I like cartoons, but explain something to me...?

Yes, I realize that I am a grown-ass man. But, I am man enough to state that I enjoy watching cartoons on Saturday morning in my footy pajamas and my bowl of cereal. And one of my favorites is the new Batman cartoon on the CW network, appropriately titled The Batman. It has Batman and Robin AND Batgirl all fighting crime together in Gotham City. My question is, and realize that I am not a misogynist, but why Batgirl? Are we so hung up on girl power and all that to require that Batman and Robin can't just be Batman and Robin? Homoerotic allusions to the B and R team aside, Batman and Robin have always been the team - Batgirl was an ancillary associate of the Dynamic Duo. And, that is okay. It is okay to have guys doing guy things together, without women...isn't it? I'm not suggesting that women can't be crime fighters - look at the success of Murder She Wrote! And to those individuals that want to psychoanalyze the pederastic nature of the Batman and Robin relationship - yes, I've seen the comic strip to the left and know all about the weird and sick theories concerning Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Do all single male authority figures, such as Batman, scoutmasters, Big Brothers, have to be child molesters? Is that the only reason to have Batgirl on the cartoon, as a kind of chaperone so that Batman isn't going to take Robin into a dark alley and have his way with him? Why wouldn't people assume the reverse, when in the early episodes Robin had not yet been introduced to the cartoon? What kept Batman from gettin' it on with the Batgirl? I'll tell you what - it is because Batman is so consumed with fighting crime and exacting vengeance on the criminal element that ruined his young life by taking his parents away that he is unlikely to be wanting a sexual relationship with a young boy, especially as this could possibly jeopardize his secret identity as Bruce Wayne, playboy millionaire, not Bruce Wayne, millionaire pedophile. So, why do we HAVE to have Batgirl in the cartoon regularly? And, no, I haven't over-analyzed this too much...

What's the story Wishbone?

What are this country's youth lacking? Is it leadership? Is it innovation? Is it tradition? Well, it's obvious: Wishbone! What better way to introduce the classics to kids than to have a loveable scamp of a dog wiggle his way into your heart with his portrayals of important literary figures? I saw an episode this weekend for the first time in years and thought "The genius of this! We should resurrect Wishbone and use him for the GSHA's nefarious purposes!" Maybe reenacted in the Russian Revolution? Wishbone as Mao? Incorporate him into the Kinderfuhrer concept? "C'mon, Wishbone!"

Enjoy!

Orientation has begun! Let the slaughter commence!

Today is June 6 - the 63rd anniversary of D-Day. Ah, who can forget the Dog Patch and its pivotal role in that historic event? Hats off to those who served that day! To those of you of the history set, YES, I realize that Lord Kitchner was in World War I. Just like the poster...

On a lighter note, summer orientation at the Big Orange is in full shwing! It is interesting to see the little incoming freshmen, trying to act as cool as they can so as not to betray their underlying shear terror. Reminds me of the first day of the grad program...except without all the touchy-feely coddling.

To those of my cronies hither and yon, summer is a time that makes me wistful for what was, whatever that was...

I have had this dream a time or two...

This is in the same vein as the fetus and the toe dream! Enjoy!

This is just kinda wrong

What do you get when you search YouTube for the "f-word" and "muppets?" This video.

A new Cook emerges for the world

Yesterday, my brother-in-law and sister welcomed their third child into the world. His name is Finley Jacob Cook, Fin for short. His sisters don't yet know what to do with him, although Sarah, the oldest, seems intent on marshalling her big sister skills and giving her parents assistance in the duties of diaper changing and disposal. Grace, although a bit unsure of the newborn crying, has taken on her role as the vocal proclaimer of her brother's recent birth. Three cheers for the Cook family!

Here's a video for Finley, so that he will have a greater appreciation for the finer things in life - Dolly Parton on Captain Kangaroo!

And here's one that I remember from my youth - freaky, fun, and educational! Enjoy, young Finley!

Presenting, for all that remember, Little Marcy!

Superheroes on Saturday, at last...

Finally, there are cartoons on Saturday worth watching - the Legion of Superheroes and The Batman. Johnny Test, though not a superhero, is really fun, as well. Now I have something to get up for on the weekends. Without my Superfriends fix, I've been lost for all these years...

How I learned to be a good person and a stunning intellect...

Education should be fun! Shouldn't it? I mean, if you can't learn through understanding interesting things, why bother? And if you happen to learn while viewing various cartoon-world apocalyptic visions, all the better, right?

Examples of what I'm talkin' 'bout: reading, the effects of global warming, the importance of classical culture, and touring the post-nuclear war world in an RV.