I love racial comedy. It’s irreverent and self-deprecating, two of the funniest types of comedy. Unfortunately, it’s not appreciated, much less tolerated, by all. The disparity arises in the association of the teller of the joke to the subject of the joke - if the cracker is a cracker. Members of the referenced group are allowed to make jokes for which others would be criticized. Is it NOT offensive simply because the presenter is a member of the stereotyped group? We feel differently about a joke depending on who said it. Are you laughing with us, or at us?
So, we’re allowed to laugh at racist stereotypes, as long as we’re a member of the stereotyped group. I find it...interesting that this limitation, this condition doesn’t hold true for all groups. A gentile referring to a parsimonious Jew would be detestable. A non-African American would be probably get fired for referring to “nappy-headed hoes.” Yet a black comedian can vociferate on honkeys and crackers and how white men can’t jump or have small penises. It’s even OK for a Mexican comedian to crack on whites AND blacks! Why is it not unacceptable for whites to poke fun at the obvious (thus hilarious) stereotypes of blacks eating fried chicken and collared greens, or Mexicans crossing the border?
The whole idea of Political Correctness is preposterous. I say tell it like it is. Call a spade a spade, as Mom might say. Actually, Dad is more likely to say that. (Mom and Dad, here, represent the little voices in everyone’s head that emerge unbidden and attempt to guide you, whether you’re lost or not.)
A whole lot of confusion and grief could be prevented if more people spoke their true minds.
The world, or at least the good ol’ US of A, needs a little more ethical egoism.
A short time ago, after noticing how my kids would blurt the name of the president-elect, I asked my daughter what his first name was. Her answer: Baracko. Hilarious. To non-liberals.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The old “Vote of Confidence”
Wings aren't seeking goalie
Yeah, they are.
Out of the blue, they called up Jimmy Howard from the AHL.
They may even waive Osgood, leaving cap space for next year, and go with Conklin down the stretch.
Yeah, they are.
Out of the blue, they called up Jimmy Howard from the AHL.
They may even waive Osgood, leaving cap space for next year, and go with Conklin down the stretch.
Share.
In the Stephen King story “The Girl who loved Tom Gordon”, the main character is lost in the woods of western Maine for about 6 days. After trouncing through a bog, dealing with injuries, insects, and insecurities, she sees a bush full of edible berries. She finds a place to rest and tunes into the Red Sox game on her radio headphones. As she drifts off to sleep after a save by Tom Gordon, she comments that she is “experiencing her life’s great contentment.”
What’s YOUR life’s great contentment? Have you even experienced it yet? If not, do you have a plan for achieving it? Is there only one?
For the lost 10 year old girl, it was as simple as a handful of berries, relief from bug bites, and the familiar voices of baseball announcers.
What’s YOUR life’s great contentment? Have you even experienced it yet? If not, do you have a plan for achieving it? Is there only one?
For the lost 10 year old girl, it was as simple as a handful of berries, relief from bug bites, and the familiar voices of baseball announcers.
Monday, February 23, 2009
I loved the Marvel Star Wars comics!
10 Awesome Marvel Comics Covers
Most of my fondest Christmas memories revolve around Star Wars, and one of my very favorite gifts was something that kept on giving! It came in a plain brown paper sleeve about the size of a piece of lined writing paper, with MY name and mailing address in faint blue print on the long side. I had slid the contents out and was stunned into geeky ecstasy by the fabulous cover to Star Wars #57, Battle on Bespin! After a few minutes of gushing appreciation to the giver, she had further explained that it was a subscription! I was to get the next 11 issues MAILED DIRECTLY TO ME! I was 11 years old - I had no idea that was even possible!
For the next 50 months, I eagerly checked the mailbox for the latest issue. I cut my comic-loving teeth on the Shira Brie storyline. Issues #60-63 still stand as one of the best Star Wars stories ever written. I, too, sought the meaning of the word ‘pariah’ from the cover of issue #62. The search for Han Solo, issues #68 and 69, featured Mandalorians and the first incarnation of the origin of Boba Fett. Issue #68? Best. Cover. Ever.
The later issues, especially after #100, devolved into iconographic jingoism. Because the series ended with #107, the extra-galactic invaders storyline was forced to be elucidated far faster (and far shoddier) than in the New Jedi Order series so many years later. This ending, however, led me to another comic that I greatly enjoy to this day. I still had issues left on my subscription when the title was cancelled, so I selected a comic called ElfQuest to finish my paid subscription. (ElfQuest is a beautiful fantasy story and a shining example of a successful independent comic publisher, but not truly part of this essay!)
The Star Wars subscription also propelled the parallel fandom of my uncle and me. In an effort to complete the collection, which was about 56 issues short, we would go to comic book shows at the mall, check out flea markets, and peruse all sorts of rummage sales.
Forever-thanks go out to my Aunt Pete. This gift was one of the chief points in the development of my appreciation of family and the generous people around us who made Christmas so special for me, my brothers, and all my cousins. I have fond memories of Christmas Eve gatherings at my grandparents’ house next door, when everyone would come to visit, before “everyone” became true hyperbole.
Editorial:
This essay wavered between RSWR and tripe-ish gushing. Ultimately, I’m not sure if I just settled in order to have something done, or if I truly edited this effectively. And there has to be a better word for ‘forever-thanks’.
Most of my fondest Christmas memories revolve around Star Wars, and one of my very favorite gifts was something that kept on giving! It came in a plain brown paper sleeve about the size of a piece of lined writing paper, with MY name and mailing address in faint blue print on the long side. I had slid the contents out and was stunned into geeky ecstasy by the fabulous cover to Star Wars #57, Battle on Bespin! After a few minutes of gushing appreciation to the giver, she had further explained that it was a subscription! I was to get the next 11 issues MAILED DIRECTLY TO ME! I was 11 years old - I had no idea that was even possible!
For the next 50 months, I eagerly checked the mailbox for the latest issue. I cut my comic-loving teeth on the Shira Brie storyline. Issues #60-63 still stand as one of the best Star Wars stories ever written. I, too, sought the meaning of the word ‘pariah’ from the cover of issue #62. The search for Han Solo, issues #68 and 69, featured Mandalorians and the first incarnation of the origin of Boba Fett. Issue #68? Best. Cover. Ever.
The later issues, especially after #100, devolved into iconographic jingoism. Because the series ended with #107, the extra-galactic invaders storyline was forced to be elucidated far faster (and far shoddier) than in the New Jedi Order series so many years later. This ending, however, led me to another comic that I greatly enjoy to this day. I still had issues left on my subscription when the title was cancelled, so I selected a comic called ElfQuest to finish my paid subscription. (ElfQuest is a beautiful fantasy story and a shining example of a successful independent comic publisher, but not truly part of this essay!)
The Star Wars subscription also propelled the parallel fandom of my uncle and me. In an effort to complete the collection, which was about 56 issues short, we would go to comic book shows at the mall, check out flea markets, and peruse all sorts of rummage sales.
Forever-thanks go out to my Aunt Pete. This gift was one of the chief points in the development of my appreciation of family and the generous people around us who made Christmas so special for me, my brothers, and all my cousins. I have fond memories of Christmas Eve gatherings at my grandparents’ house next door, when everyone would come to visit, before “everyone” became true hyperbole.
Editorial:
This essay wavered between RSWR and tripe-ish gushing. Ultimately, I’m not sure if I just settled in order to have something done, or if I truly edited this effectively. And there has to be a better word for ‘forever-thanks’.
Rolling Stone review of third greatest hits package from Rush.
Quoted from www.rushisaband.com
Prog-y arena giants hit the Nineties, with mixed results.
By the Nineties, Rush had all but abandoned their synthesizers for the Zeppelin-style riffs and prog-pop melodies of their Seventies albums. This one-CD (plus bonus DVD) anthology tracks the band as it drifts from the summery, grunge-flavored anthem "Earthshine" to the acoustic-based "Nobody's Hero," a sweet, if clumsy, ode to a dead gay man and an abused woman - with occasional departures like the New Wave-ish "Roll the Bones." One thing Rush never lost: the comic-book profundity of lyrics such as "They travel in the time of the prophets" ("Dreamline"). Unless you're a Rush loyalist or a member of Coheed and Cambria, you can safely skip Retrospective III.
MARK KEMP
Harsh! "...clumsy ode to a dead gay man..."
If this is how “critics” view Rush, it’s no wonder they are not in the Hall of Fame in Cleveland!
Fortunately, most Rush fans don’t take themselves too seriously, and many are also fans of Coheed and Cambria!
Prog-y arena giants hit the Nineties, with mixed results.
By the Nineties, Rush had all but abandoned their synthesizers for the Zeppelin-style riffs and prog-pop melodies of their Seventies albums. This one-CD (plus bonus DVD) anthology tracks the band as it drifts from the summery, grunge-flavored anthem "Earthshine" to the acoustic-based "Nobody's Hero," a sweet, if clumsy, ode to a dead gay man and an abused woman - with occasional departures like the New Wave-ish "Roll the Bones." One thing Rush never lost: the comic-book profundity of lyrics such as "They travel in the time of the prophets" ("Dreamline"). Unless you're a Rush loyalist or a member of Coheed and Cambria, you can safely skip Retrospective III.
MARK KEMP
Harsh! "...clumsy ode to a dead gay man..."
If this is how “critics” view Rush, it’s no wonder they are not in the Hall of Fame in Cleveland!
Fortunately, most Rush fans don’t take themselves too seriously, and many are also fans of Coheed and Cambria!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
2002, an eventful year.
I came upon an old calendar recently, which detailed the year 2002 for my family and I.
What a busy time that was!
April 4. Vasectomy by Dr. Tapper. Dr. Richard Tapper. Dr. Dick Tapper. No lie.
May 3-5. Jason W. and I went to Indianapolis for Star Wars Celebration II. That was a great trip!
May 7. I won the Episode 2 soundtrack on CD, at an online joke site. My caption for THIS photo was the best! (Stifferus is me.) When I received it, though, there was a hole punched through the bar code! So much for “Near Mint”…
May 16. Star Wars Episode II opened. Jen and I saw Attack of the Clones at 4:30 pm that day.
May 18-21. I went to Dallas for the Medical Library Association annual meeting. Non Stop Detroit to Dallas, less than 1 year after 9/11. That was interesting. Dallas had Horses displayed throughout the city, the way Toledo did frogs that summer before. I took plenty of photos for Jackie.
June 30. Jennifer turned 30. She was more worried about 30 than when she turned 35 last year!
October 27. We had the kids’ 5th birthday party at the Northtowne Meadows community house.
November. We purchased and moved into our home at Northtowne Meadows.
In hindsight, a less than stellar decision.
December 7-12. We went to Disney World! What an awesome trip that was. Layovers in Atlanta on the way there, Cincinnati on the way back. The only issue we had was getting from the airport to the hotel when we first got there.
Hard to believe that it’s been 7 years!
Every year seems to go by a little bit faster.
And yes, I discarded the calendar.
For reference, here is a handful of world events from 2002.
January 8 - The No Child Left Behind Act is signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush.
May 30 - The final piece of debris from The World Trade Center is removed from Ground Zero.
October 2 - The Beltway sniper attacks begin with 5 shootings in Montgomery County, Maryland.
November 25 - George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security.
And for the truly geeky… according to the future history of Star Trek, the first interstellar probe, Nomad, is launched in 2002.
What a busy time that was!
April 4. Vasectomy by Dr. Tapper. Dr. Richard Tapper. Dr. Dick Tapper. No lie.
May 3-5. Jason W. and I went to Indianapolis for Star Wars Celebration II. That was a great trip!
May 7. I won the Episode 2 soundtrack on CD, at an online joke site. My caption for THIS photo was the best! (Stifferus is me.) When I received it, though, there was a hole punched through the bar code! So much for “Near Mint”…
May 16. Star Wars Episode II opened. Jen and I saw Attack of the Clones at 4:30 pm that day.
May 18-21. I went to Dallas for the Medical Library Association annual meeting. Non Stop Detroit to Dallas, less than 1 year after 9/11. That was interesting. Dallas had Horses displayed throughout the city, the way Toledo did frogs that summer before. I took plenty of photos for Jackie.
June 30. Jennifer turned 30. She was more worried about 30 than when she turned 35 last year!
October 27. We had the kids’ 5th birthday party at the Northtowne Meadows community house.
November. We purchased and moved into our home at Northtowne Meadows.
In hindsight, a less than stellar decision.
December 7-12. We went to Disney World! What an awesome trip that was. Layovers in Atlanta on the way there, Cincinnati on the way back. The only issue we had was getting from the airport to the hotel when we first got there.
Hard to believe that it’s been 7 years!
Every year seems to go by a little bit faster.
And yes, I discarded the calendar.
For reference, here is a handful of world events from 2002.
January 8 - The No Child Left Behind Act is signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush.
May 30 - The final piece of debris from The World Trade Center is removed from Ground Zero.
October 2 - The Beltway sniper attacks begin with 5 shootings in Montgomery County, Maryland.
November 25 - George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security.
And for the truly geeky… according to the future history of Star Trek, the first interstellar probe, Nomad, is launched in 2002.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
RSWR #8
I think, with a little effort, I could write a better column than THIS.
I sold a bunch of my toys about 10 years ago - the vehicles and playsets, but not the action figures themselves. Today, my 11 year old son LOVES to play with the OLD figures! He has a ton of cool-looking NEW stuff, including a the TIE fighter I always wanted and the massive Millenium Falcon, but to him the old figures are WAY cooler.
That’s pretty neat in my book.
I sold a bunch of my toys about 10 years ago - the vehicles and playsets, but not the action figures themselves. Today, my 11 year old son LOVES to play with the OLD figures! He has a ton of cool-looking NEW stuff, including a the TIE fighter I always wanted and the massive Millenium Falcon, but to him the old figures are WAY cooler.
That’s pretty neat in my book.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Steve's Hockey Corner
Wayne Gretzky should quit coaching and go somewhere to quietly enjoy his last 20 years. His preening and pissing on the bench only serves to sully his image as ice hockey’s modern pioneer and one-time face of the game. He should be in some role in the league office, not in Phoenix or New York or even Edmonton. It’s just hard to watch him curse at the refs, throw his hands up and scowl. Between the anger and the aging, his face is hardening! It’s a shame, really.
My biggest complaint while watching hockey is the shoddy camera work. After a stoppage, the camera will follow the goalie as he does his little circle in the corner instead of focusing on the scrum in the crease! Or they follow the puck to the linesman picking it up, while some doofusses (doofi?) are roughing up each other with stinky gloves. I don’t know if this is just the Detroit cameramen. Someone out there tell me if they see this problem elsewhere.
Did anyone watch the Skill’s Competition from Montreal, during All-Star weekend? Once again, poor production from Versus. I knew I shoulda recorded it on CBC. Specifically, there were numerous times when they dwelled on a replay while action was commencing live. The first time, they ran a replay of Stamkos in the shootout while Alex Ovechkin was pumping up the crowd! They totally missed the biggest personality in the game today, to replay some kid (who should still be in juniors) fiddle with the puck like he’s shooting at a garbage can on the pond! There were at least 2 more similar occurrences. At least we didn’t have to listen to Pierre Maguire! Don’t get me started on that guy….
I’ve changed my mind in the last month or so. The Red Wings DO need to trade for a goaltender if they are going to compete against the Sharks or the Flames come playoff time. They don’t have much cap room, so it’s going to be difficult. Conklin has been inconsistent and has no playoff experience, while Osgood has been just plain Os-BAD! Ozzy ranks last in save percentage and GAA. LAST, out of 44 eligible rubber-eaters. Maybe Cam Ward or Vokoun in Florida? Could they get a guy like Manny Fernandez in Boston, or Khabibulan in Chicago? Both teams have essentially 2 number 1 goalies, but the Wings would have to offer quite a package. Maybe Conklin and Lebda or Lilja for Fernandez. Osgood and Lebda AND Lilja for Fernandez and another body. I’d buy that for a dollar, as the saying goes. Regardless, I think the Wings will pull a major move this year.
Nick Lidstrom is, in my mind, the greatest defenseman since Bobby Orr, and the 3rd greatest of all time, behind Orr and Doug Harvey. The 4 Stanley Cups puts Lidstrom above Ray Bourque, easily.
My biggest complaint while watching hockey is the shoddy camera work. After a stoppage, the camera will follow the goalie as he does his little circle in the corner instead of focusing on the scrum in the crease! Or they follow the puck to the linesman picking it up, while some doofusses (doofi?) are roughing up each other with stinky gloves. I don’t know if this is just the Detroit cameramen. Someone out there tell me if they see this problem elsewhere.
Did anyone watch the Skill’s Competition from Montreal, during All-Star weekend? Once again, poor production from Versus. I knew I shoulda recorded it on CBC. Specifically, there were numerous times when they dwelled on a replay while action was commencing live. The first time, they ran a replay of Stamkos in the shootout while Alex Ovechkin was pumping up the crowd! They totally missed the biggest personality in the game today, to replay some kid (who should still be in juniors) fiddle with the puck like he’s shooting at a garbage can on the pond! There were at least 2 more similar occurrences. At least we didn’t have to listen to Pierre Maguire! Don’t get me started on that guy….
I’ve changed my mind in the last month or so. The Red Wings DO need to trade for a goaltender if they are going to compete against the Sharks or the Flames come playoff time. They don’t have much cap room, so it’s going to be difficult. Conklin has been inconsistent and has no playoff experience, while Osgood has been just plain Os-BAD! Ozzy ranks last in save percentage and GAA. LAST, out of 44 eligible rubber-eaters. Maybe Cam Ward or Vokoun in Florida? Could they get a guy like Manny Fernandez in Boston, or Khabibulan in Chicago? Both teams have essentially 2 number 1 goalies, but the Wings would have to offer quite a package. Maybe Conklin and Lebda or Lilja for Fernandez. Osgood and Lebda AND Lilja for Fernandez and another body. I’d buy that for a dollar, as the saying goes. Regardless, I think the Wings will pull a major move this year.
Nick Lidstrom is, in my mind, the greatest defenseman since Bobby Orr, and the 3rd greatest of all time, behind Orr and Doug Harvey. The 4 Stanley Cups puts Lidstrom above Ray Bourque, easily.
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