The Dooryard

Catan hits Santa Monica Blvd.

Though Halloween was a month ago, I wanted to share the costume that got me most excited on Santa Monica Blvd. First, if you don't know, West Hollywood is home to a party of a half-million people on Halloween every year. There are sexy outfits and funny outfits. But the costume that got me most excited was a unique Catan costume: and the hexagons even fit together! Oh, you can see a picture of Dan and me headed out on Halloween here. It's Cynthia. Cynthia Dickson.

How you say it is half the message

I don't put much stock in the power of words. The three letters F-A-G just don't mean anything to me. But you put them in context, and they can be harmless or powerful. I was reminded of this watching the new trailer for the Facebook movie and the song, "Creep," that is laid under it. Don't think how you say it is half (if not most) of the message? How do these two identical songs draw out different emotional responses:

New bed and breakfast on Maine's central coast

There is a wonderful new inn on Maine's central coast called Blueberry Fields Bed and Breakfast. It sits on a 10-acre blueberry field in the quaint town of Washington. There are five guest rooms and an incredible common area with breakfast area, lounge and reading nook. And it's located pefectly: Just a half hour from Camden, Rockland and Augusta.

OK, disclaimer: It happens to be built, owned and operated by my parents. They really did a great job. I've heard from various people that they love the place, and the people who have already stayed there raved about it (in part for my mom's blueberry crumb pie!). 

Gym class horror stories

Do you have a gym class horror story? From high school? Junior high school? Even elementary school? Was your gym teacher too much to handle? Did you have taken showers after class? Getting picked last?

I'm working on a project involving gym class horror stories, and I want to hear from you. Please email me at cydzeiglerjr@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Film reviewers announce head-scratching top-10 films

The film awards season has kicked off and the National Board of Review has come up with a list of top-10 films that defies logic. While I can quibble with the inclusion of 500 Days of Summer or Up or, I really can't roll my eyes because those were fine films. Not top-10, but they were fine. But someone's brain must have been on pause when they included Where the Wild Things Are. There was not a bigger waste of 90 minutes in the movie theater this year than the soulless, meandering picture-book adaptation. The poster was the best thing about the movie.

On the flip side, I'm excited to see Invictus, which the NBR gave high praise. I'm also psyched to see Avatar, which the NBR didn't even see before announcing their awards. It makes the list a joke when they don't even see one of the most anticipated movies of the year before making their top 10.

In the coming days I'm going to start my ranking of the films I saw this year. You'll notice WTWTA at (or near) the bottom.

A week in Oahu

Dan and I spent our latest vacation in Oahu with a couple friends from New York. Maybe it was like a movie that gets over-hyped, but neither of us was too impressed with our week there.

We stayed at Hotel Renew in Waikiki. It was rather chic and we had a nice view of the ocean (and the sunset every evening). Though, we did have some problems: A clogged drain, a leaking shower and music blasting from the neighboring hotel at 7am. It was also a block from the gay bar, Hula's. One of my highlights of the trip was a Saturday afternoon gay catamaran trip, sponsored by Hula's. If you're there on a Saturday, definitely partake: You get to drink maitais and see the island from a beautiful perspective offshore.

One of the best parts of the trip was the golfing. We found a military-run gold course in the middle of the island named Leilehua. It was just $38 for 18 holes: You can't beat that! It's a well-manicured course and is a tranquil respite from the high-trafficked beaches and tourist traps. The trick is, as visitors you can only reserve a tee time the day-of. But we got a tee time every day we wanted one.

Toys For Tots 2009 in New York City

Every year I get tons of requests for info on the gay Toys For Tots party in New York. This year's party will be at Chelsea Piers on Sunday, Dec. 6, 5pm-9pm. It's annually the best party in Manhattan. You gotta buy a ticket and bring a toy to donate.

To buy a ticket, click here.

The best speech yet for marriage equality

Not surprising to me, it comes from an 86-year-old World War II vet in Maine. Every voter in Maine should see this. Please give to equality in Maine! Just 11 days left until the election. And your donation can help!!

Great new dentist in Los Angeles

If you're in Los Angeles and looking for a dentist, do I have the man for you! Dr. Dan Pinar is really warm and friendly and his office prides itself on being low-pressure! He won't try to sell you several thousand dollars of work unless you need it (though he is also a great cosmetic dentist: He just wan't try to tell you you need it). He's located at 8500 Melrose Ave., Suite 203, in West Hollywood (cross street is La Cienega). He takes most insurances.

OK, full disclosure: Dr. Dan Pinar is also my partner, but even if he wasn't I'd go to him! So check out his Web site now and give his office a call today at 310-659-1000.

Now everyone's shouting

Don't count me among those who think the ruckus reception that many lawmakers have gotten at their "healthcare town meetings" is fake or orchestrated. There is a lot of anger out there directed at the Federal government and the ballooning deficit, and this power grab over healthcare is the epitome of that to a lot of people. Still, there have been many (mostly Obama supporters) who have attacked these angry people, calling them (among many other things) unAmerican.

So when I saw that Sen. John McCain was met by a verbal assault from the Left this week, it did feel phony to me. After weeks of the Left attacking people for their loud retaliation against Senators and Congressmen who support Obamacare, they've decided, "Well fine then, we'll just do the same thing." I know there is equally passionate support for some of the general ideas that Obama supports (can't really call it a 'bill' since Obama hasn't even considered putting his stamp of approval on any one bill), but the tactic of shouting at rallies, after weeks of attacking the opposition for the same thing, feels like they're just trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Boies' great arguments for gay marriage

Attorney David Boies penned a fantastic piece in today's Wall Street Journal outlining why he and Ted Olson are taking the gay-marriage fight to the Supreme Court. It's one of the most compelling, well-written pieces on the subject I've seen from anyone!

For the liberal "conspiracy theorists" claiming that Olson is only on board to try to derail gay marriage, the piece certainly contradicts that as Boies embraces Olson (besides, Boies is no idiot who can be duped into taking a bad case to the Supreme court). Boies talks directly about why he and Olson, two old rivals, teamed up for this one:

We acted together because of our mutual commitment to the importance of this cause, and to emphasize that this is not a Republican or Democratic issue, not a liberal or conservative issue, but an issue of enforcing our Constitution's guarantee of equal protection and due process to all citizens.

Brilliant.

It's pretty sad how some gay rights groups are attacking them and then trying to intercede in the case. They realize that they have been sitting on the sidelines, trying to simply shepherd gay marriage with little result...and that this case has the potential to make them sideshows and show just how irrelevant many of them have become.

I hope Boies and Olson are completely successful. To have two men from opposing views come to the same legal conclusion about the importance of my rights would be probably the most breathtaking moment in gay-rights history.

Obama is treasonous regarding DADT

This past Monday, Barack Obama held a reception at the White House for "leaders" in the gay community. In actuality, it was a cocktail party he had with a couple hundred devoted gay followers to make it look like he was doing something for gay people. Many involved with the reception turned around and wrote items and spoke to the press saying how much in love they are with Obama because of the things he said at the event. Mind you, he didn't DO anything. He didn't even PROMISE anything. He just told the people there that they were welcome to be in the White House and that they would be happy with his Administration at the end of it. Can you get anymore vague?

One area where he wasn't vague was national security. About the policy of discharging openly gay people from the military, Obama said this:

And finally, I want to say a word about "don't ask, don't tell."  As I said before -- I'll say it again -- I believe "don't ask, don't tell" doesn't contribute to our national security.  (Applause.)  In fact, I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security.

Let's be clear about this. Obama said he believes that discharging gay people from the military is undermining national security: Yet, he continues to follow that policy! He could stop the discharges TODAY with an executive order preventing the execution of DADT, but he doesn't. When the President of the United States acts against national security, he is failing to uphold his most important job and is acting in a treasonous way AGAINST national security! How this man sleeps at night, believing he is putting his own personal political future ahead of national security, is hard to understand.

While people want the equal rights he promised, Obama just keeps campaigning

I have long been critical of gay "leaders" for cozying up to the Democrats at the expense of furthering gay rights. We've seen it over and over, as HRC and others are willing to sit on the sidelines and wait while the campaign for Democrats who do nothing to further our rights. So I've been excited to see the clear shift in the last few weeks as gay "leaders" begin to hold Barack Obama and other Democrat leaders accountable for their promises to gay people.

After wooing gay dollars and votes with promises to advance eight gay rights, Obama quickly abandoned all of them once in office. He went from opposing the Defense of Marriage Act to supporting it. He went from saying he'd end Don't Ask Don't Tell as soon as he got into office to saying it won't happen for at least two years and failing to stop the discharges (something he could do with a stroke of the pen). To see devout gay Democrats like David Mixner and Corey Johnson and Andy Towle boycotting the DNC gay fundraiser this week is outstanding and shows TRUE leadership on their part!

Meanwhile, Obama thinks he's still on the campaign trail. He thinks that if you just keep talking and promising, all will be well. In the last week, he has tried to throw gay people little bones to make up for it. He granted some Federal workers some health care benefits for their partners. And now comes word that he's throwing an exclusive party for important (read: rich donors) gay people next Monday. This is all, of course, an attempt to continue his campaigning without actually governing and DOING something about his promises. I pray no gay people fall for it, and I'm encouraged to hear others say the same.

'The End of the Line' commercial fishing documentary

I come from two families of fishermen on Cape Cod. My father's family were strictly of the rod-and-reel type: Stand on the shore and cast into the water, catching the occasional striped bass or bluefish or small-mouth bass or trout. My mother's family were commercial fishermen: Drive a boat 30 miles offshore and cast massive nets into the water, scooping up hundreds or thousands of fish in the course of a day. As I grew older, I came to see commercial fishing more and more as a raping of the oceans. A new documentary called The End of the Line will be talking about that starting next week, and I am looking forward to seeing it.

Fishermen on Cape Cod made great livings in the 1980s. I remember the family celebrating huge catches, and those celebrations were weekly. I also remember my family whining about government regulation and pointing their fingers at draggers (instead of casting floating nets that ensnare dolphins and whales, they drag heavy nets along the bottom) when the size of their catches dwindled. I distinctly remember my grandfather telling me, "The more cod you catch, the more there are." His theory was that adult male codfish eat baby codfish; So if you catch more adults, more babies will live. "These scientists don't know anything," he'd tell me. "All you have to do is look at the stomach of a cod to know it's true." I know, it is crazy logic, but it was men like my grandfather who were driving the fishing industry on the side of the fishermen and it is logic like that that drives the raping of the oceans today.

Luckily, the U.S. government did put in regulations on fishing and bought boats from fishermen (including my grandfather) to get them off the water. They continue to limit the amount fishermen can bring in, though unfortunately the fishermen continue to catch and kill huge numbers of fish and throw them overboard before they get to harbor (at least, that's what my grandfather tells me). These aren't bad men, they're just trying to make a living for their families and some of them simply don't have the resources to figure out how to do that without the needless killing of fish.

Hopefully efforts like this film will educate the public, who can push back at the fishermen and get them to change their practices.

Miss California deserves the criticism

I'm kind of surprised by how many people are talking about Miss California's answer about gay marriage at Sunday's pageant. In case you haven't heard what happened, you can read here and watch it below.

A few people have told me that "she should be able to say whatever she wants without being attacked for it." I couldn't disagree more. She absolutely has the right to say whatever she wants. Every American has the right to say what they want; That's what makes our country so great. But NO ONE has the right to say something publicly and expect to be free from criticism.

She could have easily talked about state's rights and living in a country that values difference in opinion, and that would have been a fantastic answer. Instead, she decided to take her own political position (and deliver it really badly); And with that she opened herself to criticism. She didn't have to offer her political opinion but she did, and she says she's glad she did. Many people who are against gay marriage are attacking those who are criticizing her. But why does she get the right to speak her mind and others don't?

I'm glad Perez Hilton asked her the question. I wish he hadn't called her a bitch afterward, but that's Perez.

First dog failed to pay taxes

OK, this is just a fun, silly little thing posted by a guy who runs BadJocks and Dumbass Daily. But I got a chuckle out of it.

"The Dumbass Daily has learned exclusively that Bo, reportedly from a prominent East Coast Portuguese water dog family, may also made a mistake on his Federal Income taxes. "The tax laws are really complicated! Just look at what happened to Tom Delay and Charlie Rangel . . . and I'm a dog, for Christ's sake," howled the beleaguered First Dog-elect, who has to go through what is now expected to be a tougher than expected Senate confirmation hearing."

TEA Parties inspire my parents

Yesterday there were reportedly hundreds of TEA Parties across the country to protest the wasteful collection and spending of the money of hardworking Americans. It was very sad to hear network after network try to characterize the people there as crazy and stupid, and paint the whole series of events as sour grapes. This is one that I actually think Fox News got dead on: This was the beginning of something big.

My father, at the age of 58, and my mother, age 54, attended the TEA Party in Augusta, Maine. It was the first political rally of their lives. My Dad reiterated what so many at these parties were talking about, and what Fox News, again, got right: It's not about Democrats or Republicans, they are all corrupt and are destroying this country together.

In the middle of a recession, we have a government tripling the deficit in one year and a President calling for hundreds of billions of dollars for a high-speed train system, despite the fact that the one high-speed train system in the Northeast isn't particularly popular.
I don't have a problem with paying taxes when I know it's being collected fairly and it is being used efficiently and for good purposes. It's that second part that has gotten woefully lost by our government: I don't feel a penny of my tax dollars are being efficiently spent, and I feel like only half is getting spent for good purposes. While the White House, Congressional leaders and many in the mainstream media want to paint these TEA Parties as a bunch of unpatriotic fools, I just have the feeling that it'll be anyone who ignores these angry Americans who are the fools.

Example of veiled bias in the media

This is an example of why I believe there is a bias in the media that favors Democrats over Republicans. I have watched for years how the party affiliation of politicians involved in "positive" stories and "negative" stories is identified. I've long noticed a trend: That the party affiliation of Democrats in negative stories is buried, while the party affiliation of Republicans in negative stories is generally in the first reference to the person.

The latest story is one of a New York state senator who has been indicted on assault charges. A journalist is supposed to mention the politician's party affiliation (you often see it as D-NY or something like that) early on. Instead, this reporter waited until the last paragraph in the whole article, and even then referenced his "fellow Democrats."

I don't have quantitative evidence of this, but over the years I've noticed this trend over and over.

Recycling and helping poor people at the same time

For some reason, my building does not have recycling. Only seven or eight people live in the building, but still, it's surprising and disappointing.

Today as I was leaving, I noticed a disheveled man pushing a shopping cart laden with bottles, cans and plastic bags full of plastic bottles. I asked him if he was looking for items to recycle, and he said he was: Anything metal, glass or plastic. Dan and I had been saving all of our recycling for the last two months, so we actually have bags and bags of it! He was thrilled, and now we're going to leave our recycling out for him.

For those places with no recycling, this could be a wonderful solution. Many states pay some refund for returned recyclables. And many people are hurting in this economy. Someone in or near your neighborhood may be looking to find recyclables, whether they're a neighbor or homeless. Track them down. Help them out. These days, every penny counts for a lot of people, and recycling can help us all.

Another bad pro-gay-marriage commercial

After Prop 8 passed in California, there was an outpouring of thought about what to do next. The terrible TV commercials that the pro-gay-rights side aired were targeted and the people who led to their creation were blamed. There were marches, letters, conferences, symposiums, meetings, phone calls. After taking all of that in, Equality California has come out with another TV ad - and it's as though they weren't listening.

Actually, listening to the wrong people. There was a chorus after the election saying the mistake was not putting more gay people in the ads: Harvey Milk would have put gay people in the ads, so that was the mistake that was made. So what does EqCa do? They put Harvey Milk and gay people in the commercial. That's not enough; They need to change their message!

But the commercial misses the mark completely because it harps on the same old tired theme of "we're right and you're wrong." Telling people they have to give you something is no way to get them to give it to you; In fact, it often makes them want to keep it from you that much more. This commercial says "we deserve this" and "you can't keep us from it anymore." It mentions Jerry Falwell by name and identifies him as an enemy; Why would you want to alienate his friends and allies? How is that changing people's hearts and minds? It's more stomping feet and throwing a tantrum. That this is what they came up with after four months of listening is very, very sad.