Strollerderby : spiderman

Spiderman Rescues Autistic Boy

Brett Singer — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

To be fair it was really "a Bangkok firefighter in a Spiderman suit." But to the kid, it was probably Spiderman. So I prefer my original phrasing.

The BBC reports that a Thai fireman named Somchai Yoosabai put on a Spidey suit in order to coax an eight-year-old autistic boy down from a ledge. It was his first day at school. The boy's mother told Somchai that her son had a "passion for comic superheroes," which prompted the costume change.

In case you, like me, were wondering why a firefighter keeps a Spiderman outfit handy, it's to "liven up fire drills in schools." Good idea. If someone had done that when I was in school, I might have joined the force.

Source: BBC via Wired

Baby Born in Penn Station During Rush Hour

Open Letter To The Woman Who Pushed Me While I Was Picking Up My Kid

FOURTH Printing For Obama/Spider-man Comic Book

Brett Singer — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:30:00 GMT

UPDATE 4: Yes, Virginia, Marvel did a fourth printing of Amazing Spider-Man #583. Amazing, really. To paraphrase Mary Jane Watson (no longer Parker, now that they retconned away her marriage to Peter), "Tiger, Marvel just hit the jackpot." The latest printing is now available in comic shops. (Tip: don't overpay for this thing on eBay; 4th printings are rarely, if ever, worth anything. Neither are second or thirds, frankly.)

Another thought on my kid and this comic -- he definitely wanted it, and he doesn't read the regular Spidey series. (Despite the fact that they dumbed it down when they rebooted the book, Amazing Spider-Man is still not for kids; he reads the Marvel Adventures version, however.) I think he was just curious to have it because it had Obama on the cover, and had Obama in an actual story. I would say that this proves that even kids are fascinated by our new prez, but up until now that wasn't the case for my son. While I think part of his interest of course stems from the fact that the President is in a Spider-Man comic book, I'm wondering if part of it is simply the fact that a real person showed up in the pages of a comic book. I doubt another famous person would generate the same level of excitement that Barack did but maybe Marvel should try this with other people. It's not unprecedented -- Superman fought Muhammad Ali, for example. That was REALLY gimmicky but so was the Obama/Spidey meeting.

So: Rush Limbaugh working with J. Jonah Jameson to expose Spiderman as a dirty rotten liberal? Captain Chesley of US Airways Flight 1549 fame (the one that he landed in the water) shows superheroes a thing or two about being a hero without powers? I've read worse comics, believe me. Anyone with other ideas, let us know in the comments.

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UPDATE 3: Demand for even the second printing of Amazing Spider-Man #583 was so high that Marvel is going back to press for a THIRD PRINTING of the comic book. For those of you who don't know much about comic book collecting, the third printing is rarely worth much money in the long run. (Neither is the second printing, actually.) In this case, people seem to just want this book. Because it has Obama on the cover. And inside, actually.

If anyone is curious, the 8-page story is mildly amusing and fine for kids to read. (Yes, I bought it. I even bought a second printing to give to my son. The first printing I'm saving. Yes. I'm nerdy. WhatEVER.) The main part of the book, which is part of this revamped, rebooted "Brand New Day" Spider-Man storyline, is really dumb and should not be read by anyone. Is it kid-friendly? Not really. There's nothing all that inappropriate, but it's all about Betty Brant and whether or not she really likes Peter Parker as more than a friend, and whether she sold out her principles by working at the new Daily Bugle, which is now called the DB! (yes, with the exclamation point)... I'm getting sleepy just typing this, it's so dull. So get the book for the kids if they want it, and tell them to skip to the back where the Obama story is. Trust me. That's the best part.

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UPDATE 2: This comic is sold out at MidtownComics.com, although there's a chance you can still get one if you go to the store. I already reserved my copy, so nyah-nyah. There will be a reprint. You're shocked, I know.

Original posts are below.

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UPDATE: here's a new image from the Spider-Man story that will feature an appearance by Barack Obama.

Via Marvel.com, which features an interview with Spider-Man editor Steve Wacker.

Original post, with an update about what my son said about this comic, follows below:

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Marvel Comics will release a special story featuring President-elect Barack Obama and everyone's favorite arachnid-powered superhero. (That's Spider-Man, in case you didn't know.)

According to Huffington Post, "The comic starts with Spider-Man's alter-ego Peter Parker taking photographs at the inauguration, before spotting two identical Obamas. Parker decides 'the future president's gonna need Spider-Man,' and springs into action, using basketball to determine the real Obama and punching out the impostor. Obama thanks him with a fist-bump." Wow. Daring.

Earlier this year, both Obama and John McCain were the subject of biographies in comic book form (reviewed by yours truly right here). And Harry S. Truman published a propaganda-style graphical rendition of his life back in 1948. Neither of those funny books featured anyone with super-powers, however.

Barack Obama's enjoyment of comics has been mentioned before. In the announcement, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada referred to the incoming President as the "nerd in chief", and said that the story was Marvel's way of giving him a "shout-out back". With all due respect to Joe, I don't think Mr. Obama was offering up a "shout-out" when it was revealed that he used to collect comic books and that Spider-Man was his favorite character, but who knows.

In further proof of his potential nerdiness, Obama joked at the Al Smith dinner that was actually sent here from the planet Krypton by his father Jor-El to "save the planet Earth."

(Jor-El is Superman's father, and Krypton is the planet that he came from. I'm not going to bother with a link, since if you needed me to explain that to you, you don't really want to know. That's OK, by the way. Just saying.)

I think it's fine that the incoming President is going to appear in a comic book, even if comics aren't as important to kids as they used to be. Kids are still into superheroes, but there is much more competition for their time then there was when I was young(er).

While this comic could be pitched as a way to get kids interested in current events, it's really a collectible that will be snatched up by adults, who will place it in a mylar bag with an acid-free backing board and hope that it goes up in value someday. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. I'll be buying a copy just to put it in a bag, since "Spider-Man" is unreadable after they wiped out 20 years of continuity via a ridiculous bit of retconning where Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane no longer existed and he never revealed his secret identity. (Again, if you don't already know what I'm talking about, you probably don't want to.) But it would be cooler if there were a kid-friendly book that featured the President-elect. Maybe something that actually discussed how government worked. "Mr. Spidey Goes To Washington." They could even do both. Since I buy comics for my son every week (and yes, for myself as well; you got a problem with that?), I wouldn't mind a book that addressed what was going on in the world – in a fun way – sneaking into the weekly stack.

HuffPo says, "The Obama story is a bonus in Marvel Comic's Amazing Spider-Man #583, available in comic book shops nationwide on Jan. 14 for $3.99." It'll sell out, since kooks like me will buy it even if they don't want to read it. But if you get to your local comic shop early enough, you can probably snag a copy.

UPDATE: So my son comes home and tells me that he heard there was going to be a comic book with Barack Obama and Spider-Man. Could I please get it for him? What I said about kids not caring so much about comics, particularly this one, was clearly incorrect. I think this time that's a good thing.

Source: HuffPo

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

They Say – Raise Kids Who Care

Working Parents Smackdown Part 2 – Dads With Jobs vs Moms With Jobs

Bronx Students Question Obama Through Poetry

Brett Singer — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:16:00 GMT

It's one thing when Rush Limbaugh attacks the idea that Obama is going to bring "change" to our country. Of course Limbaugh doesn't want change – as far as he's concerned, everything is fine. But it's a little different when high school students from the Bronx wonder whether or not our new President is really going to be all that different from those who held the office before he did.

These kids are a little bit older than those we usually talk about on Babble, but this video kept my attention from beginning to end. The poetry the students recite is pretty raw; to put it mildly, this isn't exactly Robert Frost territory:

Calling Mr. Obama, Calling Mr. Obama
Please Mr. President
Come In
…
Do you understand where I'm coming from Mr. President?

When one student says this in an interview:

"Just because your skin is dark doesn't mean your morality, your ethics are different from any other person."

That got to me. It's not cynicism, it's reality. When life isn't good, and everyone is talking about "change" this and "change" that, it's not unreasonable to wonder whether or not the problems in your life are going to get some of that "change." Combine that feeling with the general angst of being a teenager, and you get some pretty strong words.

The video isn't embeddable, so click here to watch it. If nothing else, it's certainly a different perspective on Obama's election.

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Kids to Obama: Read Books, Eat More Ice Cream

It's Official: White House To House First Grandmother

Morning News – Drunken Jokers With Bionic Limbs And Flying Cars

Brett Singer — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Happy Friday, everyone!

Comments on yesterday's Morning News got pretty heated. I considered doing nothing but stories about puppies, rainbows and sunshine today, but decided that was no fun. And as it turns out, the "Crossfire"-esque commenting has morphed into an interesting back and forth between persons of differing political persuasions. Thank you to everyone from both sides of the aisle who weighed in; check out the debate here.

Diane Sawyer appeared to be drunk during the Inauguration coverage on ABC. Was she celebrating Obama's victory? Is she a McCain voter trying to forget? No one knows. While it's not completely certain that she was nipping at the sauce, this video makes a darn good case for it.

Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg) did indeed bail on her quest to be a Senator without the hassle of actually winning an election. The New York Times is reporting that "Problems involving taxes and a household employee" were uncovered during the vetting process, so she bowed out. Whenever information like this is "suddenly" discovered, I always wonder how it is that nobody knew about it until it was too late. As in, Ms. Kennedy (Schlossberg) must have known that she had a tax issue, right? Also, it's still unclear if New York Governor David Paterson would have picked Kennedy (Schlossberg) or not. Um, it kind of doesn't matter anymore, folks. Let it go. Paterson will reportedly announce his choice today; convention wisdom says Andrew "HUD? What's a HUD?" Cuomo will get Hillary Clinton's old seat. (Hillary is now officially Secretary of State, by the way – she started work yesterday.) UPDATE: I was wrong, wrong, wrong -- the Times is reporting that Governor Paterson has selected Kirsten Gillibrand as Hillary Clinton's replacement in the Senate. Ms. Gillibrand is a congresswoman from upstate NY who is mother to two young children and has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, according to the Times. I'm mentioning the mom thing because this is a parenting web site, and the NRA endorsement because that makes her a potentially controversial choice, since most Democrats aren't big NRA folks. (Gillibrand's official bio page is getting jammed with web traffic, but here's Google's cached version.)

Interesting tidbit about the Roberts Oath Flub (Flubgate, anyone?) – a certain Senator Barack Obama voted against the Chief Justice's confirmation in 2005.

In business news, the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the "conflicting reports" regarding Steve Jobs health. First he said he wasn't that sick, then he said he was leaving for six months, blah blah blah. Personally, I thought "hormone imbalance" sounded pretty serious when it was first announced. If only the SEC had been equally diligent about Bernie Madoff, poor Kevin Bacon wouldn't be reading the script for "Footloose 2". (I'm only joking about "Footloose 2." I hope. Kevin is looking for work though, so if you hear of anything, give him a ring.)

A very cool medical story from England: 19-year-old British college student Evan Reynolds now has a bionic hand. Reynolds lost his appendage three years ago, and can operate his new prosthetic limb by thought. ''It's so sensitive I can grip a bottle of water or a paper cup without crushing it and even swing a racket," he says. ''All I have to do is imagine picking something up or gripping it and the fingers and thumb move automatically." Like I said: very cool.

Oh, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards. Some were surprised that Heath Ledger got a Best Supporting Actor nod for his performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight", but the real surprise to me was Robert Downey Jr.'s nomination for "Tropic Thunder." Not only is it a comedy, it was also a controversial one as I recall (that whole "retard" thing). Personally, I think Ledger will win. If he does, it won't be undeserved -- he gave an incredible performance. Brad Brevet says that Kate Winslet's nomination for "The Reader" is "fishy"; I admit that I couldn't read the full post, which actually quotes Academy voting rules. I was surprised that Clint Eastwood didn't get some love for "Gran Torino," but hey, you can't win 'em all.

The mother who named one of her children Adolf Hitler wants her kids back. "The parents insist they're not racists and want only to honor the heritage of the Third Reich," says the Daily News. What can one say to that?

Finally, someone has actually made a flying car! Terrafugia, the company that makes the vehicle (called the "Transition") calls it a "roadable aircraft," which doesn't exactly trip off the tongue. It goes 500 miles on a full tank of regular unleaded gasoline, and features folding wings. Bottom line: IT IS A CAR THAT FLIES. It also costs $194,000 and probably requires a good-sized garage with access to a ready supply of fuel. So it's not exactly ready for mass consumption. However, IT IS A CAR THAT FLIES. Did I mention that?

Have a great weekend!

Image: Times Online

(Late) Morning News: Finally!

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Live Inaugural Tweets From A Working Mom, And Video

A Prom? At the White House? Awesome!

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Malia & Sasha Obama Sporting Some Recessionista Style

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Sarah Palin Says Leave My Kids Alone

Obama Wants Kids To Have a Normal Life – Good Luck With That

Sasha and Malia Beanie Baby Dolls

Brett Singer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Here's a good one. Ty Inc., maker of the once-insanely popular Beanie Babies, has introduced two new Beanies – Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia.

The good part? The company claims it's just a coincidence. Company spokeswoman Tania Lundeen says the names were chosen because they are "beautiful," according to US Weekly.

Do you buy it? I don't. A commenter on USWeekly.com points out that the dolls don't look much like the First Daughters. But no one ever mistook a Beanie Penguin for a real-life fish-eating bird that can't fly.

The dolls were released this month to retailers; I'm sure the timing was also just a coincidence. Supplies are limited, so if you see 'em, BUY BUY BUY. They could be worth more than the Obama/Spider-man comic book.

UPDATE: Mama Obama is none too happy about the dolls.

Source: US Weekly

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Malia & Sasha Obama Sporting Some Recessionista Style

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Michelle Obama Objects to Sasha and Malia Dolls

Obama Wants Kids To Have a Normal Life – Good Luck With That

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Babies Understand Presidential Material

Morning News - Obama, Limbaugh, Cheese

Brett Singer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Hello and welcome to Morning News! I'll be your Morning Newsperson for today, and possibly for tomorrow as well. Madeline will return after that.

I don't know if you heard anything about it, but we had one of those peaceful transfers of power on Tuesday. We do it every four years whether we want to or not. This time around there was a tad more pomp and circumstance, with 10 Inaugural Balls. I only saw the Neighborhood Ball, where Jay-Z had the most powerful performance of the night; Sting also sang well but looked like he slept in an alley. Note to Gordon Sumner: if you are performing at a public event of this magnitude, at least TRIM the beard, 'k?

Adorable first daughters Sasha and Malia spent the big night watching "High School Musical 3" and getting a scavenger hunt-tour of the White House; the final clue led them to the real-life Jonas Brothers, who were hiding in a closet. So much for that normal childhood thing. Today it's back to school for both; they were allowed to sleep in on Wednesday.

President Obama did not take the day of and got right to work on Wednesday, signing executive orders to close Guantánamo Bay "within a year", and also putting a freeze on salaries for many White House aides. Smart move -- in this economy, he's not likely to lose anyone to the private sector.

Speaking of the economy, the financial markets ended the day up slightly after a big drop on Inauguration Day. Some say this is because "the market" doesn't like our new President, others blame "macro forces", and use big scary finance words that I don't fully understand. Bottom line: the economy still sucks, and it's going to take time for it to recover.

Folks who thought Sarah Palin would shrink from view after the election were wrong, wrong, wrong. The AP has an article about how the Alaska Governor would like some privacy for her children and the L.A. Times reports on a new energy plan she is proposing in the Alaska State legislature. Bonus: if you read the comments you will see that Palin still has plenty of supporters out there. Palin 2012, anyone?

In other political news, Caroline Kennedy may or may not have withdrawn from the race to replace Hillary Clinton as the junior Senator from New York. (Is it a race if its just one guy deciding who wins?) The New York Post (an ultra-conservative tabloid owned Rupert "Fox News" Murdoch) is reporting that Kennedy (what happened to "Kennedy Schlossberg?") pulled herself out of the running because she heard that New York Governor David "SNL Hasn't Been Funny Since John Belushi Left" Paterson was going to pick someone else. BUT the New York Daily News (a less conservative tabloid owned by Mort "I Gave My Money to Bernie Madoff and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt" Zuckerman) is reporting that sources close to Caroline whose last names are also Kennedy say that she hasn't dropped out at all. UPDATE: NY1 is reporting that it is indeed official -- Caroline Kennedy will not take Hillary Clinton's place in the Senate. Whether or not she will start using the last name "Schlossberg" again has not been determined. In the words of the great Kent Brockman, only time will tell.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds writes in the Wall Street Journal that he appreciates the "tone" our newly minted President has displayed; Reynolds says that by "reaching out to conservative columnists, and by going out of his way to say that he thinks George W. Bush is 'a good man,' Mr. Obama has made some efforts to transcend the nastiness that has emanated from much of the Democratic Party over the past eight years." Hey, if Obama can be gracious about Chief Justice Roberts messing up the Oath of Office, I think he can be kind to just about anyone. (The President re-took the Oath, by the way. Can't be too careful these days.)

Speaking of nastiness, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh isn't hopping on the Peace Train. He says that he has four words to describe how he feels about the leader of the free world: "I hope he fails." No really, that's what he said. Listen in:

And just to get away from politics and all things Inaugural, we leave you with this: French officials are investigating a possible scam by a woman in Paris who was selling "magic cheese" that she claimed could be used as cosmetics. Those French. Always good for a laugh.

Read more:

(Late) Morning News: Finally!

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Live Inaugural Tweets From A Working Mom, And Video

A Prom? At the White House? Awesome!

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Malia & Sasha Obama Sporting Some Recessionista Style

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Sarah Palin Says Leave My Kids Alone

Obama Wants Kids To Have a Normal Life – Good Luck With That

Sasha and Malia Get Bored

Brett Singer — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:00:00 GMT

One of the things I've grown to like about the Obamas is that I find them relatable as a family. Barack and Michelle take the kids to school in the morning. They appear to be involved in their daughter's lives in a positive way. The girls give their dad a hard time. It's very sweet.

Adding to their overall normalness, Sasha and Malia got bored at the HBO Concert on Sunday. From NYMag.com:

"…while our president-elect, seated stage right, showed steely resolve by nodding and singing along through even the most terrible performances, heroes Sasha and Malia Obama bravely broadcast their non-enjoyment by looking completely bored (Malia) or falling asleep on their mom's lap (Sasha)."

New York Magazine even calls the First Daughters "America’s Adorable New Statler and Waldorf." Cute.

In other Sasha and Malia at the HBO Concert news:

- Sasha was seen "squirming and then having a chat with Michelle before they both disappeared for the duration of John Mellencamp’s 'Ain’t That America.' We’re guessing potty break." (It also doesn't appear to be a song that she cares too much about, although both are reportedly "big fans of Beyoncé, Usher, and Kal Penn.")
- Denzel Washington waved to the girls after his speech.
- "Michelle tried unsuccessfully to get Malia and Sasha to sing along" to Garth Brooks’s censored rendition of "American Pie" ("good ol' boys SINGING whiskey and rye"? I don't think so.) NYMag says, "Think it’s a little before their time?" Maybe, but my 3 year old knows that tune.

Anyway, for the moment, I can't get enough of these two kids. It'll fade but let's enjoy it for now.

Source: NYMag (1, 2)

Inauguration Coverage Information

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Sasha & Malia Had Their Own Ball on Inauguration Night

Live Inaugural Tweets From A Working Mom, And Video

Brett Singer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:22:00 GMT

I wrote about this already but I'm following the stream now while I watch the coverage on television so I thought I'd point it out again.

JuJu Chang from ABC News is posting tweets (is it "tweeting"? If you know, tell me. I feel old.) live from the Capitol. It's fun to get a perspective from someone on the ground. For example:

people r standing on newspapers or cardboard to keep their feet warm in the crowd

It gives a personal touch, adding a nice element to the proceedings. Plus you can check out the tweets periodically, or just watch the TV coverage and then catch up when its all over. You can also read blog posts from JuJu Chang at ABC.com.

I'm tweeting (man, does that need a new term - can I say "twittering"?) while I watch, but I'm just in my living room, which is inherently less interesting.

UPDATE: here's a video report from the Mall:

If anyone wants to share their feelings about this while they watch, please do. We'd love to hear from you.

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Kids to Obama: Read Books, Eat More Ice Cream

Morning News: Bush Says "We had fun!"

It's Official: White House To House First Grandmother

Video and Pics: Lego Inauguration

Brett Singer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:00:00 GMT

This is cute.

Legoland California (the Lego theme park) has created a full Lego version of the Inauguration Ceremonies, complete with Lego versions of various folks, including outgoing President George W. Bush and his wife Laura, the Cheneys, and of course, Barack and Michelle Obama.

Here's a video featuring spectator reactions and a British reporter using the word "loo":

And SFWeekly.com has a nice slideshow of images, including this one, which depicts the swearing-in ceremony:

And the lines for "The dreaded inauguration Porta Potties." (All Porta Potties fall into the "dreaded" category as far as I'm concerned.)

One more: Lego Aretha Franklin, who appears to have a large, um, Lego chest:

As the blog Feministe puts it -- "All hail the Lego-in-Chief!"

You can get information about the real-life Inauguration here.

Source: LA Times, Feministe, SFWeekly

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

Inauguration Coverage Information

Brett Singer — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:48:00 GMT

Like most people (except for maybe Ann Coulter) I plan to watch the Inauguration tomorrow (or today, depending on when you are reading this). The thing is, I don't feel like watching the build-up. (Think of it like the Super Bowl – the game is more important than the people talking about the game for hours on end. The Inauguration is more important, of course, although Arizona Cardinals fans might disagree. But I digress.) I realized that I didn't know exactly what time the swearing-in ceremony was. It wasn't too tough to find, but I wanted to share the information with our readers, along with a couple of other tidbits that I thought you might find interesting.

Anyway, whether you are keeping the kids home to watch the ceremony or if you are at work and they are at school, I thought it would be helpful to provide a quick roundup of the event and also tell you what time Barack Hussein Obama (that's his official Presidential name, not a political commentary – I actually kind of like saying it now that he's won) will be sworn in using the Lincoln Bible.

1. What Time Is The Swearing In Ceremony?
If you only want to see the Big Event, it is scheduled for 11:30am. I would suggest leaving the TV on in case it starts a little later than that, but according to pic2009.org, the swearing-in starts at 11:30am. Before the President-elect becomes the President there will be musical performances by The United States Marine Band, Aretha Franklin, and the Boys and Girls Choruses of San Francisco. Biden gets sworn in as Veep, and then Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill will play music by John Williams. (I don't think they will play the Star Wars theme, but that would be fun.) THEN Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. will make it official using Lincoln's Bible from 1861.

2. Can people bring strollers to the ceremony?
To coin a phrase – No You Can't. Strollers are actually the only item that relates to babies and/or children that is on the Prohibited list. Personally, I can't imagine going anywhere near the Capitol tomorrow, but I don't even like parades. Bringing little kids there would make me very nervous, but you won't be alone if you do decide to bring the kinderfolk – there are reportedly quite a lot of families and children making the trip. Also worth noting: cameras are fine, but tripods and camera bags are not.

3. The Inaugural Poet Is a Mom
Elizabeth Alexander will read an Inaugural Poem. In December, she was asked how she planned to avoid having her text blow away in the wind, something that happened to Robert Frost, the first Inaugural Poet, at John F. Kennedy's 1961 Inauguration. (According to the Times, the poem was "awful" – "Summoning artists to participate / In the august occasions of the state / Seems something artists ought to celebrate".) Frost's work, "Dedication", was written on a piece of paper that literally blew away, so the poet had to go with "Gift Outright." Anyway, when asked what she planned to do, Ms. Alexander said, "I am going to have many copies of the poem tucked away. I really am. In a boot. I’m serious. I will have backups. I’m a mom." That made me smile. (Source: NY Times)

4. Inauguration Coverage From a Working Mother
ABC News Correspondent JuJu Chang is blogging about her experience covering the Inauguration and various balls at JuJu Juggles. Updates are also being posted (or "tweeted", as the kids like to say) at twitter.com/jujujuggles, where I found out that outgoing Vice President Cheney hurt his back moving boxes and will attend the ceremonies in a wheelchair. (Why was he moving his own boxes?) JuJu is also a mom, and on the blog you get to see her very cute son helping her pack. You can read more about JuJu at TVNewser.

So there you have it – a little info about the events and some mom-related angles as well. Despite what some commenters said at this post, I am excited about Obama's election and do feel that this is a historic occasion. I'm not keeping my kids home from school, but if you choose to do so, have fun. Wherever you are, make sure you're watching TV at 11:30am. That's when the real history will be made.

Parents Criticize Schools for Celebrating Inauguration

Obama/Spider-man Comic Book Sold Out, Reprint Planned

Obama Says His Kids Are Cooler Than He Is

The Obama Kids First Day Of School

Kids to Obama: Read Books, Eat More Ice Cream

Morning News: Bush Says "We had fun!"

It's Official: White House To House First Grandmother

Linda Ellerbee Says Kids Should Skip School To Watch Inauguration

Brett Singer — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:16:00 GMT

ParentDish spoke to Linda Ellerbee of Nick News about this Tuesday's swearing in of President Barack Obama. (You may have heard of it. It was in all the papers.) Ellerbee tells AOL's parenting hub that parents should, "Keep the kids home from school, spread out some yummies and settle in to watch the peaceful transfer of power from one opposing party to another… Missing school to stay home and watch the parades and the swearing in is just as good or better than any history or civics lesson your kids might get in the classroom that day."

Man, do I disagree with that.

I have nothing but respect for Linda Ellerbee. She's a cancer survivor, and as far as I know has done some good in this world with her news programs aimed at children. But on this one, I think she's completely wrong.

First of all, a lot of schools are going to broadcast the Inauguration ceremonies during the school day. Some parents are keeping their kids home from school because of this. I don't agree with that either, but I understand it.

Why? What's wrong with letting kids watch the Inauguration? Ellberbee says families should treat "the event like the Fourth of July. It is, after all, just as significant."

Except that I don't think kids would be watching the Inauguration at school if John McCain had won.

There is, of course, a huge reason why the Inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States is more historically significant than previous Presidential swearing ins. (No, it's not because he's a comic book fan, although that is probably a first.) He's an African-American and that is a very important historical fact. But I don't believe that this is why so many schools are having kids watch the ceremony, and I don't think that's why so many people are traveling to D.C. to experience the event in person. At least, it's not the only reason. Part of it is that "our guy won." Another part of it is that "George W. Bush has been a terrible President."

(I should point out that I agree with both of those statements. I voted for Obama, and will probably do so again in 2012. And the 27 percent of Americans who believe that George Bush has done a good job in his eight years as President must be looking at very different news reports than I am. And by "different", I don't mean Fox News. Even they thought the federal response to Hurricane Katrina was abysmal, whereas Bush recently defended it. But I digress.)

If you regularly keep your kids home from school to watch the Inauguration, I suppose it makes sense to do so now. But I don't know anyone who does this, nor have I heard of anyone who does this. As an example, my mother took me to Opening Day at Yankee Stadium for many years when I was younger. I was the only kid whose mother did that. The school was a little perplexed but they eventually learned to deal with it since it was something my mom did regularly. It didn't matter if the Yankees had just won the World Series or not. We were big fans and wanted to go to the game. As I got older, this stopped happening.

Of course, a new President isn't a baseball game. It's more important. Which is why I think it should be treated with more respect, not less. What kind of message is being sent if you keep your kid home from school to watch television? The younger they are, the more likely it is that they don't fully understand the significance of Obama's election. Should we talk to our kids about how significant this is? Of course. Is there anything wrong with passing your political beliefs on to your children? No way. (Without that, I don't think anyone would ever be a Republican – ah, just kidding. Sort of.) But treating this January 20th as so much more important than any other January 20th is a bad idea.

While I think it's terrific that Barack Obama won, I also think that life goes on. We have no idea what kind of President he will be, and even if we did, we still have to go to work (assuming we aren't one of the millions who have lost our jobs in this economy). And for our children, school is their job. If the school chooses to spend time during the day watching the Inauguration, I suppose that's fine. If you don't think that's fine, you should complain. But keeping them home for that reason is a bad idea as well. It feels too much like pouting.

Another thing – both reasons to keep your children home from school this Tuesday add to the political divisiveness that is becoming a huge problem in this country. Civil discourse is all but gone, especially online, where name-calling, race baiting and anger have taken their place. Why add to that by putting your children on one political side or the other? Admittedly, "keep the kids home to watch the Inauguration" is more positive than "keep them home because I don't want them to feel good about the incoming President." But in both cases the message is "school is less important than who won an election." And while that's true in the big picture, I'm not so sure I want to give my kids another reason to think that school isn't such a big deal.

Ellerbee says that "the swearing in is just as good or better than any history or civics lesson your kids might get in the classroom that day." I hope that isn't true. If so, whatever my kids are learning at school must be pretty lame.

Source: ParentDish

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Japanese Spiderman Video

Brett Singer — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Spiderman – you know, superhero, sticks to walls, spins webs any size, etc. – is popular around the world. But sometimes the character is changed slightly for local markets. Here is – Japanese Spiderman.

Yes, we all have election on the brain. This video is so dopey that it will absolutely take your mind off of everything for about a minute. And that makes it worth watching.

If you REALLY want to zone out, here's a full episode -- 24 minutes long. I haven't watched it. But if you need this sort of thing, here you go. Perhaps it arrived just in time.

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When the Characters are INSIDE the Kids' Lunchboxes

JeanneSager — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:02:00 GMT

If you know a chef, you've probably heard the art of food is in the presentation. Which for me means cutting my daughter's PB&J into four triangles instead of two. If she's lucky I'll crimp the edges when I remove the crust. But Japanese mamas apparently have more Martha in one little finger than I have in my whole body. Either that or a lot more time on their hands.

Every day, Japanese moms are keeping alive a tradition begun at the latter end of the country's Kamakura Period (which officially came to a close in 1333) in their children's lunchboxes. It's a modern twist on charaben, short for character bento boxes, that sends average kids to school with a lunch styled to look like Piglet, Spiderman or Tinkerbell is popping out of their box.

The creations were profiled in Face Food: The Visual Creativity of Japanese Bento Boxes, a hardcover out earlier this year from Mark Batty Publishers. Author Christopher D. Salyers recalls talking to mothers who were embarrased by the notion that magazines would want to display their work. They do it, they told him, for the praise of their kids. He says it's evidence of deep "parent-to-child devotion," a value highly valued in Japanese society.

Salyers' rich photographs were paired with detailed ingredient lists. A spot on likeness of the Aristocats' Marie, for example, took sixteen different ingredients to create - including cucumber, fish cake, green beens and thinly sliced beef. Seaweed was lovingly sliced to craft a winking eye, whiskers and even supply eyelashes for the Disney feline.

Can you see your kid eating seaweed? What about fish cake? Mine either. But as "Western" food from McDonald's and Starbucks have come to dominate the Japanese eating habits the way they have our own, Salyers says charaben help moms keep their kids nutritional habits healthy. But the projects can take anywhere from half an hour to two hours, and it's all going to be eaten by lunchtime.

What do you think? Worth a try, or too much work? I'm impressed. . . but Martha's still out to lunch.

Images: FaceFoodBento, Christopher D. Salyers

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5 reasons it's a good thing I had boys

Brett Singer — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 17:05:00 GMT

I was going to say, "I'm glad I have boys" but that didn't sound quite right. That is, I would love girl-children just as much as I love my guys. But there are a few ways that having boys has made my life – mine, specifically – a little bit easier.

1. No pink ponies: It doesn't seem like having a Y chromosome should automatically mean that one is interested in superheroes, videogames, and action figures inspired by superheroes and videogames. But experience says otherwise. While there are definitely girls who love trucks and boys who follow the Frasier and Niles Crane path – a love of opera, Broadway and snappy clothing – my guys are way into Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Pokémon, Wii, Playstation 2, and so on. If I had to learn whatever there is to know about My Little Pony, I think my brain would crawl out of my ear.

2. Miley-free zone: Thus far Things 1 and 2 have shown zero interest in Billy Ray Cyrus' little ~~meal ticket~~ girl, which means I can continue to go through life knowing almost nothing about her. Maybe this will change when they get older, but hopefully by then Miley Ray Hannah Montana Stewart Cyrus will have either pulled a Britney Spears and had a meltdown, grown up and started singing jazz standards, or retired to spend her days sitting on a giant pile of cash gazing longingly at Nick Jonas. OK, I guess I sort of know something about her, but that's just from trying to keep up with pop culture. I have nothing against Miley or the Jonases, but not having to listen to their music or attend their concerts is something I will never, ever complain about.

3. No batting of eyelashes: My wife has pointed out many times that if we had had girls, odds are I would be putty in their hands. I wish I could say I disagree but I think she's probably right. Little girls are so cute, and seeing them cry is much more painful than seeing boys cry. I know that's stupid, sexist, and stupid (did I say that one already?). But I've seen, more than once, little girls who lead their dads around by the nose. It's probably best if we never find out whether or not I would join their ranks.

4. Less irrational over-protectiveness: Again, I am fully aware that this is unfair, stupid and sexist. But if I had girl-children, I would be very tempted not to let them leave the house until they were 30. I guess going to school would be OK, as long as they dressed like those Mormon sect people.

5. No High School Musical: When this monstrosity first started airing on the Disney Channel and the CD went to number one, I tried to watch it out of curiosity. I made it through about 15 minutes before I realized that it would probably be more fun to chew glass. The songs are lame, the characters are dull, the story is… Feh. Anyway, the boys seem immune to whatever charms that thing has, and for that, I am grateful.

image: Amazon.com

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The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

Brett Singer — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Let's get one thing out of the way right now – you shouldn't bring your children. They might want to go, but unless they have a very high tolerance for a long movie (2 and half hours) and an abnormally high tolerance for what might be the most frightening performance ever (Heath Ledger's Joker), I'd get a sitter.

Now: this is some incredible movie. At first, I was a little bit apprehensive. Part of that feeling was the hype, which was so intense that it seemed impossible anything could live up to it. (Part of it was also that the movie didn't start until almost 1am because we had to sit through 7 commercials, none of which I remember at all – money well spent, advertisers. But I digress.) There are some slow spots, especially in the beginning, and I think the director, Christopher Nolan, could have cut 10 or 15 minutes of film and made it a tighter movie. But that's nitpicking, because there are several scenes, some just quick moments and some long, exciting action sequences, that will put your jaw on the floor.

The saddest thing about Heath Ledger's death is that his daughter will never know her father. But it's fair to say that if an actor had to go out with one performance, this is that performance. He's so good that I completely forgot I was watching an actor, which, for me, almost never happens. (It's worth pointing out that Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, do the same thing in smaller and less flashy roles.) He's frightening, but not the way a horror movie villain is frightening. It's not shock value, although there is some of that (there's a bit with a pencil that might be the best 5-second description of a character in the history of cinema.) Without giving anything away, The Joker is referred to as a "terrorist" a couple of times, but unlike the terrorists in our world, this one has no cause that he fights for. He's just… mad. Not angry-mad, just flat out crazy. And Ledger captures that in every possible way. You could teach an acting class using this movie – what he does physically, vocally, emotionally; it's all stunning to watch.

The rest of it is, for the most part, equally good. I don't care about the love story, but it's fine I suppose and does serve the story. Aaron Eckhart is a solid actor and he does a good job as Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent. Christian Bale is by far the best Batman yet, although Ledger is so good that he really takes over the movie. Michael Caine is a good Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal is fine as token love interest Rachel Dawes; she's more than that, I guess, but it's not her movie. Gary Oldman is amazing; as in "Batman Begins," he somehow manages to completely capture the essence of a fictional comic book character that isn't a superhero, meaning that, as an actor, he has fewer details available to work with. I can't explain it but he IS Jim Gordon.

The nits to pick if you want to go there: some of the dialog is hokey (although the lines written for Ledger are brilliant.) There are a few slow spots. At times the action sequences are a tad frenetic, here and there. But it really doesn't matter. You'll read a lot about the surprising depth of this movie, and this is true to an extent. "The Dark Knight" is incredibly entertaining and does have some thoughtful moments amid the comic-book chaos, but there's no need to over think them. I would say just relax and enjoy it, but it's not a relaxing experience. Ledger's Joker is uncomfortable to watch, but in a good way. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to see it for yourself (but, as I said, get your tickets early; even the 12:30am showing was completely sold out.)

Now, despite the fact that there isn't much in the way of blood, this is not a film that you should take your children to see. Obviously, you know your offspring better than I, so if you think they can handle it, that's your call. And of course older kids will be fine. I hesitate to suggest an age-range, but I recommend seeing it yourself first if you're not sure. Worst-case scenario – you get to see it twice. Believe me, that's not a bad thing.

image: Reuters

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Batman: get your tickets now

Brett Singer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:42:00 GMT

So, being a guy who sees superhero movies, I wanted to see the new Batman movie. Today.

A friend wanted to come with me, so I couldn't pull my usual "go during the day when it's not busy" thing. So OK, let's see when its playing… What? Sold out? You gotta be kidding me.

Well, I'm not. If you're planning on seeing The Dark Knight this weekend, you'd better get your tickets in advance. This is unbelievably annoying. I tried at 2pm to get tickets to a 10:30pm showing, and it was already sold out. The reviews so far are over the top in their praise. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, a site that aggregates reviews from various sources, the rating is a whopping 94% positive (the only film with a higher rating is Wall-E.). If you go to the "top critics" section (print outlets and sites like salon.com), only a couple of the reviews are negative, which is extremely unusual for a comic book flick.

A lot of the interest in this film is because of Heath Ledger's death, but I've never seen anything like this. A movie that you can't get tickets to unless you go at midnight, which is what I'm doing? Come on. (And yes, I know I'm nuts.)

I'll let you know what I think of the film, and whether or not it's appropriate for children, later tonight. But for now, if you plan on going, order those tickets early, Bat-fans. Otherwise, you ain't getting in.

See you tonight -- different Bat-time, same Bat-channel...

image: Rotten Tomatoes

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Whit Honea — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:00:00 GMT

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My Fair Spidey: Spiderman musical coming to Broadway

Brett Singer — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:00:00 GMT

You are all aware by now that I love me some super hero movies. But a musical? Based on... Spider-Man? The mind, as it attempts to crawl out of my ear, boggles.

I mean, what possible reason is there to create a musical based on Spider-Man? And lest you think this is some sort of macho "theater sucks" thing, rest assured that I saw a Broadway show last weekend ("Macbeth" with Patick Stewart, shockingly horrible) and will be seeing another in two weeks ("Boeing Boeing"). So I don't hate Broadway, or even musicals, as an art form. This particular one, however, can't possibly be good.

Or could it? The creative team is as follows: Julie Taymor, who directed the wildly successful Disney stage adaptation of "The Lion King", and for music, you have -- wait for it -- Bono and The Edge. Now, I suppose some would be excited about this. How could a musical with songs from the two main parts of U2 be bad? Well, Paul Simon had a Broadway show ("The Capeman") which was, by all accounts, hideously bad. Numerous jukebox musicals (shows based on existing songs) have flopped, and many were based on good material (Bob Dylan, John Lennon and The Beach Boys, to name a few). In other words, success in one medium is no guarantee of success in another. And Taymor's only other Broadway credit was "The Green Bird", which nobody really liked very much.

This article has nothing but good things to say about Spidey's prospects on Broadway, but even with this potentially potent team of Peter Parker interpreters, I am not at all optimistic. Supposedly the show is due in NY in 2009. So we'll just have to see. "To be continued..."

image: Amazon.com

Free Comic Book Day

Brett Singer — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:30:00 GMT

I love me some comic books, but they are way too expensive. (Not that this stops me from buying them, mind you.) And if they cost too much for me, they definitely cost too much for the average kid.

That's one of the reasons for Free Comic Book Day, which is tomorrow (Saturday, May 3rd). Stores all over the world give away free comics in the hopes of getting more kids interested in funny books. With the "Iron Man" movie opening this weekend, stores will probably be packed, but they usually have a lot of product to give away, so stop by your local shop and see what they've got. By the way, I do mean "all over the world" -- the website lists a store in Malaysia, among other faraway places.

Kid-friendly books include Tiny Titans, Sonic the Hedgehog and The Simpsons.

Age ranges vary, although personally I can say that Tiny Titans is a true all-ages title. It helps if you are into the Teen Titans cartoon and/or the original comics, but Robin riding in the back of the Batmobile asking Alfred if they can stop for ice cream is the level of humor we're talking about. (If you have no idea what that last sentence means, don't bother picking up this one, although your kid might like it.) A nice touch is that the website has PDF previews of most of the books so you can check them out beforehand if you like. Note that not every title being given away is necessarily for young readers. Also note that some stores are even giving away Star Wars and Iron Man toys! For the kids. Not for me. For the kids...

Giveaways vary by location, check freecomicbookday.com for details.

images: freecomicbookday.com

Superhero Comics for Kids: A Strollerderby Guide

editors — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Remember when comic books were just for kids? Yeah, we don't either, really. But looking at our dog-eared copies of Watchmen and Ghost World — not to mention those DVDs of the Spiderman and X-Men movies — we suspect that we may be the first generation of parents to have bigger comic collections than our children. Comics publishers, of course, want to have it both ways: DC just released the kiddie superhero series Tiny Titans, which you'll feel much better handing to a six-year-old than the latest issue of Batman. What other tiny superheros are lurking on the shelves of your local comic shop? To find out, we consulted comics expert and father-to-be Gabriel Mckee. Here's his round-up:

The Mini-Marvels

"Chris Giarusso's Calvin-and-Hobbes take on the Marvel Universe cleverly transfers the grandeur of epic superhero conflict into the microcosm of a third-grade classroom."

The Tiny Titans

"In the mid-'60s, DC cashed in on the success of the Justice League by introducting the Teen Titans, a superteam that gathered together kid sidekicks and adolescent doubles of their biggest heroes. Now they're doing one better with the Tiny Titans, an entire classroom full of superpowered students at Sidekick Elementary."

The X-Babies

"Everybody likes the X-Men, right? The certainly do in the television-centric alternate dimension ruled by arch-studio mogul Mojo. But anytime he kidnaps the X-Men to appear in his programs, they fight back and escape. The solution: create infantile clones of the whole team!"

The Little Endless

"The eight symbolic deities of Neil Gaiman's Sandman have existed since the beginning of time. When they tell stories about their earliest days, "when things were still taking shape," they conceptualize themselves as superdeformed goth kids-- the Little Endless."

The Mighty Skullboy Army

"Jacob Chabot's Skullboy is the head of an evil corporation with a plan to take over the world — if his teacher will let him leave the first-grade classroom, that is. It doesn't help that his army — a mischievous monkey and a wisecracking robot — would rather play videogames than conquer his foes."