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The Mission of the Greek Orthodox Parish in America
Εκτύπωση The Mission of the Greek Orthodox Parish in America
George Nicozisin
Thanks to Alex Haley we have come to appreciate the importance of "roots." We, too, must take a look at our roots in order to comprehend, grasp and accept the mission of the parish here in America. However, before we address the current mission of the parish, we first need to turn to the lessons of the past and look at how church history in America affected the mission of the parish. This historical backdrop notwithstanding, we will see that the aims and purposes in short the mission of the parish remain the same. The parish was and continues to be the rallying point and force around which Orthodox Christians find both solace and strength. The Church began with humble beginnings and grew by leaps and bounds. During the Great Depression the Church was there to counsel and nurture. And even though many changes have occurred from the early years of this century through World War II and since, the mission of the Church and parish remain constant: to evangelize, to safeguard family values and to share the beauty and fullness of Orthodox Christianity with the rest of America. Join me in a historical jet trip through the past, to help us better understand today and the future.
Greeks in America Before the Immigration Period
The first Greeks on American soil came in 1767, when Dr. Andrew Turnbull was given 20,000 acres of uncultivated Florida land by the English government. Turnbull brought 200 men from Mani, Greece, along with an equal number of Italians and Corsicans. They were to work as indentured servants for three years and then be given free title to fifty acres. Turnbull, however, did not honor the terms of the contract. Those who did not die from heat, exhaustion and/or bad food stole away to St. Augustine, a few miles to the north.
Neither these Greeks nor others who came to America during and after the Greek War of Independence established themselves as Greek Orthodox, nor did they found churches and perpetuate the religious beliefs of their forebears. Perhaps the most important reason for their absorption into the mainstream of America, and their religious and ethnic eradication, was the conspicuous absence of Greek Orthodox parishes and clergymen. The first to recognize these primary needs were the Greek import-export merchants. In 1851, the House of Rallis opened branch offices in New York, New Orleans and Savannah, to import foreign goods and to export cotton. By the 1860s, quite a few Greek cotton merchants were residing in New Orleans with their families. In 1864 they organized the first Greek Orthodox parish in America, dedicating it to the Holy Trinity, and in 1866 they built their first house of worship. Although an attempt was also made to organize a parish in New York, this did not happen until the immigration period began in 1890.
Greek Immigration Period
First, we must note that America is an unprecedented phenomenon. The English who went to India, the French and Dutch who went to Indonesia, the Germans who went to China and those from Belgium who went to the Congo didn't become citizens of those countries. But this did happen in America then in Canada and Australia.
The Greeks who came to America were unlike the Greeks who had gone to Russia, Egypt, Africa, India, China and the various Western European countries. Those coming to America were usually uneducated, agrarian peasants of mainland Greece who could not better themselves economically in their homeland. They were also Greek nationals fleeing from the eastern tier of Greece, the Dodecanese and other Turkish islands in the Aegean Sea, which were being liberated from the Turkish yoke of Ottoman oppression. These Greeks came for economic reasons: to pay off debts back home; to provide dowries for their unmarried daughters and sisters; to educate offspring; to make a mint and go back and live happily ever after!
The Greek immigration period began in the last decade of the nineteenth century. By the end of the first decade of the twentieth century, there were over fifty Greek Orthodox parishes. The first parishes were founded in New York City, Lowell, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois. They, along with other parishes, were founded by the faith, dedication and initiative of the lay immigrants who recognized the need for a parish mission to meet their religious and sacramental needs.
Early Beginnings of the Greek Orthodox Church in America
At the beginning, the Greek Orthodox parishes were under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. However, priests were being dispatched and assigned from both the Patriarchate and the Holy Synod of Greece. For the most part these priests were theologically trained. But since there was no bishop to assign the priests, nor from whom they could seek redress, the priests were generally at the mercy and disposition of the lay leaders who had introduced the process of "hiring and firing." Thus, in the absence of a bishop from 1890 to 1918 the Protestant concept of locally-owned and locally-governed churches began to proliferate.
As the Church grew in numbers, the problems of uniformity, conformity and cooperation become more complex. Therefore, the priests and lay leaders in the Greek Orthodox churches in America petitioned the Patriarchate to assign a bishop who would organize the churches into a uniform and canonical diocese. Instead, in March of 1908 Patriarch Joachim III transferred spiritual jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox churches in America to the Holy Synod of Greece. Rather than solving the problem, this action greatly aggravated it because it politicized the mission of the parish. Nevertheless, the parishes continued to grow and meet the spiritual needs of the people.
As the first World War surfaced, two political statesmen emerged in Greece, King Constantine and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos. Venizelos wanted Greece to go in with the allies while King Constantine, whose wife was Kaiser Wilhelm's sister, wanted Greece to remain neutral. The political power struggle in Greece wreaked upheaval and havoc on the Greek parishes in America. The Greek immigrants, just as the citizens of Greece, found themselves split into two political factions, venizelist and royalist. This is more readily understood when we recall that many immigrants had no intention of remaining in America. They had come for economic reasons and in due time would return to their cherished homeland. The 1908 Tome was still in effect during this time. Archbishop Theoklitos of Athens, a staunch royalist, was forced to resign and in his place Archbishop Meletios Metaxakis was elected and enthroned. Since he replaced Theoklitos, Meletios was labeled a Venizelist.
Formation of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America
One of the very first things Archbishop Meletios did was to take a trip to America. He assigned Bishop Alexander of Rodostolou as Synodical Vicar for the Greek Orthodox churches in America on October 29, 1918. Meletios returned to Athens to find that he had been deposed and that Theoklitos had been reinstated. Meletios returned to America and, jointly with Bishop Alexander, called the First Clergy-Laity Congress in September of 1921, something unheard of in Orthodox countries. This set the precedent for convening Clergy-Laity Congresses. At the conclave, papers were drawn up and the Constitution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America was ratified. The following year Meletios Metaxakis was elected Ecumenical Patriarch. Under his aegis the 1908 Tome was rescinded and the jurisdiction of the Greek churches in America was returned to the care and mantle of the Ecumenical Patriarch. On May 11, 1922, the Patriarchate officially recognized the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America.
Although the lion's share of the communities affiliated and came under the jurisdiction of the canonical Archdiocese, a small but vocal group remained separate and retained their autonomy. They were the royalists. They petitioned Archbishop Theoklitos of Athens to send a bishop under the newly-designated "Synodical Autocephalous Exarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America," with Diocesan Headquarters in Lowell, Massachusetts. Metropolitan Germanos Tryanos of Sparta, a dynamic and charismatic churchman, was appointed to shepherd the dissident group. The disputes and quarrels that ensued were compounded by endless court litigation vying for jurisdictions and properties.
Under normal circumstances the inevitable preoccupation in the early years of any immigrant group is mere survival. Although the Greek immigrants had come a long way in their establishment, adjustment and orientation in the New World, they were not steeped in the interpretation of theology and canon law. Their recourse was to be led by the fervor of their daily emotions sparked by political leaders and generated by the Greek newspapers which took sides. With each shipload of immigrants the feud and opposition grew; more communities were established; more priests were brought from the homeland, while others were ordained here according to their political leanings. In a normal course of growth these events would be favorable and desirable. Not so in this case because dissension grew monstrously as clergy and laity were polarized as royalists or venizelists. These emotional dynamics had an inordinate negative impact on the mission of the parishes in America.
The friction was compounded in 1924, when both the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Greek Orthodox Church of Greece jointly adopted the Gregorian calendar. (The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C., and was used until it was corrected in 1582 A.D. Since the correction was introduced during the time of Pope Gregory XIII, it is called the Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar is approximately thirteen days behind the Gregorian calendar.) The royalists kept the Julian calendar and were called "Paleo-Imerologites" (Old-Calendarists.)
In May of 1930 Patriarch Photios and Archbishop Chrysostomos Pappadopoulos of Athens jointly directed Metropolitan Damaskenos of Corinth to assume temporary administration of the 133 communities of the autocephalous group. Damaskenos recommended that all bishops of both groups return to Greece and the Patriarchate for reassignment.
At this time Metropolitan Athenagoras Spyrou of Kerkyra was elected Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America. He arrived in New York February 24, 1931 and set about reuniting the communities in good order. Athenagoras' seventeen-year tenure of office brought most of the dissident and recalcitrant churches back into the fold. Metropolitan Michael Constantinides of Corinth succeeded Athenagoras when the latter became Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in 1949. Metropolitan Iakovos Coucouzis succeeded Michael and was enthroned April 1, 1959. Through the concerted efforts and great patience of these three prelates practically all the former royalist parishes returned to the canonical archdiocese. (The present day Old Calendarist group with headquarters in Astoria, N.Y. is not to be confused with the former royalist group.) Archbishop Iakovos retired in July of 1996 and was succeeded by Metropolitan Spyridon Papageorge of Italy, who was enthroned as Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in September of 1996.
Definition of a Greek Orthodox Parish in America
The original Certificate of Incorporation of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America in 1921-1922 proclaimed that the communities/parishes have the charge and responsibility to:
"Edify the religious and moral life of the Greek Orthodox Christians in North and South America on the basis of the Holy Scriptures, the rules and canons of the Holy Apostles and of the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the ancient and undivided Church as they are or shall be actually interpreted by the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople."
Shortly after, when Archbishop Iakovos became primate of our Archdiocese, he characterized and described our parishes as follows:
"Our parishes in America began as organizations and developed into religious communities. Today they are churches. Around them our whole life is entwined and is developed. Thus we have accepted what St. Paul states with these words: 'Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's' (Rom. 14:8). We are born and we die in the bosom of the Church. We place all our hopes for the future in the Church, for the Church alone will remain as the divine and eternal institution. And for this reason we have made the Church the center of our lives. The Church is everything to us!"
The definition, aims, purposes and mission of the parish have gone through a development and an evolution since 1922. The most significant change took place at the 1964 Clergy-Laity Congress in Denver, Colorado. Under the aegis and persistence of Archbishop Iakovos the new Uniform Parish Regulations are presented in a concise and clear language as follows:
"The parish is the local eucharistic community of the Church in a given locality, organized under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese, whose ecclesiastical authority is its canonically consecrated Bishop. The aims and purposes of the parish are to keep, practice and proclaim the Orthodox Christian Faith pure and undefiled."
This same language is in the Special Regulations and Uniform Parish Regulations we presently have. But the mission of the Church is far greater and it goes beyond regulations and descriptions. The parish mission is one that has been and is being lived by both clergy and laity, especially by those who know and live the difference between "Assimilation" and "Integration."
Assimilation versus Integration
Our Archdiocese has grown tremendously since the immigration period. Nevertheless, she has lost a significant number of her members, actual as well as potential, since the immigration period. It is my contention that confusion between assimilation and integration have contributed.
Assimilation means "to be absorbed, incorporated, to become synthesized, to become just like everybody else, to have no identity any longer." If we have lost a significant number of actual and potential members of Christ and His Holy Orthodox Church and admittedly we have it is because we have chosen to be "just like everybody else," as a Greek Orthodox faith, as a culture and as a heritage. Assimilation leads to extinction!
Conversely, integration means "bring different parts together, to blend, to orchestrate into a whole, yet not lose essence or identity." Integration as a religion and a cultural heritage means that we offer to contribute our values of a time-tested Orthodox Christian faith to this wonderful country. I suspect a good number of us, first-generation up to the present time, have not fully understood the difference between, on the one hand, letting ourselves be assimilated into extinction and, on the other, learning about our own Greek Orthodox Christian faith, living that faith and integrating our faith into our American nation.
In his letter to the Romans St. Paul uses a metaphor to illustrate how the Christian Church was "grafted" as a branch into the tree of God's people. In a similar manner, the founders of our Greek Orthodox parishes began "grafting" (integrating) our two-thousand year old faith into our American Nation. I submit to you that perpetuating this integration with the same zeal and dedication is one of the ongoing missions of our parishes.
The Mistake of Presumption
If the immigrant priests, parents and parish leaders share part blame in not understanding and not perpetuating the mission of the parish and the Church, it lies in their inability to perceive what was happening all around them. Their mistake was presumption. They presumed that because they were steeped in their religious faith and cultural heritage that their children would automatically follow suit without question or deviation. Those families that knew the mission of the Church that lived a Christ-centered life, that shared their faith in the Lord and the values of the Bible, and for whom the Greek Orthodox Church was a vibrant, living spiritual guide had far better results. Those parishes that invested in the future of their youth, through creative religious education programs and meaningful youth activities that were religiously based, morally oriented, and ethically motivated, had far greater dividends.
On the other hand, those parishes whose parents made very little effort to raise their children in an Orthodox Christian environment were soon disillusioned and embittered when they saw their offspring indiscriminately divesting themselves of the religion and culture of their forefathers because they found them inadequate, antiquated and unimportant! Worse yet, irrelevant!
By the same token, those Orthodox Christian parishes that spent more time on politics, bickering, infighting and creating animosities and enmities, did far more to disillusion and disenchant young people both from Christ and the Orthodox Church than presumption and assimilation combined! Thank God, a substantial number of families did share the fullness of our Greek Orthodox faith and heritage with their children and their children's children. This is why our Church has experienced significant growth and has made the great strides she has over this past century.
The Watered Down Mission of the Parish
Last but not least, you and I, the first, second and third generations and present day leaders of our parishes, have also played a role in what I would call "The Watered Down Mission of the Parish." Many of us mistreated Orthodox Christianity like a poor relative. We regarded her as inferior and, more often than not, an embarrassment! We identified the Orthodox Church with a few religious practices we either did not understand or with which we did not agree. We associated the Church with some customs that our parents and grandparents imported from their villages which, more often than not, have nothing to do with our belief in Christ and how we worship Him. Thus we passed sentence on Orthodox Christianity and labeled the Greek Orthodox Church antiquated, superstitious and old-country, fine for the old folks but not for us! Furthermore, we picked and chose the doctrines, teachings and liturgical practices that appealed to us and cast aside those which we did not take the trouble to understand and which did not appeal to us.
St. Paul uses a marvelous metaphor in 2 Corinthians 4:7 to illustrate how the power, grace and love of God can shine through to all people regardless of intellectual capacity, business acumen and/or station in life, providing we commit ourselves to God and avail ourselves to be a "vessel through which his light can shine." St. Paul writes: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." We must have nothing but admiration, respect and gratitude for the Greek Immigrants, clergy and laity who brought the Greek Orthodox faith, culture and heritage to these American shores and passed them on to their offspring. They were truly giants who let God's light shine with brilliance and splendor! The same must be said about the first, second and now third generations of American born who received the torch of faith and who constitute the clergy and laity leadership in our Greek Orthodox parishes, dioceses and archdiocese today!
The Mission of the Parish
Perhaps our insufficient knowledge and understanding have misled us into regarding the Orthodox Church as static, fossilized and anachronistic. Perhaps the Orthodox Christian approach to Christ and salvation has been laying dormant within us for many years. Perhaps we have come to know Christ, either through a peasant faith, as a result of experiences and maturity, or through just plain growing up. Perhaps we have been exposed to Orthodoxy through a marriage or through a concerted effort of catechetical study. This religious faith that helps us face the problems of life, as well as prepares us for salvation, can and must be shared with others. Thus another essential mission of the parish is to evangelize and spread the "Good News." But in order for us to comprehend the mission of the parish, in order for us to appropriate this faith for ourselves, in order for us to evangelize and share this faith with others, we must read, ingest and digest; we must internalize and externalize what Chapter II, Article I, Section 4 of the Uniform Parish Regulations sets forth succinctly and clearly:
"The diakonia (work, ministry, mission) of the parish will include proclaiming the Gospel in accordance with the Orthodox Faith, sanctifying the faithful through God's grace in worship, the Divine Liturgy and the other Sacraments and Devotional Services, enhancing their spiritual life, adding to their numbers by instructing others and receiving them into the Church through Baptism and/or Chrismation, catechizing them in the Orthodox Faith and in the ethos of the Church through the establishment of programs, schools and philanthropic activities, and implementing Christian ministries."
An Assaulted and Self-defending Parish
Before we conclude, there is one more dimension of the parish mission of our time that deserves our undivided attention: An Assaulted and Self-Defending Parish. In order to better comprehend this aspect of the parish mission let us turn to Mk. 13:22 where Jesus warns: "False messiahs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders to lead you astray". The "false messiahs and false prophets" are legion today! In the 1950s and 1960s we saw the rise of the Flower Children and the gurus trying to lull us into an artificial tranquility. Then in the 1970s Transcendental Meditation, Hara Krishna, the Moonies, Scientology and a host of other cults appeared on the American scene. The 1980s unleashed the New Age religion. New Age says we can be gods! That is what the serpent told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. That is what the builders of the Tower of Babel sought. New Age invites us to moral decay and ethical anarchy. "Do whatever you want, when you want and how you want!" What is so appealing about New Age is that nobody loses. There are no moral absolutes. Sin and evil do not exist. New Age is more than a new belief system, or a new religious fad. This is not a matter of fun and games, and it is much more than stress management seminars for adults and rest periods for children. New Age is an insidious evil that can adversely poison our earthly life and influence the loss of our eternal life, as well as those of our loved ones!
The 1990s ushered in forces not necessarily new but with far greater vigor and stronger commitment. And the ones who are at the greatest risk are our children, because there is a battle going on for their hearts and minds. Television and movies hammer away at moral values and ethical principles. Any form of restraint and self-discipline is ridiculed by the media, friends and acquaintances. Rock concerts, rappers and MTV have a unique way of subjecting masses of emotionally needy kids to deafening sounds, abnormal noises, eerie lights, wild behavior and godless philosophies.
Why else would healthy boys and girls inject wretched drugs into their veins and fill their lungs with pot? Or give sexual favors to virtual strangers? Or even commit suicide? Their behavior has been warped by enormous social pressures in an environment of confused values and unmet needs. The "false messiahs and false prophets" of today are alcohol, marijuana, hard drugs, pornography, gambling, homosexual experimentation, pre-marital and extra-marital sex, and morally irresponsible abortion.
Let's take a couple of these issues and extrapolate them to their logical conclusion. Why would media people, bureaucrats, researchers and Planned Parenthood types fight so hard to preserve adolescent promiscuity? Their motivation is not that hard to understand. Millions of dollars are generated each year in direct response to sexual irresponsibility. Entire industries of grateful adults benefit. The abortion business alone brings in an estimated $600 million annually. Do we really think the physicians, nurses, medical suppliers and bureaucrats who owe the lion's share of their livelihood to the destruction of unborn babies would prefer that adolescents abstain from sexual relations until marriage? Something for us to ponder seriously.
And now a new commodity has come on the medical market: Aborted fetuses. Aborted fetuses are being experimented with to help those with Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative diseases. The argument given goes like this: If organ donors can help restore quality living to those in need of them, why can't aborted fetuses be used for the same reason? There is an essential and intrinsic difference. Organ donors release their precious gift upon their death. Fetuses are removed before the infants have an opportunity to life outside the womb. Oh, and by the way, there is movement to petition the Supreme Court to allow abortions at any time so the fetuses can develop and mature and give more yield.
Another mission for the parish to ponder is pornography, which today is a $8 billion smut industry whose tentacles reach out to all ages. Twenty million pornographic magazines circulate each month. Hustler Magazine features a full-page cartoon of Chester the Molester. Child sexual abuse has tripled in the last generation. The Supreme Court declared that "obscenity shall be determined by local community standards." And what can be said about the mocking and ridicule of family and the deterioration of family values that proliferate in prime time television?
The immigrant parents lived a daily drama to hold on tenaciously to their religious beliefs, their culture and heritage in an environment that understood neither them nor their values. The mission of the Greek Orthodox parish of our time deserves indeed demands an awareness and a presence in our times no less a witness than that of our forebears!
The first mission of the parish always has been and continues to be the instrument that brings us closer to our Precious Redeemer Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers us. Secondly, the mission of the parish is to meet all our religious, spiritual and sacramental needs.
When the founding fathers of our great American nation determined there would be separation of church and state, they never intended that church people should remain reticent, silent, remote and removed from the mainstream of the political and judicial arena of American life. Unless we stand up to be heard and counted, not only will we forfeit our role and influence, but we will also lose all our values, our moral roots and our ethics by default. Therefore, another dimension of the mission of the parish is to make known our Orthodox Christian religious viewpoints and our strong moral convictions to all levels of government, the news media and the entertainment field. We must communicate our positions and beliefs on all matters that influence our government, politics and American society. This is an integral and inseparable dimension of our mission as Greek Orthodox parishes in America.
During the Sacrament of Ordination in the Orthodox Church a very unique act takes place. Once the priest has been ordained and fully vested, the Divine Liturgy continues where it left off. After the consecration of the Holy Gifts, the Bishop places the Communion Amnos (consecrated Body of Christ) into the clasped hands of the newly-ordained priest and has him stand at the Crucifix behind the holy altar table. The celebrant hierarch charges the newly-ordained priest with the following words:
"Receive this deposit and vigilantly watch over it until the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, at which time from Him it shall be asked of you!"
The Orthodox parish has a tremendous mission here in America. May we accept the mission of the parish as a deposit from Christ. May we watch over our parishes vigilantly with a Eucharistic, Sacramental, Evangelical and Christlike leadership, thus knowing that Jesus Christ will ask each of us for an accounting of our leadership, our motives, our deeds and actions.
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By DON GORTON on	 October 29, 2014
A COMPELLING CASE can be made for E. M. Forster's Maurice as the first gay novel. Completed 100 years ago this year, Forster's boldness lay in his revolutionary decision to adapt the discourse of the marriage novel to a moving depiction of same-sex love. He was the first to do so, even if his novel wasn't published until 1971. At the time there was no concept that same-sex could love could form the basis for a stable and happy lifetime commitment, so Forster was genuinely innovative to imagine such a possibility.
But, of course, there is the stubborn fact of Forster's failure to publish Maurice during his lifetime, as his gay liberationist message remained buried until two years after the Stonewall Riots had announced the coming revolution. When writing Maurice, Forster was preoccupied with the legal and cultural ramifications of the Oscar Wilde trials of 1895, and censorship remained an obstacle practically until the time of Stonewall. The book's publication in 1971 brought it to the attention of a newly awakened audience that could find in it a vision for actualizing the dreams of gay liberation.
Following is a slightly trimmed version of a piece that appeared in the November-December 2009 issue. — DG
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DON GORTON
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LOST HOSPITALS OF LONDON
Hornsey Central Hospital
Park Road, Crouch End, N8 8JL
Medical dates:
Medical character:
Acute. Later, geriatric
The Hornsey Cottage Hospital was built by Hornsey Borough Council on land donated by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
The foundation stone was laid in 1907 but the Hospital did not open until 1910.
The building was extended in 1924 as part of a War Memorial for those killed during WW1. In 1927 it changed its name to Hornsey Central Hospital because of nursing staff recruitment problems - nurses were unwilling to work in a 'cottage' hospital.
The Hospital was further extended again in 1938 and 1956.
In 1974 it became a general hospital and specialised in acute cases until 1981, when it became a geriatric hospital, providing rehabilitation and long term care for the elderly. Acute and other services transferred to the Whittington Hospital.
In 1998 the Enfield and Haringey Health Authority decided that the hospital could no longer provide effective modern health care - the open wards not being appropriate for long-term care - and, despite continuous vigorous local opposition, it closed in 2001.
The buildings became derelict and were squatted until 2007, when demolition began.
Present status (May 2008)
The buildings were not considered to be of historical interest and were demolished in 2007. The plan was to build a £12.6m state-of-the-art primary care health centre with a pharmacy and a facility for community mental health care services. It is due to open in June 2009.
The 3-storey development is well advanced, as seen from Park Road
The old Nurses Home, which is not part of the new development
The construction site viewed from Barrington Road
The top of the War Memorial can just be seen behind protective hoardings
The raised ground floor of the building is boarded up but there is evidence of residents on the first floor
The Grade II listed War Memorial remains in the hospital grounds and has been incorporated into the plan for the new health centre.
UPDATE (April 2009)
The new polyclinic is now due to open in July 2009.
The War Memorial has been preserved at the front of the new building.
The stairway to the War Memorial bears a memorial plaque to Lt. James Morton Anderson, killed in action at Arras in 1917.
The foundation stone for the 1924 War Memorial Extension is mounted on the disabled access ramp to the right of the War Memorial.
http://current.com (Accessed May 2008)
www.a2a.org.uk
www.beh.nhs.uk
www.haringey.nhs.uk
www.haringey.gov.uk
Return to alphabetical list


Irish & Scottish Holiday Villas, Homes & Castles Ireland is an amazing and historic country to visit, from the times of Kings and Queens, Ireland has been a county of legacy and mystery. No matter what people think about they cannot forget the sprawling greenery, the cliffs overlooking the Ocean, the amazing historic Churches and Castles that date back to a time when royalty was the only true government to be found. Once upon a time, must have started here, bringing our imaginations to life.
You can find any county in Ireland especially interesting, Galway for its Golf and amazing Race days, Kerry for its Rings of Fire, Dublin for its charming shops and nightlife, Clare for its waterfalls and mystery abounding, Wicklow for the Authentic Castle Feeling when you approach from the North, County Mayo for its tours of ruins and sights like you've never seen, and let's not forget all the other counties with much more than anyone can imagine for a holiday. County Antrim, Cavan, Cork, Donegal, Longford, Limerick, Laois, Louth, Meath, Monahan, Wexford, Waterford, Sligo, Rosscommon and Affaly. Ireland is not a place you just visit, it's a place you immerse yourself in and come out with a new story to tell your friends and family.
You can rent a wonderful Villa for a Family Vacation or have your wedding in an Authentic Irish Castle, there are so many reasons people chose Ireland over and over again. If you chose to visit, come during the summertime when you can trek around this great area and get lots in the ambiance. And for the men, there is always something to do: Golfing, fishing, boating, or enjoying race day. It's a place that everyone will enjoy.


The real price of UK property has surged 251 per cent in the last 20 years to stand at an average of £2,216 a measure of the cost per square metre of floorspace has revealed.
How Much Does Decking Cost. sand prior to finishing the deck with exterior timber oil to enhance the timber suitable for decking construction in the UK.
Price per square metre of deck; How much does it cost for 300 square metres of astroturf? How much for a 20 square metre deck?


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Home » Real Estate » 'Does the job well' Simple methods to 'absorb moisture' in home
'Does the job well' Simple methods to 'absorb moisture' in home
Mrs Hinch cleaning hack fans say gets rid of black mould
Mrs Hinch is a cleaning influencer with over four million followers on Instagram. She rocketed to fame thanks to her sharing of handy cleaning tips and tricks, and now her followers are doing the same on Facebook pages named in her honour.
On one such Facebook page, with over 100,000 members, one Mrs Hinch fan wanted to know how to prevent walls becoming damp.
Megan Charvill wrote: "What are some decent dehumidifiers that don't cost an arm and a leg? My partner and I have just moved into our first house (we own it) and we've had a lot of issues with this walls becoming wet.
"The house is already cold and so having windows open all the time isn't really an option. Happy to keep them on the latch but this doesn't help the situation very much."
The post was flooded with comments and other Mrs Hinch fans had a plethora of hacks to offer.
Siobhan O'Connell said: "Leave baking soda powder or rock salt on window ledges – it absorbs moisture. I'd also check out the seal on exterior of windows. Is your house a new build?
"If so, ask neighbours if they have same issues. House insurance may help, get them out to research problem [sic]."
Sarah Wells recommended investing in a dehumidifier, saying: "I never had damp and mould in my bedrooms until this year when I have not had the heating on as much.
"I bought a meter which read 98 percent in my daughter's bedroom. Needless to say I have bought her a dehumidifier!"
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Helen Smith named her dehumidifier, advising Megan to buy a "Unibond 360", which is "cheap but brilliant".
Rachael Marvin added: "Amazon has lots. Ours is Invector brand was just over £100 and really helped in our bathroom with sporty teens having multiple showers per day and the walls dripping wet from condensation."
Sarah Lousie said: "If you do get a dehumidifier I've had an Ebac since 2009 and it's brilliant."
Sadie Lawrence wrote: "We got one from Screwfix. Does the job well."
Nichola Rout recommended: "We got ours from Argos, it was about £100. It's been great."
Salma Riaz also mention a dehumidifier, saying: "B&M have some online £60ish [sic]."
Simone Godwin added: "I got our Ebac on Market Place. £65."
Tracey Jurkiewicz said: "I bought a Karcher and suck the water up in the morning."
Emma Newman wrote: "I've had the same issue. Soaked walls. Now mould. Turns out the beads in my cavity wall need taking out. I don't know how old your house is but may need more then salt, cat litter etc."
Lesleyanne Insley said: "We had same problem – we blasted the heating and opened windows for a couple of days.
"Then always have a window open an hour or two a couple of days a week. Really helped."
Kimberley Morris added: "Depends on the room. I have a dehumidifier and a room that is always damp. Bathroom paint made all the deference in the WC, which would have water all up the wall. Dehumidifier on works in a close rook the smaller the better so you need to figure out where this is coming from [sic]."


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"The objective was to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the sensors and capabilities in as many situations as possible. Initial sensor was obvious; make room and place one inside the vehicle's drill. This way, it could take measurements of the area of the drill target. Often, the objective was to see, hear, touch, or otherwise detect things that were difficult to see."_Spidersilke the novel
Spidersilk the novel fans know the main character, Mark, was a wizard when it came to creating realistic videogames that were able to put players into a new world. It is has been an uphill journey in our own world when it comes to videogames. Decades ago, we merely had pixels to enjoy as we adventured. Recently though, it was announced that game characters would be more realistic than ever. This is thanks to a technology called Siren. This technology not only creates incredibly realistic characters but shaves off the time that designers spend creating animations and more.
For more information on this new technology, check out this link:
http://fortune.com/2018/03/22/epic-games-siren-hyper-realistic-characters-video-games/
Spidersilk the novel features many characters that use technology to overcome their disabilities. For instance, many of the intruders were deaf, but their special equipment ensured they were able to function in their dimension, as well as they one they intruded upon. In our own world, scientists are working hard to make disabilities less invasive on a person's life. In fact, more recently, it was announced that a special eye drop may be able to correct your eye sight in not time. This amazing tool would change the world as we know it.
For more on this development, check out this link:
http://www.newsweek.com/correcting-vision-without-surgery-or-glasses-could-be-possible-new-eye-drops-832675
"Designing video games was quite fun, yet this tool will be utilized to explore and detect things, so that will also be interesting. The video game design is a bit more creative."_Spidersilk the novel
"After walking a short while, he could see a lone solitary tree with vibrant green leaves. Mark muttered to himself while intently scrutinizing every detail of what his visual cortex was displaying to his mind."_Spidersilk the novel
Wormholes play a big role in the world(s) presented in Spidersilk the novel, but we're just speculating about them in our own world. Although the idea of time travel, or even dimension travel, have been thrown around for some time now, a few theories state wormhole travel is far too dangerous for humans. More recently, a scientist did confirm that travel through a worm hole is possible, but if a person were to try there would be a massive explosion that would leave no trace of the person. However, he does believe there is a way to beat this issue. However, it is not possible with our current technology. This is only one theory though, there are many out there!
If you'd like to know more, check out this link:
http://amp.ibtimes.sg/time-travel-via-worm-hole-kills-humans-says-nobel-physics-laureate-kip-thorne-25089
For decades, surgeons have been using silicone implants to help patients feel more confident about their bodies. However, many people actually end up having complications with these implants because the body does not always accept it entirely. Now, scientists are using spider silk to help make the the implants easier for the body to handle. This amazing discovery will help countless breast cancer survivors regain their body and their confidence. Just like in Spidersilk the novel, this substance is able to offer protection in more ways than one.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40536838/this-bioengineered-silk-coating-makes-medical-implants-safer
"Admiring an abstract wall art piece Mark recently installed, Mairis showed genuine interest, clearly smothering the canvas's details. Mark moved close and, in a low tone, said, "You like it? It seems to sort of extend from the wall into a possible other realm somewhere in its depths, doesn't it?"_Spidersilk the novel
"A dream catcher blew in from the wind, landing perfectly on a solitary wooden post that seemed to signify a sort of official entrance to the seemingly barrier-less zone, a single drop of water attached to the weaves of thread at its center."_Spidersilk the novel
"The objective was toensure the maximum effectiven...
Spidersilk the novel fans know the main character,...
Spidersilk the novel features many characters that...
"Designing video gameswas quite fun, yet this tool...
"After walking a shortwhile, he could see a lone s...
Wormholes play a big role in the world(s) presente...
For decades, surgeons have been using silicone imp...
"Admiring an abstractwall art piece Mark recently ...
"A dream catcher blewin from the wind, landing per...


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text:
Temple collection incites 13-hour auction
Thirteen hours after it began, the "Love, Shirley" auction offered by Theirault's saw nearly 600 personal items of the late icon Shirley Temple find new homes, including a number of museums across the U.S.
Antique Trader Antiques Auction News
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — At Theriault's July 14 auction "Love, Shirley Temple" featuring nearly 600
Memorabilia from the "Love, Shirley Temple" auction, conducted by Theriault's, includes, clockwise: Shirley Temple's toy trumpet marching costume from the film "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm," $15,000; Shirley Temple's "In Our Little Wooden Shoes" costume from the film "Heidi," $27,000; composition doll of Shirley Temple in dress from the film "Stand Up and Cheer," $14,000; Shirley Temple's monogrammed accordion gifted to her by a fan, $4,250; "Pinkie" prop doll from the 1934 film "Bright Eyes," $14,000; red and white polka dot dress worn by Shirley Temple in "Stand Up and Cheer," $75,000.Photo courtesy Theriault's
costumes, memorabilia and dolls from her personal archives, things "sparkled" for the 13 hours the auction lasted. "Sparkle" was the word that Shirley Temple's mother, Gertrude, used to encourage the youngster whenever she was about to be filmed, and the word seemed especially appropriate at the auction, too. As it was Gertrude who had the foresight to begin the preservation of these objects back when Shirley was a mere five years old.
Thousands of people worldwide came to the auction, bid absentee or bid live on the internet via Proxibid, who provided a live streaming view of the entire proceedings. The gala event was accented throughout the day by whoops of joy and sobs of happiness as attendees cheered on their fellow attendees. The family of Shirley Temple Black watched from the gallery throughout the entire day, noting that this celebration of her positive attitude and optimism is exactly what she had wanted, as the memorabilia of her young career, 1930-1940, sped on its way around the world, just as her films had done.
Some objects, actually, sped not so far. Her 1928 birth certificate from the Santa Monica Hospital (estimate $300 and up) soared to $5,500 and will be returning to its hometown of Santa Monica. The iconic red and white polka dot dress, worn in her 1934 break-out role "Stand Up and Cheer," danced its way to $75,000 ($20,000-plus estimate) and will now make its home in the Santa Monica History Museum, hometown of the young star, as will the red plaid "Good Ship Lollipop" dress from "Bright Eyes" (estimate $3,000-plus, selling at $21,000). A costume worn by Shirley Temple in the 1936 film "Stowaway" was won by a private donor for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Other costumes will be exhibited by film memorabilia sponsors in Australia and Norway. In other museum notes, the Smithsonian has been gifted Shirley Temple's student typewriter, won at the auction by Steve Soboroff, noted Los Angeles collector of celebrity-used typewriters, who made the generous bequest (estimate $300, hammer price $4,500). And the UFDC Museum in Kansas City will own the 13-inch doll of Shirley Temple in her Texas Centennial costume, (estimate $1,000, hammer price $4,500) gifted by Julie Blewis, doll collector and benefactor. The 27-inch Shirley Temple doll dressed in a Texas Centennial costume (estimate $1,000, hammer price $8,500), sold to a private Texas collector, and will make its eventual home at the Dallas Historical Society.
The auction began with a record price, $11,500 (estimate $1,000) for Shirley Temple's Raggedy Ann play doll, and continued that way for 13 hours, until the final lot, Shirley Temple's hand-drawn childhood sketch "Heaven Looking Upon Earth," fetched $5,000 (estimate $300). Her iconic tap shoes, worn during tap dances with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, topped at $25,000 (estimate $1,500) and will make their home in an important South Dakota film collection alongside the famous Lenci doll known as "Pinkie"; the doll appeared in a rivalry scene between young Shirley Temple and Jane Withers in the 1934 film "Bright Eyes" (estimate $2,000, hammer price $14,000). Shirley Temple's baby grand Steinway piano, gifted to her and inscribed by the Steinway family, commanded $45,000 (estimate $30,000), and went to a private Illinois collector who also took home nine Raggedy Ann books with amusing inscriptions to Shirley from Johnny Gruelle (estimate $3,000, hammer price $12,500), and a Shirley Temple doll in unique Fox Studio-made costume that replicated the actual costume she wore in the film (estimate $1,000, hammer price $19,000).
A 356-page hardbound book was prepared for the auction, photographing and describing each of the objects, all of which had remained in the Shirley Temple family from their origin until this auction. Many objects included a photograph of Shirley with the object, and her personal reminiscences of it.
Sponsored by Theriault's, the collection toured museums around the United States for two months prior to its auction. The auction, conducted on July 14, was followed by an auction of antique dolls on July 15, and both were conducted at The Little Theatre in Kansas City. The two days of auctions totaled more than $4.2 million, a new record for the Annapolis, Maryland-based firm, Theriault's.
Complete auctions and results can be viewed at www.theriaults.com. The 356-page book "Love, Shirley Temple" can be ordered online or by calling 800-638-0422.
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Author Archives: Madison Butler
Batman v Superman is a movie out of context
April 5, 2016 | Madison Butler
As evidenced by movies like Watchmen, Sucker Punch, and 300, Zack Snyder excels at grim and dark stories. Snyder is known for his gritty antiheroes, so while it wouldn't be fair to say he's incapable of telling other kinds of stories, it does make for an interesting directing choice for Batman v Superman. Yeah. Superman—that guy whose kindness and moral compass are his leading motivations—and Batman—who despite his best attempts to convince people otherwise, is basically a rich guy who collects orphans. Snyder ditched both the morals and the orphans for this film.
Giving iconic characters like Batman and Superman to Snyder wasn't necessarily bad at the onset, but it wasn't the loving or faithful adaptation of the source material that Snyder produced with Watchmen. Instead, the bizarre experiment of throwing Batman and Superman into the boxing ring produced a film dripping with masculinity and misogyny. Batman doesn't need a ragtag group of bird-monikered children to make a movie interesting (though it does help) and, okay, Superman has been successful without the presence of other Kryptonians. However, cherry picking plot threads and personality traits made for a story consistent with the grim-dark movies Snyder is known for, but inconsistent with the characters themselves. Both Batman and Superman were written like antiheroes instead of the widely respected and morally upstanding characters they are in the DC Universe. The end result was a film that seemed wildly out of context, one that also upheld a seriously toxic version of masculinity without scrutiny.
The core concept of Batman v Superman is a theme of absolute power, loosely based on one scene from Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. To be fair to Snyder, Miller somehow managed to pack retrofuturist gangs, a new Robin, the Joker's death, an almost there theme of governmental control of superhero activity, the role of the vigilante, and Cold War conflict into a four-issue miniseries. Adapting the entire story for film could have easily resulted in a frustratingly muddled five-hour epic. Batman v Superman took a single element from the story—Batman fighting Superman—as its base. The Frank Miller versions of these characters have been present in modern cinema for some time, first with Christian Bale's angst-ridden Batman, and more recently with Henry Cavill's first outing in Man of Steel.
Batman holds Superman responsible for the attack on Metropolis, which destroyed the city and killed thousands. He's not wrong, per se, but it's also hard to imagine the same judgment coming down on the comic version of Superman, since Superman did go out of his way to save the planet in the end. Superman, in turn, believes Batman to be a reckless vigilante who endangers the lives of Gotham residents on a nightly basis. Each believes himself right. The conflict at the center of all of this is the question of absolute power and who should have it, a theme that comes into play early in the film…and is dropped just as quickly as it was drummed up. The three central characters–Lex Luthor, Batman, and Superman–all grapple for power with no real winner. The movie offers no real answer to this conundrum and doesn't force anyone to consider his own course of action in relation to how it affects the city.
The "Dawn of Justice" subtitle feels inappropriate, because justice is generally lacking in the film with the exception of Lex Luthor getting prison time and his signature haircut. Neither Batman nor Superman are held accountable for their actions, by each other or anyone else. The film lacks humanity in the most basic sense. Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent attack each other's humanity while forgetting their own, giving the sense that the world belongs to the heroes and everyone else is just living it. The rest of Earth's population is so unimportant that it's impossible to gauge how Batman and Superman are received by the public outside of the conversation about Superman as a god. Batman, for his part, seems more like Gotham's worst-kept secret than its savior. By not setting aside time to show the impact the so-called heroes have had on more than a select few characters, it reinforces the emotional and physical disconnect consistent with an unhealthy masculinity.
The conflict in the film, drawn from the conflict between Batman and Superman in The Dark Knight Returns, is absent of the thing it is also contingent upon. Despite the multitude of themes and events present in The Dark Knight Returns, the plot (scattered though it may be) is given an overlying political theme that is a direct result of the Cold War. Batman v Superman aims for a political nature, but it lacks the social and political context of the Cold War or an equally threatening situation adapted for the modern age.
When Batman and Superman do duke it out in an extensive but unsatisfying fight, it gives purpose to the "v" at the center of the title that has been confusing fans and non-fans alike for months, but doesn't add much weight to the story. Previous squabbles forgotten, Batman and Superman tumble around, destroying the property they had been so committed to protecting in the first half of the movie. All of this results in a grudging team-up befitting a buddy cop movie, but one that lacks any of the humor of an Odd Couple trope. Throughout their fights, Batman and Superman are written as uncharacteristically cruel–Superman threatening to kill Batman, Batman launching Kryptonite grenades–and engaging in behaviors their comic counterparts would likely never consider. Both are disconnected from the communities they're attempting to protect and to protect from the other. Batman fails his most known tenet of Don't Kill People on multiple occasions, something Superman has already accomplished by the end of Man of Steel. Batman writes the death toll off as criminal scum and collateral damage, and Superman watches an entire courtroom blow up with silent detachment, then flies off without searching for survivors in the wreckage (or putting out the fire with his freeze breath, at the very least). Again, it's hard to imagine both of their comic counterparts coming to the conclusion that death is an acceptable outcome without seriously questioning who they are and who they want to be as heroes.
All of this serves to build up a toxic masculinity that doesn't offer nuanced portraits of its subjects. Batman and Superman and Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent tick off nearly all the boxes in this category, exemplifying violence, a severe lack of emotional response, and righteous anger framed as an exception to the no-emotion rule. It was disconcerting to not see Superman–or even Bruce Wayne, charming businessman and philanthropist–smile. Serious movies can and do have moments of brevity, but without them, the result is a film that simply ticks off squares like "cold and aloof," "vigilante," "brooding," "scowls a lot," and "They killed my wife/child/family!! I'll make them pay!!!" in Tormented Male Protagonist Bingo.
Batman v Superman wasn't great in terms of other characterizations, either. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor was a new version of Lex that missed the mark on an old foe. The new Lex is a millenial boss, an outgoing guy who wears Chuck Taylors and t-shirts with suit jackets and has a basketball court in his office building. Making Lex such a seemingly young version of himself was an odd choice, especially in a film where Batman and Superman are older versions of their characters. The overall effect was more of an Edward Nigma than Lex Luthor, so while it was easy to picture Eisenberg playing a dark and twisted version of the Riddler in Snyder's DC Universe, it was harder to take him seriously as Lex.
This aside, Lex Luthor was his own form of toxic masculinity. Though he isn't calling bingo on the "biceps the size of your thighs" square, Lex is instantly recognizable as the kind of guy women on college campuses cross the street to avoid. He too possessed a disconcerting lack of emotion (save, again, for anger) as well as a tendency to commit violent acts without a thought. While it's not made clear what his motivations are outside of an unexplained hatred of Batman and Superman, Lex Luthor makes no bones about destroying anyone who gets in his way. Women, especially, are inconsequential, as shown when he pushes Lois Lane from the top of the LexCorp building, and more subtly in how he treats his assistant, Mercy Graves. Though clearly on his side, Mercy was treated more as a fashion accessory than a human, barely communicating beyond nods and glances until her death in the Capitol explosion. It adds to Lex Luthor's particular brand of toxic masculinity that she falls victim to the dreaded refrigerator. It's also troubling because where other versions of Mercy portray her with a quick wit and expert martial arts skills, her lack of agency in Batman v Superman also plays into the harmful "submissive Asian" trope.
The film's treatment of women doesn't get much better with its remaining female characters, and it often plays hopscotch between toxically masculine and misogynistic. Mercy Graves and Senator Finch exist solely for their deaths, to further the conflict between Lex Luthor and Superman. Martha Kent's, and largely, Lois Lane's presences in the film are contingent on the fact that they're used as bait in order to wind up Superman on numerous occasions. They too lack agency and the richly developed personalities of their source characters, and instead are entirely subject to Lex's whims.
Though Lois did get the chance to do some investigative reporting in Batman v Superman, her screen time was skewed toward the time she spent with, pining for, or being rescued by Superman. This Lois isn't the tough, resourceful character established in the Golden Age, and while her story is inextricably tied to Superman's, Batman v Superman lacks recognition of the fact that it is, in fact, possible to be in love with someone without losing one's independence. Lois was damseled on at least three separate occasions, and her presence in the film is relegated to Superman's Love Interest, Kind Of. Superman, still reeling from the destruction of Metropolis, says at one point that he doesn't know how to be Superman and her boyfriend, so instead of working through this like people in healthy adult relationships do, Clark spends half of his scenes with Lois ignoring her and the other half rescuing her. Lois seems to cause him more anguish than anything else, a relationship that lends itself to the newer, more tortured Superman.
In a way, this film seems inevitable, precluded by nearly ten years of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. The success of these films have produced a brooding loner Batman and Superman, versions that exist only in a film genre that has produced lots of dark and gritty over the years. It's a tone that can work in film, but with intention. There's a difference between using grit to critique a genre (think Alan Moore's Watchmen) and using it for the sake of being edgy and new, and that's another aspect in which Batman v Superman missed the mark, because nothing about it felt new or exciting.
Wonder Woman and cameos from Aquaman and the Flash were bright spots in the movie, but weren't quite enough to save it or reverse the damage done by its portrayals of other characters. It was nice to meet Gal Gadot as Diana Prince before her debut in the upcoming Wonder Woman, but her screen time was fairly limited, and Jeremy Irons was another enjoyable addition to the cast as Alfred. Despite fans' initial surprise at the casting, Ben Affleck wasn't the worst part of the movie, and was daresay entertaining, most notably in Bruce's sleuthing and his interactions with Alfred. In a different film, Batffleck would have been a delightful surprise, but even Snyder's version of Batman is still overshadowed by Nolan's work. There's a distinctly new story being set up, even though the Dark Knight trilogy also used The Dark Knight Returns as its base storyline. Nolan's Batman is characteristically similar to Snyder's, at times exhibiting the same toxic masculinity, and it's clear that many of Batffleck's traits were grandfathered in. The problem, then, is that Snyder's Batman was written with the goal of being a new version of Batman while doing nothing to distinguish Affleck-Batman from Bale-Batman, except perhaps giving Batffleck an even darker outlook and a distinct lack of human connection. Because Bale-Batman was such a recent event in the DC Cinematic Universe history and Batman v Superman wasn't given the eight-year gap that Batman & Robin and Batman Begins had, the effect was more of an indirect continuation than a fresh start.
Batman v Superman's plot simply didn't hold, trying to do too much from too little source material taken out of its original context. It tried and failed to be a new take on two of the most established superheroes in comic book history by losing their morality and asking questions it failed to answer. The toxic masculinity present throughout the film overshadowed everything else. The most radical thing this movie could have done was to show two compassionate characters who respect each other working together, but by treating Clark and Bruce as two men steeped in their own pain, it failed its source material and its fans.
film review	batmandcreviewsupermanzack snyder
Image Humble Bundle benefits HRC
January 19, 2016 | Madison Butler
For the next week or so, Humble Bundle is featuring an Image Comics bundle that benefits the Human Rights Campaign. Humble Bundle is a pay-what-you-want format–customers will receive the first tier of comics for paying a small amount, but will receive more if paying above, say, $16.
This Bundle features $334 worth of Image's best, including the first volumes of ODY-C, Phonogram, and Wolf. Collections like Saga vol. 4 and Nowhere Men vol. 1 are available in the second tier, which buyers receive if they choose to pay more than $15.71. The third tier, featuring Bitch Planet vol. 1, Stray Bullets #1-41, and more, is available for $20 (or more, if readers choose to donate more).
So far, this Bundle has raised nearly $200,000. It can be purchased on Humble Bundle's site.
A full list of the comics included in the Bundle:
Pay what you want:
ODY-C vol. 1
Self-Obsessed
Wolf vol. 1
Kaptara vol. 1
Sunstone vol. 1
Wytches vol. 1
Image Comics Humble Bundle Preview Book
Image Comics New Issues + New Arcs Starter Pack
Pay more than $15.71:
Saga vol. 4
Just the Tips (Sex Criminals companion)
Outcast vol. 1
Nowhere Men vol. 1
Jupiter's Circle vol. 1
Trees vol. 1
Rat Queens Special: Braga #1
Pay more than $20:
Low vol. 1
Bitch Planet vol. 1
Wayward (Deluxe Edition) vol. 1
Invincible Compendium (collects #1-47)
Stray Bullets #1-41
Uncategorized	humble bundleimage comics
Review: CHAINMAIL BIKINI The Anthology of Women Gamers
January 8, 2016 | Madison Butler
Copacetic Comics carries a lot of local and indie comics–if you're in or near Pittsburgh, it's definitely worth checking out.
I am a terrible gamer. So terrible, in fact, that I don't really consider myself a "gamer," rather, I'm more of a "person who plays one game and that game is the Batman Arkham series and actually I'm not too bad at it." Batman is the exception to my rule.
However, I enjoy gaming in theory, so in the spirit of my 2016 resolution (be less terrible at video games, stop playing only Batman) I recently picked up Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers at The Copacetic Comics Company in Pittsburgh. Surprisingly, I haven't seen much buzz about it, even though the book was released in September 2015.
It's great.
Chainmail Bikini came to fruition after a campaign on Kickstarter funded
its printing. It's a comic anthology about many things: gaming as an escape, how gender influences gaming, how it impacted a generation. It's a unique approach to the conversation about women gamers in the wake of GamerGate, focusing on individual storytelling r ather than making a singular point. All anecdotes fall within the categorization of "about gaming," but forty different writers/artists took this theme in different directions. Some stories focus on relationships and sense of community the storyteller developed through gaming while others are centered on how gaming helped the author develop their sense of identity. The stories range from quick and fun to deeply serious in tone with a mix of each, resulting in a tone that isn't overwhelmingly happy or sad–it is what it is, and more than anything, it is experiences in gaming laid bare.
The two most important aspects of this anthology, perhaps, are its diversity and its definition of gaming. Women of different ethnicities, sexualities, and gender identities are responsible for and are represented in Chainmail Bikini's stories, proving, yet again, that gaming isn't exclusively for heterosexual white guys–it's for everybody.
Something that I hadn't considered before I read Chainmail Bikini is what makes a gamer. I always think of gamers as men who take things way seriously and yell at consoles, but not all gamers in the anthology play video games. LARPers and tabletop gamers are also represented, and there are references to Animal Crossing and Tamagotchi.
As it stands, I've reconsidered my gaming experience. Reading "Let Me Do It" by Sara Goetter reminded me of the hours my brother and I would spend working through Kingdom Hearts and Scooby Doo: Night of 100 Frights (the only games we could agree on enough to play together). "Pocket Worlds" by Anna Rose gave me a sense of nostalgia for the times my mom and I would hunch over at our desktop computer, playing through HER Interactive's Nancy Drew fantastic computer game series (by my count, we played through an impressive eighteen of them).
The point being: This book redefines gaming. I am perhaps more of a gamer than I thought.
Though it's not without flaws–some stories are a bit muddled in their art and are hard to understand in the first read–Chainmail Bikini is well worth a read by anyone who is interested in comics, gaming, and/or feminism. I would also encourage men who inhabit these spaces, whether they're online or physical, to give it a read. It's worth it just to consider a viewpoint different from your own, because the important takeaway of this book, though not stated in an explicit thesis, is to remind readers that almost everyone has experiences with gaming, because gaming is for everybody.
Buy/Preview Chainmail Bikini: The Anthology of Women Gamers
Uncategorized	review
Maddi's 2015 Top 5
December 31, 2015 | Madison Butler
I read a lot this year, even if it doesn't feel like it. Between textbooks (which, more often than not, were novels) and massive reading binges in July, I plowed through a sizable amount of the stack of unread trades that seems to be a permanent fixture on my bedside table. These were some of my favorites:
5. Lumberjanes, by Noelle Stevenson, Brooke Allen, Grace Ellis, and Shannon Watters
From Lumberjanes #3
Lumberjanes is my go-to feel good comic. It never fails to make me smile, and while it is aimed toward a younger audience, there's a lot for the older crowd to enjoy, too. The main characters–Mal, Molly, Jo, April, and Ripley–are diverse in background and personality, and I'd like to think that this comic has something almost everyone can relate to. At the very least, there's a huge focus on healthy friendships, which can be lessons for younger readers, or good reminders to us older fans.
Buy: Digitally || As a holdable thing
4. Wytches, by Scott Snyder and Jock
Wytches is an ongoing horror comic about that thing that lives in your woods. No, really, those gnarled old trees out back are full of terrors. The story is equal parts compelling and don't-wanna-read-it-in-the-dark, as all good horror stories are.
Buy: Digitally || For a shelf
3. Sex Criminals, by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
The comic is about as SFW as you'd expect, so instead, here's a picture of THE Margaret Atwood reading the collected version, Big Hard Sex Criminals.
I've told a lot of people to read Sex Criminals, and have since developed the ability to deadpan the phrase, "It's about people who, when they orgasm, stop time and obviously use this to do what any of us would do, and rob banks." If that doesn't convince you to read this comic, please take another gander at Margaret Atwood reading this comic.
Buy: Digitally || The Big Hard version
2. Pretty Deadly, by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios
Pretty Deadly came back just in the nick of time. After a year-plus long hiatus, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios have resurrected the vibrant and beautifully told story of Sissy, Deathface Ginny, and Big Alice. Pretty Deadly is a story of vengeance and, of course, death–a beautiful story brought to life by even more beautiful art.
Buy: Digitally || Not Digitally
1. The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
From The Wicked + The Divine #2
I have told everybody and their mother to read The Wicked + The Divine. If you're not everybody and their mother and haven't heard of it, the concept is that every ninety years, twelve gods are reincarnated as artists, performers, musicians, etc. In two years, they're dead. Currently, the issues focus on the most recent Pantheon and the dramatic lives and deaths of its members.
Buy: Digitally || Throwable version for when you read #11
Honorable Mention for comic that I still wouldn't stop talking about even as it ended early this year:
Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Annie Wu
From Hawkeye #2
Hawkeye could technically count because it ended this year, but that was mostly due to a wildly unpredictable publishing schedule. Hawkeye ending is probably for the better, because I think people are tired of me talking about it, but it's absolutely one of my forever favorites. Clint Barton is probably the least super Avenger, and it's perfectly fitting that he's the central character of this comic. More than anything, it's a story that focuses deeply on humanity and ordinary people going out of their way to help others, with a little room left over for a happy ending.
Uncategorized	2015 year in reviewreview
'Supergirl' takes flight with viewers
October 29, 2015 | Madison Butler
Supergirl is already making white guys mad on Twitter for being "too feminist," so it must be doing something right in terms of female representation. After much anticipation and speculation about whether it would be worth watching, the show premiered Monday night. And it was awesome.
According to Entertainment Weekly, 14 million viewers tuned in for the premiere, giving it the biggest debut of any of the Fall 2015 shows. Initial ratings suggest Supergirl is worth watching and prove, yet again, that a market for female superheroes exist and that it is stronger than ever.
One of the things that set this show apart from others in the same genre was its optimism. Kara doesn't become a hero to get revenge, but out of a sense of altruism and desire to do what she was originally sent to Earth to do–to protect. Whether altruism as a reason for superheroing is possible is a discussion for another day, but in Supergirl it works. Supergirl is decidedly not dark and gritty, which is something that cannot be said for a lot of the genre as of late, and it has played down the tropey tragic origin story.
Though the number of viewers may drop between this week and next since viewers' initial curiosity has been sated, the Supergirl pilot left viewers a lot to be hopeful about: a positive female hero, at least three named female characters with major roles, and a fresh take on the genre as a whole. Hopefully the series, like its title character, will be able to take flight this season.
Steven Spielberg is right–but I don't want him to be
October 2, 2015 | Madison Butler
Recently, Steven Spielberg made headlines for telling The AP that he doesn't believe superhero movies are sustainable. At first, I didn't want to let myself think that he might be right, because the disappearance of my favorite film genre would, in a word, be crushing. I'm not so sure about it anymore, though, and I think the answer to the question, "is this a thing we can keep doing?" is more complex than a simple yes or no.
My short answer is right now, no, this is not a sustainable genre. There are a lot of things that factor into this.
My long answer is this, and I use Marvel as an example because I'm more familiar with the characters and because it's got the movie thing down to a science.
As much as I would like to believe that Chrises Hemsworth, Pratt, and Evans are going to stay young and in the best shape of their life forever, this is probably not true. (Unless Marvel actually has perfected a supersoldier serum, in which case, give me some so I can stop my pitiful attempts to work out.) All of Marvel's actors are in their thirties and up, which means that they could potentially age out, especially if non-Avenger films keep getting scheduled between the Avenger-related ones. Since Marvel has been in this game for a while, the actors might not want to renew their contracts, and move on to different projects. It's already been nearly seven years since Iron Man was released.
It would benefit Marvel to start planting seeds for new heroes now. We have the film schedule for the next several years, and any one of them would be a good way to introduce new minor characters who could go on to carry their own series.
The other factor in the sustainability question is a very tangled web. Diversity is one of those issues no one seems to want to seriously discuss, but I truly believe it will be the downfall of the genre if things don't change.
"White man makes mistakes that cost him [insert important aspect of personal life here], becomes a superhero in quest for redemption" is a summary that can be applied to Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and possibly Guardians of the Galaxy. Diversity isn't having one or two white guys who didn't start out as scientists. Having Falcon and War Machine is a baby step in the right direction, but even though Anthony Mackie and Don Cheadle both did great jobs in the films they were in, they were still relegated to a side role. The fact of the matter is, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will have been around for a full decade before a superhero of color gets their own film.
Strictly in film, female heroes are also underrepresented. We've had Black Widow for almost as long as the MCU has been around, but never in a standalone film. Wasp was introduced just to be killed off in Ant-Man. Gamora and Nebula's relationship in Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the most underdevoped aspects of the movie. The MCU will also have been around for a decade before fans get a female-led title with Captain Marvel in 2018. Who knows how long it will be before we get a non-white female-led title, regardless of how hard we're all crossing our fingers for a Kamala Khan film.
Okay, where is this going?
My point is not that the existing films are bad, Fantastic Four and Avengers: Age of Ultron notwithstanding. My point is that if these companies continue to release exclusively straight male hero films, the genre will not be sustainable.
I'd like to think that major companies recognize that half of its comic readers are women, and I'd like to think that they know many of their fans came from superhero movie buffs wanting to get into the backstory of the characters on screen. The films are just a jumping point for all of the great characters that exist, and by not showing them in other media, I believe that the wider audience isn't sustainable. Your brand new fans aren't going to wait around forever (ten years is a long time) to see themselves represented in film. Continuing to make movies about male leads (seven of whom have almost the exact same origin story) alienates a big part of the audience.
I do not believe that the comic industry, as a whole, is out to get women, but it also isn't here to support us. An industry that shows respect for its fans doesn't dangle a Black Widow movie like a carrot on a stick, nebulously promised but never within reach. There are still very few toys based on female heroes for little girls who love the genre. As a whole, the industry shows a startling lack of reflexivity and adjustment to the new fans who have flooded the market.
Despite the obvious problems, I'm still hopeful it can turn around before this market lapses. I hope Steven Spielberg is wrong, because at the end of the day I still love these characters and want to see more of Captain America punching stuff. It's not too late to take risks, but I would like to see those risks taken before the market becomes unsustainable. It could be sustainable. I hope it is.
The Wicked + The Divine: Recap
September 16, 2015 | Madison Butler
After the events of Fandemonium, The Wicked and The Divine has been largely focused on exploring the stories of individual gods. Issue twelve began a string of issues drawn by guest artists, dealing more with the fallout of Inanna and Laura's deaths rather than advancing the plot. There were few revelations in twelve other than Baal professing his love for Inanna.
In retrospect, this was the calm before the storm, as issue thirteen showed us more of Tara–talented and quiet, but constantly tormented online–and promptly killed her. Tula Lotay's art was a credit to this issue. Visually, it's a beautiful issue, coming off as much softer than Jamie McKelvie's clean lines. (Of course, I have absolutely nothing against McKelvie. His art is on a whole other level.)
The content and themes of online harassment–though "harassment" doesn't seem a strong enough word–is better suited for discussing at length in another post. The theme of famous people as being commodities to be consumed by their fans was brought up in thirteen and carries over to issue fourteen, which focuses on Woden.
Woden has been relatively unexplored as a character so far. What little readers have seen of him was at the Fantheon, when Woden was nearly killed by one of his Valkyries. So far, Woden has come off as kind of a sexist jerk. He has power to grant others power, and isn't shy about using it to create more Valkyries. His other strength lies in crafting, but Woden struggles with not having anything that makes him "special" like the other gods.
Overall, this issue raised more questions than it answered. Jamie McKelvie was back on art, because much of the issue was created using art from previous chapters (plus that one issue of Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's Sex Criminals.) It was fitting that the Daft Punk-EDM-techno artist Woden got a "remixed" issue. The concept was innovative and interesting and the WicDiv team pulled it off well. It worked because it gave a different perspective on previous events while revealing more about Woden as a character.
While there are still many, many questions to be answered, readers did learn a few things:
Ananke definitely, for sure, 100% killed Laura and Inanna.
Woden has a fetish for Asian girls who are taller than him.
Woden is also hiding something or someone from Ananke (the mysterious horn-helmeted person on the last page.)
This issue also featured a lot of Ananke, who, in actual mythological terms, is the most powerful of the fates. She hates Woden, calling him "living shit" and "the pet of a god." She also implies that many of Woden's actions have been things she's blackmailed him into doing.
Toward the end of the issue, Ananke says, "I must act more swiftly than I would normally risk," in reference to killing another member of the Pantheon. For the first time, I as a reader questioned the two year limitation on the gods' residency, if it was entirely Ananke's doing and if so, why.
Lastly, Woden says that three gods have been killed and that there will soon be a fourth. However, his countdown doesn't include Laura. Was Laura really of the Pantheon, or was her death a cruel trick by Ananke, who gave her that moment of happiness just so she could take it away. Again, this makes me wonder if having twelve gods is the way Ananke wants it, or if there can be any number of gods and if she can grant power to anyone she chooses.
The next issue will be released October 15, with art by Stephanie Hans.
#RenewAgentCarter: Season 1 Recap
February 26, 2015 | Madison Butler
This article contains minor spoilers! You have been warned.
Agent Carter wrapped up its first season with "Valediction" last night. The show, which ran eight episodes over seven increments, ended the season's arc neatly but left several loose threads that a potential season two could pick up.
One of the highlights of the episode was the showdown fight between Peggy and Dottie Underwood, something that has been looming since episode six, "A Sin to Err." (Without going too in-depth, it was very satisfying to watch and stayed true to Peggy's style of taking whomever comes at her and hitting them very hard.)
That being said, one of the other highlights of the episode was Peggy finally getting some closure after Captain America's death. In an emotionally charged scene toward the end of the episode, Peggy got to say a final goodbye, prompting a general outcry of sadness from fans on Twitter.
Agent Carter is Marvel's first solo-female title, though AKA Jessica Jones is slated to hit Netflix later this year. It'd be remiss to write a review of this show without mentioning that Hayley Atwell's acting brings Peggy Carter to life in a very human way, and with her, this show has managed to accomplish a heck of a lot in developing well-rounded women—something that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has had a fairly poor track record in doing, so far.
Peggy is consistently shown as having emotional depth in her relationships—with Steve Rogers, but also with Angie Martinelli, Edwin Jarvis, and Howard Stark—but she can also kick some serious butt. She is more than her badge, more than her heels and trademark red lipstick. Peggy is a complex character, and one of the best parts of the show was watching her strength in dealing with sexist coworkers and gender expectations.
However, not all strong women have to be physically strong, and it was also nice to see Angie given depth and character traits besides "Peggy's friend." One of the things Agent Carter succeeded in was creating relationships that seemed to have weight and meaning to Peggy, and it would be nice to see the show renewed not only for plot reasons, but also to watch Peggy's development as a character as she continues to find her place.
In coming seasons (fingers crossed) it would be nice to see Peggy facing a more worthy villain. While the antagonists this season set up a crucial part of Captain America canon (the origins of HYDRA, the Winter Soldier project and the Black Widow Program were hinted at, if not explicitly shown) Peggy seemed to have them far outmatched and outsmarted.
One other thing Agent Carter could improve on would be its cast diversity. Even though it was great to see women taking center stage, there were almost no characters of color featured. Racial diversity has always been something the MCU has ignored, but it would be a step in the right direction to show more of the Howling Commandos (Captain America's team, and an integrated unit) or to have Peggy's romance with Howling Commando Gabe Jones recognized on screen.
Hopefully, these aren't damning flaws, and are things that could be addressed in a subsequent season. Though no second season has been officially announced, according to TV By the Numbers, Tuesday's episode had 4.0 million viewers and held its own against The Voice and FOX comedies. Both the #RenewAgentCarter and #AgentCarterFinale tags are going strong on Twitter a day later.
Flaws aside, Agent Carter is a breath of fresh air in a genre absolutely dominated by male heroes. It's smart, witty, certainly worth a watch, and hopefully worth a shot at a second season.
Miss an episode? Catch up with Peggy and the gang on ABC or Hulu.
Uncategorized	agent carterreview


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