Author: Glenn Hauman
Thought for the day
From Arthur Silber on The Impossibility of Discussing Anything at All:
For now, I will leave you with one very simple idea, one I often express to friends these days. Even though I write long essays about current events, history and other subjects, as I contemplate the growing devastation around the world, I have one thought above all others. I simply want to say to everyone: Look, we can talk about anything you want. We’ll talk for as long as it takes. We’ll work it out, even if takes years. But, please, for God’s sake:
STOP KILLING PEOPLE.
That’s all. That’s everything.
(And if you aren’t reading Once Upon a Time… yet, start. There are precious few bloggers I’ve donated cash to, he’s one.)
Who’s hurting America?
Says former Bush I speechwriter [Andrew] Ferguson:
Despite their lack of knowledge, “Daily Show” viewers “reported increased confidence in their ability to understand the complicated world of politics.” Stewart is raising their self-esteem at the same time he makes them dumber.
Now, this is a familiar phenomenon in the contemporary U.S. — rising ignorance accompanied by rising self-regard. We can’t blame Stewart for it all by himself, much as I might like to. But the study does raise the question: Who’s hurting the country now?
Ah, so it’s not the people running the country who control the government that are hurting the country, it’s the people criticizing them.
Stewart (who’s never, say, outed a CIA agent for partisan reasons) is doing just fine. Compare and contrast to the number of people who are being made dumber by watching Fox News. In fact, studies show that TDS viewers are much better informed than Fox News viewers. Follow the links for all the studies and (shock of shocks) make up your own mind.
And you thought you knew obsessive Trek fans
15 July 2006
LONDON: A British fan of the cult TV show Star Trek has boldly gone where no man has gone before and created a giant maize maze dedicated to the programme.Trekkie Tom Pearcy used satellite technology to help him cut the maze in the corn field at his farm near York, northern England, to celebrate 40 years since the show’s first episode.
The maze, whose design includes images of character Mr Spock and the USS Enterprise spaceship, used 1.5 million maize plants and claims to be the biggest of its kind in the world.
More window closing…
ahistoricality: Behavioral Economics and Politics.
And while we’re on modifying behavior, everybody’s linking to this one.
Rock Ridge, Rock Ridge…
Rockridge Institute – Bush Is Not Incompetent.
MSNBC%u2019s Star Carves Anti-Fox Niche – New York Times: Note the Stewie Griffin doll and the Family Guy calendar. Really, how anti-Fox can Olbermann be?
1. Stuff you know, that actually is true
Investors are historians not futurists. We’re overloaded. Even with the best data available, like our fund profiles, you’re dealing with 10,000 funds, each with 100 bits of data that’s actually old news, usually at least 3-6 months old. So you oscillate between a false sense of being well-informed, and insecurity about the truth.
2. Stuff you think you know, but is wrong
Economists, securities analysts and cable’s talking heads know our brains prefer positive upbeat news. Eternal optimists, they speak the good news. You know you don’t know the future, so you turn to the media and press for hints, thinking maybe if you just listen to CNBC long enough, or read one more newspaper, or research one more fund, you’ll figure out tomorrow. The blind are leading the blind. Your mind is rationalizing a bad idea.
3. Stuff you know you don’t know, but obsess about
Every day the media talks endlessly with hundreds of market gurus, economists, CEOs. You get all the contradictions, oxymorons, dilemmas, paradoxes, a daily torrent of conflicting data about tomorrow’s unknowns and unpredictables. So you obsess anxiously, trying to figure out what you can never really know until after the fact.
4. Stuff you know to be true, but deny
Our minds are masters at denying the truth, even when it’s staring us in the face. In hindsight any damn fool could have predicted the dot-com collapse. But greed drove us and we denied P/E ratios mattered. You’re fortunate if 25% of what you know is true. But the fact is, even when you feel you’re right, you might still be dead wrong, unable to let go of even a bad idea.
5. All the stuff you don’t know that you don’t know
Stuff you don’t see until after the fact, when it’s too late! Unknowns that unpredictably crash markets: Natural disasters, deficit collapses, homeland terrorist attacks, nuclear war.
(Via The Big Picture: What Do You Know?)
In response to the old question, “What do I put in my Portfolio?”: Read it, since there’s a decent chance I’ll be looking at your portfolio someday.
Mr. Gaunt? Is dat choo?
Real quick, more stuff as we have it, but here’s the press release:
GRIMJACK GOES 3D WITH REELART STUDIOS
ReelArt Studios has licensed with The Nightsky GrimJack Rights and Production Vehicle LLC to create resin statues and busts featuring the characters from the Grimjack comic book series and other intellectual property holdings of the company.
The first product will be a 1/8th scale statue featuring John Gaunt, a.k.a. GrimJack, the brooding sword for hire in the city of Cynosure based on the artwork of Timothy Truman. The statue is scheduled to be sculpted by the talented Jason “Spyda” Adams and is planned for an early 2007 release date.
GrimJack is the creation of John Ostrander and Timothy Truman and was originally published in 1983 by First Comics, Inc. as a back-up story in Mike Grell’s long running hit series STARSLAYER. A true overnight sensation, First Comics promptly moved GrimJack into its own stand-alone monthly title. GrimJack was published in more than 80 original comic book issues, an original graphic novel, and three spin-off series. More recently, the series made its return in KILLER INSTINCT, a new graphic novel distributed by IDW Publishing, who is also reprinting the complete First Comics run of GrimJack. A new GrimJack graphic novel by Ostrander and Truman is presently in the works and will begin serialization later this fall, with trade paperback distribution set for spring of 2007.
GrimJack’s creators are long-standing stars of the comic book field. An internationally-produced playwright (Stuart Gordon’s “Bloody Bess”), Mr. Ostrander’s comic book writing credits include “Batman,” “Star Wars,” “X-Men,” and “Superman.” Mr. Truman’s comic book art credits include “The Justice League of America,” “Scout,” “The Lone Ranger, “Star Wars,” and currently “Conan” with Dark Horse Comics. Mr. Truman, an accomplished musician, is also known worldwide for his ongoing artistic work with Grateful Dead Productions.
ReelArt Studios President Michael Hudson said, “Working with Timothy, John and all the guys at Team GrimJack is a dream come true. Grimjack is a truly great comic book character as are the other properties owned by the company. Our plans are to create some really cool, outstanding collectibles with the various characters represented. This is long overdue.”
“Personally speaking, I’ve wanted a high-quality GrimJack statue for more than two decades,” Nightsky GrimJack project director Mike Gold noted. “Our patience has been rewarded beyond my deepest fanboy dreams. The fact that ReelArt’s statue will be coming out just around the time of our next new graphic novel is wonderful serendipity. Timothy, John and all the folks at Team GrimJack can hardly wait!” Gold concluded.
ReelArt Studios is a producer of collectible statues and busts of movie, pulp and comic book characters. placing special emphasis on creator owned properties. The company has licensed a number of pop culture properties to be turned into collectibles. ReelArt has partnered with such companies as King Features, C3 Entertainment, The Frazetta Art Gallery, Continuity Studios and Brown and Bigelow to produce products based on a wide variety of properties. ReelArt Studios is headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL. For more information, visit http://www.reelartstudios.com
Nightsky GrimJack Rights and Production Vehicle LLC is a Chicago-based company with editorial offices in Connecticut. For more information, please visit http://www.grimjack.com
Hey, what was that about a new GrimJack graphic novel…? We are…? John? Tim? Mike? How come nobody tells me these things? Oh boy, back to work…
Connecticut for Lieberman?
Lieberman campaign files forms to run as petitioning candidate – Newsday.com
Lieberman also filed papers with the secretary of the state’s office Monday to create a new party called Connecticut for Lieberman.
That, in three words, is why Joe’s having problems. If he really wanted to prove that the race isn’t all about him and his ego, it would be “Lieberman for Connecticut”. He serves them, not they serve him.
To paraphrase the first politician I’m endorsing this election cycle, Kinky Friedman, “Ask not if you’re proud of Connecticut, ask if you have made Connecticut proud of you.”
The Monsters Are Overdue on Maple Street
Whoops, never mind. They’re here.
Mr. Serling, the last word?
“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts… attitudes… prejudices. To be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill, and suspicion can destroy, and the thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children, and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to The Twilight Zone.”
I was going to get around to this
But then Mary Ann posted GeekPhilosophy.com: Kevin Spacey does Christopher Walken doing Han Solo, the old SNL skit from a few years back.
See you and raise, babe:
All right, SUPERMAN RETURNS
Heck with it. If you haven’t seen it by now, you just ain’t trying.
Reviews: My general feeling walking out of the theater was this. Solid reviews from Mary Ann, Peter, and Bob. The best one liners comments are by Ken Levine:
Maybe the world didn’t miss Superman for the five years he was gone because we have Jack Bauer.
Brandon Routh makes Dean Cain look edgy.
George Reeves is the Sean Connery of Supermen.
Director Bryan Singer said there was an in-depth discussion during pre-production on the size of the hero’s “package”. My question to Mr. Singer: On this movie or all your movies? And the pilot of HOUSE?
The most exciting five minutes of the night was the SPIDERMAN 3 trailer.
Which, come to think of it, was what Mike Gold said.
Now for the problems.
Kate Bosworth and Parker Posey should have switched roles. Bosworth just didn’t have the moxie to pull off Lois Lane, let alone the age to have a 5 year old and a career as far along as she did. Posey could have done that role and everybody would have bought it. Of course, putting in the pretty young thing as Lex’s arm candy would have obviously shown that it’s really Miss Teschmacher. Or her kid sister. But Peter David would have been happy.
Supes was gone for five years, without explanation? Uh-uh. Nope. Sorry. Remember that speech to E.G. Marshall at the end of SUPERMAN II? “Good afternoon, Mr. President. Sorry I’ve been away so long. I won’t let you down again.” And then he leaves for half a decade. And during that time, what’s happened in America and the world? Or Lois, and everybody else he ever cared about? Plus the possible kid? Put in something to explain it. Marv Wolfman’s novelization has him being blown off course, so he was only expecting a five day trip or so, which would be fine– but you need something acting on him to take him out of the picture. Heck, you can even give Lois a cute line about even a super man not asking for directions, hiding her bitterness. Two lines, tops.
Beyond that, a good film, with almost every conceivable hat tip to the Donner films. This is really an Elliot Maggin version of Superman– it ain’t the physical hurdles, it’s the ethical and emotional ones that are going to cause him trouble. And yes, that reminds me that I have to do a longer post about that, but I’ll save it for another time.