Sunday, August 31, 2008

OR Measure 58: Limits ESL Teaching To Two Years

OR Measure 58: PROHIBITS TEACHING PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT IN LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS
OR Elections: SUMMARY: Current law requires instruction in all school subject (except foreign languages) to be primarily in English; permits instruction in more than one language so students whose native language is not English can make early transition to English; requires schools to provide English courses for children unable to profit from classes taught in English. Measure provides that no public school student shall be taught in language other than English for more than two years, with expectation for classes teaching foreign language to English-speaking students. Limits "English immersion classes" (not defined) to no more than two years for students whose primary language is not English and who are not capable of being taught in English; after that, students shall be taught exclusively in English. Other provisions.

[_] Yes

“Yes” vote prohibits teaching public school student in language other than English for more than two years (exception for teaching foreign language to English speakers.)

"Yes":
FreedomWorks
Victoria Taft

From arguments in favor (pdf):
• Oregonians For Immigration Reform
• Traditional Prejudices Coalition
• Marion County Republican Exec. Cmte.
• OR Tax Payers United
[X] No

“No” vote retains requiring English courses for students unable to profit from classes taught in English, permitting multiple-language instruction to assist transition to English.

EMO (pdf): "Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon believes educational decisions of this nature should be made by teachers and educational experts at the local level . . . We are concerned that this two-year limitation on bilingual education will leave many Oregon students . . . unprepared to study in an English only classroom, resulting in their unnecessarily falling behind their peers in educational development. . . ."

"No":
WWeek
Portland Mercury
The Oregonian
Just Out

League of Women Voters
• ACLU (pdf)
ParentsAndTeachersKnowBetter.com
OR Working Families Party
• Ecumenical Ministries (pdf)
NARAL Pro-Choice
Jack Bogdanski

From ParentsAndTeachersKnowBetter.com Who We Are:
• OR PTA
• Amer. Federation of Teachers
• OR School Boards Assn
• Stand for Children
• The Chalkboard Project
• Confederation of OR School Administrators
• Elders in Action Commission
• Human Services Coalition of OR
• Tax Fairness OR
• Portland Jobs with Justice
• Human Services Coalition of OR
• OR Democratic Party
• MultCo Democrats
• Gov Ted Kulongoski
• fmr Gov Barbara Roberts
• fmr Gov Victor Atiyeh
• OR Superintdt of Public Instruction Susan Castillo
• Amer Assn of Univ Professors-PSU Chapter
• ONE Voice for Child Care
• United Church of Christ
• Amer Assn of Univ Women of OR
Basic Rights OR
• OR Business Assn
• OR Health Action Campaign
• United Way of Mid-Willamette Valley
• OR New Sanctuary Movement
• OR Action
• Community Alliance of Tenants
• Ainsworth UCC
• 2004 Teacher of the Year
• 2006 Teacher of the Year
• 13 unions, labor, and professional groups
OR "Family" Council: "lean toward a 'NO' vote"

MY FIRST IMPRESSION: Two years seems awfully short. I know I could not learn a language in such a short time and I can't certainly imagine learning in another language.

I do believe English should be the state's official language and students should be required to be taught in English. However, setting an arbitrary deadline is too harsh and micromanaging a classroom is unwise. We can't decide to write-off ESL students if they don't learn English fast enough.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

OR Measure 57: Increases Sentences and Addiction Treatment

INCREASES SENTENCES FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING, THEFT AGAINST ELDERLY AND SPECIFIED REPEAT PROPERTY AND IDENTITY THEFT CRIMES; REQUIRES ADDICTION TREATMENT FOR CERTAIN OFFENDERS.
OR Elections: SUMMARY: This measure increases prison sentences for specified drug and property crimes as follows:

  • Trafficking of methamphetamine, heroin, “ecstasy,” or cocaine: 34 - 130 months, depending on the quantity of drugs and criminal history;
  • Aggravated theft of over $10,000 where victim is elderly: 16 - 45 months, depending on criminal history;
  • Repeat offenses of identity theft, burglary, theft, robbery, mail theft, car theft, forgery, criminal mischief, credit card and check fraud: 18 - 30 months or 24 - 36 months, depending on seriousness of crime and number of past convictions.
This measure also requires treatment for certain addicted offenders at risk of reoffending; imposes sanctions for those who refuse treatment. Limits court's ability to reduce sentences. Provides grants to counties for operation of local jails, treatment services, intensive supervision and drug courts. If this measure passes with more votes than other specified measure on this ballot to impose minimum sentences for listed crimes, this measure controls and other measure will have no effect.

If this measure passes with fewer votes than other specified measure on this ballot to impose minimum sentences for listed crimes, this measure will have no effect. See Explanatory Statement for more information.

[X] Yes

“Yes” vote increases sentences for drug trafficking (methamphetamine, heroin, “ecstasy,” cocaine), theft against elderly and specified repeat property and identity theft crimes; requires addiction treatment for certain offenders; establishes this measure as alternative to other specified measure on this ballot to impose minimum sentences for listed crimes.

Yes:
WWeek
Portland Mercury
Portland Tribune
Just Out

League of Women Voters
Jack Bogdanski

From BetterWayToFightCrime.com Who We Are:
• OR Council of Police Assns
• Assn of OR Corrections Employees
• Assn of OR Chiefs of Police
• OR Assn of Community Corrections Directors
• Juvenile Parole Officers
• Federation of OR Parole & Probation Officers
• 27 District Attnys
• 7 Sheriffs
• OR Atty Gen Candidate John Kroger
• Community Alliance of Tenants
• Partnership for Safety and Justice
• Ainsworth UCC
Basic Rights OR
• MultCo Democrats
• Harvest House Missions
• One Voice for Childcare
• OR Consumer League
• OR Health Action Campaign
• OR Natural Resources Council ACTION
• ~6 senior groups
• ~8 labor & union groups
• ~3 officers

• OR Anti-Crime Alliance PAC (paid for argument in favor: pdf)
[_] No

“No” vote retains current laws, which provide lesser sentences for specified crimes and do not require treatment for addicted offenders.

EMO (pdf): ". . . EMO applauds the requirement for addiction treatment programs for offenders needing them, but notes that while this program is mandated by this measure, no new revenues are generated to fund this effort. . . "

"No":
The Oregonian

• Ecumenical Ministries (pdf)
OR AFSCME
OR "Family" Council
Victoria Taft
From arguments opposed (pdf):
• fmr OR Rep Kevin Mannix
• OR Anti-Crime Alliance PAC (paid for arguments opposed)
• 1 retired OSP trooper
• 1 retired sheriff sgt.
• Natl Lawyers Guild
Neutral:
OR Working Families Party
• ACLU (pdf): "So while the ACLU's state Board of Directors has voted to oppose both measures, that decision acknowledges that the approval of Measure 57 may be the only way to defeat Measure 61."

MY FIRST IMPRESSION: Leaning toward a yes vote. I'm not in favor of mandatory minimums laws. However, I believe this specific measure is in response to Measure 61 which is even more extreme.

Friday, August 29, 2008

McCain/woman '08?

I have to credit the McCain campaign for successfully stealing the spotlight after Obama's incredible acceptance speech last night. However, it is a surprisingly desperate and odd move on McCain's part. It completely undermines his more experience argument. As the oldest presidential candidate ever with pre-existing health issues, his first presidential decision seems needlessly risk-taking and disappointedly politically motivated.

Why would he choose a small state governor, Sarah Palin, who has held office in the third smallest state for not even two years? It's certainly not for her novice government leadership experience (her longest elected experience was eight years as mayor of Wasilla, a small, suburban strip-mall town of less than 6,000) or minor political success (she only needed 114K votes to become governor, less than many local elections in the US). (BTW: Initially, Palin reminded me of the smart-looking Tina Fey; however, Kenneth in the (212)'s shallowly primped "Karen" of "Will & Grace" comparison makes much more sense: Karen Walker for Veep?)

It's hard to argue that McCain chose Palin for any reason other than her gender. Could disappointed Hillary supporters really be pandered to so transparently?

Republicans obviously had trouble knowing how to counter the excitement regarding the Dems' barrier breaking first African American and first woman presidential candidates. Like when Bush, Jr. tried to nominate underqualified Harriet Miers to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, McCain seems to be using the Republican tactic of appointing any woman/minority regardless of qualification. If Palin is certainly not comparable to Hillary Clinton and more comparable to Mondale’s Geraldine Ferraro choice.

It is a small world though. I'm not certain, but I may have shook Palin's hand during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign. I was visiting my grandmother in Palmer, AK, during their town's annual parade. I was clueless about Alaska politics, but a Republican-looking woman from a gubernatorial campaign walked through and shook hands.

20060826-PalmerParage3

REVISED

OR Measure 56: Removes Property Tax Double Majority Requirement

AMENDS CONSTITUTION: PROVIDES THAT MAY AND NOVEMBER PROPERTY TAX ELECTIONS ARE DECIDED BY MAJORITY OF VOTERS VOTING.
OR Elections: SUMMARY: Current law requires that 50 percent of voters participate in an election (except general elections in even-numbered years) in order to pass local property tax measures to raise money for schools, police, libraries, parks or other local government services. This means that non-votes have the effect of a “no” vote where less than 50 percent of qualified voters participate. All other elections are determined by a majority of those who vote, with no voter turnout requirements. This measure eliminates the voter turnout requirement for local property tax elections held in May and November. As a result, for such elections, measures to raise money for schools, police, libraries, parks or other local government services become law when approved by a majority of those voting.

[X] Yes

“Yes” vote provides that majority of voters voting in May and November elections may pass local property tax measure to fund schools, police, local services.

EMO (pdf): "Anti-tax measures like the double-majority requirement have crippled the ability of state and local governments to provide effective services and address critical human needs. The passage of this measure is especially timely given the likely loss of federal timber revenues, which will leave many rural counties dramatically underfunded. . ."

"Yes":
WWeek
Portland Mercury
The Oregonian
Portland Tribune

League of Women Voters
• ACLU (pdf)
Basic Rights OR
DefendOregon.org
OR Working Families Party
Sierra Club
From Arguments in Favor: pdf, pdf, pdf:
• Gov. Ted Kulongoski
• Treasurer Randall Edwards
• Portland Mayor Tom Potter
• HP
• Stand for Children
• OR Business Assn
• OR Consumer League
• OR School Boards Assn
• PPS Board Dir. Bobbie Regan
• 8 labor groups
[_] No
“No” vote retains current law where non-votes have effect of “no” vote in certain local elections where less than 50 percent of voters participate. "No":
FreedomWorks
Jack Bogdanski
OR "Family" Council
Victoria Taft

From arguments in opposition (pdf):
• Taxpayer Assn of OR
• Americans For Prosperity - Washington County
• Bill Sizemore/OR Tax Payers United
• OR Sen Larry George

MY FIRST IMPRESSION: I've always been against double majority laws. First, why limit double majority laws to tax issues only? Are not all measures important? More importantly, counting irresponsible voters as "no" votes is not democratic. Registering to vote means taking responsibility. Voting in Oregon is so easy that there is no excuse for an anti-tax activist to claim it's too hard.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

OR Measure 55: Allows Legislators To Finish Term After Redistricting

AMENDS CONSTITUTION: CHANGES OPERATIVE DATE OF REDISTRICTING PLANS; ALLOWS AFFECTED LEGISLATORS TO FINISH TERM IN ORIGINAL DISTRICT
OR Elections: SUMMARY: Amends Oregon Constitution. Reapportionment, commonly called “redistricting” in Oregon, changes the lines of Oregon’s state Representative and state Senator districts every 10 years, based on results of the U.S. census. The next census is scheduled for 2010, with redistricting to be done in 2011. Currently, when a redistricting plan takes effect, and more than one Representative or Senator resides in the new district, one of the Representatives or Senators is assigned, temporarily, to another district. For example, in 2001 a Eugene Representative was assigned to represent a district in central Oregon. This measure would allow Representatives and Senators to continue to represent the districts from which they were elected for their full terms, with the new redistricting going into effect after the next general election.

[X] Yes

“Yes” vote changes date when new redistricting plans become law, which allows affected state Representatives and Senators to represent their districts for a full term.

"Yes":
WWeek
Portland Mercury
The Oregonian
Portland Tribune

League of Women Voters
Jack Bogdanski
OR "Family" Council
Victoria Taft

[_] No

“No” vote retains current law permitting state legislator to be reassigned to another district when redistricting plan results in multiple legislators living in one district.

Neutral:
• Ecumenical Ministries (pdf)
OR AFSCME
Basic Rights OR

MY FIRST IMPRESSION: Leaning toward a yes vote, but I'm a little concerned about unintended consequences.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

breaking down the ballot

As I've done in prior elections, I'll compile my voting research on the blog. With only 50 days until the Oregon ballots are mailed and a dozen state-wide measures and numerous local measures, candidates, I've decided to break-down the ballot and devote a daily posting to each measure. I'll summarize and update as I go.

OR Measure 54: Removes 21-Year-Old Voting Requirement

OR Measure 54: AMENDS CONSTITUTION: STANDARDIZES VOTING ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS WITH OTHER STATE AND LOCAL ELECTIONS
OR Elections: SUMMARY: Amends Oregon Constitution. The Oregon Constitution requires voters in school district elections to be 21 years of age and residents in the school district for six months. It also requires voters to pass a literacy test to vote in school district elections. This measure would eliminate these school district voter eligibility requirements because they are unenforceable under the United States Constitution and federal law. Voters in school district elections would still have to satisfy all other voter eligibility requirements for local, state and federal elections in Oregon. This measure would “clean up” the Oregon Constitution by deleting outdated and unenforceable language.

[X] Yes

“Yes” vote deletes unenforceable provisions relating to voter eligibility; deletion would have no substantive effect.

"Yes":
WWeek
Portland Mercury
The Oregonian
Portland Tribune

League of Women Voters
• Ecumenical Ministries (pdf)
Jack Bogdanski
OR "Family" Council
Victoria Taft
[_] No

“No” vote retains unenforceable provisions that require citizens to be 21 years of age to vote in school board elections.

Neutral OR AFSCME
Basic Rights OR

MY FIRST IMPRESSION: Not sure why the state felt the need to clutter the general election ballot with this housingkeeping measure.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

"Am I gay? No you have HOCD."

HOCDFreedotcom

I followed a Google ad link from a gay blog to this hilarious website entitled "Cure HOCD with EFT". It seems too ridiculous to be true, but yes for a $12.99 payment I can receive an electronic book from an anonymous author/publisher Patrick to cure my HOCD. The website doesn't explain what HOCD is (Homosexual Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?), but makes bold promises about how EFT (emotional freedom technique) will cure HOCD. Patrick is even certified and has an impressive 100% success rate:

. . . So I decided to use EFT on my remaining programming. Within a matter of a a couple weeks my inner and outer behavior had been cleared of HOCD. I was free to be me. Free to flirt and date girls. Free to fall in love, and most of all free to enjoy my life. I decided when I was finally free of this that I would share it with the world so everyone else with these struggles could release and overcome them. I became a certified EFT practitioner, and have healed 7 of 7 HOCD sufferers. The longest client took 3 weeks."

I'm certain the ex-gay industry is very concerned about the new competition.

REVISED: Oops, I initially assumed EFT stood for Electronic Funds Transfer which may have been an even more truthful representation for this gay cure technique.

another Rick Warren controversy (revised)

I haven't watched the McCain portion of this weekend's Saddleback Presidential Forum, but I am following the Rick Warren "Cone of Silence" controversy. Why would Warren tell the audience that McCain was in a "cone of silence" without knowing whether McCain had even arrived?

It is interesting that Warren is in the midst of another controversy surrounding his church's event involving liberal/progressives. In June, the gay activist group SoulForce believed Warren would meet with them when they planned on visiting his church. Unlike many of the other megachurches SoulForce visited, Warren's Saddleback Church apparently gave SoulForce the impression of receptiveness. Even Newsweek and The New York Times reported (and retracted/corrected) the Warren-SoulForce meeting would occur, but Warren later denied he agreed to meet with the activists and opposed SoulForce's visit. However, Warren's church staff did meet with SoulForce members in a closed door meeting, so obviously Warren's staff made some sort of arrangements to meet with SoulForce.

While these may seem like minor misunderstandings or miscommunications, they have caused significant controversies. It seems Warren is clueless in the management of his church's activities and/or he purposely feels the need to mislead liberal/progressives who visit his church. muddled trying to portray himself as a supposedly new brand of fair, open-minded evangelical while still maintaining the old style religious fundamentalism. Obviously only Warren knows what his true intentions are, but I hope he is more careful as he seeks the media/political spotlight and reign of the old Dobson/Robertson/Falwell's Religious Right.

(08/19/2008 REVISED after more pondering.)

Saturday, August 16, 2008

rave: appeals court rejects anti-gay referendum appeal (UPDATED)

Woo-hoo! The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected anti-gay groups' attempt to stop Oregon's domestic partnership law. The lawsuit itself had nothing to do with gay rights specifically but involved whether the state has the right to reject petition signatures. Anti-gay groups basically were asking the court to change the rules to allow the failed petition to go on the 2008 general election ballot and stop the law.

BasicRights.org:

. . . “The judges clearly understood the issues at stake in this case when they rejected the plaintiffs’ demand for special treatment,” said Basic Rights Oregon attorney Margaret Olney, who assisted the State’s attorneys in the defense. “The out-of-state groups behind this lawsuit failed to meet the minimum standards of public support for their unpopular agenda last year. The Court is saying unequivocally: you can’t change the rules just because you don’t like the outcome.” . . .

WWeek.com:

. . . According to Karynn Fish, spokesperson for Basic Rights Oregon, there is a footnote to today's ruling. "If the state had been forced to look at every single signature, the plaintiffs would have fallen short by an even wider margin," said Fish via phone from Eastern Oregon. "The process is weighted toward accepting signatures, not denying them.". . .

Gay rights supports' work is not over. BRO's Jeana Frazzini on JustOut.com:

. . . "We’re going to not only be keeping an eye on what’s happening in California this year, but looking at how we can support our neighbors to the south,” she said, referencing California’s upcoming Measure 8 ballot to preserve their recent same-sex marriage victory.

“The vote in California will be indicative of how we move forward… Domestic partnership is a bridge, and we remain committed to full marriage equality. It’s not just the work here in Oregon, but it’s part of the national picture.”

(More coverage: Merc, BlueOregon.com)


08/16/2008 UPDATE:

I finally found a response from the anti-gay plaintiffs' regarding the Appeals Court ruling. While the ruling was unrelated to gay rights or so-called 'family values', the fringe plaintiffs are desperately trying to spin the decision into a liberal-court-ruling-against-conservatives story. From The Oregonian/OregonLive.com:

. . . Marylin Shannon, a former Republican state senator from Brooks and chief petitioner on the referendum effort, said the 9th Circuit decision will only make the opposition stronger because it represents an attack on core values.

"The courts are not friendly to traditional values," she said. . . .

. . . "Today's 9th Circuit decision perfectly illustrates why, in November, we need to elect conservative legislators and state officials who respect our values, our democracy and Oregon's Constitution, which clearly defines marriage," said Craig Myers, a spokesman for Concerned Oregonians. . . .


The court's ruling is an interesting read -- especially to my novice law understanding. According to the decision (PDF via PortlandMercury.com), the plaintiffs had three arguments.

PLAINTIFF: 1. Petition Signature Verification Unfairly Burdens Voters' Rights

COURT: . . . Plaintiffs’ argument “proceeds from the erroneous assumption that a law that imposes any burden upon the right to vote must be subject to strict scrutiny.Burdick v. Takushi, 504 U.S. 428, 432 (1992). This premise is flawed. “States retain the power to regulate their own elections,” and “ ‘as a practical matter, there must be a substantial regulation of elections if they are to be fair and honest and if some sort of order, rather than chaos, is to accompany the democratic processes.’ ” Id. at 433 (quoting Storer v. Brown, 415 U.S. 724, 730 (1974)). . . .

PLAINTIFF: 2. ". . . the Secretary violated their equal protection and due process rights by not providing the same notice and opportunity to rehabilitate referendum signatures that is afforded to signers of vote-by-mail election ballots. . . ."

The court recognized the obvious. A voter signing a petition on a street corner with a paid signature gatherer isn't the same as voting. The state can set different procedures and the petition signature review is already weighted in favor of accepting invalid sigatures.

COURT: . . . These differences between referendum petitions and vote-by-mail ballots justify the minimal burden imposed on plaintiffs’ rights in this case.. . .

As pointed out by BRO's Karynn Fish, the court's footnote shows the anti-gay petitioners even had fewer valid signatures:

COURT: The state’s expert reviewed 556 of the signatures county elections officials verified as matching, only a small percentage of the total number of Referendum 303 signatures. She found sixty-five signatures in that small portion in which she would have ruled differently than the county officials —i.e., in sixty-five cases the handwriting expert would have concluded that the accepted petition signature did not match the voter registration card. By contrast, the expert reviewed all of the signatures that county elections officials determined did not match, and found only six cases in which she would have ruled differently. Thus, if the handwriting expert had verified all of the signatures, the petition would have lacked sufficient signatures by a far wider margin than the county elections officials determined.

PLAINTIFF: 3. ". . . county elections officials lack uniform statewide rules for verifying referendum signatures, violating the rule from Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000)."

The court affirmed that the state does have uniform statewide rules.

While the rural, Right wing activists would probably like to suggest the huge, urban, liberal, gay marriage-supportive Multnomah County is more bias against the anti-gay petition signers, the court's final point mentions that Multnomah County only rejected one signature:

COURT: . . . Finally, plaintiffs point to differences in the number of signatures rejected by various counties. For example, Hood River County rejected three of its twenty-one sampled signatures as non-matching; Multnomah County excluded only one non-matching signature from its 274 sampled signatures; and Washington County rejected seventeen of its 336 sampled signatures as non-matching. Plaintiffs contend that these differences demonstrate the absence of a uniform standard. This argument is without merit, for the reasons given by the district court. First, the statistical significance of these differences is questionable, considering the relatively small number of sampled signatures at issue. Second, signature gatherers in some counties do a better job than those in other counties. Most importantly, uniform standards can produce different results. Viewing the record as a whole, we are convinced that Oregon’s counties used the same uniform standard and thus would satisfy the requirements of Bush, if it were applicable. . . .

Friday, August 15, 2008

'How To Make Your Child A Gay Activist'

While poking through some of the conservative blogs, I came upon this funny 'How To Make Your Child A Gay Activist' blog post from Eve Tushnet. Here are some highlights:

. . . Let's say you, like many Christian parents, have a child with strong and lasting homosexual longings. . . .

. . . How do you make it as hard as possible for your child to accept Christian chastity and humility, rather than seeking solace in gay pride?

Let's begin at the beginning....

1. Worry about whether your kid is too girly or too tomboy. . . .

2. Let your kid think your love is conditional. . . .

What about when your child tells you he's gay?

3. Find someone to blame. . . .

4. Use the right phrases. "Risky lifestyle" is a good one; . . .

5. Now is a good time to bring up the Church's teachings. . . .

6. The only good gay is an ex-gay! . . .

What about the long term?

7. "Help" is a four-letter word. . . .

8. "Sorry" is for sissies. . . .

9. Most importantly, don't pray. . . .

(via Peter Ould's An Exercise in the Fundamentals of Orthodoxy blog)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Ms. Gordon's glamour shots

Gordon decided to pose for a photo shoot with Scott. The many moods of America's Next Top Cat:

Playful

IMG_9103.jpg, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Intuitive

IMG_9120.jpg, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Alert

IMG_9258.jpg
Originally uploaded by sweber4507
Matron

IMG_9125.jpg
Originally uploaded by sweber4507
Prowling

IMG_9152.jpg
Originally uploaded by sweber4507
Preening

IMG_9343.jpg
Originally uploaded by sweber4507
um, thoughtful

IMG_9551.jpg
Originally uploaded by sweber4507
working

IMG_9578.jpg
Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Friday, August 8, 2008

Dolly Parton?


Dolly Parton @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley, 8/5/08, originally uploaded by jkms.

Photo, stolen from Flickr, is from a concert earlier this week.

Last night, I paid back Scott for dragging him to the Elton John concert nearly two years ago. I could not have imagined ever going to a Dolly Parton concert. I was a little surprised he wanted to go since I've never heard him play her music, but apparently he has fond childhood memories of A Smoky Mountain Christmas.

I was a little concerned when I saw a few too many (more than zero) cowboy hats in the arena, but flaming gay men and drag queens seemed to out-number the cow hats. There were also a few young girls who apparently knew Dolly from "Hannah Montana".

Dolly was great. She sang and played a wide variety of music including a brave cover of Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy". I was surprised how much of the concert was her folksy banter with her devoted fans and reminiscing about her Smoky Mountain upbringing. So the concert was interesting and Dolly is very charming.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

latest obession: BBC America


Saturday afternoon tv - Gillian, originally uploaded by mikeybeartx.


How Clean is Your House? - Kim Woodburn & Aggi MacKenzie, originally uploaded by Bookmole's Pictures.

A little over a month ago, we decided to splurge and upgrade to digital cable. My latest obessions are BBC America's personal improvement shows You Are What You Eat and How Clean Is Your House?. It's great watching these shows' average (and sometimes sad) subjects willingly expose their personal embarrassments on TV (i.e. stretch marks and crusty toilets).

Both half-hour shows follow a simple format. Show how bad things are, confront the subjects, throw in a little scientific-sounding analysis, break the subjects down into weeping messes, give the subjects a plan, reveal the subjects' new life, and follow-up with the subjects a few weeks later. The major difference between these shows is the hosts' styles. The How Clean hosts are a little silly, but motherly and mostly gentle; whereas What You Eat's 'Dr.' Gillian McKeith uses a much harsher technique of blantantly telling what fat people (including myself) already know -- they're fat and unhealthy.

The best part of watching any personal improvement show is that we can take a little comfort knowing that things are not that bad (yet). Certainly, I could develope a more regular cleaning regiment and I'm not yet rolling down the fast food drive-through in my personal mobility device (yet). It should be said that many of the How Clean subjects seem to be hoaders or have some other psychological challenge. However, there is certainly room for improvement and I'm not that far from being a suitable What You Eat subject should there ever be a US version.

Inspired, I bought one of McKeith's books and did a little research on her. It doesn't take much Googling to discover there are numerous McKeith critics. Apparently, she has become a Martha Stewart-esque phenomenom in the UK and is much reviled. She earned her PhD online which has led to the show's network to remove the "Dr." from her title and refer to her as a nutritionalist. Many of her theories are questionable, but the most sensational technique on her show -- analysis of subjects feces -- as earned her the nickname "that poo lady". Her frequent complaint is that her subjects' poo smell foul, which would probably be accurate of most people's poo.

Regardless of the criticism, we may just try out her diet for fun soon although the cooking seems to be the major drawback.


No Dogs, originally uploaded by bitrot.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The X Files: I Want to Believe: D

[WARNING: Spoilers]


X Files 2 Movie Poster, originally uploaded by Daniel Mallaco.

Scott, Sheena and I saw The X Files: I Want to Believe the weekend before last. As fans of the series, we were all willing to give the movie a chance. It was a little neat to see a recap of what Mulder and Scully have been up to for the last ten years. Unfortunately, we discover that both have led reclusive and uninteresting lives since their 1990s heydays. And the romantic tension of ten years ago is now merely a booty call.

It seems after ten years, Chris Carter and co. would want to give the fans something for returning. Unfortunately, this movie seemed to include all the worse cliches of the series: a silly, uninteresting story with bad dialogue. Mulder's creepy brooding has gone from mysterious young-ish guy to middle-aged man with mental issues. Scully still has doubts and still secretly tests her beliefs. And she still provides psychobabble analyses of Mulder's desire to save his sister. The not so surprising cameo was Skinner who seems to have been the only character that has been able to move-on with life since the 1990s -- or at least up the chain of command.

In additional to the character's cliches, the story has some nearly offensive stereotypes. The writers seem to have major Catholic issues by portraying a heartless Catholic hospital and a colony of pedophile priests. And the bad guys are not just homicidal foreign immigrants, but child sex abuse survivors who same-sex marry in Massachusetts.

The most disappointing aspect though was that the movie has nothing to do with the alien conspiracy storyline which is what I'm sure most people want to see. Instead, the uninteresting story is a stand alone episode that only brings out the worse of the show. It seems this movie was an attempt to fleece fans without the embarrassment of a direct-to-DVD movie, but same budget.

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Dark Knight: A-ish

Scott, his-coworkers and I saw the The Dark Knight on its opening a couple of weeks ago. It's a great movie that lives-up to all of the positive reviews. It's needless to say, but I will anyway, Heath Ledger was great as the much darker Joker. My only criticism was having to watch a long movie in a crowded theater with little leg room made the experience unpleasant.

It's also a much darker and more realistic movie. It even makes its serious predessor Batman Begins seem a little cartoonish. It seems like this movie was made for those of us who grew up with Tim Burton's Batman and are now ready for an even darker story.

However, I have to admit that I do miss the silly, over-the-top, comic book movies Batman and Batman Forever. I can't believe it's been 19 years since the original Batman movie came out (well, excluding the TV series' 1966 Batman movie).