Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
CULTURE/SOCIETY - For each death, a hole in the world
Soldiers are not chunks of identical clay; each of them has a story, their own reasons for being caught in a war.
Brave? Maybe - sometimes, under some conditions. Scared, mostly. The younger they are, the more likely their presence had to do with restlessness, cockiness. The need to be part of a winning team, the desire to even a score. Kick ass, take names. Kill them all, let God sort them out.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
MY LIFE - Joys of pet ownership!
Our dog has gone out before I can put the chain on him, but always came right back or stayed in the yard.
Well, one of our cats likes the outdoors and always looks at the dog jealousy through the window when the dog is out.
Guess who snuck through the door when I was in the doorway waiting for the unchained dog to finishing peeing? Guess who saw the cat lying in the yard and decided it was a good time to play Chase?
And guess who, in his socks and no shoes, ended up chasing a dog and a cat through the townhouse neighbors' yards and bushes at one in the morning?
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
MY LIFE - "Dan, are you for real?"
Me: "I need to leave an hour earlier than I thought."
Supervisor: "Dan, are you for real?"
Me: "No, I'm just a figment of your imagination."
Her: "Wow! You seem so real!"
Me: "You might want to see someone about that?"
Monday, May 20, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
MY LIFE - "And you couldn't tell me this BEFORE we got married?!"
(As I walk in after walking the dog) Daughter: "Dad, did you know that your wife is white?!"
Me (looking angry at my wife): "And you couldn't tell me this BEFORE we got married?!"
Friday, May 17, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
ENTERTAINMENT - Movie that takes place in my African home of 6 years
Exclusive: Trailer for Acclaimed South African Drama 'The Forgotten Kingdom'
by Vanessa Martinez
April 30, 2013 10:13 PM
Here's a South African film we profiled around two weeks ago, when it won the Audience Narrative award at the Ashland Independent Film Festival.by Vanessa Martinez
April 30, 2013 10:13 PM
Helmed by Andrew Mudge, the drama The Forgotten Kingdom has since then done it again, winning Audience awards at the Sarasota Film Festival and the Florida Film Festival. Next up, Kingdom will premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival (New American Cinema competition). It can also be expected to screen at the Durban International, Berkshire, Port Townsend and Woods Hole film festivals.
To recap, the subtitled drama centers on Atang, who leaves Johannesburg for his native land of Lesotho to bury his estranged father. Atang falls in love with childhood friend Dineo, who cares for her HIV-positive sister. Through falling for Dineo, Atang confronts his past in this remote village he grew up in. Conflict arises when Dineo's father wants to relocate their family to escape from the public stigma of Dineo's sister's HIV infection.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/exclusive-trailer-for-acclaimed-south-african-drama-the-forgotten-kingdom
The Forgotten Kingdom (Trailer) from Black Kettle Films on Vimeo.
ENTERTAINMENT - STAR TREK NEEDS A GAY CHARACTER AND HERE’S HOW TO DOIT: ONE TREKKIE’S PROPOSAL
by Dan Wohl | 12:28 pm, March 14th, 2013
I love Star Trek. I don’t think there’s any franchise more central to my geek life. There’s a lot of unreal universes out there that I enjoy learning about, but I’m sure there’s none that I would more like to actually live in than the optimistic idea of our future that is Star Trek.
The ’60s-produced original series included a woman of color bridge officer who was cited as an inspiration byMae Jemison (who became the first black woman in space) and Whoopi Goldberg (who ended up a Star Trek star herself). The more recent series’ increased speculative-science focus led Stephen Hawking, on a visit to the Next Generation set, to say “I’m working on that” when passing the warp core prop.
There’s so much to feel positive about in Star Trek, and over the decades it’s generally done a fine job of showing us how we could, and should, be. But there’s one particular area of social justice that the franchise has failed to live up to its standards on, and it remains a blight on the series in my estimation. I’m talking about the fact that there has never, despite years of promises and false starts, been an openly gay or lesbian character in the canon Star Trek universe.
But I have a proposal to change that. J.J. Abrams, if you’re listening, I think you should make Sulu gay.
HUMOR - Minnesota is now FINALLY as gay as Iowa!
What do you think of this T-shirt?
What do you think of this new T-shirt from Raygun in Des Moines?
The shirt is being offered as Minnesota prepares to join Iowa as the only states in the Midwest to allow same-sex marriage. The shirt reads "5/14/2013 Minnesota is now finally as gay as Iowa."
Minnesota's governor is set to sign a bill legalizing same-sex marriage Tuesday. Couples could hold weddings starting Aug. 1.
Gov. Mark Dayton has repeatedly said he would sign the bill. He's scheduled to do so during a ceremony at 5 p.m. Tuesday on the front steps of Minnesota's Capitol in St. Paul.
The state Legislature gave its final stamp of approval Monday when the Senate passed the bill by a 37-30 vote. The House passed it last week.
Minnesota becomes the 12th U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage, and the first in the Midwest to do it by legislative vote.
Tell us what you think of the shirt and Minnesota legalizing same-sex marriage -- use the comment box below or post on theKCCI Facebook page.
http://m.kcci.com/news/what-do-you-think-of-this-tshirt/-/16916438/20144308/-/157oe9z/-/index.html
CULTURE/SOCIETY - Mother shuns Disney Princess ideal and dressesdaughter up as five REAL heroines from history to commemorate fifthbirthday
By MARGOT PEPPERS
A photographer has commemorated her daughter's fifth birthday by dressing her up as five different influential women from history - Amelia Earhart, Coco Chanel, Susan B Anthony, Helen Keller and Jane Goodall - and capturing the images for a photo series.
A photographer has commemorated her daughter's fifth birthday by dressing her up as five different influential women from history - Amelia Earhart, Coco Chanel, Susan B Anthony, Helen Keller and Jane Goodall - and capturing the images for a photo series.
Jaime Moore from Austin, Texas, wrote on her website JaimeMoorePhotography.com that instead of dressing Emma up as a Disney princess - which is 'an unrealistic fantasy for most girls' - she decided to take photos of her emulating real women worth admiring.
'My daughter wasn't born into royalty,' the mother-of-two explained. 'But she was born into a country where she can now vote, become a doctor, a pilot, an astronaut, or even President if she wants and that's what REALLY matters.'
Real-life heroines: For her daughter Emma's fifth birthday, photographer Jaime Moore dressed her up as five inspirational women from history, including designer Coco Chanel (left) - minus the cigarette, of course
Taking flight: Emma (right) imitates aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart (left) by sporting pilot goggles, a fur-lined leather jacket and a white scarf
The mother-of-two said she chose five women since it corresponds to her daughter's age, but that 'there are thousands of unbelievable women (and girls) who have beat the odds and fought (and still fight) for their equal rights all over the world.'
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
ENTERTAINMENT - This Mother's Day, Strike Up The Band
You might be getting your mom flowers, brunch, or a card this Mother's Day. But in Mexico, mariachi bands are snapped up to serenade moms well in advance of the holiday. Host Michel Martin speaks with Dan Sheehy of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. He's also a member of Mariachi Los Amigos, a Washington D.C. mariachi ensemble.
Thursday, May 09, 2013
MY LIFE - "Why can't you do anything normally?"
Daughter: "Why can't you do anything normally?"
Me: "When the last time I did something normally?"
Daughter: "Yesterday!"
Me: "Yesterday when?"
Daughter: "Yesterday Tuesday!"
Me: "Ha! If I did yesterday Tuesday, I wasn't doing it normally, cus yesterday was Wednesday!"
