Category: old blogging

Think positive.

My horoscope for today:

You might be thinking about a possible vacation today — and for good
reason too. Anything seems better than what’s going on around you. You may not have a lot of energy and it’s possible that even your closest friends suddenly seem like a drag. Make sure you don’t let it get you down. Subconsciously, you may be working out some things that you need for the future. Sit back and take it easy. Work on ordering your finances, or cleaning up the office while you let the day run its course.

Yes, sometimes friends can be a drag. But invariably they are doing what they are doing for the best reasons in the long run. I’m very lucky – my friends are brilliant. Recently I have made one or two very good new friends through a combination of circumstances. I wouldn’t want to be without any of them.

When technology goes too far.

Antonov 225 flies again. This thing is enormous, but also a serious bargain at only US$20million, principally because the Russians tend to build things with just enough bits to fly and no fancy gizmoes that the Americans are obsessed with.

Eggpants

Currently seeking:

• clarity
• warmth
• touch
• words softly spoken
• proximity
• interaction
• rest that merits that name

An interesting site – if only I had time to read it all. This page is worth a peek, and led me to this site, which I think I’ll refer back to before my next trip to London.

Paul speaks wisely on the subject of BlogVoices-type comment functions in blogs.

OK – not sure about posting this, but I wanted to see what other people felt about it. I’m prepared for some flak.
The Daily Telegraph reports today that AOL Time Warner are to prevent the broadcast of some Bugs Bunny cartoons because they might be deemed as offensive in their portrayal of black and American Indian characters. They have decided this in spite of a pledge by the Cartoon Network to broadcast them late at night and with a warning.
This has long been a problem with cartoons – they are a reflection of the attitudes that prevailed at the time. There is, famously, a cartoon made by the Warner Brothers cartoon studio (and directed by Bob Clampett who also made many of the Bugs Bunny cartoons) that was a parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – it was entitled “Coal Black an’ de Sebben Dwarfs“. I kid you not. And many of you must have sat watching Tom and Jerry cartoons and wondered why the musical score seemed to skip – the reason is that the BBC cut sections from the cartoons that they think might offend (though usually only the visual portrayals of black people – they leave in the Maid saying things like “Thomas! If yoos is a mahs catcher, then ah iz Lana Turner, which ah ain’t!”. And they leave in all the gratuitous violence. Two faced?).
My question is this: is censorship of this nature necessarily a good thing? Don’t get me wrong, I am not a racist and do not condone racism. But (to paraphrase), if others can control what we see and hear, surely it is only a matter of time before they control what we say and think. Exactly what is “obscenity”? What is “offensive”? By what standards do we judge? And is there not something to be gained by looking at the attitudes that prevailed before us, and not sweep it under the carpet? Isn’t there the danger of some sort of revisionism?
I should state that I adore vintage cartoons – I possess a number of books on the subject (there is another on my wishlist at the moment) and a pretty good knowledge of them. I think they are a great record of life at the time, showing the more everyday side of life (prevailing language, lifestyle, humour, attitudes) that was rarely shown in mainstream cinema of the time, as well as some brilliant slapstick humour, great scripting, amazing artwork and…well…they are just great fun. As a child, I was always called in from playing outside whenever a cartoon was on – we would pore over the programme schedules and all stop to watch them. Even now, I can still laugh so hard at a cartoon from that time (the early 1940s) that I ache and there are tears pouring down my cheeks.

…obscenely tired…must sleep…