Asian Carp - Who Needs 'Em?

Why, hello.

Frank the Platypus will be focusing on the menace that is known as Asian Carp for its research project.

For those of you who have already forgotten our life-changing PowerPoint presentation, let me refresh your memory:

Asian Carp are bad. They are invading our bodies of water and killing everything. They must be stopped before they take over the Great Lakes. They can also jump out of the water and kill you. They want nothing less than to destroy all of us.

And, if you're stumped, the answer to our word search was, " 'Get involved and save your Great Lakes!' says Frank the Platypus." Congratulations to everyone who solved it, and congratulations to the members of Frank the Platypus, who created it.

Leave your thoughts on our project in the comments, please. Don't worry, we will accept negative feedback, although we prefer stuff like, "You guys are awesome!" and attractive girls' numbers.

Good night, happy Thanksgiving, and remember: save a turkey, eat a carp.

When I Was a Young Warthog

I always enjoyed watching Disney movies. When I was little, I remember that my movie choice was only concerned with the one row on the shelf that was slightly bigger than the others (those Disney cases didn’t fit in the other rows). Now my movie selection is a little bigger, but I still find myself from time to time watching a classic. I remember once when I was almost seventeen and decided to watch the Lion King. It was Friday night and I was at my house by myself, and it seemed like a great way to add to how pathetic it was. It’s different to watch a Disney movie when you are older because you actually understand what’s going on and don’t just enjoy the cartoon colors and toddler jokes. I remember watching Timon and Pumba singing “Hakuna Matata” and the idea that it sparked in my head. It completely changed my perception of High School and got me through its rigorous trials. I will never forget that phrase that was sung to me by a warthog, and….whatever Timon is. I was enlightened by their message. I can only hope that I was a late bloomer in realizing that life shouldn’t be taken so seriously. I hope that all the other children that watched that movie were able to take out of it a great life lesson, and I’m sure that is Walt Disney’s intent in his movies…well that and making money. It is interesting to consider Disney movies rhetorically, because it is now clear to see how these movies convey their message. Bright colors, song and dance, comedy, and other factors that stimulate the imagination are the foundation of these movies. The producers do a great job of sparking the imagination of its audience in a way that enables them to portray a clear message of happiness and bliss. I hope that Disney movies are not out of date by the time I have children so that I can share with them the messages that they taught me. Also, it will provide me with an excuse to legitimately own the whole collection.

Genre

Like most people, one thing that I’ve found to move me is music. However, what makes me a little different than a vast majority of my peers is that I like country music. To me, country is a fascinating genre in its ability to evoke different emotional responses through lyrical use. Mixing the satirical with the serious or the romantic with the comical. One such piece that I’ve always found both catchy and fascinating is “Queen of my Doublewide” by Sammy Kershaw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncGZWQGkNzc&NR=1

In the song Sammy sings about his pursuit of a down home debutante and about how it is the simple (if not hoaky) pleasures in life that makes them happy. At first glance one might think that this is purely meant as a love song, the classic story of a man trying to woo the object of his affection. However, classic of the country music genre, the song also has a humorous appeal.
Country fans and musicians love to poke fun at their own absurdities, this can be seen in the clever lyrical composition of the song at hand. Often times in society using a trailer as a home is rather looked down upon, reflected in such derogatory terms as trailer trash, etc. This song takes that image and puts it on its ear, proposing that living the life of a trailer dweller (though perhaps tacky as represented by the “polyester curtains and redwood deck”, and especially reflected in the music video) can be luxurious if not preferable to other ways of life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuu_i65c-1M&feature=channel

Similar rhetorical usage can be seen in Sammy Kershaw’s, “Vidalia”. Which at first glance is simply a song about a guy in his pursuance of a girl who’s name is a combination of her mother, Violet’s, and her father, Dale’s, names. But again the song has a humorous undertone. For some background info, a vidalia is a type of onion that is particularly sweet and grown exclusively in the Vidalia region of Georgia (analogous to that of the Champagne region of France, I suppose). So it adds to the humor of the piece, supposing that the relationship between a man and an ironically named girl have similar effects as dealing with her namesake.
These and other songs like it are why I listen to country music. Because what better way to nurse a broken heart, or temper the frustration of being rejected, than by adding a little levity to what you're listening to.

Who Reads The Watchmen? Me, That's Who.

Aside from pretty much everything Kurt Vonnegut has ever written, the most influential piece of literature for me has been Watchmen by Alan Moore. First of all, let's set something straight: yes, it is a comic book. But for god's sake, do not let that deter you from reading it. After all, I guarantee you all of your friends will be declaring next March that "the movie wasn't as good as the book," whether or not they have even read it. So do yourself a favor and pick it up, no matter how embarrassing the prospect of buying a graphic novel may be.

In short, the story is of an alternate universe very similar to Earth, although Richard Nixon is now in his fifth term as President. A disbanded group of superheroes who used to protect America are forced to join together once again to solve the murder of one of their former team members, The Comedian. This is a very, very basic plot synopsis, of course.

The novel is effective not so much because it is a comic book, but because it completely goes against genre. I have always enjoyed reading comic books, but up until Watchmen, they were always something I could read if I didn't want to think too hard. Superman is good, Lex Luthor is evil, Superman wins. Not too challenging, but entertaining nonetheless. Watchmen flipped that all on its head, blowing my teenage mind. Superheroes are tortured alcoholics, sexually impotent, or just plain evil. And most importantly, a lot of them don't care about the people they save.

The story could easily have been successful as a regular novel, but its publication as a graphic novel greatly increases its psychological effect. Why describe the vacant eyes of Dr. Manhattan (easily in my top three favorite fictional characters of all time - a man who, as a result of an atomic experiment gone wrong, has powers comparable to God and who grows increasingly removed from and apathetic towards human society as a whole) when they can be shown in beautiful, realistic color drawings? Similarly, the fact that it is "merely" a comic book forces it to be compared to other comic books, not other novels. Dr. Manhattan draws obvious comparisons with Superman, so the reality of his character is made all the more apparent compared to the often two-dimensional alter ego of Clark Kent. Nite Owl and his multitude of gadgets is similar to Batman, which makes his impotence, depression, and weight gain after retirement even more strikingly realistic in comparison.

But the most important effect Watchmen had on me - and thousands others, I'm sure - is that it took the average, childish comic book and transformed it into a respected medium, one that pushes the boundaries, is able to be self-reflective and self-critical, and that is definitely not for kids. Therefore, it was no surprise to me when it was only one of two graphic novels on Time's list of All Time 100 Greatest Novels a few years ago (the other was Maus, another boundary-demolishing graphic novel about the Holocaust, in which the Jews are mice and the Nazis are cats).

So go on, don't be afraid to pick up a comic book. They're not for kids anymore.

(Full disclosure: while Watchmen is incredibly realistic and culturally important, it does obey the Traditional Comic Book Rules by momentarily including a giant alien squid. So a reasonable amount of suspended belief is required.)

$2 bottles, $4 pitchers, Free Democracy

Presidents come and presidents go, in my lifetime I have seen the rise and fall of four of these leaders. However, this time was different in that I actually got to participate in the selection as opposed to just watching from the sidelines. Even though I did not choose the current president elect, I get to watch the rise of another leader. But what is to become of him, what will my children learn about him in school. Will he be remembered as the first black president? Will he be remembered as the savior of a nation, or simply as a publicity stunt that failed once in office? As of now it is impossible to say, but what I do know now is if I’m ever asked what my thoughts, feelings, and experiences were during the election of Obama, I’ll be able to tell a story similar to this.
It was a pleasantly warm November eve, the autumn leaves were just decending from their zenith, and a majority lied in scattered piles along the sidewalk. Several friends and I were making our way to an east side pub in order to watch the results unfold on CNN (money was tight in those days, and cable seemed to be a luxury better replaced by food, electricity, and other necessities) and perhaps imbibe in some spirits.
Once we entered , we found our place at the bar, figured out the cheapest drink specials, and began to watch the events unfold. I remember states changing color, the bizarreness of a newscaster talking to a hologram, and the sweet taste of a newly discovered cheap beer. I remember Obama’s commanding lead, McCain’s decreasing optimism, and a pretty outrageous Jon Steward/Corbert show. But what I remember most of all is the people; from red necks to hippies and professors to hobos, to me the people were the truly memorable occurrence of that night. Like the aged, long-haired, graduate student/TA, who compared the current election atmosphere to that of the 60's. To the very inebriated McCain supporters, who stumbled in after hearing of his certain loss. To the dirty wino, with the strangely new and expensive looking Ipod around his neck, who talked to me about his apathy for elections.
So the night went on; bottles turned to pitches, pitchers to mixed drinks, and mixed drinks turned to shots. The next morning (OK it was afternoon), my friends and I discussed the happenings of the night before. We realized that however different we all are, by the end of the night we all still had the same leader and expected leader that still has a big job ahead of them. So maybe when my children ask me about the day Obama was elected president, instead of telling them of his strengths or weaknesses, I can tell them how the election made me realize that elections are meant to bring a country together, rather than separate it into shades of red and blue. Then maybe, just maybe, I can leave out the part about being in a drunken stupor.

The Most Influential Novel For Me Was - What? New Topic? Crap.

Here I was all ready to post this week, and right before I started typing I got an emergency e-mail alerting me to change the topic to the election. So I'm just going to wing it.

Did you know Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th president last night? Apparently he was!

The second I got out of class on Tuesday, I raced home and kept CNN on all day. My roommates and I tried to do our homework, but mostly focused on that damn magic wall Wolf Blitzer is so fond of. We anxiously glanced back and forth from the clock to the TV, awaiting the minute the first polls would close.

But first, CNN had to BLOW OUR MINDS when they started conducting interviews via hologram. Holy crap. I swear, our reaction to the futuristic interview was almost bigger than Obama's victory.

Holograms or not, the instant the polls in the east closed, our homework was pushed aside and we spent the rest of the night glued to the TV as Anderson, Wolf, and their enormous room of 6 million people with computers tried to make sense of the sheer volume of numbers and "CNN Projection" graphics being thrown at us.

Of course, it quickly became apparent who would win, and before even half the states had been called, CNN already played out a hypothetical situation in which McCain would win every single remaining state, excluding California, Washington, and Oregon, and he still would not have enough to win. We were ecstatic, so we felt free to turn over to Comedy Central to watch Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart interpret the results, clearly enjoying themselves and the way the election was going.

In fact, the first time we heard the phrase, "Barack Obama has been elected president," was from Jon Stewart's mouth. Which is a perfect indication of the way the political culture has been transformed, I have to say. The Daily Show team then performed some antics about what they were going to do with their lives now that the election was over, but we were too thrilled to care.

I then spent the rest of the night celebrating while attempting to contact my sister, who was in Grant Park in Chicago watching the next president speak LIVE (a futile attempt, since everyone in Grant Park was trying to use their cell phones at the same time so no one could get service).

Overall, it was a great night, and I rewarded myself by skipping all my classes today.