dimland radio 6-10-17 show notes

Today My Son Is...

...No longer a middle schooler.

My boy made it through preschool, kindergarten and, now, middle school and I'm feeling kinda melancholy. My wife and I are gonna miss that school and we anticipate the next four years going pretty fast.

These kids grow so fast.

We noted the wide range of physical maturity was on full display with those 200 or so 13 and 14 year-olds. It was incredible. Some appeared to be old enough to be graduating from high school. One young lady looked as though she could have been a teacher at the school.

Our boy still is on the young looking side, but that just means he'll look much younger than his actually years when he makes it to middle age. Just like his father.

And no Dimland Radio show could be complete without me complaining about people taking video in portrait format. I really need to cool it with that, but seated right in front of my wife and me at the ceremony were four people taking video the wrong way. ARGH!

But there are times when portrait can work. For instance...

Is Richard Spencer A Nazi Or Is He A Poe?

Probably a Nazi, although today's Nazis aren't exactly your grandfather's Nazi, but they're almost as bad. Still, whenever I listen to Spencer, which hasn't been very often, I keep hoping he's some performance artist playing this part to parody the racists of this country. He can't really think that way can he? 

Well, yeah, he can. He doesn't impress me as being a deep intellectual thinker. In fact, he seems like a dipshit. He even finds the American ideals of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happy to be "faggy." Well, he's definitely not a member of the Tea Party.

Former NBA star, Charles Barkley hosts a documentary series that focuses on race problems in America. He's attempting to have the difficult conversations he believes are necessary to improve the lives of all Americans, especially those in the minority. I haven't seen the series, so I'm not sure how well he does in furthering those ends.

The series does have its critics. But watching the segment with Spencer has me thinking Barkley and his partner in that interview, Gerald Griggs, showed great restraint as they listened to the bullshit. And, as far as I know, neither man punched the Nazi.

But is Spencer just putting one over on everyone? Probably not, but watch this clip. Can he really think this way?

Dimland Radio ARGH! Cats Being Let Outside

You really shouldn't let your cats outside people. There are way too many hazards out there: Disease, parasites, predators, poisons, cruel people, traps, traffic, and unwanted pregnancies to name a few. There is also the fact the cats are really doing a number on bird populations. Some experts might disagree, but indoors is the best place for kitty.

Last week, I discovered another reason you should keep your cat inside. Not that they might do their bathroom duties around the shrubs in your backyard, which is bad enough. No, some of those little buggers might actually damage your property.

We allow our cat on the closed in front porch, which she really likes. Well, the other night one of the neighbor's cats tried to get on the porch and tore the shit out of the screen of the porch door. Good thing the glass was down.

Don't Forget The Power To Edit

 

The Barkley documentary clips reminded me to once again tell listeners that whenever they watch documentaries, people on the street interviews, etc to always remember the filmmakers have the power to edit.

 

Remember the viral video of a young woman walking the streets of New York City being constantly approached by strange men? I will say I'll never understand how dudes can just hit on strange women just walking by. I guess it's not in my nature.

 

That said, remember the viral video clocks in at just under two minutes. That was edited down from ten hours of video of her walking around. Ten hours! Another editor could easily cut together two minutes of he walk without be spoken to or approached at all.

 

I wondered if a two minute video could be made from those ten hours showing only women talking to her.

 

Timing Is Everything

 

I ear-witnessed a car accident the other morning. After getting my son on the bus, the bus got a little hung up on the corner. The driver was trying to make a turn, but there was a young fellow driving a car in the way of the bus. After a few moments, the young fellow was able to get by the bus and the he and the bus went on their way.

 

I'm crossed the street heading the same way as the young fellow. A few seconds passed and I heard a loud crash. The young man hadn't noticed he needed to stop at the next intersection. He drove through and was T-boned.

 

Had the bus gotten there a minute earlier or later, the whole accident might have been avoided. Timing is everything.

 

Rod Hull And Emu

 

Finally, I talked about how weird the 1970s were and I used the comedy act of Rod Hull and Emu as an example. I blogged about it for Warehouse Find, the official blog of Nostalgia Zone. Click here to read all about it.

 

Movie Recommendation: None

I ran out of time, so you are on your own this week.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Celebrated Summer' by Husker Du & 'Armgh' by Au Pairs

Second ad break bumpers: 'Turning Japanese' by The Vapors & 'Subdivisons' by Rush

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

Please subscribe on iTunes! Just search for Dimland Radio in the podcast section. And if you could leave a good rating and a positive review it would be awesome.

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.

dimland radio 1-28-17 show notes

I Was A Baaaaaad Boy

This past Tuesday I was on my way to work and my impatience got the better of me. A fellow was making a left turn in front of me and I just couldn't be bothered to wait five seconds. I passed him on the shoulder.

 

I was immediately pulled over by a member of law enforcement and handed a ticket. Great. Well, I only have myself to blame.

Defending The Indefensible

No, my show wasn't taken over by some wild-eyed alt-right wing nut, but I did cut Pres. Trump a little slack. Not a lot, but I did cut some slack.

 

I understand why he thought there were so many people at his inauguration. I have seen photographic evidence that was taken, not exactly from his viewpoint, but quite close. From that angle it is very difficult to tell how much empty space there was. He only saw a sea of people.

 

I drew back a little of that slack when he and his press secretary continued to push the idea that there was a million plus in attendance. It's hard to refute the images taken from the Washington Monument from the back and far above the crowd. That image made it clear that there were far less people there than in 2009.

 

2009 on the right, 2017 on the left. The 2017 picture was taken with more time before the speech, so it filled in a bit more, but it's evident there were considerably less people there.

Gigapixel!

 

Source: CNN/PetaPixel

If you are like me, whenever you watch an old detective show with a technician working a miracle by enlarging a little blob in a photograph into a detailed image, you shout at the TV, "It doesn't work that way!" Well, thanks to science, there is now camera technology that can be zoomed in on and have amazing clarity. CNN used in on Inauguration Day.

 

It's this image that I saw that helped me understand why Pres. Trump thought the event was "yuge."

Taking One Item Off The List Of Appalling Behavior

In my continuing defense of the otherwise indefensible, I moved on to one of the most appalling examples of the appalling behavior of candidate Trump. Remember when he mocked a reporter by making fun of the fellow's disability? It was sickening. "What can't this guy get away with?" we all were thinking. And I was thinking it, too.

 

But, I've seen some video evidence of Mr. Trump making virtually the same gesture when talking about Ted Cruz, a general, the bankers, and himself. I can accept that the gesture, voice, and facial expression he made when he talked about that reporter, Serge Kovaleski, are the same as when he is showing someone to be flustered. I don't think he was mocking a disability, he was mocking a reporter who happened to have a disability.

 

Of all the objectionable ideas, attitudes, and behaviors of Pres. Trump I'm willing to cross this one off the list.

 

Watch this clip and see if you might agree with me.

 

It's Not True: Kellyanne Conway's Gucci Stewardess Outfit And Women's March Litter

Yes, I know "stewardess" is not the correct title, but the outfit looked as though it was from the 70s, so I used the term from that time. I also called it a sailor suit.

 

Anyway, it looked awful. We have now learned that Guicci and Armani (see Hillary Clinton's grossly over-priced jacket) are capable of designing crappy looking clothes. What's not true is that Gucci stole the design from an old dress pattern from the tackiest of all decades: the 1970s.

 

 

The image above is just some clever and well executed hoaxing. Someone found an old dress pattern package and altered the illustration on the front to make it look as though Gucci stole the design. Snopes quickly laid this one to rest. 

 

 

Lest you think I've gone all right wing on you, I did mention the image (above) of the Women's March picket signs all left on a sidewalk was not an example of littering. Much like the flowers that nearly buried the fence around Buckingham Palace after the death of Princess Diana, the signs were left as a message. Not a message of love is in the case of the dead Princess, but a message of protest toward America's new President. Those signs were left, on purpose, outside of Trump International Hotel in Washington DC. It wasn't the Women's Marchers not caring about the environment.

 

The Sucker Punch Cheered 'Round The World

I was rather disappointed by the reaction of some of my friends on the Left when video of white supremacist Richard Spencer getting sucker punched surfaced. Many were delighted. I understand the visceral enjoyment of such a moment, but this kind of action does not make things better.

Penn Jillette has said that the answer to bad speech is more speech. Sucker punching someone with whom you disagree does not help. It's behavior akin to terrorism - scare the shit out of someone spewing bad speech by making them fear physical harm and they might shut up.

 

Yay! Big victory for you. But what hearts and minds have you changed?

When people start punching they stop listening.

I compared that sucker punch to the punch doled out by Buzz Aldrin some years ago. Aldrin's punch was different. He was defending himself from a belligerent moon hoax conspiracy theorist. The nut was told to leave the second man to walk on the moon alone by both Aldrin and several other people in the vicinity. But the nut persisted and had Aldrin cornered.

The nut, who was taller, younger, and bigger than the former astronaut, was looming over Aldrin when he called Aldrin a liar and a coward. Buzz had had enough. He punched the nut in the face.

This was self-defense. The nut was repeatedly asked and told to leave Buzz Aldrin alone. Aldrin had tried to get away from the man. Finally, the tough old bird acted. There were no charges.

Aldrin was acting in self-defense. The cowardly anti-Trump protestor was attempting to shut up someone whose speech may be disagreeable, but is protected by the 1st Amendment. And I mean coward. The low level terroristic protestor's face was hidden and once he took Spencer off guard with that punch he ran away.

I was further disappointed by some of my Facebook friends, who enjoyed the punch, when they tried to justify it because they think it's OK to sucker punch Nazis. Well, kids, where does it stop? Who else is it OK to sucker punch? Who decides where to draw the line?

The 1st Amendment isn't there to just protect the speech we like. It's there to protect speech we don't like. It's there to protect the free exchange of ideas. If we start stopping ideas we don't like from being voiced, how long before you're the one with an idea that might be disliked?

A sucker punch wouldn't be so funny then, would it?

 

Movie Recommendation: None

I ran out of time this week, so you are on your own.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Say Goodbye' by Hunters & Collectors & 'Only You' by Yaz

Second ad break bumpers: 'Remote Control' by Red Guitars & 'Falling' by Angelo Badalamenti

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

Please subscribe on iTunes! Just search for Dimland Radio in the podcast section. And if you could leave a good rating and a positive review it would be awesome.

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.