“I genuinely believe that the Catholic church is not, to put it at its mildest, a force for good in the world.”

For some strange reason, I was actually awake early this morning. I spent some time perusing through my Twitter timeline, not really paying close attention to what was being tweeted, but enough for a tweet to catch my attention. Hart Hanson, creator of Bones, posted a link to a video of Stephen Fry’s speech at one of the Intelligence² Debates (“The Catholic Church is a force of good in the world”), along with his personal introduction of one of his close friends: “As you can see there is no such thing as dull conversation with this big brained and lovely man.” I would like to add emphasis on lovely, because Mister Fry is absolutely one of the most loveliest men I’ve ever had the luck to briefly converse with (ah, the wonders of Twitter). He is also incredibly intelligent and wonderfully clever and witty – believe me, if you’ve see any clips from A Bit of Fry and Laurie, then you’re missing out on some of the best of British humour (yes with a U!) I’ve ever had the pleasure to see. If you don’t believe me, you should check out this video: Language Conversation/Beauty and Ideas. The word play, absolutely ace. But that’s not the point of this entry.

Anyway, Stephen Fry. In this video, he opposed the motion that the Catholic Church is not a force for good in the world and I’m inclined to agree. What is the most amazing thing about his speech is despite the fact that he was arguing against the Church, he does so with a manner filled with love and respect. He has no contempt, nor quarrel or argument against any individuals in the Church. He talks about how the Church attacks the Enlightenment; about how people were burned and tortured in London just for reading the Bible in English. He spoke of Thomas More, how he was one of the main principle burners and tortures of people, about how last century he was made a saint, and in 2000, he was made the patron saint of politicians. A man who burned and tortured people for owning the Bible in their own language. He also spoke about, as a gay man, how it’s a bit hard for him to be accused of being “morally evil” and “perverted” simply because he is gay. He also found it strange to be called that when that institution has done everything in it’s power and more to hush up the child abuse and rape scandals going on. He also finds it strange to be called a pervert by sexually dysfunctional people: “Let’s imagine that we can overlook this and say it has nothing whatever to do with the structure and nature of the Catholic church and the twisted and neurotic and hysterical way that its leaders are chosen, the celibacy, the nuns, the monks, the priesthood: this is not natural and normal, ladies and gentlemen, in 2009. It really isn’t.“

Lastly, he speaks about a subject that is very dear to him: AIDS in Africa, especially Uganda. Uganda once had the worst incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world. There was an initiative called ABC: Abstinence, Be Faithful, and Correct use of Condoms that helped to lower the HIV/AIDS rate. He does not deny that abstinence is a very good way of not getting AIDS, as well as staying faithful to one’s partner. But he also emphatically defends the use of condoms because they work just as well as the other two. He goes on to say how the Pope is not just satisfied with saying how condoms are against their religion, he goes on to lie about how they actually help spread the disease, rather than protect against it. He ends on the question of whether Jesus, if he was around now, if he would have approved of the Church, with it’s pomp and circumstance, with it’s wealth and wheedling apologies. He thinks that until the Church apologizes and returns the art and money from the countries they once raped and violated, until they actually focus on essence of their belief, only then could he say that the Church may well be a force of good in the world.

‘IT’S A LITTLE HARD FOR ME TO KNOW THAT I AM DISORDERED OR AGAIN, TO QUOTE RATZINGER, THAT I AM GUILTY OF A MORAL SIN SIMPLY FOR FULFILLING MY SEXUAL DESTINY AS I SEE IT. IT’S HARD FOR ME TO BE TOLD THAT, BE TOLD THAT I’M EVIL BECAUSE I THINK OF MYSELF AS SOMEONE WHO IS FILLED WITH LOVE. WHOSE ONLY PURPOSE IN LIFE WAS TO ACHIEVE LOVE AND WHO FEELS LOVE FOR SOME MUCH OF NATURE AND THE WORLD AND FOR EVERYTHING ELSE AND, TO LIKE ANYBODY DECENT WITH AN EDUCATION REALIZES THAT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE AND RECEIVE LOVE, IT’S A STRUGGLE. IT’S NOT ONE THAT DOES NOT NEED A POPE TO TELL YOU HOW TO DO IT. IT CERTAINLY ISN’T ONE THAT NEEDS A POPE TO TELL YOU THAT YOU’RE EVIL. WITH 6 PERCENT OF ALL TEENAGE SUICIDE BEING GAY TEENAGE SUICIDES, WE CERTAINLY DON’T NEED THE STIGMATISATION, THE VICTIMISATION THAT LEADS TO PLAYGROUND BULLYING WHEN PEOPLE SAY: ‘YOU’RE A DISORDERED, MORALLY EVIL INDIVIDUAL.’ THAT’S NOT NICE, IT ISN’T NICE.’

Why do I feel so strongly about all of this? Well, for a number of reasons. I grew up in a strictly Roman Catholic family. I once made a remark about converting to Buddhism to my parents as we drove by Wat Thai in North Hollywood. The only thing my dad said was “don’t even think about it.” After I graduated 8th grade (just the phrasing of that amuses me), I’ve since drifted away from faith and religion. My mom was diagnosed with cancer in August of 2007. People kept telling me that they were praying for my mom. It was a sentiment I was grateful for, they were doing something that I found myself unable to do.

The truth is, I don’t know what I am. Am I atheist? Possibly. But there’s something holding me back from completely letting go of what I am used to, from completely believing that there is absolutely no higher being at all. I was a baby, I dragged my leg whenever I crawled. Doctors said the only way to fix my leg was surgery – my parents refused. So they prayed and prayed, taking a drive down to the mission at San Juan Capistrano twice a month or so to pray at St. Peregrine’s chapel. God knows how long they did it, but it worked. I didn’t need the surgery. I became the happy (right.) and athletic girl everyone knew me as for the first 13 years of my life.

So what is it? Agnostic? There’s that. But I remember the problem of evil that we talked about in my philosophy class, and once again, the great Stephen Fry said it better than I ever can:

‘Some people, when speaking about AIDS, have said that AIDS is a punishment from God on abhorrent or promiscuous lifestyles. Now I’d like us to consider what kind of God could look down on an Earth which daily rehearses millions of acts of brutal, pitiless cruelty, torture, and horror, and ignores them. And instead, visits the foulest plague ever to have been given to humankind on those whose only sin is to slip in between the sheets with those they like. What kind of God would do that? No kind of God.’

The start of a new age?

Lieutenant Dan Choi, a West Point grad who was discharged from the miltary after coming out in March 2009 on the Rachel Maddow show, has now been called back to active duty.

I remember when I first saw videos of his coming out and why he couldn’t stay quiet about it. I remember applauding him for his courage and I remember shaking my head at military higher-ups. In this ABC news article, Choi states that “[his] subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professional.” I feel like the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy isn’t right, for the lack of a better word. I mean, yes, it helps to protect those who could possibly be harmed because of sexual orientation (I’m reminded of the film Soldier’s Girl, based on the true story of Barry Winchell, a soldier who was brutally murdered by a fellow soldier because of his relationship with Calpernia Adams, a transgendered entertainer). But at the same time, it’s a slap in the face to those same people, as well as those who can work with them, who can support them, and be professional without letting the fact that someone is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered cloud their judgement.

When I first heard that he was being called back to active duty, I was pretty overjoyed. I mean, this is a man who was in the closet for 10 years, a man who never did anything homosexual or heterosexual while on duty. He says that he’s never had a boyfriend or girlfriend because of the DADT policy. He brings up a point when he says that the DADT policy goes against the Honor Code he learned at West Point: don’t lie. The DADT policy forces one to stay in the closet, forces one to lie to oneself and to others. So I’m glad that his reinstatement is a reversal of the DADT guidelines. I feel like things are headed in a new direction, where people in the military can be themselves (to some extent, I’m sure) and don’t have to fear stigmatisation just because of who they are.

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/lt-dan-choi-lgbt-hero-called-back-to-active-military-service/politics/2010/02/09/7818?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNewCivilRightsMovement+(The+New+Civil+Rights+Movement)

I have come to the conclusion that I am an asshole.

Once upon a time, there was this girl on a forum who was speculating about a film she would like to see her favorite actor play the leading role. She went on & on about how she was scared to tell her parents about it, and how she wanted to write a script but she was afraid to because she wasn’t a native English speaker. So I tell her to go ahead and write the script in whatever language she is fluent in, because if she’s confident enough, she can find someone who can translate it for her.

She responds & thanks me for believing in her.

God, there was no such thing as belief in my response. I wanted to tell her that if you have an idea & you’re willing to put some time and effort into writing a script, then go for it. The chances of it getting picked up are slim to none, but still – you wrote the script. Actually, I probably would’ve ended up shooting her down too – it’s the ass in me. But what I really wanted to tell her was this: It’s not a matter of belief or not. There’s no one stopping you but yourself, your fear, & your need to be accepted.

I didn’t though. I probably should have, because people need to get over their fear & if they want to do something, they should just go for it. Because seriously, if you really really really want to do something, the first thing that stops you is yourself. If you can’t get past that, you’re never gonna be able to get past anything.

Does media influence my interactions with other people? Yes and no. Yes, because it helps me realize what kind of person I am – I know I can be mean & I know I can be abrasive. I think it started to come out frequently when I got back into House. It was always there, but it was subtle and hidden and only came out when I was pushed enough. No, because I don’t want my personality defined by what I watch. Does that make sense? I know I’m a lot like House – I’ve been told I’m a female version of him, without the stubble, motorcycle, and of course, the limp. But am I defined by that characteristic? I don’t know what I’m talking about right now. I’m hungry and my mind is wandering. Good day.

Um, this is pretty awesome.

Okay, at first, I was going to be lazy and not do a second blog entry for this week: I’m swamped with a rush editing job I was offered earlier in the week & I only received the media needed to edit until a couple of days ago. But I came across this story via Sara Hess, a screenwriter, story editor, and producer of House, on twitter.

You guys all remember those Somalian ‘pirates’ right? Well, when I think of pirates, I think of seaward marauders, plundering ports with their quick and nimble pirate ships, armed with cannons along the sides. Whenever they dock at a port, they drink lots and lots of rum amongst the  jaunty sea shanties that can be heard in the background. I could be romanticizing - or channeling Pirates of the Caribbean. 

But back to my original point – those Somalian pirates. I came across an article that hearkens them to modern day Robin Hoods: they plan on sending some of their loot from rich, transnational boats and sending it to Haiti. The ‘Men in Tights’ song is currently playing in my head right now – I can’t help it, it’s my favorite Robin Hood movie and it’s the first thing I thought of. They are men, they’re men in tights / they rob from the rich / and give to the poor / that’s right! Except, rather than dancing around in Sherwood Forest (okay, the Sherwood rap is playing in my head, yo.), they’re dancing about their boats.

I don’t mean to be sarcastic in my response – it’s one of those things that I can’t help, I use sarcasm too often. I honestly think it’s pretty cool. I love the idea of modern-day Robin Hoods. It should happen more often. Nowadays, too many people are guided by self-interest that they don’t think about the people around them who are completely and utterly worse off than they are.

Then I come across this article - which I also enjoyed reading. I’m sure everyone agrees that these ‘pirates’ are just everyday Somalian fishermen. But they have had to turn from everyday fishermen to volunteer coast guards who attempt to protect their coastline from the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fleets from around the world who poach and dump toxic waste since the fall of the Somalian government. Since then, the mainstream media has degenerated these men as evil pillagers who take men hostages. What they are really trying to do is to protect their homeland; something that our military would do if IUUs came to our coasts to poach and to dump toxic waste around our waters. Why is that so wrong?

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.”

I am a self proclaimed music geek – not quite enough to be an audiophile, but more than a casual listener of various music genres. I taste extends far and wide – mainstream isn’t enough, nor will it ever be.

Enter Morgan Enos, a 17-year-old, self releasing musician who never ceases to amaze me. His music captivates me and his grasp on words (reminding me of, but not quite like the great Stephen Fry) is ace. He’s an amazing lyricst for his age, as seen here in the first couple of lines from a song off his newly released album:

it’s a cold morning my dear, and you linger everywhere, / in winter’s blush all weathered fair, / to float around my bed, like a demon wrapped in red / with my stories all engraved down your spine
i don’t want to be left unknown, / to crumble with the slightest of snows, / and we return like all the birds / to homes that we would know. / i’m unstitched, threaded, still, by your will, / by your will, / but i will. / i will, i will. i will. – Magpies, Morgan Enos

Enter Sergei Rachmaninov. Russian-American composer, pianist, and conductor. A fine pianist in his day and one of the late great Russian representatives of Romanticism in classical music. His favorite composition of mine is his Piano Concerto No. 2, dedicated to his psychiatrist, Dr. Nikolai Dahl. Rachmaninov himself was having severe problems the years before writing it. It’s his statement of recovery and reemergence as a composer. It’s absolutely the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard, specifically the first movement, Moderato. It’s powerful and magical. There is so much passion, so much beauty and emotion and range; it becomes something real that wraps around my heart and refuses to let go. There is so much beauty in no words. It opens a door to a new realm of new possibilities that I can’t even begin to imagine. New possibilities, not just in music, but in the world, in life.

Enter Miles Davis, circa 1959. Kind of Blue is released, the seminal album for modal jazz. Blue in Green is the type of song that makes me want to lie down on the floor of my room with my feet propped up on a chair while listening to this record on a turntable with my headphones. Actually, looking for a video to link to this song lead me to Lee Ritenour performing a guitar cover of this song and let me tell you, I absolutely love it right now.  It’s not quite the same, but it’s still appealing to my inner jazz lover. Enter Jeff Beck with Jools Holland, playing a blues guitar (with piano & band) cover of Ray Charles’s Drown in My Own Tears. Enter Beirut playing a live cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s La Javanaise. Enter so many different artists from so many different genres.

‘Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Ramsey Lewis – they’re hip. The jazz you hear in hotel lobbies isn’t hip.‘
-Hugh Laurie

Coco Christopher, you are one classy man.

I honestly say that with no sarcasm whatsoever. I genuinely like Conan O’Brien; for years, Late Night with Conan O’Brien used to be the only late night talk show I would watch. I loved his humor, his characters, and skits.

So tonight is O’Brien’s last night as host of The Tonight Show. After this, it goes back to being Jay Leno and would probably be the same sketches over and over again. I used to enjoy ‘Headlines,’ but after a while, it just got old. I think it was more so because he did it every week, without fail. Conan’s sketches, like Leno’s, worked. I don’t think I ever really got annoyed with ‘In the Year 2000′ or ‘Secrets’ because he didn’t do it as often. They made me laugh because they were absolutely ridiculous – and probably because I love La Bamba (I guess it’s a trombone player thing).

After 16 years as host of Late Night and 7 months of working his childhood dream job as host of the Tonight Show, Conan O’Brien is leaving NBC. It’s really disappointing because his entire crew and their families flew out from New York to LA to work on the show with him. They all uprooted their kids from schools they were comfortable in to work on this show and now have no jobs – unless they go with Conan to his new show if he does another.

I’m with you Coco, I’m with you. It was a short run, but a damn good one.

Someone tell me what cancer has to do with it.

The 2010 Golden Globes aired on NBC last Sunday. I watched award show with my dad, sister, and niece that night, constantly updating my Twitter with my play-by-play commentary and witty(esque) coverage of ongoing events. So when the time came for the award for Best Actor in a Drama Series arrived, I was ready and rearing to go. I personally would have loved to see Hugh Laurie win the award; he’s been ace since the last couple of episodes of season five and he was absolutely marvelous in the premiere of season six. Anyway, the presenters go through the usual, announcing the 5 nominees and maybe allowing a little bit of banter between them (although I don’t remember if they did that during that award) just to add a bit of suspense before they announce Michael C. Hall as the winner.

Right after, I go through my twitter feed and see that someone thinks is absolutely sure it’s because he has cancer.

Now hold on, just one second there miss. The man is obviously talented enough to be nominated. Anyone can act, but to pull off creepy so well? I don’t watch “Dexter” very much, but having seen a couple of episodes here and there, I believe this this award was well deserved. Why should it matter if he has cancer or not? Just because he’s diagnosed with an illness, it’s to garner sympathy and votes for an award?

No. I think that’s complete bull and here’s why: cancer is real; very, very real and it kills. I’m sure the aforementioned tweeter knows that. And it’s not a justifiable reason for someone to win an award. It’s inspiring and admirable that he has been battling this illness in secret because while it’s obvious that he didn’t need fan support, all that support is worth having if it pushes you on to fight another day. I should know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. She fought a long, hard battle for two years before she passed away. So no, Michael C. Hall didn’t win this award because he has cancer. He won it because he, just like the rest of the nominees in the category, is an ace actor who deserved it.

This brings out the geek in me.

So the other day, I was going through my twitter timeline and I notice a link that ThinkGeek.com put up. It was to a news article by the Associated Press. The headline? Skywalkers in Korea Cross Han Solo. My reaction, other than laughing and telling people how that headline made my day? Someone had to have done it on purpose. A good play on words to get the readers attention; to get the attention of those scifi geeks who don’t pay much attention to the news (I’m one of them, I admit). Well, that just makes me sound bad. I do pay attention to the news, but not to stories like this.

Well anyway, this story was a pretty cool and interesting read. There were 18 contestants, 14 men and four women. Out of the 18, only 2 fell into the river, therefore disqualifying them from the contest. Whoever crossed it fastest gets the first place prize of $15,000. I know it’s an old article, but it’s a good one, if not for the headline, but for the story itself.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/03/AR2007050300374.html

Why racebending slowly kills my dreams.

There’s a cartoon on Nickelodeon called “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. As a twenty-year-old who has lost all lingering hopes of maturity (taking a wrong turn somewhere around ten), I of course was interested in the show. The show follows Aang, a 112-year-old airbender, as he travels the world while attempting to master the other three elements. Aang is the current incarnation of the Avatar, the spirit of the Earth in human form.

From the very beginning, it is clear that it is based in an Asian-influenced world. It’s an ancient, fantastical Chinese world, with peoples of the four nations (Water, Earth, Fire, and Air) influenced from East Asian, Japanese, and Chinese cultures. The Water tribe is based off of eskimos/Inuits. Their clothings, tools, housing, and even hairstyles reflect Inuit traditions. Both the Earth and Fire tribes are based off Chinese traditions. The Air nomads live in temples and dress like Shaolin Monks. The creators decided that they weren’t going to show signs or writing in the show, but if necessary, they were to be in Chinese with the proper translations with subtitles. The art, mythologies, and martial arts styles (each tribe has a different way of fighting that goes along with their element.) are all Asian-influenced.

So the show becomes a huge success and a highly rated program on Nickelodeon. Along comes Paramount who deicdes to make a live-action adaptation of the film. M. Night Shyamalan is chosen to be the director. He said in an interview that he came across Avatar when his daughter wanted to be Katara (a waterbender who accompanies Aang on his journey) for Halloween. He is drawn in by largely by the Buddhist and Hindu philosophy that is ingrained in the show. Then here comes the kicker, the three main protagonists, Aang, Katara, and Sokka (Katara’s brother) are all… white. And the main antagonist, Zuko? He’s played a dark, south Asian actor. I think you’ve heard of him before, does the name Dev Patel ring a bell?

I know it may not seem like a big deal to others, but to me, it means a lot. The fact that the main protagonists and their tribes who are so obviously Asian are portrayed by Caucasians takes away a lot of opportunities for upcoming Asian-Americans who want to work in the entertainment industry, especially those who want to act. When the casting call for the four leads are worded “Caucasian or any other ethnicity”, what does that imply? Other casting calls are either very specific or unambiguous. Although I may not want to be in front of a camera, it hurts me personally because I want to work in that industry. It amuses me how Paramount, after fan outcry, casts Dev Patel as Zuko, the prince from the Fire Nation. He’s an Indian actor playing a Chinese-influenced character. It’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? I’m sure these actors can play their parts well, but when a Korean American actor, Isaac Jin Solstein, who is experienced in martial arts and could have played Aang just as well as Noah Ringer could, is only cast as an “Earthbending boy”… well, I just lose faith in the film industry’s ability to see past race and color.

I think Derek Kirk Kim said it best when he wrote: “What if someone made a ‘fantasy’ movie in which the entire world was built around African culture? Everyone is wearing ancient African clothes, African hats, eating traditional African food, writing in an African language, living in African homes, all encompassed in an African landscape…but everyone is white.”

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