Posts Tagged ‘people’
May 17, 2013
Really. There is a day (ok, several different days) that basically say it’s not ok to hate the non-heterosexual community. I’m going to spare everybody my rant on that simply because I’m tired of writing it, saying it, and above all thinking about it. Put it this way, every day, I’m reminded of how I’m “different”. I’m over this. Over it. People blog about the sexualization/objectification of Disney FEMALE characters, has anybody looked at the images they present to boys?
Katy Pyle’s re-interpretation of The Firebird, a Ballez is MORE than just a queer ballet. It is so much more than that. This show re-examines how we present people. Take a look at the picture below taken by Chrissy Pessango:
Chrissy Pessango Picture
What do you see? More correctly, what do you see? Look at the different body types, look at the gracefulness each of these dancers holds. Maybe one, ONE, presents the body type you would expect to see in a ballet. One. And here they are a dance corps, musicians who identify as non-heterosexual but teaching a much broader lesson: the presentation of the craft is the important part. Shaking up gender expectations is huge: doing so with health body images? Well that’s nothing short of spectacular.
The show opened last night as St. Mark’s church (an Episcopal Church in NYC). Yes, a mainline church supporting queer art.
The $10,000 Pyle is hoping to raise is to provide better pay for those who have contributed so much to this project. Please help fully fund her. The show is sold out. The importance of this re-envisioning is not just important for the queer community but for every person. None of us are that “perfect” image. Pyle’s work is groundbreaking. Pyle’s dancers are taking very real risks in their professional lives. The church that is supporting them will undoubtedly draw (more) criticism. That is the risk of being a ground breaker.
This is the link to the KickStarter campaign. Please give what you can. The project is so close to being fully funded.
And no, I was not paid to write this review (and I wish is I was in NY so I could go see the show!!!)
Tags:a Ballez, ballez, body image, Chrissy Pessango, dance, diversity, Feminism, hollins, katy pyle, Kickstarter, lgbt, people, queer, queer dance, self-image, social media, the firebird, transgender
Posted in LGBT, People, Politics, Popular Culture, Religion | Leave a Comment »
May 16, 2013
“This ballet is the one I wish I had seen” . . .words, of course, you would expect to hear from the artistic director. The reality is that in the context of The Firebird, a Ballez this is much more than a true statement. Katy Pyle has re-envisioned Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird in a new image. A queer image. The clip from Kickstarter IS the ballet I wish I could see if I was in NYC this weekend.
I am far from a lover of ballet, I am impressed with the skill it takes to dance on ones toes (I’m thrilled to get through one day with stubbing a toe) but I’ve never felt a connection (I vaguely remember The Nutcracker and by vague, I remember this idea of child running around and the prince/princess and always been freezing cold in the theater) to ballet.
I clicked on the Kickstarter campaign because the artistic director is the sister of a college classmates. I believe in projects in Kickstarter: we are all on this planet together and well, in this country we really don’t grasp “the arts” or funding for the arts. As I watched the clip and listened to Katy’s reasoning for funding the project, I went back and watched the clip again. Without sound.
I saw me: not just the gay me. But me. The person who doesn’t look like a dancer. I saw people of different ethnic origins. I saw not male/female roles but artists expressing their craft in a very gender scripted medium. Yes, there were dancers who looked like dancers but compare the clip above to this one I grabbed from you tube.
Pyle’s project is more than just a “queer ballet and orchestra”. The dancers look like everybody. They present healthy body images with varying frames. As I’ve replayed the clip in my head all day and thought about what I wanted to write about this amazing project. I realized that Pyle is correct, this is a ballet I wished I would have seen. Maybe somewhere in the back of my childhood brain I knew I was gay. Maybe somewhere in the back of my head I knew I never had the body type to BE a dancer (even if I had the coordination).
The LGBTQ community has spent much of the spring in celebration as states grant the right to marry. Now it’s time to show how it’s getting better in different areas of life. The myths and fables of childhood which provide many of the gender norms which continue to be presented as acceptable need to be broken: not just for the LGBTQ community but for everybody. Every time I think of this ballet, I am amazed at the creativity. I am in awe of the courage and I give thanks. Maybe there will be a child watching who when s/he grows up s/he will realize s/he is LGBTQ and that the ability to dance doesn’t cross a gender bounds, that the stories presented in the struggles, the fantasy, the mythology of dances can be presented not as straight or queer but as what they are: human struggles.
Tags:arts, ballet, ballez, dance, Feminism, gender, gender roles, katy pyle, lgbt, lgbtq, NYC, people, social justice, the firebird, transgender
Posted in LGBT, People, Popular Culture | 2 Comments »
May 13, 2013
The flexible spending accounts (FSA) are one of the more under utilized benefits by many of my co-workers. The net is that you can legally allocated up to $2500 (as a single person) designated from pre-tax dollars to pay for prescription medications, physical therapy, medical co-pays, etc. Usually (keyword) it works like a charm; you go to the pharmacy to pay with the debit card and it’s done.
Until one day, you receive in the mail letter stating that they company managing the FSA system (in my case PayFlex) sends you a letter stating they need “an itemized receipt for the treatment received”. It’s a Dante worthy ring of hell adventure just this side of having to be the unfortunate soul to cuts Donald Trump’s hair. Really.
Being a proper Gen Xer, I first tried to solve this issue on-line. Being a total type A, save documentation you probably don’t need person, I pulled out the “Welcome to PayFlex” guide. Any reasonable, logical, sane person would have waited until Monday to handle this over the phone. After spending a few hours playing with the web site, I gave up and called.
I swear on Jackson’s life that the reason why costs care are what they are is because of the sheer ineptitude of the industry to become seamless. It would save them money (increase profits), probably decrease secondary illnesses related to things like increased stress from dealing WITH insurance companies. The reality is that none of these the issues I’m have their roots in the currently being enacted Health Care Reform Act/Obamacare. My hope is that the new act will only LESSEN the frustrations. I don’t have hope because the system is so entrenched.
So back to the attempt to use my FSA account. . . .
I mailed back the detailed receipt as requested.
They denied the claim.
I called. Why was this denied? You didn’t use our form. Uh, great but it doesn’t say to send a claim. I read her the letter (really) and it didn’t mention a claim form. A few transfers letter, they’ve agreed to re-review bill without the form since, you know, they don’t require it.
Back and forth, they ask if they can fax me something (no, I don’t have a fax number). They are stunned. I’m stunned. I ask them to send me the form in the mail (true story: my printer broke and since I can use the printer at work? Why bother: most of my life is paperless) since I don’t have a printer.
Back on hold; they aren’t sure if they can mail me the form since it’s on-line.
More conversation, she keeps suggesting to me to use the online feature(s). I wholly agree but I point out to her that since I am using my iPad, there is an encryption mismatch. I agree to use my notebook to register for the services. Turns out, my employee ID number wasn’t long enough: I needed 2 leading zeros. Turns out the zip code that I’m supposed to use is not mine but my employers (not in the information). Log in.
Very first line? “New mobile applications for iPhones, iPads, Andriod and Blackberry.”
Somebody just send me Bully Boy Vodka.
Tags:FSA, HSA, Insurance Reform, PayFlex, people, people watching, personal responsiblity, politics, spending accounts, things that aren't common sense but should be
Posted in Health Care, People, Politics, Shoulder | Leave a Comment »
May 9, 2013
I’ve seen variations of the following article discussing the idiocy of Abercrombie & Fitch in various versions all of over social media. This is the latest one to hit my Facebook feed.
Here is the deal: this isn’t like the CEO of Macy*s saying such a stupid remark. A&F has a long, long, long history of questionable business ideas. Deciding to boycott A&F now ranks up there with the idea of “Hey, I wonder if we can land a person on the moon?”. Abercrombie & Fitch has long been worthy of a boycott, banishment and a simple refusal by sane people to not purchase their clothing. Here are some of the highlights:
1) Employees are refered to as ‘models’. Yup, you read that right, models. I’m not going to go on an anti-model rant but in the context in of the 21st century model is just this side of “allowing for objectification” and “we won’t hire ugly people.”
2) In 2005, the company was subject to a federal consent decree due to a hiring and promotion practices. A consent decree essentially means that the federal government has found their violations of federal laws has been so egregious that a third-party is required to monitor such activity. I work in a heavily regulated federal industry, it’s extremely hard to wind up with a consent decree when matters of health, medicine and transportation are involved. It’s damn near impossible when clothes are concerned.
3) A&F has a history of discriminatory practices against Muslims and people with disabilities.
4) Countless ads that objectify and/or sexualize children, ads that are xenophobic, employment practices that are far out of line cultural norms.
Look, this is a company that has united feminist groups, Bob Jones University, liberal religious traditions and several unions. Yes, they did donate $10 million dollars an emergency department at a children’s hospital. But the larger question is this: this is a company that at every turn manages to purposefully offend every non-white, thin, attractive member of the population. Ten million dollars probably doesn’t even begin to cover the damages they have done.
The bigger question is this: Why the hell have people been shopping them for so long?
Tags:A&F, Abercrombie & Fitch, ADA, autism, boycott, consent decree, diversity, Feminism, lgbt, musings, people, personal responsiblity, Reflections, social justice, things that aren't common sense but should be, xenophobia
Posted in People, Politics, Popular Culture | Leave a Comment »
May 8, 2013
FB this morning is that it’s been a year since NC declared I’m not an equal person. Most days, I shrug states rights. Ok, no days do I think that. But the year anniversary the day after Delaware made me completely disheartened.
You know, I’m sick of defending the South and Southwest where a chunk of my family and friends live. I pretty much think your states all suck. How you can look me squarely in the eye and say you don’t think I deserve the same rights as every other citizen is beyond me. This isn’t about marriage in the religious sense but about marriage in the legal citizenship sense. Don’t flatter yourself: a gay guy or a lesbian woman isn’t looking at you or your spouse plotting how to break up your marriage so we can ‘convert’ you. Really. And if you are worried about that? Find a therapist. Homophobia is curable.
If you can say you feel my right to marry a woman is “immoral” ok. Chances are you’ve done things in that Bible you want to shove in my face I could probably find a list of ‘immoral acts’ you’ve committed: starting with the shellfish argument, the clothes you wear, the fact you are ‘casting a stone’ created completely in your own mind(s). While I’m at it, while you are shoving your morals on my rights, do you even bother to attend church let alone tithe? Or do you stand on the judgement of others because you think it is your God-given heterosexual right?
Here is the piece which you probably won’t read. Gay people probably aren’t going to run a church that they know is gay unfriendly asking to be married. If you attend church, you probably know that the minister of a church usually retains the right to perform the ceremony. Marriage is both a civil and religious ceremony. I could give a rats ass about your church polity. My church polity allows for marriage, unions, blessings of same-sex couples. My state grants the same rights (it’s the part where the minister says “by the power vested in me from the state of xxxx”). You can keep your interpretation of God. I demand my civil rights: as a tax payer, as a citizen, and as a human. Until then, I think 39 states suck.
Tags:Amendment One, anger, equality, homophobia, lgbt, people, same-sex marriage, social justice, The Campaign for Southern Equality, things that aren't common sense but should be, tolerance
Posted in LGBT, People, Politics | Leave a Comment »
May 1, 2013
Along Boylston
Make shift Memorial at Copley.
Also at Copley.
Re-glassing of Marathon Sports.
For the first time since the marathon, I had to be in the Copley area. I snagged a few pictures. I’ve always thought that make shift memorials were weird. As I wandered around the one that has sprung up on the Boylston side of Copley, looking at random pictures, quotes, I understood. New Englanders in general don’t show a lot of emotion. There were tears shed. The ever-present car horns that are Boston were absent, nary a Duck Boat in site and the street musicians were absent. Copley has changed. We are still struggling. We need the satellite trucks gone. Our farmer’s market needs to open on time. We will heal. We are changed. But we are #oneboston.
I’ve lived here longer than anyplace aside from my native Chicago. I’m proud to call Boston home. And our city will only be better. Because, to quote the incident commander, “It’s what we do. We are better than them.” We are #bostonstrong.
Tags:#bostonstrong, #oneboston, 4/15/2013, anger, Boston, Copley Square, diversity, healing, local business, marathon, musings, people, Random, Reflections, religion, social media, tolerance
Posted in People, Politics, Popular Culture, Reflections, Sports | 1 Comment »
September 13, 2012
I am not going to pretend to be unbiased regarding this situation. I have stated my disgust in more private forms of social media for about a year. Much of the facts are shrouded in the silence that comes with a cover-up, a disgrace and most of all an attempt to preserve a reputation of what was national and is now mostly regional mid-tier academic institution.
What I know is that last fall; Dr. Mark S. Burrows was dismissed from Andover-Newton Theological School. In a letter dated on 10/21/2011 from school president, Rev. Nick Carter, it was stated that Dr. Burrows was dismissed for “due to unprofessional, unethical and immoral behavior involving failure to maintain professional boundaries with students.” As an alumna, I did not receive the letter sent to the Andover Newton Community and “close friends”; I received several copies via e-mail from alumni/alumnae.
At the close of the letter, Rev. Carter asks that “you appreciate the sensitivity of this and limit what you say to others.”
Here is the response I should have sent last year:
Go to hell. Rev. Carter is asking for silence to save the reputation of the professor involved and the institution that employed him for many years. Rev. Carter, instead of using this as an opportunity to say that the reasons for Dr. Burrows’ termination were wholly unacceptable in a public manner (asking community for silence is something that has been vilified by criticizers of Penn State, the Roman Catholic Church and other organizations that have dealt with “immoral behavior” issues.) At the time, or shortly before, Dr. Burrows was Rev. Dr. Burrows. He is no longer an ordained minister according to his personal web site. He has accepted another teaching position in Germany to begin in 2013 (his wife is German). Does this institution know of the reasons behind Dr. Burrows’ dismissal? Or has the wider community of Andover-Newton (this author included) conspired in duplicitous behavior to save an institution?
ANTS is just as much as an institution as Penn State Football. Is there a difference between “immoral behavior” between adults and children: perhaps. The underlying tenant is the same: a person in power (real or perceived) demanded something causing harm to another. The difference is in the legal aspect: ANTS did not break a law, some at PSU did.
Rev. Carter and ANTS did not use this as an opportunity to have open and real discussions on the abuse of power, the damage to the reputation this can cause. Instead, they swept the matter under the rug. Any institution that has faced a situation (a family, an organization, a football program or a university) often gives the first response of “I had no idea”. This is not an act solely out of ignorance: but lack of awareness, lack of a safe environment for discussions without fear of retribution and the inherent power dynamic that tends to present itself in all structures.
Instead of saying “what can we learn, how can we educate ourselves as supposed moral/ethical/religious leaders”, the president of the nation’s oldest theological school, Rev. Nick Carter, requested silence.
The time for silence surrounding the abuse of power is long gone. If an organization wants to be a leader, wants to mold leaders, wants to demonstrate how to answer the hard questions, then speaking up is the action: not a plea for silence.
I know I will offend people with this: I don’t care. Read that again: I don’t care. I am embarrassed by my actions of a year ago: I should have spoken up then. I am embarrassed to hold a degree from this institution that publically touts itself as liberal and forward thinking, but in one of its darkest hours returned to the traditional response of get the offender out the door and ask for silence to preserve the institution.
Tags:abuse of power, Andover Newton Theological School, anger, ANTS, dismissal, Dr. Mark Burrows, immoral, leadership, Mark Burrows, musings, Nick Carter, people, personal responsiblity, Random, Reflections, religion, Rev. Nick Carter, scandal, seminary, social media, theology, things that aren't common sense but should be, tolerance
Posted in Lent, People, Reflections | Leave a Comment »
August 4, 2012
Sigh. Nordstrom used to represent legendary customer service. Today, I returned, after a bit of frustration, a skirt and 2 pairs of shoes to my local Nordstrom that I had sent to me during the (in)famous Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.
I’d rather have a root canal. Ok, maybe not that extreme but close.
I stepped off the elevator and took my items to the customer service department. I wanted to just dart in, out and continue on with my day. Was I wrong! As I placed my Nordstrom bag on the counter, with the receipts in hand and my Nordstrom card (trust me, for these acts alone I deserve a medal). The customer service representative told me he could not help me with my returns. Um, excuse me? I mean, it’s a return. You are customer service. He pointed to a sign that said I could go to any department and they’d be happy to assist me with my return. Seriously? I mean, this is a Nordstrom: places of legendary (and false) tire returns.
I trudged over to St. John’s (the closest department) and while the woman was lovely, she couldn’t return the shoes. Something about a “company policy” again and I know Nordstrom employees take flak all day so I smiled and took my items downstairs to the shoe department.
I walked up to the shoe counter with my items and was asked if I needed help. Yes, I needed to return some items from the Anniversary Sale. And the sales associate offered to find somebody (I sort of wondered why she asked if she wasn’t going to help but oh well). I pulled out my two pairs of shoes and my skirt. The new sales associate apologized but said he couldn’t help me with the skirt but would take care of the shoes. At this point, I was wondering *where* Nordstrom and their famous customer service went. I asked about the sign at customer service that any department could help with any return. He explained that shoes was different due to a “company policy”. After inspecting my shoes in a manner that would make a US Marine Corps Drill Sergeant proud, he stated he could return the shoes. (Great, I’m thinking because I bought them less than two weeks ago, looked at them in person and said not for me.)
I went back up to St. John’s and returned the skirt. The woman apologized again saying that different departments can only return some items. She helped me return the skirt and was nice but really? 4 departments for 3 items? Target and Wal-Mart both don’t have you run all over the store for a simple return.
On my way out, I stopped by customer service. I wanted to let them know their sign was wrong. He explained the same “company policy” on returns about different departments. . I half jokingly asked the customer service rep if I could purchase a roll of quarters from him since that was on my to-do list. He said he was sorry but it was against company policy. At this point, I had to think what exactly does customer service DO all day?
On a lark, I looked a www.nordstrom.com for their returns policy: “Simply bring the packing slip and credit card used when you placed the order to any one of our stores.” And be prepared to run around for a bit.
Tags:customer service, fun, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, Nordstrom returns, Nordstrom shoes, people, people watching, Random, returns, social media, things that aren't common sense but should be, tolerance
Posted in People, Popular Culture | 4 Comments »
May 26, 2012
There is a passage in Acts that describes a gathering of individuals (hardly even the ultra-early church) where individuals spoke in his/her native language and was understood by the recipient in his/her native language (think text predictor gone right). I’ve been to enough church services on enough continents to pick out some of the more ritual aspects of the services (some always confuse me: The Apostles Creed descending to hell or not, trespass/debts/sin variations on the Lord’s Prayer) that I can intellectually understand that passage to mean an understanding due to ritual, body language and common ideals. Of course, I’m always bemused by Peter saying people aren’t drunk because it’s 9:00 am, clearly, the man had never tailgated in the SEC/Big 10 areas of the world: especially when it’s coupled with the German peasant phrase popularized by Goethe of strawberries by Pentecost mean a good wine crop. (Note, there were ripe strawberries at the farmers market today in the Boston ‘burbs so I’m thinking it’s going to be a good wine crop. . . ).
As I drove around today making stops at various farmers markets, I couldn’t help but notice all the flags flying at half-mast (an oddly enduring Massachusetts tradition) and think about Memorial Day in the context of those gathered during the first Pentecost and wondering what we would collectively say to each other if what we were saying would be understood. It would probably come very close to what has landed Cory Booker in hot water for saying what many of us believe: as Andrew Rosenthal wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed
“Cory Booker, the young, dynamic and often unpredictable mayor of Newark, got himself into hot water over the weekend by likening Republican attacks on President Obama’s former relationship with Jeremiah Wright to Democratic attacks on private equity. “This kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides,” he said on “Meet the Press.” “It’s nauseating to the American public.”
He also touted the president’s pro-business record (“over 90% of Americans have seen tax cuts under this president”), and said that Mitt Romney “would have let the auto industry fail,” but the media focused on his apparent defense of Mr. Romney’s work at Bain Capital. “I know I live in a state where pension funds, unions and other people are investing in companies like Bain Capital. If you look at the totality of Bain Capital’s record they’ve done a lot to support businesses, to grow businesses.”
The sad thing? Booker has spent the week apologizing for his comments. Booker spoke in a language everybody – right, left, center – understood. We are tired of the finger pointing, hatred, vilification of opposition. Discuss your plans, the concrete ones and how you are going to pay for them. Show us how you will improve our systems. If the only way you can win is by trashing your opponents, you aren’t worthy of the position. Booker is right, it is nauseating. We as a country are better than this: and when an individual feels he has to apologize for heartfelt, probably dead on accurate comments, there is one thing I’m pretty certain of: we all agreed on the message from Mr. Booker, it just hit some on the campaign trail a bit too close to home.
Tags:anger, bain capital, cory booker, democrats, election, election nonsense, musings, Obama, people, politics, Random, Reflections, religion, republicans, Romney, social media, things that aren't common sense but should be, tolerance
Posted in People, Politics, Popular Culture, Reflections, Religion | Leave a Comment »
May 4, 2012
Most of the time, state ballot intaitives amuse me: should we repeal a liquor tax? What about letting people smoke pot in public? I tend to think of it is the great political revenge of letting voices be heard on some entertaining issues.
Not so next week in North Carolina. Next week voters in North Carolina are seeking to define relationships. Currently, the Tar Heel State is does not recognize gay marriage. Now, they are seeking to ban it. The legislature this year managed to place on the ballot the following:
“Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.”
If this amendment passes, North Carolina’s Constitution would read as follows:
“Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.”
Marriage, not civil unions, not domestic partnerships, is the only legal union. To some people, there might not be a distinction between only allowing heterosexually married couples to receive the government benefits of marriage. There is: this proposed amendment has the potential to impact domestic abuse charges, custody and support rights in non-married heterosexual couples.
There has long been the stereotype of the ‘narrow minded Southerner’. This amendment promotes that stereotype. In a telling quote, Majority Leader Rep. Paul Stam (R-NC 37) stated “They’re going to bring with them their same-sex marriages. They’re going to want to get divorced and have custody issues decided”, he said. “We’re not equipped to handle that.” Rep. Stam, let me personally assure you, the gay community is not interested in rushing to North Carolina to get divorced.
Maybe one day I’ll understand how individuals can think my decision on who to marry has any impact on his/her relationships (aside from the obvious affair). Passage of this amendment would be a giant step backwards. Not just for the LGBT community but for every citizen of North Carolina, and by extension everybody who knows and loves somebody in the Tar Heel State.
I find it bemusing that the political party which staunchly opposes perceived intrusions into our personal lives supports such a reaching decision. This is bigotry. This is fear mongering. This is hatred of the other.
My only hope and prayer is that the people of North Carolina see this for what it is worth and refute the amendment. We all deserve better.
Tags:Amendment One, anger, Civil Rights, diversity, equal marriage, family, Feminism, lgbt, Marriage, musings, North Carolina, people, personal responsiblity, Reflections, republicans, social justice, south, things that aren't common sense but should be, tolerance, vote
Posted in LGBT, Politics, Reflections, Religion | Leave a Comment »
