text:
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Inappropriate humour
My latest video contains the lyric "My internet's gone down. Like the World Trade Centre." I didn't consciously plan to put it online two days before The Date That Must Apparently Never Be Joked About, and it wasn't until today that I noticed what I'd done. When the angry emails and comments started flooding in.
Normally, I don't think there'd be a problem with a line like that. People who subscribe to somegreybloke get the joke; they understand, I imagine, that Graham is blissfully unaware of what's appropriate, and enjoy watching him blunder stupidly across the borders of taste. That's the point of the character - he's socially inept, and yet he loves talking. Hilarity, hopefully, ensues.
Trouble with the latest video is, YouTube featured it at the top of their "Comedy" page. So in under two days it's had close to 80,000 views, and a lot of those people are finding somegreybloke for the first time - and finding him offensive:
"That rip on the WTC was really uncalled for. I can't believe that anyone would go that far in the name of humor. This video should be removed from YouTube for just that purpose (sic)."
"yeah, 911 jokes are not funny ever. Talk about dancing on the graves of the poor souls who died in the planes and twin towers."
There are also complaints about another line, one that goes: "Like Terri Schiavo, I've been disconnected..." - and I did have doubts about that one. But ultimately it seemed like a perfect analogy for the social networking death that results from being forced offline, and I left it in.
Okay. So by making this video, I've shown that I'm insensitive to the feelings of (maybe millions of) people who don't like jokes about tragedy. My question to you, the miniscule readership of this blog, is - are jokes like these justified if they raise a laugh simply by being inappropriate, or does there need to be a more serious point behind this kind of humour?
I'd really like to get a debate going about this, as it's something that concerns me.
35 comments:
- Jeremiah said...
I agree with something Larry David once said about the handling of taboo or sensitive subjects. It's the comedian's equivalent of a high jump. There's a greater risk of falling on your ass, but there's also a greater payoff when you succeed. It's circumventing a person's own sense of morality to create laughter, which can be very liberating, even though some people feel guilty about it afterwards.
The timing of the 911 joke might've been unfortunate, but those who are offended by it would've been offended any day of the year. I'm sure it'll soon be forgotten. Right now I'm working on a trailer for the Freud series, and it almost inevitably features a voice that sounds a lot like the recently deceased Don LaFontaine (thanks to the brilliant vocals of Max Koch). Some might find this in poor taste, and it's not my intention to be disrespectful. But I'm sure that months from now people will look at it and either assume it was made before LaFontaine's death or they simply won't think about it at all. On the other hand, we once made a video that had a mild crack about theboringdispatcher (months before he died) and one person seemed offended that we hadn't predicted his death and removed the joke retroactively. Some people are just idiots.
I know there've been other instances where a video went up that strangely coincided with something that was happening in the world. Our proudest moment was when Cornelius Blow's final video was posted the day Reverend Falwell died. But stuff like that fades from memory very quickly.
- 11 September 2008 at 15:47
- Mike said...
I've just seen another comment along the lines of "You posted this on SEPTEMBER 11th? I'm unsubscribed!", so I guess for some people the problem is the unfortunate coincidence of dates (that I could have avoided had I looked at a calendar and, you know, thought about it for a moment).
What interests me is how one decides where they're going to draw the line. I'm all for material that makes people laugh despite themselves, as I agree that it can be cathartic. But sometimes...
Example: British version of The Office. Gervais had some brilliant moments of bigotry that were funny because they came from the characters and were in context with what was going on. But in one episode, David Brent makes a reference to the movie "The Dam Busters" SOLELY so that Gareth can then use the word "nigger". There was no real reason to mention the movie, or to then focus on that scene in the movie - the reference was simply crowbarred into the story as an excuse to use a forbidden word. It was contrived - and to me, that's not clever.
I'm not sure if what I've done with Graham in this last video is similar. I can justify it to myself by saying "Well, to Graham, the loss of his internet connection is a tragedy on a momentous scale like the WTC attack, and he's just trying to express that, and unwittingly upsetting people"; but I also feel that maybe that's not a good enough reason to make a joke that has the potential to sicken people. Even if they are mainly idiots.
- 11 September 2008 at 16:16
- Jeremiah said...
I see what you mean.
I remember there was a brief period after September 11th when nothing seemed funny at all. Just two weeks later The Onion was finding ways of getting humor out of the situation, with articles like "American Life Turns Into Bad Jerry Bruckheimer Movie", "God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule", "Hijackers Surprised To Find Selves In Hell", and so on. I think at that point one could only laugh at the surrealism of it all.
Four years later there was that documentary about the "Aristocrats" joke. South Park's Eric Cartman tells a version where the family imitates the victims of 9/11, running around and screaming "Oh my God, the buildings are falling down!". In this case the whole idea of the joke was crossing the line, and they get away with it by having Stan and Kyle standing by with their mouths agape while Cartman makes an ass of himself.
As for your joke, I think is was perfectly consistent with the character Graham and the tone that's been well established in the series. The whole song is a variation of "My internet's gone down", which is probably the only event that would produce the emotions necessary for Graham to break into song at all. It becomes steadily more inappropriate until finally he compares it to the collapsing towers, which is the point where in real life we'd say "Oh, for fuck's sake Graham!" It's perfectly detached. You're not joking about people leaping from burning skyscrapers. And it's quickly followed by a reference to 9/11 conspiracy theories, which is always fair game.
Hmmm...I'm not sure if this is helpful to you. Perhaps we should hear from a dissenter.
- 11 September 2008 at 18:10
- Mike said...
Maybe I can attract some over from YouTube.
Meanwhile, best 9/11 joke ever:
- 11 September 2008 at 18:44
- srtgray said...
Well, I though it was funny.
- 11 September 2008 at 22:08
- OpenMind said...
Who-finds-what-funny is generally tightly connected with how close and how soon. Years ago "I've fallen and I can't get up" was funny to most people. Not to my husband, because his mother had just had that happen, and broken her hip. Two years later he told me he'd finally realized "I've fallen and I can't get up" is funny. ANY joke in ANY of your videos will be not-funny for someone who experienced it yesterday (such as Richie-the-pedophile vid). But there's no point in trying to create humor that will offend no one.
- 11 September 2008 at 23:11
- Nobody I said...
I love your videos and I thought those two "offensive" lines were the funniest ones in the whole piece. They're funny because he's blissfully unaware of his poor taste, which is in line with his general character. When you draw a large audience, you're going to get these people who constantly get "offended" at things. I don't even believe they're being genuine, but that's another debate I guess. I just want to say, please don't give in to those kinds of forces. Your humor is clever more than it is offensive, and those who don't like it can click on something else.
- 12 September 2008 at 00:08
- Jack said...
I thought it was funny.
Obviously 50% of morons are looking for something to argue at, the sheep will move onto another field.
It fits the character so well, I'm sure there are other less reaction breaking jokes, but the fans donut care.
- 12 September 2008 at 00:59
- adamtlord said...
everyone knows that 9/11 was a bad event, but this clearly was not meant to offend any of the victims.
- 12 September 2008 at 01:09
- organicprankster said...
Firstly, I don't believe there are subjects that are out of bounds for comedy; it's entirely about the context. I think the Terri Schiavo line is more problematical than the reference to the World Trade Centre, and in context - considering Graham is the source - I think that one works too.
Secondly - without wishing to get too sanctimonious about it - I think it's a hell of a lot more respectful (or at least a lot less sullying) to the people who died in those towers to take the piss out of the absurd conspiracy theorists than it is to... be an absurd conspiracy theorist.
- 12 September 2008 at 03:02
- Lincoln said...
Post-modern comedy seeks to make things of our past meaningless. By referencing the WTC attack, you're sucking the meaning from the event. For some people who invest a lot of meaning in the event, that is a horrible crime, and for others that don't even instill meaning in such events, it doesn't matter. Whether or not they get the joke isn't the problem for most people. By even including the joke, regardless of the punchline or the social ineptness of the character, you are calling the deaths of a large amount of people meaningless enough to be a one-liner in a youtube video.
I personally don't have a problem with it, I laughed very hard, but you can't really "prove" its social acceptability one way or another based on the views of individuals. Some people still put a lot of stock in "meaning," and I can certainly respect that, but I don't think you should censor your comedy just because some people don't fit with your brand of humor.
- 12 September 2008 at 07:51
- Lincoln said...
Also, call me a horrible person, but I find this equally hilarious.
- 12 September 2008 at 08:03
- Mike said...
Very good points. And that song is amazing.
- 12 September 2008 at 10:44
- Chris said...
Mike, I know a lot of people would get upset about that bit but it's only because you say "The World Trade Centre" it pictures up images of that fateful day.
And people saying that you posted it up on an inappropriate date the date of 9/11 , rubbish I say you're British and you posted on 11/09, obviously it wouldn't have clicked. Also when you're a creative, you can lose track of time I know I didn't know that it was 9/11 till later on in the day and all that did was reminded me that me and my ex wife split up the day before the Twin Towers.
I don't think you have anything to apologise for, you just used the WTC as simile. It was a small joke and it was poking fun at the whole conspiracy theory movies.
It could be worse I felt sorry for that Tolkien bloke bringing out that Two Towers movie what an insensitive T%$t!
- 13 September 2008 at 01:49
- dasuprememep said...
I think it's interesting that if you would have said, "My internet's down like a statue of Saddam." Then there wouldn't be much dissent.
The winners write the history books.
- 13 September 2008 at 09:14
I don't consider myself a prude but it's called respect, so close to the date? You do realize thousands of people died...right? Song was good...to bad you tried to squeeze that in...
- 14 September 2008 at 08:31
- Mike said...
As I said, the video going up so close to the date was unintentional.
I'd been working on it for months - the lyrics were written and recorded in June - and I did what I always do: as soon as the video was finished, it went online.
I'm rarely aware of what day of the week it is, let alone what date. Maybe I'll learn from this experience to pay more attention.
- 14 September 2008 at 11:29
- Rick Teasdale said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 15 September 2008 at 05:12
- SkyPork said...
I think "sensitive" jokes are only funny to someone if that person can get over their initial knee-jerk emotional response. Me, my knees don't jerk much at all, so I laughed. But I know people who are almost entirely governed by their emotions, and who still can't fathom that any group would have the gall to strike at 'Merica ... these people are the kind who are most likely sending you the scathing e-mails.
Please, please, please don't ever capitulate to those kind of people....
Also, if you haven't already seen it, check this out, because it's filled with funny.
- 15 September 2008 at 19:54
- Mike said...
Wow. That's a brave and hilarious piece of writing; I can't imagine how much hate mail they got for that.
(The end of the URL should be:
but Blogger cuts it off.)
- 16 September 2008 at 11:11
- Godfrey said...
Firstly - the social blundering is perpetrated by Graham (a fictional character), not Mike. It would be a sad day for the entertainment industry if nasty/offensive characters were no longer permitted. Can you imagine an action thriller, drama or horror movie with no "bad guys"?
Secondly - even Graham himself did not make light of 9/11, but merely used it as an example of a terrible tragedy or disaster (which, I presume is how the humour-impaired complainers see it).
So - with no reasonable reason for any reasonable person to be offended and no guilty feelings required on Mike's part, how to respond to the criticism?....
When in doubt, add more fuel to the fire. I think an apology from Graham himself is called for (suitably bungled of course). I'm looking forward to a somegreybloke video entitled "Graham apologizes" or similar.
- 19 September 2008 at 06:29
- Godfrey said...
I notice you got away with "kitten in a blender", "kitten wins argument with creationist", a dig at Jesus, and references to the Illuminati, Jenna Jameson blowjobs and Goatse (complete with graphic imagery), but it's the passing mention of 9/11 that draws the criticism.
Interesting where sensitivities do (and don't) lie. OK, most of the above could be missed if you're not paying attention to detail or are lacking basic literacy skills but...
People threatening to unsubscribe? This is fascinating - As subscribers, these folks have presumably watched episodes like "Baby photos" without any problems regarding tastelessness. Actually, they must have enjoyed these or they wouldn't have subscribed in the first place, but they're offended by a mention of 9/11?
The American psyche is a wonderful thing to behold (from a safe distance). Reaction to the Vietnam war is especially interesting. The death of 50 thousand American soldiers is (apparently) hugely meaningful, while the death (in the same war) of several million people of other nationalities is irrelevant.
Their way of dealing emotionally with this war involved several decades worth of Hollywood movies and TV series (e.g. Rambo and MASH) ranging in genre from action to comedy. By comparison, one seldom hears a word about the French war in Vietnam and the 50 thousand French soldiers who died in that war.
What does this have to do with Graham, you may ask. Well just that we need to (attempt to) understand where the criticism is coming from.
At the end of the day, while I appreciate that:
a) Americans tend to be hugely self-important and consider themselves the centre of the universe.
b) In general - Me spilling my coffee on the keyboard is a disaster; you slipping on a banana peel and breaking your neck is funny,
I have to admit I don't understand why:
a) It's acceptable to make millions of dollars from a comedy revolving around the American war in Vietnam (and related suffering).
b) It's not acceptable to even mention 9/11.
Think I'll give up trying to understand or sympathize with Americans and just wait for the "Graham apologizes" video.
- 19 September 2008 at 11:20
- lordkabab said...
It was 7 years ago, I mean c'mon, more people dies in Hurricane Catrina, seriously, get over it, I loved the joke, was very funny, and keep up the brilliant work.
- 19 September 2008 at 11:42
- Mike said...
I'll have a think about how Graham can make amends, Godfrey. Thanks for the suggestion.
- 19 September 2008 at 12:20
- gordon said...
I thought it was very funny. Don't let over-sensitive people stop the jokes. Nobody is forcing them to watch your vids..
- 29 September 2008 at 14:44
- Prophet said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- 30 September 2008 at 02:30
- Prophet said...
I watched the video and I loved it, as usual. When you mentioned the towers and Schiavo, I thought both were clever but I did stop laughing for a moment. And I cannot send it to people I know in real life because I'm in New York.
But this really is not about it being a taboo subject, it's simply about people faking offense or being easily offended who, most likely, do not even have the right to be offended by it in the first place--not that I'm implying that you need to live in New York to be hurt by the attacks. Additionally, anyone who is honestly offended should not be using YouTube (or for that matter, the internet) because they are bound to find things they will not like.
One thing I do not understand is the disproportionate amount of importance placed on 9/11. There are plenty of comedians talking about aspects of Katrina and its aftermath. Katrina caused over 4,000 deaths.
On the one hand, I find it unfortunate that you cannot make a joke about something that happened quite a few years ago without getting asinine and petty ripostes.
But on the other hand, they are just that: ridiculous and petty and should not be taken as anything more than the regular incoherent and homogenized bullshit that represents the only thing of which most YouTube users are capable.
This recent comic by xkcd sums up my thoughts:
You are no politician, you are a comedian, so if people are truly so offended by your video, then I am offended by their lack of intelligence.
- 30 September 2008 at 02:36
- deathvult said...
I do agree that talking about great tragedies is kind of strange.
But lets take a change of perspective, im sure youve all watched the dead muslim terrorist video, its very funny, and i dont see you all crying over that, if you think it through, its all the same stuff, and its funny.
So, all these people who love taking videos down, you should start making videos and expressing your opinions, and help each other out by improving ideias, not just blocking other people's creativity.
an and blocking is not the way to go ever.
Of course the autor could have written a million other options for that line, and obviously did not mean to ofend anyone, so dont just get harsh on the guy for silly stuff ok? Its not like hes saying sep/11 was good, or making fun of any victim, thers nothing mean on the sentence. He is just comparing his internet problems with the tragic incident. Not really even laughing at it, just mentioning it, so you should look at it as it is and not try to distort the way it has been mentioned as if this video in any way had any intention of offending anyone. Not even ISPs can get offended to such a silly video.
I am a long time subscriber, always found the videos funny, and my only complaint about this video is that its a rap, and i dont like rap to much, would prefer a death metal musical aproach ;-)
All the best with your next videos, look foward to seeing them.
- 19 October 2008 at 06:21
- Casual Dave said...
Just ask "what would Jesus do?" He let himself be crucified for his beliefs so there you go. Of course, I think this would have been funnier referencing Dick Cheney shooting his friend with a shotgun instead of golfing but I'm not sure if that story had come out before your video.
- 28 February 2009 at 20:00
- KiRa ShinoBaShi said...
Those lines in the video are perfectly fine, because you don't actually say what buildings they are, and you're not trying to make fun of it.
But all that doesn't matter, because every human on this earth has what are called 'Essential Human Rights'; little bits of rights that some countries (Amer¡ca, Russ¡a, ¡srael, etc.) do not seem to understand.
You are entitled to freedom of speech, religion, thought, expression, not to be subject to cruel and unusual punishment, and many others.
If you want to argue with this, I might happen to know where some of the USSR's 'misplaced and unaccounted for' nukes are, and they might accidentally land somewhere near you. Just kidding, but seriously people, this video is meant to be funny; let the artist's create what they want. After all, that's what being creative is all about, right?
- 11 March 2009 at 01:30
- Gabe said...
The terry schiavo line was hilarious.
- 20 April 2009 at 00:19
- Arifi said...
The Terry Schiavo line was terribly insensitive, the world trade tower line was absolutely horrible and when you inserted the Prophet Mohammad's "facebook page" into that episode, you were being offensive for absolutely no purpose. These things are not funny and sadly distract from the actual humor that is in the rest of your posts. You have the potential to be better than shock comedy. It's the lazy comedian's tool to mock issues or figures that people hold sacred. And the sad thing is, you actually have talent. You dont need that nonsense to get readers to laugh. It's one thing to have a character who is charmingly socially awkward and adorably befuddled; it is quite another to use shock humor to detract from the character and series itself. You have the potential to be better than this. Live up to it.
- 17 August 2009 at 05:14
- KennyT said...
ur mom
- 21 May 2011 at 21:01
- DragonTat2 said...
Interesting, 2012 mentioned at the end. Dude... you psychic?
- 18 January 2012 at 04:03
- Istas said...
I realize I'm incredibly late to the discussion here, but whatever, here's some more opinion for you. (and I agree with quite a few of the posts before this, so sorry to repeat so much)
I do not believe there is any topic beyond humor. It's much more the intent, the tone behind a joke, that matters. There's an immense gulf between two jokes with the same subject, the same progression, even the same exact words, when one's vindictive, or mean, or puerile, and the other is not.
You don't strike me as a mean comic. The video does not come off as mean or hurtful in tone. The fact that you posted this question/discussion at all is evidence that the people who immediately stormed off in a hissy fit over this are the ones being immature.
There are always people ready to be offended at the drop of a hat about any topic, and they're often the loudest. I would hate, as others have said, for these few to get others to censor themselves.
It's all subjective of course, but really, I don't think you crossed any lines with this. No reasonable ones, anyway.
And no, Dragon, he's not psychic about 2012, he was just aware of those particular conspiracy theorists before the (relatively) mainstream media picked up the furor as their next source of income.
- 2 June 2012 at 00:36


text:
March 16th, 2015
This is Part II of a two-part interview with Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal on the state of development-induced displacement in Istanbul and civil society strategies for resistance.
IMAGE CREDIT: Taksim Solidarity- Taksim Solidarity Group at the Gezi Park protests
DRAN: How do you see the emergence of civil society actors in the face of urban transformation in Istanbul? What is the current state of urban resistance against forced evictions and displacement?
Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal (CB): Urban resistance in neighborhoods continues with litigation and mobilization against displacement projects. Neighborhood activists visit each other, sharing experiences, documents, and mobilization tactics to find the most effective course of action. Advocates, activists, professional chambers of Architects and Engineers, and initiatives established after the Gezi Park Protests are in solidarity with the neighborhoods that are resisting displacement.
Unfortunately, the central and most local governments have succeeded in dividing the resistance and co-opting it in some instances. The ruling party's success lies in its loyal following of neoliberalism, turning everything into an asset to be marketized. Consequently, when a project is announced for a neighborhood, some residents, with the same mindset as developers, start making calculations about how much they can earn by selling their homes. In a country where more than half of the population lives on the brink of poverty, giving up one apartment or house and getting more in return seems like a good bargain. However, informal neighborhoods and lower income groups have no chance in this bargain. For neighborhoods expecting renewal projects justified by the Disaster Transformation Law [discussed in Part 1 of this interview] what is awaiting them are forced evictions and loss of their community; but, under the bombardment of win-win advertisements of renewal projects, they choose to believe in them. So, this system based on urban rent and land profit has been promoted not only from top down but bottom up as well.
DRAN: How can we strengthen civil society's response to housing rights violations in Istanbul?
CB: In a country where right to life has always been at stake, where imprisonment, torture and state repression have become usual mechanisms against dissidents, these issues indeed overshadow all the other violations including housing rights violations. Thus, social and economic rights have not been on the agenda of the civil society in Turkey with the exception of few human rights groups. Another issue has been the stigmatization of gecekondu (informal settlement) dwellers, mostly by middle classes, who perceive gecekondu dwellers to be usurping the state's land. So there can be no talk about housing rights here.
The breaking point of this divide was the Disaster Transformation Law, which meant even households with official title deeds were vulnerable to eviction – making everyone a potential gecekondu dweller. Then it was Gezi, where "Do not touch my park" was echoed with "Do not touch my neighborhood," along with the demand for all of the commons. By the time of Gezi, plans for urban renewal and regeneration, with all its violations, had come to light. Almost every week, there was a new project announced and complaints started building up. Neighborhood associations organizing under Urban Movements Istanbul and with the HIC-Habitat International Coalition Network were some of the first groups joining Taksim Solidarity, a coalition of civil society groups, professional associations, and NGOs. What was the Taksim Square project if not a renewal? Thus, through forums both in Gezi and in different parks in its aftermath, urban regeneration and renewal became one of the topics on the agenda.
Since Gezi it has been much easier to talk about the right to housing; but this is not enough. To raise awareness, we need reports supported by statistics and narratives; we need eviction maps, documentaries, photos, all kinds of tools to be able to disclose the whole picture and its brutality.
Besides, the right to adequate housing as pronounced in international human rights mechanisms and in relevant UN conventions need to be taught both to the affected communities and to the population at large.
DRAN: What is the importance of the Gezi Park protest in relation to the emerging grassroots organizations and right to city movements?
CB: First and foremost, Gezi has shaken urban movements from all scales, imbuing life and energy into a fatigued struggle by building hope and self-confidence. Gezi has smashed the opinion that the government can do whatever it plans to do and that it is futile to mobilize and struggle. Solidarity, participation, and the need for cooperation among diverse groups materialized in Gezi. This communal focus – the direct antithesis of the neoliberal city – showed us all that another city is possible. The Right to the City, a passive slogan and not a well-known concept in Turkey before Gezi, has reverberated in almost every protest, rally, and demonstration since.
A new kind of citizen and citizenship emerged after Gezi, one who feels responsible for issues about her or his environment, community, and habitat; one who is ready to struggle and resist, one who is not afraid anymore; one who stands up for self determination. We see this new citizen especially when the issue at stake is one concerning the environment and commons, be it a forest, park or an olive grove as in Yirca. The Gezi experience has made it easier for diverging groups to come together and fight for a common cause.
What is more, we see initiatives and solidarities merging into more united fronts. After Gezi, environmentalists in Istanbul merged into Northern Forests Defense (NFD) to fight against the mega projects like the Third Bridge project affecting the Northern Forest. NFD has also merged into Marmara Defense, comprised of environmentalists, grassroots groups and neighborhood associations in the Marmara region to mobilize resistance all over Istanbul against projects targeting green fields, parks, and groves as well. Gezi has meant that we now see regional solidarities emerging.
Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal is a leading housing rights activist in Turkey and spokesperson of Urban Movements-Istanbul. She was assigned by UN-Habitat as local expert of their Advisory Group on Forced Evictions (AGFE) and participated in the AGFE Istanbul Mission in 2009.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Well, folks, I'm back in Oklahoma City for an extended period of time! After 2 weeks of traveling for work and fun, my office is a mess, my apartment (that I moved into over 2 weeks ago) remains largely unpacked and I haven't seen some of my OKC friends for weeks! Weeks!
(<---- Me and Jamie J!)
This past week (Wednesday-Sunday), 2 adult leaders from my church and myself were able to attend the National Lutheran Youth Workers Conference in Orlando, Florida. It was a blast. So, in keeping with tradition, here are the highlights of the trip
*One of the best things about the trip was getting to spend lots of time with my DCE classmates. The first and last night of the conference, we all sat around and talked for a few hours about joys and concerns of ministry, our personal lives, related funny stories about church life and generally just got caught up. I got to see my former suite-mate, the now Mrs. Dave Timmerman whom I hadn't seen since Midyear and since Marriage. I also got to see Tara Brune, whom I think is just fantastic.
*Seeing my adults get fired up about the National Gathering. I think they were able to get a little taste of what's going to happen in Orlando next year for 37,000 youth.
*Starfield and Fusebox as the bands for the weekend. They were awesome. I heart Fusebox (who was the house band at the last gathering) and now I heart Starfield.
*National News with Jeffrey Meinz. Trust me, this was hilarious.
*These Guys.
*Seeing Blanke and Moulds! My two favorite Concordia Professors!
(<---- Us and Blanke. His comment "I've never been surrounded by so many women before")
*Wednesday Night's Reunion slash Birthday Party. I have not laughed that hard... since... well, Rachel's wedding weekend. After the reunion/birthday party we went to the mall, got some dinner, Spode tried sushi and then we all hung out at the fabulous Wyndham Orlando Resort hotel pool.
*Sleepovers. Spode and I were roommates, so we had some good late night chats about boys and life.
*Dinner with the Griffins, whom I hadn't seen since 1996- back in my OAFC-ing days. It was fun to catch up with all of them.
Those are the highlights. More later this week!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Well, folks, I'm back in Oklahoma City for an extended period of time! After 2 weeks of traveling for work and fun, my office is a mess, my apartment (that I moved into over 2 weeks ago) remains largely unpacked and I haven't seen some of my OKC friends for weeks! Weeks!
Posted by hannah at 11:51 AM 3 comments
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Greetings from Sunny Orlando! We wish you were here!
(This is a picture of Jamie and I. Yes, we are wearing scarves. Yes we are wearing pajama shorts over our pants. Yes we have on party hats, and YES that is a pepto bismol pink "ask me Jesus" statuary that when you ask it questions answers with things like "Watch out for the lightning" )
Posted by hannah at 8:48 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Good Clean Fun
This past weekend was the Sattgast-Lail wedding extravaganza in Huron, South Dakota. I think this has been the most fun wedding weekend attended this far in all my wedding circuit touring. So, without further ado, here's my high points of the weekend.
1. Friday night at the Granite City Brewery in Sioux Falls, SD. I learned that irony is coincidence mixed with tragedy and that everything else is just arbitrary (not random). Grace coined the term "tragonic" to cover everything else that is neither random or ironic. I also learned how to play cornhole, a game where you throw beanbags (cornbags?) into a hole. For a first effort, I didn't do too shabbily. Unfortunately, the Cornholio's did not win the tournament, but not for a lack of trying (or not so subtle cheating on my part). Huron jokes were also a big hit... ex. "what do you say when you jump off a cliff? Huronimo!" "Huron the road yet?" "Huron... Hur-off!" you get the idea. Oh and the soup bowl of ranch that the waiter thought Matt actually drank.
2. The arbitrary K-mart and zesto's ice cream run. The poor Zesto's people probably thought we were crazy out-of-towners as did all of the K-mart people. (See what happens when you let loose about 6 or 7 Concordia Alums?)
(At Zestos. I got a "Krazy Krunch Kone")
3. Spending time with Grace when all the other wedding party people had to go be responsible. We got to take naps and things.
4. Bowling on Saturday. While everyone else was at the rehearsal dinner, Mark, Grace and I went bowling. Mark made the whole night fun with his bowling fun gift bags. He was an excellent date and best of all... I won! (with an 81...we're just that good)
(We take bowling very seriously in Huron. Notice the "cosmic bowling glow in the dark necklace" around Grace's neck? And our awesome headbands and wristbands? Mark made sure we were prepared to get our bowl on)
5. Dinner at the Pizza Ranch on Saturday and making Mark laugh so hard he choked on his food when I said that Grace was "housebroken".
6. The Bonfire-less Bonfire at the Sattgast farm and hearing all about Ben's horrible dating experience. Grace and I looked at the stars that aren't visible in the Oklahoma City or Lodi lights.
7. The wedding. It made me cry a little bit actually (something I've not done before). Rachel looked beautiful, the messge was wonderful (especially the bit Pastor Sattgast read from one of Bob's emails to Rachel).
8. Seeing Bob and Rachel. I can't imagine two people more suited for each other. They looked so ridiculously happy and excited and in love it made me a little nauseous. just kidding.
9.The "third time's a charm" bouquet toss.
10. Dinner at Verto's and our nice waiter Larry.
11. Japanese Haiku, tent shopping, and funny text messages on the drive home.
12. Meeting new friends and seeing old ones and being able to pick up where you left off. And seeing how much everyone is still the same, but different.
13. Having an excuse for a reunion.
Posted by hannah at 11:39 AM 3 comments
Friday, July 07, 2006
Spode's Nifty Little Survey
So, I took this from the spode's website and thought it was nifty so I'm ripping it and filling it out for me, even though I should SO be moving my stuff right now. I have today, tomorrow and sunday afternoon. ack. ack. ack. Anyway, on to the survey!
Two Names You Go By:
1. Hannie (or Hannie Lou to some)
2. Banana (hannah-banana)
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. Old Navy Tank tops- my summer love
2. My super cute long necklace
Two Things You Would Want in a Relationship:
1. Faith
2. Patience (let's face it folks, I'm gonna need it) :)
The second number 2. A large shopping budget (see why I need patience)... ok so maybe that's three things but lets face it, if you know me, well, you'll see why thats important
Two of Your Favorite Hobbies:
2. Shopping (Hey--spode has movie watching I can have shopping)
Two Things You Want Really Badly At The Moment:
1. A personal moving company
2. A stress-free job :)
Two pets you had/have:
1. Blaze (the dog)
2. Squeaky the cat (that lived like 3 days)
Two things you did last night:
1. Ate at Johnny Carinos
2. Packed
Two People that live in your house:
1. Me and Pretty soon, no one.. I'm moving...
2. Myself
Two things you ate today:
1. Johnny Carinos leftovers
2. Yogurt covered raisins
Two people you Last Talked To:
1. Lindsey
2. The lady at my apartment complex
Two Things You're doing tomorrow:
1. Moving
2. Planning my children's message
Two longest car rides:
1. Bedford, NH to Willow Hill, IL (November '93)
2. Fargo, North Dakota to Oklahoma City, OK (October '05)
Two Favorite Holidays:
1. 4th of July
2. Christmas Eve
Two Things You Can't Live Without:
1. Books
2. Sonic
Posted by hannah at 11:53 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Ridiculously Excited
My name is Hannah and I'm addicted to blogger.
It turns out I just can't stay away. My 10 day hiatus seemed more than enough. So I'm back.
It turns out that I'm the oddball. I used to think that EVERYONE has this big "leaving the state to go to school" experience as well as the "settling in some unknown location and setting up camp" experience. Well, it turns out that minus my friends from concordia, most people aren't like me. They go to a local school, settle somewhat close to home and have a lot of the same college friends around or close and maybe one or two people from their circle have left to pursue fame, fortune, riches, etc. in different locaitons.
God has richly blessed me here in OKC with friends and a great place to do His ministry, but there are times that I wish that all my Concordia friends had all gone to a state college and settled 10 minutes from each other or at the most an hour and that there weren't time zones and things that separated us. So, when opportunities come up to see friends--especially in large quantities, I tend to get very excited. Over-the-top-bouncing-up-and-down-Ridiculously Excited. And there are a couple coming up this very month! YAY!
1)Sattgast's Wedding! I cannot tell you how pumped I am. This is going to be one big CU reunion to witness the union of bob and rachel. Yay! I get to see and spend some QT with Grace and see Anna who's been hiding in Taiwan this past year and not to mention lots of other supercool people that I haven't seen since graduation or longer. Also on my trip to South Dakota I get to see Lindsey and "SARAH SARAH" :) As well as B! Then... on my way home, I get to see the lovely Amy for dinner/possible sleepover in scenic Lawrence, Kansas. I cannot wait. It's going to be a smorgasbord of friends!
2)The National Lutheran Youth Workers' Gathering in Orlando this summer. YAY! I get to see spode and jamie and Tara and lots of other people I haven't seen since midyear or beyond. (well spode I saw at jen's wedding... but still..not for very long and not with Jamie. It was like a spoke in our wheel was missing).
So, yes, I am ridiculously excited.In this two years of life since Concordia, God has sent so many of my friends in so many different amazing places all over the world that it's nice to have TWO (count em TWO) great chances and places to see these people that I consider closer than family sometimes. I can't wait.
Posted by hannah at 1:33 PM 2 comments


text:
Adventures in Wisconsin Judaism
So, I live in Madison, Wisconsin. There is no eruv (I miss my heels, which can't make the 20-minute walk to anywhere on Shabbos), no kosher meat or cheese, no non-Chabad frum shul, no Chinese food, no kosher restaurant that also serves sushi. We do, however, have two Shloimys and a sheitel guy (who asked me if I needed mine back before Shabbat). That's as good as a pizza shop, right?


text:
Getting to create magical worlds is one of my favorite things about being a photographer. I love taking an idea and turning it into a reality. From Costumes to makeup, building or finding the perfect location to photograph in is all part of the journey to creating the perfect image.
One of the cool things about what I do is there are so many ways that I can achieve one idea. If you recall last year in august, I did a mermaid session where I made a costume on the fly, had my beautiful clients hair and makeup done and we headed out to French park to spend the day playing mermaid.
It was beautiful and I really enjoyed what came from that session. However, there are always things I'm taking notes on and trying to learn how to do better for next time. So this year to prepare for Mermaid Season - Totally a thing by the way - I've spent some extra time going over my notes to see what I can do differently to make a better image for all you future mermaids.
When creating images like these it is super important to me that things look real. To say that I am a picky editor is an understatement. I spend an ungodly amount of time editing an image, picking at little details to make sure they are perfect. To me an image is just not worth creating if the texture, depth of field, and photoshop elements don't look like they are real and authentic. When you look at an image I want you to feel like it's a real place and not really question if anything was a photoshop addition or not- even if it was.
One of my big things that I had on my list from last August was definitely mermaid scales. Sure, makeup scales were fantastic and they are great to use if I'm not submerging you in the water but chances are, I am. And what does makeup do when it hit's water usually? If your answer was "Washes away" you would be correct. Yes, I know there is makeup out there that will stay in water but It's good to have a back up plan and know how to do what you need without it.
Another thing on my list was the mermaid tail. Silicone tails can be a pretty penny and I wanted to know how to make a tail that I could change every time I used one because no mermaid is the same.
To practice what I had learned I dug out some images from my prior session that I didn't release to the public and applied my new skills to them. I didn't add the mermaid tail to these but I promise you that it looks amazing! That you will have to wait and see this upcoming Mermaid Season.
I love how these new images turned out and I can't wait to get rolling with new projects for this summer.
If you or someone you know would like to become a mermaid this summer, send me a message or click here to view how dream sessions work.


text:
May sees the publication of "The Reluctant Daughters", Double Edge Press, Scenery Hill, PA:--Elisabeth Ackert Riis will stop at nothing, including using her drug-addicted daughter, to prevent the nomination of Senator Justin Pembroke for the Presidency of the United States of America in 1900.
"The Swimming Corpse", a Blender's Story, sequel to The Prince of Keegan Bay, has been accepted by Champagne Books, Calgary Canada, publishers of Keegan Bay. No publication date yet.
Double Edge Press is currently reading her latest work, a dystopian novel, "Silent Autumn."
"Elena," The Girl with the Piano, published by Double Edge Press in 2012 is an EPIC finalist for Historical Fiction --(Electronic Publications Industry Coalition.) Ronnie will be attending the awards ceremony in San Antonio TX March 15th.
Veronica and local authors Lois Gerber and Joan King will present a Mystery Writing workshop at 2pm on March 11th at the Port Orange Public Library. All are members of City Island Fiction Writers, Veronica and Joan are members of the Florida Writers Association.
Veronica will present a 3 hour workshop on Basic Writing (10:30 am to 1:30 pm) on March 18th at the Midtown Cultural and Education Center, G.W.Engram Blvd, Daytona Beach.


text:
Check out free samples of ActualTests certification exams in PDF Test Files. Download free sample PDF Test Files below.
NOTE: every sample exam file below contains 30 questions & answers only.
See for yourself how ActualTest's Exam Engine makes you feel like you're actually taking the test. Download free sample ActualTests Exam Engines below.
Download PDF Download Exam Engine
|CompTIA 220-601 : CompTIA A+ Essentials
|CompTIA 220-602 : CompTIA IT Technician
Can't find the necessary exam? Contact us and we will prepare it for you.


text:
Ten to Avoid—The Worst Products of the Year
every gift guide is the same. each focuses on the great products you can buy to make mom, dad, sis, or the boss happy. but when you get to the store, they always seem to be out of the best stuff. so you're forced to make compromises and do the best you can out of the dreck that's left. here are two handfuls of devices to avoid at any cost this holiday season, culled from the worst-scoring products we tested this year.
digital cameras: john c. dvorak seems to think that a $99 concord camera is just the ticket. well, if it's anything like the concord 5062afdon't walk, run to another product instead. this camera claims to be five megapixels, and i'm sure that in some engineering fantasy land it pushes that many electrons. at about $200, it's probably the cheapest 5mp camera you'll see. but in this case, cheap doesn't equal good. in our tests, its picture quality was barely equivalent to a 2mp camera, which can be found for much less than two benjamins. it starts up slow and cycles slower, taking more than five seconds between shots. whites were blown-out and images were overly green. if kermit the frog is on your list, then maybe. otherwise, no. our digital camera product guide has much better choices for every budget.
pda: ipaq used to stand for quality. then hp bought compaq, and you can't bet on an ipaq anymore. witness the fundamentally flawed ipaq rz1715. hp's low-end pda was designed to compete with low-cost products from dell and palm, but it lacks any of their redeeming qualities. the glacially slow processor and anemic memory make using it torture, but at least the pain is short livedbecause the battery wears out hours before the ones on comparable units do. it's a pity this ipaq's so bad, but don't saddle yourself or your friends, with this boat anchor. there are better products available for less. our pda product guide has details.
phone: samsung has built a major brand around the twin concepts of style and quality. but as we found when we tested the samsung d415, the first slider phone for cingular, style without quality just doesn't cut it. sure, the phone looks cool. but svelte it is not. in fact, our reviewer called it a "big chunky slab," which is not what i want to carry around in my pocket. it's both big and difficult to manage. the four-way navigation pad seems to have been designed by orangutans without opposable thumbs. finding a command in the menus takes longer than it took the minnow's crew to escape gilligan's island, and selecting that option requires either two hands or a stutter-step of rapid finger movement. the audio's bad, the speaker phone is muffled, and the processor is slow. think again if you're looking for a fashionable phoneand check out our phone product guide for better choices.
desktop pc: for apple, the entry-level emac really does represent think different. that's because for a company that prides itself on quality, this computer is different. as in bad. on the plus side, it's stylish. on the downside, it's slow, underpowered, and pathetic. the 40gb hard drive will fill up quickly, the lack of a dvd burner makes offloading files impossible, and the radeon 9200 graphics card won't even run this fall's hot mac games. and at around $800, this emac ain't cheap. if you're considering a home apple, think different. buy a dell. or be prepared to spend a lot more for an acceptable apple computer. our desktop product guide can lead you to the best apples, along with the best of the rest.
notebook pc: voodoo has made quite a name for itself in the enthusiast category, delivering super-fast tweaked-out boxes for gamers and power users who don't want to build their own. we've favorably reviewed a number of their pcs, and found them fast, well built, and good-looking. yes, the voodoopc envy m:380 looks good, but one out of three is not enough. at an outrageous price of over $4,000, this notebook should be spitting fire and hauling butt. instead, it just sits there and delivers less-than-stellar performance for a gaming notebook. it barely even beat sony's lame vaio a190. if you're looking for a gaming notebook, we've got better options, for less, in our laptop product guide.
multifunction printer: dell entered the printing market with a bang last year, and quickly jumped to over 16% market share in the us. but if you're looking for a multifunction printer, avoid dell's lame mfp laser printer 1600n. the output quality's ok, especially on text, but it's slower than a 330-pound defensive tackle with two bad knees on a muddy field. this is dell's first homegrown printerit got previous models from lexmarkand it shows. oh, and don't expect to use the fax machine or copy any body parts over the network when the pc connected up to the dell 1600n is shut off. that's ridiculous, especially for a network-attached device. if you're in the market for a nice multifunction printer, check out our mfp product guide, where you can find an award-winning brother for hundreds of dollars less.
mp3 players: with so many good players on the market, from apple's ipod to creative's flashy new zen micro, you really have no excuse for purchasing a bad mp3 player this season. unless you fall prey to the mp3-headphone combo scam perpetrated by tdk. the company's mojo 1 combines a tinny set of headphones with a barely usable mp3 player and a woefully inadequate 128mb of memory. and even though it claims to support both mp3 and wma, it actually plays neither! instead the pc software converts your digital music files into a third, proprietary format before copying them to the headphones. that's like watching the neighbor's tv with a periscope. bad sound, bad controls, bad software, and bad design. what else could go wrong? you can find much better choices in our mp3 product guide.
hdtv: high-definition content looks great on an hdtv, but on a regular tv, which is most of what you'll probably watch, it can look worse than an ancient philco. and that's where the ads upconverter seems a logical choice. it claims to convert dvds and over-the-air tv into video that'll stand up to real hd content. don't buy it. marred by a terrible user interface, a remote control seemingly designed by ascetic monks, and output quality that redefines gigo (good in, garbage out), it's a quick $500 flushed down the drain. for better hdtv choices, including sets with decent built-in upconverters, see our hdtv product guide.
camcorder: the tiny size and supposed flexibility of fisher's fvd-c1 would seem to make it an amazing video-camera choice. and it is, if you're lucky enough to have perfect lighting, love the bundled ulead editing software, and have oodles of money to burn on buying additional sd cards. for everyone else, including our user reviewers, this product stinks. with a severe allergy to fluorescent lights, a zoom control more twitchy than jennifer tilly in seed of chucky, and a bizarre incompatibility with all but the bundled video editor, it's destined for an early trip to the slag heap. and at more than $700, it's not a cheap toss-off. you'll find much better choices in our video camera product guide, many of them for far less than this twisted offspring of a norelco shaver and a $50 webcam.
wireless: home networking has been all the rage this year, as families connect pcs around the house with televisions, stereos, game players, and more. you'd think that with a name like "gigafast," the wf717-apr router would deliver a great performance, but you'd be gigawrong. buy this one and you'll end up gigasad in no time. that's because it delivered some of the worst long-distance numbers we saw all year, dropping out after only 120 feet. that means it'll hardly penetrate from the office to the bathroom, let alone to the kids' room upstairs. it's also gigabuggythe router needed to be rebooted before disconnected machines could reconnect to the network. and without support for the new wpa security scheme, it practically invites the neighborhood hackers into your network. that's not just gigabad, it's hellabad. we've tested scores of hubs and routers that performed better. just stop by our wireless product guide for details.
that's it for this year's top ten list of products to avoid. have a gigahappy holiday, and remember: it might be the thought that counts, but if the gear is bad, the thought doesn't matter a nanobit.
more jim louderback:


text:
You are cordially invited to discover New Zealand with PRO DAIRY January 14-26, 2018!
This tour will provide participants a thorough introduction to the New Zealand dairy sector, a sector that has traditionally been defined internationally by its all-grass, low cost production systems. As a result of the high global milk prices in the early/mid 2010s, many New Zealand dairy producers shifting to higher input, higher-cost regimes to increase production. However, the more recent sharp decreases in global dairy prices have meant reassessment of optimal management systems. The tour will cover both the more traditional and the highly developed regions such as the Waikato, North Island, and also one of the newer, rapidly developing regions of the South Island – Canterbury. In this southern region, economies of scale and irrigation are the main points of difference, with a range of feed supplement levels. In both regions, common themes at the farm stops will be local, national, and international factors affecting dairy business management decision making. Also covered in the tour are research and development and agri-technology aspects of dairying, through visits to the Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), farm extension activities, Lincoln University, and Dairy NZ (with Cornell Alumni).
Other sectors of the New Zealand's agricultural industry are not neglected, with visits to top notch kiwifruit, avocado, sheep, beef operations and high country alpine properties as well, where you get to meet and talk with more farming family owners – the real face of New Zealand farming – about agribusiness topics important within their sectors of operation.
Register now to attend! Hurry space is limited to the first 50 participants!
Visit the website below for trip details, pricing, and reservation form:


text:
.nom.pe Domain Names
Build your brand in Peru with a .nom.pe domain.
Available now! Starting at
The domain for Peru and you.
A .nom.pe domain says something about you. The .pe part shows you're either in the country of Peru or that's your focus, and the .nom is all about the individual. Putting them together shows not only an interest in Peru, but also puts you and your personal brand on the map right there in the country. It can be hard to stand out with a domain name, but with .nom.pe, it's not even a challenge.