Few I know understand the health care reform issue as I do. I watched Momma Irons work so very hard to make sure I had the coverage to help me battle cancer as a teen. And now I watch her fight for the health care she so seriously needs... and deserves.. in her own health battles.
Please... PLEASE... I urge you to watch all 5 parts of this, and if you feel so moved, please support the National Association of Free Clinics.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Stuff: Adventures in Culture
(Click to enlarge.)
It's funny when someone asks you what you do and you tell them you're an illustrator (Or, graphic artist, or cartoonist, etc.) what they'll usually pop off, next. I have been asked if I work for Disney, Marvel, DC; and if I know any of the big names. (Usually they just want to know if I've met Robert Downey, Jr.) And then there's the usual; "can you draw me Spiderman?"
Of course, once they find out it's not all big money and high life... Well, they tend to lose interest real quick like.
Last week I was supposed to go to my friend James' house. He's a lawyer who lives up in the hills of San Francisco. He likes to throw these fancy dress Scotch tastings. Basically, everyone brings a Scotch (One rule: It must be from a glass bottle.) and we all take turns trying it out. I was so excited because I was finally going to be able to go.
And yet, even with directions, I could not, for the life of me, find his place. I must have gone back and forth, up and down, and through every possible twist and turn. At one point you could smell the NEWLY and EXPENSIVELY repaired brakes starting to burn, some.
After about an hour of this, I gave up and started to try and find my way home. It was then that I found my other friends' house in the same area. You see, they were throwing a social, too. And I was going to go to there's as well. Since they lived so close to James, I figured we'd just walk to their house. So, I didn't bother to get directions. And yet, there I was, at their door.
At Krys and Rob's place - my other friends - I met Rob and Ryn. He worked with my friend Rob doing video games, and Ryn, his wife, worked at Berkeley studying air pollution. Our conversations turned from science, to cartoons, to culture. Then a couple from Finland jumped into what was becoming a fun stand up routine about growing up a dumb American. When they mentioned they were from Finland, all I could say - since I know nothing about Finland - was a Montey Python line.
Yeah, no one was impressed. But I got to keep my Scotch, so that was a plus!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Harry Potter and the Dungeon of Delight?
Well, I guess if you're eager to break type casting, this is about as good as any. (Well, no; but there's no way I'm putting Daniel Radcliffe's nekkid tush on here.)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Bewbs
Don't think for a second I don't know why most of you really like anime...
(WARNING: Probably NOT SAFE FOR WORK.)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
The paradox of the sci-fi fan.
Or are they?So, as a self published sci-fi writer, I like to take long , hard looks at the genre from time to time. You know; to gauge the trends and seek insight on how I can make my stories better.
Well, see, I was at Taco Bell when just such a flash came to me.
Basically, I find it paradoxically interesting that Christians would be a fan of Star Trek. Why? Well, you see, it's like this; in the Star Trek universe Earth is run by one world wide government (Born from a great world war and subsequent technological revolution.) that has one single currency (credited accounts) and recognizes no official religious doctrine. (Though it does allow the belief in any religion within socially acceptable tolerances.)
Why, you may ask, is this paradoxical? Well, if you read along in their story book, you'll see that a cashless (I could spend time here drawing correlations to the whole mark of the beast nonsense in regards to money; but I'm hoping you've already seen it.), un-Christian, one world society is part of the plan for their anti-Christ. It is, in fact, part of the end times.
In effect, the Federation is Satan.
Yet I know a metric ass ton of ST fans whole also profess to be devoutly Christian. It leads me to wonder why they aren't out there denouncing ST like Harry Potter. (Especially when there's lots of other, really good reasons to dislike Harry Potter.)
Conversely is the paradox of Firefly. (Hey, it's my fav, too. So, don't feel singled out.)
In interviews, Whedon talks about the American Civil War as the primary inspiration for the Friefly universe. To put not to fine a point on it, Mal, Zoey, and all the Brown Coats were The South.
Well, minus the slavery...
Anyway, we cheered for them through 14 episodes, two comic mini series, and a movie, as they did their best to stick it to the evil, over bearing, man; namely the Alliance. All the while we, led by our ingenious story teller, vilified the government over lords who, audaciously, tried to bring about "their right way" of living. In shirt, we rooted for the bad guys who worked hard to short the system that brings law, order, and a better way of life to the backward planets.
Here's the kicker, though. We love the Federation, but hate the Alliance. Why?
Both were established after a considerable, and costly, war. Each strives to bring about the best for the people it governs. The two have brought great advancements to their peoples, as well as expanded free trade, commerce, and social-economic trade that has lead to a blending of social cultures. (Of note that this, too, flies in the face of Christian doctrine.)
I think one interesting place to look is what perspective we are viewing these worlds through. In Star Trek, we are looking it through the eyes of the Federation. The victors, if you will. We have no idea what has happened to the lesser human cultures that lost out after World War 3, or the subsequent colonies that let lose into space. All we know is that, at some point, Earth became unified, war, disease, and a host of other social evils were wiped out; which led the way for the Federation. (Also of note: in ST, to become a member of the Federation, a planet must be globally unified and enlightened, as the Federation sees fit to define.)
In Firefly, we see their universe through the eyes of the losers. Freedom to be who and what they deem fit to be are stripped away, and all must conform to Alliance way of life. You have rights, but only those that the Alliance deems to give you; within the confines of the law. Taxes are to be paid, territories to be respected, and all must bend to the whim of the law. The Alliance is an evil conglomerate (Which tied into the Blue Sun corporation; though thanks to the FOX cancellation, we'll never know how.) They move in, set up camp, and say "you will do it our way because it's for your own good and we know best."
But here's the real kicker... the true paradox, if you will. They both are reflections on us. On how we, as a nation, and society, conduct our affairs; both domestically, as well as internationally. And it's not just us, either. No. One can look back into history to Egypt, Rome, and a host of Mesopotamian cultures; as well as France, Germany, and even The United Kingdom.
When dissecting this, though, one comes to some interesting observations. After all, sure Rome stripped away cultural identity; but wasn't life under Roman ways better? (Think: literacy, health, art, technology, agriculture. Hell, in some cases, any culture.)
So, who really are the villains and who are the heroes? How can we vilify the Alliance and hold dear to the Federation? Why were the Brown Coats the good guys? Why doesn't the Federation just move in a blast the Ma'key out of the black? (Apologizes if I misspelled that name.)
Like wise, in real life, how do we despise the power of large, advancing society over the weaker, less evolved, tribal nomad? Do the rights of the many out weigh the needs of the few, or the one? In an episode of Friefly, River is almost burned alive for being a witch. We make think that that is totally backwards and wrong headed, but, to support the idea of the heroic Brown Coats is to support the right of a back water society to believe and practice what we believe to be archaic and foolish.
Then again, it's all just make believe, anyway. And I am just a story teller; so what do I know?
Well, see, I was at Taco Bell when just such a flash came to me.
Basically, I find it paradoxically interesting that Christians would be a fan of Star Trek. Why? Well, you see, it's like this; in the Star Trek universe Earth is run by one world wide government (Born from a great world war and subsequent technological revolution.) that has one single currency (credited accounts) and recognizes no official religious doctrine. (Though it does allow the belief in any religion within socially acceptable tolerances.)
Why, you may ask, is this paradoxical? Well, if you read along in their story book, you'll see that a cashless (I could spend time here drawing correlations to the whole mark of the beast nonsense in regards to money; but I'm hoping you've already seen it.), un-Christian, one world society is part of the plan for their anti-Christ. It is, in fact, part of the end times.
In effect, the Federation is Satan.
Yet I know a metric ass ton of ST fans whole also profess to be devoutly Christian. It leads me to wonder why they aren't out there denouncing ST like Harry Potter. (Especially when there's lots of other, really good reasons to dislike Harry Potter.)
Conversely is the paradox of Firefly. (Hey, it's my fav, too. So, don't feel singled out.)
In interviews, Whedon talks about the American Civil War as the primary inspiration for the Friefly universe. To put not to fine a point on it, Mal, Zoey, and all the Brown Coats were The South.
Well, minus the slavery...
Anyway, we cheered for them through 14 episodes, two comic mini series, and a movie, as they did their best to stick it to the evil, over bearing, man; namely the Alliance. All the while we, led by our ingenious story teller, vilified the government over lords who, audaciously, tried to bring about "their right way" of living. In shirt, we rooted for the bad guys who worked hard to short the system that brings law, order, and a better way of life to the backward planets.
Here's the kicker, though. We love the Federation, but hate the Alliance. Why?
Both were established after a considerable, and costly, war. Each strives to bring about the best for the people it governs. The two have brought great advancements to their peoples, as well as expanded free trade, commerce, and social-economic trade that has lead to a blending of social cultures. (Of note that this, too, flies in the face of Christian doctrine.)
I think one interesting place to look is what perspective we are viewing these worlds through. In Star Trek, we are looking it through the eyes of the Federation. The victors, if you will. We have no idea what has happened to the lesser human cultures that lost out after World War 3, or the subsequent colonies that let lose into space. All we know is that, at some point, Earth became unified, war, disease, and a host of other social evils were wiped out; which led the way for the Federation. (Also of note: in ST, to become a member of the Federation, a planet must be globally unified and enlightened, as the Federation sees fit to define.)
In Firefly, we see their universe through the eyes of the losers. Freedom to be who and what they deem fit to be are stripped away, and all must conform to Alliance way of life. You have rights, but only those that the Alliance deems to give you; within the confines of the law. Taxes are to be paid, territories to be respected, and all must bend to the whim of the law. The Alliance is an evil conglomerate (Which tied into the Blue Sun corporation; though thanks to the FOX cancellation, we'll never know how.) They move in, set up camp, and say "you will do it our way because it's for your own good and we know best."
But here's the real kicker... the true paradox, if you will. They both are reflections on us. On how we, as a nation, and society, conduct our affairs; both domestically, as well as internationally. And it's not just us, either. No. One can look back into history to Egypt, Rome, and a host of Mesopotamian cultures; as well as France, Germany, and even The United Kingdom.
When dissecting this, though, one comes to some interesting observations. After all, sure Rome stripped away cultural identity; but wasn't life under Roman ways better? (Think: literacy, health, art, technology, agriculture. Hell, in some cases, any culture.)
So, who really are the villains and who are the heroes? How can we vilify the Alliance and hold dear to the Federation? Why were the Brown Coats the good guys? Why doesn't the Federation just move in a blast the Ma'key out of the black? (Apologizes if I misspelled that name.)
Like wise, in real life, how do we despise the power of large, advancing society over the weaker, less evolved, tribal nomad? Do the rights of the many out weigh the needs of the few, or the one? In an episode of Friefly, River is almost burned alive for being a witch. We make think that that is totally backwards and wrong headed, but, to support the idea of the heroic Brown Coats is to support the right of a back water society to believe and practice what we believe to be archaic and foolish.
Then again, it's all just make believe, anyway. And I am just a story teller; so what do I know?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
IronChuck says: READ THIS!
Wow, it's been a while since there's been a book review here. And, believe it or not, this one comes with a bit of an apology; I should have posted this months ago. Sorry Paul...Rock 'n Roll beach bums that only speak in song lyrics, bad visual puns, attack of the (David) Lynch mob, birthday parties in haunted woods, psychotic cast aways, Miss June 1993, the cast of Scooby Doo, and a skating Pokemon Prophet... The lost episode to Twin Peaks?
Nope. Just another weekend at Spittle Beach with Armpit, Puppy, and the rest of the crew.
That's right, released this past February, Paul Horn unleashes his second collected volume of hilarity in Cool Jerk volume 2: Chickadoowa.
Follow the gang as they trudge through relationships, epic eBay bidding battles, punking skater pukes, mind tampering aliens, and the most epic conclusion to Gilligan's Island that will leaving you wondering; "what ever did happen to Bob Denver?"
Cool Jerk, published by HornCo Press, is 132 pages of side splitting silliness, as well as sketch pages, author's notes, and a helpful index (Yes, you may just need it.) all for only $12; available at various retailers, or online at the Cool Jerk store.And don't forget to follow along with the weekly hijinks online!
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