The waters above.

[reddragdiva]

• ePetition: Put Alan Turing on the next £10 note (by marnanel).

• Bishop to hospital: let women die, that's an order.

• My Wikimedia blog: The public relations agency problem.

Just finishing two weeks' holiday. I had a to-do list this long, so of course I spent the first week sick in bed and the second cleaning for a house inspection.

The thing I actually got done was polishing up two RationalWiki articles for cover status: Freeman on the land and 101 evidences for a young age of the Earth and the universe. The latter is a point-by-point refutation of a comprehensively stupid creationist advocacy piece. I am told by recovered ex-creationists that it would in fact have helped them understand why creationism doesn't work, so we could actually make the world a better place with that second one.

(Wackiest creation science theory of the week: that the Kuiper belt is "the waters above" of Genesis 1:6-8.)

Freda has discovered Tom & Jerry cartoons and thinks they're hilarious. Now to find ones that aren't jawdroppingly racist ...

A Brief History Of Time is immeasurably enhanced by reading it while listening to MC Hawking.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Freda has discovered Tom & Jerry cartoons and thinks they're hilarious. Now to find ones that aren't jawdroppingly racist ...

My memory is that all of the oldest ones probably would fit your definition, for at least the Aunt Jemima style Nanny character, who I am sure was in each and every one.

Wikipedia seems to agree with that assessment, although I'm not sure "racial stereotypes, such as characters shown in blackface following an explosion" really counts, but I daresay there was worse. But I grew up with them.

Of course, Wiki says the nanny is called Mammy Two Shoes and was redubbed in the '90s to make her Irish. Which I assume is so much better.
LOLIrish and their grinding poverty.

There are also 2006 releases which I assume are sold at markets everywhere for two quid.

[reddragdiva]

It was getting two in a row with jungle jigaboo characters in blackface dancing to jazz. The black maid was the least of it.

[greylock]

It was the style of the time.
Never harmed me none.

That said, the '70s were probably a lot more tolerant of "jungle jigaboo characters in blackface dancing to jazz", although I don't believe I never mapped that to "real world darkies".

Still, probably best to save those for when she's older.

I'm sorta surprised kids today are still interested in Tom & Jerry cartoons. I was never a huge fan. I preferred early Warner Brothers (Merrie Melodies) and that sort of thing. And the Sylvester/Kangaroo ones.

Hated Road Runner.

[reddragdiva]

The cartoons are really very well made and written. This is actually good stuff. So the simple plot and, of course, the cartoon violence are just the thing to get a small child laughing like a drain.