dimland radio 12-26-15 show notes

Merry Boxing Day And I'm Sorry

I started the show remarking about the Christmas thing and Boxing Day, then went into explaining how boneheaded I was about getting the gender wrong when thanking Maddy Love, a transwoman, for the kind words about my show. I made sure Maddy knew I'd goofed up and she was very understanding and gracious about it.

 

I thank Maddy for being so good about my blunder. I will endeavor to get these things right in the future.

 

Something Weird Happened To Me As I Cataloged Comic Books

As one of my many jobs, I work part time for Nostalgia Zone, which is a store that sells old comic books and collectibles. I add inventory to our online catalog and then file that inventory in its proper place in the store. I enjoy the work because I can do most at home and when I go to the store I get to visit a friend of mine. And I get payed! And I get an employee discount! Win all around!

 

Well, the weird thing that happen, without getting into all the boring details, was as I entered one comic book I found that instead of a code listing the grade of the previously cataloged item, there was a person's name. The name was the same as a good friend of mine from high school!

So weird!

 

His name isn't especially common and I don't recall if he collected comic books. It was suggested that perhaps the name was of a writer or artist, but I don't know of any comic book producer with that name.

 

Blasted By A Memory

 

I worked at Wendy's decades ago and I happened to walk into a Taco John's restaurant and I was slammed by a very strong memory of my days at Wendy's. The reason it hit me was because that Taco John's used to be a Wendy's restaurant.

 

The layout was virtually the same and it came to my mind as I walked in. It felt like it was thirty years ago and I was heading into work.

 

Star Wars! Nothing But More Star Wars!

 

We saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens! And we (my wife, our son, and I) loved it! Yes, I am aware that there have been some grumbles about the familiarity of the story line, but that didn't bother us a bit. And that is something a whole lot of other people who saw the film have in common with us.

 

It was fun and a satisfying return to form. I want to see it again!

 

I mentioned Siskel & Ebert taking on a snob critic who would rather kids watch Tender Mercies than any of the three Star Wars films. (This was at the time of the release of Return of the Jedi.) Siskel & Ebert understood the joy of movies and how movies can be fun. That one critic (John Simon) was just a wet blanket. Just look at him being all snobby, while Siskel & Ebert demonstrate how they became the two most powerful and relevant film critics in America.

 

Boy! How I miss them!

 

Watch them in this Nightline clip.

 

And on last week's show I had mentioned a YouTuber did a series of videos imagining the prequels being good. I neglected to link to them. I will correct that below.

Episode 1.

 

Episode 2.

 

Episode 3.

 

I'm Not Going To Get Political, Uh, Yes, I Am

 

I noted that there was a heavily biased article lauding the bipartisan take down of the No Child Left Behind legislation. It was just one more failed policy of the Bush administration that had to be repaired by the sainted Pres. Obama. (I'm trying to reflect the biased nature of the article. I'm not claiming NCLB was good law or that Obama is perfect or whatever.)

 

When you read the article please note how there is an emphasis on this being a bipartisan action to undo Bush's disastrous law. That seems to imply that Bush and the Republicans passed the law unilaterally, doesn't it?

 

Let's take a closer look.

 

The NCLB legislation was written by Representatives John Boenher (R) and George Miller (D) and Senators Judd Gregg (R) and Edward Kennedy (D). No surprise there, because that's how legislation is written: By members of both parties.

But, surely, it was all the Republicans that wanted the law passed and the Democrats who objected in those days of fierce partisanship during the Bush administration, right?

Let's look at the numbers.

The vote in the House was as follows:

Republicans voted to pass NCLB by 186 - 34. Democrats voted to pass it by 197 - 10. That's funny. That's more Democrats voting in favor than Republicans and more Republicans voting against than Democrats. Interesting. Oh, and there was one Independent who voted for NCLB. His name was Bernie Sanders. Could it be the same Bernie Sanders? It could!

But how did the legislation fare in the Senate?

Republicans voted in favor 43 - 6, while Democrats voted in favor 47 - 2. Again, that's more Democrats voting in favor than Republicans and more Republicans voting against than Democrats.

Seems pretty bipartisan to me, though.

Oh, and notable Democrat Senators who voted in favor of No Child Left Behind? Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Harry Reid, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton!

But, yes, let's blame George W Bush.

 

Movie Recommendation: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

 

Disney/LucasFilm Ltd.

It's terrific! It's fun! It's practically mandatory to see it. So, see it!

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Everyone A Puzzle Lover' by 10,000 Maniacs & 'The Every Day Story of Smalltown' by XTC

Second ad break bumpers: 'Every Little Thing She Does is Magic' by The Police &  'Every Word Means No' by Let's Active

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com
 
You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.