This may be the worst paper I have ever written, but it’s done. It’s not an F (I obviously read the material, that’s gotta count for something) but it might pull a C at best. Sigh. Brought it upon myself.

But now things can kinda get back to something resembling normal. I hope.

So close…

The sad death of the pop single

The single is now over. Not the pop song, of course, which blasts over everything from car ads to party political broadcasts, but the single record, which has now gone the way of the tape-to-tape. Just before Christmas, it was announced that more songs were downloaded from the internet than were bought as CDs or records in shops, and, this week, it emerged that sales of new songs were being outstripped by their sales as mobile phone ringtones. Downloading means no physical record, no sleeve, no artwork of any kind, just a piece of sound that will most often be deployed now by young people as a way of alerting them to another sound they like much more: the sound of each other talking. When the song becomes tired, consumers will simply press “delete”.

…

The art of the single was never really about the song. It was about the trouble you took to find it, the walk to the record shop and the effort involved in copying the lead singer’s hairstyle.

It’s difficult for me to explain to the children that everything wasn’t always available. They think I’m trying to give them a sob story, but really its a story about character, and a story about how the search for culture forms your character. We lived thinking there were certain things we’d missed records we might never find or foreign movies that might never come to the local cinema. We grew up imagining that the pop cultural past was someone else’s story; I remember grieving about someone throwing out my aunt’s old records, thinking I’d never hear those songs again. In fact I am listening to one of them now I Apologise, sung by Billy Eckstine, downloaded a minute ago but I still miss the beauty of my aunt’s old sleeve, the pencil markings I made on it as a child, and, most of all, the sense I used to have of the same record having been played in the days of my mother’s youth.

I’d love to go on about this but I’ve got to get back to my paper. I’ll try and give my thoughts tomorrow evening, but, until then, what are yours?

Six pages. That’s it. I’m only a fifth of the way through my notes, though, so I may have to cut stuff before the night is out. The computer lab’s open until 1:30am and I have to work at 9 so I figure I have until 8:30 to get this completely done. 11.5 hours.

Can do.

Boys’ arrest over drawings debated

As the arrest of two elementary school students drew a national spotlight to Ocala, questions persisted Thursday as to whether they should have been taken from Wyomina Park Elementary School in handcuffs.

Ocala Police arrested the two boys, one age 9 and the other 10, this week after they reportedly drew stick figures in pencil and crayon representing themselves and a third boy, showing the third boy being stabbed and hanged.

Police charged the two boys with making a written threat to kill or harm another person, a second-degree felony.

Ocala Police Sgt. Russ Kern appeared on national television Thursday morning defending the department’s decision to arrest the two boys. Kern appeared on NBC’s “Today” show and CNN’s “American Morning,” among others.

“If something had happened and we did not (act), then everybody would be saying, ‘Why didn’t you do anything?’ ” Kern said Thursday afternoon. “We don’t have the luxury anymore of saying this is just child’s play.”

…

Marion County School District employees said they had no choice but to involve the police. In the aftermath of an incident last year in which two West Port High School students engaged in a sex act in a classroom, the district started a mandatory policy of reporting any suspicious incidents, spokesman Kevin Christian said.

Is there anything I really need to say here?

Sigh.

Who of us didn’t make random doodles as children that might be percieved as violent and possibly threatening in today’s society? Hell, we’re living in a world where kids can’t play “cowboys and indians”, not because it’s anti-PC but because a kid shouts “bang bang!”

Should threats be taken seriously? Sure.

But should everything be taken as a threat?

Speaking of comics, Brandon Carr’s Between The Panels is back, baby!

And I must say that I enjoy Yirmumah greatly. Every day goodness, folks. Go get some.

Who wins?

Please say it’s the bear…

Millions of Iraqis Vote; 35 Die in Attacks

That only 35 people died on election day is definately a good sign. And it hurts to say that, because anyone dying is bad. But considering it was expected to be worse…

What’s most promising is the potential turnout here:

Despite the violence, election officials said the turnout had been above expectations.

They originally put it at 72 percent but later backtracked, saying possibly eight million had voted, which would be a little over 60 percent of registered voters. Election commission spokesman Farid Ayar acknowledged, however, that “the numbers are only guessing.”

The government had set a target of at least 50 percent of Iraq’s 13 million registered voters as the barometer of success.

I personally agree with that number, if you have less than 50% turnout you don’t have a solid mandate on the election system, let alone the government it creates. Here’s hoping those numbers hold and we start to see Iraqis governing Iraq in a democratic system.

UPDATE: Hopefully we’ll see an Iraqi government that can keep better track of money than we’ve been seeing.

UPDATE 2: WSJ has a roundup of Iraqi election blogging.

UPDATE 3: Yes, I should be working on my paper.

Artifice Comics - http://www.artificecomics.com

How’d you like to win stuff? Yeah, actual stuff! Neat, huh? Well all you have to do is help us over here at Artifice decide what to publish in our first ever “Best Of…” book. Yeah, we’re working on a book.

So to win stuff just hop over to the Artifice Forums by February 28th and let us know what you think the top FIVE AC issues of all time are and why they’re the top. They don’t have to be of the same series (preferably they aren’t) and they don’t have to be in the same arc, just let us know what five single issues really hit ya where it hurt.

Then we’ll have ourselves a good ol’ fashioned drawing and the winner gets the following:

1) A one of a kind print by Adam Geen (http://ithireeul.enemyone.com/ - http://ithireeul.deviantart.com/) - cover artist for Bush By Mail #2 and on - of the Artifice character of your choosing. And when we say one of a kind, we mean one of a kind. Only one will be made and it will be yours.

2) A signed copy of Bush By Mail #1 featuring the exclusive Bush43 #0 “Journal” and Bush43 #1 “Shock The Monkey”

3) A copy of the Artifice Comics Small Press Expo 2002 special featuring an introdution by Jac Milnestein, an exclusive story by Tommy Hancock and the Artifice Comics: Prelude

4) A copy of ACPresents #1 ONLY available at Small Press Expo 2003 and featuring Artifice Comics: Year Two

And that’s not all. There’s a second place that’ll get:

1) Signed Bush By Mail #1

2) Artifice Comics Small Press Expo 2002 special

3) ACPresents #1

And everyone who enters will be acknowledged in the “Best Of…” book!

So get your entires in before February 28th and tell us what you think ruled.

Entries go here - http://www.artificecomics.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=19

Artifice is here - http://www.artificecomics.com

So what happens when I go head to head against my brother Shaun in a Google Fight?

I win, of course.

Who’s next?

Ah, I knew I shouldn’t have put off this twenty page paper to the last minute.

So not only will the Hellblazer comic be a movie (called “Constantine”) but it looks like they’re making a video game on it as well.

First off, while I do plan on going to see the movie, I don’t like the way it looks. Keanu Reeves playing the part of a middle age, blonde Brit just doesn’t work for me. And from what I hear the entire thing is based in America and considering that the series was created and for the longest time written only by Brits, well, I think it’s not going to be a good impact.

So, ultimately, it’s not really going to have much to do with the comic book in my eyes. And the comic’s freakin’ great. Pick up some issues of that, or get the rare cuts graphic novel DC’s putting out. That looks to be full of good stories.

So I’m working here and I’ve got this boxcutter with the logo of a book supplier on the side and I’m thinking:

Would it be horrible of me to give out boxcutters with a BUSH43 logo on them?

In light of, well, you know…

The Infinite Teen Slang Dictionary says:

Jason Kenney

interj. informal apology.

“That was your video I tried to understand? Jason Kenney, Brian.”

(Thanks to Jenn for the title)

UPDATE: Jason

n. a vulgar hand gesture.

“Are you giving me the Jason, Reggie?”

“Jason Kenney, man, I meant to be giving the Jason to the guy behind you.”

(Jenn sayz: If you can name the vulgar hand gesture who’s origin lies in making rapists eat donkey poo you win the big prize.)

(Jason: I don’t even get the ‘big prize’ these days, so whoever win’s is in for a treat!)