"Samuel Ringgold Ward (October 17, 1817 - c. 1866) was an African American who escaped enslavement to become an abolitionist, newspaper editor and Congregational minister." -Wikipedia.
read more.
I don't think there's any chance that we're related, but what a cool guy all the same. I learned about him using this fun website.
I also learned that there was a contestant named JoAnna Ward on one of the Survivors seasons. Not very cool.
Last night, I posted on my facebook status that we were going to watch this movie and I got several responses from people about it. I guess that goes to show that this was a significant movie for more reasons than the untimely death of Heath Ledger. I thought I'd post a few quick reactions to the film.
The Joker
Heath Ledger did an excellent job, but I think the thing that struck me the most was the change of the Joker from the Nicholson psycho-clown to being more like a wild-card in a poker game. I liked it and it brought a whole new dimension to the character.
Harvey Dent/Two Face
I liked this role, too. Dent became a lot more real, more human. suppose that's the point of this whole new Batman film-series.
Batman
I get pretty irritated with Bale's gravelly Bat-voice. I guess he's disguising his voice, but it just gets lame. I do like the character. I liked the challenge to him to find his identity as the "Dark Knight" who must choose to be an outcast in order to be the Gotham Messiah. Sounds familiar. "He was despised and rejected; a man of sorrow acquainted with grief."
Commissioner Gordon
I must say the underrated award goes to Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordan. I really love his character. Gordon is like this nerdy hero who doesn't try to be sexy and cool. He just cares about seeing justice done and taking care of business.
War on Terror
Garrett was asking me about if picked up any reference to President Bush and the war on terror. I think the big inconsistency I saw was in the difference between the religious conviction of Islamic Jihadists and the total postmodern chaos of the Joker. Torture and "by any means necessary" moral decisions played a big role. Dent's moral downfall could be seen as a commentary on the failures of the post 9-11 justifications for war and torture. Batman as Bush is a big stretch I think.
I enjoyed the film immensely. Mostly because of the butt-kicking action.
Our contractor finished the work on our house. We are now officially done with the repairs, so anything else that breaks down, fall apart, or rots will be on me to fix.
Today the weather in St Louis is unseasonably warm. I rode my bike to work for the first time since our move (and the first time since daylight savings ended.) It took my about 10 minutes to get to work on my bike.
I'm getting psyced up about our Black History Celebration on February 21. It will be a fun time for all and I hope that we'll get a lot of strangers. This weekend, I made an announcement in which I emphasized to people the potential for inviting neighbors and co-workers. We had a few full-color invitation cards that got snatched up right after church. We printed 200 more in anticipation of people getting the word out. The whole world loves gospel music, and so it's a great bridge for the good news to be communicated.
Me and the fam are flying to Orlando after Easter to hang out with Sarah's siblings. Apparently, there is an airline called Allegiant Air that only flys to a few tourist destinations from small airports. We got round trip tickets to Orlando from the Springfield/Branson airport for $60 a seat. So we'll have to drive about 3 and a half hours first, but it sure beats trying to drive to Florida or paying to fly out of Lambert Airport. Maybe next time we go to Chattanooga, we'll fly Springfield to Orlando to Chattanooga for $120 a seat.
No more stomach flu. No more staph infection. No more medication reactions. But today, my arthritis is giving me trouble again. My wrists are really bugging me.
I discovered this website for people who like to make to-do lists. I'm trying it out for now, but I am skeptical that it will be better than my good old legal pad and sharpy system.
The recording is progressing. We are hoping to have 5 or 6 tracks completed soon. Maybe, I'll just go ahead and stick them on iTunes to see if my fans (86 on my facebook page) would like to buy them.
Here's a website that can be a distraction. Just what you need right?
thank you tanya for this website that had me suppressing laughter so the other people in my office wouldn't hear me wasting time.
I noticed that I have around 50 blogs in my reader, and yet I only see posts from a scant few. It's so easy to sign up for a blog and then you actually have to write. Maybe, it's me. Do I blog too much? Am I a narcissist few that loves to hear himself talk more than people want to listen? Why doesn't the rest of my circle write as much as I do?
Hello?
Bueller?
I was on my way to class in the morning. I believe the class was Form and Analysis with Dr Peterson. I got in the elevator with an African American woman who I'd seen in the building all the time, but I didn't know her (I think she might have been a vocal teacher). She turned to me and said, "Did you hear about what happened this morning? A plan flew into the World Trade Center!"
"Wow, was it like a little prop plane" I asked.
"No, a big passenger plane, like a 747," she said.
We had class because Dr Peterson was not one to cancel, but there was a weird vibe. After class we all went to the music building library and crowded around a tiny TV with a bad signal to watch the coverage. By then, the second plane had hit and it was clear that this was not an accident. We watched the towers collapse in shock and awe.
I spent the rest of the day watching TV waiting for World War III to commence.
Where were you?
