about a green girl

a critical moment for our collective health

Calm, logical Bill Moyers:

If they cloned you, I would buy one of you ---immediately-- to keep in my living room and talk to everyday. Thank you for saying this out loud on your lovely show! ~Still a fan.

Deal with it Cate Blanchett!

On January 20, 2009 a new leader of the free world will take office. Are people banking too much on this new leader and the post baby-boomer generation? Is he so inspiring that he will move millions to repair decades of bad behavior? I suppose only time will tell. The country is made up of so many factions... but as a kid having grown up in the 90's, I can't help but be a bit impressed that only 15 years after the release of George Clinton's acclaimed rap anthem "Paint the White House Black", in which he enlisted the lyrical stylings of Ice Cube, Chuck D, and Flava Flav to draw attention to the racial divide in our country... there will actually be a non-white president. I'd like to think this is proof that there is hope for us all.

Last night's most interesting Golden Globe acceptance speech went to black cast member Tracy Morgan from the show 30 Rock on NBC. The Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood FOREIGN press. In his speech he exclaimed, "Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on. Welcome to post-racial America! I am the face of post-racial America. Deal with it Cate Blanchett!"

Is Cate Blanchett a racist? Hmmm.... I only had the show on for background noise as I folded laundry in the basement last night. When I heard that speech, I stopped and watched.

He added, "A black man can't get no love at the Emmys. I love you Europe!" I thought it was hilarious, and true...but the President of NBC, Jeff Zucker, looked pained and uncomfortable when the camera panned to him as Tracy remembered to thank him after he thanked the craft service workers. The video can be viewed here.

The history of race relations in our country is as disturbing to me as the ridiculous way we celebrate the wrong people and the wrong things in most of pop-culture. I know people are banking a whole lotta hope on this new president, but are respectable people really spending money on Barack Obama commemorative plates (these infomercials are in such heavy rotation, it is embarrassing,) when one in eight residents in America is on food stamps? If you MUST buy some junk to mark the historic occasion, how about buying something original and handmade by an ETSY artisan? This one-of-a-kind tote gives props to the historical benchmark and serves as an uber couture shopping tote and plastic bag alternative. Trendy, green, and not endorsed by the Franklin Mint. BETTER YET....save your money for your child's education or buy groceries for your local food pantry.

How can we have so much, so many opportunities and resources at our collective fingertips and yet not have ENOUGH; still want, need more. How could we have made such a mess of everything? The lives of those actors on that show last night are so different than most Americans, they mind as well live on MARS....(and by the looks of Mickey Rourke, he does,) but that is what we celebrate? Where can all of this vanity and misaligned morality lead us to? Do we really think one politician can "save" us? If Obama's brain doesn't explode from the pressure within the first 100 days, I will be impressed.

I liked this article and kept it "in the file" from New Years Eve 1998..written about the upcoming year by Otis Pike, a guy who shook up the status quo back in his day. If you don't know who he is, you should. Pike is one of the supporting players in history that no one knows much about, but he's one of those people who stood up and spoke up to try to make things better his whole life. 

I think his op-ed message from this yellowed, tattered, old article I clipped is just as relevant today, as I felt is was then. (Click here to read the article.)

 

Canada kills a family

Not everyone can write a check to support a worthy cause or spend an afternoon away from work and family to protest or support something they believe in. Many people I encounter want to reach outside the bubble of their own lives to help others, but often don't exactly know how to connect and make a difference while still keeping their own ship afloat.

However, there is something you can do that may help a family that has been through hell on earth. They are the Bagby family. A new two hour documentary titled: Dear Zachary has been written, directed, and produced by their long-time family friend Kurt Kuenne. It is a factual account of events that occurred in their lives from 2001-2003. DO NOT watch it if you are an emotional basket-case! Its twists and turns do not deliver the perfect, packaged ending of a Dateline special. But if you love documentaries, even tragic ones, and want to be motivated to help a cause....try and catch it when it airs on MSNBC again, or seek out a copy.

SPOILER ALERT! I want to tell you the basic plot, because if you are like me and get affected by visually seeing someone's pain, you need to be forewarned. Basically this Californian guy who is well loved by everyone, an only child of two good people, a newly graduated Doctor of Family Medicine.....gets killed by his older, sociopath girlfriend while they are finishing Medical school in Newfoundland, Canada. The woman flees back to the states, but then goes back to Canada where they let her out on bail--even though she is charged with first degree murder, etc. She already has two older kids from other men. She then tells the parents of this guy she has killed that she is pregnant with their murdered son's kid, and the DNA tests prove it's true. The child protection agency in Canada allows this woman to stay out on bail and care for this baby. The parents now have to deal with the woman who killed their son (including giving her money for diapers, food, etc.) in order to see and help care for their grandson. The grandson prefers the grandmother to his own mother (maybe sensing a lack of warmth or care.) The kid is 13 months old. The Canadian Government continues to let her roam, despite the ever-pending murder case. The parents go through the lawyers, do everything to get the grandson. The child protective services say her "alleged act of violence" was targeted (to their son) and therefore they have nothing to worry about. The crazy woman pulls the same behavior on another guy, who breaks up with her. A day later she ties the Bagby's 13 month old grandson to her chest with a sweater and drowns herself, and him, in the ocean.

The tragedy of the additional loss of baby Zachary could have been prevented had this woman not been let out on bail and been allowed custody of the child she had with the person she allegedly murdered, so says the investigation report conducted by Peter H. Markesteyn, M.D., F.C.A.P. and David C. Day, Q.C., commissioned by the Child & Youth Advocate's office of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Even if we aren't Canadian, we can help. You can write a letter by using the info provided here or send some snail mail or an email to the appropriate folks. Sharon Kayne, from the guestbook on the dear zachary website, complied this info for us. Many thanks for doing so.

From Sharon Kayne:

I was deeply moved by this film, and was grateful that Kurt suggested a course of action at the end: contact the Canadian Parliament and urge them to enact bail reform. If each of us took five minutes to do this, we could affect true change. I looked for contact info for Parliament, but found their website maddeningly vague. Did find contact info on the committees, but no info on which committee would handle bail reform. Below I’ve posted contact info on the two most likely committees, as well as the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Stephen Harper Office of the Prime Minister 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A2 Canada Email: pm@pm.gc.ca STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND NATIONAL SECURITY Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street House of Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Canada EMAIL: secu@parl.gc.ca STANDING COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street House of Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Canada EMAIL: JUST@parl.gc.ca

Additionally, I am sure these two brave survivors (David and Kate Bagby) would appreciate any prayers and positive intentions for them and their murdered son and grandson. They live in California now, and continue to travel to Canada to demand reform. You can email them at: dearzachary@earthlink.net

For Real...ality?

When I was in Junior High I discovered this show about young adults living in New York City in a loft together. They didn't look alike, or talk alike, or have the same ideas. It was an interesting show and I was hooked from day one. I liked the debate, the fashion, the exploration of the city in that time. I later found out that the show was called "The Real World" on MTV. It was 1992. The idea wasn't original. In the seventies the first type of show in this docu-"reality" genre was produced about a family going through a divorce. It was way ahead of its time. I think it was called American Family.
I love documentaries. Real life is so much more engaging and affecting to me than a production in pretend.

In 2008, there is Reality and there is Reality. Could they be more different?

Yes, I am DONE with most of the so called "reality" garbage that is on the air. I know the appeal for many is the train wreck action of seeing drunk idiots or stick figures with fake breasts and zero self worth crash and mate with each other, but I am just disgusted and bored with it all. Absorbing that trash into your mind does more harm than you'd imagine and even though people want to "escape", there are so many better ways to spend your time doing so.

However, I can't dog all of it. I was totally geeked to see a new season of Project Runway come back on. I love creative competition and the innovation of an artist put under repeated time constraints is something to marvel at. There is even a fellow from Troy, MI on the show. (Good luck, Joe!) Now you know, Project Runway is leaving BRAVO after this season and moving to Lifetime...so some moneymaker had a spot to fill and (as if to prove just how many times one idea can be bastardized...) they are adding an American Artist competition with Sarah Jessica Parker to the channel. Well, chalk up one more show which countless Americans will watch re-run marathons of (along with Top Chef, Top Design, Shear Genius, etc. etc.) I'll check it out and report back with a verdict. I subscribe to the belief that really amazing art most often takes liberal time and space to create, so I am not sure this format of "whip something up by midnight..." will net a great result.

I think traditional TV will be obsolete in a generation or two. The Internet has the upper hand. I tend to prefer You Tube these days. I mean TV will ALWAYS exist because of Advertising, but the Internet is so customizable that even if morons still WANT to be forced fed an interpreted reflection of pop-culture (i.e. Friends, Oprah, Grey's Anatomy...) they will just feed their preferences into it and out will pop 12 versions of LOST or HERO's for all sci-fi/action adventurers to enjoy. I mean it's already happening now for those willing to search out their entertainment online.

My new sitcom equivalent is a long bearded fellow on You Tube who gives a slow paced commentary on his personal/social issues of the day...from "What Dance Means to Me" to the "Earth"... He is a bit of a hypochondriac, unibomber, conspiracy theorist type (who probably pays women for company...) but to me his videos are too bizarre and comic to pass up.
It's just a man who looks like a cross between a deranged Santa Claus and the Frugal gourmet/pedophile in his easy chair spouting off  a bucks worth of knowledge or opinions at a snails pace in his best Walter Cronkite voice. You don't need to watch an entire video, but if you need a laugh...about 30 seconds should do it. Check him out. This is the face of weird old men in basement dens on computers. Real, reality. SCARY, but interesting!

The Procrastinator

Brilliant.

How much is it worth?

It's no secret that I love PBS. I’m a major Antiques Roadshow fan. I’ve loved it since I first saw it on BBC more than a decade ago. It has aired in the United Kingdom for 30 years. Currently, it airs on some, but not all, PBS stations in the U.S. and the format has remained virtually unchanged from the pilot program: a brief introduction to the location du jour followed by appraisals of a variety of items.

The American version of Antiques Roadshow started on PBS in 1996. While it follows the same format, there are some differences. The appraisers on the British version are more complimentary of the antiques and more sympathetic to the owners, while the American version seems to focus more on the valuation. Of course! Keep American's from pitching more valuable pieces of history in the landfill by appealing to their sense of GREED!

Since the Roadshow is coming to Grand Rapids this August, I have been on a mission to get tickets for my father-in-law who really wants to go. What a perfect surprise Father's Day gift! But alas, I have failed. Everyone in our family applied to be in the random drawing for a pair of the 6,800 tickets they give out after their April 20th deadline...and none (I repeat NONE,) of us got in. So I hit the Craigslist/Stub Hub beat trying to get them secondhand. (Yes, I know you aren't SUPPOSED to do this...) I was searching in vain anyhow because tickets aren't transferable, I later found out. 

If you see tickets posted somewhere for sale, they are fraudulent!
PBS knows how crazy antique/garage sale ladies and gentlemen search online to get what they want and they track this stuff. Should I have expected any less from my favorite, superior network?
My father-in-law has all of these great relics form his Dad's days in WWII, and it would have been so great to get him in. I guess he will have settle for a new tree for his garden.
Below is a clip of the most valuable thing ever brought to the Roadshow....and it makes me so happy to watch the man's reaction, (despite not getting to see my father-in-law in such a manner.) I guess we'll keep trying to get him in to future shows! In the meantime, you and I should both keep scouring those yard sales and flea markets for buried (or undiscovered) treasures!