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College that Disinvited Dustin Lance Black as Commencement Speaker Apologizes & Re-Invites Him to Speak

May 1, 2014, 4:59 pm
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I'm sure you've heard all about the Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony at Pasadena City College. PCC implemented an overly confusing commencement speaker selection process that seemingly invited eight different speakers simultaneously. Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, an alumnus of PCC, was one of those who received an invitation to speak at the commencement ceremony. Black accepted his invitation weeks ago and began the process of purchasing plane tickets and canceling paid gigs elsewhere so that he could attend the commencement ceremony before being disinvited by the PCC Board of Trustees two weeks ago yesterday. Black publicly complained about this process and about the fact that he was apparently disinvited over sexually explicit pictures between him and an ex-boyfriend that were sold to the tabloids without his knowledge or permission back in 2009. Black has been in touch with his legal team to seek reimbursement for financial losses related to this situation.

Eric Walsh, Pasadena's Director of Public Health, was officially invited to be the spring commencement. This apparently was the source of local controversy due to Walsh's anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-evolution, and arguably anti-Catholic religious views. So early this week, it was announced that Walsh was no longer available to speak at the spring commencement ceremony. (Read here, here, and here for more information.)

So less than two weeks before the PCC Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony, the Board of Trustees gathered yesterday to figure out how to move forward. Here is their plan: Re-Invite Dustin Lance Black:
The Board of Trustees voted to apologize and re-invite Oscar-winning PCC alumnus Dustin Lance Black to be the Spring 2014 commencement speaker following a weeks-long controversy over the school’s decision not to choose him because they believed sexually explicit photos of him on the internet could tarnish the school’s reputation...

“He has distinguished himself as a film producer and a champion of equal rights and protections for all regardless of sexual orientation,” it states. “The Board of Trustees and college administration deeply respect Mr. Black, his work and his causes. The Board also sincerely apologizes to Mr. Black for any actions that may have caused hurt.”
It is unknown as of this writing if Dustin Lance Black will accept this apology or if he will agree once again to speak at PCC.

The Board of Trustees has also decided that they will go without a commencement speaker should Black turn down this latest invitation.
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Cedar Rapids Kernels Mascot, Mr. Shucks, Placed on Disabled List

May 1, 2014, 5:45 pm
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I love watching the Cedar Rapids Kernels play baseball. I usually go to the Kernels' stadium to watch a home game a few times each season. I enjoy the energy of the game. I enjoy the community involvement. And I really enjoy their hot dogs.

It was with sadness that I learned that the Kernels' team mascot, Mr. Shucks, was injured last night and placed on the disabled list for three days.

According a press release issued by the Kernels:
The Cedar Rapids Kernels Front Office announced Wednesday that their beloved mascot, Mr. Shucks, was injured during Tuesday evening's game and will be on the Disabled List for 3 days... Members of the Kernels team and staff were noticeably shaken up Tuesday evening when Mr. Shucks had to leave the game early. "Mr. Shucks is a vital member of our Kernels family and we can't wait for his return" noted Kernels General Manager Doug Nelson.
The press release doesn't specify exactly what happened, but Mr. Shucks' twitter account indicates that he was injured while riding his scooter and entertaining his fans.

Mr. Shucks' fans are being encouraged to wish him well as he recovers from his injuries. You can reach out to him using the following social media accounts:

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Nero Comes Out Strong Against Bootlegging!

May 2, 2014, 3:26 pm
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My buddy Stuffed Animal gave up on drawing The Archies a couple weeks ago -- and then he promptly fell off the wagon this week! He's been drawing his unique vision of The Archies all grown up. Somehow my Nero got involved with the band and he's a pretty protective poodle when it comes to his friends.

Jason Blossom got involved with The Archies' music and released some unauthorized recordings of their music. The Archies are doing their best to move on, but Nero has a stern message for any fan of The Archies who might consider purchasing their bootlegged Carole King album...

... Back Off!

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Kenya Legalizes Polygamy

May 2, 2014, 3:52 pm
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Kenya might hate the gays, but it's okay with polygamy -- as evidenced by a new law that just legalized polygamous marriages:
The law legalizes polygamy, allowing men to marry multiple wives in a country where they previously were permitted to have one. Parliament passed the measure in March, after an amendment was added that allows a man to take another wife without informing his existing wife...

Under the new law there are five types of marriages in Kenya: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, monogamous and polygamous. Kenya is predominantly Christian, with Muslims making up about 11 percent of its population, mostly along the Somali border, its coastal region, and in cities such as Mombasa...

The law sets a minimum age of marriage at 18. It also allows wives a 50 percent share of the property acquired during the union, among other benefits.
According to the linked article, local Christian leaders are upset by this new law while local Muslim leaders are happy.

Note the final sentence. So if I lived in Kenya and acquired three wives, does that mean that I own 50% of the family assets and my three wives share the remaining 50%?
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Free Comic Book Day 2014!

May 3, 2014, 10:37 am
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Today is Free Comic Book Day! On the first Saturday each year, participating comic book shops join together with the various comic book publishers and give out select comic books at no charge to any customer. It's a great opportunity to introduce comic books to those who don't normally read them and it's a great opportunity for those of us who do read comic books to try out new materials.

I went with my older boy Leslie to Daydreams Comics in Iowa City to check out this year's free comics. I ended up leaving with ARCHIE DIGEST, a SONIC/MEGA MAN flip comic book, and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. I almost picked up a cool looking HELLO KITTY comic book, but decided to leave it for other customers. Now I'm kicking myself in the butt.

This year's special guest artist is Ian McGinty of ADVENTURE TIME CANDY CAPER, UGLYDOLL, HELLO KITTY, and BRAVEST WARRIOR. He's chatting with the customers and signing their comic books!


FCBD is happening all over -- but only today! So you should check out your local shop and see what free comics they have in stock!
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Retired Bishop Gene Robinson & Husband Mark Andrew Divorcing

May 4, 2014, 9:33 am
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Robinson & Andrew
Retired Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson has announced that he and his husband Mark Andrew are getting divorced after 25 years together:
Recently, my partner and husband of 25-plus years and I decided to get divorced. While the details of our situation will remain appropriately private, I am seeking to be as open and honest in the midst of this decision as I have been in other dramatic moments of my life—coming out in 1986, falling in love, and accepting the challenge of becoming Christendom’s first openly gay priest to be elected a Bishop in the historic succession of bishops stretching back to the apostles...

It is at least a small comfort to me, as a gay rights and marriage equality advocate, to know that like any marriage, gay and lesbian couples are subject to the same complications and hardships that afflict marriages between heterosexual couples. All of us sincerely intend, when we take our wedding vows, to live up to the ideal of “til death do us part.” But not all of us are able to see this through until death indeed parts us.

My belief in marriage is undiminished by the reality of divorcing someone I have loved for a very long time, and will continue to love even as we separate. Love can endure, even if a marriage cannot. It will take a lot of work, a lot of grieving, and a large measure of hope to see it through. And that’s where my faith comes in.
This is Robinson's second divorce.

I have already seen religious conservatives crowing about Robinson's divorce. Because that is helpful, loving, and charitable.
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Dustin Lance Black Accepts 2nd Invitation to Speak at Pasadena City College's Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony

May 4, 2014, 2:22 pm
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I wrote last week that Pasadena City College's Board of Trustees apologized to and re-invited Oscar winning screenwriter and PCC alumnus Dustin Lance Black to speak at next weekend's Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony. This came after he was invited and subsequently disinvited over sexually explicit pictures of him and an ex-boyfriend that were sold to the tabloids without his knowledge or consent back in 2009. The PCC Board of Trustees thought that his speech would bring bad publicity to the college. Unfortunately for them, Black called them out very publicly and threatened legal action. Meanwhile, the replacement commencement speaker canceled last week.

So the PCC Board of Trustees met last week and decided to re-invite Dustin Lance Black. The only other option at this point was to go without any speaker. (Read here, here, here, and here for more information.)

Fortunately for Pasadena City College, Dustin Lance Black accepted this second invitation to speak:
Oscar award winning alumnus Dustin Lance Black accepted the Board of Trustee’s latest invitation and will speak at the 2014 commencement after a weeks-long fiasco surrounding the school’s decision to disinvite him, according to his assistant Neville Kiser. Kiser texted the Courier Black’s response Saturday afternoon.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” Black said in the text message. “It will be my honor to deliver the commencement address for PCC’s graduating class of 2014.”

In a press release on Saturday, Superintendent/President Mark Rocha said that he spoke with Black personally over the phone Saturday morning to extend the invitation and to sincerely apologize for the way the college had handled this matter to date.

“All of us at PCC are so proud of Mr. Black and are delighted he is returning to his alma mater,” Rocha said in the release. “Mr. Black’s career represents a rare blend of public leadership, and creativity. Additionally, He has generously committed his attention and resources to fighting for LGBTQ equality, the arts, and—not least of all—education."
The irony is that Black was dis-invited to protect the college from scandal. But there has been nothing but increasing layers of scandal since that decision. If they had kept him on-board as originally planned, most of us would never have heard of this speech or of the college.
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Gay Monogamy?

May 5, 2014, 4:05 pm
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I've shared my enjoyment of Craigslist before. I came across the following post on Iowa City's "Rants & Raves" board dealing with gay monogamy:
So here's the deal I'm a young seemingly attractive guy who is having a hard time dating and coming to terms with dating in a gay world. Is monogamy even possible anymore. I've been cheated on and lied to and partially because if this I know I could never be in an open relationship not to mention I wouldn't want to be. I'm not judging but there's an emptiness to the people I've met in those relationships and honestly it's like having a roommate that u sleep with. Sure you have feelings for them but the human brain is able to develop feelings for lots of people. If it works for you I'm not judging just know to not for me. But I have yet to meet a monogamous couple. So please if any of u gay monogomous couples are out there please let me know so that I know it is possible 
I have no idea how old this guy is. I have no clue how long he has been out. I have no clue how long he has been dating.

But I can assure him that there are gay monogamous couples out there. I'm part of a monogamous couple. I know others who I assume are monogamous. Sometimes you find a match early on and sometimes it takes time and dating experience to connect with someone for the long term. And then it takes commitment, and attention, and a willingness to resist temptation to sustain.

But we do exist.
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Florida Man Wants to Marry his "Porn Filled Apple Computer"

May 6, 2014, 3:54 pm
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Pretty much every marriage inequality state has a pending lawsuit involving gay marriage right now. One of those cases is happening in Florida. A man named Chris Sevier attempted to intervene in the Brenner v. Scott case on behalf of "other minority sexual orientation groups." Sevier says that if gay couples have the right to legally marry then he should be able to also marry the object of his sexual preference. In other words, Sevier wants to marry his "porn filled Apple computer":
Recently, I purchased an Apple computer. The computer was sold to me without filters to block out pornography. I was not provided with any warning by Apple that pornography was highly addictive and could alter my reward cycle by the manufacturer. Over time, I began preferring sex with my computer over sex with real women. Naturally, I 'fell in love' with my computer and preferred having sex with it over all other persons or things, as a result of classic conditioning upon orgasm.
The federal judge involved with this case ended up quickly dismissing Sevier's motion:
 Chris Sevier has moved to intervene, apparently asserting he wishes to marry his computer... Perhaps the motion is satirical. Or perhaps it is only removed from reality. Either way, the motion has no place in this lawsuit."
Sevier has a history of seemingly frivolous lawsuits. He has sued Apple for not warning him of the evils of pornography when it sold him his computer. He sued A&E for "firing" Phil Robertson for a handful of days from Duck Dynasty. And he also tried shoe-horning himself into Utah's gay marriage lawsuit.
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Mega Man X Awakens in the MEGA MAN X/SONIC THE HEDGEHOG FCBD Flip Comic Book!

May 7, 2014, 7:13 am
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I mentioned Free Comic Book Day a few days ago. One of the free comic books that I picked up was a MEGA MAN X/SONIC THE HEDGEHOG flip comic book. I haven't written about new Archie Comics comic books in a while, so I thought that I would focus on the MEGA MAN X half of this comic book.

I haven't written too much about Archie Comics' MEGA MAN comic book in the past (only here and here). I really enjoyed last summer's "Worlds Collide" Sonic and Mega Man crossover event, but normally don't read any of those comic books. MEGA MAN X is a new development in the MEGA MAN book. Based on a popular video game, MEGA MAN X is set 100 years in the future. It features an upgraded version of Mega Man named "X."

X was one of Dr. Light's greatest creations -- and potentially one of his most volatile creations. He has the ability to "think, feel, and make his own decisions" -- something I thought that the first Mega Man was already able to do. But Dr. Light was concerned that an immature X could evolve to the point where he was okay with harming people, so he placed X in a maturation storage unit shortly after his creation.

Dr. Light's secret laboratory was found 100 years after X's creation by an archaeologist named Dr. Cain. Dr. Cain found Light's warning about this new generation of robots -- known as Reploids -- and promptly, after a night of consideration, freed X from his containment and began mass-producing hundreds of Reploids to work and live among humanity.

Given Dr. Light's early warnings, this mass production of Reploids appeared premature to me. I guess this never occurred to Dr. Cain or else he suffers from bouts of hubris. But X himself seems a little unsure about this new societal coexistence.


Sure enough, incidents occur. It's mostly disputes between entitled people and sentient Reploids, but it makes the people uncomfortable. Things escalate and eventually Dr. Cain is brought before representatives of his local government to find out why a handful of people have been killed by Maverick Reploids.

Dr. Cain doesn't exactly know why the Reploids are acting up, but he has a solution. He creates a mean-looking Reploid named Sigma, furnishes him with lots of weapons, and puts him in charge of a team of Reploid Hunters. Did I mention that he looks really mean??


X is suspicious -- and frankly, so am I!

"The X Factor" was written by Ian Flynn, penciled by Patrick Spaziante, and inked by Rick Bryant. It was a great effort and introducing new readers such as myself to this cast of characters and their world. I have been hesitant to read too many of the SONIC and MEGA MAN titles because I tend to read a lot of comic books already and it can get kind of expensive. But, given LIFE WITH ARCHIE's cancellation and KEVIN KELLER's upcoming hiatus, this might be a good time to begin reading the ongoing MEGA MAN book, which features MEGA MAN X's official debut in issue #37.
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HGTV Cancels Reality TV Home Improvement Show Hosted by Anti-Gay Activists

May 7, 2014, 4:59 pm
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24 hours ago, Right Wing Watch published an article about a new reality TV show that would have aired on HGTV called "Flip it Forward.""Flip it Forward" was to feature twin brothers David and Jason Benham. These brothers would be teamed with families to look for fixer-uppers and remodel them into really nice dream homes. The show was to debut in the fall.

But Right Wing Watch wasn't promoting the show. Instead, they were expressing concerns about the hosts of the program. Basically, the whole family appears to be an assortment of anti-gay, anti-abortion, and anti-Muslim activists. Right Wing Watch spent a lot of time detailing the extreme activism of the Benhams' father (read about it here), but I'm not terribly interested in the Flip Benham's actions. I'm writing tonight about David (and, to a less extent, Jason) Benham.

David has a long history of anti-gay activism. For example, they spent a lot of time protesting in North Carolina for Amendment 1 and against same-sex families, asserting that our marriages are a form of demonic ideology. David has also protested outside of abortion clinics. He has also protested outside of an Islamic center.

Anyway, I learned of this article when I woke up today. I learned pretty quickly afterwards that HGTV was already second-guessing their television relationship with the Benham brothers. By lunchtime, I'd learned that HGTV decided against broadcasting "Flip it Forward."

I've already heard people complain that the "Gaystapo" has claimed another victory against the free speech rights of everyday Christians.

Frankly, I wish that HGTV would have kept the show. If the network and/or the show's producers really wanted to make a point, why not hook them up with a lesbian family or a Muslim family and force them to work with those families and hopefully learn from and gain some empathy towards those whose rights they had previously railed against?

Otherwise, HGTV just managed to teach the Benham a completely different message and they managed to indirectly accuse the LGBT communities of influencing a decision that we truly never had the time or opportunity to influence.
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Aging With the Archies!

May 8, 2014, 6:26 pm
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Ever wonder what The Archies will look like when they reach their 60s and 70s? Stuffed Animal also wondered and envisioned their final album, The Grass Will Sing For You!


Stuffed Animal also revisited a couple of their reunion albums over the year. Somehow Nero has managed to keep in shape and looks pretty spry for a dog that was born in 2009! Look at him sing!

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Cedar Rapids Cries NIMBY Against Mentally Disabled Neighbors

May 9, 2014, 5:51 am
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I was watching the news last night and learned of a group of neighbors in Cedar Rapids, IA, who are rallying against their new mentally disabled neighbors:
A neighborhood is rallying to shut down a Cedar Rapids home that provides residential care for people with disabilities, taking their case to state and city officials.

They said no one told them exactly what or who was moving in next door. Now, they say it’s causing nothing but problems. Neighbors said the trouble started in December when the new neighbors moved in. That’s when police started becoming frequent visitors there. According to city records, police have responded to that house 19 times since December 20, 2013.

The Cedar Rapids City Assessor’s site said Soji and Romoke Olutunde own the home.

It sits right next to Linda Howe’s house. She has lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years. “It’s nice and calm and relaxing,” Howe said.

That, however, recently changed.

“In December we got what I consider a group home moved in next door. We were told that it was going to be a couple with three adult handicapped children. But it ended up to be about four residents in a home with caretakers coming in and out,” Howe said.

She keeps a log of everything that happens next door, every disturbance gets noted.

“If there was a police call I circled, this was the ninth call, the tenth call,” Howe said as she pointed to a notebook.

The Iowa Department of Human Services or DHS said people there are receiving what’s called waiver services under the Medicaid program. Those are for people with a number of disabilities and older Iowans living in a community setting.

“You can have a home with people — four or fewer people receiving waiver service and this is just a landlord/tenant relationship. These are people who are choosing where they want to live, and we don’t certify the setting they are in. We only certify the services they are getting,” said DHS Public Information Officer Amy McCoy.
The clients have been staffed by a soon-to-be-defunct agency called All Ages Care Services. Due to pending Dependent Adult Abuse criminal charges against one of the agency's owner (connected to an unrelated situation in Iowa City), All Ages Care Services will stop providing services to these four clients. But the clients will still live in that neighborhood and will need to be cared for by another agency.

Except that the neighbors have been complaining to the Cedar Rapids planning commission. They want to deny a zoning permit that would allow these disabled individuals to continue living in their neighborhood and the commission has recommended that this permit be denied. In other words, a new agency would be unable to come to this home and provide services to these four disabled individuals.
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Benham Brothers Shopping Their Show to Other Networks

May 10, 2014, 12:26 pm
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David and Jason Benham have been making the TV rounds discussing the cancellation of their reality TV show Flip It Forward. I have only listened to a couple different interviews, but the twins have been very forgiving to HGTV and very critical of the bullying LGBT communities.

Keep in mind that Right Wing Watch posted their article at roughly 6:00 PM this past Tuesday. HGTV responded to the article by 9:00 AM the following morning and had canceled the show by noon that day. In other words, there was no effort to lead a cancellation of this show by any group -- be they gay people, pro-choicers, or Muslims. I would argue that most people were not even aware of this situation until after HGTV issued their initial response or after the cancellation itself.

But the Benham brothers want you to know that they love gay people and they love Muslims. They just hate our agendas and their ideologies. So when they called our families demonic during radio programs, they still loved us. When they protested against the NYC Islamic Center, they still loved Muslims. When they protested in favor of Amendment One or testified against local Pride events, they still loved gay people.

Anyway, the Benham brothers announced last night on The O'Reilly Factor that they are in the process of finding a new network for their reality TV program:
“We are brokering a possible deal between them and their show and an alternative network to HGTV,” said Faith Driven Consumer founder Chris Stone, who declined to say which network the brothers are in discussions with. “Whether it’s HGTV or the network we’re talking about, we want to see them on TV.”
I still think it would be cool to link these guys with, among other people, both gay and Muslim families on their reality TV show.
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Iowa City Cohousing Developing "Prairie Hill" Project

May 10, 2014, 12:59 pm
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I learned earlier this week about a local group who is seeking to build an intentional neighborhood filled with small private energy-efficient homes, jointly-owned common grounds and buildings, community gardens and green space, and shared multigenerational meals and activities. The group is called Iowa City Cohousing and the neighborhood is called Prairie Hill.

This group is in the process of getting the Iowa City City Council to approve their rezoning applications. Prairie Hill is located on Highway 1 in Iowa City just behind the Culver's restaurant and slightly to the northeast of Hawks Ridge apartments. The group bought the land in April 2013 and they hope to have completed residential units constructed sometime next year.

My understanding is that there will be one large jointly-owned building that will offer community members the opportunity for shared meals, living space, and exercise rooms. I believe it will be big enough to house a handful of individual apartment units. The larger building will be surrounded by an assortment of smaller family homes. These private homes would have bedrooms, living rooms, small kitchens, etc.

I really like this project and it's the thing that I want to jump into -- except that I have a husband and a son who really aren't into this kind of thing. Sometimes I feel like I just want to get involved with something bigger than me. But it's not quite that simple when it's not just me.

Check out this link if you are interested in learning more about Prairie Hill and about their application process.
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Dr. Wily Has His Day in Court in MEGA MAN #36!

May 10, 2014, 1:47 pm
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Earlier this week, I decided to check out Archie Comics' MEGA MAN comic book. I picked up a copy of MEGA MAN #36, which picks up immediately following a major battle between Mega Man and an alien computer menace named Ra Moon. The evil Dr. Wily finds himself on trial for various crimes, but -- due to the unexpected assistance of Mega Man and his creator Dr. Light -- Dr. Wily is sentenced to house arrest instead of prison. Unfortunately for Mega Man, it's his house!

What follows is an interesting struggle. Does Dr. Wily allow himself to be changed by the kindness of his old friend Dr. Light and his robot companions, or does he allow himself to be swayed by the secret machinations of his evil Robot Masters? I'm not sure that even Dr. Wily knew for sure which way he'd turn until the last few pages of this issue.

In the meantime, MEGA MAN #36 offered a generational description of the robots within the comic book series. I'm sure it's old hat for long-time readers of this title or for fans of the video games. But, as a new reader, this description was a helpful tool for helping me to better understand Mega Man and his friends.


Lastly, this issue features Archie Comics'"After the Credits" variant covers and endings. It's a new comic book concept loosely based on the extra endings in the various Marvel Comics movies. The stories are basically the same in both versions of the MEGA MAN #36 comic book, but there is a unique bit of extra storyline after the story ends depending on which cover you purchase.

My comic book -- which features the standard cover for MEGA MAN #36 -- features an interaction between Dr. Cain and X (AKA Mega Man X) and hints at next issue's Mega Man/Mega Man X crossover.. The variant cover issue follows up with Wily's Robot Masters following the battle in this story's earlier battle.



"Disorder in the Court!" is written by Ian Flynn, penciled by Powree, and inked by Gary Martin.
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Council Bluffs City Council Denies Liquor License Renewal for O'Face Bar following "Bar Rescue" Appearance

May 11, 2014, 9:30 am
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Iowa has a unique relationship with the Spike TV reality show Bar Rescue. Only one of our bars has been on the show so far and it ended up being the first and, so far, only bar that Jon Taffer walked away from before actually rescuing it. I'm talking about O'Face Bar in Council Bluffs, IA. You can read my earlier posts on this bar here and here.

It has been nearly two months since Bar Rescue visited O'Face Bar and I belatedly learned some of the fallout from the bar's infamous reality TV experience. O'Face Bar has lost its liquor license:
The Council Bluffs City Council on a 3 to 2 vote Money evening recommended denial of the liquor license for the bar recently seen on the reality television show, "Bar Rescue."

The annual vote on renewing the liquor license for the O-Face Bar, 2400 Ninth Ave., was on the council agenda, along with other bars... Of the seven applications given to the council for approval, the O-Face Bar's was the only one that ended with a recommendation to deny...

The three council members who opposed the continued liquor license, along with Mayor Matt Walsh, felt the show put Council Bluffs in a bad light. "The City is also suffering as a result of this show," (Council member Lynne) Branigan said...

(Council members Melissa Head and Sharon White) both said that health officials could not find any violations that would warrant a license denial.
Council Bluffs' mayor claims that the city has been irreparably harmed by O'Face Bar's episode of Bar Rescue, which seems like a lot of hyperbole to me.

O'Face Bar's owner, Matthew Overmyer, plans to appeal this recommendation. I would imagine that he will be successful with his appeal.
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Nero at Daycare -- 05/12/14

May 12, 2014, 4:53 pm
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It has been raining pretty much all day today in Iowa City. And when it hasn't been raining, it's been warm and muggy. But Nero still managed to get a lot of playtime in at doggy daycare. Look at this tuff poodle!

Check it out:

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Gay Marriage: Can We Finally Move On?

May 12, 2014, 5:06 pm
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I saw a blurb of this article on Box Turtle Bulletin that bears repeating. Openly gay football player Michael Sam made headlines after getting drafted into the NFL this weekend and even more headlines for kissing his boyfriend on ESPN.

But check out this reaction:
When Markman’s wife explained to their 7-year-old son that dad was busy working on something that was controversial, Sam’s kiss on TV, the boy replied: “Is it because they’re not married?”
Can we finally move on from this culture war??
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Restaurant in Cascade, IA, Being Investigated by Iowa City Ghost Hunters

May 13, 2014, 4:04 pm
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If you eat your next meal at Chuck and Edna's Maid-Rite restaurant in Cascade, IA, it is very possible that you will end up sharing your sandwich with an ectoplasmic friend. It seems that their security camera has been picking up ghostly images several times over the past month:
The first seemingly unexplained disturbance took place just before 6 p.m. April 14. The store's security camera captures an amorphous shadow at the restaurant's dishwashing station that slowly forms into what looks like a person and drifts off screen. The video shows the feet of a Maid-Rite employee at the edge of the frame, but the employee told (restaurant owner Pat) Orr she saw nothing unusual.

"It looks like it's coming out (from underneath the cooler), goes across the floor and up over the dishwasher," Orr said. "But, you see, I can't make a shadow here. I don't know. I don't know what it is."

Orr acknowledged the figure could have been an insect on the camera lens.

Then, at about 10 a.m. April 19, another security camera shows a stack of Styrofoam cups sliding off a shelf and hitting a worker in the head, while another stack falls sideways as if it was pushed.

Another night, Orr was alone in the office doing paperwork when he heard a metal spatula fall to the ground, he said. "It was on the cooler at the end of kitchen, and I found it on the floor in the middle of the kitchen in front of the fryer," as if it had been flung across the room, Orr said.
So Pat Orr reached out to a team of experts to help figure out what's happening at her restaurant. She contacted a local group of paranormal researchers called Iowa City Ghost Hunters and they are now investigating the restaurant.

According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the paranormal investigators have been researching the history of the property to determine what kinds of businesses have operated there. It's worth noting that neighboring lots once featured a funeral home and an ambulance garage. The Iowa City Ghost Hunter has also been at the restaurant and trying to provoke and communicate with the dead.

Unfortunately, they all signed a confidentiality agreement that prevents them from disclosing the results of this investigation.
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