The Ladies of The View Browbeat Nadya

When I first heard that Nadya Suleman was to appear on The View, I wondered why. Hasn’t everything about her already been covered by the media? I can only hear about one topic so many times without wanting to rip my hair out. (Other over-reported topics are: Tiger Woods, Sarah Palin, Jon or Kate Gosselin, Kate Gosselin’s hair, etc.) I bemoan today’s technology when I hear any of these names.

I tuned into the show because I still wondered how Nadya was fairing with all those kids, and I wanted to know how she got her figure back after giving birth to nearly a whole baseball team in one squat.

One thing we know about Nadya: She isn’t spending money on a stylist, and she could use one. Her dress was too tight and too short. But her body looks great. I wonder how she can find the time to exercise, but I give her props for looking so terrific, no matter how she did it. I won’t show the “before” picture, because it frightens me. Let’s say that I’ve never seen a pregnant stomach that large. And I couldn't find a photo of the dress she wore on The View. But here's her Star Magazine cover photo:


Have you ever tried to play catch-up with a group of old friends, and people talk over each other (like they do on The View)? Women are good at jumping in before someone else's sentence is finished. It’s partly a cultural thing that is acceptable among women, unless you happen to be one who loses your train of thought easily, and then getting interrupted can ruin your day. True to form, the ladies of The View didn’t mind interrupting Nadya to ask her a thought-provoking question while she was still trying to answer the previous question.

Nadya tried to keep track of all the questions the ladies asked her and to answer them in the order they were asked. In addition, she wanted the opportunity to set the record straight about old news items that had been misreported. The ladies of The View were relentless at butting in, even when they could see that Nadya was getting flustered. She exhibited what Sherri referred to as a maniacal laugh as she became stressed, but they still did not let up. While sandwiched in between the ladies, she looked to the left and then to the right, repositioning her body to see the person she was addressing while her interviewers kept tripping her up with new questions. Here is the first part of Nadya's appearance.

Who Is Pastor Melissa Scott?

Who knows what television personality lurks in the early morning hours? With irregular sleep patterns, I find myself channel surfing late at night and into the early A.M. With the same old movies repeated on the cable channels, and one too many reality shows, I step out of the box and settle on a Christian program. I've been loving church lately. I could expand my knowledge of the Bible, instead of dumbing myself down late at night.

Who is this young woman preacher with all the hair? Nobody on a pulpit looks like this. Here is someone with a scholastic spin on the Bible. She analyzes the King James, word by word. Slender with blue eyes, and she's a brainiac, too. But I have trouble following her sermon. Before turning off the T.V., I set my DVR to record the next religious service from the University of Los Angeles Cathedral with Melissa Scott.

The next time I watch Pastor Scott, I listen carefully to the sermon. I don't understand a darn thing. She writes Greek words on a blackboard that is already covered with other words and phrases that looked like gibberish to someone watching from home. I don't assume I'm stupid when I can't understand something. I think the presentation isn't clear.

I'm fascinated by linguistics and the history of the Bible, and my undergraduate degree is in communication. Pastor Scott uses elevated language that is specific to advanced knowledge of Biblical history. I see that the whole cathedral is packed with members and visitors, and I wonder why they aren't asleep. I took a college class in the history of language. I've taken many courses in both English and French syntax. My educational background should help me understand what Pastor Smith is talking about. But it does not, so I wonder who exactly is Melissa Scott? And who is her audience? How does someone so young and female have the pulpit? I did a little research.

For the last fifteen years of his ministry, Dr. Eugene Scott held weekly Sunday Bible teaching services at the Los Angeles University Cathedral in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Scott married his third wife, Melissa Pastore in August 2000.  A few days before his death. Dr. Scott had a stroke. Before he died, he signed papers to transfer both powers and assets to his wife who was 40 years his junior.

The Return of Roky Erickson Part 3

I love this photo of Roky Erickson at the 2008 Austin Music Awards:

Austin Music Awards 2008 Photo licensed under Creative Commons

My opinions about the people in the documentary You're Gonna Miss Me are based on what I saw and what I've read. I don't know these people personally. Having said that, I'll toss some ideas around about Roky Erickson, his situation and his family.

I watched the documentary a second time, and I saw things a bit differently. I understand Roky's mother better. She is an extremely bright woman with an elevated vocubulary. She is a frustrated performer who still dreams of being on the stage. Unfortunately, she is more than a pack rat. She appears to be a hoarder of the stacks of junk and filth around her that keep her at a low level of functioning.

Roky's youngest brother Sumner talks about growing up in a decaying house and the need to make noise before entering the kitchen so the rats would run away. The mother and the silent father did not teach their children to solve their own problems, at least by example. It's no wonder that the mom could not release Roky from his inward prison, no matter how much she loves him, when she's stuck in one herself.

The Return of Roky Erickson Part 2

The 13th Floor Elevators were the highly respected pioneers of psychedelic rock. Chet Helms, the rock promoter of the once famous Avalon Ballroom gives Roky Erickson credit for much of Janis Joplin’s stage presence. Singer/poet Patti Smith says that she would play her 13th Floor Elevator LPs over and over, going to sleep to them and, waking up to them.

I was a bit leery to watch the documentary You're Gonna Miss Me because it's about someone extremely wounded--by both mental illness and the mental healthcare system itself. I didn’t want to see that beautiful front man for the Elevators turn into someone broken. I'm very curious to know what hurt Roky the most: the LSD and other drugs he took, the potent medications (drugs) and electroshock therapy the "doctors" gave him, or the mental illness that was a part of Roky's makeup. But I will delve into this question in Part 3.

Although You’re Gonna Miss Me is a sad story, there is sweetness to this documentary that begins in 2001 in a Travis County Texas courtroom as Roky’s brother Sumner petitions the court for guardianship of Roky. He wants to lift Roky out of poverty and get him medical care. He dreams of Roky playing music again.

In the years that their mother took on the job of caregiver, Roky has declined further into isolation, poverty and nothingness. At the point this movie begins, Roky will only speak to his mother and no one else. When the mother testifies before the judge, she seems more concerned about the sadness of her own life than the outcome of the court hearing.

The Return of Roky Erickson Part 1

You’re Gonna Miss Me is a documentary that chronicles the life of Roky Erickson, front man for the 1960s psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators. The band was popular when I was in high school. I heard about the movie and thought, what the heck; this movie about the singer might be kind of interesting, but it really grabbed me.

Toward the beginning of the documentary, there is footage of Roky and the band performing their hit single, “You’re Gonna Miss me,” You may have heard this song in the opening sequence of the movie Hi Fidelity. Dell Computers also featured the song in their 2006 ad for their XPS laptop. I've searched high and low for a decent video of this band that should have been seen by the whole world. I hope you'll settle for a good audio of "You're Gonna Miss Me" to HEAR Roky on vocals and guitar, Tommy Hall on the electric jug, and Stacy Sutherland playing some amazing lead guitar. Good gosh. I almost forgot about Roky on the harmonica. This band was clearly ahead of his time.

I plan to write a blog that lists the top 50 screamers of rock 'n' roll, like Jim Morrison in L.A. Woman or James Brown in just about anything. Please check out the delicious screams of "You're Gonna Miss Me."

Everyone at YouTube tries to upload the same shoddy film clip of the band’s 1966 performance on American Bandstand. I think you have to watch the documentary to see the only cleaned up version, which knocks my socks off. Roky, an extremely fine-looking individual, plays guitar and sings like a wild man. Only a few famous people possess that kind of stage presence. I’m a self-proclaimed music buff, and I honestly had no idea what we all missed when this band left the music scene way too soon.

The 13th Floor Elevators were the first “psychedelic” band. The members of the band believed in the mind-expanding virtues of LSD. (I once held the belief that LSD expanded the mind as well.) Those of us who survived until 2010 can clearly see how damaging LSD is to the brain. But so are psych drugs and other barberic remedies used by mental hospitals.

On Joy and Sorrow by Gibran

My Uncle Jim died on January 24, 2010. He was my uncle by marriage to my Aunt Helen, my dad's baby sister. My aunt and uncle were married for 47 years.

How is my aunt supposed to cope with a loss of this magnitude? I cannot fill the void left by my uncle but this special poem by Kahlil Gibran may bring my aunt some comfort by making sense of loss.

Most people know Gibran by his book The Prophet. The following poem, "On Joy and Sorrow" is a part of this famous book. I have found this writing to be of great comfort to me when I have suffered from profound loss, and what loss can be more profound than the loss of a husband? My aunt does not use a computer; I sent her a copy of this poem via snail mail.

On Joy and Sorrow by Kahlil Gibran

THEN a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.

And he answered:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter
rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your
being, the more joy you can contain.

A Man Called Paladin

I love the old series Have Gun Will Travel that now airs on the Encore Western channel. Here are some facts about Paladin, my favorite gun for hire from 1957 to 1963:

Paladin made his home at the Hotel Carlton in San Francisco sometime after his education at West Point. He dressed like a gentlemen, dining on fine food and wines. He combed through the daily paper, looking for potential clients who might need his services, and of course, he used his calling card that said, "Have gun....Will travel." He charged $1,000--but only those who could pay. Paladin was a man of refinement, a "James Bond" of the old West, who carried a few expensive cigars in his boot when out on an adventure.

Why I love Kelly Cutrone

I first saw Kelly Cutrone on The Hills. Yes, I admit to watching occasional drivel, maybe quite a bit of drivel these days. But the show became interesting to me when Whitney Port went to work at People's Revolution, and for founder Kelly Cutrone. After four seasons of The Hills, Whitney left the show to star in The City that featured Whitney's career at People's Revolution.

I found Whitney's boss, Kelly Cutrone to be a great role model for Whitney and for the other young people that she mentors. Her demanding presence seems to intimidate her staff; she has high expectations of everyone around her. But I notice that she's a real softie once she sees someone making an effort to learn their job. Cutrone gets angry when a staff member does something foolish, but her bark is often worse than her bite--often, but not always.

People's Revolution is a branding public relations firm that produces fashion shows all over the world and gets press for their clients. They take the clothes out of the show room and get them onto the pages of magazines and onto the backs of clients. People's Revolution represents 46 clients; they have produced fashion shows for: Nicky Hilton, Vivienne Westwood, Marisa Ribisi, and many others. People's Revolution produced 10 different shows during the last Fashion week at Bryant Park. Kelli Cutrone and Jeremy Kost below:

A Return to Healing

A few years ago, at the conclusion of an office visit with Dr. Saputo, he mentioned that he was writing a book about health care reform. At that time, I was making a 45-minute drive to see Dr. Saputo because I couldn't get the medical help that I needed closer to home.

Dr. Saputo embodies the ideal medical practitioner of the 21st century. He uses cutting-edge laboratory tests to diagnose illness. He combines conventional medicine with adjunct alternative or integrative therapies. He goes to the source of many illnesses by looking at the patient's digestive system. Conventional doctors rarely consider nutrition and digestion to be a part of good health.

Dr. Saputo makes himself accessible to his patients. He prefers that they call him "Len." He encourages patients to email him with questions--between office visits--and he responds right away, as long as the question requires a straightforward answer.

I read extensively about medical issues. I typically arm myself with a list of concerns to show my doctors. My aim to be a part of my own care puts off some doctors. Dr. Saputo welcomes questions, and he takes them seriously. He is open-minded enough to consider my thoughts. Yet, he is a strong sounding board who doesn't let me hijack my treatment with my own fears or misinformation.

This review is not of Dr. Len Saputo's medical practice, but of his book: A Return to Healing: Radical Health Care Reform and the Future of Medicine. When he mentioned he was writing this book on medical reform, I thought to myself, Good luck with that. Only an optimistic, energetic person would tackle this subject. When he said that his goal was to provide a solution to the medical care crisis, I asked what his bottom line solution would ultimately be. He said something like, "People must take it upon themselves to demand change."