News Gripes: NPR Out of Touch with Reality

I came across this news article about NPR’s firing of journalist, Juan Williams, and I was shocked at what I read. The article basically states that Williams was fired for a comment that he made about his feelings toward Muslims while appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor”. In rehashing Bill O’Reilly’s comment during his appearance on “ The View” and the drama it stirred up, Williams admitted:

“...when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

While not the best thing he could have admitted to, I understand where he is coming from, especially in light of 9/11 where Islamic extremists used airplanes as weapons of mass destruction and caused enduring and irreparable damage. I saw this as a very real and honest response; NPR saw it as a reason to give Williams his walking paper. I watched the clips and I don't see a valid reason for why he was fired. He expressed his feelings, something many people can relate to, and while some of us saw complete honesty in an arena where this is rare, NPR saw a case for bigotry. When people are punished for expressing their personal opinions, no matter how unpopular it may be, it’s no wonder we live in such a guarded society where those in the know feed us drivel instead of telling us the unvarnished truth.

From time to time, G. sends me NPR articles that she thinks I might find interesting and I’ve even signed in to log my opinion on the rare occasion. But I am not a regular NPR subscriber. If I were I would have to think twice about tuning in, in light of how they handled the Juan Williams situation. In a country that purports, or rather, expresses free speech and readily provides a platform for radical types to spout extreme and often nonsensical viewpoints, it's hypocritical that someone can be fired for expressing his or her honest opinion. It’s a real shame when we have to guard our words because we are afraid of what the consequences will be.

Movie Gripes: "Killers" Bored Me To Death!

Killers has got to be one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time. It was not a movie that I had any real desire to see but since it was freely available at the library, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. Wrong! I wish I could get back the hour and forty minutes that I spent watching this atrocity but alas, try as I might, I can’t seem to eradicate it from my memory. Not yet. Hopefully the next ten movies I watch will go a long way towards accomplishing that.

Killers star Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher as a successful couple who met while on vacation and fast-tracked to marriage. They lead a seemingly pleasant life until his past as a “licensed killer” catches up to him and he becomes Target No.1. The movie is categorized as an action flick and while there was plenty of shooting, blowing things up, and hand-to-hand combat to round things out, it was a major snooze fest. Not interesting at all! First, the chemistry between the leads was nonexistent but I think this has more to do with the actors themselves. Both lack any kind of charisma and while she’s prone to histrionics that can be gratingly annoying after a time, he’s just…bland and without affect. I don’t how he ever got into acting but this farce of billing him as such has gone on long enough. If ever someone truly deserves a Razzie, it’s him. And her.

Of course, the dialogue and plot didn’t exactly deliver anything praise-worthy either. Picture this, a couple lives in a close-knit community, blissfully unaware that friends, co-workers and neighbors alike are plants just waiting to be activated and get the kill order. This is a stretch even for real-life t*******ts and we all know how effective certain organizations have been at using sleepers to infiltrate entire countries. But I digress. The dialogue is flat and cheesy at best and I was hard-pressed to crack even one smile. Trust me, I laugh over the stupidest stuff but this was even more than I could handle. I knew the movie was going nowhere when a half hour in, we were still exploring the couple’s coupledom and listening to their trite conversations. Seriously! I should have stopped it at this point but I chose instead to let it play on while I found other distractions. Killers pretty much lost me at the beginning because when it finally delivered several action sequences in close succession, I was not moved. Nothing about this movie excited me.

I’ve heard people say that best part was the end when describing a really bad movie, play, or whatever. That expression fits Killers perfectly. When the credits rolled and I heard the lyrics “I’m fed up…” I knew that at least one other person realized that this movie was no prize. Before it wrapped, Killers managed to drop one last stink bomb because the resolution has got to be the most convoluted part of the movie. Unfortunately, good or bad, I still hate to give away the ending of anything so I’ll say very little else about it. I will add that Mr. Magnum P.I., Tom Selleck, disappointed me because up until that point, I thought that he was the movie’s only saving grace and the only one in Killers who really saw it for what it is: a load of crap!

Book Gripes: The Four Agreements

I’m not a fan of self help books. I am not completely averse to those books that tackle intangible issues such as a happiness and personal growth and try to sell people on a particular concept. But I don’t buy that we can reach these very personal goals through someone else’s methods. One-size-fits-all does not apply and I believe that we dictate our level of growth and happiness. Do we really need someone to tell us this or try to sell us on their methods? It is with this ambivalence that I recently read Don Miguel Ruiz’s, The Four Agreements , which is promoted as a guide to personal freedom.

The Four Agreements are:

• Be impeccable with your word
• Don’t take anything personally
• Don’t make assumptions
• Always do your best

Although a mere 130 something pages, this little book took quite a bit of time and effort to read, not because the concepts were difficult to grasp but because I had very little interest in reading it. I wholly agreed that the Agreements were reasonable but I found the details designed to clarify them to be unnecessary. The fact that I was able to finish is a testament to my determination. Sheer willpower! I knew a few pages in that I would not glean anything more from this exalted text than I had already gathered from the book jacket when I first picked up the book from my local library. So why did I bother? Well, G. said that she liked it and when my friends recommend books to me, I like to give them every possible chance before forming a final verdict. And, for the most part, the book jacket was mildly interesting. The Four Agreements are certainly not new concepts but while I would often tell myself to do something or the other, I never looked at it as making agreements with myself. So I often broke these “Agreements” without giving it a second thought. If this little book did anything, it solidified the idea that I can and should internalize certain ideals and live accordingly. Still, if anyone asked for my opinion, I would tell them to read the jacket and skip the rest. Happy reading!

Event Gripes: The Wedding & The Dress

Have you ever been to a party where you hadn't planned on staying until the very end and then you looked up as they were turning on the lights and realized that that’s exactly what happened? Well, that was my experience when my friend K. got married. I’d known about the wedding for quite a while but in the last two weeks leading up to it, I discussed it with friends and family with annoying frequency. Actually, I didn’t talk about the wedding so much as I discussed what I would wear to it. You see, I don’t wear dresses too often and the wedding would be a formal affair. I refused to show up in pants or basic black. Care needed to be taken and I needed to go shopping!

Unfortunately for my friends, I mentioned every shopping foray every chance I got. Since I went shopping a few times each week in search of a dress, this was more often than I like to admit. And when I finally found two dresses two days before the wedding, I needed to try them on and get my sister’s opinion, send pictures to G. to get her take, show pictures to my co-worker and a few others to get their feedback and generally annoy everyone with talks about what I would wear to the wedding. Even the bride was not immune from my dress talks but since it was her day, I tried to keep it at a minimum and leave the focus where it needed to be, on her. In any case, when it came down to choosing between my two options we were all in agreement and if the compliments I received at the wedding are anything to go by, I made the right choice. Of course, I also needed accessories which in turn led to even more annoying chats. I was a monster, but one who was well put-together come wedding day.

The wedding itself was a wonderful affair. The venue was elegant and featured a beautiful view. The bride was stunning in her original dress and unique updo and she and her new husband made for an adorable couple. Their wedding was a perfect blend of traditional and unconventional touches which seemed perfectly suited to the pair. Of course, during the receptions there were the incidents you expect to find at a wedding what with people getting stumbling drunk but nothing could have detracted from the happiness that radiated around the room.

As much fun as I had, I was initially worried about not knowing too many people at the wedding. Even after I was allowed to bring a friend along for company. I wanted the evening to be about sharing in K.’s enjoyment, not trying to generate conversation with strangers out of thin air. My worry was for naught. When I arrived, I immediately saw some recognizable faces and as the evening wore on, I caught up with some about what’s been going on with them and I met some new faces who were as happy to be there as I was. But more importantly I simply enjoyed being in that moment! Between sampling the Southern-style food, taking pictures in the photo booth, laughing at some of the hilarious antics and toasts, dancing to songs I didn’t know or hadn’t heard in a long time, and sharing in my friend’s joy I had a blast! I only hope that all of my yet-to-be-married friends also know how to throw parties that elicit this much fun.