creative riff

Thanks to Gawker I learned that my ability to grasp the world of hipster is fading quickly. In case you aren’t aware this world is full of grifters. What is a grifter? Luckily Urban Dictionary exists for this reason.

A grifter is someone who swindles you through deception or fraud.

Synonyms include fraudster, con artist, cheater, confidence man, scammer, hustler, swindler, etc.

Now that that issue is over, this weekend has been a living hell for me. The one course that has plagued my being at Carolina, media law, is nearly over. The final exam starts at 12 noon tomorrow and ends exactly three hours later. Once I finish I can rush to my cell phone and Twitter that my college life is over. I might even add some *sob *sob to the message to get my point across.

That’s enough sentimental sauntering for tonight. I came across an article on Gawker today that linked to a “disaster” coloring book for children. I have gone through the motions to make the comic available on my server (look below).

What cities/places in the United States come to mind when you think of potential “terrorist targets?” Pause. Take a moment to think. Did you say Albert Lea, Minnesota? Apparently the good-minded folks of Albert Lea’s “Crisis Response Team” thought it would be a smart idea to create a coloring book to help children deal with a tragedy. That’s right. A “disaster.”

The pages inside feature sparse commentary on how children might feel following “the disaster” coupled with images that look like something you might find in a kindergarten teacher might collect for a scrapbook. One almost wishes the book picked a “disaster” to go with and explained how to recoup from that. I don’t think recovering from a wild fire is too different than a flood. Both eff your house and all your personal memories.

Who could?

I wish my head wasn't bowled out.

Take note of the reference to the World Trade Center attack on page 12. Who knew that Minnesota was so close to New York City? Finally, how does one receive his “Good Kid Award?” Go to a Michael Jackson concert? Does he still do those?

Wait... Ike got this award on South Park in a much different way.

Thanks for the quick laugh, Albert Lea.

Rating:

At any rate, I must get back to cramming for the most important thing of my life outside of dying from cancer. Screw you media law. Screw you for enlightening me to the greater picture and problems I may face during my career.

Sources: Gawker and The Smoking Gun

PDF version of the aforementioned coloring book.