Children of the Gaza Strip love Farfour, the bootleg Mickey Mouse who stars in a children's show on that fair and balanced Hamas TV network. Like most TV programs, this one needed a strong finale to remain high in the ratings--here it is:
A Mickey Mouse lookalike who preached Islamic domination on a Hamas-affiliated children's television program was beaten to death in the show's final episode Friday.
I'm not making this up. The article goes on:
In the final skit, "Farfour" was killed by an actor posing as an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land. At one point, the mouse called the Israeli a "terrorist."
"Farfour was martyred while defending his land," said Sara, the teen presenter. He was killed "by the killers of children," she added.
The weekly show, featuring a giant black-and-white rodent with a high-pitched voice, had attracted worldwide attention because the character urged Palestinian children to fight Israel. It was broadcast on Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV.
As Dave Barry once said, the people of the middle east could be eradicated from the earth and there would be paramecium in the toxic waste that would bitterly hate one another. Granted, a TV show where the ultra-creepy teletubbies would be beaten to a pulp would satisfy nightmare plagued adult viewers but would be rather disturbing to children (even more disturbing than the notion that Tinky Winky is gay).
Nonetheless, it's interesting what values certain cultures are trying to teach their children.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
FYI for those who read my blog, it looks like I'll be on hiatus while. Unfortunately, some events beyond my control are currently making anything actually "fun" out of the question. I'll still be checking email from time to time until things get better; then hopefully I'll be online a lot more!
Until then here's a plush version of Xanadu to enjoy--let's hope I'm up and running soon!
Until then here's a plush version of Xanadu to enjoy--let's hope I'm up and running soon!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Twice a year Boulder is subject to the fabled Chinook Winds, a powerful front of weather that signals the changing of seasons and generally occurs near the solstices. Last night the winds came early, wrecking a fair amount of havoc on the roads. Trees were felled, signs blown over, port-o-potties toppled and my car took the full brunt of a rolling construction barrel that was careening down the road. While driving was a challenge, once I got home I enjoyed the powerful gusts that animated the trees. I slept with my window open, which MAY not have a been a great idea since my bed was covered with leaves and other debris that had blown in during the night. Xanadu must be a sound sleeper because she awoke with all sorts of grass in her fur. The power went off several times in the night, usually accompanied by a loud POP somewhere outside.
Today is calm and sunny, though there are some old trees knocked down near my apartment. It's cool to see nature flexing her muscles every now and again, it reminded me of countless tent bound nights. The only downside is figuring out how to extract the dent and orange paint from the front of my car.
Today is calm and sunny, though there are some old trees knocked down near my apartment. It's cool to see nature flexing her muscles every now and again, it reminded me of countless tent bound nights. The only downside is figuring out how to extract the dent and orange paint from the front of my car.
