11.08.2008
11.07.2008
Cleveland Forever
This Is Excellent:
From a series of hip-hop inspired "beef" posters from local designer Chris Sherron who was some really excellent work. There is more than one piece in his portfolio I'm envious of.
Found via It's Nice That.
From a series of hip-hop inspired "beef" posters from local designer Chris Sherron who was some really excellent work. There is more than one piece in his portfolio I'm envious of.
Found via It's Nice That.
11.06.2008
Free Newspaper! ... And Also A Look At Race In the Wake Of the Obama Election
So in the train station this morning, some representing the local paper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, asked me if I wanted a free paper for my commute. He then tried to sell me on a daily delivery to said paper by offering a $3/week subscription. I told him I'd have to discuss it with my wife. To which he replied "You can't make a $3 decision?!"
"Nope." I replied, and walked away.
Anyway, so I've been sort of wishing I subscribed to a newspaper for a while now (Candace & I haven't done so in our married life), but I haven't actually done it. Which is sad, you know? Journalism, especially print journalism, is a fundamental of government. As great as the Internet is, the attention constraints of the average reader (me) preclude any serious reading. It's good for short news bursts (you know, the first couple of paragraphs of a print piece), but an in-depth analysis of an issue or news story isn't it's forte'. I mean, how many of you are going to read this whole blog post? You're probably skimming it, which is fine. But online news suffers from it's medium, which is better suited for short attention spans.
And forget about TV news. They're too beholden to their corporate parents, ratings and, by extension, advertising dollars to focus on anything for more than a soundbite and even then, what you get is filtered and all surface. If you want real, in-depth news, you're left with The News Hour on PBS which is really excellent stuff, but it's borderline boring in it's focus and you have to really pay attention. You can't be cooking/eating dinner while you watch it if you want to glean anything of substance from it.
(And I'm not even going to get into stuff like Fox News or MSNBC which are like dueling biases, although the left-leaning policies at MSNBC haven't leaked into their news organ like they have over at Fox with it's laughably right-wing editorial department. Seriously, Bill O'Reilly is like a turd in a suit and Sean hannity is something grosser than a turd in a suit. I don't know what. I'll leave that up to you. But that's what he is. I will admit, I enjoy some Olberman and Maddow and Mathews, but I know that they're giving me opinions and not necessarily the news. They're pundits. On Fox, the line between their journalists and pundits is getting thinner and thinner each day. Also, the MSNBC guys are pretty self-deprecating and, in the case of Maddow, very insightful and funny. They're a great liberal Op/Ed piece in a good newspaper as opposed to a dreadful comic section over at Fox. They're like a comics section filled with Marmaduke and Mallard Fillmore and The Lockhorns. Dreadful stuff.)
Which leaves the lowly newspaper, which is quickly becoming obsolete. Is this a tragedy? I have no idea. Besides, newspapers aren't going to go away entirely. They may shrink, but I doubt that they will disappear. Am I the only one disturbed by this? Are we going to allow our attention spans to kill off one of the oldest bastions of free speech? Am I totally rambling at this point?
Anyway, so this is a big introduction just to say that I read an Op/Ed piece on the front cover of today's PD that I thought was really interesting in the wake of President-Elect Obama's victory last Tuesday and what that could mean for race relations in America. As great as that victory was, it's by no means the end of the discussion. In fact, you could argue that it was the beginning.
Just read the piece. It's good.
*******
America Begins Its Journey Into A Post-Racial Era
By Phillip Morris, Plain Dealer Columnist
Wednesday, November 05, 2008, 8:30 PM
As I watched tears stream down the face of a highly emotional Jesse Jackson Tuesday night, impertinent questions flooded my mind:
Why was this famous black man weeping? Why did each breath produce a fresh torrent of sobs and shudders. Did this luminary weep, like so many others, as he listened to President-elect Barack Obama, because he realized that America's most impenetrable glass ceiling had shattered?
Or did this particular son of South Carolina weep because he realized that race as a useful construct for confrontation, oppression or contemporary perspective appeared suddenly obsolete? Did he weep at the death of his quest for reparations?
Did Jesse Jackson emote so demonstrably because it was suddenly clear that America, a nation built and anchored upon the dangerous precipice of race, had suddenly lived up to it's most ambitious ideal and dealt its final race card?
In the end, it didn't matter. America had already embarked upon a long deferred dream.
Tuesday, this nation unburdened itself of the albatross of race. The United States elected to its presidency the most improbable Horatio Alger and, in the process, proved that in this nation anything remains possible.
An unprecedented coalition of Americans united to elect Obama, a man, who is being called America's first black president.
The occasion will continue to warrant celebration and sober reflection.
But it is also true that America elected Obama as its 44th white president. His mother was just as white as his African father was black. We just don't know how to talk about it. His bloodlines course through all of us. That, too, warrants deeper reflection, and some celebration, as well.
Obama gives us a new way of looking at race - or better yet, an evolving reason not to consider race at all. And that is part of the promise of his potential. That is part of his gift to America.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether the orator can lead. It remains unknown whether this gifted organizer can preside over a nation that faces daunting political challenges and threats.
But America has done its part. Without a blink of an eye, we have just boldly ushered in a new, post-racial era. Once again, we have proven ourselves a nation of leaders: A representative democracy in its truest sense.
Race will continue to matter to some, of course. But its importance is diminished.
Race haters and race apologists will continue to cling to misguided conventions and impotent pasts. But their voices have just grown smaller.
As a nation, we have suddenly grown far more "indivisible." And that's what many Americans now celebrate. We celebrate our maturity.
Two of my favorite Obama supporters went to bed early Tuesday evening, hours before Obama gave his victory speech. They went to bed hopeful. They woke up to what is now being called a "new" America.
I prefer to call it a "better" America.
My 9-year-old daughter called at 6:30, jubilant with the news of the Obama victory. Two hours later, 95-year-old Jean Capers, the first black woman ever elected to Cleveland City Council, rejoiced over breakfast that she had lived to see America's maturation.
These sorts of encounters are happening all over the nation. They will continue for some time. This victory goes far beyond politics, religion, gender, race or creed. It's bigger.
America has completed its evolution into a racial meritocracy.
Obama has been given the opportunity to fail -- or to succeed -- on his own ability, character and luck.
The son of mixed race parents has been given the opportunity to screw up the ultimate leadership opportunity just as badly as white men have. He's also been given the opportunity to soar.
That represents the culmination of the dream. That is the fulfillment of hope and promise.
*******
You can read more of Morris' columns here.
"Nope." I replied, and walked away.
Anyway, so I've been sort of wishing I subscribed to a newspaper for a while now (Candace & I haven't done so in our married life), but I haven't actually done it. Which is sad, you know? Journalism, especially print journalism, is a fundamental of government. As great as the Internet is, the attention constraints of the average reader (me) preclude any serious reading. It's good for short news bursts (you know, the first couple of paragraphs of a print piece), but an in-depth analysis of an issue or news story isn't it's forte'. I mean, how many of you are going to read this whole blog post? You're probably skimming it, which is fine. But online news suffers from it's medium, which is better suited for short attention spans.
And forget about TV news. They're too beholden to their corporate parents, ratings and, by extension, advertising dollars to focus on anything for more than a soundbite and even then, what you get is filtered and all surface. If you want real, in-depth news, you're left with The News Hour on PBS which is really excellent stuff, but it's borderline boring in it's focus and you have to really pay attention. You can't be cooking/eating dinner while you watch it if you want to glean anything of substance from it.
(And I'm not even going to get into stuff like Fox News or MSNBC which are like dueling biases, although the left-leaning policies at MSNBC haven't leaked into their news organ like they have over at Fox with it's laughably right-wing editorial department. Seriously, Bill O'Reilly is like a turd in a suit and Sean hannity is something grosser than a turd in a suit. I don't know what. I'll leave that up to you. But that's what he is. I will admit, I enjoy some Olberman and Maddow and Mathews, but I know that they're giving me opinions and not necessarily the news. They're pundits. On Fox, the line between their journalists and pundits is getting thinner and thinner each day. Also, the MSNBC guys are pretty self-deprecating and, in the case of Maddow, very insightful and funny. They're a great liberal Op/Ed piece in a good newspaper as opposed to a dreadful comic section over at Fox. They're like a comics section filled with Marmaduke and Mallard Fillmore and The Lockhorns. Dreadful stuff.)
Which leaves the lowly newspaper, which is quickly becoming obsolete. Is this a tragedy? I have no idea. Besides, newspapers aren't going to go away entirely. They may shrink, but I doubt that they will disappear. Am I the only one disturbed by this? Are we going to allow our attention spans to kill off one of the oldest bastions of free speech? Am I totally rambling at this point?
Anyway, so this is a big introduction just to say that I read an Op/Ed piece on the front cover of today's PD that I thought was really interesting in the wake of President-Elect Obama's victory last Tuesday and what that could mean for race relations in America. As great as that victory was, it's by no means the end of the discussion. In fact, you could argue that it was the beginning.
Just read the piece. It's good.
*******
America Begins Its Journey Into A Post-Racial Era
By Phillip Morris, Plain Dealer Columnist
Wednesday, November 05, 2008, 8:30 PM
As I watched tears stream down the face of a highly emotional Jesse Jackson Tuesday night, impertinent questions flooded my mind:
Why was this famous black man weeping? Why did each breath produce a fresh torrent of sobs and shudders. Did this luminary weep, like so many others, as he listened to President-elect Barack Obama, because he realized that America's most impenetrable glass ceiling had shattered?
Or did this particular son of South Carolina weep because he realized that race as a useful construct for confrontation, oppression or contemporary perspective appeared suddenly obsolete? Did he weep at the death of his quest for reparations?
Did Jesse Jackson emote so demonstrably because it was suddenly clear that America, a nation built and anchored upon the dangerous precipice of race, had suddenly lived up to it's most ambitious ideal and dealt its final race card?
In the end, it didn't matter. America had already embarked upon a long deferred dream.
Tuesday, this nation unburdened itself of the albatross of race. The United States elected to its presidency the most improbable Horatio Alger and, in the process, proved that in this nation anything remains possible.
An unprecedented coalition of Americans united to elect Obama, a man, who is being called America's first black president.
The occasion will continue to warrant celebration and sober reflection.
But it is also true that America elected Obama as its 44th white president. His mother was just as white as his African father was black. We just don't know how to talk about it. His bloodlines course through all of us. That, too, warrants deeper reflection, and some celebration, as well.
Obama gives us a new way of looking at race - or better yet, an evolving reason not to consider race at all. And that is part of the promise of his potential. That is part of his gift to America.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether the orator can lead. It remains unknown whether this gifted organizer can preside over a nation that faces daunting political challenges and threats.
But America has done its part. Without a blink of an eye, we have just boldly ushered in a new, post-racial era. Once again, we have proven ourselves a nation of leaders: A representative democracy in its truest sense.
Race will continue to matter to some, of course. But its importance is diminished.
Race haters and race apologists will continue to cling to misguided conventions and impotent pasts. But their voices have just grown smaller.
As a nation, we have suddenly grown far more "indivisible." And that's what many Americans now celebrate. We celebrate our maturity.
Two of my favorite Obama supporters went to bed early Tuesday evening, hours before Obama gave his victory speech. They went to bed hopeful. They woke up to what is now being called a "new" America.
I prefer to call it a "better" America.
My 9-year-old daughter called at 6:30, jubilant with the news of the Obama victory. Two hours later, 95-year-old Jean Capers, the first black woman ever elected to Cleveland City Council, rejoiced over breakfast that she had lived to see America's maturation.
These sorts of encounters are happening all over the nation. They will continue for some time. This victory goes far beyond politics, religion, gender, race or creed. It's bigger.
America has completed its evolution into a racial meritocracy.
Obama has been given the opportunity to fail -- or to succeed -- on his own ability, character and luck.
The son of mixed race parents has been given the opportunity to screw up the ultimate leadership opportunity just as badly as white men have. He's also been given the opportunity to soar.
That represents the culmination of the dream. That is the fulfillment of hope and promise.
*******
You can read more of Morris' columns here.
11.05.2008
44
Yay, America!
Well, it's all over. Barack Hussein Obama will be the 44th President of the United States. I seriously can't believe it. He won the popular vote, the electoral college and, by and large, we had very few shenanigans at the polls. It was a clean and clear victory. We haven't been able to say that about an election in a while. I seriously can't believe it's real. I'm so full of hope it's coming out my ears.
I hope that over the next while those of you who didn't vote for Obama can begin to see what I've been frothing at the mouth over for the last couple of years. I hope we can get this country back on track with a mixture of hard work, sacrifice and good decisions. I hope we can come together and work together to ensure a better future for our children and their children. I hope we can put biases, party affiliation or skin color behind us and face the 21st century with a renewed sense of determination, compassion and resolve. I hope we can make our country safer, our economy stronger and our world cleaner. I hope we can keep our children healthy, happy and educated and ensure a prosperous nation. I hope we can be tough when necessary and assist others when called upon. I hope we can be the America we've aspired to be. The America we've fought to protect.
But most of all, I hope that Malia and Sasha's new puppy is super awesome.
*******
In other news, check out this hilarious electoral map from the New York Times. Now you can see which states are "Solid weirded out by Joe Biden's hair" and which are just "Leaning weirded out by Joe Biden's hair".
Well, it's all over. Barack Hussein Obama will be the 44th President of the United States. I seriously can't believe it. He won the popular vote, the electoral college and, by and large, we had very few shenanigans at the polls. It was a clean and clear victory. We haven't been able to say that about an election in a while. I seriously can't believe it's real. I'm so full of hope it's coming out my ears.
I hope that over the next while those of you who didn't vote for Obama can begin to see what I've been frothing at the mouth over for the last couple of years. I hope we can get this country back on track with a mixture of hard work, sacrifice and good decisions. I hope we can come together and work together to ensure a better future for our children and their children. I hope we can put biases, party affiliation or skin color behind us and face the 21st century with a renewed sense of determination, compassion and resolve. I hope we can make our country safer, our economy stronger and our world cleaner. I hope we can keep our children healthy, happy and educated and ensure a prosperous nation. I hope we can be tough when necessary and assist others when called upon. I hope we can be the America we've aspired to be. The America we've fought to protect.
But most of all, I hope that Malia and Sasha's new puppy is super awesome.
*******
In other news, check out this hilarious electoral map from the New York Times. Now you can see which states are "Solid weirded out by Joe Biden's hair" and which are just "Leaning weirded out by Joe Biden's hair".
11.04.2008
Vote Early. Vote Often.
You're all responsible, intelligent people, so I'm sure you have voted/are voting/will be voting, but in case you haven't - go do it. Or else you don't get to complain for the next four years. Them's the rules. I don't make them, I just enforce them.
Image via Numinous Design's Flickr stream. Found via, uh, Ffffound.
11.03.2008
I Don't Know If You've Heard
But we're having another baby. We're pretty excited. Hooray for babies!
11.02.2008
Comic Fu
I'm not gonna lie to you: I would pretty much kill for the chance to write a Deadly Hands Of Shang Chi: Master Of Kung Fu series. I would, at the very least, maim or seriously injure to read such a series. Do you hear me, Joe Quesada? Stop publishing a million comics about freaking Skrulls and give me some awesome kung fu action in comic book form! Or else!
Also, as long as I'm talking comics and martial arts action, I must say that the current "Lady Bullseye" arc Brubaker's got going on in Daredevil is pretty flippin' radical. Seriously, is there anybody writing comics right now who is as solid as Bru's been? Granted, I haven't read his stuff on Uncanny, but his DD and Captain America are both just amazing. And his run on Catwoman is one of my favorite runs of comic books ever.
Basically, I want to have his babies, comic book-wise. Am I alone here?
11.01.2008
We Could Legalize Our Heads, Darlin'
Here's November's mix, titled I Was A Teenage Headcase. I have no idea what the through-line is for these songs, but they seemed to fit together once I decided on the title. If you're listening via iTunes, I would suggest opening the album art viewer and making sure it's set to "Now Playing." Just a tip.
Download it here and leave a comment when you've done so. Thanks.
Download it here and leave a comment when you've done so. Thanks.
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