Wayne LaPierre just finished a press conference calling for armed guards in every school. If you didn’t see it live, you can watch here.
Author: Ann
Violence in movies and video games
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings, there’s been plenty of discussion about guns. Violent video games and the role of Hollywood have also been mentioned as causes, with calls for restricting the amount of sex and violence. My radar immediately pops up whenever I hear someone going down the censorship path- who would make those decisions and where does it end? Frankly, I find Victoria Secret ads tasteless for their blatant sexual messages but I wouldn’t call for outlawing them. This will cause some readers to roll their eyes but I think the lack of diversity is a big reason why this country has a “culture of violence”. The majority of the video game developers are young males, the powerful players in Hollywood are men, and we’re still a far way from true representation in Congress. From my own experiences in the animation industry and the editorial cartooning profession I can tell you the lack of women and minority groups does color what is created and commented on.
Another school shooting
So we have another school shooting in America- 28 dead including 20 children aged 5-7 years at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. I haven’t read any response from the NRA yet, but you can bet this is what will happen next:
Counterterrorism programs and your privacy
Reading an interesting WSJ article about an Obama administration counterterrorism program which allows examination of the government files of all US citizens for possible (that’s the part which should worry you) criminal behavior, even if there’s no reason to suspect them. The article also referenced the 2002 Total Information Awareness program promoted by then DARPA director John Poindexter, which was widely criticized at the time. Here’s my view from 2002:
Napkin sketches
Some napkin sketches from Randolph’s Bar & Lounge in the Warwick Hotel, NYC. Dwane Powell’s are on the right, mine are on the left. My favorite is Dwane’s rear view one.
Dwane Powell’s photography
My cartooning buddy, Dwane Powell is a fantastic photographer as well. Here’s a couple of photos he took during our trip to NYC.