Global News from a Local Perspective

What's With That: Meggings to take Sacto by storm?

2012-12-18T19:12:07Z

Gentlemen, have you ever found yourselves watching a period film, King Lear perhaps, and thought, “Damn, I wish I could get away with those tights?”

Well apparently now is your chance, so you’d better strike while the iron is hot. The Guardian reports that Uniqlo and Nordstrom are stocking up on “meggings,” the hottest new male trend since Joey Buttafuoco pants. Just in time for Christmas, too, for the special Steve Tyler-wannabe man in your life who already has everything.

“Leggings are comfortable, affordable and easy to style – three main pointers to a hot-ticket item,” said August Larson, a Sacramento native and denim craftsman who specializes in artisan materials and tailoring methods. “In the men’s demographic, I’d say very few would wear ‘meggings.’ Sure, they’d be stylish, but I feel the average male would stick to a pair of jeans rather than polyester tights. I prefer wearing a durable fabric that I know can withstand a workweek.”

Lauren of Swanbergs on J said, “I’m an expert on Hawaiian shirts. These meggings are OK for Mick Jagger, but not for the Sacramento crowd. A guy would need to be lean and hung to pull it off.”

“Interesting!” said Elizabeth Sweet, a doctoral candidate in sociology at UC Davis and expert on gender branding. “Certainly points out how certain styles of clothing are gendered beyond function. Historically, many men wore tights, so the idea that tights or leggings are strictly for women is a relatively recent one. But I would imagine, given their current association with femininity, that these ‘meggings’ won’t gain a wide appeal. I can see them gaining cache amongst groups (like hipsters) who sometimes challenge traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity through dress. But the next big trend? I doubt it.”

Angelo, a local employee for a high end men’s clothier, had this to say: “When I was younger we used to call those ball huggers. I remember that Mick Jagger wore, not what they called meggings, but tight pants. So they aren’t anything new – it’s just a circle of fashion. They’re being rebranded because society is changing. It’s OK for a man to look more feminine and people are accepting of it. I wouldn’t wear them. I don’t want the women to be confused.”

It seems the pants don’t leave much to the imagination, to say the least. I did once date a guy who could wear my pants, leggings included, and it’s not something I’m too intent on revisiting. That being said, to those who have the, umm, guts to sport meggings, I say go forth and good luck! Also, consider pairing them with boots and a wool sweater. It’s chilly out, ya know?

What's With That: Star Wars goes Disney

2012-11-05T18:38:30Z

Holy bantha horns, have you heard the news? George Lucas is giving up his position at the helm of Lucasfilm and selling Star Wars to Disney.

For the low, low price of only $4.05 billion, Robert Iger’s Disney now owns not only the Star Wars legacy, but also Lucas’ effects business Industrial Light & Magic, as well as audio operation Skywalker Sound and a whole slew of merchandising goodies.

So, more new Star Wars films ... released by Disney. Uberfans certainly have strong opinions on the matter, and a few local self-described Star Wars nerds were kind enough to share theirs with The Sacramento Press.
“I was four years old when ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ was released on May 21, 1980, which was the first Stars Wars film I saw,” offered self-proclaimed local nerd Kimberly Coleman Berger. “I could hardly contain my excitement as we waited in line at the Century Theater on Ethan Way here in Sacramento. Three years later in 1983, I couldn't sleep the night before my uncle took me to see the trilogy: Star Wars (‘A New Hope’), ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ and ‘The Return of the Jedi,’ as a triple feature. I sat mesmerized, wearing Princess Leia Organa Underoos underneath my R2-D2 T-shirt.

“Fast forward to 1999, when my own 3-year-old son saw his first Star Wars film, ‘Episode I: The Phantom Menace.’ He was entranced. I was able to witness the same sense of wonder and joy I watched with years earlier. We were able to find the VHS trilogy, and he watched every film over and over until they would no longer play. I don't know who enjoyed it more.”

“The trilogy … really is imagination and creativity at its finest, plain and simple,” said Elizabeth Manna, longtime Sacramento resident and SW superfan. “It’s a compelling story of good versus evil. To create a stage for filmmaking by hand, camera angle and pure art to me leaves so much more room for appreciation. Not to mention Princess Leia’s ‘stick-it-to-the-man’ attitude - this was so great to watch as a young girl. I am of course referring to the first three Star Wars. I refuse to acknowledge the last three that are mostly CGI … Jar Jar Binks, enough said about that.”

“My mom took my little sister and me to see ‘Return of the Jedi’ at the UA Theater inside of the Arden Mall in ‘83,” recalled Johnny Flores, the man behind the podcast “No Nipples on the Suit,” which boasts to be “for nerds by nerds.”

“I was about 7 or 8 years old at the time. As the story progressed, I was getting more and more overwhelmed by the movie, especially when the three major battles were happening at the same time … At some point, in the middle of all of this chaos, I lost my little mind. I jumped up, started making blaster sounds while imagining my hand was Han Solo’s laser blaster, and started shooting everyone and everything around me.”

The three had differing viewpoints on what fans could expect, now that their beloved galaxy has changed hands.

“George Lucas made technologically brilliant films,” Berger said, remaining hopeful. “Each is an important chapter in the Star Wars saga - and each more cutting-edge, record and trend-setting and a masterpiece of special effects and rich storytelling.

“I see the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm as an opportunity to continue the legacy of exceptional storytelling. I have high hopes that any new Stars Wars film will transport me instantly to an age of innocence and fantasy. I hopefully will get to someday feel a bit of that wonder again and see it on the faces of the next generation, my grandchildren.”

“This sale almost represents the Star Wars story itself,” Manna lamented. “Lucas is giving in to the dark side. My heart sank a bit when I read the article because it seems to me he has given up on his open mind of creativity, and as an artist it is very hard to see this. Disney will now make this campy and cheap. I am very much against what has happened. I know Lucas is ready for retirement, but it seems unfortunate to go to Disney.

“I will not give in despite this recent travesty, and will teach my kids the way of the Force by VHS and DVDs!”

“I know some people (nerds, to be more specific) will be angry that Disney has got its mitts on Lucasfilm,” said Flores in closing, “but I’m very optimistic about this surprising turn of events. Disney owns Marvel Studios and they’ve been turning out terrific adaptations of their comic books since partnering. Marvel Studios has two directors leading the direction of the Marvel Movie Universe who love comics and understood how to bring that magic to screen, first Jon Favreau and now Joss Whedon. There are so many people in their 30s and 40s that grew up with Star Wars, get Star Wars and can return Star Wars to the greatness it once knew.

“My 37-year-old self can’t wait to lose my mind, like my 7-year-old self did all of those years ago, when ‘Episode VII’ is finally released.”

I’m more of a purist myself, and stopped watching after ‘Attack of the Clones’ was released in 2002. Anakin’s “Jordan-Knight-circa-1991” rattail was too much to handle, perhaps.

But that’s just me. Any other superfans care to weigh in?

"What's With That" aims to find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "What's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas!

What's With That: Charles Manson, Israel, and monkey business

2012-09-27T19:37:31Z

What’s with the news: Maybe you’ve heard of this guy, Charles Manson? He’s one of the nation's most beloved murderous sociopaths. Also, he recently released an album.

Okay, okay, he did not technically release the album. Manuel Vasquez, small business owner and part-time music producer, did. Using funds he raised on Kickstarter, Vasquez released 500 copies of never-before-heard Manson recordings.

Surprisingly, despite Vasquez’s belief that Manson is a misunderstood man who deserves a retrial, he didn’t find a ton of support for the project. I guess some people just can’t get over a grisly rampage now and again.

Yet the money was raised and the album released. Though the single track previously available to the public has been removed from the Kickstarter page, you can still sample some of Manson’s musical stylings from his debut album “Lie: The Love and Terror Cult.”

What’s with us: Bradley Abbey plays electric guitar with the other Sacramento-based “retro-inspired folk rock darlings” that make up the band Musical Charis. He’s got a weakness for vintage vinyl and is here to share his thoughts on Vasquez’s project and Manson’s merits as a musician.

“Upon reading the article, I was first intrigued, then curious,” said Abbey. “I think it’s really interesting that someone would create a Kickstarter for such a project. It’s admirable in my opinion. I know many would disagree with Vasquez’s pursuits, but I believe he is a fellow ‘muso,’ — simply in it for the love of music.

“I believe music is the foundation of the project, but the blocks used to build it were laid by Manson’s hands, which is what I find so intriguing! It’s known that he grew up in an era littered with drugs, and everyone knows what he did and who he was, but that only adds to the aesthetic of the album. And I feel Vasquez’s motives are genuine — I am no one to judge.

“Upon listening to ‘Lie: The Love and Terror of Cult,’ I was happy to hear some of Manson’s work. It really reminds me of Devendra Banhart — I wouldn’t be surprised if he took a lot of inspiration from Manson himself. Their music has very similar characteristics, both have a lo-fi sound, and at times their songs start off with some kind of interaction, generally with someone sitting in the room while they were recording. Manson is a good writer. I like listening to lyrics, and some of his songs are well-written in my opinion. I was honestly expecting it to be rather drab, but the few songs I listened to were pretty short and upbeat. I am most fascinated with the thoughts behind Manson’s mind when writing these songs, and that’s what I feel Vasquez’s inspiration for this project is as well.

“I think there would be a few folks interested in being a part of something like this,” Abbey said in closing. “My first thought was, ‘I wish I would have known about this.’ I love history, and vinyl, and I love listening to new music. It’s not to be discredited just because it’s Charles Manson.”

Interesting. Chris Brown is probably totally pissed about some old guy vying for his crazyass misogynistic d-hole spotlight.

What’s with the news: Maybe some of you watched the Republican National Convention at the end of last month (not everyone did, if you’ll recall). In response to presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech, a reader emailed me, of all people. If you’d like and need to get up to speed, you can find both an audio and textual version of the speech in question here.

Robert writes in,

At 33:52 of Romney's acceptance speech, he makes reference to Obama throwing Israel under the bus. What's with that? One, he hasn't. Two, is it really ok to falsely accuse the President of murdering Jews? Given the tendency of some to actually murder Jews, it doesn't seem it's ok to cry wolf here, let alone accuse the President in such a way.
What’s with us: Zeev Maoz is a political science professor at UC Davis, and also a distinguished fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. Formerly he served as head of the Graduate School of Government and Policy at Tel-Aviv University. He was kind enough to offer a breakdown of the U.S.’s Israeli policy, both past and present.

“On the issue of throwing Israel under the bus, and the broader issue of abandoning allies and engaging nonallies — or enemies,” said Maoz, “there is a significant debate in the policy community. With regard to Israel, U.S.-Israeli relations have always had many elements of agreement and mutual support — the U.S. sends Israel $2.6 billion every year in military and economic aid. At the same time, there were quite a few disagreements on policy. The most salient issue of disagreement was Israel’s settlement policy in the occupied territories, which the U.S. — under all administrations, Democratic and Republican, viewed as ‘an obstacle to peace.’

“There were cases where Republican presidents — Reagan, George Bush—have severely criticized Israel. Under the Reagan administration, there were a number of cases of high tension, with the U.S. suspending weapon shipments to Israel. Bush (Sr.) refused to provide loan guarantees to Israel due to its settlement policy.

“Obama’s Israel policy is not different. The U.S. continued to be critical of Israel’s settlement policy, but at the same time blocked a Palestinian attempt to be admitted to the U.N. as a member state. The U.S. under the Obama administration also intensified sanctions against Iran way beyond those that had existed under the Bush administration. Currently, the key issue of contention concerns American refusal to draw a ‘red line’ for Iran, as the Israelis request. On the other hand, U.S.–Israeli military cooperation continues, and involves Israeli provision of port services to the Sixth Fleet, joint maneuvers and strategic coordination on a large number of issues.

“During presidential campaigns, both sides compete in who is more pro-Israeli while accusing the other of not being pro-Israeli enough,” Maoz said in closing. “In practice, there are really no significant differences between Republican and Democratic administrations (Obama’s administration is no different) in terms of the level of friendship or disagreements between the U.S. and Israel.”

So. There you have it. Mitt Romney’s comment was just another inconsequential sound bite during an election that is, once again, rife with inconsequential sound bites that offer voters nothing of much substance. I bet you’re all just itching to get to those polls, right?

What’s with the news: Monkeys! Not just monkeys, but new monkeys! Way to go, scientists in the Democratic Republic of Congo!

The lesula is only the second new species of monkey to be discovered in the last 30 years. Don’t make him feel weird about it though; lesula are reportedly hella shy.

What’s with us: R. Harrison Edell is the general curator at Sacramento Zoo, where he manages resources and operations for Sacramento Zoo’s Department of Animal Care, supervising animal husbandry programs that lead to the highest quality of care for a diverse collection of approximately 500 animals of 120 species. He agreed to share his thoughts regarding the scientists’ finding, as well as some other fun monkey facts!

“Depending on which biologist you speak with, there may be as few as 2 million, or as many as 100 million nonbacterial species on our planet,” Edell said. “New species are discovered all the time. However, most newly discovered species are not big vertebrates. Instead, most ‘new’ species are small, and easier to overlook, while a ‘new’ vertebrate is unusual. Humans have explored most of the Earth’s habitats, and have cataloged most big vertebrate species, so when a mammal (like a monkey) that is new to science is discovered, many of us wonder how we missed it previously!

“The discovery of any new species is exciting, as it gives us the ability to better understand the world around us, as well as the relationships between the species with which we share this planet. Central Africa is a difficult place for wildlife, though. Unfortunately, this species may be threatened with extinction, despite the fact that we’ve only just recognized that it’s here.

“The recently published ‘Handbook of the Mammals of the World’ lists 470 species within the order ‘Primates,’” Edell continued. “The order, however, is extremely diverse, having evolved to fill lots of different niches in lots of different habitats. Even within only one habitat, like the Congo’s rainforest (home to the Lesula Guenon), biologists have cataloged a huge diversity of primates … Each of these species is characterized by its own distinct geographic range and social systems, and in situations where related species share the same habitat, we find that, in the interests of limiting competition with one another, they often make use of different food resources. Primates are very diverse. Unfortunately, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature currently lists 206 primates as being either ‘Critically Endangered,’ ‘Endangered’ or ‘Vulnerable,’ which means that nearly half of the world’s primates are headed for extinction unless we can do more to protect them.

“While we like to think that we’re very different from animals, scientific data indicate that we’re not that different at all from our closest relatives. Genetically, humans and chimpanzees differ by less than 2 percent. Much of our biology links us very closely to primates (including not only apes, but also monkeys); we have the same internal organs, the same bones, many of the same blood type systems and individual-specific fingerprints. Behaviorally, we demonstrate some of the same characteristics, including significant parental care, maintenance of close family bonds over multiple generations and the ability to build tools and solve puzzles. On a more complex level, primates can understand certain aspects of language and recognize relatives, even after periods of separation.”

I also asked Edell to explain the stereotype of primates as disease-spreading psychopaths (think “Outbreak,” or “Dead Alive,” if you’re into that sort of thing). He had this to say:

“In order to extract resources from rainforests, we build roads. These roads carry timber and minerals to shipping centers, so that they can be exported to factories around the world. Unfortunately, in the case of African rainforests, these roads also allow hunters to transport meat to urban markets. Hunting which once put food on the table, and which was at that time sustainable (since subsistence hunters rarely killed more than they needed), now satisfies commercial demands. Animal populations in many African rainforests are crashing as the impact of the ‘bush meat’ trade grows. Antelope, elephants, buffalo, pythons, tortoises, birds, apes and monkeys are all now hunted, often at unsustainable rates. One of the scarier side effects of this trade is a higher exposure rate to diseases carried by primates. Primates don’t carry more diseases than any other taxon, but their biological and genetic similarity to humans makes it very easy for their diseases to ‘jump’ to humans. Monkey carcasses are now sold commercially in some of Africa’s largest cities; exposure rates to primate pathogens, therefore, are likely much higher than historic rates.”

I don’t have any jokes to make about this. Here’s a picture of a monkey, though - OMG ISN'T HE ADORABLE?
One more thing guys: I’ll be taking another brief hiatus whilst I attempt to get my life shit straight. Finding out what’s with stuff is way more time-consuming (and enjoyable!) than I had ever imagined, and my other writing projects miss me like lost little puppies. Give me a few weeks max and I’ll be back atcha. Until then keep it classy, and email me!

Each week(ish) "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "What's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas! Or, if you’d like to be added to the WWT mailing list, send me an email with the subject line “LIST.”

What's With That: Women's work, standardized tests, & a supersized ban

2012-09-20T23:16:01Z

What’s with the news: Last week, “Good Morning America” picked up a piece on Treds Tire and Wheel, an all-female tire shop located in San Antonio, Texas.

The shop is run by Margaret Rodriguez and her 19-year-old daughter Andrea. It was Andrea’s idea to make the shop all-female, a business strategy resulting from the fact that several tire businesses had already failed at the same location.

Despite the occasional naysayer, the shop now employs six workers and one intern, and business is thriving. Given their work ethic, mix of male and female patrons, and a lack of low-cut tops, I think it’s safe to assume their success is about something more than their boobs.

What’s with us: Kelly Rivas is the president of Fem Dems of the Sacramento Region, an organization that promotes “the feminist principles of equality, diversity and inclusiveness,” while fighting “disenfranchisement both within the Democratic Party and the community at large.” She’s agreed to shed some light on what feminism is, and Treds Tire and Wheel’s relevance to the modern feminist movement.

“Upon first read of the headline,” said Rivas, “I thought, ‘Well, of course it's thriving. Changing tires isn't about gender, it's about safety — about trusting the person to ensure your wheel won't come off your car.’ If that person is motivated and dedicated enough to have personalized tools, they're going to pay attention to every detail to make sure the job is done well.

“Changing a tire isn't a difficult task. The only thing that really matters is whether or not you trust the person doing the work. I'd trust a tire shop full of motivated women over the average shop because a motivated woman is a powerful asset. If she has something to prove, she'll work 110 percent every time, making sure it's done right — without taking shortcuts.

“(Men’s work) simply means work that has historically been done by a man, and so much so that over time when describing it, it is simply referred to as ‘men's work’. I'm fine with it being used as a benign and outdated descriptor, but when it is used in a way that places judgment upon either gender or an individual, that's when I have a problem. For instance, when a detractor says it's a man's job and a woman should stick to making sandwiches, well, that signals to me they don't embrace the principles of inclusion, equality or diversity, and thus actively dismiss feminism.

“Feminism is simply those principles and pursuit of inclusion, equality and diversity,” Rivas said in closing. “The tire shop provides a space in a male-dominated trade for women to be included, considered equal, and therefore creates diversity in the tire shop trade and market. I don't see the shop as working for or against the feminist movement, I see it as just another business, one that is diversifying the market and competition. What I do see, however, are the women of this tire shop. They're empowering themselves and the community by challenging stereotypes, creating a discussion about feminism, but most importantly by learning a skilled trade and the sense of independence that comes from growing a successful business with that skill. One that's thriving in the exact same spot where others failed."

When I first read the headline, I expected to see something akin to a wet T-shirt car wash, college coeds changing tires in bikini tops and coochie-cutter shorts. Not the case — these ladies are legit. I’m not a huge fan of the pink tire jack and polka-dot tools, but that rant is played out and I won’t reiterate it here. Instead I’ll say rock those tire gauges, ladies, and I totally dig your respectable V-necks.

What’s with the news: Who here can say they don’t genuinely love a good standardized test? Sweaty palms, a complete lack of fresh air and that jerk who won’t stop clicking his stupid electric pencil.

Aah, but last year the National Assessment of Educational Progress finally got on board, administering the annual writing exam via computer, instead of requiring pencil and paper.

The results? Computers make you dumb, and today’s children have forgotten how to write. A mere 27 percent were capable of creating well-developed essays. It’s a miracle these kids can compose their own names. Unless, of course, there’s a possibility that standardized exams are incapable of telling the whole story. Blasphemy!

What’s with us: Paul Heckman is a professor and Associate Dean of the UC Davis School of Education. He and his two colleagues, Professor Jamal Abedi and Professor Emeritus Sandra Murphy, sat down together to complete an email interview with The Sacramento Press regarding the details and relevancy of the NAEP exam.

“At first glance, we were surprised to read that computer-based writing, as compared to pencil-and-paper writing, did not apparently advance student performance on this writing assessment. However, in further considering the point, the NAEP results, as they are reported in the article, do not lead to a conclusion that students performed more poorly. NAEP did not do a comparison study between comparable students who responded to the NAEP prompts using a computer and students who only used paper and pencil with similar prompts.

“In considering the nature of the assessments, your readers should also be reminded that, for each prompt, students only had 30 minutes to develop their written response. The evaluation that followed then focused on a first draft. Writing is often characterized as rewriting multiple drafts. The students had little time to do that in light of the 30 minute timeframe provided to complete the task — from considering the prompt, thinking about possible ways to go to discuss what they had in their minds, and then expressing those thoughts in written form.

“With regard to the gender disparities, it is difficult to tell how significant the differences are in the scores and if those differences make a substantial difference in light of the report. For example, if there is an 8-point score difference between girls and boys out of a total score of 300, that difference could or could not be meaningful. Determining that significance requires other statistical tests, which do not appear to be reported on in the article.

“Many (youth) participate in a digital world, and a world that is very different from that of their parents, other adults in the society and youth in the past. That fact does impact their classroom efforts. Nonetheless, not all youth have access or participate in the same ways with these technologies.

“With regard to the socioeconomic status (known as SES) disparities in test scores, these have remained for a long time. And, the gaps seem not to be decreasing. As a matter of fact, national economic data demonstrates that more and more children are becoming poorer, as is the case for many adults as well. The redistribution of income upward has left a large swath of families in poverty or what some call near-poverty for a family of four. Given the persistent relationship between economic poverty and test scores, as well as school success, it is not surprising that these disparities appear so strongly in the NAEP writing assessment.

“With regard to the SES effects on computer use on these scores, the reported digital divide that exists between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ in our society provides a plausible explanation for the differences reported. Some schools have more digital technology available; others, far less. Unfortunately, it is more likely for more technology to be available for more well-to-do students and less for economically poorer students. These experiences matter when it comes to how well or not the use of computers will positively or negatively influence students’ performance on assessments like NAEP.”

First drafts are crap. Mine are littered with cigarette ash, despair and the occasional complete sentence. There is nothing new to see here, folks. Computers are great, but being poor still sucks. Now go mail that old laptop to a high school in Detroit. Or better yet, keep it local and go through Sacramento’s Court Appointed Special Advocates, which donates school supplies to children in need.

What’s with the news: Last week New York City blazed yet another trail when the city health board slipped into their babysitting pants and passed a ban on oversized sugary drinks. Oh NYC, you’re so cutting-edge.

Unless you run a grocery or convenience store, you best throw out those supersize cups or face a $200 fine. All you Diet Coke-heads needn’t worry, because diet sodas are excluded.

So let me get this straight. Someone can walk into a McDonald’s and order a triple cheeseburger, a grocery bag full of fries, and a monster-sized diet soda. However, if you’ve been running twelve city blocks from a knife-wielding maniac and stop in for a giant Coca-Cola to quench your now debilitating thirst, because artificial sweetener gives you hives, you’re SOL. Sure, makes sense.

What’s with us: Margaret Scheller, RD-CNSC, is a clinical dietician at Sutter Roseville Medical Center. She’s here with the skinny on health and weight management, and to offer her thoughts on whether or not Mayor Bloomberg’s ban will do anything to fight obesity.

“I do not believe outlawing sugary drinks of any size by the New York City mayoral-appointed health board will ‘curb’ or resolve obesity,” said Scheller. “I agree obesity is a big problem, but a ban like this is not the solution. Take responsibility for doing what it takes to lead the most healthy lifestyle you can lead. It may include eating healthy, exercise, stress management and disease management (example: diabetes). When I am thirsty I regularly consume water. Other alternatives to sugary drinks are water with lemon, nonfat or low-fat milk or milk alternatives, and moderate amounts of 100 percent juice.

“Portion control is one of the important keys to successful weight management. Check food labels for portion size and corresponding calories. Frequently, people eat more than they think. Measuring and weighing food once in awhile can help make sure portions are appropriate.

“Many times people make changes that last only a short period of time, then revert back to their old habits. Healthy lifestyle changes are realistic, manageable and able to be modified over time to last a lifetime.

“In my daily practice,” Scheller concluded, “I encourage people to make healthy food and beverage choices daily. I provide them with tools and education so they can make informed decisions. I find no matter how persuasive I try to be, sometimes people do not want to select healthier alternatives or limit portion sizes, and that is their individual freedom to do so.”

Seriously, has this “mayoral-appointed city health board” not heard of free refills? How many calories can getting up to walk over to the soda fountain three times over the course of an 8,000-calorie meal really burn? Here’s my advice, Mayor Bloomberg (you know he’s waiting with bated breath): First, find a real problem. Example: Public health is a real problem; paper-cup size is not. Second, find a real solution. Discount gym memberships for the poor or something, I don’t know. I’m not a mayor for a reason, but I don’t have to be a politician to know that this ban is wack.

What's With That: Unemployment, sex changes, & minding your manners

2012-09-13T18:12:18Z

What’s with the news: Once there was (is, don't worry she's not dead) a woman named Holly Stuard, whose husband thought he was some wacky sitcom dad. The whole family was on their way out to dinner when Stuard's jaw dropped at the sight of herself, job qualifications, and "Please Hire My Wife" plastered across an enormous roadside billboard.

Stuard has been searching for a job ever since she was laid off from her teaching position at the University of Toledo due to budget cuts last year. After months of watching his wife struggle in the unforgiving job market, husband Brandon decided to take matters into his own hands.

Despite admitting that she would have vetoed the billboards had her husband discussed the idea with her beforehand, Stuard admits that the $700 for one week of advertising will be worth it if it helps her find a job. She can say what she will to the reporters, but I imagine there was at least a week of dinners soaked in awkward silence while Brandon sat wondering what happened to the laugh track.

What’s with us: So what is with the job market? Terri Carpenter is the public information officer for Sacramento Works Inc., the career and job training arm of the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA). She has over 15 years of hands-on experience working with first-time job seekers to career professionals, who are seeking advice after a layoff or looking for a mid-career change. Carpenter was kind enough to share her thoughts with The Sacramento Press via email.

“The article is reflective of how the loss of a job impacts an individual’s entire life and family,” said Carpenter. “Not only are we talking about loss of income, but the impact of what a job loss does to one’s career plan. Job loss and finding the right job is one of the most stressful events many individuals face in their lives. Many are willing to try anything to get back into the workforce, and because of the competition you find individuals trying tactics that they think will help them stand out.

“With the current job front being so competitive, with so many qualified applicants and so few good opportunities available, the man was willing to try an extraordinary tactic to find employment for his wife. While the billboard is a creative strategy, I doubt that she will be able to get a teaching job from the billboard advertising. While some school official or acquaintance may inform the woman of a job opening in education, she will still have to go through a structured hiring process that the billboard advertising will not be able to influence.”

Regarding our local job market, Carpenter had this to say: “On the Sacramento job front, we are beginning to see more job opportunities, but not enough to account for the number of those unemployed. The starting salaries are lower than most people expect, want or need, and that is causing many job seekers frustration. Many individuals are finding themselves making 50 percent less than they were before they were laid off or lost their job through circumstances beyond their control in the ‘great recession.’ Job seekers are trying to remain competitive, but find that it is hard to remain positive in an environment where there are so few well-paying jobs.

“The best industries with projected hiring growth are health care, technology and administrative services. For Sacramento, the sectors which have caused the economic downturn to be sustained in this region are declining in government hiring, and most importantly, the government layoffs especially at the local level. Two important sectors where the jobs were decimated are construction and the mortgage and financial industry.

“The biggest mistake I have seen is that many job seekers wait until their unemployment is exhausted before beginning their job search. Then, because of the finances, they are desperate and need a job right away, but with the economic environment being what it is, many individuals are finding that it takes them six months to one year to find a decent job.

“The best advice I can give someone is to start the job search process sooner rather than later,” Carpenter offered to job seekers. “Also, change up your resume and make it specific to each job application. Brush up on your interview skills. The days of calling an employer and handing them your resume are over. Post your resume on all the major job boards. Network — go to chamber mixers or professional networking groups such as Sacramento Professional Network. Tap into the free resources in your community. Sacramento Works is a federally funded program where employment and training services are free.”

If anyone wants to foot the bill for a $700 billboard with my resume and winning smile — go for it. My qualifications include the knowledge of an array of useless trivia, sarcasm, and an enviable sense of style. Seriously though, my heart goes out to those waist-deep in the unemployment muck. Keep at it, and remember that you are not alone.

What’s with the news: U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf is making waves as the first federal judge to provide sex-reassignment surgery for a transgender prison inmate.

Michelle Kosilek was convicted as Robert Kosileck for the murder of his wife Cheryl in 1990. Michelle has received hormone treatments and now lives as a woman in an all-male prison, and Judge Wolf ordered the taxpayer-funded surgery as the only treatment for Kosilek’s “serious medical need.” He has left the decision on where and how to house Kosilek after the surgery up to prison officials.

Opponents to the decision call the surgery an elective procedure, and therefore not medically necessary. However, the Department of Correction’s own medical experts testified otherwise. I have the sneaking suspicion that this is going to piss off a lot of fiscal conservatives (or, you know, every fiscal conservative).

What’s with us: Ben Hudson is the executive director at the Gender Health Center, focusing on the needs of transgender and gay individuals and their families in Northern California. Hudson is also the co-founder of the Sacramento Transgender Coalition and Trans Families. He’s here to discuss the implications of Wolf’s ruling, and to address misconceptions regarding the trans community in general.

“Decisions and legislation like this are coming out all across the United States surrounding various systems of healthcare,” said Hudson. “The statement is simple: trans people are entitled to the same healthcare rights as anyone else. The plaintiff in this case is very articulate about explaining why her health needs should have the same priority as any other prisoner’s needs. I believe in equal access to healthcare for every human, especially in the wealthiest country on the planet. Trans-related healthcare needs are just as valid as the healthcare needs of anyone else.

“What is also clear is that decisions like this force research and data compilation about an ignored segment of our population, and when the numbers are crunched it becomes obvious that the population of trans individuals in any healthcare system is so tiny that granting coverage for all trans people’s healthcare needs up to and including genital reassignment surgery makes almost no financial impact on the group of individuals covered through that healthcare system.

“It’s important to remember that it’s the individual who gets to decide for themselves how they identify, whether that be in regards to gender, cultural heritage, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc. If a person identifies themselves as transsexual, they are likely indicating that their sex at birth was either male or female, and they plan to or have already undergone medical treatment to transition their sex to the opposite sex.

“One misconception is that a person’s transgender identity or experience is obvious by their appearance, whereas, in reality many transgender individuals pass easily as having been born the gender they transitioned to,” Hudson said, in closing. “Trans people come in all shapes, sizes and sexual orientations. Gender identity and the experience of transitioning one’s gender identity is not a lifestyle choice. Gender identity is one’s internal sense of how they conceptualize their own gender.”

I can’t even get a pap smear without hyperventilating, so at the point that someone is willing to have their swimsuit parts cut open and completely reconstructed, I have to believe that shit is seriously necessary. You can’t psychoanalyze someone out of their gender identity, just like you can’t psychoanalyze me into having a third arm. Judge Wolf (appointed by former president Ronald Reagan, by the way) is indeed breaking new ground. I tip my hat to you, sir.

What’s with the news: To any of you planning a trip to Brussels, you best be prepared to act a lady or gentleman. Recent legislature now makes “rough jostling” and slinging insults punishable by law.

Fines range between 75 and 200 euros (or about USD 95-260) for shoving or pushing wherein no harm is caused, or insults that are “racist, homophobic, or otherwise.”

Now I'm from Wisconsin, where we greet strangers on the street as if we have any idea who in the hell they are. I'm the kind of person who makes idle chit-chat with the cashier at my gas station, the barista at my coffee shop, and anyone else who smiles and seems willing to engage in some cheery yet inconsequential conversation. I highly appreciate good manners and just general friendliness. However, this whole thing has a bit of an Orwellian feel to it.

What’s with us: Rebecca Black is a credentialed teacher, etiquette professional, writer, and founder of Etiquette Now! and Got Etiquette? She creates and teaches custom etiquette workshops; writes articles, booklets and lesson plans; and answers questions daily. No one cares about good manners more than Black. So what’s she got to say about all of this?

“On first glance, I found myself thrilled at the prospect of a rude-free zone or city," Black said regarding the story, "That is something I welcome and encourage daily. After the first few seconds, however, I considered the reality of the law. As much as I would like all people to be nice to each other, I do not agree with legislating behavior such as this. Monitoring others’ manners is in itself ‘rude.’

“Etiquette is basically the behaviors most commonly found and expected when we are out in public. For the most part, we learn these rules by paying attention to what is the most well-mannered behavior exercised by the masses. For example, in our society it is considered rude to step in between two people talking without saying ‘Excuse me.’ We all know this. When a person breaks this rule, we regard this as rude. When we break these societal rules, we appear clueless. When we choose actions or behaviors that will affect others in a positive manner, we are using good manners. When we don’t consider others’ feelings and behave as if we are entitled, we are behaving ill-mannered.

“It is unfortunate that so many don’t know what is thought to be common manners, such as allowing elderly people to exit an elevator first. Respecting our elders seems to be a lost behavior. However, the worst good-manners offense, in my opinion, concerns cellphone use in public. Many people do not realize that the person sitting with them is more important than their cellphone. When two or more people are together, they should concentrate their attention on each other, and not on a little box.

“Basically, I think most people have good manners or at least try to behave well-mannered," said Black. "Many don’t know what is proper, but they appear to want to know. Of course, when the likes of Angelina Jolie and Sean Ditty Combs take etiquette classes, one should notice that etiquette is now ‘cool.’”

I highly doubt the U.S. government will start legally enforcing etiquette any time soon (see: ever). I do wonder, though, if in Brussels I could get them to fine my weird neighbor who is always throwing rocks at my cat. That shit is hella rude.

Each week "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "What's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas! Or, if you’d like to be added to the WWT mailing list, send me an email with the subject line “LIST.”

What's With That: Arctic rainforests, reality TV, & vintage gaming

2012-09-06T18:11:07Z

What’s with the news: So, a while back, a bunch of scientists in Antarctica were digging stuff up, and they happen to stumble upon some fossil pollens that prove the existence of a near-tropical rainforest that covered the continent millions of years ago.

Turns out that the average temperature at the time was about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which might as well be a million degrees Fahrenheit when you consider that at the time of publishing this column it is a balmy minus 44 F in McMurdo, Antarctica (where the Polar Plunge is simply an exercise in Darwinism).

What does this all mean in terms of climate change? Is it proof that anyone who doesn’t drive a hybrid is Pinkie-and-the-Braining human existence into oblivion? Or is climate change just a bunch of hippie (vegan) baloney because, clearly, Earth has been up to these sorts of shenanigans since well before we humans ever showed up and started posting handmade patio furniture on Pinterest?

What’s with us: Ian Faloona was a postdoctoral fellow in chemistry and microscale meteorology at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. He currently serves as associate professor and bio-micrometeorologist for the UC Davis Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources. Frankly, I only have half a clue what any of that even means, but he’s here to explain the crap out of this rainforest.

“This geologic period is of particular interest because it is believed to be the warmest of the past 65 million years and could hold clues as to how the future Earth might behave in the event of unabated fossil fuel emissions of CO2,” said Faloona regarding the importance of the findings. “During this period it is estimated that the global temperatures were about 10 C warmer than present, and the levels of CO2 are believed to have been more than three times greater than now. The evidence of tropical vegetation on Antarctica then tells us something about how the Earth responded during this very warm period. These must have been some desperate trees that in fleeing the heat of the tropics they were willing to live though the darkness of an Antarctic winter. It should be kept in mind that this warm period of about 55 million years ago, referred to as the PETM, Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, also ushered in a mass extinction that heavily influenced the evolution of early mammals.

“In the case of the PETM, it is believed that a period of intense volcanic activity, associated with the tectonic drift creating the North Atlantic Ocean, released huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, which caused the intense warming. Over these long geologic spans, the Earth can recover because CO2 is consumed by chemical reaction with surface rocks (chemical weathering.) So in the broadest sense, on these vast time scales, it's mostly volcanism and rock weathering that cause and control the large swings in CO2.

“But here's the rub: In the past, some have considered this past warm period as proof that what we're doing now, even if we continue to emit CO2 in huge quantities, is not that different from a past state of the planet. However, recent work has shown that the buildup to the very warm period of the PETM was accomplished by CO2 emissions that are about one-tenth as large as what we are currently emitting. So, sure the climate was warm but it took over 20,000 years to build up that much CO2. We are now pushing on the climate much harder than ever before, with consequences that are not fully understood, but are most likely unprecedented in Earth's entire history. It's a very impressive feat.

“We cannot completely control climate change. We cannot control volcanoes or asteroids (not yet, at least), but the pace at which we are increasing atmospheric CO2 is much greater than ever before on Earth. The chances that this will not have a large impact on the climate are pretty slim. And the big change is thought to be coming in the course of the next few human generations because of the rapid rate of input. So, while there are always things in life that you can control and plenty of things you can't, it seems utterly foolish not to control those within your power.

“Given what we know about Earth's rich and storied past, I do not think there is any question that she will persevere,” Faloona said, in closing. “The question is, as it usually is in the course of human affairs, how will we be able to survive, and what kind of life might we all collectively share on the planet.”

So, just because climate change might be based on naturally occurring phenomena does not mean that your refusal to turn the bathroom light off isn’t helping to push things along quite nicely. Way to go, jerkface.

What’s with the news: Hey guys, did ya’ll catch the Republican National Convention? Didja see Clint Eastwood talk to a chair? Did you sit back and reflect upon what Mitt Romney has to offer this country in comparison to President Obama?

Or did you watch a 6-year-old pageant princess mix and slug a Red Bull and Mountain Dew cocktail?

The RNC came through with some respectable ratings, nabbing second place on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 29. First place? Well, that went to former "Toddlers and Tiaras" contestant Alana Thompson and her TLC reality series “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” I guess Honey Boo Boo is her nickname, because this show wants me to hate it before I even have the chance to watch it.

Now, I’m not trying to get into whether you or I bleed red or blue, dear reader. I don’t care if you heart elephants or donkeys or whatever it was Eastwood was smoking moments before he took that stage. But, and correct me if I’m wrong here, this whole election is supposed to be a big deal, right? We’re talking babymurdercivilrightsunemploymentepidemic big deal. And the RNC represents half of the people involved in this ongoing debate. Shouldn’t we be paying attention?

What’s with us: Dr. Debra Moore is a licensed psychologist, as well as founder and director of Fall Creek Associates. She has served in the past as president of the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association, and is on board to offer her thoughts on our (seriously disheartening) viewing patterns.

“Humans love a good story,” Moore said, regarding the popularity of shows like HCHBB. “All cultures have traditions that revolve around the retelling of universal themes. Television is the modern version of folklore, the Greek myths, the 19th century melodrama and so on. Reality television is the latest incarnation.

“We're drawn to common motifs such as stories about coming of age, the triumph of the underdog and good winning out over evil. Reality TV capitalizes on this. Also, people are drawn to what they are already familiar with and relate to. If they're unfamiliar or uneducated about political issues being debated, and there are no other obvious ‘human dramas’ surrounding a particular politician, they may not feel a connection to the process.

“For people who are informed and believe the issues directly impact their lives,” said Moore, in closing, “the political process becomes compelling. And if the speakers embed the issues within ‘a good story,’ people form an especially strong personal connection to the political process.”

So, perhaps if Jerry Springer had hosted the RNC, and thrown in, say, an illegitimate children or two, and exposed someone’s history of alcoholism, people would have tuned in. Good to know. I’m going to dig a hole and shove my head into it now.

What’s with the news: Nerd alert! GameStop, the largest video game retailer in the galaxy, is going hipster by adding vintage games to their inventory. Someone call Horders, this shit is an untapped market.

I’ll level with you — I'm terrible at video games. That little guy in the cloud is always giving me the hairy eyeball for driving the wrong way in my Mario Kart, and any game with even remotely realistic graphics that includes guns, zombies, or scantily clad women frightens me far more than it awakens my competitive edge. My awfulness knows no console. I suck on Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, and any arcade game I come near. In short, I have no idea what I am talking about.

What’s with us: You know who does? Johnny Flores — illustrator, co-owner of Sacramento-based mobile gaming party company Event Gaming, and trusted What’s With That ally.

Regarding the popularity of vintage games, Flores had this to say: “When my buddy and I set up our business, one of the priority purchases we made was a vintage Nintendo Entertainment System, specifically because of how much people, not just ‘gamers,’ love this system. People of all ages, from tiny children who have grown up in the era of the gorgeous graphic power of the PS3, to baby boomers whose own adult offspring played these games as children, love to pick up the old rectangular controller of the NES and play Super Mario Bros. 3, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, or any of the old school titles. We love watching smiles creep over a person’s face when they see these old game titles on our larger HD TV.

“That being said, I’m not a big supporter of some corporation like GameStop going out and buying up these games, which you can usually pick up from just a few bucks to around $20, and jacking the prices of these games up beyond what they go for now. Of course, people may still find these games in a local store, or through an eBay store, that has lower prices.

“One thing we’ve learned the hard way is that some of the cartridges are so old that the metal teeth that connect the game to the console, where the data transfers so that you can play the game, are worn down, and the game doesn’t work. Perhaps they have technicians that can fix this, but we haven’t figured out a way to do that. They’re also doing battle with PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, making these games available for download via the networks these consoles have. Although, there’s nothing like actually seeing these old cartridges and being able to pick them up in your hand.

“Rumor has it,” said Flores, “the next generation of consoles are likely to be releasing new games as downloadable content only, basically circumventing the need for a disc, because GameStop’s used game discs have put such a dent in the game publishers’ income. These modern games are ridiculously expensive to produce and the publishers have been complaining for some time to the console manufactures about this lost revenue.

“Perhaps they’re pursuing this new market because they can see the writing on the wall.”

Yay for downloadable content! I will say that I rocked the shit out of Donkey Kong Country for Super NES. What a wonderful world it would be if I could get that game for my Netflix Box (or Nintendo Wii, for those of you who don’t live in my apartment). Then again, I might never leave the house.

What’s With That: Cream puffs, HPV, and Barbie

2012-08-09T17:21:20Z

What’s with the news: Tokyo-based confectioner Hirota has joined forces with Yamani Soy Sauce to release a new, slightly unusual dessert.

Soy sauce ice cream and … soy sauce cream puffs? Wow, that sounds terrible. Naturally, palates are impacted by culture and geographic locale. Slather some Vegemite on your toast tomorrow morning and experience the jarring phenomena for yourself.

However, there is a greater purpose behind Hirota’s venture. Yamani is located in Rikuzentakata, a city devastated by last year’s tsunami that left over 15,000 people dead and even more without food or shelter. A portion of the ice cream and cream puff sales will go toward aid efforts in Rikuzentakata.

But seriously, are people actually going to eat this stuff?

What’s with us: Renowned sushi chef and Mikuni Chief Dreaming Officer Taro Arai was born in Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan. In 1987 he and his family moved to Sacramento, where they opened their first Mikuni, now one of the most successful restaurant businesses in our region.

“I appreciate their thoughtful project,” said Arai. “I really like the unique idea — to use soy sauce flavoring. Maybe they are trying to catch people’s eyes by creating something different. It makes sense to work with Yamani. At Mikuni, we sold over 4,000 Rescue Rolls at $12 each to raise money for the tsunami fund. I think, to raise money, it might work better to create very tasty soy sauce-flavored rice crackers, which are already popular, with some unique shape to represent the city or city mascot. Or they could create a special bottle with an eye-catching package and announce that some percentage of the sales will go to the tsunami fund.

“The Japanese palate is different from the American palate. When I had just moved to America from Japan, I thought all the flavors were too strong. For example, I thought cake tasted too thick and sweet. The Japanese palate is more simple, delicate and light.

“I would try it though!” Arai said about the desserts, “I used to make wasabi yogurt, but I can’t imagine that soy sauce-flavored ice cream would be my favorite. My family members said it sounded disgusting — we use soy sauce in everything except for dessert. It is somewhat too salty. I don’t think Americans would like it, definitely. I haven’t seen any ketchup or mustard-flavored ice cream or cream puffs.”

I like to fancy myself a culinary adventurist, but I certainly won’t be making the trek to try these any time soon. There are easier ways to support relief efforts, ones that don’t require a Coke back.

What’s with the news: Not too many parents worry about their 11-year-old contracting venereal disease, but a number of health organizations are suggesting that perhaps they should.

The debate centers around the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, traditionally recommended for women ages 11-26, though the topic of male immunization is also growing more popular. The vaccine prevents cervical cancer in women, and both genital warts and other forms of cancer in men and women. While HPV is traditionally associated with sexual intercourse, research suggests that any genital contact can easily pass the virus.

A lot of people think the vaccine is great. A lot don’t. If you don’t like those links, a quick Google search should still prove that I am not lying to you. Parental hesitance in regards to overvaccination is not necessarily new. However, it seems that the mere idea of one’s preteen bumping uglies is extra unsettling, and perhaps a bit too much for a lot of parents to swallow.
What’s with us: Jessica Brown is a public heath prevention specialist who has worked with Planned Parenthood, Sutter Physician Services and the Department of Health Care Services. She currently works with her nonprofit, the Encouraging Life Organization, to create community health initiatives for the purpose of eliminating disparities in underserved communities. Last month she weighed in on quick-fix weight loss methods, and this week she’s here to talk HPV.

“HPV is very common,” said Brown. “Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected and 6.2 million become infected with it each year. Fifty percent of sexually active men and women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.

“There are a lot misconceptions regarding HPV. One is the belief that a person can only get HPV by having vaginal sex. This is clearly not true. A person can get HPV by engaging in any sexual contact with a person who is infected with HPV. Another is the belief that a person can only get genital warts if the warts are visible. This is not true either. The virus sheds on top of the skin and can still be transmitted to another person without being visible.

“Cervical cancer typically does not have symptoms until it is quite advanced. It is important for women to get regular checkups such as pap smears, which screen for abnormal cells that are linked to HPV. However, there is no routine test for HPV. With the exception of cervical cancer screenings, there is no routine test for genital warts, and patients are usually tested only after exposure and the appearance of symptoms. There is no approved test to find HPV or other related cancers in men.

“The vaccine prevents females from contracting genital warts and cervical cancer,” Brown concluded. “In males the vaccine prevents HPV cancers and genital warts. There are no known side effects of the vaccine, except reports of soreness of the arm after the dose is administered. Planned Parenthood offers the vaccine and has a program that can assist with getting the shots for little or no cost.”

At the end of the day, "genital warts" simply doesn't have the same acceptable ring to it as "rubella" or "polio". Honestly, it probably doesn’t matter whether a parent believes HPV is caused by sexual intercourse versus sexual contact. To people opting out of the vaccine for their children on such grounds, splitting hairs is unlikely to change anyone’s mind. While the whole issue of required vaccination is dicey at best, there’s something to be said for being better safe than sorry. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t care what they are carrying, and even more simply do not know.

What’s with the news: Barbie is back in the news, because we all know that bitch doesn't get nearly enough attention. Model Katie Halchishick, co-founder of Healthy is the New Skinny, posed for a photograph with Barbie’s proportions outlined on her own body a la “Dr. 90210" to illustrate just how weird and wholly unnatural Barbie's body is.

Barbie on a real girl is more than a bit horrifying, especially when you note that Barbie’s waist is only slightly larger in diameter than this model’s freaking bellybutton. And those eyes are borderline extraterrestrial. What on earth are we teaching young girls, or boys, for that matter?
What’s with us: Elizabeth Sweet is a UC Davis doctoral candidate in sociology whose current research examines the role of gender in children’s toys and toy advertising over the 20th century. She is also the mother of a 10-year-old daughter who she considers to be her best research assistant on toys. She offered her thoughts on not only Barbie-imposed body dysmorphia, but also gendered toys in general.

“I would say that Barbie is definitely emblematic of the changes that have been happening in children’s toys, especially over the past 40 years,” said Sweet. “Not only have toys become increasingly gendered over this time, but the messages about both the body and gender roles have become, in my opinion, increasingly problematic. While Barbie has never been representative of real women’s bodies, the doll has undergone several transformations over the years that have exaggerated both her unrealistic body proportions and her über-femininity.

“In terms of bodies, we see the same kinds of exaggeration going on for action figures aimed at boys. The earliest action figures look a lot different than those of today. Researchers have actually studied the changes in body proportions of figures like G.I. Joe and have found them becoming more and more muscled over time, to the point where now they seem like a gross caricature of the masculine form. So both boys’ and girls’ toys seem to be growing more distinct from one another, and convey increasingly exaggerated and stereotypical ideas about masculinity and femininity.

“The problem that I see with toys for girls these days is the messages they convey about what it means to be a woman, and the same thing is true of the messages about masculinity embedded in toys for boys. Girls’ toys tend to emphasize characteristics like beauty, domesticity, nurturing and being sexy — and rarely relate to other characteristics like strength and intelligence. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that girls are grappling with serious issues related to body image at increasingly young ages.

“The toy industry tends to argue that they offer what people want, and that what we see happening in toys is demand-driven,” Sweet said in closing. “To some extent this may be true. Nevertheless, it seems surprising that toys are becoming more gendered while, in some ways, our actual society is moving closer toward gender equity. My hunch is that as men’s and women’s roles have become more similar in both the workplace and the home, things like gendered toys become a means of reinforcing the idea that the two genders are still really quite different. It maintains the status quo in terms of our ideas and stereotypes about men and women, and makes the fact that we’re doing more similar things seem less threatening. But researchers have found that ideas and stereotypes matter a lot in terms of what people actually do - they can steer people towards some things and away from others. So if the idea that science is for boys and nurturing is for girls becomes even more prevalent than it was in, say, the 1970's, this may have worrisome consequences for increasing gender equity down the road.”

So to tie it all together, everyone get your daughters that damn HPV vaccination. Barbie has already given her a license to tramp around town anyway.

Sad news all - "What’s With That" will be on sabbatical for the duration of the month while I make a sojourn back to the land of my people, the great state of Wisconsin. I shall return though, more insightful and hilarious than ever (if you do not think I am hilarious, you are wrong). I know this will be difficult for all of us, but fear not - absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Each week "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "What's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com
with your ideas!

Disclosure: Allison Joy is employed by Mikuni Restaurant Group Inc.

What's With That: Eagle Scouts, curing AIDS, and anger management

2012-08-02T17:43:53Z

What’s with the news: Across the U.S., Eagle Scouts are returning their hard-earned medals in protest of the Boy Scouts of America’s policy on homosexuality.

The BSA policy reads, “While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA.”

Come on, BSA. DADT is so five years ago.

What’s with us: Eric Morgan has worked for Davis Senior High School for seven years, where he currently teaches English and leadership while working to keep students connected and invested in their school by maintaining an inclusive atmosphere that values individuality. Over the past several years he has also worked to engage students in dialogue regarding how the student body conducts Dance Royalty elections with regards to students outside the gender-normative sexuality routine. In addition he grew up as a Cub Scout and earned his Eagle Scout medal at the age of 18. He also worked at Camp Winton in El Dorado National Forest, where recently ten staffers quit in protest over the firing of a gay co-worker.

Morgan shared his thoughts about the BSA controversy and those returned medals with The Sacramento Press via email.

“At the time I earned my Eagle Scout medal, it meant that I knew how to follow through,” said Morgan. “And that I knew how to work with a team to take action and influence the world, instead of remain passive in it. It helped empower my confidence to make the world a better place through even small actions.”

Morgan continued, “Now it means that I am among the highest achievers in an institution that chooses to see sexuality as one of the most important driving forces in what determines the quality of our character, and who finds it impossible to be a strong leader and role model while being gay … While I feel proud of the work I put in as a scout, and while I am proud of what I was able to teach younger scouts when I served as a staff member at my summer camp, I don’t feel proud to be so affiliated with the organization anymore. It’s weird to be a high achiever with an organization when I so strongly disagree with their stance. It has made me consider sending back my award over the years.”

In regards to the recent movement of Eagle Scouts returning their medals, Morgan said, “They are letting the BSA know, in a very quiet and powerful way, that not all scouts agree with the current view of sexuality in scouting. Few people are willing to give up the honors that arise from this kind of work, and that they are willing to do so to educate this institution illustrates how important they see this issue to be. It means that they are doing what they believe is right.”

But Morgan also sees potential for change down the road.

“I would hope that the BSA changes its stance on gay scouts and leaders. This will be difficult, because currently the BSA is very closely tied with religious institutions who predominantly look down on homosexuality. I don’t have much faith that current scout leadership will change their minds. However, many churches are evolving their views on sexuality, and these churches can sponsor troops who share that value. Also, many of the folks I speak to about this disagree with the BSA’s current stance on homosexuality. These folks are becoming parents and are natural leaders, people who are considering the mark they want to leave on scouting as adults. These new leaders will want to see scouting change and grow into the modern world, and they’ll have the power to do so.”

“There will be challenges,” Morgan said in closing. “There will be groups that will choose to dig their heels in, and many will pull their children out of scouting, and the BSA may even fragment over this, but in some way the institution is going to have to change because there will be enough leaders dissatisfied that some sort of accommodation will need to be made. These are challenges I believe the BSA should face and be prepared to weather in order to do what is right.”

Anti-gay policies come across as more and more archaic each year, and each day the world moves closer to leaving behind those that hold such beliefs. As a former Girl Scout, I am proud to say that Girl Scouts of the USA holds no discriminatory membership policies in regards to sexual preference. I can only imagine how heartbroken I’d be to see that stance change.

What’s with the news: On July 24, Timothy Ray Brown, the “Berlin Patient” spoke at the International AIDS conference, assuring the room that he is still HIV-free.

Brown was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1995, and received anti-retroviral therapy for 11 years. In 2006, when Brown’s health began to deteriorate, doctors used a stem cell transplant to treat his leukemia, which is thought to have both cured his leukemia and eliminated the HIV from his system.

What’s with us: Dr. Joseph Anderson is currently an assistant professor at UC Davis in the Department of Internal Medicine's Division for Infectious Diseases. He also works with the UC Davis Stem Cell Program, and is the head of the HIV Disease Team. This whole “AIDS cure” thing is a little complex, and Anderson was nice enough to try to break it down for us.

“Research is now heavily focused on eradicating HIV in the body by flushing out viral reservoirs which hide in immune cells, and developing new drugs to activate and kill viral reservoirs aimed more towards trying to eradicate HIV from the body,” said Anderson.

“A smaller number of labs are actually focusing on stem cell gene therapy as a cure for HIV. Timothy Brown, who is the only documented case of someone being cured of HIV, was treated by being transplanted with HIV-resistant cells from a donor. There is, however, no worldwide database which screens for the CCR5 delta-32 natural HIV-resistant gene, and it would be extremely difficult to find a matched donor for every infected individual. Therefore, our lab focuses on genetically engineering a patient’s own stem cells which are being artificially genetically modified to become HIV-resistant, compared to Timothy’s case where naturally HIV-resistant stem cells were used."

“This method would more than likely work with both populations of patients who are HIV-positive and those who have progressed to AIDS. However, patients with clinical AIDS are more fragile and morbidity during the process is more likely.”

In regards to the implications of Brown’s case on future treatments, Anderson said, “As Timothy Brown is the only documented case of an HIV-infected patient being cured, we hope more research and funding will be directed towards stem cell gene therapy approaches. This method of transplanting HIV-resistant stem cells has been the only cure for HIV so far. My lab is currently in the regulatory stages of getting our stem cell gene therapy clinical approved and we will be starting our trials in the near future."

“Timothy Brown’s case shows that a cure for HIV is possible. Some critics say that it is too expensive of a procedure to use a bone marrow transplant to cure an infected patient, but if the tables were turned I am sure that cost would not be of concern. Therefore, more research and funding should be directed towards that goal. No matter the cost of the procedure, patients deserve a cure and funding should be directed towards that. Underdeveloped countries should not be overlooked, but we need to find a cure first and then figure out how to reach everyone worldwide.”

You know, stem cells fascinate me more than Santa Claus; it seems they have the potential to fix a lot of scary stuff like cancer and AIDS, and maybe eradicating reality television. Kudos to UC Davis — someone ought to find a cure and it sure won’t be me.

What’s with the news: Feeling pissed off? Did that barista make your latte with whole milk instead of soy? Maybe your kid sister used your cashmere sweater for bedding in her hamster's cage. Well if you’re in Germany, you don’t have to humiliate yourself by losing your marbles in public or with anyone you’ll have to see at the office tomorrow. You can call “Schimpf-los,” or “Swear Away” in English.

That’s right. For the low, low price of 1.49 euros, or about $1.82 U.S. dollars per minute, you can swear your face off to a complete and total stranger.

What’s with us: Dr. Catherine Cohen is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, former editor of “Sacramento Valley Psychologist” and former president of the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association. Last month she discussed Jeremiah McDonald’s YouTube video with us, and she’s back this week to talk about anger management and the therapeutic value of lashing out at strangers.

Regarding the popularity of such a service, Cohen said, “It’s much easier to discharge aggression onto complete strangers because it’s easier to dehumanize them. The caller then doesn’t have to deal with the attendant guilt or competing positive feelings which complicate things when we are angry at those we care about."

“Hypothetically speaking, the value of this hotline is to allow callers some sort of catharsis. Instead of using a punching bag to get out anger or frustration, the person who receives the call is the punching bag. Because it’s another human being, it ostensibly gives the caller a way to work out feelings in a more related manner."

“Of course some angry callers are likely to be abusive in their anger. This is not helpful for either the caller or the listener, particularly since the hotline is only for anger discharge. This sort of release is not necessarily therapeutic. Some things really are best when they are not acted upon."

“I don’t think it’s unacceptable per se,” Cohen said in closing. “You could make a case this service is more appealing in cultures which tend to be emotionally repressive. Having the hotline creates some parameters around the expression of intense (and) unacceptable words and emotions, and charging per minute makes it transactional. Therefore, people could feel safer in doing something they normally prohibit. Like other behaviors we feel uncomfortable with, there is typically also a thrill involved. But do we really need to encourage more angry exchanges in the world?”

When I first stumbled across the article and the “Schimpf-los” service, I thought it was amusing at best, and a sad reflection of our society at worst. However, having recently been dumped by a complete moron who shall remain nameless, I feel I’ve been too quick to judge and shall purchase an international calling card immediately for further research. Wish me luck!

Each week "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "what's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas!

What's With That: Ben Spurr's wrath, Rotten Tomatoes, and foie gras

2012-07-26T18:07:22Z

What’s with the news: Anita Sarkeesian is causing waves in the gaming world. She is the proud recipient of a deluge of hate mail, and now a game designed by Ben Spurr allows players to digitally beat her face in.

So what’d she do? Surely something awful, like swallowing Skyrim whole or force-feeding her Xbox to a lion.

Not exactly. Anita Sarkeesian set out to raise funds via Kickstarter for her project entitled Tropes vs Women in Video Games — a project that seeks to explore the limited roles that female characters occupy in the gaming world.

What’s with us: Johnny Flores, illustrator and co-owner of Sacramento-based mobile gaming party company Event Gaming, weighed in on the value of Sarkeesian’s project and the motives behind those who so desperately hate her.

“I've listened to some of Anita's videocasts before and I agree with her views about female characters in video games,” said Flores. “One of the more popular games to come out recently is Batman: Arkham City. One of the major, playable characters is Catwoman. She wears a skin-tight suit, like Batman, and she's every bit as intelligent, insightful, skilled, and intuitive as he is. Unfortunately, the game writer and designers decided to over-emphasize her sexuality. Even when you are privy to her inner thoughts, she speaks in this over-the-top sexpot voice and walks around with her breasts spilling out. Her attack moves often involve her defeating thugs in very erotic ways, while Batman gets to just pummel the s--- out of them without any sort of sexuality.”

“The gaming industry caters to a lot of males of all ages. Maybe if more men were willing to speak out against the objectification of women in these games, game designers would start making female characters that were complex and well thought out. There are very few games with a strong female character who doesn't show off her body in an alluring way or isn’t a damsel in distress. Very few.”

When asked what he thought motivated Spurr and his army, Flores replied, “These guys are immature, pathetic, and spiteful. I don’t understand them. I don’t want to understand them. I hope if they are ever lucky enough to love a woman as an equal, that they reflect back on the way they behaved and remember that they were on the side of objectifying women, and threatened a woman who tried to shine a light on something she felt morally obligated to speak about. I hope they realize how wrong they were and just how dangerous their actions were. Maybe if that day ever comes, one of them will have the backbone to find a way to apologize to Anita.”

Preach.

What’s with the news: Film-review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes was, for the first time, forced to shut down its user-generated comments after a couple of bad reviews for the film "The Dark Knight Rises" led to a slew of hate speech and death threats in the commenting section.

And while a lot of speculation, primarily taking place on Twitter, lays blame at the feet of Internet trolls, the fact remains that the act of shutting down their comment section is unprecedented for Rotten Tomatoes. Don't Batman's fans have day jobs?

What’s with us: Tony Sheppard is a professor of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration at Sacramento State. He has been writing film reviews for over a decade and also serves as co-director of the Sacramento Film and Music Festival. He talked cult followings in film with The Sacramento Press via email.

“The idea of a cult film has changed somewhat over time,” said Sheppard. “In the past it was more likely to be used to signify a film that had a core group of followers, often relatively small, and perhaps a film that didn’t gain much mainstream support or success. But mainstream films can also gain cult status, with a very loyal group of followers.”

“It seems fair to say that what has become known as “The Dark Knight Trilogy” has a cult-like following — but I’m not sure that it’s entirely similar, and it seems unlikely to be as long lasting … The Batman character has been around for decades and has had generations of fans … You also have a very popular cast that have followings of their own, and a director who might even be labeled as having his own cultish following. So you potentially have multiple levels of fandom involved in the outcome and a great vested interest. It’s a quasi-religious experience for some fans.”

“I’ve been posting (on Rotten Tomatoes) for over nine years, and it’s not unusual for people to track the reviews as they come in and comment on the first negative reviews for popular films,” Sheppard said in closing. “But I think there’s a bigger change that has occurred over time … What you’re seeing is this strange combination of factors that have turned films into something more like sports have traditionally been … Now if you’re a big fan of a project, it’s not just about how well it’s produced, it’s about how it stacks up against other projects measured at the box office. After all, the deep, quality dramas have their awards shows to separate out the wheat from the chaff, but the giant effect-laden comic book and action movies are rated by their fans in the box office competition — and it’s just like a sport with home teams and rivalries.”

Sheppard’s review of “The Dark Knight Rises” is up on The Sacramento Press, and readers can look forward to his full analysis on why we love our movies so much later this week.

What’s with the news: A statewide ban on foie gras, “fatty liver” in French, approved in 2004 in the state of California, finally went into effect on July 1 of this year. The ban was fueled by those questioning the ethical treatment of force-fed fowl, but many fans of the cuisine and those in the restaurant industry see things a bit differently.

On July 18 a federal judge refused a motion to temporarily stay the ban, though he set a new hearing for Aug. 29.

What’s with us: Molly Hawks is executive chef and co-owner of Hawks Restaurant in Granite Bay, where she “blends modern cuisine with locally farmed ingredients.” Prior to the ban, foie gras had been one of many popular dishes served at Hawks, and she was kind enough to share her knowledge of foie gras production and her thoughts on the ban.

“Foie gras is a long-rooted culinary tradition,” Hawks said. “Ancient Egyptians discovered that the livers of certain migratory waterfowl were distinctly better at certain times of the year — times nearing migration. In preparation for migration, ducks eat in excess to store fat in their livers and beneath their skin … With the domestication of animals, farmers have simply replicated this naturally occurring phenomenon.”

“We purchase our foie gras from Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York, where the ducks are free to roam in free-feeding barns until 12 weeks of age. They are then moved to another barn where the ducks are grouped into open pens where the 18 to 21 day gavage occurs. The term gavage, French for “gorge,” refers to the hand-feeding of ducks; a feeder inserts a tube into the esophagus of each duck and funnels in a cupful of feed. The entire process is said to last approximately 30 seconds per duck. Upon receiving a lobe of Hudson Valley foie gras at the restaurant, if we notice that a lobe is imperfect in any way, that lobe can be traced back to a particular feeder … this leads me to believe that there are tight controls on the process.”

Regarding foie gras in the media, Hawks continued, “I do think there is a difference between what many perceive to be happening versus reality. Time and again we are subjected to photographs of ducks in tiny cages covered in what appears to be yellow vomit. These images do not ring true with the practices set forth by our nation’s foie gras farms. I cannot speak to the farming practices in other countries, where such photos are thought to have originated."

“When Guillermo Gonzalez of California’s Artisan Foie Gras approved the bill which led to the current foie gras ban in California, he did so because he was promised that funding would be provided for independent research to determine whether foie gras farming was humane. Guillermo was confident that the research would show that foie gras practices are indeed humane. However, after the bill was signed the research funding was pulled.

“I think the California ban has impaired the ability of California chefs to compete on a national scale,” Hawks said in closing. “We worry that California’s young talent may choose to pursue culinary careers in other states where they can learn to work with such luxuries as foie gras. In addition, it’s sad to see something with such significant culinary history just disappear.”

What do you think? I personally don’t eat the stuff — it’s too pedestrian for my "refined" starving artist palate. Yet anyone who’s driven past a certain cattle farm headed south on a certain interstate might consider — which battle ought we be fighting?

Each week "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "what's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas!

What's With That: D. Tosh, Higgs boson, and Skinny Gurl

2012-07-19T16:59:33Z

What’s with the news: By now you’ve probably heard about the controversy Daniel Tosh caused at the Laugh Factory in LA recently. If you haven’t, I’d first like to thank you for pulling your head out of the sand long enough to read my column. Really means a lot.

There are a couple different accounts of what happened. One has Tosh bringing up the issue of rape himself and then outright suggesting that audience members gang rape a heckler. The other has a different audience member responding to Tosh’s call for joke ideas by suggesting rape, followed by Tosh pontificating on a female audience member’s experience with rape based on her aversion to the idea of a rape joke.

Since then you cannot get people to shut up about this guy. Bloggers, comedians and members of the Internet mass have stepped out in retaliation against both the outrage directed toward Tosh as well as his contributions to rape culture.

The Sacramento-based California Coalition Against Sexual Assault called Tosh’s rant, “another example of misogynistic and callous attitude and behavior aimed at silencing women and survivors of sexual assault and rape - not to mention making light of sexual violence overall.”

In short, a lot of people are very, very angry.

What’s with us: Cheryl “The Soccer Mom” Anderson is a local comedian and founder of the stand-up group “The Real (funny) Housewives of Rio Linda”. She agreed to weigh in with her thoughts.

“Comedians are inappropriate by definition,” she said via email with the Sacramento Press. “Whether it was or wasn’t the right thing to say isn’t relevant. Comedians try different jokes and reactions to hecklers. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. Comedians have the responsibility to say what they’re thinking and it’s up to the audience to decide whether or not they want to listen. If they don't like it, they can leave quietly.”

“Comedians aren’t speaking from a position of authority. They’re pointing out absurdities, irony and sometimes just being silly,” Anderson continued. “People have to know that when they enter a comedy club they may hear outrageous things. Comedians are going to say things that are stupid, unpopular, ill-informed, and brilliant, insightful … Comedians have to fail in order to perfect the material. If society insists that certain topics are off-limits, and if they microanalyze everything someone says, then we’ll miss a lot of great material.”

“On the other hand,” she said in closing, “If people hate what he said, they should stop watching his show and not buy tickets to see him live, that is perfectly justified. They shouldn’t try to stop others who might enjoy him though. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all in comedy. What is hilarious to one person is horrible to another.”

Here are just two of my 8 million cents: The thing about being an artist - and this is whether you are crafting a joke, releasing a novel, or displaying your interpretation of the Venus de Milo eating a hamburger - is that once your art is released to the public, the next step is public discourse. Art creates dialogue. Your burger-guzzling Venus de Milo might make a bunch of people feel fat. They may hate you for it, boycott your gallery openings, proclaim you a hack from the tops of their lungs. Tough potatoes, that’s the biz you’re in. People might find your joke both utterly devoid of creativity AND repugnantly misogynistic, and they might take to the proverbial streets to talk about it - loudly. They should.

What’s with the news: Earlier this month, CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) put out a press release that got not only the attention of the scientific community, but the media at large.

According to CERN, “ICHEP2012 in Melbourne, the ATLAS and CMS experiments presented their latest preliminary results in the search for the long sought Higgs particle. Both experiments observe a new particle in the mass region around 125-126 GeV.”

Awesome! And also...what?

Since then the media has been all atwitter over the discovery of the so-called “God particle”. I for one don’t understand a lick of it, but I gather that it’s pretty important.

What’s with us: Luckily James Dolen, a Ph.D. student at UC-Davis studying high energy particle physics and member of the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoi — say that three times fast) experiment at CERN was kind enough to break it down for all of us.

“The atom is composed of protons, neutrons and electrons,” said Dolen, “And protons and neutrons are composed of other particles (electrons are fundamental, meaning they cannot be broken down into other particles). The proton and neutron are composed of quarks … We also believe that the quarks are fundamental. The Higgs is a separate particle that is not contained within the proton or neutron.”

“The Higgs boson is a fundamental particle just like quarks and electrons. Most importantly we think that particles such as quarks and electrons acquire mass by interacting with the Higgs particle. We have a mathematical model which for the past 30 years has done an excellent job of predicting the particle properties and their interactions, but the model can only explain particle mass if the Higgs particle exists.”

But why the “God particle”?

“Physicists really dislike that name!” Dolen responded. “The term originated when physicist Leon Lederman wrote a book called ‘The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?’ The story goes that he wanted to call the book ‘The Goddamned Particle’ because the particle was so hard to detect, but his editor changed the name to ‘The God Particle.’ Within the field of physics people refer to the particle as the Higgs particle.”

In closing Dolen added, “It’s a big piece of the puzzle in explaining how the universe works. Without Higgs the universe would not have stars, planets or atoms, and the particles in the universe would be very different.”

So to recap, we can’t really prove the existence of God, but we are starting to figure out why patio furniture can be so cumbersome. Congratulations, you’ve all just earned your Ph.D. in Laymen’s Physics. (No, that’s not really a thing. Please don’t send me angry emails.)

What’s with the news: Heard of Skinny Gurl? It’s an anonymously written mainstream fashion blog that focuses on weight issues in the fashion industry. “Oh,” you’re thinking, “Another redundant rant about emaciated models launching an epidemic of body dysmorphia. So late 90s.”

Not really. Skinny Gurl lauds the now standard body frame of high-end fashion models, and takes every opportunity to ridicule full-figured models and what she sees as the “Fat Pride” trend.

Unfortunately for Skinny Gurl, her blog garnered attention from Reddit followers, which led to a DDoS attack on her site that forced her to change hosts. On July 8 she issued “Some Changes” to her site while apologizing out of one side of her mouth and defending herself from the other.

But what does it mean, not only that there is an incredibly mainstream site designed solely to keeping plus-size women out of fashion, but also that said site has so incensed the Internet community that it was attacked, and the blogger in question attempted concession?

What’s with us: Latonya Williams in the founder of Sacramento-based full-figured and plus-size modeling agency Contour Jewlz. She is also in the process of starting her own nonprofit geared toward full-figured women empowerment, and she was kind enough to share her thoughts regarding Skinny Gurl and the evolving role of plus-size women in fashion.

Regarding the massive backlash against Skinny Gurl, Wiliams replied, "I believe that this forum received so much publicity because of the vicious way that she attacked plus-size women. The reality of the United States today is that plus size-women are the majority. In the modeling world, high fashion models are deemed plus-size if they are above a size eight. In society it is custom to be considered plus if you are size twelve and above. Here is a woman who has probably never been overweight, and so has absolutely no idea why or how others are this way. I bet if she took the time to interview several plus-size women, she would find out that they each have a story behind their size."

"I don’t think that 'Skinny Gurl' nor her fans understand the statement, 'big is beautiful' or the 'Plus-Size Trend' as one reader put it," said Williams. "The entire mission behind the plus-size movement is self love. We are finally openly saying, 'I have curves and I'm proud and I love them.' This was not accepted by society until recently. I definitely do not think that she would have gotten the same response ten or fifteen years ago. We have to make a stand and a place for ourselves in the media - they are not going to just open the door for us. We have to keep pushing for our rights in the fashion world. "

Though Williams did agree on a few points. "I agree with Skinny Gurl that health should be a priority, and that society should not have the attitude that it is all right to be obese or unhealthy. I also agree that society views commenting on a plus-size woman’s weight as unacceptable, but will openly ridicule a thinner woman about her weight, by questioning her well-being."

"My company’s creed is: 'Women of all sizes should be celebrated & have the opportunity to model'," Williams said in closing. "I truly believe this. All sizes are beautiful, no one size is 'right' or 'wrong', although there are cases where a woman can either be too thin or too big and health becomes a major issue. It is true that most plus-size women would like to lose a little weight, whether it be five or fifty pounds. But our beauty is not defined by those pounds. We are beautiful just the way we are, and that is the whole point of the Plus-Size Movement."

Hear that ladies? Eat your veggies and WORK.IT.

Each week "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "what's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas!

What's With That: Diet goggles, Mommy Pitt, & talking to yourself

2012-07-12T17:04:57Z

What’s with the news: Last month researchers at the University of Tokyo shared their innovative “diet glasses” with Discovery News. I however only stumbled upon them recently, and I think they are insane. Hence their inclusion in this week's column.

The goggles are designed to drastically reduce one’s doughnut intake by making the food appear larger than it actually is. They also allow the wearer to look incredibly ridiculous while out to brunch with friends.

The goggle team’s experiments show volunteers consuming 10 percent less when their food appears 50 percent larger, and 15 percent more when food appears two-thirds its actual size.

Who needs the gym when you’ve got good old reliable innovative technology to bail you out?

What’s with us: Jessica Brown is a public heath prevention specialist who has worked with Planned Parenthood, Sutter Physician Services, and the Department of Health Care Services. She currently works with her nonprofit, the Encouraging Life Organization, to create community health initiatives for the purpose of eliminating disparities in underserved communities.

“I am impressed with the advancement of technology, but I definitely have some concerns,” Brown said via email. “Our society is fixated on ‘quick fixes’ to chronic problems. Most people won’t seek help for overeating until a traumatic event occurs, such as a stroke or being diagnosed with diabetes. That person will seek medical advice and possibly be prescribed medication to quickly repair health issues. He or she may then look for a quick and easy solution to prevent future issues – three-week diet plans, magic weight-loss pills … diet goggles.”

She continued, “For someone who is struggling with weight loss, recommendations would be to increase fruits and vegetable intake, decrease sugary drinks and increase water intake, and increase daily activity. The use of something like diet goggles takes away those key factors of healthy weight loss. It fails to encourage the idea of incorporating healthier foods into one’s diet. One should consider that … even though they may be losing weight, continuing to eat unhealthy foods can still put a person at risk for chronic illness such as diabetes and heart disease.”

Yeah, but they’d be a great way to scare off a bad first date over dinner.

What’s with the news: On July 3 Jane Pitt, mother of well-known actor and activist Brad Pitt, penned a letter to the editor of her local newspaper, the Springfield News-Leader.

The letter has since been reposted and evaluated by just about every major newsource in the country.

The letter urges Christian voters to support Republican Party candidate Mitt Romney despite his Mormon background. Mrs. Pitt cites Obama’s policies on abortion and same-sex marriage, reminding readers, “Any Christian who does not vote or writes in a name is casting a vote for Romney’s opponent …”

Which begs the question, is it really possible to pigeonhole voters based solely on their spiritual beliefs?

What’s with us: Aurellia Anderson received her Master’s of Divinity degree from Duke University Divinity School and is currently a Licensed Minister of the Evangelical Covenant Church. She agreed to weigh in with her thoughts on how our current political quagmire impacts followers of the Christian faith.

“I personally believe Christians struggle today, politically,” she said. “They are asked to choose between moral/ethical issues and social justice issues. If we are to label Jesus’ theology, he was a liberation theologian...he believed in social justice. I think a person’s social consciousness can influence their political stance, and when engaging in politics social justice issues outweigh a person’s moral commitments.”

She continued, “I do not believe there is a candidate today (or if ever) that adequately fits the Christian belief system. Christians are forced to choose between two candidates of a seemingly two-party system. This is usually swayed depending on the personal lifestyle of the voting Christian (race/ethnicity, class, etc).”

“Because Christians are human beings, they will disagree and tend to think their opinion and choice is the most accurate,” Anderson said in closing. “So if there was a way to vote, I believe Christ would not even answer the question, and instead tell the Church (the body of Christian believers) to reject it all and take care of the world’s problems themselves.”

So being Christian does not necessarily make any one individual’s decision at the polls, or ability to maintain faith in our political system, much easier than it is for those who don’t adhere to any particular religious belief system. Now let us all band together in frustration, and stop hating one another.

What’s with the news: Last Thursday filmmaker Jeremiah McDonald uploaded a video of himself on YouTube titled, “A Conversation With My 12 Year Old Self: 20th Anniversary.”

The video sets a rambunctious 12-year-old McDonald beside his cynical, whiskey-sipping current self at the age of 32. For just under four minutes, the two Jeremiah’s discuss current and former pets, the Internet, and McDonald’s forgotten dream of becoming an illustrator.

As of Thursday morning, one week after the video was uploaded, Jeremiah’s conversation with Jeremiah has received over 6.5 million hits. I can personally account for only a few hundred of those.

What’s with us: Dr. Catherine Cohen is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and former editor of “Sacramento Valley Psychologist.” Dr. Debra Moore is a licensed Psychologist, as well as Founder and Director of Fall Creek Associates. Both women have served in the past as President of the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association and agreed to weigh in with their thoughts on the video.

“In terms of popularity, it’s very novel and well done. Also, the subject matter is essentially human psychology and that is always fascinating,” said Dr. Moore. “One hundred percent of us have had experiences of looking back at ourselves as a kid and trying to put the pieces together — how the heck did we get here, why did we turn out this way, what were the influences.”

According to Dr. Cohen, “Our culture has always been preoccupied with youth, but in the current climate of difficulty (seemingly endless wars, economic hardship, melting planet, exorbitant college tuition, etc.) I suspect most of us have had increasing questions about the future, and whether it will be an improvement on days gone by.”

“The filmmaker has an edgy curiosity with his youthful self — as if he could interact with himself again and redirect the decisions which got him to the stagnation he alludes to,” Cohen continued. “The optimism of youth is noteworthy, and optimism seems especially desirable today. As the filmmaker documents his growth from boy to man, he’s portraying important forces at work: optimism and realism — and the quest to balance these given the external factors of life.”

“He’s cynical, but there’s a sweetness to it all,” Dr. Moore said in closing. “He’s looking at himself with a kind of affection for his younger self. Like a little brother — he bugs you but you love him.”

I for one would love to chat with little Allison over a cocktail, if only for a chance to warn her against the impending awful perm she’d eventually demand.

What's With That: Cooper's Outing, TomKat Split, BronyCon

2012-07-05T18:46:06Z

What’s with the News: Anderson Cooper has officially outed himself by giving Andrew Sullivan of the Daily Beast permission to publish an email the news anchor sent Sullivan regarding an Entertainment Weekly piece entitled, "The New Art of Coming Out in Hollywood".

“The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud,” Cooper said in his response.

While Cooper’s sexuality has been widely presumed and accepted for years, he has in the past chosen to keep his personal life private, and these are his first public, definitive statements on the issue.

What’s with Us: The Sacramento Press asked Bill Snyder, current Communications Coordinator and former President of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center to share his thoughts.

“More people have come out this year than the last several years combined. A lot of the famous people coming out get a nice bounce out of it, and their approval ratings go up after their announcements,” he said.

Cooper’s story is such a hot item partly because of his place at the forefront of media, but also, according to Snyder, “being LGBT is no longer seen as being evil, sinful, or deviant by most people. Today most people see those coming out as being brave after suffering long enough. Also a lot of people think, for example, ‘He is just like my nephew who showed so much courage coming out to our family’.”

Snyder says more people, LGBT or not, have personal ties to the movement and therefore feel they can relate to Cooper, which leads to the outpouring of support he’s received not just from Hollywood and New York but the vast land between.

Kudos, Mr. Cooper. Now we ought to let you get back to what you do best - the news.

What’s with the News: People Magazine shocked celeb gossip junkies worldwide last Friday when they announced the now inescapable story of TomKat’s split. We’ve since been told that Katie Holmes is filing for sole custody of the couple's daughter Suri, and that Tom Cruise was blindsided when Holmes filed. What happened to sweet Joey Potter, and that crazy in-love, couch-jumping maniac the world had grown so obsessed with?

What’s with Us: Carolyn Rich Curtis, Ph.D is the founder and Executive Director of the Relationship Skills Center in Sacramento, which provides marriage education programs to couples in the Greater Sacramento Region.

"We are all facinated by gossip, and relationships in particular are incredibly facinating," she said during a phone interview with the Sacramento Press.

But why the split?

According to Curtis, the initial stages of a relationship are aided by the same neurotransmitters associated with obsessive-compulsive disorders. The impacts of these neurotransmitters wane around 18 months and are replaced with hormones (oxytocin for women and vasopressin for men) that breed feelings of attachment. These hormones fuel us for roughly four years.

"I think it's interesting that they are breaking up at that five-year mark," Curtis continued. "The hormones that previously sustained the relationship have dissipated, and now you have to do the hard work."

"Twenty-five percent of married couples and fifty percent of cohabitating couples split at that five-year mark. It's the point where you really need to work hard to make the relationship work. It takes huge emotional strength when you're not feeling attached," she said.

See? Celebrities are just like you and I!

What’s With the News: Dave Collins of Associated Press got into the thick of it when he covered BronyCon 2012 in Secaucus, NJ this past Sunday. BronyCon is for bros who love ponies - My Little Pony by Hasbro in particular. What was once a handful of bronies in an NYC meeting room has exploded into a nationwide movement of men proud to dress up, dance, and sing the praises of a brony lifestyle.

What’s With Us: The bronies feel themselves a misunderstood lot, seen as creepy manchildren instead of young men in support of a movement for friendship and unicorn hats. UC-Davis Professor Emeritus and author of From Panthers to Promise Keepers: Rethinking the Men’s Movement Judith Newton weighed in.

“Men in their twenties have fathers who lived through an era when men’s movements and a more sensitive, more fully human sent of masculine ideals were in the air and in the media. These new masculine ideals embraced qualities that were associated with women: crying, expressing love to other men, being vulnerable, showing more empathy, being playful.”

Newton also cited the current job market and financial climate.

“The current economic crisis has hit young adults especially hard. The innocence, protection, playfulness, and freedom from worry associated with childhood, especially as idealized here, must seem attractive,” she said. “It’s much harder to have a family and be middle-class than before. So there’s a very long adolescence for men. Maybe childhood is being extended here too.”

Well, no harm no foul, right? Play on, brony.

Each week "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "what's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas!