who at the time seemed to be trying to snatch up all of our players one by one. Anyway, Steve and his family still maintained ties in Nashville and moved back here upon his retirement. He's probably the most famous and well-respected athlete our city has ever been able to claim, and the fact that he claimed us right back made him one of our most popular residents. You really never heard anything bad about him, even when he was arrested a couple of times for DUIs, most people criticized the police for "just wanting to say they arrested a famous person." If anything, stories of his good works around town were par for the course, how he'd just show up at a school or children's hospital, no press, no media coverage. It seemed he was actually a really nice guy, genuinely interested making a difference.
But on the 4th of July, my best friend and her husband showed up at my parent's cookout with bad news-Steve McNair had been fatally shot, along with a woman, in an apartment near downtown. It was surreal-my first thought was perhaps a drug deal gone bad, or maybe something involving a prostitute. I mean, for someone to kill STEVE MCNAIR, our golden boy, there had to be something really shady going on-he had such a great reputation, I knew it would be something shocking. They weren't naming the woman, which seemed strange. Soon after the coverage began, they identified the woman as not his wife, but still no name. They also began stating the McNair had been killed, and the other woman "found dead." Not killed. I said to family and friends around the table that the wording seemed like a read-between-the-lines way of saying, murder-suicide. After a few days, and many salacious details about an extramarital relationship with a girl still in her teens when it began, that theory I formed sadly proved to be true. At first I was kind of angry-not even at this "role model's" poor choices and colossal lapse in judgement that cost him everything (which did irk me-why would a guy who had everything be such an idiot?), but at all of his friends and former teammates that basically pulled the "guy code" card when asked if any of them ever talked to him about the choices he was making. Stay out of your friend/teammate's business. As a girl, I cannot understand that logic. Friends, take note: If I ever witness you engaging in self-destructive behavior, I will confront you about it.
While most in Nashville are shocked by the manner in which his life was taken, most fans and media have chosen to focus on his extensive community service and athletic accomplishments, and ignore the elephant in the room. Our local papers and news outlets have referred to the woman as Steve's "girlfriend" while ESPN, Fox Sports, and a local Baltimore paper in which I read some coverage all called her the "mistress." Some bloggers blasted McNair by saying that real leadership begins at home, not on the field or in the community, while locally papers have listed the many charities he was involved in. Others used his death and the circumstances leading up to it to chastise all American men who may provide their families with plenty of money to take care of them but are otherwise absent. In fact, we don't know how much time he was spending with his children in the months up to his death while he was involved with this girl, and all evidence we have doesn't point to a lot, but many assumptions have been made that we can't verify in order to make an "example" of Steve McNair. In the aftermath of the Michael Jackson death, where reaction has been similar, it is an interesting concept to ponder-is all forgiven when we die? Whatever mistakes we have made in our lives, has the good we have contributed to society enough to make everyone forget about our flaws? Is it unfair or inappropriate to "speak ill of the dead" even if it is true? On one hand, flaws are what make us human. In Steve's case, I think this was the major point of shock for many: Air McNair, the larger than life athlete with an infectious smile, who we'd put on a pedestal, was human. He made mistakes. Like WE ALL DO.
Last night, while watching Titan's coach Jeff Fisher, an assortment of teammates, and charity associates eulogize Steve McNair with stories of athletic triumph and personal generosity, none of them mentioned Steve's now-obvious flaws. But when McNair's pastor, Bishop Joseph Walker III, took the mic for his turn, he walked right up to the "elephant" in the room and basically climbed on for a ride. But his message was beautiful, fitting, and immediately dissipated my anger and frustration about the coverage of this event, and gave me a peace about a lot of the discomfort I've felt while reading coverage of the deaths of Steve McNair and Michael Jackson. Bishop Walker told the story of the woman caught in adultery, brought to Jesus by the religious leaders of the community who wanted to stone her, according to law. Of course, Jesus drew the line in the sand and gave us one of the most often quoted verses of Scripture ever, "Let ye who is without sin cast the first stone." Bishop Walker then called for us all to "Drop our Stones" when we think about this tragic event, or when we Twitter, blog, or chat with each other. We are a very judgemental society. I know I often judge people unfairly. I'm female! We pick each other apart! I am aware of this. I also try very hard to be compassionate, and to remember that I don't know what someone has been through, is going through, or may soon be facing. But, I'm not perfect and clearly like to get on my high horse just like most everyone else-but if you read this blog you know that already.
While I didn't know Steve McNair, his death has served as a reminder for me: Drop Your Stones. None of us are perfect, but God loves us all and has commanded us to show that love to one another-in good times, in bad times, when we make mistakes, and even when we hurt each other. Rest in Peace Steve, and I pray that your children and family find comfort.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090710/SPORTS01/907100377/Excerpts+from+McNair+memorial+service+in+Nashville
Last night I sat on my couch, watching the televised memorial service for Steve McNair. If you are not a Nashvillian and/or NFL fan, Steve was our Tennessee Titans quarterback from the time the team moved from Houston to Nashville until about three years ago, when we couldn't afford to keep him anymore and he played his last two seasons with our arch-rivals the Baltimore Ravens, who at the time seemed to be trying to snatch up all of our players one by one. Anyway, Steve and his family still maintained ties in Nashville and moved back here upon his retirement. He's probably the most famous and well-respected athlete our city has ever been able to claim, and the fact that he claimed us right back made him one of our most popular residents. You really never heard anything bad about him, even when he was arrested a couple of times for DUIs, most people criticized the police for "just wanting to say they arrested a famous person." If anything, stories of his good works around town were par for the course, how he'd just show up at a school or children's hospital, no press, no media coverage. It seemed he was actually a really nice guy, genuinely interested making a difference.
But on the 4th of July, my best friend and her husband showed up at my parent's cookout with bad news-Steve McNair had been fatally shot, along with a woman, in an apartment near downtown. It was surreal-my first thought was perhaps a drug deal gone bad, or maybe something involving a prostitute. I mean, for someone to kill STEVE MCNAIR, our golden boy, there had to be something really shady going on-he had such a great reputation, I knew it would be something shocking. They weren't naming the woman, which seemed strange. Soon after the coverage began, they identified the woman as not his wife, but still no name. They also began stating the McNair had been killed, and the other woman "found dead." Not killed. I said to family and friends around the table that the wording seemed like a read-between-the-lines way of saying, murder-suicide. After a few days, and many salacious details about an extramarital relationship with a girl still in her teens when it began, that theory I formed sadly proved to be true. At first I was kind of angry-not even at this "role model's" poor choices and colossal lapse in judgement that cost him everything (which did irk me-why would a guy who had everything be such an idiot?), but at all of his friends and former teammates that basically pulled the "guy code" card when asked if any of them ever talked to him about the choices he was making. Stay out of your friend/teammate's business. As a girl, I cannot understand that logic. Friends, take note: If I ever witness you engaging in self-destructive behavior, I will confront you about it.
While most in Nashville are shocked by the manner in which his life was taken, most fans and media have chosen to focus on his extensive community service and athletic accomplishments, and ignore the elephant in the room. Our local papers and news outlets have referred to the woman as Steve's "girlfriend" while ESPN, Fox Sports, and a local Baltimore paper in which I read some coverage all called her the "mistress." Some bloggers blasted McNair by saying that real leadership begins at home, not on the field or in the community, while locally papers have listed the many charities he was involved in. Others used his death and the circumstances leading up to it to chastise all American men who may provide their families with plenty of money to take care of them but are otherwise absent. In fact, we don't know how much time he was spending with his children in the months up to his death while he was involved with this girl, and all evidence we have doesn't point to a lot, but many assumptions have been made that we can't verify in order to make an "example" of Steve McNair. In the aftermath of the Michael Jackson death, where reaction has been similar, it is an interesting concept to ponder-is all forgiven when we die? Whatever mistakes we have made in our lives, has the good we have contributed to society enough to make everyone forget about our flaws? Is it unfair or inappropriate to "speak ill of the dead" even if it is true? On one hand, flaws are what make us human. In Steve's case, I think this was the major point of shock for many: Air McNair, the larger than life athlete with an infectious smile, who we'd put on a pedestal, was human. He made mistakes. Like WE ALL DO.
Last night, while watching Titan's coach Jeff Fisher, an assortment of teammates, and charity associates eulogize Steve McNair with stories of athletic triumph and personal generosity, none of them mentioned Steve's now-obvious flaws. But when McNair's pastor, Bishop Joseph Walker III, took the mic for his turn, he walked right up to the "elephant" in the room and basically climbed on for a ride. But his message was beautiful, fitting, and immediately dissipated my anger and frustration about the coverage of this event, and gave me a peace about a lot of the discomfort I've felt while reading coverage of the deaths of Steve McNair and Michael Jackson. Bishop Walker told the story of the woman caught in adultery, brought to Jesus by the religious leaders of the community who wanted to stone her, according to law. Of course, Jesus drew the line in the sand and gave us one of the most often quoted verses of Scripture ever, "Let ye who is without sin cast the first stone." Bishop Walker then called for us all to "Drop our Stones" when we think about this tragic event, or when we Twitter, blog, or chat with each other. We are a very judgemental society. I know I often judge people unfairly. I'm female! We pick each other apart! I am aware of this. I also try very hard to be compassionate, and to remember that I don't know what someone has been through, is going through, or may soon be facing. But, I'm not perfect and clearly like to get on my high horse just like most everyone else-but if you read this blog you know that already.
While I didn't know Steve McNair, his death has served as a reminder for me: Drop Your Stones. None of us are perfect, but God loves us all and has commanded us to show that love to one another-in good times, in bad times, when we make mistakes, and even when we hurt each other. Rest in Peace Steve, and I pray that your children and family find comfort.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090710/SPORTS01/907100377/Excerpts+from+McNair+memorial+service+in+Nashville
Monday, June 15, 2009
"I'm tired of charring my a** on your back burner. "
That will make no sense if you did not see the season premiere of True Blood last night. But, even if you missed it, surely you will agree that it is one of the best tv quotes ever! Since I can't imagine when I will ever need to say it in real life, I thought I would say it here. Hee, hee.
I've been a neglectful blogger, but I've been a little overwhelmed. There was so much news in the past couple of weeks that would have been blog-worthy, but sometimes when it all hits at once I can't decide what to blog about and don't blog anything.
The good news today is that Nashville/Tennessee seems to have survived simultaneously hosting CMA Fest (aka the country music festival formerly known as Fan Fair) and Bonnaroo. As for me, I avoid the interstate and any event within a five mile radius of Broadway during this particular time of year. But all seems to have gone well, and ticket sales were up 7% despite this little recession we are in. While 4-day pass sales were down, single day tickets were up nearly 20%, so they assume the locals pitched in this year. Not me. While $30-$40 bucks for an evening with the superstars of country music is a GREAT deal (unlike the Fleetwood Mac concert this weekend I almost bought tickets to, until I found out they were nearly $100......yikes!) I just can't deal with the crowds.
We still have one more hurdle to get through...the CMT Awards are tomorrow night, and I hear that T-Pain will perform with Taylor Swift (huh?) and that Bill O'Reilly is a presenter (he knows that Nashville is a Blue City, right?). Stay tuned!
I've been a neglectful blogger, but I've been a little overwhelmed. There was so much news in the past couple of weeks that would have been blog-worthy, but sometimes when it all hits at once I can't decide what to blog about and don't blog anything.
The good news today is that Nashville/Tennessee seems to have survived simultaneously hosting CMA Fest (aka the country music festival formerly known as Fan Fair) and Bonnaroo. As for me, I avoid the interstate and any event within a five mile radius of Broadway during this particular time of year. But all seems to have gone well, and ticket sales were up 7% despite this little recession we are in. While 4-day pass sales were down, single day tickets were up nearly 20%, so they assume the locals pitched in this year. Not me. While $30-$40 bucks for an evening with the superstars of country music is a GREAT deal (unlike the Fleetwood Mac concert this weekend I almost bought tickets to, until I found out they were nearly $100......yikes!) I just can't deal with the crowds.
We still have one more hurdle to get through...the CMT Awards are tomorrow night, and I hear that T-Pain will perform with Taylor Swift (huh?) and that Bill O'Reilly is a presenter (he knows that Nashville is a Blue City, right?). Stay tuned!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Too Much TV!
With the abundance of season finales taking place this time of year, I've been spending way too much time in front of the TV lately! Not that the weather lent itself to me doing much else until this week came around, but I have been feeling like a bit of a couch potato and am beginning to wonder what I might do with all of this extra time once all of my "shows" are on hiatus.
Who else has been watching too much TV? Last week we had the season finale of LOST, Grey's, the Office, etc. This week-American Idol! The Mentalist! NCIS! (Nobody spoil me on that last one, I am a couple episodes behind). And if you haven't seen any of the aforementioned, and don't want to be spoiled, skip the rest of this post. I warned you!
Let's see...where to begin? How about LOST! OMG-deaths! fake death(s)?! Jacob is revealed! Who is the man in black? Did the losties really change history? If so, will they remember their little jaunt through time and space? Is Juliet really dead? Where the frak were Penny and Desmond? Better yet, what the frak ever happened to CLAIRE???? And how many boxes of Kleenex did you use crying over Juliet and Sawyer's tearful end? WHY IS KATE STILL ALIVE?So many questions....so few answers...so much room to speculate! So first off, I at first thought that maybe the bomb didn't really go off, that they just time traveled again, but now maybe I think it is a combination-Juliet did really set off Jughead, and as a result of all that energy colliding, and of course, the course of history changing and "course-correcting" everyone is set back into another time-I'm just not sure when. The present? Before the plane crashed? Have no idea how this will work! And did yall notice in the flashbacks where Jacob visited the losties at critical moments in their lives-he touched all of them? He also touched Ben at the end after he stabbed him. Something must happen when he touches you-it marks you in some way. Again, I have no idea how that works exactly. Another interesting development-apparently the visions of Christian, Claire, and other "dead" people are the Man in Black using their bodies to further his own mission-to kill Jacob. Apparently, dead is dead, and poor Locke was not resurrected but simply used as a vessel to create a "loophole" for MIB to be able to complete his plot against Jacob. Hmmmm. Must think more.
Grey's....well, I was hardcore about this show in the beginning, and lost a little interest as time went on and they kept changing the date/time the show came on. But, I have watched the last couple episodes, as I was interested in the Izzie/Alex wedding story and whether or not Iz would die. I mean, I did name my dog after the girl! Needed to see her through. But the more compelling storyline turned out to be a John Doe patient who was hit by a bus when he ran in front of it to push a woman out of the way, saving her life, but nearly ending his in the process. Badly burned and unidentifiable, unable to speak, the residents work to save his life. In the true OMG moment of the night, perhaps the whole series, the patient takes Meredith's hand and traces something into her palm: 007. George's nickname. Before Mer had even put it altogether, I had jumped up off the couch and gasped so loud it scared my dog. But, about that time, she also gets it and starts screaming "ITS GEORGE!!!!!" about the same time Izzie codes in Alex's arms after brain surgery and the team attempts to revive her despite the fact that she signed a DNR. Like, I thought I needed a Vicodin or something after this episode-I was a wreck. At the end, Iz and George meet on the elevator, him in a military uniform (he joined the army earlier that day, LOL) and her in her "prom dress"-the one she was wearing the night Denny died. Now, I think they both kicked the bucket big time, but apparently the blogosphere thought this was all ambiguous. Whatever, I think they are dead, and if not, I may actually be mad because I kind of cried and I don't like to cry if its not worth it. So they better be dead.
Office.....what can I say-Pam is pregnant! Can we say shotgun wedding next season?
And of course tonight-Idol crowns its winner. Didn't I tell yall to watch out for little Kris Allen? That's how those southern boys are-they sneak up on you with their charm and their quiet confidence. I knew early on he had a shot at the big prize-I believe I may have blogged so, but I am definitely too lazy to go back and look. So, will America prefer the subtle, laid back stylings of acoustic rocker Kris, or the in-your-face, dramatic stylings of glam rocker Adam Lambert? Folks have been calling this the Adam show from day one, but Kris obviously had a strong enough fan base to get him this far, so I would not totally count him out. Either way, they are both getting record deals at this point, and I will probably buy Kris's in a heartbeat, Adam's, not so much. Just not my type of music, but the boy can sing and I think he's a great role model-he's so comfortable in his own skin! That's always a good thing. They're both so different, and as long as Danny wasn't in the finals, I'm good with however it turns out. :)
So, after I catch up on some shows that I've missed (Gossip Girl, which I heard was underwhelming, and of course NCIS among them) I'll be done with TV and need a new hobby. Any suggestions?
Who else has been watching too much TV? Last week we had the season finale of LOST, Grey's, the Office, etc. This week-American Idol! The Mentalist! NCIS! (Nobody spoil me on that last one, I am a couple episodes behind). And if you haven't seen any of the aforementioned, and don't want to be spoiled, skip the rest of this post. I warned you!
Let's see...where to begin? How about LOST! OMG-deaths! fake death(s)?! Jacob is revealed! Who is the man in black? Did the losties really change history? If so, will they remember their little jaunt through time and space? Is Juliet really dead? Where the frak were Penny and Desmond? Better yet, what the frak ever happened to CLAIRE???? And how many boxes of Kleenex did you use crying over Juliet and Sawyer's tearful end? WHY IS KATE STILL ALIVE?So many questions....so few answers...so much room to speculate! So first off, I at first thought that maybe the bomb didn't really go off, that they just time traveled again, but now maybe I think it is a combination-Juliet did really set off Jughead, and as a result of all that energy colliding, and of course, the course of history changing and "course-correcting" everyone is set back into another time-I'm just not sure when. The present? Before the plane crashed? Have no idea how this will work! And did yall notice in the flashbacks where Jacob visited the losties at critical moments in their lives-he touched all of them? He also touched Ben at the end after he stabbed him. Something must happen when he touches you-it marks you in some way. Again, I have no idea how that works exactly. Another interesting development-apparently the visions of Christian, Claire, and other "dead" people are the Man in Black using their bodies to further his own mission-to kill Jacob. Apparently, dead is dead, and poor Locke was not resurrected but simply used as a vessel to create a "loophole" for MIB to be able to complete his plot against Jacob. Hmmmm. Must think more.
Grey's....well, I was hardcore about this show in the beginning, and lost a little interest as time went on and they kept changing the date/time the show came on. But, I have watched the last couple episodes, as I was interested in the Izzie/Alex wedding story and whether or not Iz would die. I mean, I did name my dog after the girl! Needed to see her through. But the more compelling storyline turned out to be a John Doe patient who was hit by a bus when he ran in front of it to push a woman out of the way, saving her life, but nearly ending his in the process. Badly burned and unidentifiable, unable to speak, the residents work to save his life. In the true OMG moment of the night, perhaps the whole series, the patient takes Meredith's hand and traces something into her palm: 007. George's nickname. Before Mer had even put it altogether, I had jumped up off the couch and gasped so loud it scared my dog. But, about that time, she also gets it and starts screaming "ITS GEORGE!!!!!" about the same time Izzie codes in Alex's arms after brain surgery and the team attempts to revive her despite the fact that she signed a DNR. Like, I thought I needed a Vicodin or something after this episode-I was a wreck. At the end, Iz and George meet on the elevator, him in a military uniform (he joined the army earlier that day, LOL) and her in her "prom dress"-the one she was wearing the night Denny died. Now, I think they both kicked the bucket big time, but apparently the blogosphere thought this was all ambiguous. Whatever, I think they are dead, and if not, I may actually be mad because I kind of cried and I don't like to cry if its not worth it. So they better be dead.
Office.....what can I say-Pam is pregnant! Can we say shotgun wedding next season?
And of course tonight-Idol crowns its winner. Didn't I tell yall to watch out for little Kris Allen? That's how those southern boys are-they sneak up on you with their charm and their quiet confidence. I knew early on he had a shot at the big prize-I believe I may have blogged so, but I am definitely too lazy to go back and look. So, will America prefer the subtle, laid back stylings of acoustic rocker Kris, or the in-your-face, dramatic stylings of glam rocker Adam Lambert? Folks have been calling this the Adam show from day one, but Kris obviously had a strong enough fan base to get him this far, so I would not totally count him out. Either way, they are both getting record deals at this point, and I will probably buy Kris's in a heartbeat, Adam's, not so much. Just not my type of music, but the boy can sing and I think he's a great role model-he's so comfortable in his own skin! That's always a good thing. They're both so different, and as long as Danny wasn't in the finals, I'm good with however it turns out. :)
So, after I catch up on some shows that I've missed (Gossip Girl, which I heard was underwhelming, and of course NCIS among them) I'll be done with TV and need a new hobby. Any suggestions?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Before and After
So I know this is not my photo blog, but I can't resist posting a before and after of my brother cutting TEN INCHES of hair off this weekend! I'm still not sure he is happy he did it but he is sending it to Locks of Love, so at least his will grow back if he wants and someone else will benefit!
In other news, since I've kind of slacked from blogging lately, yes, I am still watching American Idol, although if it ends up being a Danny-Adam finale I don't think I'll be watching then. This top 4 would be ok if Danny had gone home instead of Matt (still want to punch Danny, still don't know why). Poor Matt-I think his nerves just got the best of him most of the time. I'll totally buy his album though. I think he's a star! I saw this video of him on Ellen-I'm not sure he EVER sounded that good on the show, which means that he is probably going to do really well on the tour this summer just singing for fun. LOLz at Ellen jumping on the piano! Hopefully Danny goes this week (could happen-he's never been in the bottom three BUT his fan base has also not been scared silly into power-voting for him like Kris's and Adam's will be after they were B3 last week). Ok, probably wishful thinking on my part. A girl can dream.
And I totally meant to do an "Obama's 100 days" post, but just didn't have the time! So for your political snack today, I have been Netflix-ing documentaries like crazy lately. Last night I watched one called "The Education of Shelby Knox" which was part of a PBS teen-issue series. It follows a virginity-pledged, Republican parented, average teenage girl in Lubbock, TX, home of the highest teen pregnancy/STD rate in the US, as she becomes an activist challenging the policy of teaching "abstinence only" in high schools and discovers that many of her long held religious and social beliefs don't actually make a lot of sense to her once she thinks logically about them (her parents are also an interesting part of the story, as her mom and dad clearly don't agree with all of her decisions but are supportive of her anyway, her mom even going with her to a protest about gay rights). The contrast of Shelby's evolution as her own beliefs were challenged with a town that clearly had no ability to evolve was unbelievably striking.
So today, I had to google Shelby Knox to see what became of her, as the final credits simply have her going off to college with aspirations of becoming President one day. And, my search did NOT disappoint-Miss Knox did go to college, move to New York City, and is a full time writer/activist/feminist doing all kinds of fancy functions with Gloria Steinem and Lily Ledbetter and other feminist pioneers. She also has a blog that I'll be checking in on from time to time now chronicling her experiences and "continued education." Watch out for this one folks! If you watch the film you will see-she takes NO crap and is not afraid to tell it like she sees it, but is charming at the same time (her telling one particular Pastor he had no right to tell her she was a bad Christian-yowza! pretty ballsy for a teenage girl)....and you will love watching her and her arch-nemesis on the youth council (a "young Republican" who plans to run for Mayor of Lubbock one day). Anyway, interesting and very entertaining, and worth seeing the early days of this lady who is certainly going to be making headlines for many years to come.
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2005/shelbyknox/ About the film
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Miss California....sigh.
So, I can't say that I watched Miss USA whenever it was it came on the teevee, but I have heard all about runner-up Miss California. Poor Miss North Carolina (the winner)! Miss C is stealing all her thunder-those pageant girls sure can be mean! No one is talking about her but everyone is talking about the feud between Miss Cali and blogger Perez Hilton. If you have somehow missed this whole debacle, Miss C's question came from Perez Hilton (if you are not familiar: snarky gay celebrity blogger who draws penises coming out of celebrities' mouths and white trails coming out of their noses, among other things), and was along the lines of: Vermont just became the 4th state to legalize gay marriage, do you think the rest of the states should do the same?
Now, Miss C answered like this (quote): "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
Now Miss California says that she believes her beliefs about gay marriage may have cost her the crown. And maybe she is right-I mean, talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Or in her case, did her hair, makeup, and designed her gown. But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, she lost because her answer was incoherent and did not actually answer the question. I mean, "OPPOSITE" MARRIAGE? LOL! What is she talking about? And the whole point was that MOST people in this country DON'T have the choice-only four states do, but she stated that in this "land' everyone can choose. And "I think that I believe that" is totally bad grammar! If you are stating it, honey, we assume that these are your thoughts and your beliefs, you don't have to clarify that. And then, "No offense" is what you say when you know what you've said is offensive-basically a "sorry, but not really!" kind of thing. Thing is, Perez wasn't really asking her what her personal beliefs were-she offered them up freely! She could have said something like, "YES, since each state determines its own marriage laws, now is a great time to give the people of every state the opportunity to vote on this issue, like we did here in California." She could have left her views out of it, answered the question, and probably won.
Now, clearly she is proud of her stance, and has done many interviews defending her choice not to give a politically correct answer and stay true to her religious beliefs. To say that she lost because of it leaves out the fact that the answer was a rambling mess, regardless of the other implications. Her answer was simply ridiculous. So for her now to basically be saying that she was discriminated against because of her religious beliefs is completely ironic! Maybe if she had a hint of self-awareness she'd think, "hmm, it doesn't feel good when someone leaves you out because of the way you live your life," and connect the dots to see that is what she did when she told the people that fixed her hair, did her makeup, coached her, and were judging her that while they were good enough to give her highlights they weren't good enough to have what she has-the right to marry the person of their choice.
Oh, and to top it all off, this is the woman Michael Phelps is supposed to be "dating." I guess smoking pot and drinking are fine in this religion of hers. Oy!
Now, Miss C answered like this (quote): "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
Now Miss California says that she believes her beliefs about gay marriage may have cost her the crown. And maybe she is right-I mean, talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Or in her case, did her hair, makeup, and designed her gown. But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, she lost because her answer was incoherent and did not actually answer the question. I mean, "OPPOSITE" MARRIAGE? LOL! What is she talking about? And the whole point was that MOST people in this country DON'T have the choice-only four states do, but she stated that in this "land' everyone can choose. And "I think that I believe that" is totally bad grammar! If you are stating it, honey, we assume that these are your thoughts and your beliefs, you don't have to clarify that. And then, "No offense" is what you say when you know what you've said is offensive-basically a "sorry, but not really!" kind of thing. Thing is, Perez wasn't really asking her what her personal beliefs were-she offered them up freely! She could have said something like, "YES, since each state determines its own marriage laws, now is a great time to give the people of every state the opportunity to vote on this issue, like we did here in California." She could have left her views out of it, answered the question, and probably won.
Now, clearly she is proud of her stance, and has done many interviews defending her choice not to give a politically correct answer and stay true to her religious beliefs. To say that she lost because of it leaves out the fact that the answer was a rambling mess, regardless of the other implications. Her answer was simply ridiculous. So for her now to basically be saying that she was discriminated against because of her religious beliefs is completely ironic! Maybe if she had a hint of self-awareness she'd think, "hmm, it doesn't feel good when someone leaves you out because of the way you live your life," and connect the dots to see that is what she did when she told the people that fixed her hair, did her makeup, coached her, and were judging her that while they were good enough to give her highlights they weren't good enough to have what she has-the right to marry the person of their choice.
Oh, and to top it all off, this is the woman Michael Phelps is supposed to be "dating." I guess smoking pot and drinking are fine in this religion of hers. Oy!
Monday, April 6, 2009
It's Almost Tuesday...
Another Tuesday, another American Idol. Country week was pretty awesome, probably from low expectations, Motown week was a'aight, probably because Motown is awesome and as long as you sing in key its pretty hard to totally ruin it, although a couple of them tried (Megan-how could you do that to Stevie? And Danny Gokey-OMG-"Re-tay" is not a word, "Ready" is).
Then came last week. "Top Downloads." In other words: Sing whatever you want, we can't afford mentors every week in this economy. So this is the week they've been waiting for, the week they can be "current" and sing a song out of this decade, right? RIGHT? Sigh. NOT RIGHT. Only three contestants even picked songs sung in the last 10 years, and both got SLAMMED hard. Only one, Matt, picked a song out within the last year-and he got slammed hard-and didn't deserve it. Was it a little "soundalike" as one of the judges said? Sure. But Gokey's Rascal Flatt's cover didn't stray too far from the original either. (Side note: I really hope he is not trying to be a country singer.) Matt always looks so dejected when the judges criticize him. It makes me feel bad for him. It makes me mad that the judges only like him when he sings what they want him to sing. When he sings what he likes, they are mad because its not what they told him to do. Now, I know that (arguably) they are "professionals" and the kids should listen to them to a certain extent-after all, if they knew it all, they wouldn't have had to go on AI to try and get a record deal. BUT, if Matt wants to sing rock, they need to help him figure out how to mesh his abilities with that style. Note to Matt: Forget the Fray. (Love them, liked your in-the-round performance, but trying to keep you in the competition after multiple trips to the B3) Go listen to Amos Lee, Ray Lamontagne, James Morrison, and Ben Harper. Bluesy voices, making it work without having to sing R&B. That is your homework.
Anyway-someone who did knock it out of the park last week was little Kris Allen. Took an old song-one of the best songs EVER IMO-Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine-and made it current, playing the piano (we'd seen him on guitar or solo up to this point-man of many talents!), singing the H-E-C-K out of it, this kid didn't miss a note-and that is a HARD song. Best of all-he experimented with the phrasing and melody, so it wasn't "soundalike" (I think that is the new buzzword for this year). Loved.It.
And tomorrow is going to be "Songs from the Year you were Born" week (which brought us David Cook's "Billie Jean" moment last year) which is essentially 80's week, save for youngin' Allison, born in 1992. So, with everyone else being born between 1980 and '86, I think, here is what I think we could possibly hear come tomorrow night: Pat Benetar, George Michael/Wham, Prince (although I am not sure he clears his songs for Idol), Bryan Adams, Lionel Richie/Commodores, and maybe Bruce Springsteen. Its hard for me to think EARLY eighties because I was pretty young-I think Bon Jovi was probably a little past these folks birth date, but lots of AI peeps have done interesting Bon Jovi covers (the band themselves did an acoustic album of their eighties hits a few years ago). I can totally see Scott doing REO Speedwagon for some reason. LOL. Don't know why...anyway, I am sure I am way off but it is fun to guess!
I hope to NOT hear Phil Collins (or anyone else's version of True Colors for that matter), Chicago/Peter Cetera, Journey, Billy Joel, or Stevie Wonder. Nothing against any of them-love some of them very much-but folks had the chance to do Stevie last week, and the others are just WAY overdone on this show and unless you are going to change it up big time, it's probably not a good idea.
Anyway, I guess we'll see! And SHOUT OUT to the ladies of country music this week-despite country music long being a good ole boys club, the ladies DOMINATED the ACM Awards last night, with the biggest awards of the night going to two pretty young ladies-Carrie Underpants becoming the 7th woman ever to win Entertainer of the Year, and Taylor Swift winning album of the year for "Fearless." Now, I'm not a big Carrie fan, and I've seen her in concert and calling her a master entertainer is fine if you like people with the stage presence of a paper clip-but I am happy to see a lady win nonetheless. (Now Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland-that is an entertainer. But I digress.) And while Taylor Swift is pretty polarizing, you can't deny that selling a bajillion albums in four months doesn't deserve some kind of award, especially when we keep hearing how album sales are in the crapper and the music industry is dying. And I will admit that I am slightly biased, as my best friend's husband is one of Taylor's studio musicians AND I went to high school with that red-headed guy you saw on TV last night accepting the award (her producer). He used to charge me and his sister to drive us around in his old gas guzzling pickup truck. Anyway, happy to see people I know have success! Mazel Tov to the winners.
Then came last week. "Top Downloads." In other words: Sing whatever you want, we can't afford mentors every week in this economy. So this is the week they've been waiting for, the week they can be "current" and sing a song out of this decade, right? RIGHT? Sigh. NOT RIGHT. Only three contestants even picked songs sung in the last 10 years, and both got SLAMMED hard. Only one, Matt, picked a song out within the last year-and he got slammed hard-and didn't deserve it. Was it a little "soundalike" as one of the judges said? Sure. But Gokey's Rascal Flatt's cover didn't stray too far from the original either. (Side note: I really hope he is not trying to be a country singer.) Matt always looks so dejected when the judges criticize him. It makes me feel bad for him. It makes me mad that the judges only like him when he sings what they want him to sing. When he sings what he likes, they are mad because its not what they told him to do. Now, I know that (arguably) they are "professionals" and the kids should listen to them to a certain extent-after all, if they knew it all, they wouldn't have had to go on AI to try and get a record deal. BUT, if Matt wants to sing rock, they need to help him figure out how to mesh his abilities with that style. Note to Matt: Forget the Fray. (Love them, liked your in-the-round performance, but trying to keep you in the competition after multiple trips to the B3) Go listen to Amos Lee, Ray Lamontagne, James Morrison, and Ben Harper. Bluesy voices, making it work without having to sing R&B. That is your homework.
Anyway-someone who did knock it out of the park last week was little Kris Allen. Took an old song-one of the best songs EVER IMO-Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine-and made it current, playing the piano (we'd seen him on guitar or solo up to this point-man of many talents!), singing the H-E-C-K out of it, this kid didn't miss a note-and that is a HARD song. Best of all-he experimented with the phrasing and melody, so it wasn't "soundalike" (I think that is the new buzzword for this year). Loved.It.
And tomorrow is going to be "Songs from the Year you were Born" week (which brought us David Cook's "Billie Jean" moment last year) which is essentially 80's week, save for youngin' Allison, born in 1992. So, with everyone else being born between 1980 and '86, I think, here is what I think we could possibly hear come tomorrow night: Pat Benetar, George Michael/Wham, Prince (although I am not sure he clears his songs for Idol), Bryan Adams, Lionel Richie/Commodores, and maybe Bruce Springsteen. Its hard for me to think EARLY eighties because I was pretty young-I think Bon Jovi was probably a little past these folks birth date, but lots of AI peeps have done interesting Bon Jovi covers (the band themselves did an acoustic album of their eighties hits a few years ago). I can totally see Scott doing REO Speedwagon for some reason. LOL. Don't know why...anyway, I am sure I am way off but it is fun to guess!
I hope to NOT hear Phil Collins (or anyone else's version of True Colors for that matter), Chicago/Peter Cetera, Journey, Billy Joel, or Stevie Wonder. Nothing against any of them-love some of them very much-but folks had the chance to do Stevie last week, and the others are just WAY overdone on this show and unless you are going to change it up big time, it's probably not a good idea.
Anyway, I guess we'll see! And SHOUT OUT to the ladies of country music this week-despite country music long being a good ole boys club, the ladies DOMINATED the ACM Awards last night, with the biggest awards of the night going to two pretty young ladies-Carrie Underpants becoming the 7th woman ever to win Entertainer of the Year, and Taylor Swift winning album of the year for "Fearless." Now, I'm not a big Carrie fan, and I've seen her in concert and calling her a master entertainer is fine if you like people with the stage presence of a paper clip-but I am happy to see a lady win nonetheless. (Now Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland-that is an entertainer. But I digress.) And while Taylor Swift is pretty polarizing, you can't deny that selling a bajillion albums in four months doesn't deserve some kind of award, especially when we keep hearing how album sales are in the crapper and the music industry is dying. And I will admit that I am slightly biased, as my best friend's husband is one of Taylor's studio musicians AND I went to high school with that red-headed guy you saw on TV last night accepting the award (her producer). He used to charge me and his sister to drive us around in his old gas guzzling pickup truck. Anyway, happy to see people I know have success! Mazel Tov to the winners.
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