The conflict between Rick’s people and the Governor takes center stage and becomes more terrifying with each episode. A downward spiral that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows of all time and it never disappoints. If you’ve never checked it out, you should definitely do so.
Grade – Season 3: 9
Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II signed into law same-sex legislation that made gay marriage legal in England and Wales:
With little fanfare or controversy, Britain announced Wednesday that Queen Elizabeth II — hardly a social radical — had signed into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriages in England and Wales.
Official word that the queen had approved the bill drew cheers in the usually sedate House of Commons.
“This is a historic moment that will resonate in many people’s lives,” Equalities Minister Maria Miller said in a statement. “I am proud that we have made it happen and I look forward to the first same sex wedding by next summer.”
There were British political figures and religious leaders vehemently opposed to gay marriage but the opposition never reached a fever pitch, in part because the same-sex marriage bill had broad public support and the backing of the leaders of the three major political parties. In fact, it was Prime Minister David Cameron, leader of the tradition-minded Conservatives, who proposed the legislation in the first place.
The public seemed to take it for granted that gay marriage should be a part of British life. It was perhaps a sign of how Britain has evolved in past decades into a much more cosmopolitan nation than its starchy, traditionalist image would suggest.
“The opposition seemed restricted to a very small number of people very vigorous in their views,” said Stephen Fielding, a political scientist at the University of Nottingham. “It was restricted to the back benchers of the Conservative Party. It wasn’t shared across the political spectrum. It was an issue whose time had come. To oppose it seemed slightly strange.”
The law was also written in a way that allowed the Church of England — which is opposed — to sidestep the controversy since it is explicitly barred from conducting same-sex marriages.
(From The Washington Post)
Naturally, things get complicated for everyone involved and many new characters come on the scene while some others exit it.
All in all this supernatural show has become one of my “lesser” favorites, way less exciting than, say, True Blood, but definitely worth watching.
Grade – Season 3: 7
Thanks to George R. R. Martin’s seemingly boundless original material, the screenwriters delight us to intrigue, twists, and machinations at every turn, and because of Martin’s sprawling cast of characters one is never really sure who will be the next to be offed in some gruesome and inventive new way.
Season 3 was the adaptation of the first half of Book 3, while season 4 will take on the second part of that book. The production has stated the desire to produce 7 seasons in all as a way to set an end date for the entire saga, which already makes me sad 
Lastly, season 3 will forever be etched in my memory for its famous Red Wedding episode which is arguably one of the most shocking scenes I’ve ever seen on a screen.
Grade – Season 3: 10
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is brilliantly hysterical as the politician who can be clueless and astute at the same time and always tries to stay a step ahead of current events when she’s actually three behind…
Grade – Season 2: 8
This season Jackie is clean and trying to piece her life back together. She even gets a new love interest!!
I won’t spoil any main plot points except to say that I was very sad to see Eve Best (Dr. O’Hara) take a hiatus (hopefully she’ll be back in the future) and to praise the production and writing teams for the smartly handled secondary storyline involving Gloria Akalitus.
Very often these “plot B” stories are either boring or simply ridiculous, but this one felt organic to the show, had its own raison d'être, and was resolved well.
Grade - Season 5: 8
Soon after, AFER (American Foundation for Equal Rights) sued the state to overturn Prop 8 because it effectively took away a right that had been deemed fundamental by the Supreme Court according to the state Constitution. We won the first time when a federal judge, Judge Walker, declared that Prop 8 was unconstitutional.
Our opponents appealed that decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals when the new California Governor and his Attorney General both declined to defend Prop 8 because they too considered it unconstitutional. Their appeal was allowed to proceed at the Circuit court level after the Supreme Court of California declared that they had the right to defend their championed proposition if the legitimate governmental entities declined to do so. Unfortunately for them, we won a second time when the Ninth Circuit Court sided with us and substantially upheld Judge Walker’s decision.
Unsatisfied, Prop 8’s proponents appealed to the US Supreme Court, which has now declared that they had no standing to defend the proposition in court in the first place, thereby invalidating the Appeals Court’s decision, and rolling history back to Judge Walker’s ruling, officially and permanently ending the travesty that was Proposition 8.
While ecstatic for the state of California and what it means to re-add the most populous state in the union to the column of the Equality States (now 13 plus DC!!), our personal biggest joy came for the death of Article 3 of DOMA.
DOMA, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, was passed to prevent the federal government from recognizing gay marriages. It was passed by a panicked GOP when it realized that gay marriage was becoming a reality and signed by a panicked Bill Clinton who, I believe, signed it only to avoid the possibility that a constitutional amendment would be passed instead, something that would have been much harder to undo.
DOMA’s Article 3 held that the federal government didn’t have to recognize any legal same-sex marriage for any federal purpose. This is utterly unconstitutional and was found to be just that by a 5-4 Court decision that declared it null because it infringed upon our equal rights and due process, and also because of federalism issues.
DOMA is not completely defunct but its Article 2, which states that individual states don’t have to recognize other states’ same-sex marriages, infringes upon another US Constitution article, and will therefore be struck down as well once it reaches the Supreme Court. That’s the next battleground.
Ray and I, the death of Article 3 means that my legally wedded husband can now file a green card petition on my behalf just like any straight couple would be allowed to do. This is something we’ve been waiting for almost 16 years to happen.
After jumping from one visa to the next just so that we can stay together, we’ll finally be able to plan our future without having to worry if it will be here in the States or somewhere else. I will finally be free from the yoke of uncertainty that has shackled me for all these years.
Our joy and relief was expressed in tears, hugs, kisses, and boundless joy that lasted for days, and can still be felt.
Our application has been submitted and we know for a fact that it will be approved. That, my friends, is the meaning of happiness.
Here’s a video compilation put together by AFER about the events surrounding June 26. Keep the Kleenexes handy:
Cory Monteith (1982 – 2013)
I did not watch Glee, the TV show that made Monteith a TV star, but from all I’ve read and heard about him, he was a good actor and a pleasant guy to work with, and when someone this young leaves us so unexpectedly and suddenly, it’s always very hard to accept.
Unfortunately, he had dealt with the demon of drug addiction for many years, and it looks like it finally won the battle.
R.I.P.
James Gandolfini (1961 – 2013)
Gandolfini usually acted in supporting roles until he found enduring fame as Tony Soprano in HBO’s masterful The Sopranos, a tough-talking, hard-living crime boss with a stolid exterior but a rich interior life for which he will always be remembered.
He died suddenly at 51 while travelling in Italy of cardiac arrest.
One more US state, the 12th (plus the District of Columbia), has joined those already allowing marriage equality. Minnesota voted for equality about a month ago (I’ve been neglecting my blog for a while, so now I’ll try catching up).
We are still holding out hope for Illinois to join the party, but to date it hasn’t happened yet. Hopefully before the summer is over.
Thank you Minnesota!!
