Earlier today I posted about the inclusion of Oklahoma City on AOL travel’s / askmen.com’s list of top 10 cities not to visit. Beware the wrath of offended okies. Due to the volume of angry responses, not long ago, the list was changed and OKC was dropped from the AOL travel version. Apparently we are still listed as one of askmen.com’s 10 “Hells on Earth”, but my guess is that will change before the day is out.
Here’s the word from AskMen.com’s editor in chief.
Hello Oklahomans! — Thanks for all your posts. We certainly admire your quick defense of your capital, and please understand that its place on this list isn’t a commentary on it as an economic center, a sports town, or a place to live and raise a family. This article was commissioned and written as a lighthearted travel feature. What guided us in choosing the cities that we did? In seeking out the world’s least travel-friendly destinations, we looked for diversity in terms of what characterized each of them as such, hence the reference to “Type of Hell” within each subheader. So when it came time to choose a city that was characterized by natural disasters, OKC — home to some of the world’s most frequent and powerful tornadoes — was a natural choice.
James Bassil
Editor-in-Chief
Of course, in generating this kind of response, the good folks at AOL travel and askmen got exactly what they wanted. By dropping OKC they guarantee that they will be back on the radar a second time (like on this blog). But whatever.
So world – come to Oklahoma City. Just watch out for those blizzards.
While I will be one of the first to admit that OKC isn’t exactly a cultural mecca or the most exciting tourist destination (but it is getting much better), to put it on a list with Baghdad, Chernobyl, Mogadishu, and Pyongyang as one of the 10 worst places to visit is beyond ridiculous. AOL travel / askmen.com posted the list which claims that OKC is the worst place in the world to visit due to the prevalence of “natural disasters”. Really? Let’s look at their accusations and the facts.
1. Weather in OKC is unpredictable. I have to give them this one. Of course this is also true of almost anywhere in the midwest and the meteorologists in OKC are among the best in the world at what they do, so. . .
2. We get blizzards. Huh? In the almost 30 years I have lived in OKC I can remember maybe 5 times where it snowed more than 6 inches in a single storm. According to the National Weather Service, OKC averages an 8 inch or great snow event every 5-10 years.
3. It’s windy here. Yep. It’s windy a lot of places. The average annual wind speed is higher here than a lot of places, but is no greater than the average at Laguardia Airport in NYC and is lower than that of Boston.
5. The May 3, 1999 tornado devastated “much of the city”. Was it bad? Yes. Much of the city? Seriously. Someone is watching too many made for TV disaster movies.
Someone clearly needed an American city to poke fun at and we got picked. Maybe the author is a (used to be) Seattle Sonics fan. Or maybe they are just sad from looking out the window at the weather in New York.
OK, Nick Jr has a new show. It’s called “ni hao kai-lan”. I’m sure they are hoping that Kai-Lan will do for Chinese language and culture what Dora the Explorer has done for Spanish. Here’s my problem. Here’s a picture of Kai-Lan. Is there anything about her that seems a bit odd for a little Chinese girl?
Now I applaud Nick Jr for creating a show about a Chinese girl. The show looks great and the thoughts behind it are wonderful for a biracial family like ours. My daughter is nuts for her after only two episodes and I’m sure the merchandise is soon to start flowing. But I don’t understand why we have to give the Chinese girl the biggest, roundest eyes of any character on Nick (except maybe Spongebob). Maybe it’s too subtle for young kids to catch, but doesn’t it tend to reinforce the “differentness” already experienced by Chinese girls (especially adopted ones) in white culture? Rebekah is only three – she won’t get it now, but one of these days. . .
This is almost too amazing to be real. it feels more like The Onion than CNN, and yet. . .
Apparently some “christians” have declared I-35 (the interstate that runs from Texas to Minnesota) to be the holy highway that the Bible talks about in Isaiah 35 (I-35, get it?). Context be damned. Our friends at CNN give us the story of these groups that hold prayer vigils along the side of the road praying for . . . well, I’m not sure what. Two links for your entertainment.
Again courtesy of The Movie Blog, I bring you the trailer for Speed Racer. This, I will not be seeing. I get the attempt at trying to keep the look and feel of the cartoon, but wow this looks horrible. Click, view, and share your opinion – especially if you think this looks good. I can’t imagine.
I can’t get it to embed, so just click the link below. Just remember – I warned you.
It has probably been around a while and it was completely inevitable, but I have just been alerted to the “christian” Youtube knock-off “Godtube“. Yep, now you can browse all kinds of crazy church content without having to worry about accidentally stumbling across something that might show you what the real world is like. No lonelygirl-15 here, just three year old girls quoting Bible verses. I’m sure someone has posted a video showing what happens when you combine testamints and grape juice.
It is sadly ironic to me that the ones Jesus called to be salt and light in the world have instead dedicated themselves to hiding from it.
Apparently Britney Spears’ mom Lynne is writing a book on parenting. Is it just me, or does this feel a bit like George W. Bush writing a book on peaceful conflict resolution? Or maybe Ken Lay writing a book on business ethics? It could even inspire her daughter to write a book on marriage. That would make just as much sense.
The whole Britney Spears thing is an incredible case study in self-destruction. I wish she and everyone associated with her would just go away so news people would have to find something else to do. Like write books on journalistic integrity.
When I walked in my library this week, there was a sign on the door advertising a free video game time at the library on Saturday afternoons. That’s the public library encouraging kids to play more video games. At least they’ll be near books.
OK, Nick Jr has a new show. It’s called “ni hao kai-lan”. I’m sure they are hoping that Kai-Lan will do for Chinese language and culture what Dora the Explorer has done for Spanish. Here’s my problem. Here’s a picture of Kai-Lan. Is there anything about her that seems a bit odd for a little Chinese girl?.svg/600px-I-35_(MO).svg.png)
This is almost too amazing to be real. it feels more like The Onion than CNN, and yet. . .
Again courtesy of 
