Looking Back/Looking Forward

Earlier this week I went into Salt Lake City to have lunch with my mom.  I met her at her office and while waiting for her, I perused the miscellaneous items on her desk.  One item in particular caught my eye. A picture. This picture.  

That's me on my last day in the Philippines.  We were just about to enter the airport to head home; I weighed 150 pounds.  

When I got home, I went back to working at Winger's.  (I still work there, by the way, and I will probably work there forever because there is no escape.)  Anyway.  Now I weigh...not 150 pounds.  

I actually didn't really notice my weight gain at all- until I started seeing pictures of me on Facebook.  This picture, I've decided, is the last straw.  

That's me in the grey cardigan, in case you were wondering.

I'm really quite embarrassed by this picture.  Especially after a fellow missionary commented on it.  "Ang laki ng batch ko," she wrote.  I'm not that much bigger than I was, am I? I thought.  Apparently I am. 

So, here's a confession.  I, like so many other people, have body image issues.  It is common to think that only women suffer from body image issues, but research has shown that it affects more and more men each year.

Recent research has shown that Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a preoccupation with an imagined physical defect, affects just as many men as it does women.  BDD is not just limited to weight and body image, it also affects complexion, body hair, hair loss, and wrinkles.  

I'm determined to get back down to my on-the-mission weight.  It won't be easy.  But I'm gonna get there.  I have some really cool t-shirts and pants I desperately want to fit back in to. 

When Down Meant Up

Reagan's "trickle-down" economics in chart form!  

Let's Be Honest...

I came across a friend's blog (which hadn't been updated since early 2009) that had a list of links.  One of the links read as follows: "People Who Are Openly Biased."  Curious as to where this link lead, I clicked on it and was led to CNN's website. 


This struck me as odd for a number of reasons.  1) It was CNN.  I'm surprised they're still relevant.  2)CNN has such a wide assortment of hosts and contributors that it is near impossible for the network to have a prevailing bias.  3) Labeling CNN as "Openly Biased" is just plain stupid.  If there is an open bias at CNN that is still better than the obvious but denied bias (and bigotry) found at Fox News.  Remember, Fox News maintains that they're "Fair and Balanced," an Orwellian mantra if there ever was one.  


Assuming that CNN is an openly biased network, then it is still a more honest and genuine source of news when compared to a network like Fox News, that is obviously biased and persists to masquerade under the pretense of being "fair and balanced."

Die, Narrative, Die!

Die, Narrative, Die! will be an ongoing column in which I will air my frustration with narratives that are perpetuated in the media.  First up, the economy!

"It's the economy, stupid!" was one of the popular phrases used in Bill Clinton's successful 1992 Presidential campaign.  While it is true the state of the economy is one of the determining factors in the way people vote, the narrative that the economy is easy to fix, is quite frankly, false. 


Fixing the economy is a narrative that nearly every politician runs on.  Democrats say it.  Republicans say it.  And they all believe that they know how to fix it.  (And they're all probably lying.)


To blame the state of the economy on the government alone is disingenuous.  I am so tired of hearing people, who don't want government involved in the economy at all, complain the that the  government didn't do enough to prevent the recession and that it isn't presently doing enough to fix the economy.  Guess what, folks?  You can't have your cake and eat it too.  You can't say you stand for one principle but then affirm another when it's convenient.  


So many people (they're usually on Fox News) assert that they know how to fix the economy; to make it recession-proof.  They'll make the claim that all that needs to be done is pinpoint the areas of weakness in the market and correct them.  


This is, of course, a big fat lie.  The economy is not simple, at all, so don't buy into the narrative that it's an easy fix.  

Papers, Please

Welcome To Fabulous Terrible Arizona!

Separation Anxiety

Watch this video. Be smart. Be awesome.

I'm So Glad I'm Not That Guy

There is a fantastically devastating piece in this week's New Yorker on the paranoid roots of the tea party movement and their leader, Glenn Beck.  


The movement's ideology originates from a combination of Robert Welch's John Birch Society and W. Cleon Skousen's bizarre writings.  And neither man was notably sane.  They were each a strange brew of ideologue, conspiracy-theorist, and madman.  


How paranoid was Welch?  He saw Communist "goings on" everywhere; he even accused President Eisenhower of being a shadow-Communist.  And just bizarre was Skousen?  The Mormon journal Dialogue once wrote that Skousen was guilty of "inventing fantastic ideas and making inferences that go far beyond the bounds of honest commentary."  He clearly was not a man grounded in reality.  


Both men were loons, but their fringe beliefs were not allowed to enter the mainstream.  William F. Buckley (come back!), then the leading conservative thinker, would have none of their conspiracy theory peddling and dismissed them both.  But now, with the Rise of Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance, it seems that the crazier the theory, the more likely it is to enter the mainstream and be given credence; and that's just plain dumb.  


Giving the "out there" theories of Welch and Skousen any credibility diminishes the credibility of all political thought; conflating liberalism with totalitarianism isn't a mistake, it's sad, sorry, and just plain wrong.  Because of Beck's deliberately misleading and factually incorrect (or completely lacking) ramblings, conspiracies that were once left in the shadows of the right have been brought out into the sunlight and given an unfortunate form of legitimacy.  It's frustrating, infuriating, and I want it to stop.  


So for reason's sake, please stop listening to Glenn Beck, he's just making you look bad.  

And They Do It Sitting Down!

We sang this song in high school and it's a doosey of a song.  Anyway, I found this recording of it on YouTube and two things struck me about it.  First, that it's from the Philippines; I love that place! And second, they do it sitting down and it still sounds freaking amazing!  Good job, mga kapatid.  

Bad News For People Who Love Worse News

New research suggests that the ancient Mayan prophecy that the world will end in 2012 may be off by anywhere between 50 to 100 years.  Hooray!  I told you you can never take a Nicolas Cage movie seriously.


Please follow this link for the article.  

Rosebud For A New Generation

I saw The Social Network last night (finally!) and it was really great but I left it with one question: did Rooney Mara confirm Jesse Eisenberg as a friend?  


Also, on Mad Men, did Joan go through with it or not?  

That's Your New Spiderman, Movieland

,
Andrew Garfield, otherwise known as "that guy from the Facebook movie," has been cast as Peter Parker in the newest Spiderman film.


Emma Stone, has been cast as Gwen Stacy, aka, Black Cat.  This is an odd choice considering that Gwen's a blonde and Emma Stone is well, not blonde.

I'm actually pretty hopeful about this reboot. Alvin Sargent ("Paper Moon") was brought in to help write the script and Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight," "Inception) is reportedly the script doctor.  Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) is directing.  


After the sad, sad experience that was "Spiderman 3," the only direction to go is up.  My expectations at this point are considerably high, so keep your fingers crossed people.  

Film Club

The Social Network- 2010

See. This. Movie. Now.

Le Royaume

The Joke Is On You

It Was Only A Matter Of Time

Yet another reason to add to the "Reasons I Love Kristen Wiig" list.  Check out her hysterical send up of Christine O'Donnell's campaign ad.

Film Club

Wait Until Dark- 1967

I first saw Wait Until Dark when I was in 7th grade and it FREAKED me out.  No matter how many times I view the film, the climax still makes me jump out of my seat.  For those of you who have seen it, you know what I'm talking about.  

Now I Get It

Your source for hyper-partisan bullsh*t

Required Reading

Idiot America- Charles P. Pierce 

Selections

Since right-wing populism has at its heart an "anti-elitist" distrust of experience, talk radio offers the purest example of the Three Great Premises at work. A host is not judged a success by his command of the issues, but purely by whether what he says moves the ratings needle. (First Great Premise: Any theory is valid if it moves units.) If the needle moves enough, then the host is adjudged an expert (Second Great Premise: Anything can be true if someone says it loudly enough) and, if the host seems to argue passionately enough, then what he is saying is judged to be true simply because of how many people are listening to him say it (Third Great Premise: Fact is that which enough people believe. Truth is measured by how fervently they believe it.) Gordon Liddy is no longer a gun-toting crackpot. He has an audience. He must know something.

After an extensive study of talk radio, and of the television argument shows that talk radio helped spawn, Professor Andrew Cline of Washington University in St. Louis came up with a set of rules for modern American pundits.

1. Never be dull.

2. Embrace willfully ignorant simplicity.

3. The American public is stupid; treat them that way.

4. Always ignore the facts and the public record when it is convenient to do so.

"Television is an emotional medium," Cline explains. "It doesn't do reason well. This is entertainment, not analysis or reasoned discourse. Never employ a tightly reasoned argument where a flaming sound bite will do. The argument of the academic is sort of dull, but a good pissing match is fun to watch. To admit anything more complicated is to invite the suggestion that you may be wrong, and that can never be. Nuance is almost a pejorative term-as if nuance means we're trying to obfuscate."

There is some merit in being skeptical of experts. It is one of the most American of impulses. It drove almost all of the great cranks in our history. However, there is something amiss, in the notion that someone is an expert because of his success in another field as far from the subject under discussion as botany is from auto mechanics. If everyone is an expert, then nobody is. For example, Rush Limbaugh's expertise as regards, say, embryonic stem cell research is measured precisely by his ratings book, but his views on the subject are better known than those of someone doing the actual research, who alas, likely is not as gifted a broadcaster as he is. Consequently, Limbaugh's opinion is as well respected. Often, the television news networks-CNN is particularly fond of this-will bring on an assortment of talk show hosts to discuss issues even though, on the merits of the issues, most of them are fathoms out of their depth. But they all are good enough at what they do to stay on the air, so enough people must agree with them to make what they say true.

By adopting the ethos of talk radio, television has allowed Idiot America to run riot within all forms of public discourse.

Things To Not Do On Facebook

Put this in your "Not Only Is It Incredibly Annoying, No One Cares" file:  

• Posting pictures of your ultrasound on Facebook.
• Posting pictures of yourself on Facebook immediately after giving birth.
• Giving your, or your child's, bodily functions enough importance to devote a status update to them.  No one wants to know what your child just threw up; come to think of it, we don't even want to know that they just did.

And while we're on the topic of status updates, please consider the following as annoying as well:

• Updates about your colonoscopy.  
• "Going into surgery today."
• "Surgery went great."
• "Wish I'd have gone with the anesthesia."
• Updates about how drunk you are/were.
• "Got wasted last night."
• "So wasted."
• "Passed out in a plant last night."
• Updates about how absolutely miserable you are.
• "Waiting for a change in my life.  Send me good vibes, people!  I need your positive energy!"
• Updates about how much you can't wait for the weekend.
• "All I wanna do is PAAAAARRRTAAAY!"
• "Is it Friday yet?" (Posted on Monday morning, of course.)
• Updates about why you can't get a man.
• "Why can't guys just tell me what they want?"
• "Why are all guys jerks?"
• "Why do I always fall for the wrong guy."
• Updates about why you can't get a girl.
• "Why are girls so confusing?"
• "Girls are annoying.   Why can't they just make up their minds!"

Of course, the list goes on and on.  My point is, though, don't be that person that everyone has to eventually hide from their news feed.  

For further information, please take the time to check out the following slideshow.

This has been a Public Service Announcement on the behalf of people everywhere.  If you are in violation of one of these rules, it is requested that you discontinue your activity immediately for the well-being of the general public.  

Film Club

The Tingler- 1959

Smart People vs. Tea Partiers

It would be incredibly dishonest of me to not say that I am loving Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell.  She is a gift from political heaven; everything she says is comedy gold.  Not only is she so unintentionally hilarious, she's also incredibly unqualified.  

This is what happens when you nominate a super-fun, "non-witch" as your candidate to the Senate. 

Tea and Crackers

Rolling Stone's Matt Taibi has an excellent analysis of the tea party movement.  Here's a taste:

This, then, is the future of the Republican Party: Angry white voters hovering over their cash-stuffed mattresses with their kerosene lanterns, peering through the blinds at the oncoming hordes of suburban soccer moms they've mistaken for death-panel bureaucrats bent on exterminating anyone who isn't an illegal alien or a Kenyan anti-colonialist.

I will continue to say it: the tea party movement is made up of people who pretty much are loons and are not serious about responsible governance.  


Fortunately, only 22% of people believe that tea party sweetheart Sarah Palin is qualified to be president. 

Gotta Get Through This

I've been reading Jonathon Franzen's "Freedom" for the past two weeks, now and have really been enjoying it, but geez, it's so long!

In Heavy Rotation

Passion Pit- Manners

Bangarang

Film Club

The Haunting- 1963

It's no secret that "The Haunting" is one of my favorite movies. To me, it's not just another throw-away "horror movie," it's a masterpiece of the genre.  It relies on terror rather than horror to elicit emotions of fear in its audience.  While the film is not "scary" by the genre's definition today, it is still quite effectively chilling, and I thoroughly recommend it.  

Please enjoy one of my favorite scenes from the film as a preview.

Film Club

House on Haunted Hill- 1959

I insist you see this movie. Feel free to delight in all of its campiness and cheesy gimmicks.  The film makes almost no sense; it's like William Castle had a bunch of ideas he wanted to put in a movie but couldn't come up with an actual plot.  That said, this is one of my favorite Halloween movies because of the fact it is so gloriously bad.  

I Wish I Were More Eloquent

I have friend's who are much more eloquent than I am.  They are able to write beautiful and illuminating treatises on any given topic.  I hope that in this post I am able to get across just a part of my belief on the issue, and have it make sense.


I try to keep my "Life Me" separate from my "Politics Self"  But sometimes, my "Politics Self" suffocates my "Life Me" and things get messy.  It's when things get messy that things get uncomfortable, thus I do my best to keep the two as distinct and separate as possible.  But there are moments in which the two collide.  This happened on Sunday, during Conference, because of a talk by President Packer.  A lot has been said; deep wounds are being reopened by both sides, and it's very unpleasant.  Contention makes me very uncomfortable and I pretty much shut down and no longer want to participate- which is why I'd make a horrible television pundit.  


Moving on.  I find it necessary to make my opinion known on the issue.  I am not well versed in biology or psychology, so I can't approach the issue scientifically.  I'm also not learned enough to approach the topic theologically.  So for me, the issue of gay marriage becomes a political one.  


The recent spike in gay suicides saddens me deeply.  I think it's terribly sad that we live in a world where people are harassed and bullied for being who they are.  But we must be careful in making false equivalences.  President Packer's comments are nowhere close to the level of hate-speech found in the Westboro Baptist Church. Not that it justifies President Packer's comments, I'm just giving it some perspective.  


Personally, I don't find any of the arguments against gay marriage all that convincing, or at all for that matter.  This is because I don't think morality and religion should be invoked when it comes to policy.  I've yet to hear one case made for legally prohibiting gay marriage.  It has even been suggested that same-sex marriage is an American value and that by prohibiting it, we infringe on the freedom of others.  


What is it to me if two men or two women wish to enter into marriage?  It doesn't affect me.  It doesn't harm me.  I believe that people, no matter their race, religion, sex, etc. should not have their freedom restricted.  


I believe that the family is central to God's plan for his children. And I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is also sacred.  I believe that that marriage is necessary for eternal progression, but I cannot fathom how marriage between two men or two women is harmful to heterosexual marriage.  To me, gay marriage is so minimal a threat in comparison to divorce and infidelity.  To me, lusting in one's heart after another person, man or woman, after promising a spouse to be faithful to them only, is the greater threat.  


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always been behind in the times when it comes to civil rights, but that does not mean its members have to be.  The Church will probably never change its position on gay marriage, and that's the Church's prerogative.  I for one, however, support the right to marriage for all.  

Long Time Coming, pt. 2

The next day we went on a bus tour of Manhattan.  I found it very enjoyable, and very relaxing.  Walking, being an overrated method of transportation, it was nice to get bused around for an entire day.  The architecture in New York City is just awesome, no doubt about it; there is history in each building.

Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Our tour guide let us off the bus to get a look inside- it was neat.

Uptown is so different than Midtown.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Contrary to what our tour guide believes, the Rockefellers did not actually live here.

Carey Grant used to work here.

After the bus tour (which took most of the day) we went to Rockefeller Center to look for Tina Fey.  We didn't see her, and I was sad.  While we didn't find Tina Fey, we did manage to go to Top of the Rock and got a fantastic view of Manhattan.  

This is what happens when you spend all day on the top of a double-decker bus.
(Please don't tell my mom.)

From Bumper Stickers to Talk Shows

My friend Skylar posted this quote on his Facebook profile and I found it quite fitting.  Apparently everyone nowadays considers themselves to be an expert on Constitutional Law and expert political analysts. 

"The Constitution has too often been misused for personal gain. Individual desires have been palmed off as scholarship. Politicians have pandered to the public by compounding misunderstandings of Supreme Court decisions, not correcting them. Constitutional pronouncements appear everywhere, from bumper stickers to talk shows. Too many people appear in classrooms, pulpits, campaign platforms, and mass circulation magazines, telling us not what they believe the Constitution means, but what they insist it says, giving every appearance that they are the sole heirs of James Madison’s wisdom."- Robert Paul Wolff via Rex E. Lee

There was an excellent piece on this topic on The Daily Show a while back.  Please, watch it, learn and enjoy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
You're Welcome - Constitutional Crisis
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Too many people are being misled about what the Constitution does and does not say.  I've even heard people (by people I mean Glenn Beck loyalists) claim that the Supreme Court and other Federal judges are unconstitutional because they're not elected; to which the only reasonable response is a jaw dropped to floor in exasperation and disbelief.  

In Federalist 39, James Madison wrote, "It is sufficient for such a government that the persons administering it be appointed, either directly or indirectly, by the people..."  The fact that you disagree with the appointment or nomination and confirmation of a particular administrator or judge is not reason enough to deem the system "unconstitutional."

Defending the Constitution is a noble cause; defending your interpretation of the Constitution is delirious.  

Film Club

Vertigo- 1958

I Know What I Want For Christmas

If you can get me one of these, I will never say anything mean about you again.