We had a very “Dora” Christmas today as far as presents go.  We are praising God for His Son, and for our little girl.

More pictures to come!

That’s my American family, based in Harlingen, Texas.

Let me introduce to those not in the know-how.

A – Annika – the youngest child, baby of the group.

B – Bria – the first child, quite the lady, she is.

C – Ceyla, middle child, epitome of grace (so, I feel).

D – Dora, mother of the three, my American mom, and dearly loved and cherished by all.

E – Eli – father, one of the warmest people I know of.

F – Fifi, darling cat, and quite majestic, if I may say so.

G – Gunner, new addition to the family, a German Shepherd. Am looking forward to seeing new pics of him.

H – Hayden, the naughty cat. My favorite memory of his is that of him chasing Fifi, up and down the stairs.

That, my friends, is my American family.

When I first got acquainted with Dora, I did not quite figure that I would soon have an entire clan in US. I just dig Dora. She is the coolest mom ever. Great with encouragement, quick to forgive, easy to talk with, always warm…I just love her.

To know that there are people who love me so much, halfway across the world; it’s an amazing thought. Especially what I need to take the edge off my loneliness on a cold winter day. To keep me smiling through the day, and through life as well.

Jessamine Ada

Jessamine Bella

Jessamine Cleo

Jessamine Neva

Jessamine Noella

Jessamine Olwen

Jessamine Pia

Jessamine Ruby Greta

Jessamine Lucy Violet

Jessamine Zella Katherine

Jessamine Dora Lucy

Jessamine Lucy Alice/Eve

Jessamine Lucy Helen

Jessamine Anna Margaret

Jessamine Ruby Adele

Jessamine Pandora Jane

Prof. Juan Cole recaps the horrific day in Iraq and the ‘nationalist U.S. media coverage.

by Juan Cole

9 Dec 09 | Informed Comment

Five large bombs were detonated throughout Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 127 persons and wounding 500, and damaging important government buildings. Three of the five were suicide bombs.

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the bombings targeted the ministries of the interior and of finance, as well as a popular market and a court house. They hit on either side of Karkh and Rusafa districts. The first bombing struck at the gates of a Technical Institute in Dora, about 10:05 am, and then a courthouse in Karkh. The final bombing occurred in the Western Sunni district of Mansur, striking near a federal police building and a publicity office of the U.S. military. The Ministry of Finance building hit on the edge of a market was the one employees moved into when the original Finance offices were destroyed by a massive bombing in October. Over-all, many of the dead were police or officers.

The streets were eerily empty in the aftermath of the attacks, and American helicopters hovered above the sites that had been bombed, according to al-Zaman. Al-Sharq al-Awsat says that security at checkpoints was redoubled after the bombings.

Parliament’s Security Committee announced that it would question security-related cabinet ministers on December 17 as to how this serious lapse in security occurred. Hadi al-Amiri, chair of that committee, is head of the Badr Organization, a Shiite paramilitary related to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), a pro-Iran, fundamentalist Shiite party. ISCI took a bath in last January’s parliamentary elections, facing a strong challenge in Baghdad and Basra from Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s Dawa or Islamic Mission Party. Some of the outrage directed at the government is probably related to the upcoming parliamentary elections, in which attempts will be made to depict al-Maliki and Dawa as ineffective in providing security. Al-Zaman, reporting in Arabic, says that Baha’ al-A’raji, a Sadrist MP, also slammed the government for failing to stop the bombings.

What I remember is that bombings were a feature of Baghdad life when the U.S. was actively patrolling.

Al-Jazeera English (AJE) reports on the dilemma created for Washington by the security challenge in Baghdad (2:15):

AJE notes that some U.S. media outlets did not bother to cover these attacks in Iraq, and wonders if the story will return. I think the answer depends on the journalistic integrity of the outlet. For many, the answer will be no. Many U.S. media are nationalist media, and cover stories having to do with U.S. national projects. Americans have already decided that Iraq was a mistake, and they know the U.S. military is leaving, and so what happens there is not “news” as much of the corporate media defines it (i.e. a story that generates profits because of wide public interest in it).

CBS, to its credit, did cover the story.

Rado batuk dan pileknya kok ga sembuh sembuh ya.

Sebetulnya udah mendingan siih tapi masih aja sentlap sentlup umbelnya.

Kalau malam batuk, tapi kalau siang enggak.

Trus ni nulari dora. Akhirnya dora ikut batuk pilek juga.

Biar aman, aku pake masker.

It started out innocently enough.  She was just going to go with us to pick up Eli at school one afternoon.

And this made Sophie happy.  Very, very happy.

I mean, you know, mostly.

When we arrived back home, they played hide-and-seek.  Dora was “it.”

She found Sophie pretty quickly.  Without even using her map.

Then, Sophie gave Dora a piano lesson.

As you can see from her furrowed little eyebrows (and by eyebrows, I mean the space above Dora’s eyes where her eyebrows should be) and downturned mouth, this seemed to trouble Dora, so the girls moved on to watching Pepper the Mouse.

Well, then Eli asked them if they wanted to play Star Wars with him.  Of course!  But Dora had to be one of the bad guys.

Who, of course, got it in the end.

No worries. Sophie made it all better.

The afternoon ended with Sophie and Dora watching an episode of . . . Dora.  Which, frankly, kind of weirded me out.

So there you go!  An entire post consisting of pictures of my daughter and a big stuffed Dora.  And not one shred of good writing or witty observation or sappy epiphany.  Stay tuned until next week when I do a Flat Stanley montage!

So the 1loveart show opened tonight down at Hamilton House on Stokes Croft. It was billed as being ‘urban art’, so to be honest less was expected than at other shows. But you know what, it’s actually really good.

There is some of the usual antics in there, the same old ideas being rehashed in an entirely similar way, or biting as it might be known in a happily different context. But beyond a small bit of that, there’s a really interesting mix right across the range, from fine arty stuff, right across to tagging and piecing.

It’s one of those things that make you realise just how many people there are doing all sorts in this city. There’s not many of the more usual names in there, but it’s still full of people. Nice to see Jeffrow and Andy Stott with some new work, and Dot Com’s wall is easily one of the stand out parts of the whole thing. The British take on the rail map is funny as too.

It’s all laid out nicely, it’s a nice space they’ve got up there, if the lighting’s a little harsh in places. Hard to say though, it’s just got a feel of a good and well put together show, the sort of thing you’d go back to for another look.

So, it’s the first of the busy Bristol Christmas season for shows, but it’s set a really strong benchmark for them. Do head on down, it’s there for a shortish time before moving down to The Lanes down by Bridewell.

Here’s a bit of a gallery of what’s there. Minus the disturbing statues in the middle of the room, which really are outside of the realm of this blog. You’ll have to see those for yourself.

Hope you’ve not got too much planned for the 11th of December, as there’s a lot on that night, here and abroad.

One you really shouldn’t miss though is the Friend and Co Christmas show, with another top line up and a good mix of people from Bristol and further afield. Namely, for those with screen readers;

Asbestos, China Mike, Dora, Eelus, Eine, Inkie, Kid Acne, Milk, Miss Bugs, Mr Jago, Mudwig, Nylon, Petro, Richt, Rowdy, Russel Maurice, Will Barras, Xenz and 45RPM.

Put all that lot together with the usual Friend and Co hospitality and fun crowd, and you’ve got something well worth a wander along to.In fact, you could do a crawl from the Beezer show, through Friend and Co and on to Weapon of Choice all on the same evening, with barely a hill encountered.

Alternatively, if you can’t make it on the night, it’s on til Christmas eve, so plenty of time to accidentally wander past it whilst the Mrs is trying to make you go Christmas shopping.

Remember when it was just 12 days of xmas putting on a show for christmas? Things have come a long way in the last couple of years, here’s a couple more shows coming up, in addition to the Inkie and Weapon of Choice shows blogged last week.

First up, the ever reliable Art-El crew along with some fine art bods, doing something a bit further away from the grafstreeturban side of things than usual, but a big line up and an interesting new venue should make this one worth wandering along to this Friday night.

Picton Mews is off Picton Street down towards the Thali/Bells Diner part of it, where this used to be if memory serves.

Here’s the chat…

Art-el & Tunnadine Fine Art present ‘Advent’

Advent aims to provide a visual seasonal treat and bring an end to the period of expectant waiting, brightening up the festive season with a unique exhibition of new ideas and visual delights.

This show will bring you work from a wave of the galleries newer artists who present an aesthetic of visually challenging work, ranging from classic figurative portraiture to the grimy and still developing genre of the street. Although this show will be far removed from the usual urban/street art crew they are both primarily associated.

Selected from each gallery is a mix of local, international and national artists from as far afield as the USA, Portugal and Swansea!
High Renaissance, Fran, ill joseph, Joshua Barber, Leanne Ellis, Motorboy, Pedro Matos, Ria Hill, Simon Riley and Tom Hine.
The period of expectant waiting and preparation will cease and commence simultaneously at 7 p.m. on Friday 4th December at the newly discovered and delightful ‘2° Degrees Gallery’, a new creative space situated in Montpelier, in the heart of Bristol’s creative quarter.

2 Degrees Gallery, 2 Picton Mews (right off of Picton Street), Montpelier BS6 5PB
Preview will be on Friday 4th December 6.30pm until 10pm.
Then open from the 5th to the 20th December
(Wed to Sun 11am until 7pm)

www.art-el.co.uk
www.tunnadine.co.uk

The day before, this Thursday, there’s a shorter show opening down at Hamilton House on Stokes Croft, from 1LoveArt. On from Thursday 3rd to Monday 7th December, the whole thing then moves down to The Lanes down by Bridewell from the 12th December to the 12th Jaunary. Definitely ‘Urban’ art this one, if that’s your kind of thing, although there are a few writers in there amongst the stencils.

Vai cair como uma bomba na vida de Dora (Giovanna Antonelli) a notícia de que está grávida. Ela descobrirá que espera um filho ao fazer um teste de farmácia, que dá positivo.

De acordo com o jornal Extra, a princípio, a amante de Marcos (José Mayer) irá esconder sua gravidez de todos. Apenas sua prima Soraya (Nanda Costa) ficará sabendo do fato.

Ao encontrar com Helena (Taís Araújo), logo depois da descoberta, Dora não tocará no assunto de sua gravidez. Tudo porque ela teme que a modelo desista de levá-la para o Rio de Janeiro. Helena levará a amante de seu marido para trabalhar em sua casa.

- Aprinde-ti o tigara, nu vreau sa ne grabim.
M-am supus.
- Iti mai aduc o bere ? Sau poate vrei un ceai ?
- Poate mai buna ar fi o cafea, ce spui ?
- Credeam ca nu mai aduci vorba. Ma duc sa pregatesc.
M-am intins pe spate, uitand de ce ma aflu acolo. Ma cam luase cu ameteala de la ultima sticla de bere ; intr-un fel, imi pierdusem antrenamentul. Insa, peretii scorojiti ai camerei Dorei imi aminteau de ceva ce lasasem in urma si pe care il doream din nou aproape.
- Dora, iti mai amintesti de d-nul T. ? Am auzit ca vor sa retrocedeze cladirea aia, s-o dea mostenitorilor…
- Si asta nu-i bine ? E dreptul lor, in definitiv, nu ?
- Da, dar…
Si atunci, m-am oprit. Realizasem motivul pentru care ma aflam acum in camera Dorei. Nici unul dintre noi nu mai era cine a fost, eram doi oameni noi, incepand altceva decat ma asteptam eu.
- Ce este, de ce te-ai oprit ?
- Credeam ca mi-am amintit ceva..Insa, a disparut. ( Obisnuiam demult sa vorbesc asa, mai mult pentru mine pentru a sublinia un gand, sa-l numesc, ca sa mi se inradacineze.) Asculta, n-ar fi mai bine sa-mi povestesti ce ai mai facut ? Nu mai stiu nimic despre tine.
Isi scoase tacticoasa o tigara din pachet, fuma acelasi tip de tigari ca atunci cand o cunoscusem. ( Uneori, imi cumparam si eu dintr-ale ei, ca sa o revad in fumul tigarii – ah, cat de naiv visam la acea noapte in care ne propusesem sa mancam la pizzeria din colt. ) Mi-era greu sa nu imi imaginez ce a facut in tot rastimpul in care nu am mai cunoscut-o.
- Asculta, Dora, nu mai suntem niste copii, stii si tu, la fel de bine ca si mine, ca nu am venit asta-seara aici, doar pentru ca nu aveam unde sa dorm.
- Asa e, te descurcai cu o banca in parc, nu ? si rase, acel ras al Dorei, pe care mi-l aminteam uneori, cand era liniste in jurul meu, tresarind de undeva din mine, precum un resort ce era intins la maxim si pocnea. Daca ma gandesc mai bine, intreaga ei imagine, compusa din fragmente, era mai mult o implozie, care imi dadea migrene ingrozitoare uneori, iar alteori imi lua cu totul mintea, ma acapara pe de-a intregul.
- Stiu de ce ai venit aici.
- Stii ? Oare ?
Ma comportam patetic si ceva imi spune ca berea era de vina.
- Da, bineinteles, la fel de bine cum stiu si cum sa te vindec.
Se duse in coltul camerei, stinse lumina, iar dupa o vreme in intuneric incepu sa i se distinga din nou silueta (bastonasele pupilelor mele le venea greu sa creada). Am vazut-o cum vrea sa aprinda o lumanare si atunci am realizat ca nu asta este ceea ce cautam, nu, eu venisem pentru perdelele alea rosii si pentru pizza promisa, pentru valiza de voiaj lasata neterminata si pentru nenorocitul ala de anunt de la ministerul de finante, care…
Insa, toate astea nu mai existau, iar eu eram doar un alt patetic, pentru ca Dora, acum era Dora, nu mai era…

Noi nu ne mai amintim cum sa stingem lumina si sa visam la vocile noastre, nu mai deschidem cutiile postale, in asteptarea unei vesti, nu ne mai plimbam pe strazi, cautandu-l pe celalalt cu privirea, desi stim ca este imposibil sa ne gasim. Tu nu vezi, Dora ? Tu nu mai porti fuste si rochii si blugi rupti la spate, ca in melodie, ba chiar ai un aer corporatist si asta ma calca pe nervi ! i-am urlat, mi-am aruncat trenciul si am sarit peste treptele unui set de scari, pufnind nervos si intinzandu-ma dupa pachetul de tigari. Il uitasem pe noptiera ei. M-am asezat sub balconul ei, Romeo parasit de noroc (si nu, nu era Dire Straits pe fundal, nici The Killers), ci doar un motan hormonal, ce isi plangea soarta. I-am vazut umbra, undeva prin apartament, pasind nervoasa de la stanga la dreapta, de la dreapta la stanga, am auzit pahare, scrumiera, carti ravasite – strangea totul, iar prin fereastra deschisa, i-am urat
La multi ani, asa, ca pentru ea, poate aude.

It’s the end of Black Friday. From corporate America’s perspective, this means today was the biggest shopping day of the year, offering retailers a chance to jump from a deficit (red) to a profit (black). From a parent’s perspective, however, Black Friday means the opposite: bankrolling Santa’s shopping spree will send my VISA card into a one-month hemorrhage; I’ll still be taking care of the oozing debt when the $10 batteries die for the fifth time.

Let me get this Christmas shopping thing straight: I have to buy my kids a present from Santa for a staff Christmas party, another present from Santa for the actual day, stocking stuffers from Santa, and a present from their dad and me. My VISA and I are seeing red. As in red like Santa.

It wouldn’t be so bad if I could find quality toys that were affordable. But one look at this year’s list of Best Toys of 2009 reveals that Santa’s quality control experts were on a twelve month coffee break.

Here Are the Top 5 Toys of 2009 That Really Suck:

1. Fisher Price Smart Cycle Extreme. Okay, instead of taking your kids for a run around the park, going sledding, or playing a game of soccer, you can sit them in front of a DVD on an exercise bike and count their calories while you drink a latte. Now I’m all for preoccupying my kids while I do something else (like write this post), but an exercise bike for kids is clearly a sign of the apocalypse. What next, the mini-Martini mixer? Rumour has it that before the corporate bigwigs named it the Smart Cycle Extreme, they contemplated calling it the Junior Couch Potato.
2. Elmo Tickle Hands. There’s a reason why Elmo wasn’t on the original Sesame Street. He’s annoying, as androgynous-squealing-fur-balls tend to be. This year you get the opportunity to pay the same amount as a full-size Elmo and receive only the hands. Plus, one of the hands is made of cloth, meaning you actually have to make the sound effects yourself. And the price? Ouch, that tickles.

    

   

   The Original Elmo, after his hands were taken

3. Dora Links Doll. I actually like Dora. She’s decidedly anti-Barbie: she’s not blue-eyed or pasty-looking, nor is she Twiggy with boobs. But the Dora Links Doll looks like Dora’s befriended Jenny Craig, and that pisses me off. I can hear the explanations that parents will be forced to offer: “Yes, honey, the real Dora was too fat.” Add to that the fact you can change her eyes to blue and I’m definitely seeing red on Black Friday.
4. Crocodile Dentist. This game has been around since 1991, but some best-toy-websites have listed it as a  “classic” in recent years. Crocodile Dentist gives kids the chance to extract a tooth from a croc’s mouth; choose carefully, because if you select the wrong one the nasty reptile will bite you. It’s like the Hungry Hungry Hippos meet Operation. The reviews on amazon.com say it all: “a great drinking game,” “it bites pretty hard,” “contains choking parts,” and “we’re on our third one.” And those are the positive comments.
5. Barbie Twilight (Bella and Edward dolls). Let’s face it, if I’m going to buy an Edward doll, it’s going to be life sized. Enough said.

En weer een superleuke update voor meisjes, allemaal gedragen door 1 kind, die heel veel kleding heeft en dus is alles in hele goede staat.

Meisjeskleding in de maten 86 – 110.

• Merkkleding: Mexx, Esprit, Birddog, Ragazzi, Cakewalk, Wooden Buttons, Zara en meer
• Non-merk: Hema, H&M, Villa Happ, K3, Dora, Disney en meer

Kom snel even kijken.
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One of the things to look forward to this time of year, is small short run group shows and galleries popping up to bring a bit of festive cheer and make christmas shopping that little bit easier.

The one with the biggest line-up announced so far is coming up in a couple of weeks and being put together by the indomitable Inkie.

For those with screen readers, it’s running in Mayfair for a short time only, 8th to 12th of December, and the line up includes;

Goldie, Shoe, Inkie, Eine, She One, Mysterious Al, Sickboy, Insa, Zeus, Hush, MauMau, Kid Acne, Steff Plaetz, Shazer, Chu, Shok1, Xenz, RYCA, David Walker, China Mike, Part2ism, Ben Allen, Andy Council, Pure Evil, George Morton Clark, Milk, Dora and Don.

A biggy then, if you fancy getting in for the private view, email exhibition@flying-eyeball.co.uk

There are a good few other shows coming up over the next month too here in Bristol, more on that soon…

As ever, this isn’t Inkie’s only thing coming up by a long way, here’s the man’s public calendar for the next few months…

Upcoming events:

Nov 26th: Assembly – Notting Hill

Dec 8th-13th: Group Show & Pop Up Shop – Mayfair

Dec 11th: Group Show – Friend & Co – Bristol

Feb 25th: Inkies Charity Auction Dinner @ The Paradise

March: Solo Show – Stockholm TBC

March: Sydney / Melbourne TBC

April: Solo Show – London

May: Solo Show @ Bristol-Lisboa Gallery – Lisbon
May: Solo Show – Tokyo

I’m glad some people got a kick out of last week’s list of Top Seven Worst Cartoon Ladies, because now it’s time for the sequel.

A solid female character in animation is hard to find.  If you are able to extract their likes and dislikes from their gender (they like shopping BECAUSE THEY’RE GIRLS!  They hate getting messy BECAUSE THEY’RE GIRLS!) you’re still stuck with having to make them look ‘cute’ or ’sexy’, and have a role beyond Love Interest or Nagging Psychobitch.  These seven characters all have a degree of depth and thoughtfulness in their creation.  Their qualities came first, and their gender second.

Let’s get rolling, shall we?

7.  Dora The Explorer:  Love or hate Dora, you have to admit that she is a pretty stellar example for young girls.  She’s bright, she’s friendly, she’s willing to scrape her knees and get dirty, and she sticks to her guns in the face of adversity.  And by adversity I mean cunning foxes who steal her monkey’s sandwiches, or whatever.  I put Dora at seventh on this list because her redesign to appeal to an ‘older’ crowd makes me cry tears of rage.  She went from clever adventurer to mall-haunting pre-teen overnight.  Oh, Dora of yore!  How I miss thee!

Dora, before and after. Now she solves mysteries, like Which Boy Is The Cutest Boy?

6.  Gretchen and Spinelli from Recess:  Recess is a show that centers around schoolyard stereotypes.  In the main cast, we have the Fat Sensitive Kid, the Mischievous Kid, the Smart Kid, the Tough Kid, the Sporty Kid, and the Awkward Wimpy Kid Who Is Only Occasionally Useful.  The charm of a show like Recess is that the kids realize their labels, and regard them with a resigned sort of malice.  I’ve picked Gretchen and Spinelli out here because really, out of those main cast members I’ve mentioned, which are the girls?  Guesses?  Guesses?  Gretchen and Spinelli were created as schoolyard archetypes, not as schoolgirl archetypes, and that I can appreciate.

It's a veritable Who's Who of unfair labeling!

5.  Kim Possible:  Much like an aged version of a Powerpuff Girl, Kim Possible saves the world before curfew, trying to do her homework and get a date along the way.  Kim is in every way a girl’s girl.  She idolizes a clothing chain.  She gets embarrassed in front of boys.  She hates her little brothers and uses the Puppydog Pout to get something she wants.  The reason I’m including her on this list is that Kim likes what she likes…because she likes it.  Too often animators will create a character that is supposed to exemplify a Successful Modern Woman.  She’s smart!  She’s capable!  She owns her feminity, and yet, she is completely defined by societal expectations and all of the males around her.  Kim defines herself, and while she has the normal teenage tendency to worry about what other’s think of her, it doesn’t shape her life.

You guys, this plays on the Disney channel at 10:30 PST. Why haven't you watched this, you guys?

4.  Gadget from Rescue Rangers:  Some…times!  Some…crimes!  Go slipping through the cracks, but these…two!  Gum…shoes!  Are picking up the slack, there’s no case too big, no case too small!  If you need help just call…Gadget, apparently.  Rescue Rangers centers around some rodents who solve mysteries.  It’s pretty simple.  The titular characters receive most of the credit, serious Chip and goofy Dale, but every kid who watches that show knows that Gadget is the real hero.  It’s always Gadget who makes the machines that get them out of trouble, Gadget who sees through the scam, Gadget who crafts the master plan to solve the crime.  And you know what’s appealing about Gadget?  They don’t try to hide her brilliance behind a (heh heh) mousey facade.  She is just a genius.  No glasses.  No gimmick.  No social awkwardness.  All of the things that are typically associated with the smart girl are conspicuously absent, and they let her play the hero just as much as the boys do, even if the show is named after them.  It’s a nice change of pace.

Aaugh, Gadget. Why does Google have so many fanarts of you having sex with power tools??

3.  Gosalyn from Darkwing Duck:  Gosalyn, put simply, is a kid.  She’s not a smart kid, or a dumb kid, or an athletic kid, or a sensitive kid, or a tough kid, or a wimpy kid.  She’s just a kid who lives with her dad, who happens to be a Bruce Wayne-esque fly-by-night  crimefighter.  Sometimes she worries about him, sometimes she wants to join in on the fun, but at the end of the day, she’s just…well.  She’s a kid.  The simplicity of her character without relying on overused tropes is what gets Gosalyn on my list.  It’s not easy to craft a character that doesn’t rely on a stereotype that we are already familiar with, while still making her appealing and instantly familiar.  She could ride in my sidecar anyday.

Why is it always ducks? What does Disney have with ducks? People don't even like ducks that much.

2.  Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender:  I could take almost anyone from Avatar and point to them as a model for outstanding character development, but Azula is here for a very specific reason: she is a crazy bitch.  She is a crazy bitch with fire powers and mommy issues, and she will eff you up the a, if you so much as look at her funny when she’s got her crazy hat on.  I’m a big fan of villains.  It’s tough to make a villain who doesn’t seem like a moustache-twirling Dick Dastardly or a hulking inferno of unspecified fury.  Villains need motivations too, you guys!  Something has to make them interesting, and worth our time.  With lady villains, it is almost always sexuality.  She’s evil!  What else is evil?  Uhh, sex?  Yeah.  Sex is evil.  So let’s make her very sexy and she can even make untoward advances at the disinterested protagonist!  Sounds like a plan.  Gladly, Azula doesn’t rely on these things to make her a stellar baddie.  From the start of the series, her intentions are clear.  She’s not evil, necessarily.  She just went round the bend several years ago, and never came back.  Good for her.

She will grind your bones up and wear the powder on her face like a fine foundation. AWESOME.

1.  My number one choice for awesome lady cartoon comes from a classic conundrum: how to make girls funny.  Sometimes they just aren’t, and that’s okay.  The same things that are hilarious coming from a man may not induce the same belly-laughs from a chick.  Some female comedians have resorted to giving up their girliness to get a more masculine sense of humor, but I don’t think that’s necessary.  A gal can be funny in a skirt.  A purple skirt.  With a yellow sweater, and bows on her ears:

I think I still have a sweater like that.

Babs Bunny was created as one of the two main characters of the Warner Brothers’ hit, Tiny Toons.  The animators noticed a significant underrepresentation of ladies in the original Looney Tunes, and so when its ’sequel’ began, they decide to split the character of Bugs Bunny into two halves.  The male half, Buster Bunny, contains all of Bugs’ sly charisma and mischievous smooth-talking mannerisms.  The female half, Babs, got all the screwball humor, and I couldn’t be happier about that.  Babs is a tornado of comedy, constantly lampooning the other characters in the show, doing spot-on impressions of pop-culture icons, or just inserting a quick, 1930’s era one-liner into the mix.  Unlike her counterpart, the loathable Lola Bunny, Babs can go toe to toe with her male companions and come out with the top joke.  She’s zany, over-the-top, and endlessly appealing.

All while wearing a skirt.  Who’d-a thunk it?

Adeline, Eleanor, Amelia, Theodora, Beatrix, Sidony, Madeleine, Clementine, Henrietta, Ione, Lila, Delphia, Adele, Adela, Dora, Vera, Evelyn, Greta, Ingrid, Fern, Opal, Finola, Olive, Lyra, Willa, Angeline, Petra, Mina, Pearl, Mehitabel, Ellen, Keisha, Thora, Lucinda, Ramona, Naomi, June, Sarai, Thea, Evanthia, Thomasina, Tilda, Mirabella, Iole.

What do you think of these? which do you like? dislike and why? which could you see on a child born in the next couple of years?