Category Archives: Politics and Culture

Uprising, Activism, Fictional Deaf Kids and a Need for Real-World Service

Kay Gardella Memorial TV Review Blog, Politics and Culture, , , , ,

The Switched at Birth all-ASL-episode, Uprising, is rightly getting a lot of kudos. As a fan of the show, I found it brilliant. It showed the various characters being exactly who they are in a crisis – Melody trying to temper her own idealism with pragmatism, but immensely proud of the kids, John whose first concern is simply his “girls,” Regina guarding her own secret. And those are just the adults. You have Bay being Bay, a young woman with great heart, and Daphne using those strategic skills she’s honed playing sports, asserting leadership, finding her voice as well as her identity.

If you are not familiar with the show, you can watch it or read reviews elsewhere. Like some of the reviewers, I was struck by how political the episode was, but I wasn’t surprised. The program has done a remarkable job of introducing deaf culture to its audience. While I haven’t heard (or read in subtitles) the word “audism,” it’s implicitly in the working vocabulary, and on the fingertips of many of the deaf characters. Continue reading Uprising, Activism, Fictional Deaf Kids and a Need for Real-World Service →

Branding I’m Doing It Wrong

Politics and Culture, writing/blogging/publishing related, ,

Despite the widget above featuring three of my books, and the link on the side to my Amazon author page, etc. etc., most people stopping by this blog have no idea whatsoever that I write fiction. Nor do they care.

I get it. I know why you’re here. (I check my analytics almost as much as I check my book stats.)

Continue reading Branding I’m Doing It Wrong →

Justice Scalia Sees Voting Rights Act as “Racial Entitlement”

Politics and Culture, Things that Piss Me off from The NY Times, , , , , ,

New York Times, February 27, 2013

Voting Rights Law Draws Skepticism From Justices By Adam Liptak
WASHINGTON — A central provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 may be in peril, judging from tough questioning on Wednesday from the Supreme Court’s more conservative members.
If the court overturns the provision, nine states, mostly in the South, would become free to change voting procedures without first getting permission from federal officials…
…Justice Antonin Scalia said the law, once a civil rights landmark, now amounted to a “perpetuation of racial entitlement.”
_________________________________________________________________

(with apologies to Calvin Trillin and Dorothy Parker)

If MLK were still in the fight,
no doubt he’d know it isn’t right,
to give the blahs advantage.

He’d proudly see it just and true,
to back Scalia and his crew.
For they like him believe
in equal rights for ALL.

Unlike those nasty Democrats,
they’re crazier than rabid bats!
Every one a panderer,
and also, too, you know it’s true,
we’ve ALWAYS been at war with Oceania.

Again, Idiots at the Opera – Don Carlo or We Weren’t Expecting the Spanish Inquisition

Idiots at the Opera, Politics and Culture, , , ,

In January when we showed up at the Met to see La Rondine, we were greeted with the news that our tickets were no good. After some confusion, it was determined the mistake was theirs, but it took more time than it should have, and we barely made it in. Being a certain kind of New Yorker, I sent a long detailed e-mail to customer service. I was rewarded with complimentary tickets to Don Carlo. Yay Met! Way to resolve!

Don Carlo, for my fellow ignoramuses, is a very, very long (five acts) opera by Verdi. Under no circumstances should this be the first opera you ever attend! Per the Wikipedia, there were various cuts made during the composer’s lifetime and many versions exist. There are librettos in both French (the original) and Italian. Both are still performed. The current production is in Italian. The opera is an epic set during the Spanish inquisition in the court of King Philip II. There’s thwarted love, father son mishigosh, true bromance – including a bromantic triangle, a ghost (maybe), and of course — the Spanish Inquisition.
Continue reading Again, Idiots at the Opera – Don Carlo or We Weren’t Expecting the Spanish Inquisition →

Earthbound Angels in Need of Decent Wages

death and dying, New York Stories, Politics and Culture, true story, , , ,

(On my my twitter feed this morning, Pankhearst, an uppity collective of independent women writers, twitted about something on the Bitch Magazine blog. How is it that I had never heard of Bitch Magazine before?  In what Nick Cave have I been living? I checked it out and saw a post about home health workers. This being Bitch, it referenced a 30 Rock episode.  As this is a topic, close to my I heart, I wound up posting an overlong comment. You really should check out Bitch, and Pankhearst while you’re at it, but I’m also re-posting a slightly edited version of my comment below:)

In 2005, after electing not to treat his final bout with cancer, my father was able to get “home hospice” services. Like most elderly in the US who have insurance, he had “managed care.” He was encouraged to have an home health aide (HHA)  in the house to help with daily tasks. He and my mother reluctantly agreed. This was all arranged through the hospice services, which are part of a bigger hospital-affiliated health service. Several HHAs were sent. Some my parents had issues with, including theft. One finally stuck.

Continue reading Earthbound Angels in Need of Decent Wages →