Quantcast
Channel: Ohio State University – The Electron Pencil
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4

Today: Sunday, November 6, 2011

0
0

THE IRISH TOUGH GUYS PONTIFICATE

So, we all got an extra hour of sleep last night, right? Why, then, do I feel as though a truck hit me this morning?

Fall. Back.

✍

I hardly had the energy to acknowledge the existence of the Irish Tough Guys in Soma Coffee this morning. Tough Guy Tom was busy proclaiming that everything Republican candidates for president say now is a lie.

“Every single thing that comes out of their mouth,” he said. “No exceptions. All lies.”

Tough Guy Pat was busy ignoring Tough Guy Tom. Pat scrolled through his Smart Phone and pronounced that IU’s loss to Ohio State yesterday was a moral victory.

Which was in direct opposition to an earlier pronouncement. Earlier this sad season, IU had worn different color helmets and still went out and got sliced up by one mediocre opponent or another. Tough Guy Pat was disgusted.

“F. different colored helmets,” his spewed. “F. the band. F. moral victories. I just wanna see some wins, baby!”

TO F. OR NOT TO F.

I still haven’t decided what to do about the F-bomb issue. Do I spell it out in these precincts? Or do I play it safe and stick with the “F.” thing? Tell us your thoughts.

Free Speech Advocate Mario Savio After Dropping F-bombs, 1964

NOTHIN’ TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG

The Loved One and I passed by the IU Credit Union branch on Winslow Road yesterday on our way to the recycling center. The parking lot was packed. The Loved One remembered that it was Bank Transfer Day.

“You think those people are all transferring their accounts?” she asked. “Or is the place that crowded every Saturday morning?”

“Search me,” I said.

✍

Neither the Herald Times nor the Indy Star seem to have been all that interested in the event.

The HT had nothing on it and the Star buried a perfunctory piece about Occupy folks marching through downtown. The Star piece did mention that protesters are urging people to transfer their accounts but didn’t specifically mention the Day thing.

Papers from Philly to California to Texas, though, trumpeted BTD.

Question: Did Bloomington forget about BTD and the IU Credit Union parking lot was just packed coincidentally, or did our faithful local journalistic institutions simply ignore it all?

And if they did ignore Bank Transfer Day, why?

FEAR OF WORDS

Media scholar and lawyer Lisa Barr points out a Guardian piece about the chilling effect online trollers who threaten rape and violence are having on female bloggers.

The trollers, according to many notable online female scribes, are explicit in their threats.

But that’s not the saddest thing about the problem. Hell, men who are scared to death they have tiny penises have screamed obscenities at women since the beginning of time. Sadly, I fear there’ll always be men who make me feel embarrassed to possess XY chromosomes.

No, the saddest part is a number of women are giving up blogging.

Wrong reaction.

We writers know from the get-go that we’ll be taking a lot of abuse for our views. And people who are stirred to put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard just to tell an essayist or opinionist who wrong she or he is are too often less evolved than the flatworm.

Guess what, kids — you just let those apes win.

A Petri Dish Full Of Flatworms: No Trollers Here

TANGO & FANDANGO

Ex-pat painter/author/educator and all-around good egg Anna Witte has released a new children’s book called “Lola’s Fandango.” Witte formerly taught Spanish at IU but due to the school’s policy of jettisoning people who aren’t on the tenure track, she had to move to Seattle, Washington to earn her daily bread.

“Lola” is Witte’s second kids’ tome. She scored with The Parrot Tico Tango in 2004. She wrote and illustrated that one. This time around it’s her words and illustrator Micha Archer‘s pix.

Witte says children’s books publishers prefer the work to be split up between two people.

I hope she does the illustrations on her next book. Her paintings are hanging in living rooms all around Bloomington.

Witte’s Work

✍

Witte promises to come back to SoCent Indiana after the completion of the current school year. Look for an online exhibition of Witte’s work here soon.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 4

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images