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Thor Trade Post: The Goddess Of Thunder & Who Holds The Hammer?
Posted on April 12, 2017 September 27, 2019 by TJDietsch
Much like Scott Snyder, Jason Aaron is a writer I've become a big fan of in the past few years. I haven't finished his initial Thor: God Of Thunder run just yet, but I did finally check out the wild Original Sin and have now read the first run of Thor starring the Goddess of Thunder!
The first book — aptly called The Goddess Of Thunder — picks up after Original Sin, which saw Nick Fury whisper something in Thor's ear that rendered him unworthy of picking Mjolnir. Even Odin fails at lifting the weapon of uru, so it's even more surprising when a woman succeeds where they failed just in time to stop some ice giants lead by Malekith from destroying a Roxxon facility. Continue reading Thor Trade Post: The Goddess Of Thunder & Who Holds The Hammer?
Posted in Action, Comics, Drama, Fantasy, Marvel, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Trade Post, Trade ReviewTagged Action, Comics, Drama, Fantasy, Jane Foster, Jason Aaron, Marvel, Mighty Thor, Mystery, Russell Dautermann, Sci-Fi, Thor, Trade Post, Trade ReviewLeave a comment
Jason Aaron Is Awesome
Posted on May 20, 2015 September 23, 2019 by TJDietsch
Jason Aaron's one of those comic writers whose career has interestingly intersected with my career as a writer about comics. When I first started at Wizard one of my buddies and an editor at the magazine was huge on his Vertigo series The Other Side. I didn't read that one, but I did check out the Ripclaw one-shot he did as part of Top Cow's Pilot Season not too long after that and the first few books in his Scalped series.
The first of his works that really captivated me, though was Ghost Rider. But it wasn't until my second attempt at reading it. As I've written, I love the down-and-dirty, grindhouse-y tone of that book and the wild places he took it. I assumed for a while that that was pretty much his wheelhouse, but as I've learned recently from branching out into X-Men: Schism, Wolverine & The X-Men, Amazing X-Men, Thanos Rising, Incredible Hulk, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine and Thor: God Of Thunder, this guy has more tricks up his sleeve than all the magicians in Vegas. Continue reading Jason Aaron Is Awesome
Posted in ... Is Awesome, Action, Comedy, Comics, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Hulk, Marvel, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Trade Post, Trade Review, X-MenTagged ... Is Awesome, Action, Aliens, Amazing X-Men, Comedy, Comics, Drama, Fantasy, Ghost Rider, Horror, Hulk, Incredible Hulk, Jason Aaron, Marvel, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Spider-Man, Thor, Thor: God Of Thunder, Trade Post, Trade Review, Wolverine, Wolverine & The X-Men, X-MenLeave a comment
Mighty Marvel Trade Post: Thanos Rising, Silver Surfer Vol. 1 & Avengers Vs. X-Men
Posted on March 11, 2015 September 27, 2019 by TJDietsch
Thanos Rising (Marvel)
Written by Jason Aaron, drawn by Simone Bianchi
Collects Thanos Rising #1-5
I've been requesting a ridiculous number of trade paperbacks from the library recently. I'll sign into the system with an idea about one book to put on hold and the next thing I know, I've got a dozen or so books in the hold section and am getting a few messages a week from the library telling me my stacks are in. In an effort to put my thoughts down and get these books back into the system, I'm going to do some brief reviews here and move along.
First up we have Thanos Rising, an origin story for one of Marvel's most powerful villains (and the driving force behind the fantastic Guardians Of The Galaxy) written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Simone Bianchi. I think this is probably the first interior work by Bianchi that I've actually read and I think he did a stellar job bringing the intensity and detail seen on his covers to the interiors.
Of course, it also helps that Aaron wove a compelling story about the bad guy who's in love with death. This story starts with Thanos' birth and travels with him as he grows into the genocidal maniac we've all come to know and love in Marvel's cosmic adventures. Heck, there were even times when I felt bad for a character who almost killed Captain America. This feels like a great book to pass to someone who's seen a Marvel movie and might be interested in getting into comics because it's very much unattached to the more complicated universe.
Silver Surfer Vol. 1: New Dawn (Marvel)
Written by Dan Slott, drawn by Mike Allred
Collects Silver Surfer #1-5
When I'm sitting on the computer trying to think of books to look up, I try to remember which runs everyone seems to love. Dan Slott and Mike Allred's Silver Surfer popped into my head and not long after, I had it in-hand. I've only just started reading Slott's excellent Amazing Spider-Man work, but Allred's an easy sell for me because I love Madman and his work on iZombie (I reviewed volumes one, two and three and have four waiting for a read).
Silver Sufer is an Allred-illustrated book that felt more like an Allred-penned comic, which was an interesting experience. The Surfer is on a vast vacation world, hanging around with a young quirky girl who could easily be played by Zooey Deschanel and having trippy nightmares about being trapped on Earth again. There's also an awesome appearance by SS's Defenders teammates Dr. Strange and Hulk. The story itself wasn't my cup of tea, but how cool is it seeing Allred draw those characters? The answer is that it's very cool. Overall, this story didn't really latch onto me, but I liked the art enough that I'll probably give the second volume a look just to see where it goes.
Avengers vs. X-Men (Marvel)
Written by Jeph Loeb, Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Ed Brubaker, Jonathan Hickman & Matt Fraction; drawn by Ed McGuinness, Frank Cho, John Romita Jr., Olivier Coipel & Adam Kubert
Collects Avengers Vs. X-Men #0-12, Point One #1
Back in my days at Wizard I was fully up to date when it came to the big time Marvel and DC events. But, it's been about five years since I got the axe and a whole lot of craziness has gone on since then. DC implemented a complete reboot and Marvel rolls out an event roughly every year (plus more character or team-based side events). As I'm trying to catch up and dive into some X-books, it seemed pertinent to check out Avengers Vs. X-Men.
And I've got to say, I really enjoyed this book. I worried going in that it might feel like Civil War which, no matter how hard any of the writers tried, always seemed very much in favor of Captain America's side, but in this case both Cap and Cyclops have pertinent points. Better yet, Cyke gets possessed by the Phoenix Force, so you don't have to worry about his side making sense. More impressively, though, were the little bits and pieces that hit home. The second issue does a great job of framing these events that might seem commonplace and making them seem cool and huge.
I was also impressed with how well these issues flowed considering six different writers and five artists were working on the issues. I'm not always the biggest fan of events because they can easily get bloated and plot-driven, abandoning character along the way, but that wasn't the case here so it gets a big thumbs up from me. Oh, also, it resulted in more mutants, so that's cool!
Posted in Action, Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America, Comics, Drama, Fantasy, Marvel, Sci-Fi, Trade Post, Trade Review, X-MenTagged Action, Adam Kubert, Avengers, Black Panther, Brian Michael Bendis, Captain America, Comics, Dan Slott, Drama, Ed Brubaker, Fantasy, Frank Cho, Jason Aaron, Jeph Loeb, John Romita Jr., Jonathan Hickman, Marvel, Matt Fraction, Mike Allred, Olivier Coipel, Sci-Fi, Silver Surfer, Simone Bianchi, Thanos, Trade Post, Trade Review, X-MenLeave a comment
X-Men Trade Post: Schism, Uncanny & Wolverine And The X-Men
Posted on February 18, 2015 September 27, 2019 by TJDietsch
X-Men: Schism (Marvel)
Written by Jason Aaron with Kieron Gillen, drawn by Carlos Pacheco, Frank Cho, Daniel Acuna, Alan Davis, Adam Kubert & Billy Tan
Collects X-Men: Schism #1-5, X-Men: Regenesis #1
I've gone about reading recent X-Men comics a bit backwards. I actually started off with the first volume of Bendis' All-New X-Men, but was confused about what was going on. Then I read the first Wolverine & The X-Men by Jason Aaron and Avengers Vs. X-Men but realized I needed to go back even a bit farther. I finally figured out that all roads lead back to Schism, so I got that as well as the first Kieron Gillen volume of Uncanny X-Men.
I actually read the X-Men pretty consistently during the run up to Messiah Complex, but that's about my experience with these characters in this medium. After MC, the X-Men scored their own island, called it Utopia and seemed to be doing alright. Then Schism went down, shook things up and a bold new direction was kicked off in its wake.
In Schism, Quentin Quire, a teen anarchist mutant from Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men, kicked off some trouble for the X-Men, but the real brains behind the operation are a bunch of evil, super smart kids who take over the Hellfire Club in an effort to make money and stir things up for mutants. In the process Cyclops and Wolverine come to blows over whether the kids on Utopia should be thrust into battle or be allowed to bail. At the end of the ordeal — which involves a lot of Sentinels sold and designed by the Hellfire Club kids — Wolverine decides to restart the school while Cyclops continues to train the children to defend themselves and mutant kind.
As an event, I thought Schism was well put together and presented. Sometimes these events with a clear endpoint (split the X-teams) feel really telegraphed and weak from a storytelling perspective. In this case, though, by making this an issue with valid points on both sides, Aaron and company do what Civil War couldn't in my mind: make me understand both sides.
I also enjoyed the Who's Who of X-artists doing their thing on this series. I'm not always a fan of the idea of splitting up a series like this with different artists, especially ones like this that are very distinct, but in this case, I liked it BECAUSE these artists all have such distinct styles. They all came to play and the results are great superhero action.
Wolverine & the X-Men, Vol. 1 (Marvel)
Written by Jason Aaron, drawn by Chris Bachalo with Duncan Rouleau, Matteo Scalera & Nick Bradshaw
Collects Wolverine & The X-Men #1-4
As I mentioned, I was a bit mixed up and actually read Wolverine & The X-Men after AVX which is not the best order. After his disagreement with Cyclops, Wolverine has gone off to form his own school called The Jean Grey School For Gifted Youngsters. Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, Beast and a few other X-folks including a good deal of the younger mutants all came along for the ride as well.
The first volume features an attack by the new Hellfire Club (a bunch of punk kids) and the introduction of a few new members like the new Krakoa, a nerdy Brood and a boy that sure looks an awful lot like Apocalypse (he's from Uncanny X-Force which Wolverine also starred in at that time). I also really enjoyed the art by Chris Bachalo (who drew much of the Supernovas story that I'm also a big fan of) and Nick Bradshaw who blew me away with his part in Escape From The Negative Zone (dude's like a cartoonier Art Adams). My only complaint is that the printing on this particular book didn't seem to do Bachalo's artwork justice.
I'm glad that Aaron wrapped up the younger Hellfire Club story, at least partially, because I kind of hate the idea of killer kids in general. I appreciate the idea of balancing the physical superiority of heroes against the smaller-of-stature children, but I always have a hard time buying into the idea that children are these awful, murderous creatures. It's a personal hang-up of mine that doesn't reflect on the story at all. Anyway, I'll definitely be back for more of this book because it had a really fun tone, set up a lot of interesting relationships and makes me want to find out what happens to them next.
Uncanny X-Men By Kieron Gillen Volume 1 (Marvel)
Written by Kieron Gillen, drawn by Carlos Pacheco, Rodney Buscemi, Brandon Peterson, et al
Collects Uncanny X-Men #1-4
With mutant life hanging in the balance, Cyclops develops a simple plan: make the humans so petrified of his squad that they won't be jerks to less flashy mutants. This so-called Extinction Team consists of Cyke, Emma Frost, Magneto, Magik, Colossus, Storm, Danger and Hope. In this first outing they go up against Mr. Sinister who has siphoned the power of the Dream Celestial and built a city of his own clones.
The first three issues are pretty tight and do a solid job of both explaining and showing what Cyclops' mission is. I've always had a hard time understanding how the people in the Marvel U can be so bigoted against mutants when they live in a world filled with other people with strange powers, abilities and afflictions, so it was interesting to see Cyke go on the offensive against those people. All in all though, I'm not sure how long I'll be on board this book. I loved WATX because it was fun and a bit light, but this one, like Cyclops himself, might just be too serious for me at this point. Still, I've got the next few volumes of both requested from the library and will let you know how those reading experiences go!
Posted in Action, Comics, Drama, Fantasy, Marvel, Sci-Fi, Trade Post, Trade Review, X-MenTagged Action, Adam Kubert, Alan Davis, Carlos Pacheco, Chris Bachalo, Comics, Daniel Acuna, Drama, Fantasy, Frank Cho, Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen, Marvel, Sci-Fi, Trade Post, Trade Review, Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine & The X-Men, X-MenLeave a comment
Trade Post: Ghost Rider By Jason Aaron Omnibus
Posted on August 7, 2013 September 24, 2019 by TJDietsch
Ghost Rider The Jason Aaron Omnibus (Marvel)
Written by Jason Aaron, drawn by Roland Boschi, Tan Eng Huat & Tony Moore
Collects Ghost Rider #20-35, Ghost Rider: Heaven's On Fire #1-6
I'm still not quite sure why I decided to buy the Ghost Rider Jason Aaron omnibus a few years back. It was in the heyday of Thwipster and the deal must have been pretty killer. I'd read the first trade of this comic that my pal Jim Gibbons was a super-fan of during our Wizard days together, but wasn't sold. And yet, I still got the hardcover collection of his entire run along with the icing-on-the-top Heaven's On Fire miniseries that concluded Aaron's run. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did because reading the whole thing, altogether framed it and these characters in my head a lot better.
The key to enjoying this series for me was understanding that it wasn't just inspired by 70s horror, exploitation, motorcycle and grindhouse fair, but acts as an actual synthesis of those existing pieces of fiction with the comic book format. I think my initial negative reaction to this book came from the fact that I was expecting it to rise above the dirtiness when, instead, the whole point is to dive in with both feet and feel the muck surround you and the characters. A big part of that feel comes from the art by Roland Boschi and Tan Eng Huat (I'll get to Tony Moore's stuff in a few graphs). These artists have a style that is exaggerated and maybe a little muddy, the comic book equivalent of screen scratches and over exposed film stock (but clearly done with more intent and skill than using the cheapest film stock you can get your hands on for a three day shoot). Basically, what I'm saying is that Aaron's Ghost Rider is what I wanted Quentin Tarantino's disappointing Death Proof to be.
The basic gist is that original Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze has discovered that, as a Spirit of Vengeance, he was actually created by an angel instead of a devil like he's previously thought. He doesn't appreciate being lied to and wants revenge for his crummy life, so he's trying to find his way to heaven in an attempt to kill Zadkiel. In the first arc, Johnny finds a kid who died for a few minutes while being resuscitated and explains that Zadkiel's waging war on heaven. In the process, Johnny runs afoul of an army of warrior nurses — the angel's agents on earth — as well as a down-on-his-luck cop and a haunted road.
That general tone continues throughout the rest of the run as Johnny keeps hitting roadblocks on his road to heaven and revenge. One of the biggest happens to be former Ghost Rider Danny Ketch (who's also Blaze's brother we're told). Danny's lost his marbles as well as his powers and all he wants to do is get them back so he made a deal with Zadkiel. He gets powers as long as he helps kill the other Spirits of Vengeance from around the world.
"OTHER Spirits of Vengeance?" you ask. Why, yes. In a move somewhat similar to the one Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction took with Immortal Iron Fist, Aaron reveals that the world had many Riders, each reflecting the culture they were sworn to protect. Ketch is being played, though as Zadkiel's using the power let loose by the Riders to fuel his war against heaven. This leads to a huge clash between Johnny, the handful of remaining Spirits of Vengeance and the new Caretaker and an army of evil angels lead by Danny. It's pretty epic and, at the end of the day, the good guys don't exactly come out on top.
This leads to a trio of issues that have a different feel than the others. First and foremost, they're drawn by Tony Moore whose style is a lot cleaner and crisper than Boschi and Huat's. That doesn't mean he doesn't get grimy and gross when it makes sense, just that it's got a much different feel to it. These three stories also have more of a one-off feel as the leads have individual adventures with more of an EC Comics feel that pits the individuals against a supernatural threat that, in turn, shows them that they need to get back out there fighting the good fight. There's a bit of a disconnect from these issues, maybe it's because the previous arc ends with the bad guy winning and then we just see these guys kind of hanging out, not worrying too much about an evil angel talking over heaven and dealing with other threats. Still, it's so rad to see Moore draw these characters!
The festivities end with the two Ghost Riders and Caretaker teaming up with a group of other supernatural Marvel characters like Daimon Hellstrom and Jaine Cutter to not only keep the antichrist alive (if he dies, Zadkiel disproves the Bible and ensures his place as heaven's ruler) while also fighting off an army of Ghost Rider villains old and new. It's another epic show down with a good deal of twists and turns that I won't spoil, but felt like a very satisfying conclusion to this epic story.
As a whole, Aaron's run on Ghost Rider reminds me of how good corporate owned comics can be if the right creative team with a unified vision is in place. It seems like Aaron was basically able to do whatever he wanted with these characters and the result is a story that, like Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men, fits in perfectly with the existing universe and also brings new elements to the table. You can tell from reading these issues that this story came about because someone had a great idea and a solid vision instead of a need to fill pages. As far as I'm concerned, that's the way to go with these comics.
By now you've probably figured out that I'm a fan of this book. You can get it either as the full omnibus or in individual trades. Either one is cool. The omnibus has some cool sketch stuff in the back, but it might be pretty expensive at this point. If you're worried that you need to be a Ghost Rider expert to get into the series, don't. I've read the first five issues of the 90s Danny Ketch series, the Rise Of The Midnight Sons crossover and a few of the earliest appearances thanks to the Ghost Ride GIT DVD I picked up, but other than that, I'm pretty far from a die hard Spirit of Vengeance fan and I was still able to enjoy this book thoroughly. Aaron has a way of explaining things in quick bites that are easy to swallow and digest while you're also enjoying demons fighting angels and ghosts ripping a cannibal apart. Basically, what I'm saying is get off your butt and read this run or, if you're like me and already have it, give it another look!
Posted in Action, Comics, Fantasy, Haunted, Horror, Marvel, Monster, Sci-Fi, Trade Post, Trade Review, Western, ZombiesTagged Action, Comics, Fantasy, Ghost Rider, Haunted, Horror, Jason Aaron, Marvel, Monster, Roland Boschi, Sci-Fi, Tan Eng Huat, Tony Moore, Trade Post, Trade Review, Western, ZombiesLeave a comment
Trade Post: Swamp Thing, Fourth World, Scalped and Wonder Woman
Posted on March 18, 2009 October 2, 2019 by TJDietsch
Doesn't look like things will be letting up any time soon and seeing as I've been falling asleep pretty early these days, I haven't been able to watch many movies. I will get around to the second part of that Thanksgiving weekend round-up though, because I want to get to my Squirm and Return to Sleepaway Camp (love that movie!). But, I've got some time now and I've been doing some trade reading so here we go.
SCALPED: DEAD MOTHERS (VOL. 3) (Vertigo/DC)
Written by Jason Aaron, Drawn by John Paul Leon, R.M. Guera & Davide Furno
Scalped is one of those books that I got to late in the game and have yet to actually catch up to the monthly issues, so I'm mostly grabbing the trades from the library as they come out. I dig the story for the most part, especially because it takes me to a world that I'm otherwise unfamiliar with in the form of an Native American reservation. Plus, there's all kinds of action and intrigue and some great names (I especially like our main character's Dashiell Bad Horse).
This particular trade focuses mainly on Dashiell working on a dead hooker case because he promised her son that he would while others investigate his own mother's death. There's obviously a lot of history between Dash and pretty much everyone else on the reservation and Aaron does a good job of giving just enough details as we read to keep us from getting completely lost but also not overwhelming the reader with needles detail. It's a harder balance to achieve than you might think. I also like how the villain of the story, Lincoln Red Crow (the guy that Dash, an undercover agent is trying to pin a murder on) is more interested in finding his mother's killer (they used to be lovers) than Dash himself. But even he's got problems of his own as various outside forces are trying to push and pull him and the casino he runs.
Really, that's what I like about the series as a whole: there's a lot going on, but not too much. Aaron's got a great sense of pacing and knows when to throw in some kick ass action scenes to balance all the other personal aspects of the book. I'm really curious to see where the series goes (they introduced a new character in the form of honest reservation cop Franklin Falls Down who seems like he'll have a lot of potential). I'm also looking forward to seeing how Aaron writes a long form story like this one. I'm not sure if there's an end point in mind that he's working towards, but I've only read a handful of his other books, some I liked, some I didn't, so I hope he ends this one with a bang.
SWAMP THING: LOVE AND DEATH (DC)
Written by Alan Moore, Drawn by Stephen Bissette, John Totleben & Shawn McManus
This is the second Swamp Thing trade collecting Alan Moore's run on the book that helped launch his career and shoot comics to whole new levels. To me, it's one of the last few epic comic runs that I haven't read yet, so I'm glad to finally get to it (though I don't have any more of the trades, so we'll see how that goes), which is too bad because I really dug this book and am curious to see where it goes.
Most of the trade follows the developing relationship between Swamp Thing and Abigale including her short-lived death. There are all kinds of horror elements bouncing around these pages, including Swamp Thing's visit to the afterlife which boasts guest spots by Etrigan, Phantom Stranger, Deadman and the Spectre. I really like how firmly Swamp Thing takes place in the DCU, proving that you can do Vertigo type stories in the same world that Superman flies around in (Sandman also did this on a few occasions).
I've also got to mention the semi sex scene between Swamp Thing and Abigale at the end of the last issue. It's not as gross as it might sound as Abby eats a fruit that Swamp Thing grows from his chest and then they go on a super-trippy ride that we become voyeurs to.
But I didn't like everything about this collection. There's a story called "Pog" which featured some tiny cartoon-like aliens landing on Earth hoping to find a new home to call their own. The story itself is interesting, but the problem is the dialogue. These aliens talk different, making up words that seem and sound an awful lot like English, but took me way too long to read as my brain kept trying to read the words I'm used to. Props to Alan for coming up with this new language, but it drove me a little crazy. Oh well. I'm probably going to ditch these trades in favor of the hardcovers they're putting out shortly (or is it out yet? I dunno).
DIANA PRINCE WONDER WOMAN VOL. 2 (DC)
Written & drawn by Mike Sekowsky
Man, I love these swinging Wonder Woman issues, each one is like a Roger Corman movie starring my favorite Star Spangled Amazon (missing her stars of course). For those of you who may not know, these Diana Prince tales follow Wonder Woman around after losing her powers and becoming a kung-fu boutique owner hanging out with blind martial arts master I Ching.
This volume not only collects Wonder Woman issues, but also a Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane issue in which the constantly swooning Lois gets jealous of Superman spending so much time with Wonder Woman who appears to have regained her powers. There's even this hilarious scene where Wonder Woman takes Superman to a club and he starts dancing so intensely that he almost sets the floor on fire, after which he thinks to himself: "Did I goof! I can't forget myself for an instant! That's the trouble with being super! I can't relax like ordinary people!" I don't want to ruin the ending, but it's your average cheesy silver age stuff (which is pretty different than the rest of the trade, because this particular story was written by Robert Kanigher).
There's also an issue of Brave and the Bold with Wonder Woman and I Ching in another country (though I don't think they ever say which one) in which a big car race is happening. It just so happens that Bruce Wayne is also there racing along with some bad dude (his name's not really important). Well, the bad dude tries to kill Bruce because he's such a good driver so Bruce calls Gotham and gets his buddy Batman to come race for him. There's actual panels with Batman driving and his cape shooting out behind him flapping in the wind. I had literally just watched a Roger Corman movie with similar themes that I had just watched (Young Racers). Man, that movie was boring (hey, look, a movie review!), but this comic is great.
The rest of the trade involves the return of Dr. Cyber along with an adventure to Hong Kong and the addition of a new young lady who Diana saves from THEM (always written in big red block letters) and then gives a job in her boutique. I really love how the series bounces around from somewhat typical superhero stuff to all kinds of other genres without missing a beat. There's also something fun about seeing Wonder Woman mingling with Superman and Batman even back in the late 60s/early 70s. These are great books for anyone even remotely interested in Wonder Woman or movies and TV from that time period, these are the books for you.
JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS (VOL. 4)
Written & drawn by Jack Kirby
I've had a very on again off again relationship with these New Gods Omnibi (Ominbuses?). Sometimes I'll get really into them but then I'll put the book down for weeks or even months at a time, which was the case with this, the last in series. The main reason is that, for reasons that are probably explained in the intro by Mark Evanier that I haven't read yet, Jack's books weren't doing so well and were canned, which means this book collects the last issues of The Forever People (which I liked a lot more than I thought I would), New Gods (my personal favorite of the ongoings) and then a bunch of Mr. Miracle issues (it lasted longer than the others), the new stories Jack created for the reprints and finally the Hunger Dogs graphic novel. The problem is that it's like watching a TV show that you know doesn't have a real ending, one that got canceled before it's time; all the pieces are good, but you're not sure about the pay off.
I read the FP and NG issues completely but ended up skimming the Mr. Miracle stuff as it wasn't really my favorite of the books. I did enjoy the final two stories though, because it felt like Jack was finally able to tell the story that he intended to tell years before. But, man, just think of how cool it would have been to see Jack get to do his thing for real. It's too bad because it feels like that's a huge missed opportunity, a story only preserved in the library of unwritten books. Oh well, I really like Hunger Dogs, especially the big huge collage spread that Jack did in the middle of it. Check it out and see how many Star Wars pictures you can find (I spotted the rear end of a Star Destroyer first).
Anyway, there's a pretty interested ending to Hunger Dogs that I'm not really sure how it was resolved later on when the New Gods re-entered the DCU. I did have a basic history explained to me by Rickey. He said that, basically, Jack created the New Gods, but after he left they just kind of sat around and no one used them until the Super Powers cartoon came along and was looking for a villain. They dug up Darkseid and he's been a dominating force of evil in the DCU ever since. For someone who's been reading comics since the early 90s, it's pretty crazy to think that there was a time when Darkseid and the rest of the New Gods weren't a big deal.
And finally, if you're like I was when I first started reading these books and think that these older stories don't really offer up much to a modern, more sophisticated reader, give them a try. Sean Collins helped me realize what I liked about these stories even when I wasn't quite sure if I actually liked them. The true art isn't in the words (the dialogue boxes are pretty easily skipped for the most part in my opinion), but in the art and the emotions and gut punches that Kirby is able to convey with his trademark pencils. Plus, if you can't find a certain amount of giddy joy in tracing the lines of a Kirby machine, I feel bad for you.
Okay, that's it for now. Hopefully I'll get another post in this week, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you (seriously, that'd be crazy).
Posted in Action, Alan Moore, Comic Review, DC, Fantasy, Jack Kirby, Kicking It Old School, Sci-Fi, Trade Post, Trade Review, Vertigo, Wonder WomanTagged Action, Alan Moore, Comic Review, Darkseid, Davide Furno, DC, Diana Prince Wonder Woman, Fantasy, Fourth World, Hunger Dogs, Jack Kirby, Jason Aaron, John Paul Leon, John Totleben, Kicking It Old School, Mark Evanier, Mike Sekowsky, Mister Miracle, New Gods, R.M. Guera, Scalped, Sci-Fi, Shawn McManus, Stephen Bissette, Super Powers, Swamp Thing, The Forever People, Trade Post, Trade Review, Vertigo, Wonder Woman3 Comments


When it comes to learning, sometimes kids need a reminder that learning new things is fun - something that I'm told happens more often with older kids - ones that sit in that "tween age." While my girls (The Rock Daughters™) are still much younger, we're really working to embrace that sense of wonder, exploration and curiosity that both have. For Addie, our oldest, there's been a growing tendency to conduct "experiments" on her own, and she generally pulls little Finn into the mix. Things can get messy, but that's just fine as the girls develop their own first-hand methods of witnessing action and reaction… even if that means I might spout off like David Seville with a frustrated "Addddddie!" once in awhile (that's my problem, not the kids'). With a lot of what they're doing, the girls are engaging in a S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) realm without even knowing it. Embracing those interests at a young age (or refreshing them at an older one) is why it's cool to see a program like PROJECT Mc2 hitting the scene.
On June 26, DreamWorks' DRAGONS: RACE TO THE EDGE will debut as the latest Netflix Original Series. The continuing adventures of the characters from the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON films are much-anticipated viewing for families, and today a new clip has arrived - "What's That Sound?" Check it out below!
Giveaway: Win DreamWorks Animation's Netflix Original, TURBO FAST: SEASON ONE on DVD!
THE ROCK FATHER is both a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam and a Fox Home Entertainment Insider.
Last year, the characters from DreamWorks Animation's feature film TURBO made their way into a new realm, with the streaming debut of the Netflix Original Series, TURBO FAST. This month, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings TURBO FAST: SEASON ONE to DVD, packing all 26 episodes of high-octane fun into a special, 3-disc collection. Now, I'm giving readers a chance to bring the "world's fastest snail" and his Fast Action Stunt Team into their homes, with a TURBO FAST giveaway!
TURBO FAST: SEASON ONE Races to DVD!


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House wants Iraq contingency plan
The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to require President George W. Bush to tell Congress how he plans to eventually extricate US troops from Iraq. Though the measure does not include the timetables for withdrawal that Bush has long resisted, it does require him to lay out how much contingency planning is being done for an eventual pull-back of American soldiers. The bill, which passed by a vote of 377 to 46 after securing the support of lawmakers from Bush's Republican Party, would not require the president to change his Iraq strategy.
The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to require President George W. Bush to tell Congress how he plans to eventually extricate US troops from Iraq.
Though the measure does not include the timetables for withdrawal that Bush has long resisted, it does require him to lay out how much contingency planning is being done for an eventual pull-back of American soldiers.
The bill, which passed by a vote of 377 to 46 after securing the support of lawmakers from Bush's Republican Party, would not require the president to change his Iraq strategy.
The Democratic-led House has passed a sheaf of bills calling for a pull-back from Iraq, but without the two-thirds majority required to override a presidential veto.
Democrats in the 100-seat Senate have been frustrated however, and have repeatedly failed to amass the 60 vote super-majority required to pass any bills on the war that would force Bush's hand.
The battle between the White House and Congress on the president's war plan is now set to occur around Bush's 190 billion dollar emergency Iraq funding bill announced by the Pentagon last week.
Earlier several leading House Democratic lawmakers unveiled a scheme to raise taxes on Americans to pay for the war, in an apparent bid to further undercut the conflict.
"If this war is important enough to fight, then it ought to be important enough to pay for," said David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
"By putting together this bill we hope people will stop ignoring what this war is costing American taxpayers and call the president's bluff on fiscal responsibility."
Some anti-war Democrats have complained that the costs of the war in blood and treasure are not being equally shared across the US population, and have called for a return of draft conscription or a war tax.
The House plan, which could involve a two-percent "surtax" on the poorest taxpayers, could rise to a 15 percent hit for the rich, has little chance of becoming law, as it is not backed by Democratic leaders.
"Those who oppose a tax and the draft also should oppose the President's war," said Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday.
"Just as I have opposed the war from the outset, I am opposed to a draft and I am opposed to a war surtax."
According to a report by independent Congressional Research Office in July, the United States has shelled out well over half a trillion dollars on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and running costs have hit 12 billion dollars a month.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


So, welcome to the second trimester of pregnancy which starts from 14 weeks pregnant and end after 13 weeks period of the time. The second trimester is known as full of fun, excitement and energy as well because naturally you'll be provided with a lot of new energies and you enjoy using them.
The second trimester is known as the Honeymoon phase of the pregnancy for the girl where theirs is a lot of excitement. When you jump into 14 weeks pregnant phase, you've to start working out, involved in physical activities and it really is a golden time for you to do some of your tidy major works.
We have gained a lot of information about 14 weeks pregnant girl from all the best research colleges around the world and we came here with all of the conclusions. There are a lot of misconceptions about 14 weeks pregnant girl and we have to remove them from our heads because we are no longer going to live with them because the reality is far different from them.
So let's move towards our topics, so here we go!
14 Week pregnancy symptoms aren't very intense and painful because it is just the starting of your second trimester which is a lot more energetic and entertaining. I used the word entertaining because your family and relative are going to get know about your pregnancy and off-course about the gender of the baby as well.
So, you can play the Blue and Pink game with them and let the game decides what you're going to have in your lap. All the symptoms that you were facing in the first trimester period are going to fade away and you'll be facing the new ones. If they don't vanished away from your life even after the second or third week of the second trimester, then there's nothing to panic.
Let us head towards the 14 week pregnancy symptoms now and here they are!
Frequent Increase in Energy: As we discussed earlier that 14 weeks pregnant phase is going to be more energetic than all the 3 trimester. You can do a lot of your works and off-course can join gym for the exercises. Any good physical activity and exercise can help you and your baby's health absolutely fit.
Thicker and Shinier Hair: Yes, you read it right. You're going to have much thicker and shinier hair than ever before. This symptom is considered as the one best attractive side effects of pregnancy.
If you're thinking that your belly is going to swallow like a balloon then might be wrong because there's nothing going to happen like that. 14 weeks pregnant belly will get a small round shape but not so big.
You don't have to get surprised or get shocked with your weight going to increase a bit because that has to be and it's totally natural. We are expanding few of the possible questions that you may ask us. So, here we go!
If you're underweight then following are the things which are going to happen with your belly.
If you're average weighted pregnant female then following are the things which are going to happen with your belly.
If you're overweighted pregnant female then following are the things which are going to happen with your belly.
If you're obese pregnant female then following are the things which are going to happen with your belly.
You're about to gain your weight under 11-12 pounds because Obese girls are already bulky and they can afford a tiny piece of a baby in their belly. This might be the reason why they are not going to gain their weight this much.
If you're 14 weeks pregnant with twins then following are the things which are going to happen with your belly.
You're about to gain your weight under 37-60 pounds if you're 14 weeks pregnant with twins because you're controlling and about to give birth to Two babies or more and this weight is justified as well.
In the second and third trimester, you'd probably going to gain 1.3 pound every week and if you take our recommendation into any consideration then you must join gym for a lighter exercise.
The answer to the question 14 week fetus can't be given this earlier because your baby just started to grow some parts of the bodies such as head, teeth, hair and fingerprints. Giving more information about 14-week fetus might not be right and you can concern the doctor if you're more curious about knowing about the baby.
You'd probably not allowed having a 14 week ultrasound because doctors give only appointment to 19 week pregnant girl only because that shows a lot of things in the ultrasound and your money worth only 19 weeks ultrasound.
It's better to wait for the time to come and get the appointment from your desired doctor. You can give surprise to your relative once you get to know about the gender of the baby and off-course the baby game of blue and pink color is a must thing because this is your best time of life and it has to be interesting and entertaining.
That's all from the 14 weeks pregnant section, you can search all the weeks of the pregnant phase and we will tell you each and everything in detail.


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Tag: Roseanne Reid
Roseanne Reid announces her debut album
Trails – the debut album by Roseanne Reid, Scottish troubadour and eldest daughter of The Proclaimers' Craig Reid – announces the official arrival of a singular new voice in folk-roots music. It was recorded in Brooklyn with an A-team of players expertly corralled by the album's producer and an artist from fine musical stock of his own, Teddy Thompson. The album also features a guest appearance from Steve Earle, who has championed Roseanne through his songwriting camps. Pre-order Trails from March 8.
Roseanne will play her first headline London show at St Pancras Old Church, Wednesday 20 March. Support Matt Scott.
In a busy start to 2019, Roseanne toured the UK with folk-country legend Kathy Mattea, took part in auditions for the Pilton Party in Somerset (Glastonbury Festival's annual 'thank you' fundraising gig for villagers, workers and local people) and recorded an interview/performance for the new series of BBC Radio 2 The Jools Holland Radio Show. She will play a live session on BBC Radio Scotland's Another Country with Ricky Ross in April and summer dates will include Perth's Southern Fried Festival and the famous HebCelt festival in Stornoway.
When they draw the map of authentic Americana, historians may not previously have thought of using marker pins for the cities of Edinburgh and Dundee. Now they'll have to record the rapid rise of Roseanne Reid, whose Teddy Thompson-produced debut album Trails is released in April.
Reid's songs conjure more from less, exuding a quiet confidence and sparse authenticity that recalls some of the genre's leading lights such as Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams, but with a tone that belongs to Roseanne and no one else. No wonder, then, that Americana legend Steve Earle has not only adopted Reid as a personal cause, but makes a guest appearance on the delightful 'Sweet Annie.'
Another track on the album, 'Amy,' has already won prestigious recognition. It triumphed in the Lyrics Only category at the Nashville-based International Song Competition, chosen from 160,000 entries from 130 countries. Reid's resumé also includes a 2015 nomination at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
The album's lead single 'I Love Her So' is a typically clear-eyed statement, highlighting both Roseanne's charmingly low-key vocals and some elegant instrumentation, with more than a hint of southern soulfulness. Watch the video for 'I Love Her So' here:
Throughout Trails, there's an admirable and irresistible live feel which reflects the way the album was recorded, in just four days, with spontaneous musicality to the fore and not a gimmick in sight.
"Teddy is very sympathetic to this genre, what works and what doesn't, and he's got the experience in both areas," says Reid of her producer. "He's got such an unbelievable ear for these things. It was amazing to watch how he works. I feel very fortunate to have him on board."
The fact that Teddy, like Roseanne, has music running through the family blood was only another advantage.
"That was possibly part of the appeal of working with Teddy," she says. "He knows what it's like, and he's made a success of himself in his own right."
Reid started to lay out her own artistic pathway when she learned guitar at the age of 12.
"My mum taught me my first three chords, and it went from there," she says. "It was a very smooth transition from the initial thinking of 'This is cool and I enjoy doing it' to 'This is what I want to dedicate myself to.'
"The huge plus point to my dad doing what he does is that I've learned first-hand what's involved with the more business side, and the day-to-day runnings of it. It's incredible, his work ethic, so that's been a great thing to see."
Reid's attitude to having fame in the family is perfectly well-adjusted.
"To an extent, it'll always precede me, being in the same line of work, but we're very different songwriters and people," she says decisively. "I don't make it any secret of it, because I want to be honest about every part of what I do. But hopefully I can start to step out of the shadows with this album."
Born in Leith, Roseanne grew up in Edinburgh, her home for more than 20 years until her recent relocation to Dundee to move in with her wife.
"I did a couple of high school talent shows with my little brother and one of my friends," she says of her first steps in performance. "That gave me a taste for it and after that, I started out on the folk circuit in Edinburgh, and Leith Folk Club were really good to me. I hadn't had any real experience and they gave me a support slot. I combined that with doing regular open mic nights."
Her tastes were shaped by early purchases on cassette and CD, although her earliest album memory is of the time her mum and dad bought her a T. Rex greatest hits collection. As she entered her teens, her attention moved to the acoustic, firstly via Bob Dylan and then to the lesser-celebrated Peter, Paul & Mary.
"I kept going to these shops and I couldn't get any of their albums, so whenever my dad was on tour in America, that's what he would bring me back. Then it was a natural progression to other acoustic acts."
Chief among those, and an inspiration to this day, was Martha Wainwright. "My mum had a couple of tickets to see Rufus Wainwright at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and she was supporting him. It was just like lightning, it was instantaneous. She came on and she looked incredible. She started playing and it was like nothing I had ever heard. I knew very quickly from then on in that I was interested in doing this."
As for Steve Earle's enthusiastic support, that goes back to 2014 and Roseanne's first visit to his songwriting workshop Camp Copperhead, held in New York's Catskill Mountains. On open mic night, she overcame her nervousness to perform 'Amy' in front of him and all of the aspiring writers present. "It was terrifying, but it was a lovely reception," she says. Earle not only had encouraging words, but invited her back in subsequent years.
With the sessions for the album due to start, she decided to go for broke with her song 'Sweet Annie,' which she'd written some four years earlier. "I only asked him when I was in the process of organising the recording with Teddy. I just thought that song would sound really nice as a duet. I emailed him and he said yes. Steve's been one of my biggest supporters, which is incredible."
Now the stage is set, for an artist whose integrity shines through in every song. "It comes from a very personal and genuine place, that's how I've always done it," she says. "Writing honestly just comes naturally to me. I don't know how to do it any other way."
Artist's website: www.roseannereid.com
'I Love Her So' – official video:
Posted on February 26, 2019 April 28, 2019 Author EditorCategories Press Releases, VideoTags I Love Her So, Matt Scott, Roseanne Reid, Teddy Thompson, Trails
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Folk Awards 2015 (Proper PROPERFOLK16)
It's that time again when the folk world looks back and hands out gongs to the great and good while conspiracy theories abound. Actually there have been far fewer of those this year; the detractors must have finally decided that the BBC keeps the names of the voters secret to avoid them being showered by gifts of Rolexes and vintage champagne in attempts to win approval. As if!
All in all, we're looking back on a vintage year. I listen to more new music than the average punter and I'd heard only ten of the twenty-three tracks chosen to represent 2014 in this collection, so I'm clearly not trying hard enough. As ever the double-CD is well programmed by the four compilers – this is not just an audio catalogue: it has to stand as a listenable collection in its own right, which it does.
The opener is the sprightly 'Moorlough Mary' by Cara Dillon which breaks the ice nicely. Next is 'It Would Not Be A Rose' from Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker sounding rather more bitter taken out of the context of their album. You might expect The Will Pound Band to rock the rafters but the selection here is the rather down-beat 'Jimmy Ward's' given a bluesy, slightly jazzy persona. That eases into Jez Lowe's almost lullaby 'The Pitmen Poets' and a traditional Gaelic song from Cruinn. By now you're settled back into your armchair and drifting, only to snapped back to wakefullness by Nancy Kerr's 'Never Ever Lay Them Down' a super song from an album that has somehow managed to elude me so far.
The first set closes with The Young'Uns' 'John Hill' with its borrowed tune and piano sounding almost like a hymn and second opens with the similarly powerful but restrained 'Waking Dreams (Awake, Awake)' from Martin & Eliza Carthy. Then, from out of nowhere, comes Naomi Bedford with 'The Spider And The Wolf', a song written by her partner Paul Simmonds and taken from her album A History Of Insolence. The other in-yer-face track here is 'Bedlam' by Stick In The Wheel and if you haven't heard them yet you're in for treat and you won't be able to forget 'I Saw The Dead' by Martin Green with Becky Unthank in a hurry either.
Finally we have the four nominees for The Young Folk Award: Talisk, Wildwood Kin, Roseanne Reid and Cup O'Joe. Impossible to say who the winner will be but I'd like to hear more of Roseanne Reid.
Posted on April 19, 2015 January 29, 2017 Author folkmasterCategories CD ReviewsTags BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2015, Becky Unthank, Cara Dillon, Cruinn, Cup O'Joe, Dai Jeffries, Jez Lowe, Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker, Martin & Eliza Carthy, Martin Green, Nancy Kerr, Naomi Bedford, Roseanne Reid, Stick In The Wheel, Talisk, The Will Pound Band, The Young'uns, Wildwood Kin


The knife-wielding student who was fatally shot by police following a stabbing rampage at the University of California's Merced campus was identified Thursday as 18-year-old Faisal Mohammad.
Mohammad was a freshman computer science and engineering major from Santa Clara, a Northern California community in the Bay Area, the Merced County Sheriff's Office said. A motive for the attack, which wounded four people, was not immediately released.
Shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday, police said, Mohammad burst through a second-floor room in the Classroom and Office Building and stabbed one student with an 8- to 10-inch blade. A construction worker who overheard the noise rushed inside and tried to distract the suspect, but was also stabbed.
As he fled down a flight of stairs, police said, Mohammad stabbed a second student and a student adviser before officers responding to the scene caught up with him.
"When the suspect turned toward the officers, an officer-involved shooting occurred and the suspect succumbed to his injuries," UC Merced Police Chief Albert Vasquez said Wednesday.
All four victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries. As of Thursday morning, one student remained hospitalized but was expected to recover, Merced County authorities said. The student adviser suffered a collapsed lung, but was recovering after surgery.
The other student and the construction worker were treated Wednesday and released.
The worker, later identified as Byron Price, 31, was commended by officers for rushing into danger and helping to protect others inside the classroom.
Price told NBC affiliate KRCA that the suspect swung his knife down at him, and he didn't initially feel pain. What he'll remember most, he said, was the look the assailant gave.
"He had a smile on his face, he was having fun, which is more the thing that bothers me," Price said.
His father, John Price, told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that his son has the right demeanor when confronted with difficult situations.
"Byron's really good at calming people down," John Price said. "And then if you still want to fight, well, OK, he can do that, too."
Mohammad graduated from Santa Clara's Wilcox High School in June, officials confirmed to NBC News.
"This news comes as a shock to our entire community," the school said in a statement. "Counselors are available to our students and staff to help them process this information in a supportive way."
A student who went to high school with Mohammad told NBC News that he was "quiet, smart and did not bother anyone. He showed no signs of mental illness or aggression."
Classes at UC Merced, which has over 6,000 students, remained canceled Thursday, although the campus was poised to reopen, school officials said.


Editorial - Sports, stop whining!
Cape Hatteras in North Carolina has become a center for recreatinal angling in the last decade or so. The miles of once-undisturbed beaches are, as Ms. Nolan points out, often clogged with so-called sport utility vehicles ferrying anglers in search of bluefish, channel bass, or several other species. Unfortunately, the species in high demand by the sporetsfishermen are the same species in demand by U.S. consumers, predictably leading to competition between the fishermen fishing for their own enjoyment and those fishing to supply consumer demand.
Considering the dollars that sportsfishing brings to Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands - and brings it in the spring and fall seasons when tourism is lagging - it's much to Ms. Nolan's and The Island Breeze's credit that she is willing to confront what many are beginning to see as a growing problem; the idea of some sportsfishing interests that our waters should be their own exclusive playgrounds.
For a NJ FishNet that covers similar territory.
We were standing around in the yard recently talking with a neighbor, whit owns a house across the street and visits Hatteras for about a month each spring and fall.
He was bemoaning the sorry state of surf fishing, one of his favorite topics.
"It's those nets, you know," he said, referring to commercial fishermen who fish nets from their heats just off the beach, in plain sight of hordes of recreational anglers.
"Maybe they'll all go belly up," he continued, "and then in a few years, we will catch fish again."
And that's the way too many recreational anglers feel about any day that they don't catch fish—or even don't catch as many fish as they think they should.
They say it's the fault of those commercial folks— greedy people who would catch every last fish in the sea if they could.
They are wrong, and they are being just plain unfair to commercial fishermen.
Recreational anglers need to quit their whining, accept some responsibility for the problem, and work with commercial fishermen and regulators to conserve resources while solving the dilemma of who gets what.
Talk to any angler who has been surf fishing on Hatteras or Ocracoke for 20 or 30 or even 40 years and you can hear the stories. Those were the days, they say. The fish just ate up the beach and jumped on their hooks. Any day, you could go out to the beach or out in a boat and catch all the fish you wanted in no time at all.
My husband has a colleague who is fond of remembering "the good old days" when six guys could charter a boat out of Oregon Inlet and return to the dock with 20 tuna each. Did each of those six guys really need 20 tuna each? That's a total of 120 fish. Yet these gentlemen see no connection between the number of fish they—and other recreational anglers took—and depleted stocks.
Now, we have a group of recreational fishermen who have an effort underway to have Eve species of fish declared gamefish—and thereby make them off limits to commercial fishermen.
The fish are the red drum, the spotted sea trout, cobia, false albacore, and striped bass. The organizers of this effort de-clared that the five fish are far more valuable to the state and coastal economy as sport fish than as a commercial catch.
Therefore, they reason, these five fish should become the exclusive property of sportfishermen. They reportedly have a petition drive underway to gain support for their movement.
Well, it is probably true that fishing most of the time isn't what it once was for recreational anglers.
However, the same is true for commercial fishermen.
Well informed people know that the resources of our oceans need careful and thoughtful management and that some Ash stocks need protection. But well informed people also know that the problem cannot be laid exclusively at the feet of commercial fishermen.
First, there is the fact that there are many, many more recreational anglers on the Outer Banks than there were 30—or even 20—years ago. Back in the 1960's or the 197t)'s, vehicles were not parked three deep at Cape Point during a run of red drum. Now, in the spring and fall, that is a common sight. Fishermen are elbow to elbow when the fish are running.
Even if all these anglers were competing for the same number of fish, it stands to reason that each would catch fewer of them.
Next, let's look at water quality. Increased development along the coast and ill the towns that line the rivers that empty into the coastal waters and the rise in large farms and hog farms have all contributed to the increase in pollutants that damage water quality and adversely affect fish stocks. Consider all of the recent publicity about Pfiesteria, a microor-ganism that is presumed to have been around for a long time in our water hut can turn deadly, scientists believe, when fed by an excess of nutrients in the water. In this decade, Pfiesteria has killed thousands and thousands of fish in the Neuse and Pamlico rivers.
After the declining quality of our water, we can look at loss of habitat. Coastal development has resulted in the loss of thousands of acres of wetlands that are crucial nurseries for fish and shellfish.
And, last but not least, consider the impact of recreational fishermen themselves on fish stocks.
In North Carolina and other states, recreational fishermen harvest far more of some species of fish than do commercial fishermen.
This is true in North Carolina of some of the most prized species of fish, including red drum, dolphin, and yellowfin tuna. Recreational anglers are also harvesting almost as many speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, and king mackerel as the commercial industry.
In his 1994 book "Wetland Riders," Robert Fritchey wrote: "The reluctance of the individual sport fisherman to acknowledge that he himself impacts fishery populations currently represents the single greatest threat to the long-term wcifare of the redfish (red drum) and speckled trout."
"Wetland Riders" is Fritchey's fascinating account of the battle between commercial fishermen and the sportfishing in-dustry, which wanted gamefish status for several species in Louisiana.
"The recreational fishing industry is extremely powerful," Fritchey writes. "Members of this industry do not sell fish for money; instead they market an incredible variety of goods and services to sport fishermen, who catch the fish for fun. Allowing commercial fishermen to harvest fish for the public to eat, rather than being caught by increasing numbers of sport fishermen, is viewed by members of this tourist-based industry as a restraint on its growth."
With money generated by the industry and sport fishermen themselves, Fritchey writes, and under the banner of "conservation," the sportfishing industry is "convincing politicians to simply take the fish away from commercial fisher-men.
Fritchey allows that the "typical sportsman is well intentioned and is concerned for the long-term vigor of fishery popula-tions" for himself and for his children.
The reason, Fritchey says, other than the tendency to believe what we want to . believe, is that the sport fishermen is "simply not told otherwise. "
To bolster his argument that sports anglers need to fess up to their own impact on fish stocks, Fritchey cites the case of the striped bass—or rockfish—on the East Coast.
When striped bass populations fell dramatically, a number of states, including Maryland, shut down the fishery to both commercial and recreational fishermen. In 1990, Maryland re-opened the Chesapeake Bay, a major spawning ground, to striped bass fishing. Over the strident objections of the sport fishing industry, Fritchey says, the state divided the harvest evenly between commercial and recreational fishermen—each got 318,000 pounds. Maryland officials figure it would take five weeks of fishing for the recreational anglers to use up their quota.
However, on the first weekend of the season, an estimated 80,000 sports fishermen turned out to catch the fish. The recreational fishery was shut down after just 10 days and even then the anglers had exceeded their limit by 20 percent. By contrast, at the end of their 30-day season, commercial fishermen had used up only about a third of their share of the fish.
Interestingly, the result of this experience was that sport fishermen began lobbying to get the entire allotment of striped bass for themselves.
Recreational anglers who want gamefish status for certain species or who are joyously awaiting the day when all the commercial folks "go belly up" are just as irresponsible and greedy as they accuse their commercial counterparts of being.
One can't help but wonder what some of these recreational fishermen are thinking about.
If sportfishermen manage to get five species of fish declared gamefish, then they would theoretically no longer be available to consumers in seafood markets and restaurants, which is unfair to those who can't or don't want to fish for their seafood. In practice, the fish would probably just be imported from elsewhere. and what does that accomplish?
If recreational anglers manage to get all of this state's or this country's commercial fishermen regulated out of business, do they think that people in the USA will just stop eating seafood? Of course not!
We'll just import more, probably from other countries that do not worry about regulations and saving the resource. So what will we have accomplished, other than to eliminate a very old and once respected occupation in this country. And, of course, to have provided more fish for recreational fishermen so they can buy more boats and gear and gas to catch more fish and make the sport fishing industry that much richer.
The answer to the problem of course, is for commercial and recreational fishermen to work together for reasonable man-agement of the ocean's resources—at state, national, and international levels.
The answer is not to give exclusive rights to any fish to any of the user groups.
The ocean's resources belong to all of the people.
According to the figures compiled by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, 1.14 million fishermen caught a total of 15.5 million fish in 1996. More than half—about 8.8 million fish—were released. The rest, 16 million pounds, were harvested—or killed.
The division has been keeping statistics on recreational fishing on the state level since the late 1980's. The information is collected through telephone surveys and interviews of anglers at access sites.
These statistics since 1989 provide some interesting information.
The estimated total number of recreational anglers in the eight years from 1989-1996 has fluctuated from a low of 1.1 million in 1991 to almost 1.5 million in 1994. Overall, the numbers have remained fairly steady.
However, the estimated number of fishing trips taken by these anglers has shown an increase—from 3.8 million in 1989 to 4.6 million in 1996. The most dramatic increase was in estimated trips from charter boats, which went from 92,000 in 1989 to 243,000 in 1996.
The estimated number of fish released by recreational fishermen has steadily increased from 5.2 million in 1989 to about 8.8 million in 1996.
Doug Mumford, who is in charge of the recreational statistics for DMF, says he thinks the harvest has remained fairly steady because of increased numbers of fish released and because of increased regulations, such as those that limit the daily bag limit and minimum size of certain fish.
This 1996 comparison of commercial and recreation harvest of certain fish species was compiled by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries.
The 1996 recreational numbers are down from 1995, which, according to marine fisheries statistician Doug Mumford, is probably because hurricanes Bertha and Fran last year not only closed down some coastal areas but kept many inland fishermen at home, cleaning up their own damaged property.


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Fed Lowers Growth Forecast But Says Economy Rebounding
Mil Arcega
US Central Bank Lowers Growth Forecast But Says Economy Rebounding
WASHINGTON — The U.S. central bank says economic growth is rebounding after stalling in the first few months of the year. But as expected, the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered its growth forecast for 2014 from three percent to only slightly more than two percent. Despite the weaker outlook, Fed Chair Janet Yellen expressed confidence in the U.S. recovery.
The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee concluded its two-day policy meeting in Washington with assurances that the economy remains on solid footing. Despite a one-percent contraction in the first quarter, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said consumer spending and factory output picked up in the second quarter.
"The Committee thus believes that economic activity is rebounding in the current quarter and will continue to expand at a moderate pace thereafter," said Yellen.
In addition, unemployment has fallen more rapidly than the Fed expected, while inflation is still below the Fed's target rate of two percent. That means the economy is healthy enough for the Fed to keep reducing monthly bond purchases that help stimulate the economy and keep interest rates near record lows.
"Starting next month, we will be purchasing $35 billion of securities per month, down $10 billion per month from our current rate," said Yellen.
U.S. stocks rose sharply after the Fed announcement -- partly because there were few surprises and partly because the central bank vowed to keep interest rates near record lows until at least the middle of next year. That's welcome news for businesses and consumers, according Bankrate.com's Greg McBride who spoke via Skype.
"In all likelihood, those interest rates are going to start to move up and at this point, it looks like that'll be next year. So use this opportunity while you can, that tailwind of low interest rates, to accelerate your debt repayment so that you're not having to do so in a less favorable interest rate environment next year or the year after."
One drawback, say economists, is that low interest rates could spur inflation. Even though this hasn't happened yet, many worry that rising prices and stagnant wage growth could slow consumer spending and further hamper an already lackluster recovery.
IMF Cuts Growth Forecast for US
Fed in Focus as Investors Seek Reassurance
US Retail Sales Miss Expectations, Jobless Claims Rise
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How Will We Know if the US Economy Is in a Recession?
With New Deep Sea Port, Nigeria's Focus Turns to Better Road, Rail Connections


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← ONE DAY – by John A Smith
Osborne's fiscal nightmare – by Damien Quigg, London Planning Group →
No democracy without informed citizenship
What hope is there for a re-invigorated democracy in an age of press misinformation and data deluge? The battle for democratic renewal is also a battle about the control of information: who owns it and what they do with it. We urgently need a 'new commons of information' lead by Assemblies for Democracy (two examples given)
"A free press is essential to a healthy democracy. There is a purpose to journalism, and it is not just to entertain. It is not to pander to political power, big corporations and rich men. Newspapers have what amounts in the end to a constitutional duty to tell their readers the truth".
So said Peter Oborne, the former chief political correspondent of the Daily Telegraph on his resignation from that paper following its fraudulent coverage of the recent HSBC tax dodging scandal. HSBC, one of Europe's biggest banks, helped wealthy customers dodge taxes and conceal millions of dollars of assets, while circumventing domestic tax authorities. HSBC also happens to be one of the Telegraph's biggest advertising clients and recently lent its billionaire owners, the Barclay brothers, £250 million for one of their business ventures. No small wonder then that the Telegraph refused to run stories on the HSBC scandal; it simply had too much to lose.
Yet as Peter Oborne, pointed out, the biggest losers were the Telegraph readers: a leading UK newspaper had abdicated its responsibility to tell the truth about an issue of vital public concern. As Peter Oborne pointed out , "If major newspapers allow corporations to influence their content for fear of losing advertising revenue, democracy itself is in peril".
Nor has the State been any less successful in cowing a 'free' press to do its bidding. The current government has intimidated sections of the media to either downplay or spin the whole issue of mass surveillance by GCHQ. With the exception of the Guardian, an otherwise spineless British Media has either ignored or even followed a government line that positions the human right to privacy – and human rights in general – as serving only to protect terrorists and criminals. The whistle blower Edward Snowden Snowden has rightly called the UK media's coverage of the GCHQ story "a disservice to the public."[i]
The increasing role of corporate PR in the production of news
While these two recent examples stands out as two of the most blatant acts of the press failure to publish real news, there is another less dramatic, more insidious shift in news reporting that has been taking place.
A study done by the Cardiff School of Journalism in 2006 exposed the degree to which the quality and independence of British Journalism was being compromised by its increasing reliance on 'pre-packaged news' provided by PR and wire services: 19% of newspaper stories and 17% of broadcast stories were verifiably derived mainly or wholly from PR material, while less than half the stories they looked at appeared to be entirely independent of traceable PR[ii] . The main source of PR is the corporate/ business world, which the report states is "more than three times more successful than NGOs, charities and civic groups at getting material into the news". Consumer, business and entertainment stories score high on PR content but the greatest volume of PR generated material is health, particularly from health and pharmaceutical industries[iii].
Agency or wire services accounted for 47% of the press stories but here too, corporate PR material was evident in the content provided to newspapers.
As journalists are required to do more with less time, "ready-made" news comes to replace independent journalism with little effort made to contextualise and verify the main source of information. The research found that in less than one in five cases was this done meaningfully[iv]. Broadcast news does better, with 42% of cases involving thorough contextualisation or verification.
Although this study is dated, it is unlikely that the corporate PR machine is any less effective in its efforts to shape the press and TV media coverage of the news we receive – and we have not even touched on Sky News owned by Rupert Murdoch!
At the same time, and perhaps not coincidentally, there is a growing public distrust in mainstream media revealed by a YouGov poll in August 2014. This showed that only 45% of British people trusted upmarket newspapers such as the Times, Telegraph and Guardian, with less than half that (22%) for the Mail and Express and only 13% trusting the red topped tabloid newspapers the Sun and Mirror. BBC journalism scores 61% but it is Wikipedia that topped the list with 64% trusting it to tell the truth "a great deal" or "a fair amount".
The internet, social media and 'an epidemic of ignorance'
Wikipedia's success notwithstanding, too much credence is placed on the internet and social media as allowing us to circumvent information roadblocks at the click of a mouse. Internet search affords almost instantaneous access to vast amounts of information but separating the wheat from the chaff, myth from fact, balanced information from sheer digital drivel, is onerous work. And what credence can we put on Facebook's efforts to position itself as a main source of news for the tens of millions of 'friends' who think that Facebook is the internet and who never pick up a paper or listen to radio? Our multimedia rich society, far from informing and educating us has, through the commercialisation of the internet and 'big data' mining of personal information, created new global powers and vastly extended the impact of advertising to create new wants and a new economy of endless distraction.
Whether it is editorial policy, or a Facebook algorithm, increasingly we are being served 'junk news' that filters out the real issues of the day, leading to what Dr Jonathan Sachs has called an 'epidemic of ignorance', a collapse of the public's basic knowledge about key issues we confront such as climate change[v]. His research in the U.S chimes with a separate YouGov study in July[vi] 2014 which showed that that only 36% of UK adults could identify Iain Duncan Smith as work and pensions secretary while only 28% recognised Jeremy Hunt as secretary of state for health – despite the fact that the NHS was and still is one of the key issues that the public most cares about. The same survey showed that a third could not identify the Chancellor of the Exchequer. And a separate Ipsos Mori poll in 2013 highlighted the scale of public misperceptions on some of the most important issues of the day: the proportion of Muslims in England and Wales was perceived to be 24%, in reality it is 5%; the proportion of immigrants was estimated at 31%, in reality it is 13%; and more people think Job Seekers Allowance and Foreign Aid tops the list of government expenditure when in fact it is pensions, education and the NHS – we spend 15 times more on pensions than JSA (£4.9bn vs £74.2bn).
As Dr Sachs points out, "a poorly informed public is much more easily swayed by propaganda and much less able to resist the dark manoeuvres of special interest groups that pull the strings in Washington[vii]." As in Washington, so in London.
What then can be done?
In the face of misinformation by print and broadcasting media on the one hand and digital overload on the other, we have to be realistic about what we can achieve. However what I suggest we can do is rescue from the morass of information and digital trivia, certain key facts and data on issues that really matter. We would then do our utmost to ensure that these stand out in stark relief and be kept ever in the public eye, regardless of the torrent of ephemeral 24 hour news that ultimately serves more to distract than inform.
I therefore propose that Assemblies for Democracy takes a first step in this direction by developing a set of basic guides on seven key issues that really matter – those that stand out as being the most important challenges of our time.
Each guide would be written, peer reviewed and fact checked by subject matter experts sympathetic to the vision and values of AfD.
The high trust assigned to Wikipedia suggests there is real public appetite for trusted, balanced information and there is probably no more urgent task then finding new ways to curate key accurate information that the public never loses sight of.
Seven basic guides on the seven most important issues of the day….
The number seven is arbitrary; it could be more or less. What those guides might be is really open to question. Likely candidates include Climate Change, Inequality, Human Rights and the UK Constitution. The future of the NHS and public services could be a fourth. However the whole process of choosing the subjects probably deserves wider discussion.
Each guide would be divided into three broad sections and should ideally be no more than 4-6 pages long for if we are to ask our new model citizen to have a basic grasp of the facts and arguments on a wide range of issues, we cannot inflict twenty page tomes of dense analysis on each subject -they will not be read! A suggested format is as follows:
The first section is descriptive rather than analytical: it describes the challenge and scopes the different facets , dimensions and impacts of a particular issue e.g. inequality, climate change along with its impacts
Section two is analytical: it seeks to answer the question why: what are the drivers? What are the underlying causative factors that give rise to this problem or challenge? How do these factors interact with each other? What are the conditions and broader context in which these factors operate?
Section three is creative: what are the possible solutions? What are the policies or innovative thinking that we can bring to bear on this issue, as a community, a people or a local assembly? This section would be short and only sketch out possibilities. The whole point here is to use this section to open up discussion and link it to crowdsourcing approaches that pull together suggestions, ideas and new thinking using e-democracy tools such as Loomio and D-Cent as well as local assemblies
To give some idea of how such a guide might look, I have imagined what these might look like by taken a first stab at developing two: Climate Change and Inequality. You can see these at the bottom of the post but please note: I am not an expert in these subjects, nor have they been reviewed or fact checked by anyone else. Treat them as examples.
….written under a New Commons of Information…
I have also imagined that all seven guides would be published under a New Commons of Information – call it The New Commons Publishing Company, a not-for-profit community interest company with a diverse ownership that includes charities, campaign groups, individuals, subject matter experts, social enterprises and local community group, but chiefly local Assemblies for Democracy.
It would be largely volunteer run and its sole purpose would be to publish the seven guides in an accessible format including PDF and slideshows using Slideshare and YouTube, allowing the content to be embedded in any blog or website. Importantly, final editorial decisions would be made by community activists prior to publishing, not professional publishers or subject matter experts. This is not just about reflecting the democratic values of Assemblies for Democracy: community activists are actually those most closely connected to their communities and therefore most likely to understand whether and how such information is understood and used.
…that engages the public to crowdsource solutions and take collective action
As said above, section three of any guide would only sketch out policy suggestions and proposals while encouraging a broader conversation and crowdsourced solutions using dedicated e-democracy tools that are explicitly used for discussion and consensus building such as Loomio and D-Cent. These could be used as part of extended discussions that begin at local assemblies and later continue online.
The Finnish model of Open Ministry is paving the way as one of the new models of participatory democracy that crowdsources legislation and, in collaboration with an enlightened Finnish parliament, gets citizens proposals straight to a parliamentary vote. However it is too soon to say to what extent this exciting and innovative approach will genuinely re-shape democracy. The answer to that probably lies as much in our hands as anyone else's.
Finally and very briefly, crowdsourcing legislation and policy proposals will likely be more effective if the 'crowd' – a community, an assembly, a country – is supported by a civic service (note the spelling) whose knowledge and expertise is drawn from both within and outside the traditional civil service and local government. They act as consultants to give advice and support. They do not take decisions.
A basic guide on Inequality
A basic guide on Climate Change
[i] Guardian: A court managed what the complicit UK press couldn't: force GCHQ to tell the truth 7-feb 2015
[ii] Cardiff School of Journalism: The Quality and Independence of British Journalism (published 2006)
[iii] Cardiff School of Journalism: The Quality and Independence of British Journalism (published 2006) (page 21)
[iv] Cardiff School of Journalism: The Quality and Independence of British Journalism (published 2006)
[v] Jeffrey Sachs: The Price of Civilisation pub 2012 (pg 154 and following)
[vi] YouGov: In fame, Michael Gove joins Cabinet top tier
[vii] Jeffrey Sachs: The Price of Civilisation pub 2012
Tagged Cardiff School of Journalism, Daily Telegraph, Jonathan Sachs, Peter Oborne
2 thoughts on "No democracy without informed citizenship"
wendycockcroft
What about using a Wiki as the main platform and linking the others? It's the most efficient, effective way of disseminating news AND providing the fact-checking according to the criteria you mentioned. I can help with that if you like.
gavin barker
Thanks Wendy – a really useful suggestion and your offer much appreciated! I agree, a wiki is the best way forward but I also want to 'widgetise' the information. By that I mean allowing people to lift the information and embed in their website or blog using an embed code – Slideshare and Scribd allows them to do exactly that and for the two examples I included, I used Scribd to embed the information in the post above. Presumably wiki's should easily have that flexibility of formats?


and 42 sales over the last 30 days.
REO Properties currently make up 6% of Lewis County MLS inventory and 21% of our previous 30 day sales.
During 2010, approximately 6% of Lewis County's MLS Inventory has been REO properties, and as high as 40% of all sales have been MLS properties. Currently at 21% of sales, we are seeing an increase in the % of seller owned housing sells.
REO properties are great for the buyer, but can be difficult on sellers trying to compete with pricing. The bright side is that REO buyers are often investors, and not the same buyer profile that most seller owned properties are looking for to purchase their home.


text:
St. Joseph Medical Center appoints new CEO
Catholic Health Initiatives and the board of St. Joseph Medical Center announced Oct. 20 that Jeffrey K. Norman has been named as the Towson medical center's new president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Robert Lovell, who has served as interim CEO since June 29.
"Jeff impressed me and the entire search committee with his broad and diverse experience, demonstrated leadership and significant accomplishments in a variety of health care settings," said William J. McCarthy Jr., chair of the medical center's board of directors and executive director of Catholic Charities in Baltimore.
"He appreciates and values the mission of St. Joseph and recognizes and embraces both the opportunities and challenges that the medical center has before it," McCarthy said.
Prior to accepting his St. Joseph appointment, Norman, 57, served as executive vice president and CEO of Scottsdale Healthcare in Arizona where he was responsible for all operations of the three-hospital, 800-bed system. He developed and executed a strategic growth program for the system, including recruitment of doctors and development of physician employment infrastructure and joint ventures. He has more than 30 years of executive experience at hospital systems in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
Norman said his goal at St. Joseph is to "expand the hospital's clinical offerings and broaden the geographic reach of those services."
"St. Joseph Medical Center has a number of really fine clinical programs that are highly rated for their outcomes," he said. "In the spirit of the ministry and legacy of St. Joseph, I want to ensure that we continue that track record of excellence."
Norman received his master's degree in public health and his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh.


text:
Clear View Comic Strips
109 Results for Clear View
View 1 - 10 results for clear view comic strips. Discover the best "Clear View" comics from Dilbert.com.
Tags twins, meeting, clone, cooler clone, clear view, engine purr, business
Tina: Is it awkward being in the same meeting as a cooler version of yourself? Scoot back so I can get a clear view. This guy really makes my engine purr. A little more.
Tags Dilbert, Dogbert, rich people, wealth, tragedy, lightning, flash, clear day, meteor
Dilbert and Dogbert walk outdoors. Dilbert says, "I can't help thinking that my new wealth will lead to tragedy." Dilbert continues, "It seems like rich people always have horrible tragedies." Dogbert asks, "Like what?" There is a flash of lightning. Dilbert's clothes have been burned and his body is charred. Dilbert replies, ". . . Like being struck by lightning on a clear day." Dogbert points to the sky and shouts, "Incoming meteor!!"
Tags dating scene, reprodcue, cell division, steer clear
Wally: I've given up on the whole dating scene. I've decided to reproduce by asexual cell division. Dilbert: I didn't realize that's an option. Wally: you never know until you try. Dilbert: I think I'll steer clear of here for a while. Wally: divide! divide!
Tags pile binders, have view, cubicle walls, everyone binders
Wally stacks binders on his desk chair and tells Dilbert, ". . . And if I pile enough binders on my chair I'll have a window view!" Wally stands on his chair and looks over the cubicle wall. Dilbert thinks as he walks away, "I've got to try that." The Boss hands Ted a binder and says, "Wow! I've never seen so much interest in our business plan!" Ted asks, "Can I have two?" Behind them, Dilbert, Wally and their co-workers stand on their chairs looking out of their cubicles.
Tags Dogbert, government, speech, ratbert, country, freedom, checklist, advocate, overthrowing, obscene, generalize, disadvantaged, group, teach, children, practical, lawyer, refer, hearing, distance, god, bless, clear
Ratbert tells Dogbert, "The great thing about this country is that we have freedom of speech!" Ratbert asks, "Is it okay to say that?" Dogbert replies, "Hmm . . . Let's see if it's on the free speech checklist . . ." Dogbert reads a document and says, "Okay, you didn't advocate overthrowing the government . . ." Dogbert continues, "You were not obscene . . . You did not generalize about a disadvantaged group . . . You did not teach children anything useful or practical . . ." Dogbert continues, "You didn't refer to anybody who can afford a lawyer to sue us . . ." Dogbert continues, "And there's nobody within hearing distance who can harm you financially . . . You're clear." Ratbert says, "God bless this country!" Dogbert says, "Whoa! Whoa!"
Tags lowly intern, obvious solution, clear buffers, initialize link, code patch, memory leak, salary, twice as much, money
Asok stands behind Wally's desk and says, "I am only a lowly intern, but I see an obvious solution to your problem." Asok says, "Just click here . . . Clear your buffers and initialize the link . . . Now use this code patch for the memory leak." Asok says, "This is funny if you consider that your salary is twice as much as mine." Wally replies, "I'm laughing on the inside."
Friday November 22, 1996
Tags new smoking habit, teeth turned yellow, social outcast, going broke, house burned down, going to quit, long term view
Alice asks Wally, "How do you like your new smoking habit?" Wally replies, "My teeth turned yellow, my breath is putrid, I'm a social outcast, I'm going broke, and my house burned down." Alice asks, "So you're going to quit?" Wally replies, "No, I'm trying to take a long term view of it."
Tags everyone talks funny, not morons, incapable, clear communication, think outside box, watch ego, before ego dies, rebel, do it
The Boss sits at his desk. Asok the Intern says, "I finally figured out why everyone talks so funny in this company." Asok says, "We're not morons who are incapable of clear communication. We're rebels who like to 'think outside the box.'" The Boss says, "It's always fascinating to watch and ego just before is dies." Asok says, "I'm a rebel! Task me witha 'do it'.'"
Tags blueprints, new cubicle, window view, hot by window, breeze
Dilbert holds his box of stuff and Wally holds the office floorplan. Wally says, "According to the blueprints, your new cubicle has a support beam in it." Dilbert stands in his cubicle which is taken up mostly by a huge support beam. He thinks, "At least I have a window view." At home, Dilbert looks disheveled and sweats. He says, "It's one hundred-eight degrees by the window but at least there's a breeze from the people who walk by and laugh." Dogbert sits on the arm of the couch and says, "Don't let me slow your search for someone who's interested."
Tags intelligent investor, lifes saving, name and address, steer clear, track record, dogbert mutaul fund
Bill the Dinosaur says to Dogbert, "I don't understand why any intelligent investor would put money in a fund that has no track record." Dogbert says, "I try to steer clear of intelligent investors." A man comes up and hands Dogbert a bag of money. "Here's my life savings, " he says. The man says, "Do you want my name and address?" Dogbert holds the money and says, "No. I trust you."