Batman vs. the Joker's Boner

I once came across Orson Welles discussing the way the meanings of words he'd grown up using had changed over time. In particular, he mentioned the word "gay" whose meaning is certainly a bit more charged than when it was more or less a synonym for "happy". Another word whose meaning has shifted gears over the years is "boner", whose current scatological meaning is pretty far removed from its previous life as a colorful substitute for the word "mistake".

While some may lament the loss of innocence symbolized by that dissonance between past and present usage you'll get none of that from me. Language inevitably evolves and if it does so in a way that appeals to my inner-adolescent I'm all for it. Which brings me to the Caped Crusader. As anyone familiar with Dr. Frederic Wertham's infamous book Seduction of the Innocent knows, Batman is no stranger to curious interpretations. It's not surprising, then, that some Batman stories from the 1950s are entertaining for different reasons than the original creators intended.

A classic example is the 1951 story "The Joker's Comedy of Errors" (from Batman #66) which features the Joker basing his crimes on famous historical mistakes. There isn't enough time to list all the times that mistakes are referred to as "boners" throughout the text, and DC Comics (as owners of the intellectual property) probably wouldn't like me posting the entire story online. Fortunately, the brief (and legally acceptable) excerpt below gives you the general idea.

Even Grant Morrison can't write Batman this way anymore. It's even better than the story from the same era about Batman marrying Vicki Vale whose splash-page features an onlooker observing that he never thought he'd see the day Batman would fall for a girl.

There was a time when superhero characters were an endangered species with many characters vanishing as the 1950s progressed. Having handled both Frederic Wertham and the Joker's boners with his dignity intact, it's no surprise that Batman turned out to be one of the survivors.

Being A Cad Is No Crime

Having voted for (and donated to) John Edwards during his first Presidential campaign, I'm certainly disappointed by the events that emerged in the wake of his second. I don't know what it is that drives people with good public intentions to act so shamefully in their private lives, but whatever it is Edwards seems to have it in abundance. I'm not an expert on campaign finance law or personal ethics, but it's hard to shake the feeling that this past week's criminal indictment of Edwards is much more about the latter than the former.

If Edwards were simply another former candidate whose campaign played fast and loose with laws governing donations, I don't think this case leads to a trial, let alone an indictment. Even his relatively high stature as John Kerry's running mate wasn't the tipping point, it's all about his personal life. It's driven by the ick-factor of a self-proclaimed family-man cheating on his cancer-stricken wife compounded by fathering a child with his mistress.

As with many things, the cover-up was probably worse than the original sin. I use the term "sin" specifically, because, despite the correspondence relating to questionable handling of funds, it doesn't seem clear that a crime was committed, at least not by Edwards himself. There's no question that Edwards the husband ultimately turned out be a bad guy, but that's not a felony in America.

Chicken Wine

When it comes to wine, I have three basic principles.

1) It's hard to go wrong with red wines from Australia.

2) If it costs more than $10, its quality is lost on me.

3) The terminology used to describe wine is typically nonsense.

This brings me to the Pinot Noir from Rex Goliath, named after a 47 pound bird once billed as the "world's largest rooster" and affectionately known in my house as "chicken wine". Though it comes from Italy rather than Australia, its moderate price-tag means even someone with my unrefined tastes can appreciate the lush and velvety wine. I drank it tonight and plan to do so again soon. Cheers.