|
Friday, June 29, 2007 What a Wonderful Town!  New York is considering a rule that will require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance. This rule, obviously meant to curtail commercial shooting, will affect both serious amateur photographers and videographers, as its language has been left vague enough to allow the police to discourage any group filming for more than thrity minutes in a location. It if passes, it would be a serious blow to the attractiveness of a tourist city that encourages people to come and savor its sights and communities. How many photographers stay at a particular location all day just to get that right shot? Now they'll need a permit? Which, by the way, you have to download from the Mayor's Office? Start spreadin' the news. Labels: Art, Big Apple, Got a Permit for Breathing ------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 The Magic Trolly Doomed Us All  Did you know that our next generation is all about me first because of the teachings of Mister Rogers? I saw it on Fox, so it must be true.In the original Wall Street Journal article, Professor Don Chance says that Mister Rogers' message of telling children they are special contributed to a society where children see themselves as entitled and worthy of special treatment. Wrong place to put the emphasis there, Dr. Chance (which< I think we can all agree, would be an AWESOME name for a comic book character). I thinks that parents and a marketing culture that has told kids for thirty years that to be "it" they got to have "it", and they have to get "it" now. A quiet-spoken man with a Magic Trolley telling kids to respect one another and take pride in themselves for who they are didn't lead us to where we are today. I'm pretty sure Mr. Rogers didn't air in China. And they've got the same challenges with you as we do. Labels: And We Are Rather Puny, Anti-Fun, Let Kids be Kids ------------------------------------------------
Saturday, June 23, 2007 Bicker, Bicker, Bicker, It's Different Than It Was  Listening to NPR today, I listened to a pundit claim that the immigration bill failed because of the "viral effect" of talk radio and conservative listeners sending form letters to Congress. It was the pundits assertion that talk radio undermines the democratic process by urging listeners to take action.Uh, what? The pundit went on to explain that a recent survey of talk radio showed that 90% of radio programs were Conservative, while 9% of hosts showed Liberal viewpoints. However, the poll did not review Public Radio as it isn't a commercial venue, which I feel already skewed the results. I have no doubt it still falls more to the right than to the left, but leaving out a significant part of the talk spectrum doesn't give an accurate portrayal of the situation. Furthermore, the pundit also made the assertion that Neil Boortz was from the far right of the spectrum. Neil is a Libertarian, and far more moderate than he was painted in this story - I don't believe a die-hard conservative would have no problem with gay marriage, refuse to talk about banning abortions, or rail against the Christian majority as much as Neil does. What struck me is that despite this tendency towards the right on the radio, political views in this country are still drawn about 50/50. This to me says that the radio plays just as much an influential role as any other media, or the view and opinions of the individual. Perhaps the key difference is that liberals read those that influence their opinions, and conservatives listen? Labels: Art, NPR, Politics, Talk Radio, The Great Divide ------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 18, 2007 Where Did the Fun Go? Kristin and I just finished the work of ten strong graphic designers. The experience left us leaner, meaner, but significantly reduced the monetary albatrosses (albatrossi?) around our necks.  Now that we’ve laid our burdens down, it gives me time to properly mourn the loss of Steve Rogers, America’s fighting Sentinel of Liberty.Many have made comment about what Cap’s death means. Some see it as a brilliant political allegory. Some see it as a ham-fisted attempt to make a political statement that is at odds with the ‘history’ of the Marvel Universe. While I can see points in both areas, it underscores a belief I’ve had for some time. Comics are no longer fun. The superhero world is a peculiar place. At one time, it served solely to entertain. You can see this everyday in the blogs of those that celebrate the wonder and optimism that comics used to have. But as comics grew up, matured, and came to mirror current world realities and societies, it lost the fundamental ability to entertain and to speak to a child about what the world should be. It became a dark place with imperfect heroes and a looser and looser definition of right and wrong. Seriousness and angst replaced lightheartedness silliness and devil-may-care attitudes. This trend isn’t limited to comic books. You can see this progression of adult themes in what are fundamentally children art forms everywhere. Animated movies cater more and more to teen audiences, and rely on veiled adult humor and scatological humor for laughs. Cartoon shows even more so – when was the last time you saw a show on the Cartoon Network that did not rely on that kind of humor? I think Foster’s is the only hold out on the network of the lighter fare, and even it has its moments. And video games? Mario seems to be the only title I can see that retains the magic of seeing the world through a child's eyes, and I for one am tickled pink at Nintendo's ability to dominate the concole marketplace. So as all mediums move to more mature audiences and decide that edgier and gritty is better, the beauty and wonder of their worlds is disappearing. Life is not made solely of angst – it needs the lighter moments to feel real. Personally, I could care less to see comics where characters are brutally killed – Impulse, anyone? Who’s left in comics that represent bright-eyed, boundless optimism? Superman lost it years ago. Spider-Man too. Even the second-stringers who could be relied on to give this viewpoint have disappeared. Impulse – aged, matured, and then brutally killed. Speedball? Now he’s a walking razor with nothing but angst. Now Cap’s gone. I know, of course, he will be back. It's a temporary thing - heck, Steve said in the Last Avengers Story several years ago that death would only "maybe" end his never-ending battle. Nevertheless, his death does mark a decided shift in the editorial policies of Marvel, and in perhaps the reading preferences of its readers, that presage a new future where the four-color world of comics will be replaced, by a more, muted, ambiguous palette. It began with Civil War: Frontline #11. Sally Ford, a reporter that works with Ben Urich at the Daily Bugle, chastises Captain America for not being in touch with the modern American, and that he is not relevant to the America of today, since he knows nothing of Americon Idol, MySpace, Paris Hilton, or NASCAR. You can read the whole exchange here. What's truly astonsihing about this entire diatribe is that Steve Rogers, who has been shown to be an eloquent and passionate debater in other venues, is left without a voice by the writers at this point. And Steve should have put Sally in her place. Sally is being simplistic. The ideals Steve have been fighting for his entire life are those enshrined in the Constitution and the Declaration, and are the ideals which allow her and the average American to do those things she mentions as so important. Super-heroes are not an army, they are a group of individuals that stand between her and legions of threats that would squash her and her city any day of the week if they weren't there to stand in the way. Ford makes a point to say she doesn't have the power that these heroes have - but apart from being a gifted fighter and acrobat, and being able to bench-press 800 pounds, Steve has no super powers either. Sally says she "loves the country that treats celebrities like royalty and teachers like dirt". Why doesn't Cap take her to task for this? Because the writers don't want him to. Instead, they elect to ignore what makes Steve who he is to make Civil War more than it should be. Instead of an intelligent discourse on what this act would mean to the Marvel Universe, they decided to turn it into an allegory of the Patriot Act and the War on Terror. And so Cap's character is sacrificed to turn him into a living embodiment of the end of the American Dream, and Tony and Reed's characters are sacrificed to make them analogies of the current administration. Frontline ends with Sally and Ben interviewing Tony and informing him they know he is responsible for Osborn's killing of the Atlanteans in order to keep them from declaring war on the surface world. Incredbily, Sally applauds him for betraying his friends and sacrificing his ideals for the greater good. More surprisingly, Ben doesn't even admonish her or let his feelings be known - instead he seems to meekly accept what she has done, an action I find hard for a man of the ethical convictions that Urich has shown in the past to refrain from. So where do they go from here? Marvel and DC seems determined to bring their characters into a far more realistic world, to the detriment of those elements that make comics fun to read. And once a comic book world mirrors are world in most aspects, where is the point in immersing yourself in a world to escape everyday life? Is there anyone out there to pick up the torch?  Leapin Lettuce! There is a bright, beautiful tomorrow. One final note - my office mates decided to honor Steve's passing with a moving service. Heroes and villains came together to mourn his passing. It's getting me misty just thinking about it. Labels: Anti-Fun, Captain Carrot, My Heroes Have Always Worn Spandex, Steve Rogers, Unbridled Hope for the Future ------------------------------------------------
|
|
Thursday, June 28, 2007 A non-Cook Volunteering Food? So, I'm volunteering, through our Fellowship, to help provide food for our local IHN (Interfaith Hospitality Network), and this is the first time I'm bringing something. I'm supposed to bring coleslaw and dessert to feed 16 people, and I want it to be flavorful and healthy, without being typical. I'm thinking of bringing two types of coleslaw, so that people can have a choice, and want a dessert that is rich and healthful. Now, gotta figure out something that I can do!!! Edited to add: Finally decided to make simple coleslaw -- use prepackaged slaw and store-bought dressing. Not happy about it, but with the short time I have, it is the best option. Now the dessert -- we opted to make ambrosia with fresh whipped cream and also pistachio salad, again with fresh whipped cream (essentially, same fruit, same whipped cream, different preparation!). Labels: community, Kristin, spirituality, Unitarian Universalism, volunteerism ------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 13, 2007 Chalice Camp Fun  Parker, experimenting at Chalice Camp. Apparently, soda and mentos causes a BIG explosion! Labels: Chalice Camp, Parker, Unitarian Universalism ------------------------------------------------
|