Author: DOuG pRATt

Dilbert Has No Mouth

I’m not a gigantic fan of Dilbert.  I enjoy the strip, I almost never miss it, and I think it actually provides some valuable lessons for my son Eric, who’s a fan of it.  But for me it’s a bit impersonal.  Which is, I know, the way things are supposed to be in the workplace.  But still, like Beetle Bailey, I don’t feel a personal connection to Dilbert the way I do to Calvin and Hobbes, or Peanuts or, until a few years ago, Doonesbury.

It’s been a while since I checked Scott Adams’ blog, so a tip of the toupee to friend “Tom Tastewar” for pointing out this item.

As regular readers of my blog know, I lost my voice about 18 months ago.  Permanently. It’s something exotic called Spasmodic Dysphonia.  Essentially a part of the brain that controls speech just shuts down in some people, usually after you strain your voice during a bout with allergies (in my case) or some other sort of normal laryngitis.  It happens to people in my age bracket.

Frankly, at first I thought it was a put-on.  It seemed too strange and ironic, because Adams draws Dilbert without a mouth.

Immediately I thought of idiot former disk jockey Rush Limbaugh’s deafness, which turned out to be induced by prescription drug abuse.  But Adams seems to be sincere, so I’ll take him at his word.  I guess I feel a bit embarrassed that I didn’t already know about this!

Swan Song for Flamingos

Last week The Boston Globe had an item about another local company that has fallen on hard times. It’s not the same as Digital Equipment Company coming to an end, but it’s newsworthy.

Pink plastic flamigos are going away! Although, as seen in the photo, some are more lavender in color. And me only 15 years away from being old enough to justify buying one. My guess is the molds will be sold to some outfit in China.

    Birthplace of the flamingo will go the way of the dodo

    October 21, 2006

    The pink flamingo began as an emblem of suburban style, faded as a symbol of ultimate tackiness, and re-emerged as a showpiece of kitschy-cool. Now, it’s facing extinction.

    The flamingo’s maker, Union Products of Leominster, is scheduled to close Nov. 1, the victim of soaring energy and material costs, according to published reports. Dennis Plante, Union’s chief executive, couldn’t be reached for comment. For a half-century, the company has made a variety of plastic lawn ornaments, but none ever fired the imagination like the flamingos, which sell for less than $10 each.

    Designed by Don Featherstone of Fitchburg, whose signature beneath the tail proves authenticity, the ornament went into production in 1957. Like other popular cultural icons, flamingos have had their ups and downs. But through it all, Featherstone has steadfastly disagreed that they are tacky, insisting they would add style to any lawn.

    In Union’s hometown, flamingos are a point of pride, said Mayor Dean Mazzarella, noting there’s hardly a resident who hasn’t been asked, “Can you get me a few flamingos?”

    The Featherstone flamingo, meanwhile, still has a chance to survive, although probably somewhere else. Union plans to sell the molds to another company.

    ROBERT GAVIN

    © Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

Comics Coverage

Last week I highlighted an article from The New York Times about a unique double-museum exhibit on cartooning and comics in New York and New Jersey.  And now Newsweek has an article about the same exhibit.  It mentions the now-defunct Museum of Cartoon Art in Port Chester, NY.  I visited the museum in September, 1978 for Marvel Comics Day.  Veteran pros John Romita, Marie Severin and John Buscema were very nice to meet.  Younger professionals, who were nevetheless older than myself, were not so nice.

Timeout for Rideout

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This past Sunday was the previously mentioned open house at Symphony Hall in Boston. We had a wonderful time. Eric’s viola teacher, Ms. Emily Rideout, gave a delightful recital, and we heard the full BSO perform Schumann’s 2nd Symphony. The plaintive third movement was particularly appreciated.

I’m still not sure what I think of James Levine as the music director and principal conductor. I’d have preferred Simon Rattle from the City of Birmingham, UK, but the Berlin Philharmonic snagged him in ’02.