Think About It: "Tolerance"

"Tolerance."

Have you ever noticed that whenever someone implores you to be "tolerant", they always place within that request an expectation for you to not tolerate something? Think about it.

What are these people really saying when they demand you to be "tolerant"? Are they really "tolerant" of your view if they expect that you should change it? See what I mean?

What do people really mean by "tolerance"? Tolerance of what?

The same holds true for "close-mindedness". You'll notice that whenever someone dismisses your view because it's "close-minded", that they're actually being "close-minded" to the possibility you could be right.

So where does that lead us? What should we be tolerant of, and intolerant of? Should each person just be tolerant of whatever they feel like they should be tolerant of? Should you be tolerant of something simply because another person tells you you should, or because the majority opinion of the day says you should?

Is it actually a question of "tolerance" at all?

Who's standard should we use to determine what to be tolerant of and what not to, after all? I do have an answer, but you're probably not going to like it...

Think about it.

The Appropriately Named Calgary Marathon Winner!

Okay, how cool is this?

(from the Calgary Herald) 
"Kip Kangogo’s daughter won’t know it for a few years, but she received a priceless birthday present on Sunday. Emma turns one in Lethbridge on Monday and her dad, running just his fourth marathon, won the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon just for her with a record race of two hours, 19 minutes and 47 seconds."

Kip Kangogo? Yes, he can.

Top 10 Coolest Batman - Doctor Who Mashups!

Batman & Doctor Who. Two very cool things that you wouldn't think of going together, but like peanut butter and chocolate, these two things make a great combination!

10. DC & BBC, make this happen! 

By Brad Matthews

9. A Batman/Doctor Who animated film? How cool would that be?

By Dan Gallagher

8. What the Doctor would have to deal with if he didn't have his sonic screwdriver...

by Marc Keller

7. Could you imagine a dark, moody episode of Doctor Who where the Doctor and Batman have to take on some Weeping Angels?

By Gabriel Hardman

6. That Dalek didn't stand a chance...

By GaugeX

5. Fantastic cover, now I want this artist to draw the rest of the book!

By Elvin Hernandez

4. I'd pay money to see this...

by djtoad

3. Yes, there's even a video!

 2. You've got to love this strip... makes a lot of sense, actually :)

 

 

by nebezial

1. I love this piece, everything about it is just great, isn't it?

by dryponder

Do you know any great Doctor Who/Batman mash-ups I've missed?

DC Comics and The Big Bang Theory; The Opportunities

CBS's wildly popular "The Big Bang Theory", while not my cup of tea, seems to have a really nice relationship with DC Comics.

 
The characters are always visiting the local comic shop where a treasure trove of DC comics and merchandise are displayed quite conspicuously. They frequently wear DC-themed t-shirts and merchandise, and on special occasions, even dress like DC characters. I get the impression that they even mention DC comics characters and events pretty frequently.

That in mind, I had some thoughts about how DC could further exploit and respond to this cozy relationship;

- Thanks to Sheldon, the Flash symbol is one of the most visible graphics in America right now. Now, The Flash in CW network's upcoming The Flash tv show features a symbol on his chest that mostly resembles the classic version, but instead of the red color in it, they should go back to the more recognizable classic white and also make the symbol a little bigger. Brightening the costume's red color slightly might be nice too. Perhaps we can hope this recently-revealed costume is just the Flash's prototype suit anyway?

- With Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg all confirmed to be showing up in the upcoming untitled Batman vs. Superman movie - Warner Brothers should capitalize on The Big Bang Theory exposure also, and strive to get the Flash (whether it's Grant Gustin or someone else) and a new Green Lantern on the big screen (if only as cameo), and in the movie-going public's consciousness sooner than later.

- WB should also pull some strings and get the Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill, to make an appearance on The Big Bang Theory. If you're thinking that Cavill is too big for the small screen - well, when we're talking about the huge audience The Big Bang Theory garners - virtually nobody is "too big". Besides, he's a really nice guy and I don't think the female audience would mind seeing him either. I'm sure the writers could come up with an entertaining reason for him to meet up with Sheldon and the gang. Like I said, I don't really care for the show, but even I would tune in for that. Didn't I hear that Henry Cavill and Kaley Cuoco were seeing each other a while back?

- Finally, DC could even put out a Big Bang Theory comic mini-series (perhaps make it very tongue in cheek and include DC characters), and add some promotion to entice people to read other DC titles.

Anyway, what do you think of my ideas for DC to make the most of their Big Bang notoriety? What are your ideas?

Ninja Turtles - Fixed!

I came across this great image where a guy took the Ninja Turtles from the upcoming movie and made them look a lot more like the Turtles we already know and love. Check out both Michelangelo and Leonardo below. The difference is quite striking, It's a HUGE improvement.

Bear on a Wire

You've gotta love the ambition of this poor bear....



 And as a bonus, check out this friendly guy!

Peter Furler Band - "Sun and Shield" Album Review

Peter Furler's newest album (or rather I should say "The Peter Furler Band's" new album) "Sun and Shield" has just hit the streets, and Furler has certainly taken things in a new direction.
 
When they were saying this was going to be a more "raw" sounding record, I was bracing myself for a letdown just in case. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. When listening to these songs, you can quickly tell that Furler is definitely showing his continued maturity as an artist.

This collection has a much more "indie" feel, moreso than most of his previous solo album or his work in the Newsboys. More raw and stripped down indeed. Think "adult-contemporary punk".

If you're tired of the dubstep & electronics-heavy sound that is so prevalent today, this album should be a welcome change of pace for you.

This record has lots of vocal and musical/instrumental surprises to keep you humming and tapping your toes with each new track...

Lyrically, it also feels very alive and very fresh. It's chocked full of Furler's patented "encouraging-while-also-challenging" themes, and thankfully these songs don't rely on worn-out lyrical cliches or tired CCM motifs.

Oddly enough, the title track "Sun and Shield" - while a good song and perhaps most friendly to "CCM hit radio", might be the least interesting one on the album.

"Shame", the title to the 4th track, is also a theme that comes up a few times throughout this album, and as you listen to it you can almost feel the resonating reverberations of Newsboys "Not Ashamed" album from so long ago. In a way, it's like Peter Furler's journey coming full circle, if you will.

The track "Yeshua" (which features longtime Christian artist - and Peter's father-in-law - Mylon Le Fevre) starts out in way that you might think it will be just another bland worship song, but it doesn't unfold that way, it's stylishly devout and one of the album's nice surprises.

If we're talking about whole songs, other notably surprising standouts on this album include "Dare I Say", "It's Alright (For Lazarus)" and "The Overcomer"

You can tell these are very personal songs for Peter Furler, though they still retain plenty of catchy melodies, bouncy tempos and satisfyingly swaying melodies - just not necessarily in a "Newsboys" way. In short, songs that are indeed personal, but not what anyone could call depressing. These songs are not a chore to listen to.

For longtime Newsboys fans, you'll be pleased to know that Phil Joel is on this album a lot. So much so that I actually wonder why he's not on the cover as a full-fledged member. In any case, Phil's background vocals are thankfully as good as ever here.
 
"Sun and Shield" as an album feels like a nice cohesive experience, not just a collection of singles. If you were thinking of just checking out one or two songs from this offering, I recommend that you rather get yourself the whole album to enjoy all the songs in their full context. Trust me, the journey will be worth it - it'll make you smile, and maybe even cry. All in all, it feels like a really well-balanced album. 4 out of 5 from me.

"Sun and Shield" marks an intriguing, fresh direction for Furler, and given his penchant for blazing his own trails, I'm very interested to see what Furler comes up with next.