Forty-seven years ago today, mankind boldly went where it had never gone before. And a whole new iconic genre was born. It could be argued Star Trek has become the most successful and recognized media spectacle of the past 50 years - yes, even bigger than the James Bond empire. Tech Republic certainly thinks so, listing it at the top of its "Top 10 Geek Media Franchises of All Time" (topping Star Wars and Doctor Who, among others). When you combine the initial TV series plus its various reincarnations, movies, parodies, books, video games, greeting cards, ComicCon tributes, and so much more, Star Trek has had a major impact on today's society, and will do so in the future.
The series' immense box office haul has been about quantity, rather than quality, to be honest. There have been amazing moments - "Khaaaaaaaaaaan!" comes to mind, as does the meeting of captains Kirk and Picard in Star Trek: Generations - but the Gene Roddenberry-inspired space saga's accomplishment is really about staying power.
I had the opportunity to meet George Takei (yes, Sulu) this past July as the Florida Supercon in Miami. It was an honor and a privilege to meet Takei, who has (like William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy) remained visible in the media eye and voiced his opinion about political issues (in particular orbiting around gay rights). We had a chance to chat, albeit briefly, about his position on the Boy Scouts of America and gay rights issues whilst in Miami, and I even had the opportunity to bring our own "six degrees" moment to light. (The actress who played his daughter in the aforementioned Star Trek: Generations, Jacqui Kim, graduated a year after me from Bloomfield Hills Lahser High School). He thought that was pretty cool.
So here I present five (or more) of my favorite Star Trek movie moments, because ... seriously, why not?
(1) "Khaaaaaaaaaaan!" I mean, hell, I even mentioned it in my comments a few paragraphs ago, so how could I neglect it here? A classic moment from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan:
(2) Who else but Kirk would have the balls to question God's existence openly? NO ONE, that's who! Not a great movie, to be honest, but one of my favorite scenes in the series is from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, where Kirk - in all his Kirkiness - addresses the elephant in the room: What does God need with a starship?
It’s no secret that The Final Frontier is 100% Shatner's baby, baby! Not only is the movie heavily Kirkcentric, it also features him doing more action-adventure oriented things than in the previous films. But when asked to share his pain with Sybok, Kirk becomes the Kirk of old, yelling, "I don’t want my pain taken away, I need my pain!" This is classic Kirk - a bit over the top, and a bit cartoony ... just like our protagonist.
(3) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home landed the Star Trek crew in San Francisco ... a place extremely foreign to a gang used to visiting numerous foreign societies. Nuclear wessles, indeed ...
(4) Spock's death in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was as riveting and tear-jerking a moment that ever existed in cinematic history. I've connected his farewell commentary into many a Lincoln Douglas Debate speech for my students: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."
Leonard Nimoy discusses that specific scene in his book "I Am Spock":
This, of course, ties in to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, when the crew of the USS Enterprise need to get Spock's body back from Genesis, and Kirk sacrifices the ship to save the crew. Because sometimes, the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many ...
(5) Passing the torch from the original Star Trek to the Star Trek: The Next Generation world involved bringing Kirk and Piccard together in a time travel paradigm ... something the space aces were more than capable of doing on a regular basis.
Live long and prosper for another half-century (and beyond) ... Weird News of the Day
From CNN: "107-year-old man killed in police shootout in Arkansas, authorities say'" - Committing aggravated assault, getting involved in a standoff with SWAT officers who send in camera, gas, and a "distraction device" (whatever that is), getting killed in a shootout after negotiations fail is no way to go through life, son. But it's one hell of a way to end your life! Stupid News of the Day
From USA Today: "Iowa grants gun permits to the blind'" - Who says justice turns a blind eye? I bet they never saw this one coming, though ... Florida News of the Day
From The South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Cops: Man, 83, nabbed in sex sting said he wanted 'everything'" - Apparently, he didn't realize "everything" included a complimentary ride to the local jail ... Video of the Day
I'm hoopnitized!
The Fine Five - September 7, 2013
(1) FIRE UP CHIPS! My Central Michigan Chippewas looked pathetic at the start of today's game against New Hampshire (fucking NEW HAMPSHIRE!!!), trailing 13-0 early. But the Fighting Chips fought back and won on a field goal as time expired, 24-21. Play of the game: a 97-yard touchdown connection from QB Cooper Rush to receiver Titus Davis to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
(2) I'm still not very optimistic about the Chippewas' chances this year. Blown out by 50 at Michigan last week was painful, but - hey - it was Michigan. Barely surviving against New Hampshire this week? Sigh ... it's gonna be a long season.
(3) Joined David Traill and a slew of others on welcoming World War II veterans back from a day in the nation's capital as part of the Southeast Florida Honor Flight at Palm Beach International Airport. Honor Flight is a national nonprofit that sponsors free visits to Washington, D.C., war memorials for aging veterans.This was my second time joining Traill, currently a history teacher at Suncoast High School and a former coworker of mine when I started teaching at South Fork High School in Stuart in 1999. The last time I went with him was two years ago, when the program was much smaller in nature. There were hundreds in attendance tonight, including students from Suncoast and Cardinal Newman high schools, and Will and Simone Hoover, former debate parents of mine whose sons have both served in the United States Armed Forces. It was their first time at an Honor Flight celebration, and I doubt it will be their last.
(4) I don't eat fast food any more, but if I did, I'd still stay away from the new Burger King conception.
(5) There's days I wonder why I do my job. Education is under attack by political factions, we're underfunded and overstressed, and the amount of testing we need to put our students through is over-the-top stressful. But at least I don't have to deal with draconian district mandates about what I can wear on the job ... oh, wait. FUCK YOU, LITTLE ROCK! Weird News of the Day
From Opposing Views: "Patient Sues After Anesthesiologist Puts Moustache, Tear Stickers On Her Face During Surgery'" - I'd sue, too ... I mean, it doesn't even LOOK like a real tattoo of a moustache and tears! Stupid News of the Day
From Komo News: "On-duty detective allegedly caught with prostitute in bushes has resigned" - QUOTE OF THE STORY: "Narvaez was on duty but not in uniform." Duh! Florida News of the Day
From The Orlando Sentinel: "Fashion police? Florida AG targets edgy L.A. store over 'Xanax' T-shirts" - The Florida AG should go after The Orlando Sentinel for embedding autoplay video stories with annoying commercials into their online stories instead ... or as well ... Video of the Day
Has it really been 10 years today since Warren Zevon died? Sadly, yes.
(1) Debate season is officially kicking in to gear; I know this because the legislative dockets for both varsity and novice chambers for our September 28 PBCFL Congressional were released Wednesday and distributed/discussed in class today. And the first weekend Congressional Debate workshop is this Sunday at Panera Bread.
(3) Memo to Tim Tebow (who I really do like, despite what I'm about to write): WAKE UP ALREADY! Your many accomplishments at the University of Florida were amazing. Yes, you managed to lead Denver to an NFL playoff victory a few years ago. And yes, the New York Jets fucked you over six times over last year. But you apparently couldn't cut it as a backup to Tom Brady in New England, and maybe you need to reconsider your employment future. I realize you really, really want to be an NFL quarterback ... and I respect your dreams ... but unless there's a huge paradigm shift in the league, that ain't gonna happen. Guess what - you aren't any more special than the rest of us in the grand scheme. Stop being so stubborn and realize you may need to make personal adjustments in your career choices. Like Billy Beane said (at the 1:11 mark), adapt or die ...
(4) For the record, I really like Moneyball ... which is really more of a stat geek movie than a baseball movie. Nerd heaven!
(5) Thanks, Peyton Manning. You and your seven goddamn touchdown thrown have totally fucked up my opening week of fantasy football. You couldn't wait until next week?
(4) But hey, it only counts as one game ... and to be honest, it's better than losing by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning. I think.
(5) To continue my currently-free SiriusXM subscription when the three-month trial period runs out or not? That is the question ... well, one of many questions ...
Weird News of the Day
From Houston Press: "ChristianSwingers.com Lets You Get Freaky for Jesus" - Christian Swingers. Perfect for those Christians that want to break commandments, but not all of the commandments. Either that, or it has to do with playground equipment. Sure glad there's no "Jewish Swingers" webpage ... or is there?
(1) Nice job, University of Florida, scheduling "Family Weekend" the same dates (October 25-27) as the Blue Key Speech and Debate Invitational ... which means hotel rooms are at a premium and difficult to find. Doesn't anyone confirm schedules anymore? Seriously ...
(2) Good riddance, Ariel Castro, you worthless cocksucker. Even your closest family would be hard pressed to cry over your committing suicide in your jail cell last night. Enjoy your special place in Hell.
(4) How to spend (part of) my Rosh Hashanah tomorrow: (1) get blood drawn to check on my diabetes stats at 7 am; (2) stop by Manhattan Trophies to assess a new plaque for the debate room (representing the 1,500-point NFL "Degree of Premier Distinction"); (3) get a much-needed haircut at the Oasis Salon & Spa in Lake Worth; and (4) hope the Almighty doesn't smite me for (1), (2), and (3) (and possibly 5+) on Rosh Hashanah ...
(5) First day of in-class Congressional Debate speeches by the novices. Four speeches were presented. One was a throwaway; the other three were solid for first-time speeches - well-organized, sourced, and well defended in cross examination. This is going to be a good year :)
Weird News of the Day
From Dorkly: "Now Presenting: The World's Least Employable Human" - Yes, let's analyze that image to the left. I appreciate creativity, and there's certainly some merit to bringing a unique design and format to capture the attention of potential employers.
I'm not really sure this is the way, though. I mean, if you're looking for a job focusing on "computer science and mathematics," I think a resume incorporating something much more "adult nerdier" would be more effective - you know, a Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Monty Python design comes to mind.
(1) For the 7th consecutive year, Wellington Debate is selling a variety of candles through Yankee Candle for the holiday season. This is a wonderful opportunity to not only buy unique candles for your home, but to buy holiday gifts for family, friends, loved ones, and anyone else for whom you feel so inclined. Yankee Candle also offers holiday gift wrapping, home and automobile air fresheners, gourmet pet treats and ornaments, and holiday-themes items as well.
NEW THIS YEAR! ORDERS CAN ALSO BE PLACED ONLINE! Go to http://www.yankeecandlefundraising.com/, and enter our Group Number (990006626) in the appropriate area. Then, start shopping!
This is a limited-time offer. The deadline to place orders for all items is Monday, October 14, in order to have them delivered well in advance of the holidays.
(2) Looooooooong day at the office, culminating with a "new debate coach workshop" from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Looks like the debate league will have a new member out of Pahokee this year (for the first time ever from that school). So exciting!
(3) Another new coaches workshop is next Wednesday, and new debate leaders from South Tech and Spanish River are among those expected to be in attendance. South Tech is a new program, Spanish River a revived one.
(4) Started working on the slave narrative in English today, with a reading and discussion of an excerpt from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. If you aren't familiar with his life ... which is, indeed, interesting ... click the link!
(5) Hard to fathom today is a Tuesday, since we were coming off a three-day weekend. With Thursday off due to Rosh Hashanah, it's a short, broken-up week. I'm already off my game, hope it improves!
Holy Toledo! Down in the count 0-1, the Columbus Clippers' Ryan Rohlinger lifted a fly ball to left field. The routine out was made by Toledo Mud Hens left fielder Gustavo Nunez, who threw home to attempt to get Jeremy Hermida at the plate. Catcher Bryan Holaday snagged the throw, dove to apply the tag to Hermida, then ran halfway towards second base as Chin-Hsiu Chen was caught between bases. Second baseman Danny Worth collected Holaday’s throw, then quickly fired to first baseman Jordan Lennerton, who applied the tag on Chen for the third and final out of the game — a 7-2-4-5 triple play. The Mud Hens won 4-1 in their final game at home.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon went on last night. If you blinked, you probably missed it, because it no longer has the name "Jerry Lewis" attached to its existence. Or, for that matter, the connection to "Labor Day."
And at two paltry hours in length, calling it a "telethon" is a disservice, too.
What did air last night from 9-11 p.m. on ABC is called the "MDA Show of Strength Telethon." Let that roll around on your tongue for a moment.
Ummmmm ... show of strength?
TWO HOURS IS NOT A SHOW OF STRENGTH! TWO HOURS IS NOT A TELETHON!
When I was growing up in Bloomfield Hills, watching the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon and its collection of weird, wacky guests and strange stunts (and incredibly emotional sales pitches) was essentially required television, probably because our parents grew up watching Jerry Lewis in the 1950s and early 1960s and passed along his history to us. We knew him more from the telethon that bore his name that he actively fronted and pitched for 20+ straight hours, and watching him in The Nutty Professor (the 1963 original, not the putrid 1996 Eddie Murphy remake). Hell, one year we had a "neighborhood campout" (pitching a tent in the backyard), and ended up watching part of the telethon from inside the house.Telethon > s'mores, sometimes.
Then you had the local Detroit cut-in broadcast, which brought it home to us in an era when there were seven - yes, only seven - TV stations you could watch locally. We didn't even reference the Muscular Dystrophy Association, in part because we couldn't pronounce "Muscular Dystrophy," and in part because it was THE JERRY LEWIS LABOR DAY TELETHON. (We might have even called it a marathon, not telethon ... I'm not sure.) Jerry Lewis WAS the telethon, to the degree that I cannot even follow AP format in this blog and refer to Jerry Lewis by "last name only" after the first reference way back several paragraphs ago.
Not anymore.
Mental Floss published a captivating history of the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon in 2012. "Many of the biggest celebrities in show business have either hosted or appeared on Lewis's telethons over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and three of the Beatles. (In John Lennon's appearance with wife Yoko Ono, he stated, "Jerry is one of our favorite comedians.") The ultra-reclusive Joe DiMaggio came on to answer the phones one year, and even a U.S. President - Ronald Reagan - made an appearance." But as for the all-time highlight?
[It] was unequivocally the reunion of Jerry Lewis with his former partner Dean Martin in 1976, staged by their mutual friend Frank Sinatra. It was an incredible moment in television history, being Martin and Lewis's first public appearance together in 20 years. The two tearfully hugged, kidded around, and cracked a few one-liners before Martin and Sinatra sang, after which Martin disappeared with a wave and a friendly "Ciao!"
Lewis has always worn his heart on his sleeve regarding his deep affection for his former partner, while Martin was always "Mr. Macho" and rarely displayed any kind of emotion in public. But if you watch the video, you will see Martin quickly sneak in a brief kiss on Lewis's cheek as they hug. (I've always felt this quick kiss was very telling about Martin's real affinity for his erstwhile partner.)
I watched the "telethon" (word used extremely loosely) last night, or part of it. It was depressing, not because of the images of children struggling to survive this horrible disease, but because it carried none of the passion, commitment, or energy Jerry Lewis brought to the stage every year for more than 40 years. Jerry Lewis was fired in 2010, and the "telethon" has been chopped down each of the past three years. The tote board, which captured the continual donation amount (to much applause and fanfare) is gone, too.
Sigh.
I grew up in a world where watching the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon was an obligation. It molded us, in the same way that Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood shaped our souls. When WBFH-FM held its annual March of Dimes Marathon in the spring, in a small way we, the students who marathoned, modeled what we did after the Jerry Lewis experience, because it was THE telethon to watch. There was a connection, albeit somewhat smaller in stature.
The MDA needs a better show of strength. What they're passing to viewers now is a farce in the truest definition of the word, a far cry from what should be expected.
Jerry Lewis deserves better.
The Fine Five - September 2, 2013
(1) Speaking of Labor Day, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich - subject of the upcoming documentary Inequality for All - breaks down what it will take for workers to get a fair share in this economy - including big, profitable corporations like McDonald’s and Walmart to pony up and finally pay fair wage. In the video, he announces a petition campaign to pressure McDonald's and Walmart's CEOs to pay their workers a fair wage of $15/hour:
I had no clue Reich was that artistic with a sketch pad, either!
(2) To be blunt, the past month has been miserable for my father's side of the family. As I wrote on August 12, this was the 25th anniversary of my father's passing. Several days before this, my cousin Harriet Drissman died suddenly, just a few weeks before her 73rd birthday. It was quite unexpected. With the bulk of my family living in Detroit, I have been absent physically. I have my sources of information, obviously - family and friends who attended the funeral, the shiva (the mourning period), and are in more regular contact with them. I follow as best I can on Facebook as well.
Of the Drissman clan, I'm closest to my cousin Talya, who got married about a year ago to a wonderful man and who is expecting her first child in January. Her birthday is the the day after mine, we're both huge Detroit Red Wings fans, and while her side of the family and mine have different views politically, I have always found her to be open to different points of view and easy to discuss current events with.
As for those you love, hug them. Call them. Text them. Tell them how you feel. You never ever know what tomorrow will bring.
(3) The post-Mylie Cyrus/Robin Thicke MTV Video Music Awards performance shock waves are still reverberating. Mind you, I'm still trying to figure out why MTV airs this show, since the terms "music' and "video" vaporized from the network eons ago.
Happened upon this commentary this morning which eloquently discusses modern society's shitty taste in music and encourages parents to "talk with their children" about why they listen to what they listen to:
Why do your children listen to knock-offs of Marvin Gaye? Why don’t they just listen to Marvin Gaye? Don’t you have Marvin Gaye records lying around, for crying out loud? Marvin Gaye sang about sex, but in a sexy way. Not in a rapey way.
As a Language Arts teacher, I fully appreciate the author's connection to proper English as well:
Thicke sings "You the hottest bitch in the place." Since this is a blog post about shitty taste in music and not about feminism, I will ignore the fact that this is an incredibly offensive lyric and zero in on the fact that "you the hottest bitch in the place" is just plain ol' incorrect English. Instead of worrying about your children watching scantily clad women being dry humped by men who could be their father, you should be more concerned about your children dropping verbs from their sentences.
One cannot talk smack about Cyrus, Thicke and their ... captivating? ... performance without bringing Cracked Magazine into the fold, discussing the subliminal symbols that were part of her performance. Who knew giant teddy bears meant so much when dealing with the inner psyche?
Finally, there was the extremely creative mind who tied clips from the Star Trek into the fray, with Kirk, Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, etc. dealing with the strange visual and audio presentation permeating the USS Enterprise's system.
Spock's reaction at 1:08 is PRICELESS!
(4) A really good typo is hard to find. This doesn't imply typos, in and of themselves, are difficult to discover; in fact, they exist in every media, from TV captions to newspaper stories to magazine headlines. When I was in my final semester at Central Michigan, and writing a column for CM Life, the school newspaper, my roommate Chris Grindrod and I would scan the paper religiously for errors, such as the Little Caesar's ad regarding "pepperoins" and "green peepers" for your pizza. We'd cut out the offending ad or story, highlight the error, and tape them to our dorm walls. (For the record, I have no clue what a pepperoin or green peeper taste like, since I never ordered them on my 'za.)
My students make plenty of spelling errors. Hell, it's a common element of texting or posting on Facebook or Twitter via cellphones.
But "really good" typos fall into the element of "How the HELL did that one happen?" Misspelled team names on sports uniforms. Errors on large billboards hanging on the backs of mass transit buses. And soda cups at Notre Dame.
The world needed a hero, but how would an editor with no off-switch answer the call? For Jeff Deck, the writing was literally on the wall: "NO TRESSPASSING." In that moment, his greater purpose became clear. Dark hordes of typos had descended upon civilization … and only he could wield the marker to defeat them.
Recruiting his friend Benjamin and other valiant companions, he created the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL). Armed with markers, chalk, and correction fluid, they circumnavigated America, righting the glaring errors displayed in grocery stores, museums, malls, restaurants, mini-golf courses, beaches, and even a national park. Jeff and Benjamin championed the cause of clear communication, blogging about their adventures transforming horor into horror, it’s into its, and coconunut into coconut.
But at the Grand Canyon, they took one correction too far: fixing the bad grammar in a fake Native American watchtower. The government charged them with defacing federal property and summoned them to court - with a typo-ridden complaint that claimed that they had violated "criminal statues." Now the press turned these paragons of punctuation into "grammar vigilantes," airing errors about their errant errand.
The radiant dream of TEAL would not fade, though. Beneath all those misspelled words and mislaid apostrophes, Jeff and Benjamin unearthed deeper dilemmas about education, race, history, and how we communicate. Ultimately their typo-hunting journey tells a larger story not just of proper punctuation but of the power of language and literacy - and the importance of always taking a second look.
Stupid News of the Day
From The Jacksonville Daily News: "Robbery suspect flees, arrested on moped" - The suspect allegedly entered a gas station, demanded a customer’s money, and fled on a moped ... while wearing a ski mask over his helmet. DUDE, SKI MASK GOES UNDER THE HELMET!
The dirty little secret is that much of Congress was content to have no say in this matter. When a letter circulated demanding the president seek lawmakers' authorization, most of the House and Senate didn't sign it - some were willing to let Obama do whatever he chose to do, some didn't want the burden of responsibility. Members spent the week complaining about the president not taking Congress' role seriously enough, confident that their rhetoric was just talk.
It spoke to a larger problem: for far too many lawmakers, it's so much easier to criticize than govern. In recent years, members of Congress have too often decided they're little more than powerful pundits, shouting from the sidelines rather than getting in the game.
It's one of the angles to today's news that's so fascinating - Obama isn't just challenging Congress to play a constructive role in a national security matter, the president is also telling lawmakers to act like adults for a change. They're federal lawmakers in the planet's most powerful government, and maybe now would be a good time to act like grown-ups who are mindful of their duties.
For too long, Congress has been mired in its own personal gridlock hell - a gridlock hell much of its own doing. Something like 40 attempts to overturn Obamacare plays into Einstein's definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Now there's a crisis that has been brewing in the Middle East for months - years, really - and Obama is telling the legislative assembly they need to own up and do something constructive.
Honestly, Obama was going to be damned by the Republican Party no matter what he did here. If he chose to do nothing, the GOP would call him out for not being proactive. If he went guns a'blazing, he'd been ripped by Republicans for getting the US involved in another military action overseas and spending money the US doesn't have. By telling Congress to take a stand, he's seen by some as passing the buck. If he bypassed Congress (which is still an option), he ignored the Constitution and having Congressional backing.
(2) Began the tedious of grading 11th grader Personal Origin Myth stories. Still trying to figure out how much to weigh silly things like spelling, punctuation, grammar, and lack of paragraph breaks in minimum-350-word-long papers should count in comparison to the creativity most showed in developing their myths. I swear, some of them could be modern reincarnation of Kafka, which is a pity, because I cannot stand reading Kafka and his four-page-long paragraph style of writing. (There's a few where things like "a clear beginning, middle and end" or "a definitive understanding of how an origin myth is supposed to work" or "it would have been nice if they actually listed to me and read the goddamn assignment correctly" may come into play.)
(3) Having said that, there are some pretty cool creation concepts that have been presented, from how the oceans came to be, to why stars shine, to why Area 51 exists, to the existence of Skittles, to why grass is wet in the morning. (I need a second person to read the Area 51 story, since it includes a character named "Gabaman" ... I mean, talk about brownnose city!)
(4) Oh, those base on balls. I'm looking at you, Detroit Tigers. Getting shut out 4-0 to Cleveland at home, despite 11 hits? That's what walking six batters - including three in the top of the 9th, who all scored on a grand slam - is not going to get it done. Magic Number still at 19.
(5) Cleaned the bathtub today. Did it twice, just to make sure I did a somewhat better than half-ass job. I'm such a domestic god, it's scary!
From The Tampa Bay Times: "Editorial: Governor Phony" - "[Gov. Voldemort] portrays himself as the education governor, the defender of the environment and the advocate for open records. He's the jobs governor, and he has empathy for Floridians without health coverage. Don't be fooled by the packaging. It's a facade that hides reality, and Florida deserves better."
Video of the Day
The best "losing with one second left in the game, we need a miracle play on the kickoff return" footage you'll see all day.
