A Creative Wasteland

Someone else agrees that we need more original entertainments instead of yet another remake, reboot, or reimagining.

“It seems that every movie is a remake of something that was better when it was first released in a foreign language, as a 1960s TV show, or even as a comic book. Now you’ve got theme park rides as the source material of movies. The only things left are breakfast cereal mascots. In our lifetime, we will see Johnny Depp playing Captain Crunch.”

Writer Alan Moore, co-creator of The Watchmen
Read more of his interview at Fast Company.

Keep Birth Control Coverage in All Insurance Plans

I am a Florida Republican, and I disagree with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida). Sen. Rubio said (and his press office published an excerpt):

“This is about whether the government of the United States should have the power to go in and tell a faith-based organization that they have to pay for something that they teach their members shouldn’t be doing.”

I believe in the Affordable Care Act and in the concept of providing a standard for insurance coverage. I believe that insurance coverage should, as a matter of course, provide birth control options. They always cover pregnancy.

When I first got married, I was on The Pill. My husband’s insurance through work didn’t cover it. That really annoyed me.  They covered pregnancy and childbirth. They provided the children with pediatric care. The company offered an individual plan and a family plan, meaning my husband and I paid the same as the guy with a wife and seven kids. Completely unfair.

Pregnancy and childbirth costs thousands of dollars. If you have insurance, the company probably covers a lot of the costs (meaning I pay more for my insurance; even in an individual or couples plan, because I’m a woman, they assume I’ll someday get pregnant). That’s not counting the over-the-counter vitamins, maternity clothes, and baby paraphernalia. Then, you have to pay for the kid for the next 18 years. Or more. Food, clothes, health care (my tax dollars already support the children of thousands of people through state programs like Florida’s HealthyKids), toys, games, cell phones, etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.

The Pill costs less than $30 a month, last I checked.

I’ve spent at least half an hour searching for trustworthy statistics on deaths caused by various methods of birth control vs. deaths caused by complications of pregnancy or childbirth. I can’t find any simple breakdown on a website that I trust not to skew the stats. I found that in 2009, just under a thousand women in the U.S. died from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth (Centers for Disease Control). Worldwide, in 2008, 358,o00 women’s deaths are related to pregnancy or childbirth. (World Health Organization).

Plus, consider this. It’s something no one likes to talk about, but medical advances mean that every year, doctors are saving or prolonging the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of babies who a hundred years ago would have died. We pussyfoot around because no parent wants to hear that there’s something “wrong” with their child. They’re “differently abled.” They’re “special.” We’re not supposed to talk about “normal” children because being sick or “slow” or unable to walk or talk or feed themselves IS normal for those kids. I feel bad for the parents and the children who live with this. Sometimes the children whose lives are saved do go on to lead normal, productive lives. But to everyone who says that God doesn’t approve of abortions because it’s “killing babies,” how do you know that it’s not God’s will for the premature or genetically defective or physically handicapped baby to die? Because in those cases, it seems perfectly acceptable to use the knowledge and tools developed by science to defy natural selection and biological deficiencies.

By the same token, every Christian woman who has in vitro fertilization or takes a special pill trying to get pregnant is also defying the will of God. Because if He wanted you to have a baby, it would happen naturally.

Back to Sen. Rubio:

“I think the vast majority of Americans, whether on the left or the right, will tell you that the government of the United States should not have the power to be able to go in and tell a church based organization that they must pay for something that that faith teaches their members not to do.”

Sorry, Senator, I guess I’m in the minority, because I think it’s perfectly acceptable to insist that employers and organizations that offer health insurance should have to comply with the new national standards. Because of the low cost of birth control versus the high cost of pregnancy, childbirth, and pediatric care, I don’t think that eliminating birth control options will save these organizations a lot of money. Having the option doesn’t mean having to use the option. Prescription plans cover a plethora of medications for treating a variety of conditions, from acne to varicella-zoster virus. The decision to use those drugs ultimately rests on the patients, because if the doctor prescribes something I choose not to take, I don’t ever have to go to the pharmacy.

Sen. Rubio: “It’s that simple, and if the answer is yes, then this government can reach all kinds of other absurd results.”

An example of extremism and several types of faulty logic, this sort of statement is designed to discourage any kind of free thought. You can almost see the thought process of the senator (or his speech writer): What if some of the people reading this don’t see requiring birth control coverage as a problem? How can we get them on our side? We’ll convince them that if this rule stands, then the very fabric of freedom will be destroyed! That’ll do it!

One of the things that frustrates me so much about Republican politics today is that the arguments are so hypocritical. The Party says government should stay out of our lives. Oh, but gay marriage shouldn’t be legal. Abortion shouldn’t be legal. Don’t waste billions on that high-speed-rail project when you could spend it on mine instead.

I’m grateful for President Obama, because I believe he is doing what is best for America. Things would be even better if Republicans would take their fingers out of their ears, their feet out of their mouths, and start using common sense to make this country a better place for everyone.

Two Really Good Movies – The Artist and Watchmen

I went to the movies this afternoon, and when I got home, hubby had just popped in a DVD, and I really enjoyed both films.

At the theater, I saw “The Artist.” I’ve been wanting to see it since I saw the first trailer, months ago, and of course now it’s got 10 Academy Award nominations and a ton of awards, which I can now say with certainty are all well deserved.

“The Artist” is a (mostly) silent movie about actor George Valentin, a silent film star whose world begins to crumble with the arrival of talking pictures. The film uses a few title cards here and there for exposition and dialogue, but it’s usually not needed. I understood the story through body language and a little lip-reading. I really loved how director Michel Hazanavicius used appropriate movie titles on posters and marquees in the background to reflect the emotion of the scene. For example, when up-and-coming actress Peppy Miller visits George’s dressing room, a poster for George’s film “The Thief of Her Heart” is hanging on the wall, because he has stolen her heart. The score by Ludovic Bource is sheer perfection. “The Artist” is a touching, funny, heart-wrenching homage to a bygone era in Hollywoodland.

The DVD we just finished watching is “The Watchmen,” based on the edgy and ground-breaking comic book written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. I remember going to one of the World Science Fiction Conventions in the late ’80s and a “Watchmen” film came up as a possibility or suggestion, and everyone was oohing excitedly. I’ve never read the comic. My husband read it when it came out and liked it, except for the ending.

So, we watched the movie for the first time, and we thought it was good. I felt, and I think Tim did too, that the style of the film sometimes got in the way of the story. They were rigidly trying to adhere to the look of the comic book panels (I should mention that Alan Moore had his name kept off the film, but artist Dave Gibbons is credited).  We both felt it was a little slow-paced. That said, the story is good, the acting is good, the music is good – particularly the use of ’80s and earlier music to set the tone. I must point out the oddest use of music was in a scene between a bunch of big businessmen and one of the superheroes – “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” was playing in the background; I’m not sure if it was supposed to be Musak or the instrumental beginning of the song, but I don’t recall hearing any lyrics, and if you don’t know the song, you’ll never realize what it is, but it’s the perfect song for the scene. The filmmakers changed one of the aspects of the ending that Tim hated, by dumping the electric blue squid that appears to come eat people. From his description, I must admit, it sounds like they did the best thing.

I highly recommend “The Artist,” and if you like an alternate history-political & social commentary-superhero-action movie, I think you’ll enjoy “Watchmen.”

Warning: Dollar Tree Kitchen Tool Melts!

Earlier this month, we bought a new turner, we usually call it a spatula. Our old one was getting worn around the edges. We were both pretty sure we bought the old one at Dollar Tree, and it’s lasted quite a while, so we went back to Dollar Tree for a new one.

Boy, was that a mistake!

Look what happened! My husband started to flip some bacon this morning, and he said it immediately started smoking.

He said he lifted the spatula and he could see it bubbling and dripping!

This is a hazardous product to use in the kitchen!

Later, I’m going through the trash and see if I can find the receipt and/or the tag that we cut off the turner when we brought it home.

For now, I have notified Dollar Tree through the contact form on their website. I uploaded all my photos to Flickr and included the link on the contact form.

I also tweeted about the pics, and my posts here all get tweeted as well. I’m going on Facebook to tell my friends, and I will contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission as well.

Maybe it’s a fluke, but this product needs to be carefully reviewed and a recall considered. The tool only cost us a dollar, but we don’t feel safe eating the bacon that it melted on, and that stuff’s not cheap. What if it’s been leaching toxins into our food every time we’ve used it? What if we’d been flipping something really expensive like steak?

I hate that most products at Dollar Tree are made in China, and I don’t expect much out of them, but I do expect to be safe when using them. We have seen many cases of Chinese products recalled because they were made without the usual safety considerations. I think this turner self-destructing is another example of that.

No more Dollar Tree for me!

Choosing a Blu-ray Player

I have to have a Blu-ray player so I can get the newest release of Star Wars. We’ve been putting off investing in Blu-ray (well, in the beginning it was because of the format war). Now, though, prices are coming down a bit and Star Wars is available, so I’ve been doing some comparison shopping and asking around for a few months.

This week, our regular old Hitachi DVD player went out. I won it as a door prize at the 2004 Christmas party at my work. Lately, when we unplug it (bad weather expected, that sort of thing), after we plug it back in sometimes it hasn’t worked right away, and this time, it just never came back.

Sunday night, I would swear that Sony had its BDP-S580 on sale for $89.99. Maybe I looked at it wrong or maybe the price went up on Monday, but now it’s like $139. I went back to the drawing board, so to speak. I looked up the other two models that I’ve been looking at (a Panasonic and an LG), and I still like the Sony best. For one thing, they invented Blu-ray, so you’d think they’d know how to do it. I’ve found it for about the same price as the LG (they’re both cheaper than the Panasonic). So, I’m ready to take the plunge.

I think….

Decide.com says to go ahead and buy; it’s a good prize. On the LG and Panasonic, they advise waiting a few weeks.

So, here it is: Sony BDP-S580 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black)

What do you think? Did I find a good deal?

Book Review: Deeper Than the Dead

I don’t read many mysteries, and I’d never read anything by Tami Hoag until I picked up “Deeper Than the Dead” a couple of weeks ago. I should explain that more clearly. A few months ago, I won copies of two books by Ms. Hoag, and I gave them to my mom, and she read them and gave them back, and then I started reading the paperback a couple of weeks ago.

“Deeper Than the Dead” is set in the dark ages of 1985, when I was in college. The author explains in her forward that this is before the internet, when computers were still uncommon in law enforcement offices, DNA evidence was so new it had never been used to get a conviction, and criminal profiling was in its infancy. Pop culture references and descriptions of ’80s fashion and hairstyles served as regular reminders that the story was taking place 26 years ago. Only once did I forget and wonder for a moment why the detectives didn’t look something up online.

The story takes place in the small California community of Oak Knoll. Three children literally stumble across a woman’s mutilated body, partially buried in the woods near their shortcut home. Her eyes and mouth are glued shut, her eardrums punctured. The search begins for the “See No Evil Killer.”

Hoag weaves a finely-tuned tale of dark secrets in the tight-knit community. The children who find the body are tied to the most likely suspects. The sheriff is close friends with the head  of a women-empowerment program linked to all the victims. The owner of the junk yard where the victims’ cars turn up is not the most likely suspect in their murders, but a grisly discovery opens a new case.

Just went I thought I knew for sure who the killer was, some new twist or something one of the other suspects said, would make me change my mind.  As I read the final chapters yesterday, my husband was sitting nearby, grinning at the faces I was making at each new reveal, and he laughed out loud at one audible, “Eeeew.”

As I said, I don’t read a lot of mysteries, but “Deeper Than the Dead” is definitely one of the best, and it puts Tami Hoag on my list of recommended authors.

And Away We Go… With Heelys

I love my new Heelys, because they’re not just shoes, they’re transformers.

Heelys sent me a pair of Double Threat Heelys so I could review them for my blog, Rhyme Schemes and Daydreams.

It takes just a few seconds to remove the sole plug using the special tool. Then you pop in the wheels. And go.

In my case… not very far.

I admit, I haven’t spent hours and hours practicing. Usually I pop in the wheels on my lunch hour and have a spin around the picnic table at work. Something I can hold on to. When it came time to tape the review, I dragged my husband to the Port of Pensacola, which has nice paved walkways, benches, and a friendly fence. Something I could hang on to.

My husband said I should have safety gear on, and so did the Heelys company. I do have a Star Wars bike helmet in my collection, but I’m more worried about damaging it than my head. I don’t think I’m really worried about falling. Heck, I fall pretty regularly, so I’m used to that.

What I’m not used to is the rhythm of heeling. It’s very different from skating.

I haven’t skated much – or at all – in the past 20 years, but I feel like that would come back to me. My skates are the ’80s style white boots with four wheels, one on each corner. When I was really little I had the kind that locked onto the bottom of your shoe. Like the song says, it used a key.

I even ice skated once, on my high school senior trip, and I didn’t fall down once. It was just like roller skating.

Heeling is dfferent. Maybe it’s more like skateboarding, which I could never do, either.

You have to hold your feet still, cocked up, front and back of each other. I don’t think you’re supposed to move your feet much at all, but I kept trying to *skate.

I’m not going to give up. I feel like the time I spend trying to learn to “heel” is good exercise, something I could obviously use more of. I just wish I could travel more than a foot and a half (max) at a time.

My thoughts…

I think Heely’s are cool, and a more athletic person, especially someone who’s skateboarded before, will probably have an easier time getting the swing of it.

My husband thinks…

• I’m crazy.
• I’m going to break a hip.
• And that Heelys are pointless.

But not everything has to have a point, does it?

Heelys would make an awesome, fun gift for someone who enjoys trying new things. Receiving these Heelys from the company has certainly been an awesome, fun opportunity for me.

If you’re ready to try a pair yourself, or if you want to put a pair under the tree for someone special, Heelys is offering a Black Friday special – but it’s not just Friday. From November 25th to the 28th, buy any pair of Heelys and get the second pair for $25!