ramble through the bronx

Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas!

Wish there was snow. But joy to all of you.

jane 12:16 PM [+]

Strangely Torn

Duke beat Gonzaga last night. I'm happy, yet sad. While I'm happy that my little Blue Devils were victorious, why did they have to play the Bulldogs? It's like being forced to choose between chocolate and caramel.

meg 8:19 AM [+]

Presence!

What I didn't get Jane for her birthday....

meg 3:36 PM [+]

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

And thanks to Ryan for this colourful message. What am I doing on this fine morning of my birthday? Finishing up grading!

One of my favourite students (a real sweetie) has already come by to pick up his paper -- he hasn't even had breakfast yet, just got out of bed. Awwww. That's way too early to be thinking about philosophy.

jane 10:22 AM [+]

In your honour

To celebrate Jane's birthday tomorrow, here are some other, less famous, people who she is kind enough to share her birthday with:

Christina Aguilera, Katie Holmes, Brad Pitt, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Betty
Grable, Steven Spielberg, Leonard Maltin

meg 4:31 PM [+]

On being considered "retarded"

Another YouTube video! This is almost ten minutes long -- but well worth watching. I was googling retardation today because of an obnoxious thread on LiveJournal about whether it's OK to use "retarded" as an insult meaning stupid. Grr. I don't think it's excessive PC-ness, but just simple courtesy and respect for humanity, not to use disabilities as insults.

But it's all very well and good for me to talk about this... but better to hear directly what it's like. The video's creator writes:

I made this video after seeing a number of things: Other disabled people rushing to prove that they were not some thing called "retarded," being referred to here as a "mong" and other such words myself (on and off YouTube) as well as seeing lots of pointless ridicule directed at people with developmental disabilities, and being asked questions about what it's like to be considered "retarded" in casual contacts with people, or to "look retarded", whatever that means. I explore these questions, and the prejudice and dehumanization that surrounds cognitive disability of all sorts, in my video. (Yes, this is a serious video, not poking fun at people.) Apologies for the splicing, the construction noises in the background, etc, that's to do with the equipment I have to work with here at the moment. This video is captioned.

Watch it.


Here's another: "On Being an Unperson"


Excerpt: "Being an unperson means that your life is not a real life. ... It means that your existence seems to fill people with disgust and fear. People see you and describe you as a hollow shell, a body without a soul, a changeling child, or a vegetable. Or they romanticize your life, calling you a special angel on earth. Whatever they call you, people refuse to see that you exist at all. [...] It means that if you do something real, important, and meaningful to you, people will think it's cute. They have a special laugh reserved for that. [...] Being an unperson means being hated. Not always in an overt emotional way. It means people want you to be a real person. Which sounds good, until you realize they don't believe you are a person already."

jane 6:41 PM [+]

I heart the Justice League

So, I've been watching the animated Justice League Unlimited Series with my friends Ryan and Drew. And it just fills me with joy -- it's so well done, and while it's not in continuity with the comics, the characterization is great. Anyway, I currently HEART Huntress (a Catholic! yes!) and Question ('cause who doesn't heart a conspiracy buff?). And obviously Green Arrow and Black Canary are teh awesome. So the episode, "Double Date," is the best EVER. I post it below:
















I think that's all of it. I hope this embedded video works; I haven't tried using it before.

And, of course, if you like Black Canary and Huntress, you totally need to read Birds of Prey.

jane 11:15 PM [+]

Thanks, Yale University Press!

This is totally the course book I will use if I get to teach philosophy & comics. I'd probably spend 2/3 of the course on superhero comics (including parodies, like the superhero appearances in Johnny the Homicidal Maniac* and commentary, like Watchmen), and the remainder on indie stuff -- which this Yale collection, that I was looking through today before church, supplies aplenty. Very yummy. Plus, a cover by Seth. heart!!


* Memorable quotation: "Help! my brain is being crushed by the weight of my enormous breasts!" Or something like that. I can't find the quotation right now, argh argh. Maybe it's in Squee, instead. I heart Jhonen Vasquez. Who will be at this February's New York ComicCon! And yes I already have my ticket. Why do you ask?

jane 10:58 PM [+]

Important news

Apparently Indian men really do need to drive muscle cars.

meg 1:29 PM [+]

A paper invite is always better

Okay, let me first say that anything that encourages people to RSVP is a positive force in society. Not enough people are polite enough to RSVP these days, and it drives me UP THE WALL. Without the simple act of saying yes or no, how will I ever know how many chicken skewers to make? I am not, however, all too fond of Evite. I'd rather get a real, snail mail invitation, a phone call or an e-mail, so that people won't know the guest list before responding... they just have to trust that I will invite good people. But, this is absurd. Only in the Times...

meg 4:26 PM [+]

This day in History

Today in 963, Leo 8 gets elected Pope.
Today in 1917, the Halifax Explosion occurred
Today in 1969, a man is killed at the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway, ending the free-living and loving era of the flowerchild
Today in 1989, the Ecole Polytechinque Massacre in Montreal happened

Man... I'm going home.

meg 8:20 AM [+]