Gold Star Awards, June, 2012

Only four posts last month. That's what happens when work kicks up and you're travelling. (OK, fair enough: That's what happens when work kicks up and I'M travelling. Other people still manage to update their blogs on a regular basis!) And the first casualty of that, aside from spelling, grammar and the profundity of content, is the Monthly Gold Star Awards.  So here they are for June.  I'll have July's up... sometime in July. (Hopefully.)

1976, if you're still counting - 2 Golds and 2 Silvers...


The ROBIN ROBERTS Gold Star #52: Imagine2050

I came across this fairly recently. Great blog / news site, covering the stories that the so-called "liberal press" won't touch, with a focus on issues of race, immigration, cultural diversity and tolerance.

On their website, they describe themselves as: Activists, immigrants, artists and students who are invested in a future nation that embodies a multiracial democracy. By the year 2050, one out of five Americans will be foreign born. Latino and Asian communities will increase significantly. There will be no clear racial or ethnic majority.  We will become a nation of minorities. Today’s perceptions of foreignness will challenge how Americans identify themselves over the coming decades. In light of these challenges, Imagine 2050 is committed to igniting candid conversations around race, immigration, environment, and American identity.

Great and profound stuff.  Check them out!


The BOB LEMON Gold Star #53: Press Pass TV

Most of my regular readers are already of the opinion that the main stream media is useless and that journalism is a dying art.  Well, the work being done by this organization, teaching young people about the issues that go unreported on, and training them in the skills they'll need to present these issues, may just revive it. And that's a good thing. I'll let their own site speak for itself:

We work with Boston and Worcester area youth to produce short news segments that tackle underrepresented social justice issues and celebrates those organizations and individuals working to make their community a better place. Middle school, High school, and College age students engage in all aspects of production, from developing questions to editing video.

Our content is intended to promote civic awareness and action. We create curriculum around our segments to increase awareness, action and accountability. We also hold meetings to continue the discussion of issues raised in our work and support local campaigns for civic action by producing stories on their initiatives.

Recent psychological studies show that when people are exposed to others engaging in benevolent acts, they are more likely to do the same. At Press Pass TV, we operate on this principle and know that for real change to occur, people must regularly witness the amazing acts that others commit on a daily basis.


The Freddie Lindstrom Linoleum Star: Accuracy in Media

Just as Freddie Lindstrom does not belong in Baseball's Hall of Fame, the almost comically Orwellian named "Accuracy in Media" does not belong on anyone's list of honors. (Right-wing Jackasses notwithstanding.) But just as the Baseball Hall of Fame has the dubious distinction of honoring mediocre talents like Lindstrom, so do does this mediocre blog occasionally hand out a dubious honor to an outfit like AIM.  What can I say? A Liberal will prove you're wrong, while a Conservative will prove you're Liberal. 

(BTW... I wish I had though of reserving the Chick Hafey's and Lloyd Waner's and Highpocket's Kelly's of the world for the dogshit sites that I sometimes "highlight"back at the beginning. Unfortunately so good sites were linked to lousy players and some lousy sites were linked to good ones. Oh well.)


The Roger Connor Silver Star #50: Invisible Bread

This is a webcomic about every day humor.  Elegant in it's simplicity, it features just stick figures and smiley faces (like Political Symmetry, if it were in color) and yet still manages to convey emotion and depth and touch on all of the funny situation that we've had to deal with, or (thankfully) managed to avoid as well as soem truly abstract and absurdly off the wall stuff.  There a lot of college humor, about late night cram sessions, video games addiction and snack food, as well as awkward social and relationship material. Hey: It's funny. Read it! ;)

Gold Star Awards, January (!), 2012

I debated just skipping a month and making these FEBRUARY'S Award winners, but at the onset I said I would do these every month, and I know from past experience that it's not a good idea to get into the habit of laziness. And hopefully, this will keep me blogging this month, since I'd hate for the NEXT post to be FEBRUARY'S winners! (Especially if that were in MARCH!)
So here are LAST MONTH'S Si;ver Star Winners. The year is 1971, and the Veterans Committee was VERY BUSY inducting SIX new members:


The Jake Beckley SILVER STAR #41: TV Tropes

Have you ever tried to write fiction?  It's harder than it sounds. (I know: I'm trying!) And it is both amusing and informative to learn more about the tropes used by fiction writers accross so many mediums.  According to their own home page: "TROPES are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not cliches.  The word cliched means "stereotyped and trite." In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them." And do they EVER! Every movie, every TV Show, Every Comic Book, Every Amine... So many forms of media. If you want to see a tongue in cheek look at the tropes used in ANY work of fiction that has more than TWO FANS in the entire world, check this out. 


The Harry Hooper SILVER STAR #42: Flipside

I've been reading this web comic for AGES and I'm still only about halfway though it! It 's been running for YEARS and IMHO is one of the best drawn and best written web-comics out there. Very professional.Amazing work.  It a fantasy, Swords-and-sorcerers story, with subtle Manga influences.  The two leads, Maytag and Bernadette are two of the most interesting, compelling characters I've come across in a very long time.  The authors also manage to work modern issues (such as gender discrimination and homosexuality) into the plot seamlessly, which elevates the work well above the level of a typical hack-and-slash fantasy comic strip. So check it out, you won't be sorry. And be sure to read it from the beginning.


The Joe Kelly SILVER STAR #43: Pandora

I'm sure I don't need to tell you what Pandora is.  What I find so amazing is the idea behind the Music Genome Project, how they will break music down to it's basic elements and recommend songs based on fundamental similarities rather that the "Amazon"/"Netflix" model of "people who liked this also liked...:"  There is a deeper understand of music at play here, and one that deserves some recognition.  Just one observation: Be careful what you give a "thumbs-up" to!  "Thumbs-up" just a single funky bit of 1970-'s soul, and you'll be thumbs-downing so much bad 1970's disco, you'll think you're in a pornographic film!  Despite these shortcomings (which have more to do with ME that with the system, I'm sure!) I really appreciate this site, and the FREE service they provide. So many of the songs I put on my Music Page were discovered through Pandora. (Steven Lynch, Dave Van Ronk, Carbon Leaf, Great Big Sea, and MANY others.)


The Dave Bancroft SULFUR STAR: World Net Daily

Have you ever smelled Sulfur? Have you even read the World Net Daily? Can you see what they have in common?  It was inevitable that I would eventually bestow one of the dubious honors upon this heap of steaming, Right Wing Trash. Some of us like our information to be ACCURATE. For those who prefer it to be CONSERVATIVE, this is the site for you.


The Chick Hafey IPECAC STAR: The Media Research Center

Brent Bozell is to objective journalism what Syrup of Ipecac is to fine dining.  This guy is sofa king brain damaged that upon first viewing I would almost be inclined to view the puddle of bile that he calls his life's work as some form brilliant Liberal-created irony.  Sadly, no: He's serious. And pathetic. And about as easily debunked as the myth that the Sun revolves around the Earth.  How are Conservatives not embarrassed to be associated with these brain-damaged jack-holes?


The Rube Marquard COPPER STAR: Coston's Complaint

Honestly, this Right-Wing Blog is no more or less brainless, nor more or less biased, or more or less factually inaccurate that pretty much any other Right-Wing Blog, he and I just had the mutual misfortune of crossing paths at one point.  I'd love to debate him, but he never replied to my comments. (And I can't even find them now.) Anyway, if you're Conservative, I'm sure you'll love it. If you think people opinions should be at least partially based in reality, you'll probably get a headache.