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Friday, February 28
What follows is the second part of a larger paper I wrote about Superheroes, comic books and the way they reflect our culture. To let me know what you all think about it click here (message board), or here (E-Mail) The Golden Age (1938-1950): Dawn of the Superhero The birth of the Superhero came in June 1938 with the first appearance of the super-human. Action Comics #1 debuted a type of character the likes of which had never been seen before in popular culture . His powers and abilities were far beyond that of normal men; he could leap tall buildings in a single bound, was more powerful than a locomotive, and faster than a speeding bullet. His name, aptly enough, was Superman. Next: The Silver Age! Thursday, February 27
I'm sorry, I intended to only post comic book related material for a little while but this incensed me so much I had to share it with all of you. Washington -- Following a bitter ideological debate with far-reaching implications for biomedical research, House members voted Thursday 241 to 155 to outlaw every type of human cloning - including "therapeutic cloning,” which many claim could pave the way for treatments of several debilitating diseases. In arguments similar to the nation's ongoing abortion debate, opponents of therapeutic cloning say the embryo is a potential life, thus using and destroying embryos for scientific research is immoral. "Life is not a commodity,” said Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), who then asked how the practice is "any different than Nazi experimentation.” "We must choose between a sanctity of life ethic and a quality of life ethic,” said Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.), who echoed several other of the bill's supporters who stressed the value of a potential life. Next time the hypocritical fuckers eat a hamburger or chicken, or a piece of bacon with their scrambled eggs let's ask them about the commodity of life. Next time they shampoo their hair, or use any kind of 'product' that has been tested on animals we can ask them about the immorality of scientific research. Or the next time a child is born with MS, or a person develops Parkinsons or any other debilitating nerve disorder, we can ask any of these Republican 'moralists' to explain to them why it would be immoral to cure them. Here's some more... Those against therapeutic cloning are equating "six cells in a petri dish” to living human beings, said Zoe Lofgren (D-Ca.), who added that "opponents are imposing their religion” on sick Americans. Proponents of therapeutic cloning contend the research it yields could help millions suffering from diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and cancer, along with spinal and brain injuries. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) called the bill a "death sentence” for millions of Americans. From Newsday. Wednesday, February 26
What follows is the first part of a paper I wrote about Superheroes and comic books and the way they reflect our culture. To let me know what you all think about it click here (message board), or here (E-Mail) The Heroic Body Type Part I A large part of the American population refuses to believe that comic books have any social value. Comic books, and the characters that populate them, pervade almost every aspect of our culture whether it is in movies, novels, or television. Not just media representations based on comic books, the comic book movie, if you will, but mainstream movies and TV. For example, in The Ice Storm, the entire narrative framework of the film is book-ended by the main character, Paul, reading a Fantastic Four comic. On the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which a young girl gains preternatural powers which helps her fight vampires, werewolves and a slew of other bizarre creatures. Comic book ideals and imagery seed our everyday lives. If a large part of American culture thinks, "comics are for kids," then what is the mass media lure? The comic book, or more specifically the super-hero comic holds within it something so primal and universal that even if you hate comics, and hate superheroes you can still understand its significance. The basic message is good vs. evil and the never-ending battle between the two. Every hero comic is a retelling of the myth: every issue is a part of the hero cycle reborn. Whether it is Superman battling a giant robot, or Green Lantern trying to come to terms with his alcoholism on a weekly basis Dr. Joseph Campbell's theory of the hero with a thousand faces comes to life. Dr. Campbell's book, Hero With a Thousand Faces, details the basic formula inherent in almost all heroic literature. It is a cycle that begins with the hero receiving a call to adventure, and then going on a journey where he or she will be tested to their limits psychologically and physically. There is much more to Campbell's cycle of the hero, and every aspect is encompassed in the wide variety of heroic comic literature being published today. All cultures have hero myths; comics are just a modern myth cycle. Now there is an easier context to place them within. They are a social universal. Perhaps these desires for heroes stem from humanity's need to believe that there is something more to this world than the everyday toil of their lives. The Greek and Romans used their heroic myths to teach lessons on morality, as did the heroes of the Bible and thousands of other cultures and religions throughout history. They are an entertaining way to teach values, much like the medieval allegories, mystery, and morality plays. Next: The Golden Age! Tuesday, February 25
Saturday, February 22
MARVEL COMICS SIGNS DEAL TO 'ULTIMIZE' AFGHANISTAN!???!! For a small country it sure gets in the news! You read it here first, True Believer! Following the turmoil in Afghanistan after the assassination of vice-president BooBoo Wazoo, rumours have emerged that worried Government officials have already turned to Marvel head honchos Joe Quesada and Bill Jemas in a bid to end this senseless desert chaotica and restore coherence to Afghanistan. According to bullpen sources, who could very easily be lying don¹t forget, Quesada received a 'dramatic' midnight call from U.S. President George W. Bush, asking Marvel Comics to assume effective command of Afghanistan as of December 2003, so-called ULTIMATES MONTH. Allegedly citing his love of THE ULTIMATES comic, Bush has hand-picked writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan ('the Bitch') Hitch to oversee the transfer of power from the old style Afghanistan to the new, updated Ultimate Afghanistan. Bush was doubly thrilled when he learned that both creators were BRITISH and telephoned Tony Blair to congratulate him on this new success for the special relationship between the CIA and the United Kingdom. According to our source at Marvel, more modern, less boring versions of the country¹s people will be in place by Christmas, although rumours of late scripts and 'gay' art continue to dog the project and some international voices have condemned the plan, among them ex-President Bill Clinton who denounced the move as 'weird...' More madness from Mr. Morrison Life is a river of paint and romance, they say: The Alchemical Generation is on its way in the next loop of a tightening gyre. Bollypop. ZBC. The new 'alien contact' drugs. The Zen fascists. Viral culture. MeMe Generation. Faster and faster, like the waltzers on meth, spun loose from their moorings and exploded against the candy floss stand. All the straight edge, neo-puritan, ironic stuff is almost done with and the oncoming underground wave is full-on psychedelia again. After the 'relevant' comics of the early 70s came the 'Kosmiche Komicks' of the glam era. It's happening again...it's happening again... 
Grant Morrison: This is the shape of his head. Friday, February 21
Thursday, February 20
Faecal fat. See, that's the good stuff. It's the fat that clings to the walls of the colon as you, you know, pass a stool.. You know, a burger company came up with a super low calorie bun? But the oils and stuff that made it low-calorie, they expressed out in the faecal fat. Made it all greasy, so you couldn't hold your stools in. You imagine that? A generation of kids slamming down their gutburgers and then struggling out of the place trying to hold their stools in by careful clenching and desperate willpower? Anyway. Faecal fat. It's got the good stuff in it. See, there's good fat and bad fat. That faecal fat, it's the good stuff. It's got all those nice rich liver-processed essential dietary requirements in it. It's, whatchacall, life extension. Keeps you young. And fit. You have to kinda scrape it and distill it, you know. And drinking it's a bitch. You'd think it'd mix with orange juice or something, but it all kind of separates out, and you get this lid of faecal fat if you leave the glass for too long. You have to chew it up before it goes down. I tried getting a whisk in there, and using the orange juice with the pulpy bits in, but... No, the children don't like it. Sometimes little Josh has to have some of my sleeping pills crushed up on his toast first. But he'll learn. He's only five, after all. I mean, nobody likes it. My husband hated it. Truth to tell, I think he hated the trips out at night to buy the bodies. He was cheap and he resented missing the football. Oh, that's not what he said. Of course it wasn't. But, you know, I said to him, nobody likes scraping the faecal fat out of the colons of dead people and drinking it. But who wants to get old? From the ever twisted mind of Warren Ellis who is known for saying, "Die puny humans!"
Take a half hour out of your busy schedule to watch a short film about Mr. Alan Moore. Admittedly it's a bit dated, especially toward the end, but it's still a great little piece. http://www.abovestream.com/ Wednesday, February 19
I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil Shell............................205,742,000 barrels Chevron/Texaco.........144,332,000 barrels Exxon Mobil................130,082,000 barrels Marathon/Speedway...117,740,000 barrels Amoco.........................62,231,000 barrels If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil: Citgo....................0 barrels Sunoco............. .0 barrels Conoco............. ..0 barrels Sinclair............... 0 barrels BP/Phillips.......... 0 barrels Hess...................0 barrels Sent to me by a friend of mine. Thanks Karen! Tuesday, February 18
World Wide Mind Sharing robot minds and bodies over the Web could take AI to the next level By Duncan Graham-Rowe INTELLIGENT as people are, we just aren't bright enough to create a machine in our own image. Researchers say the quest for artificial intelligence is floundering because the problems are too great for any individual group to solve on its own. Some researchers are now saying the solution is to let anyone and everyone get in on the act. To do this, they propose that the AI community breaks away from the tradition of only publishing results in journals, and instead makes all AI software and robots available over the Internet and accessible even to complete novices. In short, they say that for AI to advance, the entire field needs to be democratised. Only by doing so will we finally achieve the revolution that AI has promised for so long. The idea is part of a project called the World Wide Mind, run by Mark Humphrys and his team of computer scientists at Dublin City University. He believes that in order to make artificial systems complex enough to develop human-like intelligence, this level of collaboration is vital. In the past, AI researchers set out to make complete robotic systems capable of moving and sensing the world and behaving intelligently. "But AI has gone away from building complete systems to building subsystems," says Humphrys. These include modules for vision, navigation, problem solving and locomotion. New robot face smiles and sneers NewScientist.com 
A new robot that, according to its creators, can express a full repertoire of human facial expressions was unveiled on Sunday. K-bot's face is modelled on one of her creator's friends K-bot has a feminine face and is capable of 28 facial movements, including smiling, sneering, furrowing her brow and arching her eyebrows. She also has cameras in her eyes to recognise and respond to humans. These unique aircraft were designed and constructed by a group of students, professors, and alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology within the context of the Daedalus project. 
To celebrate the Greek myth of Daedalus, the man who constructed wings of wax and feathers to escape King Minos, the Daedalus project began with the goal of designing, building and testing a human-powered aircraft that could fly the mythical distance, 115 km. To achieve this goal, three aircraft were constructed. The Light Eagle was the prototype aircraft, weighing 92 pounds. On January 22, 1987, it set a closed course distance record of 59 km, which still stands. Also in January of 1987, the Light Eagle was powered by Lois McCallin to set the straight distance, the distance around a closed circuit, and the duration world records for the female division in human powered vehicles. Saturday, February 15
Dolly the Cloned Sheep Put to Death By EMMA ROSS AP Medical Writer LONDON -- Dolly the cloned sheep was put to death Friday, after premature aging and disease marred her short existence and raised questions about the practicality of copying life. The decision to end Dolly's life at age 6 -- about half the life expectancy of her breed -- was made because a veterinarian confirmed she had a progressive lung disease, according to the Roslin Institute, the Scottish lab where she was created and lived. Friday, February 14
Feb. 12 (UPI) -- While some men are convinced Valentine's Day was created by card and flower companies, some believe it dates back to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a time of lovemaking and licentiousness, according to Anthony Aveni, author of "The Book of the Year -- A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays." "Lupercalia was when young Roman males would sacrifice goats, put on the goatskins as a loincloth and then run around striking young women with thongs from the same goatskins," Aveni, a professor of astronomy and archeology at Colgate University, in Hamilton, N.Y., told United Press International. "This was taken seriously by women because it was a rite intended to eliminate feminine barrenness and awaken the powers of fertility." This gentle "flogging" was to stimulate sexual organs in anticipation of spring and fertility. I apologise if I'm being a bit too political as of late, but how can I not be at a time like this. What follows are excerpts from a speech given by General Douglas MacArthur, a World War II general. "Mr. President, Mr. Speaker and Distingushed Members of Congress: I stand on this rostrum with a deep sense of humility and pride--humility in the weight of those great architects of our history who have stood here before me, pride in reflection that this home of legislative debate represent human liberty in the purest form yet devised. "Here are centered the hopes and aspirations and faith of the entire human race. I address you with neither rancor nor bitterness in the fading twilight of life, but with one purpose in mind: To serve my country. "It has been said in effect that I was a warmonger, Nothing could be further from the truth. I know war as few other men now living know it...and nothing to me--and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition...as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes. "Indeed, the Second Day of September 1945, just following the surrender of the Japanese nation on the Battleship Missouri I formally cautioned as follows: Men since the beginning of time have sought peace. Various methods thought the ages have been attempted to devise an international process to prevent or settle disputes between nations. From the very start, workable methods were found in so far as individual citizens were concerned... "Military alliances, balances of poer, Leagues of Nations...all in turn failed...leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructivness of war now blocks out this alternative. "We have had our last chance. "If we will not devise some greater and more equitable system Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence, an improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature, and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh. "But once war is forces upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end. War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory. I am closing my fifty-two years of military service. When I joined the army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all my boyish hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barracks ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that old soldiers never die; they just fade away." I was tempted to edit that last bit out, but that wouldn't be fair. 'Even the Devil can quote scripture...' and all that. Next time the current administration cries havoc, eager to let slip the dogs of war, think about the effectiveness of war. And for God's sake read more than one source about this stuff! Thursday, February 13
Here's an idea for all of you who are dedicated to protesting this (seemingly) upcoming war. Think, first, about what kind of country we live in. Who really holds the power? Who really makes the decisions? I'll give you a hint; he was the first president of the United States. Give up? The dollar bill. The wheels of the American democratic machine are greased by the almighty buck. Try it out, organize a protest during a work day. Organize a protest week. A week where all who are opposed to this war just don't go to work. Cripple the economy and you cripple the effectiveness of our government. Start speaking a language they understand. 
Wednesday, February 12
The War on Drugs; The American Iliad More than 2,000 years ago Homer described the curse of drug addiction. Today, the ancient curse is carried on in the form of the opium poppy. The poppy itself has zero value except for the narcotic drugs it produces. Most of the world's opium is grown in two areas of the world, Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia. After it is harvested the vast majority is sold locally as pure opium, addicting millions inside China, Burma, Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran and other nations along the Asian trading routes. It is estimated that more than 20 million people are addicted to heroin worldwide. In 2001, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency concluded that America has more than 100,000 heroin addicts. Heroin is known to produce more than $20 billion in profits for criminal organizations and terrorist factions around the world, including the Taliban and al-Qaeda factions in Afghanistan, which provided protection to opium producers for a large fee. a large portion of Southwest Asian heroin is consumed in Europe, Pakistan and Iran. However, traffickers operating from Middle Eastern locations smuggle heroin to ethnic enclaves in the United States. The trends are not good. U.S. Department of Justice statistics indicate that U.S. federal law enforcement authorities seized 1,575 kilograms of heroin in 2000, compared to 1,149 kilograms in 1999. The United States reflects only a portion of the global statistics for opium and heroin production, which by even the most conservative estimates are up more than 10 percent in 2002. Stay with it, here comes the crux of the article. In the 1990s, a major U.S. university, working closely with an U.S. Army biological warfare lab, developed a genetically altered fungus code-named "Lotus Eater." The Lotus Eater fungus is specifically designed to attack the opium poppy plant and nothing else. The Lotus Eater fungus is reported to be so effective that one potent strain could eliminate almost all the global opium crop within five years of its release. A second, less potent strain was also developed which could wipe out a single season of poppy crop exposed to the fungus, but it could not reproduce itself beyond a short lifetime. It is here, after the two strains were developed, that the story of the Lotus Eater turns upside down. The Clinton administration suddenly withdrew all research monies, closed the university site and took the fungus strains away. No further research, or development has ever been recorded. In 2002, the U.S. military reportedly offered to use the Lotus Eater fungus on Afghan opium crops. The plan was to use U.S. control of Afghan airspace to seed the fungus from highflying C-130 Hercules transports. Yet the Bush administration reportedly turned down the idea. According to high-level intelligence sources, the plan to end opium production inside Afghanistan was nixed by the CIA. The reason given was quite simple. Apparently, there are several large factions inside Afghanistan and Pakistan, friendly to the U.S., that directly depend on funding from opium. These factions threatened to overthrow the Afghan and Pakistani governments if they were not allowed to continue trafficking heroin and opium. The specter of a nuclear-armed Pakistan being run by radical opium gangs put the Lotus Eater plan on hold. The CIA reportedly noted that if Lotus Eater was released into the poppy fields that several Southeast and Southwest Asian governments would fall. The consequences of a Lotus Eater attack directly effected corrupt elements inside the Russian and Chinese armies as well as the intelligence service inside Pakistan. The disruption of trade could even start a world war in Asia. It is here that our dark tale ends. The opium and heroin trade continue to flourish. The poppy fields continue to fuel the bank accounts of radical terrorists and addict millions in its wake. Story stolen from this web site: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/9/26/150144.shtml Monday, February 10
I've just added a message board for you freaks to discuss whatever you'd like to discuss. The link is off to the side, on the blue bar, or you can just click here. Please let me know if the site is becoming too confusing. Saturday, February 8
Man jailed for killing 'wolf' sister "He attacked her with fists, feet, carving knives, a beer glass, a chair and a garden spade." "Pathologists found her skull was cracked and she had 11 wounds to her face, neck and chest." The court was told that Wedderburn then changed clothes and watched an episode of the Weakest Link before calling 999. QUESTION From Ben Smith, Woodbridge "How large do you think the protest planned for 15 February would need to be to make the government think twice about going to war?" ANSWER From Professor Peter Waddington, expert in protest politics "I can't imagine that the Government would be deflected by a protest of any size. Protest generally is among the least rewarding of political activities. It is a weapon of last resort for powerless interests. A quarter of a million people protested against the Conservative government's closure of the coal mines in 1992, but the mines were closed. A quarter of a million people more recently protested against plans to ban hunting with dogs, but the government persists with its plans. Protest is more an act of witness, than an instrument of politics. If protesters very rarely win, they much more commonly lose. The prospect of disorder is far more of a threat to the anti-war movement than it is to government, for 'soft' opinion is easily alienated by scenes of violence on TV screens." I forget what the exact definition of democracy is, but I think it has something to do with a majority making the decisions. From The BBC's Website: BBC.com Friday, February 7
This is George W. Bush. He is the President of the United States of America. 
You probably think (as did I) that one would have to be pretty smart to be the President. 
This is not the case. The following appears courtesy of Ellis Henican, columnist at Newsday. "To those of you who received honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, well done. And to the C students, I say you too can be president of the United States." -George W. Bush, Yale commencement address, 33 years after graduation. -He was a C student at Phillips Andover -He got a not-so-stellar 1206 on his SATs. 566 Verbal, 640 Math. -In the fall of 1964, George W. Bush was welcomed inside Yale's ivy-covered walls as a "legacy admittee." Says Baby Bush of the affirmative action program of the Univerity of Michigan; "divisive, unfair and impossible to square with the Constitution." "Unfairly rewards or penalizes propective students." Inherently, I suppose there is nothing wrong with this. A lot of people do poorly early in life only to succeed later on. But. Something has always seemed strange to me about how Bush gained the Presidency. The whole Florida 'chad' debacle. His brother being the Governer of that state. His father being both a former President, and director of the CIA, as well as a prominent Yale alum. His grandfather, a Yale trustee...and all of them (most probably) members of the clandestine Skull and Bones (secret) society. George W. is a shining example of the old proverb "It's not what you know, but who you know." So, who exactly does he know? 
Monday, February 3
Create your own Super-Villain/World Domination/Doom Machine!! 
This is the greatest thing ever! I would love to hoard this info, keep it all to myself, but that wouldn't be fair. We can all be megalomaniacal together! Here is the link: http://www.formandcontent.net/projects/worldview/worldview.htm |
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