And here is a picture of a worker without OSHA or a union:
Thursday, September 15, 2011
This is your country without regulations
From James Fallows, a view of what our country could look like without those big bad government regulations. It's not a pretty picture.
This isn't an image from turn-of-the-century America, this is a current picture from China.
And here is a picture of a worker without OSHA or a union:
Think about these images the next time someone rails on about government regulations, and how we need to gut the EPA.
And here is a picture of a worker without OSHA or a union:
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Memories on 9/11/11
Perhaps the last thing the world needs is another reflection on 911. I haven't turned on the TV, because I didn't really know how I felt today, and I didn't wanted the media telling me how I should feel. But I did have a strong urge to acknowledge this anniversary. There are so many conflicting emotions that it brings up, and I am raising two children who are at an age where they can engage in a conversations about the world and learn. And finally, I follow Jake Tapper on twitter and he was posting about the memorial service so I clicked a few links, and the memories began flooding back.
I showed Liam (my 13 yo) Paul Simon singing, "Sounds of Silence" and he and I talked about the memorial service. One of Liam's earliest memories is of the memorial service we attended on the 1st anniversary in 2002. Liam was one week from turning three. To a three year old boy, there are few things greater in life than firefighters and police officers. As we stood on the grass, they began to show images from 911, and of course many of these images were of firefighters. He was excited and asking questions. I explained gently that there had been a terrible tragedy and we were remembering the people who lost their lives. I told him that many firefighters had gone into buildings to rescue people, but before they’d been able to get them out, the buildings had collapsed, and everyone in them had died, so we were at a memorial service to honor and remember their lives and sacrifice.
As a parent, it’s hard to know for sure how various events in life and the words you say will shape your child’s memories. But over the years, Liam has never forgotten that service. When we would say 911 or memorial he would always talk about how he remembered the images of firefighters and how they had died trying to save people.
Today I talked to Liam as a young adult; he is learning how the world works and this certainly felt like a moment to share a more grown up perspective on that day and the events that have transpired since 9/11/2001.
Tapper posted a link to a short clip that ABC put together to try and capture some of the incredulity and helplessness that we all felt as events spiraled around and around out of our control. Liam watched with me, and while I know he’s heard about the events and knows in general what happened, I don’t think he’s ever seen a retrospective of the day’s events as they happened.
The newscast showed the burning first tower and the announcer was talking about the event when suddenly there was the second plane diving into the other tower. The emotional impact on the newscasters conveyed the absolute horror of that moment. I don’t believe Liam had ever seen this footage, and I know I haven’t watched it for many years. As the video progressed they showed the Pentagon in flames and the aircraft down in Pennsylvania.
How do you put an event like this into perspective for a growing person? Harder still, how do I explain to him everything that happened AFTER 911? How do you reconcile the immense sense of coming together we all felt in the hours and days after 911 with the almost equal sense of betrayal so many of us felt in the years after, when politicians blared their patriotism with images of the burning towers, but questioned mine when I didn’t agree with their policies. How do I tell him they said, “You’re either with us or against us” and if you questioned the government your patriotism was put in doubt?
How do I do that when I can hardly even coming to grips with it myself?
I can’t forget the selling of the Iraq war ("From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August" -- Andy Card) and the merging in people’s minds of Osama Bin Laden with Saddam Hussein. At anti-war vigils I attended people would shout, “How can you forget 911?!” as if the invasion of Iraq had everything to do with that terrible event and I was an awful person for not supporting the war.
One day, Liam and I were driving, he must have been 6 or 7, and he asked me why we were fighting in Iraq. He knew that I opposed the war. (I even have a picture of him with me at a rally in downtown Cannon Falls) I reminded him of the firefighters, and for the first time connected the events of 9/11 to the idea that the buildings had been intentionally targeted by a group attacking our country. I will NEVER forget his response. He said, “But Mom, then I don’t agree with you. If they attacked us, then we were right to fight back.” So I had to tell him Iraq didn’t attack us on 911, none of the hijackers were Iraqi’s, and there were no Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq prior to 911.
How do you explain this stuff to a child, when you cannot even understand it yourself?
I want to honor and remember what our country lost. I want to stand with the families who lost so much and support them. I even want a moment to feel my own pain and grief around that day, but everything is tempered. The meaning of 911 was taken away by every invocation of 911 as a talisman to do things that were anathema to the ideals of our country: things like torture, the revocation of Habeas Corpus, Abu Grebe and Guantanamo.
All amplified by politicians questioning our patriotism.
So I salute the firefighters who have given so much, I salute the families who lost loved ones, and I remember what we all lost on that day. And for today I refuse to let what has transpired over the past 10 years take away my memories and feelings of that day.
I showed Liam (my 13 yo) Paul Simon singing, "Sounds of Silence" and he and I talked about the memorial service. One of Liam's earliest memories is of the memorial service we attended on the 1st anniversary in 2002. Liam was one week from turning three. To a three year old boy, there are few things greater in life than firefighters and police officers. As we stood on the grass, they began to show images from 911, and of course many of these images were of firefighters. He was excited and asking questions. I explained gently that there had been a terrible tragedy and we were remembering the people who lost their lives. I told him that many firefighters had gone into buildings to rescue people, but before they’d been able to get them out, the buildings had collapsed, and everyone in them had died, so we were at a memorial service to honor and remember their lives and sacrifice.
As a parent, it’s hard to know for sure how various events in life and the words you say will shape your child’s memories. But over the years, Liam has never forgotten that service. When we would say 911 or memorial he would always talk about how he remembered the images of firefighters and how they had died trying to save people.
Today I talked to Liam as a young adult; he is learning how the world works and this certainly felt like a moment to share a more grown up perspective on that day and the events that have transpired since 9/11/2001.
Tapper posted a link to a short clip that ABC put together to try and capture some of the incredulity and helplessness that we all felt as events spiraled around and around out of our control. Liam watched with me, and while I know he’s heard about the events and knows in general what happened, I don’t think he’s ever seen a retrospective of the day’s events as they happened.
The newscast showed the burning first tower and the announcer was talking about the event when suddenly there was the second plane diving into the other tower. The emotional impact on the newscasters conveyed the absolute horror of that moment. I don’t believe Liam had ever seen this footage, and I know I haven’t watched it for many years. As the video progressed they showed the Pentagon in flames and the aircraft down in Pennsylvania.
How do you put an event like this into perspective for a growing person? Harder still, how do I explain to him everything that happened AFTER 911? How do you reconcile the immense sense of coming together we all felt in the hours and days after 911 with the almost equal sense of betrayal so many of us felt in the years after, when politicians blared their patriotism with images of the burning towers, but questioned mine when I didn’t agree with their policies. How do I tell him they said, “You’re either with us or against us” and if you questioned the government your patriotism was put in doubt?
How do I do that when I can hardly even coming to grips with it myself?
I can’t forget the selling of the Iraq war ("From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August" -- Andy Card) and the merging in people’s minds of Osama Bin Laden with Saddam Hussein. At anti-war vigils I attended people would shout, “How can you forget 911?!” as if the invasion of Iraq had everything to do with that terrible event and I was an awful person for not supporting the war.
One day, Liam and I were driving, he must have been 6 or 7, and he asked me why we were fighting in Iraq. He knew that I opposed the war. (I even have a picture of him with me at a rally in downtown Cannon Falls) I reminded him of the firefighters, and for the first time connected the events of 9/11 to the idea that the buildings had been intentionally targeted by a group attacking our country. I will NEVER forget his response. He said, “But Mom, then I don’t agree with you. If they attacked us, then we were right to fight back.” So I had to tell him Iraq didn’t attack us on 911, none of the hijackers were Iraqi’s, and there were no Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq prior to 911.
How do you explain this stuff to a child, when you cannot even understand it yourself?
I want to honor and remember what our country lost. I want to stand with the families who lost so much and support them. I even want a moment to feel my own pain and grief around that day, but everything is tempered. The meaning of 911 was taken away by every invocation of 911 as a talisman to do things that were anathema to the ideals of our country: things like torture, the revocation of Habeas Corpus, Abu Grebe and Guantanamo.
All amplified by politicians questioning our patriotism.
So I salute the firefighters who have given so much, I salute the families who lost loved ones, and I remember what we all lost on that day. And for today I refuse to let what has transpired over the past 10 years take away my memories and feelings of that day.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
President Obama Visits Cannon Falls, MN 8/15/11
Here's some links to my footage of Obama's visit. I posted on facebook, but that isn't public.
We met Jake Tapper, ABC Senior White House correspondent. He tweeted a pic of us outside the bakery.
I posted two videos on Youtube. When we "saw" him getting into the bus and a compilation of pics from the day.
I made it onto an interview reel at the StarTribune.
We met Jake Tapper, ABC Senior White House correspondent. He tweeted a pic of us outside the bakery.
I posted two videos on Youtube. When we "saw" him getting into the bus and a compilation of pics from the day.
I made it onto an interview reel at the StarTribune.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Pork Chili Verde w/Black beans
I made a really interesting chili last weekend. I've been experimenting with chili made with pork and tomatillos. This is my third attempt and while they've all been pretty good, this one was worth writing down and posting.
I had country style pork ribs in the freezer. I was going to slice them into large bite-sized pieces and brown them in a skillet, but when I'd thawed them I realized they weren't boneless. So I browned the entire rib on both sides and then put them into my crock pot. Into the same skillet I put chopped onion and garlic, and sauteed it with chilpotle chili powder (careful, it's a bit hot), cumin and regular chili powder. Depending on how hot you want your chili use more or less chilpotle. If you don't want it hot at all you can recreate the smokey flavor of chilpotle by using a bit of liquid smoke.
While that was cooking I put about a dozen tomatillos into boiling water and cooked them until soft (about 5-8 minutes). Then I drained the water and cooled them a bit under running cold water. Then I pureed them in the blender. I added this to the onion/spices mixture and brought it to a momentary simmer. This deglazed the bottom of the skillet getting all the good flavor from the cooked meat and spices. I poured this over the meat in the crockpot. It didn't quite cover all the meat, so I stirred it occasionally. I let this cook on low most of the day, testing the meat for tenderness off and on after 4-6 hours. When the meat was mostly tender, but not falling apart I turn off the crock pot and removed the meat. I put the meat and the sauce in the crock pot into the fridge over night.
I put 2 cups of dry black beans in water to soak over night.
The next day I removed the layer of fat from the top of the sauce and put it back on the heat. I added a cup or two of beef broth to the sauce and added the drained black beans and a can of chopped tomatoes. Toward the end I added a chopped green pepper. You don't want to add it in too soon or it will disintegrate into the sauce.
I separated the meat from the ribs and chopped it into bite sized pieces and added it to the chili when the beans were almost cooked and let it cook another 30 minutes or so. Then it was time to adjust the seasoning. I added one more can of chopped tomatoes because the other can had pretty much disappeared into the sauce, more chili powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons or so of peach jelly (just to sweeten it a touch). You could use sugar instead, or not all all.
Anyway, it was good that day, but I put most of it in the fridge for a few days. We had some last night and it was wonderful. I like to serve it with southern style cornbread made in a preheated iron skillet. I'll put the recipe I used some other time.
This could be really simplified by using boneless pork that is more tender than country ribs and canned black beans. With more tender meat you could omit the crock pot, but the long slow cooking seemed to give it a much richer taste.
I had country style pork ribs in the freezer. I was going to slice them into large bite-sized pieces and brown them in a skillet, but when I'd thawed them I realized they weren't boneless. So I browned the entire rib on both sides and then put them into my crock pot. Into the same skillet I put chopped onion and garlic, and sauteed it with chilpotle chili powder (careful, it's a bit hot), cumin and regular chili powder. Depending on how hot you want your chili use more or less chilpotle. If you don't want it hot at all you can recreate the smokey flavor of chilpotle by using a bit of liquid smoke.
While that was cooking I put about a dozen tomatillos into boiling water and cooked them until soft (about 5-8 minutes). Then I drained the water and cooled them a bit under running cold water. Then I pureed them in the blender. I added this to the onion/spices mixture and brought it to a momentary simmer. This deglazed the bottom of the skillet getting all the good flavor from the cooked meat and spices. I poured this over the meat in the crockpot. It didn't quite cover all the meat, so I stirred it occasionally. I let this cook on low most of the day, testing the meat for tenderness off and on after 4-6 hours. When the meat was mostly tender, but not falling apart I turn off the crock pot and removed the meat. I put the meat and the sauce in the crock pot into the fridge over night.
I put 2 cups of dry black beans in water to soak over night.
The next day I removed the layer of fat from the top of the sauce and put it back on the heat. I added a cup or two of beef broth to the sauce and added the drained black beans and a can of chopped tomatoes. Toward the end I added a chopped green pepper. You don't want to add it in too soon or it will disintegrate into the sauce.
I separated the meat from the ribs and chopped it into bite sized pieces and added it to the chili when the beans were almost cooked and let it cook another 30 minutes or so. Then it was time to adjust the seasoning. I added one more can of chopped tomatoes because the other can had pretty much disappeared into the sauce, more chili powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons or so of peach jelly (just to sweeten it a touch). You could use sugar instead, or not all all.
Anyway, it was good that day, but I put most of it in the fridge for a few days. We had some last night and it was wonderful. I like to serve it with southern style cornbread made in a preheated iron skillet. I'll put the recipe I used some other time.
This could be really simplified by using boneless pork that is more tender than country ribs and canned black beans. With more tender meat you could omit the crock pot, but the long slow cooking seemed to give it a much richer taste.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Global Climate Change
I just had a conversation. Well it wasn't really a conversation, it was more like I listened and couldn't get in a word edgewise. Hence the blog post. Maybe here is a better place for dialog.
The global climate change debate seem to distill down to two major camps, one says climate change is an issue that we should be worried about, and the other says it's a big hoax. Now I'm not a climate scientist, and I don't play one on TV, so personally I have no way of knowing what is true and what isn't. I don't have the time or the background (or the desire) to research this, and even if I did I don't have the base knowledge to make a reasonable judgment on the veracity of the science. I just don't. But that's nothing new, there are MANY topics that I can't understand. So I have to figure out some way of verifying the data, even when I can't understand it. I have to use some sort of logic that can help me make sense of it all.
One way to do this is by using a SME (Subject Matter Expert). We rely on SME's all the time at work. I don't need to know about Drupal, I rely on our SME to set it up so I can use it. To me, it's the same with climate change, I need a SME I can rely on.
But according to what I read, there is great debate on who is or is not a SME, and whether or not we can trust the information coming from them. Again, I can't understand the data, so maybe a SME isn't going to help me here.
So the next thing I weigh are the pros and cons. In this scenario I don't have to know if global climate change is real or a hoax, I just need to figure out the consequences of both positions. This is how it looks to me:
Scenario One: Climate change is real and the are significant consequences to our planet if we don't begin to reign in emissions.
Scenario Two: Climate change is a big hoax and we don't have to do anything. The planet is going through it's typical weather changes, and the spikes in temp are just normal variations.
The people pushing scenario One tell us that we need to spend money and cut emissions. They say this will slow and maybe even reverse climate change. If they are wrong we will spend money we didn't need to spend and slow economic growth. However at the same time we'll make our planet less polluted.
In scenario Two, we don't need to do anything. This will save us money and keep economic growth strong.
As far as I can tell, this is the basic argument. One side says spend money and limit growth to prevent a catastrophe. The other says save money and keep growth, there's no big problem. So if One is correct, the worst case scenario is that we could really screw up our planet. If Two is correct, the worst case scenario is that we spend money that we didn't need to spend and slow economic growth. But we do get a less polluted planet. Right?
Now here's how I make my choices in life. I'm a firm believer in the old adage, "Hope for the best, but plan for the worst." Ask my kids. LOL They know these are words Mom lives by. So using my logic it seems to me that we should be treating climate change as a real threat, because the consequences of being wrong are so much worse if climate change is real and we don't do anything, than if climate change is a hoax.
What am I missing?
The global climate change debate seem to distill down to two major camps, one says climate change is an issue that we should be worried about, and the other says it's a big hoax. Now I'm not a climate scientist, and I don't play one on TV, so personally I have no way of knowing what is true and what isn't. I don't have the time or the background (or the desire) to research this, and even if I did I don't have the base knowledge to make a reasonable judgment on the veracity of the science. I just don't. But that's nothing new, there are MANY topics that I can't understand. So I have to figure out some way of verifying the data, even when I can't understand it. I have to use some sort of logic that can help me make sense of it all.
One way to do this is by using a SME (Subject Matter Expert). We rely on SME's all the time at work. I don't need to know about Drupal, I rely on our SME to set it up so I can use it. To me, it's the same with climate change, I need a SME I can rely on.
But according to what I read, there is great debate on who is or is not a SME, and whether or not we can trust the information coming from them. Again, I can't understand the data, so maybe a SME isn't going to help me here.
So the next thing I weigh are the pros and cons. In this scenario I don't have to know if global climate change is real or a hoax, I just need to figure out the consequences of both positions. This is how it looks to me:
Scenario One: Climate change is real and the are significant consequences to our planet if we don't begin to reign in emissions.
Scenario Two: Climate change is a big hoax and we don't have to do anything. The planet is going through it's typical weather changes, and the spikes in temp are just normal variations.
The people pushing scenario One tell us that we need to spend money and cut emissions. They say this will slow and maybe even reverse climate change. If they are wrong we will spend money we didn't need to spend and slow economic growth. However at the same time we'll make our planet less polluted.
In scenario Two, we don't need to do anything. This will save us money and keep economic growth strong.
As far as I can tell, this is the basic argument. One side says spend money and limit growth to prevent a catastrophe. The other says save money and keep growth, there's no big problem. So if One is correct, the worst case scenario is that we could really screw up our planet. If Two is correct, the worst case scenario is that we spend money that we didn't need to spend and slow economic growth. But we do get a less polluted planet. Right?
Now here's how I make my choices in life. I'm a firm believer in the old adage, "Hope for the best, but plan for the worst." Ask my kids. LOL They know these are words Mom lives by. So using my logic it seems to me that we should be treating climate change as a real threat, because the consequences of being wrong are so much worse if climate change is real and we don't do anything, than if climate change is a hoax.
What am I missing?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Stealing the American Dream
***If you're reading this on facebook click "View Original Post" to see the whole thing***
Hi all
I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve become a Netflix junky. Yes, I admit it. I’m sure there’s a 12 step program out there somewhere that I should join, but until then I’m just enjoying the ride.
I’ve become obsessed with a TV show that aired in 2007 called “The Riches.” It’s subversive and dark and I’m amazed that it ever got made. It did get canceled before they could tie it all up, so if you decide to watch it based on my recommendation; know ahead of time there is no real ending. The show was killed midstream, so if you like your plots neat and complete you’ll be disappointed. Though it is unfinished, it is still a brilliant work. The fact that it ends without finalizing everything is really ok, because the ride is worth it; even if you don’t get to see where it was going.
The other caveat is that it is done within the framework of a television drama. So there are elements that go over the top and stretch your belief, but these are minor quibbles and don’t really detract from the underlying message.
Let me tell you about the show. I’ll use broad brush strokes and try not to give away too much. I hate reviews that tell you EVERYTHING that happens, I’ll let you enjoy discovering the details. So with all that out of the way…
“The Riches” follows the lives of a family of American “gypsies”, called Travelers. Travelers are con artists who lie, cheat and bullshit their way through life. They con and steal from everyday citizens, who they refer to as “buffers.” This family of Travelers are Wayne and Dahlia Malloy and their three children. Through a misadventure, they assume the lives of a wealthy family: Doug and Cherien Rich. They “steal” the American Dream. This sets up the premise of the show, which documents the lengths the family goes to hold on to what they’ve gotten. How far will they go, and how will this lifestyle change them are questions that get answered in each subsequent episode.
In the pilot, the oldest boy is afraid to sleep in their new house because he is worried it will “steal their souls.” As the show progresses it seems that this new lifestyle HAS stolen their souls. But of course what has really happened is that they have given up their souls to be what they are not. Wayne says, speaking of himself, “The difference between who he was and who he wanted to be was maybe more than he could bear.” What a terrible dilemma. This longing to be more is the heart of the American Dream, but not everyone can realize their dreams.
At its best, the American Dream pushes us to achieve and strive. We humans seem wired with the need to grow. I think it’s in our evolutionary DNA, and it’s how our species has thrived. But the flip-side of success is failure. Not everyone has the opportunity or the talent to get what they want, not everyone succeeds. The darkness of the American Dream is redefining failure as a fatal flaw inside the person. This side of the American Dream re-contextualizes lack of success as personal defect and renders those who fall short as lesser humans.
Dahlia, Wayne’s wife, is introduced to us as she is leaving prison to rejoin their family after a 2 year absence. Over the first few episodes we discover that she blames Wayne for her incarceration because he was “addicted to the rush.” She implies that it’s the thrill of deceiving people, and taking it farther and farther that drives Wayne and he admits this is true. We also learn that Dahlia has developed a drug addiction while in jail. It first this seems to be a major plot point, but I think this is a little misdirection on the part of the storytellers: Dahlia has the obvious addiction problem, but it’s Wayne’s compulsions that drive the story.
“Connor, I’m a fraud.” At a low point, a point where he’s feeling he just can’t keep up with the hoax he is perpetuating on those around him, Wayne speaks these words to an acquaintance not in on the scam. His eyes widen when he realizes that he has spoken from the heart, and you can feel the tension that comes from this admission. You can also see the longing in Wayne to stop the deception. There are moments when every one of us feels like a fraud. Maybe we failed to live up to an expectation from someone we love; maybe we failed to live up to our own expectations of ourselves. In those moments we too wonder if we aren’t fooling everyone, perhaps even ourselves, about our own self-worth. At that moment Wayne tries to put an end to the deceit.
But Connor misinterprets him. Like a scene from “Being There,” the classic Peter Sellers film, Connor thinks Wayne is speaking metaphorically and so he commiserates and tells Wayne, “We’re ALL frauds,” and the moment passes.
Then Wayne gets the ultimate rush. He does succeed. He fools everyone into thinking he is something he is not, and just like a gambling addiction is fed when the jackpot is hit, Wayne’s ego gets fed and now he just wants more.
Through the first season, the family lies to the world, but not (so much) to each other. The foreshadowing of Wayne’s “addiction to the rush,” begins to develop into a major issue for the family at the start of the second season. Wayne deceives his family, because he doesn’t want to give up being Doug Rich. He has wrapped his identity and self-worth into the charade. The consequences of his deception are severe. Wayne begins to lose all sense of what’s important to him and his family in his desire to keep this new persona.
“Everyone wants more.” It’s a tag line that you will hear repeated in the show. It’s also a fitting coda to the show. Everyone wants more; the question is how far are they willing to go to get it?
It’s the magic of “The Riches” for me. Any work of art should make us think about themes and archetypes of our shared humanity. It doesn’t have to be great art, it can be flawed and incomplete, but if it gives you pause, and makes you think then it fulfills the description of art.
One last thing, please don’t get the impression that this program is unrelentingly dark and depressing. Just as a painter relieves the darkness with light, The Riches leavens the drama with doses of humor and love. The scenes between Wayne and Dahlia, played by Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are a case study in humanity. Their love for each other comes through even as they fail each other.
Watch the pilot, even if you decide not to watch any further, it’s well worth your time.
Hi all
I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve become a Netflix junky. Yes, I admit it. I’m sure there’s a 12 step program out there somewhere that I should join, but until then I’m just enjoying the ride.
I’ve become obsessed with a TV show that aired in 2007 called “The Riches.” It’s subversive and dark and I’m amazed that it ever got made. It did get canceled before they could tie it all up, so if you decide to watch it based on my recommendation; know ahead of time there is no real ending. The show was killed midstream, so if you like your plots neat and complete you’ll be disappointed. Though it is unfinished, it is still a brilliant work. The fact that it ends without finalizing everything is really ok, because the ride is worth it; even if you don’t get to see where it was going.
The other caveat is that it is done within the framework of a television drama. So there are elements that go over the top and stretch your belief, but these are minor quibbles and don’t really detract from the underlying message.
Let me tell you about the show. I’ll use broad brush strokes and try not to give away too much. I hate reviews that tell you EVERYTHING that happens, I’ll let you enjoy discovering the details. So with all that out of the way…
“The Riches” follows the lives of a family of American “gypsies”, called Travelers. Travelers are con artists who lie, cheat and bullshit their way through life. They con and steal from everyday citizens, who they refer to as “buffers.” This family of Travelers are Wayne and Dahlia Malloy and their three children. Through a misadventure, they assume the lives of a wealthy family: Doug and Cherien Rich. They “steal” the American Dream. This sets up the premise of the show, which documents the lengths the family goes to hold on to what they’ve gotten. How far will they go, and how will this lifestyle change them are questions that get answered in each subsequent episode.
In the pilot, the oldest boy is afraid to sleep in their new house because he is worried it will “steal their souls.” As the show progresses it seems that this new lifestyle HAS stolen their souls. But of course what has really happened is that they have given up their souls to be what they are not. Wayne says, speaking of himself, “The difference between who he was and who he wanted to be was maybe more than he could bear.” What a terrible dilemma. This longing to be more is the heart of the American Dream, but not everyone can realize their dreams.
At its best, the American Dream pushes us to achieve and strive. We humans seem wired with the need to grow. I think it’s in our evolutionary DNA, and it’s how our species has thrived. But the flip-side of success is failure. Not everyone has the opportunity or the talent to get what they want, not everyone succeeds. The darkness of the American Dream is redefining failure as a fatal flaw inside the person. This side of the American Dream re-contextualizes lack of success as personal defect and renders those who fall short as lesser humans.
Dahlia, Wayne’s wife, is introduced to us as she is leaving prison to rejoin their family after a 2 year absence. Over the first few episodes we discover that she blames Wayne for her incarceration because he was “addicted to the rush.” She implies that it’s the thrill of deceiving people, and taking it farther and farther that drives Wayne and he admits this is true. We also learn that Dahlia has developed a drug addiction while in jail. It first this seems to be a major plot point, but I think this is a little misdirection on the part of the storytellers: Dahlia has the obvious addiction problem, but it’s Wayne’s compulsions that drive the story.
“Connor, I’m a fraud.” At a low point, a point where he’s feeling he just can’t keep up with the hoax he is perpetuating on those around him, Wayne speaks these words to an acquaintance not in on the scam. His eyes widen when he realizes that he has spoken from the heart, and you can feel the tension that comes from this admission. You can also see the longing in Wayne to stop the deception. There are moments when every one of us feels like a fraud. Maybe we failed to live up to an expectation from someone we love; maybe we failed to live up to our own expectations of ourselves. In those moments we too wonder if we aren’t fooling everyone, perhaps even ourselves, about our own self-worth. At that moment Wayne tries to put an end to the deceit.
But Connor misinterprets him. Like a scene from “Being There,” the classic Peter Sellers film, Connor thinks Wayne is speaking metaphorically and so he commiserates and tells Wayne, “We’re ALL frauds,” and the moment passes.
Then Wayne gets the ultimate rush. He does succeed. He fools everyone into thinking he is something he is not, and just like a gambling addiction is fed when the jackpot is hit, Wayne’s ego gets fed and now he just wants more.
Through the first season, the family lies to the world, but not (so much) to each other. The foreshadowing of Wayne’s “addiction to the rush,” begins to develop into a major issue for the family at the start of the second season. Wayne deceives his family, because he doesn’t want to give up being Doug Rich. He has wrapped his identity and self-worth into the charade. The consequences of his deception are severe. Wayne begins to lose all sense of what’s important to him and his family in his desire to keep this new persona.
“Everyone wants more.” It’s a tag line that you will hear repeated in the show. It’s also a fitting coda to the show. Everyone wants more; the question is how far are they willing to go to get it?
It’s the magic of “The Riches” for me. Any work of art should make us think about themes and archetypes of our shared humanity. It doesn’t have to be great art, it can be flawed and incomplete, but if it gives you pause, and makes you think then it fulfills the description of art.
One last thing, please don’t get the impression that this program is unrelentingly dark and depressing. Just as a painter relieves the darkness with light, The Riches leavens the drama with doses of humor and love. The scenes between Wayne and Dahlia, played by Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are a case study in humanity. Their love for each other comes through even as they fail each other.
Watch the pilot, even if you decide not to watch any further, it’s well worth your time.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
At The Movies...Game 6
We started Netflix this month. I'm ambivalent about it. But I'm finding some older movies that I never knew about, and a few are real gems. I watched one last night that was really good, it's called Game 6. The movie uses the allegory of a sports fan following their team (with all the emotional ups and downs that entails) as a metaphor for life.
The main character, played brilliantly by Micheal Keaton, is a playwright whose new play is opening the same night his team is playing game 6 of the World Series. But this is just the overt plot...the subplot is all about how we handle our successes and our failures. And how easy it can be to sabotage the brightest moments in our life because of our own personal demons.
This is a thoroughly human film, that while sometimes dark, never gives up on our capacity for optimism. You don't have to be a sports fan to like it, but sports fans get the added layer of recognition for a kindred soul in Keaton. Robert Downey Jr. plays the much feared and hated theater critic whose opinion will make or break Keaton. It's a fun quirky role (he seems especially gifted at those) that adds a nice bit of the absurd into the mix, because life is also absurd, isn't it?
I despise movie reviews that reveal too much, so I'm not going to give away any more. But if you like intelligent, well-written, well acted movies that give you layers of things to enjoy, this could be a real treat. I'd recommend it.
The main character, played brilliantly by Micheal Keaton, is a playwright whose new play is opening the same night his team is playing game 6 of the World Series. But this is just the overt plot...the subplot is all about how we handle our successes and our failures. And how easy it can be to sabotage the brightest moments in our life because of our own personal demons.
This is a thoroughly human film, that while sometimes dark, never gives up on our capacity for optimism. You don't have to be a sports fan to like it, but sports fans get the added layer of recognition for a kindred soul in Keaton. Robert Downey Jr. plays the much feared and hated theater critic whose opinion will make or break Keaton. It's a fun quirky role (he seems especially gifted at those) that adds a nice bit of the absurd into the mix, because life is also absurd, isn't it?
I despise movie reviews that reveal too much, so I'm not going to give away any more. But if you like intelligent, well-written, well acted movies that give you layers of things to enjoy, this could be a real treat. I'd recommend it.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Insuring Everyone
The measure that's in the new health care law that has my family most excited is the part that bars insurance companies from excluding people who have pre-existing conditions. If you are unlucky enough to have a major health care issue then you know exactly what I mean. Until the new health care bill was passed, if your insurance company wanted to drop you, or not insure you because you had, say cancer, they could do this. You cannot imagine how much fear and stress this causes in a family: without health insurance you are completely vulnerable to your disease.
In order to get insurance companies to support this measure the Democrats and Obama added wording to the bill to require that everyone purchase health insurance. Because this part could be devastating to working families they put in subsidies to help people buy insurance if it wasn’t affordable.
This second part is what makes the first part possible. If you don’t have to have health insurance many people will do without until they need it. If you require insurance companies to cover everyone, then the only people who buy insurance will be people who are sick and this will bankrupt the system. So you require everyone to buy in and you require that insurance companies must insure everyone. These two parts must be in place for this to work.
At yesterday’s “Value Voters” conference Republican Mike Huckabee said this:
He is distorting and outright lying about what this bill does. He's saying that people will be able to "burn down their house," (in other words, get sick) and still be able to buy insurance. How AWFUL! If you get sick, you are bad and wrong and shouldn't expect the insurance companies to cover you! But this is a lie, the bill doesn't let people do this, and Mike Huckabee knows it.
The Republicans rail against requiring people to buy health insurance, and they rail against forcing insurance companies to sell insurance to everyone, because they hate the health care bill. But they shouldn't be able to distort what the bill actually does just because they don't like it.
Without these two laws we are back to the situation that Bill and I know so well: when you desperately need health insurance you may NOT BE ABLE TO GET IT. I don't want to go back to that, do you?
The Republicans were wrong on the bill during the debate and they are wrong now to want to repeal this act. Millions of citizens will benefit, and the worry and stress on families will be less when they know they can continue to keep their loved ones insured.
Value Voters! Yeah, right. Promoting families! Yeah right. Those are values that require more than just words. Anyone can say they love Mom and Apple Pie, but when it actually require action these people are absent.
In order to get insurance companies to support this measure the Democrats and Obama added wording to the bill to require that everyone purchase health insurance. Because this part could be devastating to working families they put in subsidies to help people buy insurance if it wasn’t affordable.
This second part is what makes the first part possible. If you don’t have to have health insurance many people will do without until they need it. If you require insurance companies to cover everyone, then the only people who buy insurance will be people who are sick and this will bankrupt the system. So you require everyone to buy in and you require that insurance companies must insure everyone. These two parts must be in place for this to work.
At yesterday’s “Value Voters” conference Republican Mike Huckabee said this:
"And a lot of this, it sounds so good, and it's such a warm message to say we're not gonna deny anyone from a preexisting condition. Look, I think that sounds terrific, but I want to ask you something from a common sense perspective. Suppose we applied that principle that you can just come along with whatever condition you have and we're gonna cover you at the same cost we're covering everybody else 'cause we wanna be fair. Okay, fine. Then let's do that with our property insurance. And you can call your insurance agent and say, 'I'd like to buy some insurance for my house.' He'd say, 'Tell me about your house.' 'Well sir, it burned down yesterday, but I'd like to insure it today.' And he'll say 'I'm sorry, but we can't insure it after it's already burned.' Well, no preexisting conditions.
"How would you like to be able to call your insurance agent for your car and say 'I want you to insure my car.' 'Well tell me about your car.' 'Well it was a pretty nice vehicle until my sixteen year-old boy wrecked it yesterday. [He] totaled the thing out but I'd like to get it insurance so we can get it replaced.' Now how much would a policy cost if it covered everything? About as much as it's gonna cost for health care in this country."
He is distorting and outright lying about what this bill does. He's saying that people will be able to "burn down their house," (in other words, get sick) and still be able to buy insurance. How AWFUL! If you get sick, you are bad and wrong and shouldn't expect the insurance companies to cover you! But this is a lie, the bill doesn't let people do this, and Mike Huckabee knows it.
The Republicans rail against requiring people to buy health insurance, and they rail against forcing insurance companies to sell insurance to everyone, because they hate the health care bill. But they shouldn't be able to distort what the bill actually does just because they don't like it.
Without these two laws we are back to the situation that Bill and I know so well: when you desperately need health insurance you may NOT BE ABLE TO GET IT. I don't want to go back to that, do you?
The Republicans were wrong on the bill during the debate and they are wrong now to want to repeal this act. Millions of citizens will benefit, and the worry and stress on families will be less when they know they can continue to keep their loved ones insured.
Value Voters! Yeah, right. Promoting families! Yeah right. Those are values that require more than just words. Anyone can say they love Mom and Apple Pie, but when it actually require action these people are absent.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Harvey Milk
In light of the California Prop 8 ruling I re-watched the documentary on the life of Harvey Milk, not the Sean Penn movie.
If you haven't seen it before, or if it's been a long time, take 90 minutes and watch it. It's a great reminder of how far we've come as a society and how far gay rights have progressed.
When the Prop 8 ruling came down I remember thinking to myself how someone like Milk, if you could magically transplant them to today, would have reacted? What would they think about the place where we've come? Attitudes and values have changed so much for us to get to this place with gay marriage. Not that I'm naive enough to think that there aren't those who want to go back, to put gays back in the closet or worse, but for the majority of us who think that gay rights is the same as African-American rights, is the same as human-rights, we've come so far in our country and I'm proud of us.
I just read a book called "The Lacuna" where the main character is gay and it's set in the 1950's. He has NO place to go. Coming out isn't even an option. His gayness is the only reason needed to hate him and fear him. But today, thanks to people like Harvey Milk, that is no longer the case.
I think too, that part of what has gotten us here is that we all have children, friends, family-members or co-workers who are gay. And what was once fearful and other is now common and day to day..and finally simply someone just like us. It's hard to hate your own child, it's hard to hate someone you deal with every day at the office. And it's especially hard when they seem to have the same sort of lives and loves, fears and hopes that we all share. We are humans and so are they, whether we want to see it or not.
To hate minorities of any kind, be it color or sexual orientation, country of origin, or whatever...when you fall into those positions you demean the whole of humanity.
We have to treat all people with dignity because that is the way we ensure a world worth living in.
If you haven't seen it before, or if it's been a long time, take 90 minutes and watch it. It's a great reminder of how far we've come as a society and how far gay rights have progressed.
When the Prop 8 ruling came down I remember thinking to myself how someone like Milk, if you could magically transplant them to today, would have reacted? What would they think about the place where we've come? Attitudes and values have changed so much for us to get to this place with gay marriage. Not that I'm naive enough to think that there aren't those who want to go back, to put gays back in the closet or worse, but for the majority of us who think that gay rights is the same as African-American rights, is the same as human-rights, we've come so far in our country and I'm proud of us.
I just read a book called "The Lacuna" where the main character is gay and it's set in the 1950's. He has NO place to go. Coming out isn't even an option. His gayness is the only reason needed to hate him and fear him. But today, thanks to people like Harvey Milk, that is no longer the case.
I think too, that part of what has gotten us here is that we all have children, friends, family-members or co-workers who are gay. And what was once fearful and other is now common and day to day..and finally simply someone just like us. It's hard to hate your own child, it's hard to hate someone you deal with every day at the office. And it's especially hard when they seem to have the same sort of lives and loves, fears and hopes that we all share. We are humans and so are they, whether we want to see it or not.
To hate minorities of any kind, be it color or sexual orientation, country of origin, or whatever...when you fall into those positions you demean the whole of humanity.
We have to treat all people with dignity because that is the way we ensure a world worth living in.
More on Prop 8
Here are two articles from Time that really say a lot about the arc of this historic case. The first was written before Judge Walker ruled. It says that no matter what the outcome this case has changed assumptions:
The second examines the outcome.
I thought both were well written and worth reading.
But the trial, win or lose, has put on the dock a series of basic assumptions about what living in America should be like for millions of its citizens. For decades, governments at every level have created one set of rules for heterosexuals in America, and another set for its gays and lesbians. What the challenge to Prop 8 — California's 2008 vote to change its constitution to ban gay marriage — is all about is gathering hard evidence about the roots of that uneven playing field.
The second examines the outcome.
I thought both were well written and worth reading.
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