I live under a rock, so I wasn't too up on the details of the March 21 shootings carried out by one Jeff Weise on the MN Red Lake Reservation, but a recent link from Stefan has piqued my curiosity with respect to the incident. Apparently, back in October (two days before my birthday, no less), Weise posted what might now be viewed as a prelude to slaughter -- a Flash animation depicting a gunman shooting down a handful of people before blowing up a police car and finally committing suicide himself. It's actually pretty well-animated -- though admittedly Newgrounds is filled with similar shorts -- but of course what makes this particular cartoon significant (and frightening) is that Weise actually more/less carried out the events depicted therein. According to folks assessing the situation after the fact, Weise's animations (another of which features a demonic clown), artwork, and fiction, which apparently depicted images of zombies and death, constituted definite warning signs and that, had they been properly addressed, this tragedy might have been prevented. And I suppose that in this case, that might be true. (more...)

Thought I'd weigh in on the Schiavo case -- briefly, because I don't have a whole lot to say about it. Let me start by saying that until very recently (like, last night), I knew next to nothing about the case. I'm usually at work or asleep when the news is on, and when I'm in the house I'm generally at my computer doing something or other for Scary-Crayon. I wouldn't even have known about the case at all were I not a fairly regular reader of Dawn's blog, but of course the information one gets there is highly biased. Some things mentioned with respect to the case are flat out untrue; others are intentionally misleading and downright strange (there was a very cruel letter to Terri, supposedly penned by Michael Schiavo but actually written by Dawn's mother -- I still haven't been able to figure out the purpose of that, given that this "satire" appears to be lacking in satirical value). So first things first: before you bother forming an opinion about the case and getting all emotional, get the facts first, because there are some really important ones that you're probably not hearing. (more...)

Okay, so now for the continuation of last time's more substantial post, which could also be called "Why Wes will never find a significant other," or "Why no women ever find Wes attractive." Take your pick.

Wunderbar definitely hit one of the nails on the head -- my height -- and rightly adds, "I wonder if those girls would have said you were creepy or stalking them if you were 5'10" and otherwise the same." Now, before you go jumping in and saying, "Height isn't important!" for those of you who are members of online dating services, take a moment to browse the attributes that people are seeking in a mate. I'd wager that height is important to most women out there -- and unfortunately most women would outright reject a guy who only stands 5'4". (more...)

Quick post. The New York Observer profile of one Dawn Eden graced the front page of that publication today. (I've only seen the online version, which is rather devoid of photos, but if anyone cares to send me the shots used in the print version I'd be interested in seeing them!) From my limited experience with Dawn, it's a really good portrait of her, though perhaps a little too fawning for my taste in these kinds of things -- but then, I tend to prefer a more balanced commentary, even if in the end one's assessment leans more to one direction than the other. (more...)

A few weeks ago, in this post, I wrote:

...in my case, anonymity has been all too easy to maintain. My name is all over the blog and SC... and yet I remain ultimately anonymous. Hell, I practically ensured my anonymity when I posted my photo and actually met folks in public. The simple fact of the matter is that, for me, I will always be more anonymous to people who have seen my face and/or met me in person than I will be to those who know nothing about me at all save what I've written.

And now for the explanation. (more...)