Happy Birthday! (Belatedly... no, you're birthday was right on time... it's just my birthday wish that's belated... am I overexplaining?)
- Mark Jepsen
Dear Google: Please get rid of this page. Just add a setting so I can say "always use Google Reader for RSS feeds." (Or vice versa, or an option to always ask if someone uses both.) I've been going through this extra step for years now, and I am really tired of it.
I really wish they would kill it. I *NEVER* want to add a feed to my google homepage. I never go there.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF
Exactly, Rah. I've never chosen the Homepage option. Google knows everything about me, they should know by now that this page is worthless to me. And seriously, now with Google's profiles and centralized accounts, a persistent setting for this should be a piece of cake to implement.
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
Agree, always on the Reader! Great tool!
- John Tastad
Does it, Mitchell? I have Feedly installed at home, but I haven't noticed. I use Chrome at work, though.
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
Google Homepage just isn't needed for anything. I wish they'd pull the plug on that thing.
- Matthew DeVries
that is why i use the google reader "subscribe" bookmarklet ;-) (edit: you can find it in your google reader settings)
- Stanislas Jourdan
Jandy: there is a preview of feedly for chrome. If you are interested, please send me an email at edwink@devhd.com and I will send you an invite.
- Edwin Khodabakchian
"Starting today, NPR Music is looking back at some of the memorable moments and recordings of the past decade. We'll have a lot of new features on the site every day for the next two weeks, starting with our Question of the Day from Carrie Brownstein on the Monitor Mix blog, and The Decade Defined on All Songs Considered. Next week on All Songs Considered, beginning Nov. 16, we'll feature our picks for the 50 most important recordings of the decade. As we compile the final list, we'd love your input. Using the comments section below, tell us what albums or songs you think should be included."
- Michael W. May
from Bookmarklet
"An important distinction: We're not looking for everyone's favorite albums or songs, but rather ones that had some sort of historical significance. These are the game-changers -- ones that signaled some sort of shift in music, or ones that were particularly influential in some way. We're looking for the albums and singles people will still buy, share, listen to and talk about for years or decades to come."
- Michael W. May
Interesting. I'm inclined to think that Outkast were the most important artists of the decade but I'm not sure between Stankonia and Speakerboxxx\The Love Below which is the more important album.
- Jason Toney
Jason, not gnarls Barkley? Although I guess I see outkast's speakerboxxx as an influence.
- edythe
from iPhone
Yeah. I don't think we get Gnarls without Outkast. Particularly Ms. Jackson and Bombs Over Baghdad (and, of course, Hey Ya) as genre pushers and barrier breakers between hip hop and indie/alternative sounds.
- Jason Toney
Yeah, that sounds right. Astute!!
- edythe
from iPhone
I seem unable to have an opinion. I'm trying. Nothing is opinionating.
- Michael W. May
Maybe it's too soon. I can come up with stuff easily for prior decades, but not this one.
- LogEx
"This is one of the most misogynistic shows on TV right now. Every single female on the show is lying, scheming, manipulative or just downright evil. The only exception is Emma, who is crazy, instead. Females are treated pretty poorly on TV in general, but I can’t think of any other show where there is not at least one female who is presented in a more positive light. Even Dollhouse, which people love to accuse of misogyny, doesn’t present the whole female population as either crazy or manipulative. Now, if the show presented everyone, male and female, in similar lights, that would be another story. But the males on the show are all innocent, good people. Every lying, scheming woman, is lying and scheming to a man. Not the other way around."
- Mark Trapp
Maybe that's just to help bring in the male audience to a show about singing and dancing.
- James Ferguson
I see the show from the other side: the guys are all one dimensional, they never stand up for anything, and are solely defined by the women controlling their thoughts and actions. Man, all of the characters are so unlikeable, yet I can't stop watching. Damn you, perfectly constructed advertising vehicle!
- Mark Trapp
"More than a month after two Kentucky public-library employees were fired after refusing to allow a child to check out The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier, details surrounding their dismissal finally are emerging. In a lengthy article in the Lexington Herald-Leader, we learn the story didn't begin on Sept. 22, when Jessamine County Library circulation-desk attendants Beth Bovaire and Sharon Cook decided the graphic novel was inappropriate for the 11-year-old girl who had reserved it. Instead, events date back almost a year, when the 57-year-old Cook, appalled that children had access to the Alan Moore-Kevin O'Neill book, challenged its inclusion in the graphic-novel section, which apparently is tantalizingly close to Young Adult Fiction. When that didn't work, she checked the book out of the library -- and kept renewing it, effectively removing it from circulation, until Sept. 21. That's when Cook tried to renew Black Dossier again, only to discover the computer...
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- RAPatton
from Bookmarklet
"Wilson's article includes plenty of background on the library's policies, and Cook's efforts to challenge the book according procedure, which required her to, y'know, actually read it: "People prayed over me while I was reading it because I did not want those images in my head." Cook and Boisvert contend the graphic novel amounts to pornography, and that the library could be committing...
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- RAPatton
If she has issues with Black Dossier, imagine what she'd think about the Lost Girls.
- RAPatton
While I agree that LXG:BD is not appropriate for an 11-year old, I don't agree with the de facto censorship of the book.
- Bill Sodeman
I wouldn't give it to my 11 year old, but you are correct in that it was not her decision to make
- RAPatton
This seems like a case that the ACLU might take up, and I wonder what the ALA would say about it.
- Bill Sodeman
Note that it says library employees and not librarians. There is a difference. Regardless, they shouldn't do this, but lets not malign librarians. I suspect their supervisor didn't know what they were doing.
- Katy S
Okay - just read the article Bill linked to. They aren't librarians, one claims that her manager supports her, but we don't hear anything from that manager. What they are doing (checking out the book and not returning it) is very common practice among those who want to ban books.
- Katy S
"Earlene Arnett, director of the Scott County Public Library, explains that "libraries take censorship very seriously. We also take the parent's role very seriously. I'm sure they don't want me to make their decisions for them."" That says what I would say well enough.
- Michael W. May
Katy - so noted. I've edited my comments and am wearing my hat of shame. :(
- Bill Sodeman
Beautiful Shiba Inu pictures... having seen them at the dog park playing with Kiyomi, and familiar with the Japanese lore about the Shiba as well as the monument outside the Tokyo Metro station, Shiba and Akita are wonderful dogs! Do you have a Shiba?
- Ken & Kiyomi
No, I just love them from afar.
- cecily
from iPhone
"Comedian Katt Williams was arrested on burglary and criminal trespass charges in a west Georgia community Sunday night, according to a court official. Williams, 38, smiled broadly while posing for a mug shot photo at the Coweta County, Georgia, jail. His first court appearance is set for 4 p.m. ET Monday, where a magistrate will decide if Williams is eligible for bond, said Deborah Matthews, a spokeswoman with the Coweta County Magistrate Court. Calls to his manager and publicist were not immediately returned."
- Derrick
from Bookmarklet
"Wool blend jacket with double-breasted military style button closures from waist to neck. 3/4 sleeves and oversized drape pockets with pleating detail."
- pea ♥ fierce as a woozle
from Bookmarklet
Oooh, nice. I love button front jackets with high necks like that :)
- Jennifer Dittrich
From the New York Times: "Kiva, a nonprofit organization, promoted itself as a link between small individual lenders and small individual borrowers like Maryjane Cruz in the Philippines, who recently sought a $625 loan to support her family’s farm. But Mr. Roodman’s blog post said that lenders like Mr. Kristof were not making direct loans. Borrowers like Ms. Cruz already have loans from microfinance institutions by the time their pictures are posted on Kiva’s Web site."
- Mark Trapp
"Thus, the direct person-to-person connection Kiva offered was in fact an illusion. Kiva’s lenders were actually backstopping microfinance institutions, and since Kiva and other online giving and lending models pride themselves on their transparency, Mr. Roodman and others suggested it might better explain what its lenders’ money — about $100 million over four years — was really doing....
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- Mark Trapp
"Now Kiva is the latest nonprofit group to have to overhaul its explanation of how it works. Where its home page once promised, “Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty,” it now simply states, after Mr. Roodman’s post: “Kiva connects people through lending to alleviate poverty.”"
- Mark Trapp
I've never had trouble understanding the Kiva model from the info they give on their site. I can see clearly that they distribute the money to a microfinance institution and it makes its way back to Kiva through them as well. The microfinance company acts more like a "common carrier", passing information up and down.
- Matt Mastracci
Admittedly, I haven't done much research into Kiva, but based on the way I've heard people talk about it (I lent $X to Y person), I thought it worked more like DonorsChoose.org. The fact that it's a micro-finance broker, so to speak, is an interesting concept and to me, seems much stronger and easier to lend to than a direct model. The article talks about other organizations like Kiva that's had to reexplain what they do because of the confusion.
- Mark Trapp
Yeah, they work pretty hard to maintain that illusion and it's really only in the fine printed details that you understand that your money goes to microlending institutions and not directly to the people you think you are loaning money to. It's also kind of annoying that these institutions most likely profit off of the loans, but the people loaning money to these institutions do not make any profit. Definitely seems like there's a lack of transparency there.
- Alex Scoble
This reminds me of the confusion caused by those "A dollar a day can help save this child" type ads, that in most cases, actually go into a pool that helps the entire area, not a specific child. Some people dislike that model, some people like it more. Some of those ads started explicitly saying whether they help one person or many people from the contribution, which is what these websites now are doing.
- Mark Trapp
That's interesting: the article implies that what's said in the email isn't exactly the case. The people who needed the loan have already been paid, and your loan is actually to prop up the microfinancier until the loan is repaid. That email, and the way I understood it, implies that the recipient of the loan is waiting for someone to loan to them and can't get started doing what they...
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- Mark Trapp
Yeah, I just realized that point after reading that email (sorry, I deleted it from this thread)... the email infers that your money is disbursed directly through the microfinance company, versus being used as a backstop for the loan already made by the company which is actually the case. Your money is "associated" with a certain lender, rather than being directly bundled and sent to the recipient. After understanding this a bit better, I think I can see why Kiva needs to improve the messaging.
- Matt Mastracci
I read through the associated blog post as well: http://blogs.cgdev.org/open_bo... I'll admit that I missed the point entirely before. Not sure how I feel about Kiva right now, but I'm glad to have the info.
- Matt Mastracci
"Atlanta comedian Katt Williams was in jail Monday morning after being arrested and charged with burglary and criminal trespassing, a deputy at the Coweta County jail said."
- cecily
from Bookmarklet
I'm kind of worried about him. I hope he gets some help.
- cecily
from IM
I'm still mad that he smiled in that mug shot. I'm hearing some strange theory that it was his own house, but I don't consider the source at all credible.
- Cheryl
"Just found out that Sambassadeur have a new album scheduled for Feb 2010. “Days” is the first single off the record and the only track from it I’ve heard thus far. Fingers crossed for a worthy follow up to all their other pop gems!"
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
from Bookmarklet
Sounds good! I went through a severe Swedish pop phase a couple of years ago. I still have a few Sambassadeur tracks left in my iTunes from then; might have to check this one out.
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
I like *smile* Thanks for the heads up.
- Michael W. May
This reminds me of when Cartoon Network opened their vaults and showed all their controversial and racially insensitive Warner Bros. cartoons in a special, but then never showed them again. I wonder why Disney hasn't done something similar.
- cecily
from iPhone
Akiva and I were just talking about this a few days ago. Is it available to view anywhere now?
- Rochelle
from iPhone
There are bootlegs, Rochelle. It was released on laserdisc and in other countries, but not here. The last theatrical release in the U.S. was in 1986.
- Derrick
I can see why. But I did love those stories as a kid.
- Trish R
I've never seen the film, and I'm keen on reading the original stories by Joel Chandler Harris. I'd like to think that we can get to the point where we can view material that is racially insensitive WITHOUT all of a sudden blaming people. The movie was made in 1946, it's nearly 2010. Am I going to look at my non-black friends and go on an attack? Unlikely, but perhaps I give people too much credit.
- Derrick
I agree, Derrick, because the stories are written as being told by Uncle Remus, who spoke that way.
- Trish R
Julius Lester has written some interesting pieces about the stories and Harris. He's also re-written some of the stories. I <3 Julius Lester!
- Katy S
I'm not familiar with his work, but will check it out. Thanks. :)
- Derrick
He's on a children's literature list serve that I'm on. So are Jane Yolen and Philip Pullman and some other authors. I have to really stifle my fan-girl impulses when they post.
- Katy S
Derrick, I'm not so worried about (black?) people blaming anyone for the material. I'm more worried that if this movie becomes available, a million American people will automatically buy it and show it to their young kids, who will absorb the "happy darkies" stuff without realizing what's wrong with it. I'm torn about making complete sets available. There was some kind of WB DVD set...
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- Kamilah Gill
I've seen it, and find it amusing that they built an attraction around it (splash mountain) but bury the movie
- RAPatton
from iPhone
I've never actually seen the whole thing. I would probably buy it if it were available.
- ha3rvey (free hugs!)
Kamilah - I'd be just as worried about adults' reactions to it as kids (for the same reasons)
- Katy S
It's funny to me that people are worried about reactions to this movie, when there are other movies out there where so-called "happy darkies" are integral parts of the storyline, but nobody would ever think to ban them. I'm specifically thinking of my (beloved) Gone With The Wind, a movie that's held up as an American classic (and rightly so). How is Song of the South more offensive than GWTW? It makes any protestations and any censorship/suppression moves by the parent companies seem disingenuous.
- cecily
And what about Dumbo? Can't you still get Dumbo on DVD? What about the crows in Dumbo?
- cecily
I agree, C. I do think Disney is one of those really overly cautious companies. Remember, the created the Touchstone Pictures umbrella to release movies that strayed outside of the cutesy Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Escape from Witch Mountain films, because we would get them so confused. And I love those crows.
- Derrick
Cecily - I've never seen Gone With The Wind, but I suspect I'd have a similar reaction. Dumbo just makes me cringe! I wouldn't censor anything, but I still think about how people react to the films.
- Katy S
Katy, I had to work hard to reconcile my feelings for GWTW. I love that movie, but it took me a long time to get there. What helped was trying to think of Prissy's inaction and "simplemindedness" as a form of slave resistance. If I'd never spent time reading slave narratives, I'd have never been able to come to that conclusion. </end_hijack>
- cecily
I'll tell you what movie really made me choke on my diet coke recently. I was watching Heidi with my niece. Somehow, this story that's suppose to take place in Switzerland, looked like it took place in a home that was on a Southern Plantation, complete with a mammy-character.
- Katy S
Dumbo and Lady and the Tramp are both questionable. I just think that Song of the South would get much more exposure, especially to children. It doesn't use animals for all of the racial stereotypes like the others. As for Gone with the Wind, I haven't seen it either, but I'd say it's more clearly aimed toward adults. Though I agree, with you, Katy. The adult exposure to Song of trhe South might be almost as problematic...
- Kamilah Gill
My extensive training with literature and critical examination of it helps me get through the parts that make me cringe. That critical distance thing. Having said that, I'd never give a child a copy of Little House on the Prairie. Just not going to happen.
- Katy S
I watch alot of old games shows and I gasp at some of the things they use to say..........
- VAL D.
I've still got the (original?) 78-RPM set that belonged to my Mom. We used to listen to the stories and songs as kids. "...it's the truth, it's factual; everything is satisfactual!"
- ɐ ɯıʞ sıɹɥɔ
from iPhone
I used to have that 78 too, but is long gone now
- RAPatton
from iPhone
Zip a dee doo dah is a great, fun song, but I think that's about all I'll need from that movie, thanks.
- Kamilah Gill
I loved Song of the South as a kid (Br'er Rabbit is a G). I always saw it as a kind of animated Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer. There was a time when I think not having the movie available was more political than anything. Now, I think it's just hard to market (and to what value? There's not a real way to make ancillary money from Consumer Products from the film).
- Jason Toney
Dumbo is coming out on Blu-ray in Feb, FWIW.
- Alix Whitmire
Animation fans have this discussion all the time. I think WB did a pretty good job handling it in its Golden Collection sets. In the first or second volume, they had an intro you couldn't skip that had Whoopi Goldeberg talking about how some of the cartoons were racist and that although no one was condoning that NOW, they were part of our past and better acknowledged than buried or...
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- Spidra Webster
How odd that you posted this, I just watched this movie last night. lol
- aerobroken
It seems to me that any racist ideology in Song of the South would be counteracted for children (like it was with me as a child) by the cultural attitudes of today. It was made in a different time and even kids today look at early WB cartoons and get something completely different from them than kids fro a generation ago did. I hope that someday they release it and let parents decide what is the best course of action for their own children.
- Kryptic
Katy, what is wrong with Little House on the Prairie? I don't recall anything bad in it but it's been a long time since I've read it.
- Rochelle
Yeah, what is offensive about Little House?
- Matthew DeVries
It's incredibly racist - even for its time. The Indians are described as grunting savages. Ma quotes that "the only good Indian is a dead Indian" line multiple times through the story. It's really foul. Unless you are prepared to discuss the racism throughout the book with the child, I'd avoid it. If you haven't read it since you were a child, read it now as an adult and try to put aside your fond memories so that you can view it with some critical distance.
- Katy S
Also, LHotP is still a popular read-aloud book in many classrooms. I wish it wasn't, because it is often presented uncritically. Imagine hearing the things in that book if you are an American Indian child.
- Katy S
I enjoyed imagining I was one of those savages who put up a charade of attacks to hide the true force that was forthcomming, twas not fun being picked on because of that book when I was younger, then I detailed to my peers the history of the Cherokee and Tsali. On the other hand, I actually like LHotP now and I enjoy SotS as well.
- Tsali, The Native of FF
Katy the same thing would apply to half of the John Wayne, Davy Crokett movies/books. America has been really slow at learning about other cultures and presenting them in a decent light. I think most of the stuff that's been written/read/etc needs to be put into context sometimes. I think the best thing to do is just continue to show by words and actions that the past isn't the way to treat or portray people
- Sir Shuping
Sir Shuping - I agree. These things should be discussed. The problem is, it rarely is with this particular book. It is taught and read uncritically. I didn't say I'd ban or censor the book, I just said that I wouldn't give it to a kid without discussing these things. Sadly, this isn't done very often.
- Katy S
The thing about LHOP is that it's about settlers. It's about people who were "given" land that was taken away from the natives. It's built in to the story. That the characters (somewhat fictionalized versions of real people) called the indigenous people "savages" is only true to what was going on at that time. Teachers, parents, caretakers need to put that stuff in context. http://www.newyorker.com/arts...
- Spidra Webster
The success of some children's lit is interesting in that it is often based on what adults remember fondly. Little Black Sambo has never been out of print, despite the racism throughout it.
- Katy S
Oh I know you weren't saying ban or censor. But maybe my experiences are prejudiced, but even though I read LHOP, saw movies like Song of the South, Dumbo, etc. I never thought of it as showing me how to treat other people. I learned that from the people around me how others were supposed to be treated. Perhaps because we've lived through all of this turmoil and change in how races/cultures/religions/sexual preferences are treated things stand out a bit more (just my deep thought for the evening :)
- Sir Shuping
Spidra - That's true, but again I would say that this should be discussed with readers. My problem with the use of the text is the uncritical way in which it is used and taught, specifically in classrooms. And, most parents don't discuss these books critically with their kids. They just remember how much they loved it and give it to their children for that reason.
- Katy S
I think that's a valid criticism, Katy.
- Spidra Webster
I think it's easy for white folks to read these books and say that they didn't affect them (but, did they play cowboys and indians?), but that's like saying that the people of a minority group shouldn't be offended by something rather than letting them decide what is or isn't offensive. My point is, that Little House is just as bad as these other texts and images that have been...
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- Katy S
fwiw, I first read the book as an adult (although I was familiar with the tv show). I expected some racism just because of the time it was written and the attitudes at that time. I didn't expect it to be quite as bad as it is.
- Katy S
Oh - Louise Erdrich has been writing a really fantastic series of books to counter LHotP. The first book is titled The Birchbark House. Great book, and the writing is much better than Ingalls'.
- Katy S
I'm finding myself obsessed with some stuff where I expect there to be some racial attitudes indicative of the time: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Gone With the Wind, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Sapphira and the Slave Girl, etc. I need to give these all a re-read to give me something to chew on. I always find myself in a curious state when seeing non-black people write about black people.
- Derrick
So fascinating. For the record, I hate Gone With the Wind but love Dumbo and recall liking Song of the South, although that was (obviously) years and years ago. My mother read me the Laura Ingalls Wilder books without comment, though I've since gone back to them and seen that they have Problems. She did, however, upon giving me the Little Colonel books, say, "Now, there are things that...
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- laura x
I haven't re-visited Song of the South since I was a child. I do remember feeling very comforted by Uncle Remus. There was a gentleness to him that was, frankly, missing in a lot of my surroundings. I didn't know enough to know that his way of speaking and singing would be racist... i may be mis-remembering, but I seem to recall that it was 'fun'... playful language. Older, sadder and wiser, I'd now be prepared to revise my take on Song of the South.
- T. Brent, technopeasant
I had a Song of the South album with story/songs from sometime in the 70s, as well as a few other Disney records. Probably acquired at a garage sale.
- Eric @ CS Techcast
Walt Disney actually campaigned for the lead actor, James Baskett, to be considered for an Oscar.
- Melanie Reed
totally with you on the crows in Dumbo. But, um, yes, i love them. for what it's worth, as a child i saw them as funny, weird crows and funny, weird crows only. It was only when i saw Dumbo again as an adult that I noticed that perhaps they weren't just crows.
- edythe
Derrick, I'm glad. Especially in the case of GWTW. I often find people most opposed have not read the book. There is a very pivotal scene that defines freedom and the motivations of one of the lead characters that most people miss.
- Melanie Reed
I did not remember that Hattie McDaniel who won Best Supporting Actress for GWTW was also in Song of the South
- Melanie Reed
Right now I am grading student essays for Othello. They have to create play review forms for each play and aside from some regurgitation of the text and the events, they do have cover motivation and are encouraged to set up arguments based upon the attitudes of the time which are pertinent to the understanding of the play. My point is that this play is going to also be a touchstone. What do we do about portrayals in literature ?
- Melanie Reed
Derrick, Also, my other question is about Joel Chandler Harris who collected the Brer Rabbit stories but did not originate the idea. He is considered a folklorist. Should those stories be preserved or should they be forgotten. Is there something to be lost if they are forgotten? What are your feelings about that?
- Melanie Reed
The grandmother points out a "pickaninny" in "A Good Man is Hard to Find." While reading this to my ninth grader--mainly second-generation South Americans (this was in 2000, in Miami)--there was a collective gasp when I read that word. I took that as a good sign. I did not use it as a "teaching moment," however. I said, basically, "this story was written in the American South of 1955....
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- edythe
Otoh, were we reading The Great Gatsby, I'd have a lot more to say about the depiction of Jews and blacks, as it doesn't have much to do with giving you insight about the book's characters. Similarly, If the part in AGMIHtF was written as, "They drove past a pickaninny," I'd feel differently and perhaps would not have read it to them at all. But then Flannery O'Connor would also be a different writer and... well, you get what I'm saying. Well, I hope you do, anyway.
- edythe
Wow, I had never heard the term "pickaninny" before this thread.
- Alex Scoble
Joey and I had this conversation while waiting in line for Splash Mountain. I would really like to see the movie since I can't remember ever seeing it before (other than the classic zippity-do-dah song). I do think it's kind of funny that people are somewhat against releasing the movie - there are far more offensive things on the interwebs (godhatesfags.com and kkk.com come to mind)
- Kyle Johnson
I am, clearly, a white woman and, of course, have always been so. That may may make me ignorant with respect to many things, although I have always tried and continue to try to pay attention and to be as aware and as sensitive as I possibly can. I am good at putting myself in other people's shoes and I do try to do it as much as i can and to listen. What I'm trying to say, really quite awkwardly, is that if my attitude above seems shockingly dismissive of the Flannery O'Connor scene, please tell me so.
- edythe
Oh, and, Cecily, I very much like your interpretation of Prissy's simplicity being a form of passive resistance!
- edythe
Here's what SOTS says to me: that there is courage in horrible circumstances. That there is joy that survives the deepest pain. That humor is stronger than ignorance. And that if you destroy that you let them beat you.
- Melanie Reed
And yes, Cecily, that is exactly what Margaret Mitchell was saying in Prissy. :) Besides, don't you just kinda clap and lol when she shuts the lid of the trunk and breaks all those dishes?! lol
- Melanie Reed
I watched the Japanese laserdisc version and I found it to be mostly harmless. I understand why it's a sensitive thing because of how the black people are portrayed, as happy slaves, but you have to take it in the context of the time from which it was made. To censor it, kind of goes against the grain of America, in my opinion. We need to remember our past, not cover it up.
- Alex Scoble
Edythe - that makes sense to me. There's a difference in age groups here. Your 9th graders can process what you said about the text more critically than the age group LHotP is written for (approx. 2nd graders). Plus, if you are examining other texts critically - like Gatsby - it's part of the pedagogy, so there is a connection. Actually, I think LHotP would be a great text to use with middle school and/or high school students to discuss these issues.
- Katy S
A quote from Flannery O'Connor, paraphrased (i'd love to know your thoughts): "The artist needs to let the devil have play in the art, lest the devil have play in the artist."
- T. Brent, technopeasant
There is nothing original about evil. It is a corruption of good which is in itself creative. Observing and accurately reporting that corruption does not necessarily arise from creativity. A confession from C. S. Lewis on writing the Screwtape letters: it was one of the most distasteful voices he had to adopt when writing it.. But he did it for a purpose. You can read about it in his afterword of the book
- Melanie Reed
I don't have anything to add (besides that when I bought Peter Pan and we watched it my jaw dropped...I guess growing up in the PNW counterbalanced the depictions of Natives that were in that film, because I completely missed that as a child). I read the Brer Rabbit stories when I was a child and I completely missed the subtext. The 'tar baby'...wow. But at the time I had no idea that...
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- joey
And for someone who doesn't have anything to add, I sure do ramble.
- joey
O'Connor's quote is definitely worth remembering, Brent.
- Christopher Harley
O'Connor is one of my favourite Southern writers. Of her contemporaries, she's one of the few whose black characters were multifaceted, complex individuals who had active lives outside of and away from whites. Even though the races encountered each other frequently in her work, black folk weren't just window dressing in her stories. In light of her work, I think Brent's quote is illuminating.
- cecily
Cecily, yes,there are a number of southern writers I appreciate that come to mind in particular Eudora Welty who wrote about living in Mississippi and was inclusive of all the lives she observed. Of her's my favorite is "A Worn Path". The concern I have with Ms. O'Conner is while her aim was not ambiguity, her aim was to highlight Grace, it became an issue- most exceptionally in her "A...
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- Melanie Reed
Not true. It was released in the US as a videodisc back in the 1980's. I got a copy ported over to VHS. It's a shame it isn't available in any other format though. It portrays black people as people with dignity and love in my opinion.
- Kevin Trotman
The thing I don't like about Twitter public lists is that there's no consent. Someone could add you to a "child molesters" list, for example: (p.s. blog post from this here: http://friendfeed.com/itafrom...)
Or a public "douche bags" list, or anything. Public categorization is dangerous in the hands of an individual; at least with aggregate (or crowd-sourced) categorization, the bad apples can be marginalized or removed. But when every list gets an equal voice, or someone popular decides to put you into a shit list, one individual's voice gets to be the loudest based purely on how extreme they are with their categorization. If I'm listed in 50 "technology person" lists, and 1 "fuckwit" list, guess which one stands out?
- Mark Trapp
Which is why I think there's a very good reason why Facebook, FriendFeed, and Google made list categorization private that Twitter completely missed.
- Mark Trapp
And personally, I resent being on "technology" and variant lists. That's like signing me up for spam that I can't opt out or protect myself from.
- Mark Trapp
Look for a big increase in @-reply-spam as this rolls out more widely :(
- LogEx
Makes me wonder what lists Scoble is on then.
- CW™
people are going to complain. Lawsuits will occur demanding that Twitter remove them from a list.
- CW™
You can see anyone's list memberships on their profile (another bonehead move): http://twitter.com/Scoblei... He's on mostly technology related lists. But all it takes is one person with a vendetta to use lists as a vehicle for libel or defamation.
- Mark Trapp
Mark, I think you're right. Someone could counter-argue that tweet "equality" has the same issue, but psychologically lists have more weight and cut by implication not expression which is more difficult for a victim to tackle. I've noticed for myself it even feels like a violation when I see a screencap of someone's own Friendfeed page which shows *their* Lists - just the description/name of the list has effect.
- Micah Wittman
I somehow made it on a tech blogging list. I don't think I ever wrote anything about tech blogging. Is there a free food Twitter list. Also, Mark, is Barton's dad on this mythical child molesters list?
- James Ferguson
Barton's dad is on my child molester list. And the state registry's list. The jig is up with him!
- Mark Trapp
I'm not sure it's Twitter's responsibility to prevent users from ding things that could get them sued for libel or defamation. Have some expectation of personal responsibility people.
- Kevin Fox
If you block a user, would that remove you from their lists? But I agree, you should be able to remove yourself (like untagging from a photo on Facebook)
- Stuart Miniman
Kevin: I agree that everyone ought to have personal responsibility, but there's absolutely nothing a person could do to protect themselves from a malicious use of lists other than to close out their account: I can't consent to the categorization, I can't remove myself from the categorization, and categorization is in no way dependent on my actions on Twitter (but rather, the actions of others). The fact that there's that in addition to the lists being attached to my profile page is nuts.
- Mark Trapp
There are a few basic steps Twitter could've taken, and should still take: don't attach lists to a person's profile and allow people to opt out of lists. More extremely, make list memberships opt-in or make all lists private.
- Mark Trapp
This is the problem with Twitter - it's too anonymous. It's the risk you take when you put yourself in such a public environment. If you're okay with that, fine - it's just the risk you take.
- Jesse Stay
That's a good point, Mark. Interesting discussion.
- joey
Yes, if you block a person who started a list it removes you from all the lists that person put you on.
- michael sean wright
I've said repeatedly, in both my blog post, here, and on Robert Scoble's feed, blocking is not the answer.
- Mark Trapp
One of the bigger problems I have with sites like Facebook is that I have no control over how others see my public profile (right now you'll prob see 16+ yr old girls asking you to contact them, surrounding my profile. I'm happily married, have 4 kids. Mark has a point. It's hard to maintain a personal brand on the web, and others that can classify you (wrongly) won't help. Then again Twitter is 90% bots so I don't think many will notice
- Alexander van Elsas
Mark: I don't understand. You say you can't remove yourself from a list, but you can by blocking the offender. You say that 'blocking isn't the answer' but it seems to be exactly that.
- Kevin Fox
Alexander: I'm on a roll tonight because I don't understand you either. You have pretty fine-grained control of what in your Facebook profile or feed is viewable to the public (or any other) scope, so you have tons of control over how others see your public profile. I don't see the 16+ year old girls asking me to contact them when I look at your profile. I see this: http://fury.com/tmp... What's the offensive part?
- Kevin Fox
Kevin, refresh the page a few times. and you will see other ads as well. The offensive part is that I have NO control over the right side of that page, yet it is directly related to my profile and therefore to my personal brand. This sucks on the web in general, but it sucks more on a site that is supposed to contain my dearest connections. I'm confusing everyone here it seems. I better stop talking now ;-)
- Alexander van Elsas
Kevin: let's say my friend decides he wants to put me in a "technology" or "owned-Barbies-when-he-was-5" list; my only recourse is to block someone I'd otherwise have no problem with because Twitter doesn't give me the ability to remove something from my profile otherwise. As I'm sure you've seen with FriendFeed and Facebook, blocking someone is considered a drastic and hostile action towards a person that isn't the same thing as opting out of a feature. And why aren't public lists opt-in anyway?
- Mark Trapp
Alexander: Are you sure that the ads on the right are directly related to your profile? I think they're more directly related to the viewer's profile than the profile he's viewing, and don't knw that they're related to the profile being viewed at all. And if you're worried about the ads on the page, then this is a problem you're going to experience all over the internet.
- Kevin Fox
Mark: Your arguments would go farther if you steered clear of the absolutes a bit. If this person is your friend enough that you don't want to block them, then presumably they're friend enough for you to ask them to take you off that list. 'Only recourse is to block my friend'? Pah. Also, public lists won't work if they're opt-in. Like Gwyneth Paltrow is going to sit around approving...
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- Kevin Fox
Kevin, that'd be a good middle ground, although I'd imagine if lists were opt-in, they'd function much like how FriendFeed and Facebook groups work now or how WeFollow works: someone can't subscribe me to a group, but if I want to be associated with a group of people, I opt-in by subscribing or joining the group.
- Mark Trapp
It's a difference in viewpoint. I don't see them as groups because I don't see lists as a tool for fostering two-way communication. I see lists like Google Reader bundles. Pre-rolled subscription packs curated by a knowledgeable third-party.
- Kevin Fox
I think Twitter should add a "public list opt-out" feature. It wasn't obvious when lists first came out that people might not want to be on them, but after seeing this, it's impossible to know if people want to be on them or not. It could be a problem for those wanting to opt-out of lists because you can't necessarily DM everyone that puts you on a list (and you don't always want to block them, as Mark said).
- Matt Mastracci
You would just block them. Then you get removed from the list
- Lindsey is Fierce!
@Kevin. I am fully aware that ads are part of the eco system of the web. But in this particular context (A friend is looking for me on Facebook), I think placement of (sleezy) ads are a bad idea. It seems to reflect on my profile/brand/identity and it cannot be controlled by me. Facebook should be the place where friends connect, not the place where an old friend finds you surrounded by advertisement
- Alexander van Elsas
Alexander, I'm sorry the ads you get on Facebook are sleazy. I find the ads to be much better quality than those I see elsewhere on the web. Nevertheless, again with the absolutes. It's not like ads preclude Facebook from being the place where friends connect, and a right hand column hardly constitutes being 'surrounded by advertisement.'
- Kevin Fox
Man that's nuts, Facebook ads are among the shadiest on the respectable web. They're worse than AdSense ads, and AdSense ads are pretty bad.
- Paul Laroquod
I miss my friends. If I was still in New Brunswick and I was looking this cute on a Saturday night we'd be out having a Martini or something. Or at the least sitting around a kitchen tables reciting Heritage Minute Commercials. (http://www.histori.ca/minutes...)
Micha: you have NO idea. We honestly recite these and laugh our heads off. I think our favourite is "COME ON! COME ON! ACKNOWLEDGE!!"
- Nathalie, Dreamer of FF
(the spell was already broken for me though, because I knew that the '.do' is java web app convention)
- Micah Wittman
It's still fun. I think all purchase links should end in do. or the computer should be smart enough to know if it's something you don't need and then it could be dont. ;)
- Nathalie, Dreamer of FF
Sean, if only I knew. This was delivered directly to me fresh and hot.
- Akiva Moskovitz
Wow, whatever you do, don't google "Asian guys at beach licking" if you want to find the Flickr account for this. No, seriously. Just...don't. o.O
- tinypants - Hagitha of FF
changed my life forever...I will always go to the beach with a a few chubby buddies after porking myself up for those bosoms ~ and this image is most definitely going in the ol' spank bank
- sofarsoShawn
Remember ! I bring quality product to Friend Feed !:)
- Akiva Moskovitz
you know what would be funny: ok bear with me, if we blindfolded leather donut (you know the booby man) and...yeah fill in the blanks...something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch...
- sofarsoShawn
Sir, randomly linking to your FriendFeed from one of my posts is oh wait you'll never see this because you're blocked for spamming. Thanks anyway, kaghazrangy.
- Akiva Moskovitz
damn this picture just won't go away - you have forced me to hide it
- William Harryman
Akiva, wasn't that pic taken at your last BBQ?
- Paul
Every time I see this picture I smile. Their joy is infectious, like herpes.
- Sparky Crocker
Paul, I surely do wish I had a beach in my back yard!
- Akiva Moskovitz
Sparky, I'm going to have this blown up to poster-size and attaching it to the ceiling above our bed. That'll cause some infections!
- Akiva Moskovitz
makes me want to grow a rack and diddle with my own, know what I'm saying?
- sofarsoShawn
this. . . .this. . . ugh . . . so fucking wrong.
- Peter Ghosh
Akiva - you can put anything you want above our bed.
- Sparky Crocker
i've been trying to formulate a comment for this for days, but i just...can't.
- joey
I still want to know the motivation here. is this a gay marriage argument? or are we already pushing group social contracts on friendfeed?
- Noah David Simon
oh man this one keeps popping up on ma friendfeed,....must spread virus nao
- Chris Hofmann
I'm surprised no one's noticed old boy's red-framed glasses.
- Akiva Moskovitz
oh right... the glasses are so important when three asian men are licking his nipples and all the comments are by people who think gay marriage has something to do with equality... when it has everything to do with taking protections away from children. the red glass glasses.... um yeah. chicken and Oklahoma with milk
- Noah David Simon
Mark, you have uncovered the dark underbelly of humanity except in this case it isn't dark but is rather a pasty hue somewhere in the vicinity of undercooked flan.
- Akiva Moskovitz
This should be in the default noobie FF stream. Like the first thing anyone who signs up sees. If they stick around they're part of the family.
- Internet's Tad
Perhaps this can replace the kitty pic on the start page for non-members!
- Chris, Taskerrific Guy
I'm certain prop8 had nothing to do with Swine Flu
- Noah David Simon
I'm thinking that eventually, it will have been hidden by every user on FriendFeed. It'll be the most hidden post in FriendFeed history.
- Akiva Moskovitz
WHY WHY KEEP BRINGING BACK THE EYES THEY HURT ME
- Neal Jansons
from IM
Herpes (and this): the gifts that keep on giving.
- Sparky Crocker
I wonder if the FriendFeed guys see this and say to themselves, 'Well, this isn't exactly what we had in mind when we started started FriendFeed.'
- Akiva Moskovitz
I look at it and think, "Not again."
- Steven Perez
from IM
Just about the time you FF is getting some class .. Oh well we is what we is.
- Brent - Long Live Rock
I can't believe after all this time some diligent FF'er hasn't dug up the identities (I said "titties") of this bunch and invited them to join the service that made them famous. Mitchell Tsai, get to work!
- Sprague D
i think if you unlike and delete all your comments anna it'll go away, but hide in general would be nice too (this photo makes me smile every time it pops up so don't mind it)...
- mike "glemak" dunn
*sigh* This is never going away, is it? It's gonna end up like James Bond movies and Swedish meatballs - always existing in the same form. never diminshing, never forgotten. :( :( :(
- Steven Perez
from IM
It will go away, to be replaced with photoshops of the original. It's all part of the meme lifecycle.
- Sparky Crocker
I am too new on friendfeed to know anything about record comments.. I love gmail tho, puts all the comments in one threaded email and I can delete them all later in one shot or not if I choose..
- David Gross
from email
well we should aim to beat the record.. i mean jeez there are tons of things that could be said about this.. like.. does it taste like chicken?
- ed fry
I'm gonna have nightmares now. thanks ed. ;)
- Alejandro
ok, in Japanese: "an, an, soko dame!"
- Rick Cogley
You can't close this thread. A lot of people say that this place is a Scoble-fest but, truly, it is this thread that is at the very heart of FriendFeed.
- Akiva Moskovitz
I'm officially going to proclaim that this is the FF equivalent of Goatse or FFoatse if you will. Lets all refer to it as that from this point forward.
- Mark Krynsky
Sparky has left 57 comments. The rest of you are slacking. Hop to it!
- Christopher Harley
Chrisitan just walked by and said "It's too early in the morning for Japanese titty licking." It's NEVER too early for Japanese titty licking.
- Haggis (Sean Loyless)
THIS is the first thing I see here this morning?
- l0ckergn0me
Chris, you just woke up? C'mon, man! It's 10:30!
- Akiva Moskovitz
I knew he would break eventually - it's fitting that it's on this thread *now to find out how to hide a thread once you've commented....*
- WorldofHiglet
As much as I am loathe to bump this post, I have to do it to say, You, sir, are a master. Well played, sir. Well played. This is why I take every opportunity to say, in my next life, I want to be Akiva. I've already called it! Don't anybody go getting any more ideas.
- ♥patricia♥
I, for one, refuse to "bump" posts...it's very unseemly...
- Live4Emma (L4S)
I wish FF-search allowed to do GROUP BY -aggregations so I could COUNT(*) who are the biggest *bump*ers. :)
- Jemm
Makes me laugh everytime I see it. Such a happy yet silly scene by the sea.
- Toby Graham
There is nothing silly about it. This is serious business.
- Sparky Crocker
The more I see this, the more I like it. Not for the ironic nipple-licking, but because these kids are genuinely enjoying themselves. :) Carry on.
- felicious
This photo looks so much better in iPhone 3.0!#!~
- Akiva Moskovitz
Seriously dude. What do I have to do to get rid of this disgusting picture!? Doh! Now I've just pushed it back to the top... yuck, I'm so sickened.
- Jason Nunnelley
I love this image, because I have no clue why it's happening. Randomness FTW!!
- Jimminy
from twhirl
I'm just thinking of all the new folks coming to friend feed and see this and wonder just what the hell did I get into anyway? And why in Gods name can't I spell Friend correctly the first time - GRRRRRR
- Brent - Long Live Rock
Can't believe I never hit 'like' on this! Consider the situation rectumfied.
- Bec Rowe @d0tski
Oops! I hope I didn't just bump this up again... ;-)
- Sprague D
It's just so refreshing to see genuine juvenile humour at work. These kids are no different from any other, I think it's a great happy image, given all the other shite happening in this world on a daily basis. For those that are too pompous and prudish, 'up yours with brass knobs'
- ImJustCreative
Wow. 666. Nice! Actually, the reason Asashoryu is getting a divorce ( http://ff.im/4T0UA ), is because he wants to spend time with this lot.
- Rick Cogley
To this day, the pic still comes back. Just like Herpes. :D
- Danny Minick
Although unlike herpes this photo is fun to share with friends.
- Sparky Crocker
I would rather go to http://woot.com and buy the Acer Aspire One for $259.99, I do not care that it is a refurb.. but what would I do with two laptops? Maybe #hive knows? hmm..
- David Gross
from email
What's this? A real question in this thread? Two extra laptops? Make them fancy digital photo frames.
- Jordan Hofker
Reason #696 why the Internet can grant you immortality. ;-)
- darnell
from BuddyFeed
I can't believe this thing is still floating around Friendfeed. These poor guys... ha ha ha
- Bradley Farless
@SeanMcGee sorry about the spam, this thread is sorta spammy.. I get the messages in email perfect for replying with any message because it then gets posted on twitter and facebook.. I do not do it all the time, look at my other posts in this stream..
- David Gross
from email
Lactating, males last resort to save ourselves, now that they can create sperm in labs.
- Jimminy
This is the thread that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started feeding it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue feeding it forever just because...This is the thread that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started feeding it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue feeding it forever just because...This is the thread that...
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- David Gross
from email
I have 89 :( emails since july 10th.. that includes the ones I sent.
- David Gross
from email
gmail comes in handy, it keeps all the email in conversations, 100 messages at a time but because the subject " :( " it will not filter out so they dont go to inbox.
- David Gross
from email
*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY...* Women are like phones: They like to be held, talked to, and touched often. But push the wrong button and your ass is disconnected.
- David Gross
from email
all this oral stuff is just begging the question of when do they start with the money shots?
- Noah David Simon
I just use this image as a way to announce crap. no one really pays attention to my feed... except my enemies. so when I have something important to say I tell the Asian Titty lickers. it is my strong belief that this thread needs it's very own domain name. something like http://xrl.us/TittyLickers
- Noah David Simon
You know, every time this pops up, since FF hides the middle of the comments of which there are 804 or so, I see Akiva say "I'm sorry." at the top. It makes me wonder about how some things are just not possible to apologize for!
- Rick Cogley
wow, I can't believe tomorrow is Friday :o) no, wait, somewhere in the world it's ALREADY Friday :o)
- David Gross
from email
Thanks Rick, thats what I thought.. does that mean I can start with the #followfriday on twitter or do I have to wait till it is Friday here in NJ? would be funny to post it from this post LOL all my friendfeed goes to twitter..
- David Gross
from email
David - yeah, you can get an early start.
- Rick Cogley
Rick, I am not good at lists or #followfriday but there are lotsa good people in this thread.
- David Gross
from email
the thing that strikes me about this (aside from the obvious) is after seeing this thing pop up like 35-40 times since March its just occurred to me that I don't have any (guy) friends that a) would lick my nipples b) would lick my nipples for a photograph. Maybe I should get out more...
- J. Abdul-Qahhar
I'm a little scared that I've this has gotten more than 800 comments and almost 200 likes over nearly five months and I still haven't clicked "Hide."
- Scott of Two Countries
It's just a bit of fun. I mean watching how many comment, not the picture content (although I suspect that is all that was too!)
- Ian May
Allright, you guys ready to shoot "mirth and girth"?
- Rick Cogley
For the life of me, I'll never understand the emotion people have around this picture for or against. There's no nudity at all, not even implied nudity. Less dude nudity than a beer commercial or cigarette ad, yet there are people who really really really hate this picture.
- Matthew DeVries
I found a way to get a Tit Theme, and it involves this picture.
- Jimminy
Hahahaha! It's like a telethon. And after Joey Bishop goes off stage, they flash this picture on the screen. "Won't you think of the CHILDREN?"
- Spidra Webster
It's been a while, hope the magnetism still prevails...
- Aaman (Clone of FF)
I just had to bump this once more... gives me a whole new excuse to go look at Phoebe again!
- Mark Jepsen
Hmmm, where do you think they're from? My guess is Japan...
- sofarsoShawn
The bumping algorithm includes things like novel people posting to it, in addition to thread age, and rapidity of comments. If the same 3 people are talking in a thread, it quits bumping because it's obviously a closed tea party.
- Matthew DeVries
I forgot, also you're a very handsome guy(saw the wedding images), I don't understand why you don't like to share your face. Rochelle is a lucky lady.
- Jimminy
Jimminy, it's an irrational phobia. No different than people who are afraid of heights, spiders, clowns, or Canada.
- Akiva Moskovitz
Akiva, now I'm LMAO at the fear of Canada. People are actually afraid of Canada, or just the fact they don't know if they're British or French?
- Jimminy
I don't think even Canadians know that difference.
- Akiva Moskovitz
If Friendfeed had sound .. this thread would be all licks and slurps
- Mattb4rd
Sorry Akiva, I think it was the display picture.. I have known male and female Akivas.. Oh and by the way guys I am not afraid of Canada LOL will be there this weekend.. Dave Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach<