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German Bus Stabbing Leaves 14 Wounded
International News: German Bus Stabbing – Several persons were injured; one seriously, on a bus in the northern German City of Lubeck. One newspaper reports that 14 persons were wounded.
According to police reports, a man who carried out an attack with a knife has been arrested at the scene and taken into custody. An area surrounding a bus stop in the Kucknitz neighbourhood was sealed off.
The attack took place shortly after 3:30 a.m. The bus was full and reports have surfaced that passengers fled the scene.
The suspect was overpowered by officers at the scene.
The police are reporting that they are unable to provide any further details of the incident and on the suspect's identity. They are calling on the passengers who fled the scene to contact them immediately.
Contributed by Professor Colin O Jarrett
Send us your feedback, news items, community sports or events, real life stories, Dear McKoy, photos and/or videos to WhatsApp 1-876-353-1389 Or Email [email protected]
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Minor Charged with Shop Breaking and Larceny in Kingston
St. Andrew Man Facing Several Charges under the Firearms Act
PBCJ NEWS – JANUARY 15, 2021


Join YWCA of Bethlehem and Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center for a community-wide reading circle!
A community-wide conversation: Under This Beautiful Dome tells the true story of Terry Mutchler's secret five-year relationship with Penny Severns, an Illinois State Senator. Forced to engage in an elaborate ruse to keep their relationship a secret, the two women constantly fear discovery. Denied legal access to the altar, they face even greater hardships when Penny is diagnosed with cancer and begins undergoing treatment.
This vivid, beautiful story paints an intimate portrait of a loving relationship and the vast impact gay marriage legislation has on couples and families in America today. An essential look at how our laws affect our lives. A must read for those interested in politics, equality, and the changes sweeping our nation.


Activities Activities List Girl Scout Up, Buttercup!
Brush up on your basic camping and outdoor skills in the morning, because you will need them in the afternoon! You and your team must conquer challenges while you flex your skills. So, Girl Scout up, Buttercup! Are you ready for the challenge? Bring a sack lunch, water bottle, and dress for the weather, including closed-toe shoes. All girls will receive a fun patch. No tagalongs permitted.


I came up with the idea to create an event especially for families with children when I was working as a guide on electric bicycles where I realize that although electric bicycles are entertaining for adults, they are not suitable for children and particularly small children.
I have designed a program that is entertaining not only for parents, but mainly for their children. Hunting the treasure of the forgotten alchemist Fabius Delta is exactly the kind of unforgettable adventure that children want to experience in Prague. Decoding mysterious ciphers, searching for lost maps, and discovering secret corners of Petřín hill are only some of the exciting adventures that our program offers.
I look forward to lighting up the eyes of your children.


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static NSString * const kTestYESEventName = @"kTestYESEventName";
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Category / Photography
January 12, 2019 January 12, 2019 by alexlynch695
GALLERY: Hundreds turn out to welcome, protest Trump in first visit to Rio Grande Valley
border, democrat, demonstration, mcallen, mexico, photojournalism, photos, politics, protest, rally, republican, rio grande valley, texas, trump
In deeply blue Hidalgo County, where home is in southern Texas right across the border from Reynosa, Mexico, hundreds turned out to both support and protest President Donald Trump and his border fortification proposals during his first visit to the Rio Grande Valley since he took office.
Trump was only in town for a few hours on Thursday, January 10, during which time he met with local Border Patrol officials and leaders as a large portion of the community made their voices heard.
Even supporters of the president's policy were surprised at the turnout on their side of the debate. Despite the heated issue at the center, the dueling rallies for the most part remained respectful of one another, despite the occasional verbal sparring matches.
GALLERY: The border communities of the Rio Grande Valley, where Mexico is in their backyards
border, frontier, hidalgo, hispanic, immigration, lone star state, mcallen, mexico, photos, rio grande valley, texas
Across the border from Reynosa, Mexico, resides the Rio Grande Valley, home to some of the southernmost resides in Texas. Several towns and cities – McAllen, Hidalgo, Mission, San Juan just to name a few – make up this community of communities, where immigration of both the legal and illegal variety is a way of life.
July 17, 2018 by alexlynch695
The truth is out there: Visiting the alleged Roswell UFO crash site
alien, enthusiasts, extraterrestrial, journalism, legend, mack brazel, myth, new mexico, nm, Photography, photojournalism, pop culture, ranch, roswell, roswell ufo crash, ufo, ufo crash
On July 5, 2018, the iconic site of the alleged Roswell UFO crash of 1971 was opened to the public for the first time.
The story of the five UFO enthusiasts who came from all over the country (and even outside of it) for the initial tour can be read here.
Click any of the below pictures to enlarge.
Candelaria "Candy" Ruiz, left, talked with Lauren Bogle before heading out to the alleged crash site on the morning of July 5, 2018 in Roswell, New Mexico (David Lynch)
(David Lynch)
Rylan Bernard, left, and Kamran Pasha discuss UFOs and alternate realities en route to the crash site on July 5, 2018. (David Lynch)
Candelaria "Candy" Ruiz is the first in the van to step out onto the site of the alleged UFO crash of 1971. (David Lynch)
John Merson, left, Rylan Bernard, center, and Kamran Pasha stand recently at the site of an alleged UFO crash in southeastern New Mexico. The trio were among the first members of the public to visit the site in 71 years. (David Lynch)
The group explores one of Mack Brazel's ranch houses, where the rancher may have taken debris from a crashed spaceship in July 1947. The property has been owned by Bogle Ltd. since the early '50s.
Kamran Pasha embraces one of the sisters responsible for organizing and hosting the tours on July 5, 2018 in Roswell, New Mexico. (David Lynch)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Why people will leave, and stay, in the big cities
By Mountain Eagle Staff | on April 29, 2020
Froma Harrop
The coronavirus has rearranged American life. Mask wearing and social distancing is still required in the stores, gyms and restaurants now open, or set to be, across the nation.
But what about the big, crowded cities? New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco and, of course, New York have become the virus hotspots mainly because they put people in close quarters with other breathing people. That's how infection spreads.
In hard-hit New York City, residents of means grabbed their kids and left for second homes or moved in with family outside town. Though stay-at-home orders have done a remarkable job of bringing down the city's terrible numbers, real estate experts think some of these urban refugees will not come back.
And they're probably right. That's because for many, the virus was not the one thing pulling them away. It was the last straw.
The sky-high housing costs were already propelling many New Yorkers to consider the alternatives. The city had been losing population for the three years B.C. (before coronavirus). Now that New York has closed playgrounds and restaurants, families find themselves with no slides for the kids and no bars for the adults.
Meanwhile, grown-ups working from their bedrooms have learned to appreciate the home comforts more. And with that they may want more of a home.
Why not live where there's more space at less cost and restaurants and basic cultural amenities are still offered? That somewhere could be the suburbs or smaller cities away from the coasts, places like Columbus, Pittsburgh or Omaha.
But here's the "on the other hand." There are people who thrive on urban density. They love the electricity, being part of a civic culture high on drama. Throughout the coronavirus crisis, New Yorkers have joined together to broadcast love for the medical workers risking their lives in the intensive care units. Evenings at 7, they emerge on fire escapes and balconies, or lean out of windows, to cheer for the hospital staffs.
Many a New Yorker who lived through Sept. 11 was moved at the sight of firefighter heroes cheering on the medical heroes. When volunteers from other parts of the country started leaving the hospitals to head home, they were surrounded by lines of applauding locals. This is community at an intense level.
There's also the question of where you want to live in a world still stalked by COVID-19 and viruses to come. If infected, would you rather be in a rural county without a single ICU bed — or in a place with war-hardened hospitals now expert in the nature of the beast? (And don't think the virus isn't everywhere.)
Frankly, if a million people were to leave New York, there'd be over 7 million left. That's still a lot of people. Just saying.
There are no wrong answers here. Families who don't have to be a subway ride from the opera and would like a backyard with a barbecue might make a sage decision in moving to a so-called "livable" city or town. Tulsa, Oklahoma, is offering $10,000 to remote workers who move there, and it's apparently getting takers.
But those who don't care to drive, have jobs requiring inperson collaboration and want high culture on a Wednesday night may choose to live in the big city. Everyone has a vote.
The thing to bear in mind is that daily life will not be the same for quite some time — and not just in the city. Whether in a crowded urban bodega or a hair salon on a strip outside town, we will be at risk for coronavirus infection if we don't do what we should.
Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com.
©2020 Creators
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State is better off financially than many expected
2020 was one great year … … for local holiday decorations
Legislators begin 30-day 'odd year' meet in Frankfort


SEATTLE — For the last three years, not one calf has been born to the dwindling pods of black-and-white killer whales spouting geysers of mist off the coast in the Pacific Northwest.
Normally four or five calves would be born each year among this fairly unique urban population of whales — pods named J, K and L. But most recently, the number of orcas here has dwindled to just 75, a 30-year-low in what seems to be an inexorable, perplexing decline.
Listed as endangered since 2005, the orcas are essentially starving, as their primary prey, the Chinook, or king salmon, are dying off. Just last month, another one of the Southern Resident killer whales — one nicknamed "Crewser" that had not been seen since last November — was presumed dead by the Center for Whale Research.
The orcas are also facing a new threat. The recent agreement between the Canadian government and Kinder Morgan to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline would multiply oil tanker traffic through the orcas' habitat by seven times, according to some estimates, and expose them to excessive noise and potential spills. Construction is set to begin in August, despite opposition from Inslee and many environmentalists.
In the late 1990s, there were nearly 100 of these giant whales in the population. Following the salmon, they migrate in the Salish Sea to the northern coast of British Columbia and often surface in the south at Puget Sound within sight of downtown Seattle, especially during the spring and summer months. The males, which can weigh up to 22,000 pounds, typically live about 30 years, and females, up to 16,000 pounds, survive longer — up to 50 or 60 years, although one J-pod member, Granny, lived to be 105 years old.
Not only are there fewer calves in recent years, but signs of inbreeding also point to a weakening population. In the 1970s and 80s, theme parks like Sea World captured nearly 4 dozen orcas from the region, possibly shrinking the pods' gene pool. In the last three decades, just two males fathered half the calves in the last three decades, and only a third of the females are breeding, just once every decade instead of every five years. Researchers worry that reproducing females are aging out of the population, and will not be replaced.
Some conservationists are concerned that the orcas' decline is another sign of a marine ecosystem in collapse. Beginning in 2013, something known as "The Blob" — a gigantic mass of nutrient poor, extremely warm water — warmed the Pacific from Mexico to Alaska, as much as six degrees above normal. Several years ago, starfish succumbed to a wasting disease and vanished from tide pools.
Much is still unknown about the plight of these orcas, but biologists and conservation managers have zeroed in on several main factors — and they are all connected.
The biggest contributing factor may be the disappearance of big king salmon — fish more than 40 inches long. "They are Chinook salmon specialists," said Brad Hanson, team leader for recovery efforts for the Northwest Fisheries Science Center here, part of NOAA. "If they could, they would eat Chinook salmon 24/7." Orcas gobble 30 a day. Hunting enough smaller prey requires a lot more energy.
The underwater world in the region is also getting noisier, especially an area between the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island called Haro Strait. It is one of the orcas' favorite foraging grounds in the summer. "It's also essentially a big rock ditch where sound bounces off. When you add in commercial vessel traffic going to Vancouver, recreational boaters and whale watching operations, it's a pretty noisy place," Hanson said.
Researchers are studying noise there now. They believe the cacophony of ship traffic interferes with echolocation and makes it harder for the whales to locate their prey and to communicate prey location among themselves. It can also cause hearing loss.
In recent years, officials have expanded the distance which vessels, including whale watching boats and kayaks, must keep from the whales. And there is a voluntary no-go zone near the San Juan Islands.
Another factor is the pollution in Puget Sound. Whales that live off the coast of Seattle, Tacoma and other cities are effectively urban whales buffeted by municipal and industrial waste, and the occasional spillage from wastewater treatment plants into the ocean. Killer whales carry some of the highest levels of pollution of any marine animal.
And while much of the pollution is from the region's industrial past, Boeing disclosed this spring that over the past five years it had discharged highly toxic PCBs into the Duwamish River, which flows into Puget Sound, thousands of times over the legal limit.
These toxins suppress the whales' immune systems, making them more susceptible to disease. They can also impede reproduction. That may be why tests show a high number of females who have become pregnant have failed to calve.
However, the decline of the whales cannot be pegged, experts say, to contaminants alone. A separate population of transient whales near here eat mammals that eat fish, and so consume concentrate contaminants at even higher levels — many times as high as the resident pods. Yet they are thriving, which has left scientists scratching their heads. Global populations are robust as well.
One possible scenario is that the dearth of salmon coupled with the interference of engine noise, which can affect their immune system, too, deprives the orcas of a sufficient diet. Their bodies then draw on fat reserves, which are laced with chemicals that suppress their immune system and reduce fecundity.
But experts are not sure what is raising their mortality rate. Often, when whales die, their carcasses sink or wash up onto remote beaches and are hard to find and test.
In recent years, researchers have been focusing on anthroponeses, diseases that humans may be passing to wildlife. Scientists have sailed out among the pods with a petri dish at the end of a 25-foot long pole to pass through the mist that whales exhale and see what they carry in their lungs. They found a range of pathogens that could be from humans, including antibiotic resistant bacteria and staphylococcus, which can cause pneumonia.
Disease threats are myriad. A young killer whale died from a fungal infection last year. Toxoplasmosis is a disease spread by parasites in the feces of cats. It is one of the top threats to the Hawaiian monk seal, killing eight of the remaining 1,400 since 2001. It is not known, though, to affect whales.
Canine distemper from dogs is also a concern. It is a morbillivirus, which is an RNA rather than a DNA virus. Some 1,500 dolphins were killed by a single outbreak of morbilliviruses on the East Coast several years ago.
"RNA viruses can mutate rapidly and cross species lines," Gaydos said.
Steps are being planned to help the whales persevere. More Chinook salmon are being reared in hatcheries as whale food, but that is far from a certain fix.
In the end trying to maintain a population of whales in the shadow of one of the fastest-growing cities in the country may not be possible.
Losing the charismatic, intelligent animals with the distinctive black-and-white "paint job" and permanent smile would be a blow to the area.
∫∫∫ Funny they never mention the Fukushima radiation that continues to spill into the Pacific Ocean….


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Pregnancy Development Stages
Enjoy Those First Kicks
There's a good reason for each flutter and flip. Find out what triggers them, what they mean, and exactly what your womb-mate is up to for the rest of your pregnancy.
By Gina Bevinetto Feld
Stephanie Rausser
During my two pregnancies, we'd pass time at family gatherings by waiting for the baby to kick. "She's moving!" I'd yell. But just as Grandma Rozzie hustled over, the feeling would pass. "Don't worry," I'd assure everyone. "Once I eat, she'll probably start again." More often than not, though, the baby was unusually quiet during these get-togethers, perhaps too mesmerized by all the activity on the outside to make her own ruckus.
When I think back, I can almost feel those kicks again. Few things are as magical as the baby in your belly letting you know she's there, well before you meet her face to face. "At five months, I only had a slight bump, so the pregnancy wasn't totally real to me yet," says Gina Bartnik, of Brooklyn. "But when I felt that movement for the first time, I thought, This is really happening. There's someone growing inside me." Not only growing, but stretching, somersaulting, and so much more! Learn about all there is to know (and relish it!) as your baby-to-be starts showing off her best moves.
The Early Flutters
When You Feel Them You'll usually detect your baby's first movements, known as quickening, between 16 and 22 weeks. It may be just a tiny quiver, but it's tremendously exciting. With those first few stirrings, your baby transforms from being someone you can only imagine to an actual person who is already distinguishing himself as his own little person.
What They Feel Like Some pregnant moms say the sensation reminds them of a "butterfly kiss" (like eyelashes rubbing against your belly); others describe it as popcorn popping or ginger ale bubbling. The feeling is subtle, though, so many women miss it entirely. And others can't tell whether what they're feeling is the baby or indigestion (understandable, as tummy troubles can abound throughout your pregnancy). "My patients sometimes come to the office complaining of gas pains or of a tingle in their bladder," says William Schweizer, M.D., clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University Langone Medical Center, in New York City.
What's Happening Here's a surprise: Those first few flutters you notice aren't kicks -- they're the whole baby flipping around, Dr. Schweizer explains. At 17 weeks, for instance, your little passenger can sure kick, but he's only about 5 inches long, so the amniotic fluid he's swimming in buffers his subtler movements; you'll feel only the full flops. If you get a sonogram at this stage, you'll see that your baby is plenty active. In addition to turning, he's flexing and punting, even sucking his thumb!
Real-Deal Jabs
When You Feel Them Between 20 and 30 weeks, Baby's movements become more noticeable as she grows bigger and stronger. "I'm now 21 weeks, and for about a month, I've been feeling flutters," says
Jen Munson, of Yonkers, New York. "Then last night I experienced my first definitive 'You now have
my attention' kick."
What They Feel Like You'll get an unmistakable jolt right in your midsection. "I was in a meeting at work, and I had my hand on the side of my belly when I felt a thump for the first time," says Amy Jo Irwin, of Wenatchee, Washington. "I basically ignored the rest of that meeting because I was so intent
on getting her to kick again!"
What's Happening Your baby has grown exponentially, Dr. Schweizer says. At 12 weeks, the average baby weighs less than an ounce; by 26 weeks, she's almost 2 pounds. Her larger, more powerful limbs will truly start to jab you, which, not surprisingly, can make it hard for you (or even your partner) to rest. "When I cuddled up with my belly against my husband's back, the baby would kick him!" says Kylie Clendenen, of Independence, Iowa. Getting accustomed to late-night wake-ups: not entirely a bad thing for parents-to-be.
Cool Gymnastics
When You Feel Them From weeks 30 to 35, you'll be fascinated by watching your stomach change shapes as your baby shifts inside it. During both my pregnancies, my round belly would suddenly become pointy on one side, or even square-shaped, until another wave of motion would make it morph yet again. Or I'd wake up to a lopsided tummy because the baby had decided to cozy up and burrow on one side.
What They Feel Like "It's truly an inexplicable sensation," says Beth Overla, who lives in Shelby, Michigan. And an even stranger sight. You might try to decipher what part of the baby is poking against your side or passing over your stomach: Is that a foot? An elbow? A knee? "Whenever Ezra moved, I would see a big thing go across my belly," says Shaina Silverman, of Houston. "I asked my doctor about it. He laughed and said it was the baby's tush!"
What's Happening A lot! In one study, when women in their third trimester were asked to count their baby's kicks, they reported feeling an average of 10 movements in 20 minutes. It's normal for your baby to continually shift around. As the weeks go by, you'll learn what makes Peewee pick up the pace. Eating certain foods typically results in some action, but sounds play a role too. In fact, what most excites many babies is Daddy's voice. By about the fifth month of pregnancy, your baby hears well, and low-pitched sounds, such as a man's voice, give babies more of a jolt than high-pitched sounds do, probably owing to the way sound travels through water. "My daughter would kick like mad whenever she heard her daddy's greeting," says Shea Stahmer, of Newport News, Virginia.
Final Stretches
When You Feel Them Once you've hit 35 weeks, your baby has less room to move, so you'll notice fewer gymnastics. But she may still have more tricks in store before she makes her debut. "The day before my maternity leave began, I was on the ferry to work," says Dorothy Voigt, of Staten Island, New York. "A mother and her young son sat across from me, and he was staring at my belly because the baby was moving noticeably. Then he grabbed his mom and screamed, 'That lady has an alien inside her!'
I laughed so hard, I thought I'd go into labor."
What They Feel Like You may experience pain under your ribs because your nearly full-grown baby is pushing up with her feet. Your pelvis may also ache as she presses her head downward -- not fun, but at least she's moving in the right direction!
What's Happening By about eight months, most babies have settled into a head-down position, prepared for birth. A small percentage get into the breech, or head-up, position. (If your baby stays that way, you'll probably need a cesarean section.) "The last month was very exciting," remembers Robyn Buie, of Oklahoma City. "One week my daughter would be breech. The next week, her head would be down. I was able to guess her position because I could feel her hiccups. If they were high, she was breech. Low? Her head was down." In the last days of pregnancy, remember this: When it ends, however it ends, you'll finally have your little acrobat in your arms.
What's the deal with those tae kwon do jabs in your tummy? Your pressing (and poking) questions, answered.
1) Should It Hurt?
"For most moms, kicking is gentle, but if the baby bumps a sensitive organ or a rib, it can become very uncomfortable," says Glade B. Curtis, M.D., coauthor of Your Pregnancy Week by Week. Feeling the baby is usually an exciting event, but if you experience severe pain when your sweetie moves, see your doctor, because this could signal a condition such as an ovarian cyst, a defect in the uterine wall, or a bladder infection.
2) When Is The Best Time To Feel Baby Move?
Babies have quiet and active moments, and your wee one's patterns will become clear. At this stage, you may not catch her kicks when you're busy (plus, your movements may lull your baby to sleep). But once you're resting, you'll recognize them. A good way to feel them is to lie on your side, which will stimulate the baby. Another prime kicking time: a half hour or so after meals.
3) Will Certain Foods Get My Baby Moving?
"Yes. Generally, foods and drinks containing caffeine or sugar have a bigger impact," says Mark DeFrancesco, M.D., chief medical officer of Women's Health Connecticut, in Avon. "Anything that stimulates mom will cross the placenta and, after a while, stimulate the baby."
4) He Kicks So Much, He's Bound To Be A Future Soccer Star, Right?
"There's no hard science on whether a baby's energy level in the womb is an indication of future temperament," Dr. Curtis says. "But my inclination is to think that babies who are more active in utero do tend to be more active kids."
5) Should I Worry That The Baby Hasn't Moved Much Lately?
Whenever you notice a distinct change in your baby's normal movement patterns (or if you have severe pain when the baby moves), talk with your doctor.
Originally published in American Baby magazine.
All content on this Web site, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. Use of this site and the information contained herein does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.


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— шестой студийный альбом японской метал группы Maximum the Hormone, вышедший 31 июля 2013 года. Этот альбом является первым после шестилетнего перерыва, и в него вошли 2 песни, вышедшие ранее в 2008 и 2011 годах на синглах «Tsume Tsume Tsume/F» и Greatest The Hits 2011—2011.

Информация о выходе нового альбома, появилась на сайте группы 6 июня, а уже 26 июля, за 5 дней до его выхода был доступен клип на песню «Yoshu Fukushu».

Альбом занял #3 позицию в номинации 10-ти лучших альбомов в чарте Oricon.

Список композиций

Примечания

Ссылки
 Album Review Japan Times

Альбомы Японии
Альбомы Maximum the Hormone

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Q: Slide horizontal menu for Windows mobile 7 /8? Hello everyone i am trying to build a horizontal slide menu for a windows mobile 7 app. Any idea how to do that?

A: That sliding menu is called Navigation Drawer and is a standard UI element for Android OS. It is not recommended on Windows Phone. However, you can mimic it using an offscreen UserControl or Panel.
Take a look at the following blog post: A behavior to implement a scroll-into-view panel (for a Facebook-like GUI) on Windows Phone.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This summer The Five-Year-Old with characteristic enthusiasm has enrolled in not one, but two reading programs: our local library's Dream Big, Read! reading program and the Imagination's Destination Summer Reading program at Barnes & Noble. The library's program asks The Five-Year-Old to review the books she reads. Here are a few of her favorites.
Mommyo's addendum: Should your child decide to take The Five-Year-Old's advice, I strongly recommend that you either read this book along with them or read it before handing it to them so that you're prepared to handle some of the tough issues it raises.


TORONTO -- The Ontario government is considering implementing mandatory annual math testing for all teachers in the province.
Teachers would be required to pass the test in order to continue teaching, and it would apply to both primary and secondary level educators, even if they do not primarily teach mathematics, senior government sources told The Canadian Press.
The consideration of the annual test for all teachers comes after the government passed legislation Wednesday that will require all aspiring teachers in Ontario to pass a math test before receiving their licence.
Premier Doug Ford said Thursday that the government was looking at expanding that requirement so it applied to all teachers every year.
"I have an idea: Why don't we test all the teachers, rather than just new ones, on learning how to deliver math?" he said during question period.
Harvey Bischof, the president of the union representing secondary school teachers in Ontario, called the idea "nonsensical," saying it could put effective teachers out of work.
"High school teachers in Ontario are subject specialists. If you're not qualified to teach math, essentially, you don't. And if you are qualified, you don't need a test," he said in a phone interview.
"Imagine taking an effective art, history or geography teacher, and finding out they can't solve a quadratic equation, and preventing them from teaching the subjects that they're highly qualified to teach."
The government hasn't said yet what the annual test will look like or who will administer it. It has said it would still need to consult with teachers and parents on the matter.
The EQAO data showed 49 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial math standard last school year, down from 54 per cent in 2013-2014. Among Grade 3 students, the EQAO says 61 per cent met the provincial standard in 2017-2018, down from 67 per cent in 2013-2014.
At the time, Education Minister Lisa Thompson called the results "unacceptable."
Government sources said the EQAO scores, combined with feedback from parents who are concerned about the issue, are prompting consideration of the new annual test for all teachers.
NDP education critic Marit Stiles said the government needs to provide more information on its plan. The best way to ensure students pass their math courses is to have enough teachers' in the classroom, she added.
"I think the government makes policy up on the back of a napkin," she said. "I don't know what the details are. It just sounds like the premier's musings right now."


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Nkok is a small town in Estuaire Province in northwestern Gabon. It lies along the N1 road, 21.8 kilometres by road east of Libreville, between Bikelé and Nkoltang.

References

Populated places in Estuaire Province
Komo-Mondah Department


We are hosting the first regional prayer meeting of the Church Planting Network. CPN is focused on launching healthy new churches in north Georgia, and Christos Community has been part of it since the very beginning of our congregation, back in 2008.
We are going to meet this coming Tuesday, August 27th, 10:00 am at our building. Church planters from the NE part of the metro area will join us, and everyone in our local church is invited to participate. We normally take an hour to pray, following the model of the Lord's Prayer.


"Tnx for ur letter. It is perhaps just as well u didn't waste much time listening fr me because altho I was transmitting I rather think that it was not getting out very well. Now however I have put things more or less ok. The wave still swings but not so badly I think. Also I have made an automatic key which sends "test de G5QT" amidst a deluge of oil and brass filings from the gears! The motor running it does 6000 rpm and the key does 4 rpm so there are some gears!
Well I set it going each nite from 27th Sep to 3 Oct if the B.C.L.s here are not listening. The note with it is not quite pure. I shut down on Oct 10 as shall be going to Edinburgh and Radio does not go well with swotting as I know from experience. Don't try it om. Pse excuse this card. 2EX was the callsign used before I was licenced! I am using them up now. Well tnx for test. 73's es good DX"


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JimShooter.com
Writer. Creator. Large mammal.
Storytelling Lecture
01 Introduction
02 Early Life
03 Marvel Comics
04 Storytelling Lecture
05 Secret Origins
06 VALIANT
08 Recent Work
09 Reminiscences and Tributes
10 Questions and Answers
11 Writing
12 From Storage
13 Guest Posts
15 Video
16 Stuff and Nonsense
17 Freelance and Consulting
19 Defiant
20 Broadway Comics
Secrets of the Secret Wars
By Jim Shooter
In 03 Marvel Comics, 05 Secret Origins
The road that led to Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars actually began when Kenner Toys licensed the DC Universe for a boys' action figure line. Their competitor, Mattel, already had their He-Man action figure line, which was doing very well, but wanted to hedge the bet in case comic book character action figures became the rage. So, they came to Marvel to talk about licensing our characters. One thing they demanded of us was an "event," a special publication or series to help launch the toy line. I offered an idea that was suggested by a dozen or so correspondents — usually younger ones — in the fan mail every day: one big, epic story with all (or many) of the heroes and villains in it. Everyone agreed.
We went through a number of ideas for names for the toy line and series. Mattel's focus group tests indicated that kids reacted positively to the words "wars" and "secret." Okay.
Mattel had a number of other requirements. Doctor Doom, they said, looked too medieval. His armor would have to be made more high-tech. So would Iron Man's, because their focus groups indicated that kids reacted positively…etc. Okay.
They also said there had to be new fortresses, vehicles and weapons because they wanted playsets, higher price point merchandise and additional play value. Okay.
When time came to actually do it, I realized that only I could write it. I was busy enough being Editor in Chief, I didn't need the additional burden and we didn't have a shortage of writers, but….
Marvel's writers at the time, some of the best in the business, were, to a person, very possessive about the characters they were writing. To some extent, that was a good thing, indicating a love for the characters that generally showed in their work. It also led to some intense rivalries and bitter arguments regarding crossovers and guest appearances.
For instance, once, writer "A," who shall remain nameless, wanted Doctor Doom to "guest-villain" in the series he wrote. I okayed it, over the snarling objections of writer "B," who wrote the series in which Doom usually appeared. I would not allow the Marvel Universe to be divided into fiefdoms. But then, writer "B" wrote a story "proving" that the Doom seen in writer "A's" series was a robot, the intimation being that the real Doctor Doom wouldn't behave so stupidly. Somehow, writer "B's" editor didn't realize what he was up to, and let it slip past. Writer "A" was furious…etc.
Allowing any one of the writers to handle pretty much everyone else's characters in Secret Wars, contemplated to be the biggest, most continuity-intensive crossover ever done, would have led to bloodshed in the hallowed halls.
So, I wrote it. As Editor in Chief, by definition, I was the company's designated Keeper of the Franchises, and the ordained Absolute Authority on the characters — all part of the job, at least back then. The writers could (and did) argue with me, and on some occasions talked me into their point of view regarding what Thor, Spider-Man or the X-Men would do or say in a given situation. But, ultimately, it was my call. That made things a little easier. And less bloody. And, because I had the best overview of what was going on in all the titles, working closely with the line editors and writers I was able to keep the continuity tight. And, with their help, I think we managed to work in the things Mattel asked for in ways that made sense and enhanced the story.
Secret Wars was the first mega-crossover. It was incredibly successful. Afterward, mega-crossovers became a staple of comic book publishing.
For me, it was one of the most difficult and yet enjoyable things I've ever done. To this day, when I go to conventions, I'm asked to sign many, many copies. Lots of people tell me that Secret Wars is what first got them into comics. Makes sense. The idea came from the fans. I'm proud to have been a part of it.
The Jack Kirby Artwork Return Controversy
More on the Kirby Controversy
Secret Wars was precisely why I stopped reading super-hero comics after 15 years of enjoyment. Not judging it's legacy but it was not for me. None of it seemed to fit with what was going on in the monthlies and it was clear this was an arbitrary exercise to push product even to my young self. I went back and reread it as an adult and found my original reading of it stood up to scrutiny decades later. Secret Wars was a milestone to be sure but it sincerely turned me off comics for decades.
Douglas Nelson
jimshooter said…
"I don't know what Marvel did with the Beyonder, but I would rather they left him alone."
Oh yeah?
Well let me tell you what they did:
In Fantastic Four (1961) #319 they suggested that The Beyonder had survived Secret Wars II and was living as the god of his own universe. At the end of the story(which was titled Secret Wars 3) it's revealed that The Beyonder and The Molecule Man were two un-evolved parts of a cosmic cube. So they become a cube.
I don't know what was done with him after that but then in New Avengers: Illuminati (2006) #3
the cosmic cube business is dropped and replaced with the idea that The Beyonder is both an Inhuman and a mutant. I guess the Fantastic Four idea was a little better but in the end both were pretty stupid.
Oh well what can you do?
As far I'm concerned Secret Wars II#9 is the end of the story.
I only remember one New Universe title, "Spitfire and the Troubleshooters", as that was, for a time, the back-up strip for the Marvel UK "Transformers" comic. Can't remember much about it, except for some robotic exoskeleton/suit, which a woman controlled: I blame that more on the fact that there were probably only about 2 issues or so serialised, so I never really got into the story.
Jim Shooter
I don't know what Marvel did with the Beyonder, but I would rather they left him alone.
The New Universe wasn't supposed to be related to SW or the Beyonder, though I deliberately left that mysterious.
Well I'm another one of those guys who got addicted to comics thanks to Secret Wars.This was mostly due to Spider-Man's costume change but one thing led to another.
I loved Secret Wars and I thought Zeck did a fantastic job. Sometimes less is more.
I liked Secret Wars II but I didn't follow the cross-overs much. I think they weakened the flow of the story. So in comparison the first Secret Wars was better.
What do you think of what Marvel has done with The Beyonder since then? I wish they had just left him alone.
When the Beyonder died at the end of Secret Wars II and thus created a new universe–was said new universe the same universe of The New Universe line?
I appreciate your response and viewpoint. Again, I hope no offense was taken, because none was meant.
On SW II, Bob Budiansky picked Al Milgrom and Steve Leialoha. I thought Al did a good job of telling the story and Steve did a good job with the inks. Some people apparently didn't like Al's slightly cartoony style and wished for a slicker look, more like Silvestri or Nowlan. I'm not as style-conscious, I guess.
To avoid war among the writers, I was the only possible choice for writing the thing, so no latitude there. Whoever else I would have given it to, some others would have been upset. If they were all be upset at me, I was okay with that. What else is new? : )
Did I worry that the story would alienate long-time fans? No. Despite the flaws, I figured most people would enjoy it. Sales results bore out my feelings. Did I worry that the quality of the story was suffering? If, by that you mean my writing, no. That story is as well-crafted, tightly woven and solidly planted as I could make it. Some may not like the concept or the execution, and that is their privilege, but I stand by my work.
I did the best I could on Secret Wars I and II. I think it is on a par with my other best efforts. I thought I handled the requirements imposed by the toy company well, pretty logically, pretty seamlessly. The stories are solidly structured, in my opinion. There are bits in there that I think are nice.
It is often said that it was aimed at the younger Marvel fans and new readers. Even I've said that. Of course, I expected that the concept would appeal to those groups, but, the truth is, other than avoiding burdening it with too much backstory/continuity on the many characters, I wrote it as I would any other mainstream Marvel comic book.
With regard to the characters:
For better or worse, while EIC, I had the final say on everything to do with Marvel's characters. They were who and what I said they were, or who and what I allowed the Marvel creators to make them. That was a big part of my job. I was hired to manage and protect those franchises (top priorities due to some extent by the anarchy preceding my tenure). In most cases, I was faithful to the presentation as written by others, because I approved of it, but in some cases, I was trying to nudge certain characters back onto spec, or demonstrate what I had in mind to the regular writers. I did what I did deliberately and for good reasons.
It seems that most people don't understand that. It wasn't Chris Claremont's X-Men, it was Marvel's X-Men, and Marvel hired me to look after them. Same with all the rest of the properties. That said, if you have a Miller on Daredevil or a Louise Simonson on Power Pack or an Ann Nocenti on Longshot or — you can continue the list as well as I can — a wise man leaves them alone and lets them develop the characters because their skills are outstanding and their sensibilities are right on. I tried to intervene as little as possible, and I tolerated a lot that I didn't think was quite right, but wasn't damaging enough to clamp down on. I did draw the line at Claremont having the admittedly kinky Morlocks dress Professor X in transvestite bondage gear, at least the first time he tried it. I refused to allow Bill Mantlo to have Peter Parker father an illegitimate child. But I went along with Walt Simonson having Thor become a frog and even Spider-Man getting married. It was Stan who wanted Spider-Man to get married, mostly to create an event for the newspaper strip. Stan asked me whether Spider-Man could get married. Think about that. Scary, huh? P.S. I would have cheerfully gone along with anything Stan wanted and said yes, sir.
I acknowledge that I made some errors in SW. Someone in a comment pointed out a gaff I made with Hawkeye, which no one at Marvel noticed, even editor DeFalco and Gruenwald didn't pick up on.
Regarding the art:
I'm a Mike Zeck fan, and I think he does a lot of things well. Things of great scope and magnitude, however, are not his specialty, as it turned out. He's much better, great, in fact, with single character, up close and personal subjects like Master of Kung Fu and the Punisher. That's why I started doing roughs for him after a few issues, much like those I did at DC for Curt Swan and others, back when. Zeck just didn't seem to be able to wrap his mind around the Galactus/god-level stuff. The layouts helped some. Not enough. And, by the way, the fill-ins by Layton were worse. As a penciler, he just wasn't up to drawing things of epic scale. I love Denny O'Neill's observation that "casting" creators is key. Maybe we could have cast better. Because I was the writer, and it was my policy to defer to the editor on such matters, I didn't weigh in on the choice of Zeck. But I wouldn't have objected anyway. As I said, I thought and still think he's a terrific artist. It emerged as we went along that giant-scale was not in his wheelhouse.
Calling an argument dumb is neither civil nor logically valid.
The two stories of the Thing were offered as good and bad examples of introspective "man or monster" stories.
Sure, the SW story and its ramifications throughout the Marvel universe are two different things, and perhaps I'm conflating them. But SW was more than a story; it was an event that reached into nearly every title in a way that crossovers rarely did back then, when you could easily follow, say, the storyline of PPSM without benefit of ASM. If you were a Marvel fan, you–I–needed to read SW to keep up. So part of my reaction against SW is that I felt like a sucker for buying it.
And I just didn't like it as a story, and I feel compelled, almost 30 years out of context, to provide a rational explanation why not, when clearly so many, including Jim, disagree. It's no big deal in the scheme of things, but for me, it was near the time when I stopped buying any Marvel titles, whereas I had been buying Marvel comics for what seemed then to be a very long time. I'm trying, as politely as possible, to explain that, not only did I not like SW, but it was part of what turned me, who learned to read with Marvel comics, off of Marvel comics altogether. And Jim's explanation of the origin of SW is consistent with why I was turned off: it was at root a marketing gimmick, and I resented being sold.
I'm older now, and I don't feel the need to ascribe blame, but it's stuck with me. This was the time that First Comics and other independents were new, and they were taking a lot of the readers who had grown up reading the Big Two. Comics have moved from general to fan readership. Marvel went through bankruptcy somewhere in there. To me, SW is a part of this sequence of events, and maybe it was exactly what Marvel needed at the time to build a new audience as it was losing older readers to the independents. But maybe it was part of what drove the older readers away. Maybe series tied into toys and video games actually hastened the narrowing of comics readership. Just throwing it out there. I'm not trying to be mean or petty; I'm just trying to offer some perspective and make some sense of something that was important to me at the time.
Gregg H
Exactly what was uncivil?
As I pointed out (twice I think) is that this is the storyline that the title followed. They used Secret Wars as a jumping off point to get there. I am failing to see why you are blaming the fact that Secret Wars was a mega crossover on what you didn't like about the subsequent direction of the book. I'm pretty sure that nowhere in SW was is stated that Ben HAD to stay on the planet at the end, or any of the other problems you had. That was all really unrelated. It sould like you didn't like that take on Ben in his book (wasn't exactly my favorite either), and you are blaming the wrong guy.
And Greg, one of the FF stories that stays with me is when Ben's time with the Hulk changes him back into human form, and instead of elation, he feels overwhelming melancholy, goes to a bar, and gets in a fight. Reed and Johnny come to his rescue, take him back to the lab, and present him with the exo-skeleton that, for a time, allows him to have both human and Thing form. This is also what he finds on the Beyonder's world, but that solo series following SW just bathed him in ennui and was depressing. And please, keep a civil tongue.
Some of the best ever stories involved crossovers and long journeys: Havoc in a Hidden Land; X-Men vs the "Legion"; FF-Counter-Earth-Galactus; Terror in a Tiny Town; the death of Jean Gray; even the very first FF-Avengers team-up against the Hulk. And of course I could simply have chosen not to read Secret Wars. I bought a lot of titles back then that I could have done without (I thought the whole Hank Pym collapse was strange and out of character), but that's the thing: I bought a lot of titles and was heavily invested in the Marvel universe, and Secret Wars was a big deal. I've always been curious about how it was viewed by its creators, because I thought it was so disappointing, and I was frankly surprised to read that Jim was so proud of it and that so many thought it was so good. So I guess I'm struggling to reconcile my low opinion of it with my esteem for Jim. It may just be a matter of demographics. It may be some element of the story. Maybe the art and/or writing were poor.Maybe it was the elements demanded by the toy company; perhaps these simply added up to an aggregate that rang a false note. Maybe it was simply time for me to set aside superhero comics, or at least those written for children.
Maybe I should pose the general question to Jim. Comics are art. Publishing comics is a business. There will always be a tension between the art and business sides. Sometimes the strictures imposed by the business side can present a puzzle with an elegant and artful solution. Jim might think SW is such a case, but maybe the main good of SW is that it brought in a whole new group of fans and thus insured the stability of the business and, therefore, its ability to produce more art. I would be interested to get Jim's take on this. And Jim, I hope you'll gather that I mean no offense or disrespect, and I'm not trying to make this into an argument where I'm right and those who liked it are wrong. I guess I'm more after your mindset at the time. Did you worry that the toy company's demanded elements might alienate long-time fans? Did you worry that, with all your other duties, the quality of the story was suffering? These are the sorts of worries that can plague many of us, and it has been fascinating to get your take on these sorts of issues through this blog, from which I gather, by the way, that you are a thoughtful person who takes the craft of writing seriously. As a writer and editor, albeit of a very different sort, I really appreciate your insights into the process.
Now if you want to get into the discussion about if having Ben IN NYC and how he HAS to be breaking things in the lab and how he HAS to walk by Yancy street at least every fourth issue, because those are all of the core elements that make you love the character, we can do that.
That is really the key argument behind the problems a lot of fans have with Spider-Man, and exactly what his 'core' is.
If you really think he can't properly exist in a state that is anything other than the luckless looser high school outcast with money and women troubles, then the idea of him growing up, getting married and getting a real job is just not going to work for you.
But if (like me) the real essence is more about how he balances his life as Spider-Man vs Peter Parker (whatever shape Peter's life is taking at that point) and the feelings of responsibility and guilt, then seeing that played out endlessly in the exact same setting and situation, is horibly boring. You want to see Spider man be guilty and angst ridden in new and unseen ways eery month, instead of another issue of him getting picked on by Flash.
As with the Thing. If for you, it is all about tossing taxi's and wrecking the lab and fighting with the Torch, then you are entitled to think that. But that isn't to say that if the book focused on a more introspective 'am I man? am I monster? where do I belong?' stuff then it is anyway INHERENTLY wrong like you seem to be portraying it as.
It looks to me like you are making a HUGE mistake referring to the Fantastic Four and the Thing in your argument here. Here is why.
Secret Wars was an EXCUSE to make changes in the status quo of those books. SW in no way, MADE those changes happen. To think otherwise is really kind of dumb. SW wasn't the reason Thing was taken out of FF. It was going to happen anyway according to Byrne.
I repeat what I said earlier.
If you didn't want to read Secret Wars, then as a FF reader all you needed to know was that Reed, Ben, Johnny left for a week, and thet Ben took a vacation so he asked Jen to cover for him.
That was IT!
As one of those ten year olds (actually I think I was 11, but close enough) I adored Secret Wars and read it over and over. I spent most of the 1980s in then-West-Germany, and we got our comics a few months later than statesiders. I'll never forget coming home that summer and catching up with Secret Wars – that was one of the best comics-reading afternoons of my life.
(Of course, all those summers are now seen through the hazy glow of nostalgia, so they all seem pretty Dandelion Wine to me now…)
I kind of liked it for specifically the reasons you mention – that it took everyone out of their environment and forced me to consider them in new ways. Like you say, we were coming at it from different demographics, I guess. I can see your point(s).
Imagine if Secret Wars II had been done in a supportive environment. It probably would have come off much differently, but both it (and the New Universe) seemed to cause a lot of resentment among the various creators. I know the New Universe's budget was gutted, so perhaps it's not a fair one-to-one comparison. But I was very excited as a youngster by SW2 – I reread it earlier this year and still think stretches of it hold up very well. Others, not so much.
Neither here nor there (I just like memory lane) but the epilogue to SW2(Molecule Man keeping the world from breaking apart) was one of the first comics I read upon returning from Germany, actually.
– Bryan
Greg H: Two words: Fantastic Four. If the Thing was one of your favorite characters off all time, and you specifically loved seeing him destroy New York taxis, etc., then SW took all that away. Sure, you could still follow him by reading another book full of his introspective wanderings, mostly as Ben Grim, on another planet, but no more destroying rooms with his and Human Torch's antics, no more destroying Reed's lab equipment… You get the idea. But my main problem with SW was still that the whole story just seemed off, and it's probably because it was aimed at ten-year-olds rather than 17-year-olds, and I was the latter. Now, I've long since sold off that part of my collection, so it's hard to put my finger on now. The alien world was so featureless… Mister Fantastic wasn't wasting valuable time being fascinated by the local flora and fauna, and the rest of the team therefore wasn't shaking its collective head over his distractedness. Spiderman wasn't preoccupied with making his rent or keeping his job or avoiding the police. And the whole thing about distrusting the X-Men just rang false. The X-Men and the Avengers were practically family!
Funny think about that Jim. I actually had the pleasure of meeting you once, somewhere in that general time frame.
It was Jan 27, 1986, and I was almost twelve. My oldest brother brought my into the city to take a tour of the Marvel offices, as aparently you good folks opened up to the public at times.
I actually walked into you as you were coming through a doorway and you were very gracious about it.
I got to speak to you and a few others in the ofice, through very briefly. I remember Bill Stankewitz and I think maybe Al Milgrom.
It was the highlight of my year.
Good point. Hawkeye's comment should have been more aimed at the X-Men than mutants in general, since they were still the target of some suspicion at that point. Where were you when I (and the editor) needed you? : )
I honestly can't see how anyone could se SW I as interrupting anything in even the slightest way. All it did was take up a page at the beginning of an issue with some caption boxes saying "hey! Thor was just gone for a week! If you want to find out where he went, buy Secret Wars!"
In all of the cases, SW could have EASILY been skipped without missing a single beat in the charachters' lives. Even in the case of Spider-Man, all you REALLY needed to know was that Spidey went off to space on an adventure and got a cool new costume. Pretty damn simple to follow. I was like eleven or so when it came out and I had ZERO problem following anything, even with the one year gap in the storytelling between the 'return' issues and the final issue of the series that took place in that missing week.
I had one real problem with an otherwise outstanding series. You it with the script in one scene with Hawkeye (Issue 1 I think).
You had Clint coming off like an anti-mutant bigot talking about how they couldn't trust the mutants. That doesn't really fit with the fact that two of his oldest friends were Pietro and Wanda, and another really good friend was the Beast.
Besides that, it was fantastic.
As a long-time Marvel fan at the time, I hated SW. it interrupted my favorite stories. I felt obligated to read it because it affected those stories so much. The characters were outside of the environs in which I enjoyed them: Spiderman with no skyscrapers; the FF with no Baxter Building; the X-Men with no danger room; Doom without Latveria and his castle; all without New York City. These things were effectively like characters in the stories. I remember especially having no buildings for Spiderman to swing among just seemed so wrong. If there was one series that drove me away from superhero comics, this one was it. Jim, you presided over some of my favorite stories of all time; Byrne's FF run is still dear to me. But thank you for this explanation, because now it all makes sense. As a previous commenter said, I was not the target audience.
Thanks for the kind words.
FF #319 came out after I left Marvel. I don't know anything about it.
John English
Thanks Jim for the info on my still-favorite comics series ever. I'll echo those who have said that it was Secret Wars that got them hooked to begin with.
And for what it's worth, I love SW2 even better than #1.
Can you shed any light on "Secret Wars 3," that one issue of FF (319 I think)? Was that originally planned for a full series that got nixed, or how did that come about?
We knew from direct sales orders more than a month before #1 of the first SW series that the numbers were huge. Therefore, we planned a sequel immediately, more than a year before SW II #1. We were absolutely not "rushing out a sequel." Rushing had nothing to do with the quality of my work. Yes, I had plenty to do as EIC and writing SW II tested my limits of endurance, but I guarantee you, it was the best I can do. If I'd had more time I would have slept more, but I doubt that the writing would have been better. The artists, Al Milgrom and Steve Leialoha, probably wished they had more time, but artists always do. The main problem there was that Sal Buscema lost us a month.
I must admit i still think Secret Wars 1 got it right and noone has ever been able to get it as right.
I could go on and on but it changed so much i mean i remember reading it at the time and i had no idea that Hulk was actually speaking like a normal person but yet he still had some anger issues (that was brilliant whomever wrote it
)but the story was mostly self contained since it transpired off planet you didn't need 50 tie ins to see that Ambush Bug is picking his nose at the source wall.
Everything felt epic the moment when Thor is standing outside the rain of the citadel and doing his Thor thing? epic !
I also liked how there was lasting changes and consequences that was dealt with.
I do agree that Secret Wars 2 wasn't that great and it became very predictable.
although there was some memorable stuff like Spidey teaching Beyonder to pee(lol) and Beyonder turning a whole building into gold for the Heroes for Hire.
I don't blame Shooter or Marvel for rushing out a sequel since there was no indication that Secret Wars was going to be THAT successful since there had never really been anything like that.
JediJones
Yes, the first 8 figures Mattel made were featured in the Secret Wars comic. The next 8 figures they made concluded the line and included only one character that appeared in Secret Wars, Spider-Man in the black costume. The others were Daredevil, Falcon, Iceman, Hobgoblin, Electro, Baron Zemo and Constrictor. For some reason they decided to focus on only Spider-Man and Captain America's rogues galleries for the later villains.
~P~
True enough.
SW was indeed jam packed with just about everyone else.
Having a mega-powerful sorcerer might just have made the whole thing too unweildly.
As for other prominently missing characters; I forgot there was no Daredevil in the story (although Mattel DID indeed make a DD action figure for the line's 2nd wave – along with black-costume Spidey).
Anyway, thanks for the fast reply.
I didn't expect one until tomorrow at the earliest.
Dear ~P~,
The biggest factor was that Mattel had no interest in a Doctor Strange action figure either for the launch or foreseeable expansions. Same with Daredevil. Could I have included them anyway? Yes. But I had a pretty full boat already.
As a long-time Marvel (and many other publisher) reader at that point, I could tell that S.W. was a marketing level initiative, to sell – well SOMETHING (not knowing about the action figure line at the start).
Sure, at the time, it was nearly unheard of for there to be a big cross-ever max-series like that, so perhaps the STORY, of the Marvel Universe was what was being sold.
(Contest of Champions predated it, but was a self-contained 3-issue mini.)
I tried it, and didn't find it to my liking, but was impressed by the multi-title continuity line-up and ramifications (in some titles).
Obviously, editorial and creative teams did well in some titles to make it seem fluid (recalling Avengers and FF specifically).
She-Hulk in the FF? Wow!
The THING staying behind?? What?!?
Black costume for Spider-Man! Very cool!!
But, I will admit to a frustration that SW began what has long been a sad habit at Marvel:
Whenever there is a BIG group event – DOCTOR STRANGE is either noticeable in his total absence, OR is written out via some lame type of "write him off the chessboard" plot point.
Any reason Dr. Strange was omitted from such a big to-do?
(Personally, I would have loved a SW Doc figure! lol)
I'd been reading Marvel for 10 years or more when Secret Wars came out and I thought it was awful but it's now obvious I wasn't the target audience. I'll have to dig it out and re-read it. Anyway, I am enjoying the blog.
Secret Wars predated Crisis by a year.
Mr. Shooter I owe you an apology even though it is approximately 25 years too late. I always thought that Secret Wars was a rushed and misunderstood attempt to take away the thunder from DC's impending Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series and your Secret Wars suffered in comparison. To be honest I resented Marvel a little for making it. It was not until now that I realize that if I had to compare Secret Wars to another series it should have been to DC's Super Powers. To your credit that comparison never entered my mind (even though the competing toys should have been a big hint) because the Super Powers mini-series never tried to be anything but a cheap tie-in to a toy line while Secret Wars was so much more than that. Off the top of my head I remember Spidey's black suit debuting in the series and the Thing being replaced by the She-Hulk in the FF; both events had lasting effects on the entire Marvel Universe. Good job sir.
vollsticks
Wow, so you actually took notice of what the "little fucks" wanted?!!? Kudos to YOU sir!
arromdee
I loved your 70's Legion. I loved Valiant. I loved Broadway Comics, even though I'm the only person who seems to have read them. I loved Solar #5. But Secret Wars?
I may be a few years older than everyone else here and I remember what the opinion of Secret Wars was on Usenet. Everyone hated it. I had only ever gotten a few issues of II myself but from what I read their opinion seemed completely justified. It was gimmicky, it interrupted other comics stories (especially II), and was otherwise basically forgettable. It also pioneered the megacrossover, which was an innovation (ignoring Contest of Champions), but which has proved to be a very mixed blessing, especially now that Marvel and DC have each degenerated into a state of nearly constant crossover.
Kofi Jamal
Secret Wars was, is, one of my mini-series and toys of all time. Everything worked out and it was a great read. I didn't know it was based around a toy, but it makes sense. Then again, the toys were awesome. Now I need to read SW again…
kintoun
It's interesting to note the comic that sparked the argument between A and B was voted one of "The 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time" back in 2001. Uncanny X-Men #145 earned position 93 which is surprising because the story doesn't contain the first appearance, death, wedding, or origin of anyone. Aside from Arcade and the Doombot's appearance, the only thing truly noteworthy about "Kidnapped!" is that it's the first issue where Illyana Raspution was given a name.
i've heard the writer A and B story too, and it's a great one. i'm a big fan of both A and B, especially during that period, but i can still see B's objection. Doctor Doom was definitely acting out of character. anyone know how A and B got a long after that dust off, or if they get along now? how great would it be to see A and B team up on a book again? even if it's a train wreck, or maybe especially if it's a train wreck, it'd be a huge seller.
"So, I wrote it."
And you did a hell of a job, sir.
Still my favorite comics of all time and an inspiration to my own writing. The balance between epic scale and a dozen different poignant personal subplots, the X-Men's outsider hero dilemma (and Storm vs. Xavier within that), Doom trying to hold onto infinite power with a mortal frame, the gonzo old-fashioned big-budget battles (mountain dropping!), etc, etc, etc.
Taken all together, I don't know that anyone anywhere has written a better 12 issues in the 20-odd years since.
The "Secret Wars" toys were my first superhero toys. It all started for me with a lone Iron man mistakingly hung next to black socks (style, not ethnic stereotype) in the local Dollar General Store.
I was thrilled to find an unknown treasure in such an unlikely spot. Every week from then on, I'd check back and usually find another figure or two. Who knows why they only got action figures 2 at a time, but each time I plopped down my $2 allowance, I was paid back with bliss. The smell of plastic, the image-shifting shield (why does a guy called "Iron Man" carry a sheild?)…it was the stuff of dreams.
After my many (2-3) years of reading comics, I could now re-enact or create any story I desired. The only decision I had to make was whether I would cut the stupid holster off Iron Man's thigh, or let him carry a wholly unnecessary laser blaster despite already possessing unmatched repulsor tech. I mean, the blaster was cool…but it was really more Han Solo than Tony Stark.
Anyway, thanks very much for the clicking of memories!
That's fascinating trivia that certain Masters of the Universe items were planned to be used for the Secret Wars toyline at one point. It's easy to imagine accessories like He-Man's Jet Sled being piloted by Captain America and maybe the Wrecking Crew all using Stilt Stalkers. How awesome would it be to see Mike Zeck draw Ultron atop Night Stalker or Wolverine behind the seat of a Land Shark?
By the way, I'd be curious to know if Jim read Mark Millar's 1985 limited series which was pitched as "Marvel's Narnia". This project dealt with wellknown Marvel villains like the Mole Man, Doctor Doom, and the Red Skull invading the real world so it's sort of a tribute to that era. In fact, the story begins with the protagonist named Toby Goodman visiting his local comic book store and reacting with enthusiasm to a summary of Secret Wars #9 ("Death to the Beyonder!").
Scott Bryan, Annabelle's scribe
I want to hear why you took Kitty Pryde out of it. She was in it originally but Claremont wanted to have her go to the White Queen's school so that artwork with her in the Secret Wars was changed. What's the full story there?
Jim… I can remember how excited I was when i first saw the full page ad for Secret Wars. Unfortunately not having a local comic shop at the time, I didn't get to read the actual story until Marvel UK reprinted it some years later. But when i did finally get to read it, I can honestly say it blew me away!! Not to mention that it featured my all-time fave the Hulk performing what has since become one of his most legendary feats of strength, which is of course when he held up that mountain over his fallen comrades. Absolutely awesome stuff :o)
Id read comics my entire life…but i was about 14 when Secret Wars came out and it changed everything for me…the way I read comics.
Man, that bit with Galactus standing on a hill with his arms outstretched for hours and hours…and all the heroes freaking out ('what's he doing???') is, for me, one of the greatest single moments in Marvel Universe history…
Classic!
Wylodmayer
Always loved Secret Wars. Can't say I was a fan of the second one, but, hey, the first one was great enough for two series, anyway, so there you go. Terrific story it had, especially the bit near the end with Doom trying to be magnanimous and Klaw telling him the little bed-time story… just wonderful stuff. Fine, fine comics writing, sir. I still go back to it regularly, to this day, along with the Teen Titans' "Judas Contract" and the X-Men stories leading up to #175. Memories.
Pat!
"For instance, once, writer "A," who shall remain nameless, wanted Doctor Doom to "guest-villain" in the series he wrote. I okayed it, over the snarling objections of writer "B," who wrote the series in which Doom usually appeared. I would not allow the Marvel Universe to be divided into fiefdoms. But then, writer "B" wrote a story "proving" that the Doom seen in writer "A's" series was a robot, the intimation being that the real Doctor Doom wouldn't behave so stupidly. Somehow, writer "B's" editor didn't realize what he was up to, and let it slip past. Writer "A" was furious…etc. "
LOL! i've read about this story before on many other comic sites! (and even have the issues he's talking about, from both writers)
since mr. shooter didn't call them out, i won't either. let's just say that writer "A" always wrote some uncanny stories and writer "B" always wrote some fantastic ones 😉
Andy E. Nystrom
I think I can guess which story writer A wrote. If I'm right, it involved another team that writer B is quite familiar with, with the team trapped in a giant arcade-like park.
Well, I understand Hasbro's reasoning in part. Popularity always influences case assortments which is why Thunderball, Piledriver, and Bulldozer were each available in different waves. Likewike, young boys supposedly don't buy female action figures so that explains why Spider-Woman, Enchantress, and Storm were separated in the line-up. Of course, these trends are usually misleading. There are literally dozens of different Spider-Man action figures being sold at Wal-Mart on any given day while very few Wasp toys exist. Regardless, I believe Hasbro should realize this nonlinear strategy will have a negative impact on sales.
orbitalshft
The first time I saw the Hulk using a crutch, I was blown away. Years before I even knew who you were, I was already a Shooter fan.
smurfpaint
The Secret Wars toy line was how I learned the difference between DC and Marvel. I loved those things,.Still got my Daredevil figure at home. The books were very cool at the time but I think I was a bit too young to really understand them.
Marc Miyake
kintoun, I suspect Hasbro doesn't realize that the twelve issues constitute a continuing story. They are treating the SW toy insert comics like other insert comics that are standalone issues.
Fortunately, good comics can be enjoyed in isolation: e.g., Jim's first issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was #2.
I just noticed I made 2 big typos above. I meant to write "So wave 3 included issues 6, 9 and 11 while the final wave offered issues 5, 10 and 12.". Hasbro didn't skip any issue but they did offer #8 way before #5 for instance.
Did you know Hasbro has released 25th Anniversary Secret Wars 3.75" comic packs reprinting the entire limited series recently? The weird part is they started the toyline/limited series sequentially with issues 1-3 and then sold issues 4 plus #7-8 in wave 2. So wave 3 included issues 6 and #9-11 while the final wave offered issue 5 and #10-11. That's unfortunate. I bet plenty of kids will read Secret Wars for the first time out of sequence based on this odd decision Hasbro made.
The comments here show what an impact SECRET WARS made on readers almost three decades ago. I don't want to get into a debate about the Distinguished Competition, but I wonder how many fans got into comics through CRISIS or, if we're comparing toy tie-ins, SUPER POWERS?
I should have been more clear in my first comment. I like how the Beyonder was kept mysterious in SW I and modeled himself after others in SW II. At the start of II, he doesn't know anything about humanity (other than the English language for dramatic convenience), so he wouldn't be able to create a unique body.
When I wrote that "usually such attempts [to design ultimate beings] end up like Dominator from BLOOD S.C.R.E.A.M," I didn't mean to put down the Dominator design. That armor suit was over the top and perfect for the Image parody that was BLOOD, but I'm tired of such heavy metal outfits in serious comics (and not surprisingly none of your DEFIANT or Broadway villains wore anything like it).
The Molecule Man didn't need armor to be cool. I never thought much of him until seeing what he could do in SW, during which he found the love of his life. Sweet. And you didn't simply retell the love story of Korvac/Michael. Sweeter. If the new Solar and Gail get together (haven't read #5 yet – sorry), I don't expect them to follow any previous pattern.
I admire your dedication to innovation.
Donovan Yaciuk
Secret Wars is STILL my summer blockbuster! Prior to Secret Wars, all I'd read were Spider-Man comics. Secret Wars introduced me to Marvel's full wealth of characters.
(I'll admit, though, that it took Secret Wars II and the tie ins to actually get me buying the other character's titles with any regularity.)
Without BOTH of those series, I doubt I'd be in comics today. I still reread each of them every year or two, and revel in the nostalgia.
I still haven't ever read Secret Wars. Oops.
It's funny that I've heard people say that Jim has this monstrous out-of-control ego, and yet here he is crediting the fans, and even Mattel a little, for coming up with something that is often attributed solely to him.
Another great post.
Now to track down the Secret Wars…
Bosch Fawstin
My older brother brought Secret Wars #1 home one day and it was that comic book that really pushed me to become a serious comic book fan. Thanks, Mr. Shooter.
Dean Stell
Great post. I LOVED Secret Wars when I was a kid. I had been into comics for a couple of years and thought my head would explode when Secret Wars came out. I still remember that I read issue #3 on a Cub Scout camp-out by flashlight in my tent.
One other thing that I loved about Secret Wars was how it was handled within the other titles with vague non-reveals about things that had happened while they were away (like Colossus' romance).
Recently reread Secret Wars that the only part that went over like a lead balloon was Wolverine's vehement objection to Cap leading the heroes. It is only funny NOW in light of all the filling in of Wolverine's back story.
bmcmolo
What great timing – I just re-read both Secret Wars series this past weekend. Both hold up better than I remembered! (And I remembered liking them a great deal)
I often wonder if you and Mike Zeck reminisce about doing Secret Wars. It's probably like Sgt. Pepper's or something – John and Paul and the gang probably never got together much and patted themselves on the back/ swapped memories, but as fans, we like to think of that going on.
I'm curious who writer "A" is – I'll have to cross-reference to what Doctor Doom was up to and where he appeared. (I think subsequent evidence has demonstrated how writer "B" reacts to everything!)
Piperson
I started reading comics around the time of the first Secret Wars. I loved it! You got very lucky with Zeck! He is just amazing and he was in his prime! I'm sorry we didn't see much more of him after that.
I never liked the way toy companies always have to make changes to the existing charters. They always seem gratuitous and never seem to make sense like Dooms new costume. It's OK but it's just not Doom.
I really loved the new Spider-Woman and was sorry no one at Marvel seemed to know what to do with her.
And what about Spidey's new costume? How did this come about?
I thought the Beyonder was a great idea. He always reminded me a little of Michael/Korvac; The God-like being who is just a little naive. Great concept. It was big concepts like these that always made your work so compelling.
Thanks Jim for the reminisce. It's always a pleasure to read.
I AM ERIC BASS
"Secret Wars", when I was kid, was my summer blockbuster! It never disappointed, kept you coming back for more. Can't think of a genre of media, and entertainment, that does that better than comics. Thank you , Mr. Shooter.
I recently reread SECRET WARS and read SECRET WARS II for the first time. This blog entry would have been a great introduction to a SW reprint collection.
Why was Mike Zeck the artist of the first SW? Given that many fans first got into comics through SW, that series was their first taste of his work – which was the case for me.
What's the story behind the new characters introduced in SW: Titania, Volcana, and the new Spider-Woman (only a year after Jessica Drew's demise!)?
There were a number of big props and sets on Battleworld, but I don't remember anything specifically resembling the toys. Was there any pressure to include playsets and vehicles in the comic?
How did readers react to the unseen Beyonder in the first series and his variable appearance in the second? It's hard to come up with a single design for an ultimate being. Kirby pulled it off with Galactus and Ditko did it with Eternity, but usually such attempts end up like Dominator from BLOOD S.C.R.E.A.M. ("James S. Jackson-Weiss III" and Hoang Nguyen out-Imaged Image. Hope to see you blog about Broadway!)
Blackpaco
Oh, oh, oh… I got all the Secret Wars toys Hasbro launched a couple of years ago. They were great, but mostly, because it came with the whole series for a totally new generation of readers… and because I still play with dolls, and this are the best.
Wow! That was some piece of inside info. I'm a huge fan of Secret Wars (though I always wondered why they were "secret"… now I know) and I remember vividly how that cover for the first issue (amazing art by Mike Zeck) blew my mind the moment I saw it. Thank you for something that was, and still is, so good to read.
"…the snarling objections of writer "B," who wrote the series in which Doom usually appeared…"
Well, we all know who that is.
niederklopfer
Great story sir. You really should turn your blog into a book.
Latest Project On Sale Now! (for Kindle) The OMEGA POINT – A Science Fiction Screenplay
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I did my first professional comics work at the age of thirteen, selling a Legion of Super-Heroes story to DC Comics and going on to write Superboy, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman and other titles. In 1978, I accepted the position of Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics under the condition that I would be allowed to improve things for Marvel's creators. I introduced royalties and a spectrum of other incentives, rights and benefits, attracting a Who's Who of talent. Later, I founded VALIANT, DEFIANT and Broadway Comics and was the principal creator of their characters and universes. Today, I'm the Editor in Chief of Illustrated Media, a custom comics company.
Jim Shooter: A Second Opinion
New! Storytelling Lecture.
Speaking of Con Appearances
Technical Difficulties Defeated!
"Hi Jim, Looking forward to meeting you at Florida Supercon. I was wondering if ..."
"I just find it incredible that Czechs posts here as if he hadn't ..."
"Thank you. Czesk's posts on Byrne's blog are embarrassing to read; I ..."
"Right . . . so he very clearly testified that it was probably ..."


text:
Why a plan to lower prescription drug prices should not be piecemeal
Demand for prescription medications in the U.S. is at an all time high, given that 50% of adults have at least one chronic condition, and 25% have two or more. Sixty percent of the population, and 90% of Medicare beneficiaries have taken at least one prescription medication in the past month.
Rising health care costs over time are leading to higher out-of-pocket expenses for patients, such that one-quarter of families report health spending imposes a significant financial burden. One of the biggest concerns is about the out-of-pocket expenses associated with prescription drugs.
We are both health researchers who focus on strategies to improve access to care and disease management. We recently led an American Thoracic Society Policy Statement on improving the affordability of prescription medications for patients with chronic respiratory disease. In our view, the U.S. could control drug costs in much the same way other countries do, while still meeting patients' needs for these therapies.
High stakes, little action
The current market for prescription medications in the U.S. is complex, but for most consumers, the bottom line is that drugs are expensive. They are so expensive that patients report taking smaller doses, skipping doses, delaying refills and borrowing medicines from others. Cost-related nonadherence is higher in the U.S than any other economically developed country, affecting nearly one-fourth of adults with chronic conditions.
Other economically developed countries have taken greater steps than the U.S. to establish policies to protect patients. Because these mechanisms rely heavily on government regulation, negotiation and price-setting, they have gained little favor in the U.S.
One common approach for individual European Union countries is to use something called external reference pricing, rather than allowing drug companies to set pricing. This means that a country sets its prices based on comparison prices in other member nations, and they often adopt the lowest price. Canada has also adopted reference pricing using EU member nations as common comparators.
Many countries with universal health care or multipayer systems, or both, have national organizations responsible for conducting health technology assessments. These generate evidence to support reimbursement decisions and price setting. Countries that do this include Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Organizations within these countries adopt a range of review criteria including clinical, comparative, and evidence of cost-effectiveness to drive decision-making. In the U.S., these same approaches have been undertaken by nongovernmental organizations such as the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review and individual physician and patient advocacy groups. These efforts, however, are isolated and generally underfunded, and their work is not widely used in practice.
Pharma not the only player in keeping drug prices high
In the U.S., drug makers set the prices for a new drug, with an eye on recovering their research investment. But consumers can't really know how much money it took to develop a specific drug, because the process is opaque. Some researchers have estimated that the average cost to develop and gain market approval for a drug is about US$2 billion.
While pharmaceutical manufacturers are easy to blame for the high costs of drugs, these companies are important. They engage in drug research, development, evaluation, licensing and marketing with the aim of distributing therapies for a range of diseases. They ensure that innovative therapies are made available to the public. The U.S. is a key international player in the development of new drugs.
Their research is expensive, with complex clinical trials being one of the biggest costs. These trials are required to evaluate efficacy, inform safety and meet regulatory requirements. These trials can take years.
In addition to setting a price with an eye on protecting their investments, drug companies also protect their investment through patents, or property rights to a drug. Patent laws allow the drug manufacturer to prolong a patent, even if the original drug has undergone only a minor change. For example, for inhaled medicines, patent law also applies to proprietary pump designs, delivery systems, formulations and production processes that hinder generic competition when the active ingredient may no longer be patent-protected.
Legal protections also include allowing the drug maker to determine the cost, allowing patient cost of medications to be influenced by the wholesale price set by manufacturers.
Another part of the puzzle: Supply chain
Prescription medications are made available to patients only after passing through several intermediaries. Most recently, a profession has sprung up to bargain for lower drug prices from manufacturers on behalf of health plans and employers. The people who do this are called pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and they have become influential intermediaries.
While pharmacies often provide patients with direct access to prescription medications, PBMs work behind the scenes to develop and maintain lists of drugs that are covered by an insurer, called formularies. They also sell medications and provide rebates to pharmacies, negotiate discounts and obtain medications from drug manufacturers, and process prescription drug claims on behalf of insurers. Three large PBMs serve 75% of the U.S. market.
Although there is some consistency within this system for public payers, like Medicaid, prices paid by private insurers are highly variable and typically lack price transparency. As a result, the prices paid by insurers, pharmacies and individual patients vary widely. Numerous intermediaries exist between manufacturers and patients; accordingly, each step in the supply chain is associated with markups such that $1 out of every $5 spent on prescription drugs feeds profits in the distribution system. In Europe, the price that such suppliers can charge is limited to a fixed percentage cost of the medication being supplied.
Also, prescribers often lack adequate information or training to prescribe in a way that will keep costs low for patients. Costs vary between patients because of health insurance and how different the drug formularies are among insurers. Formularies, even within one insurer, change frequently making it even more challenging for prescribers to address affordability for individual patients.
Is there a fix?
We do not think that adopting highly targeted policies in a piecemeal fashion will sufficiently address the long-term challenges posed by a complex, ever-evolving system. Given the magnitude of the multibillion dollar pharmaceutical industry, and that most all Americans are affected, only the federal government is positioned to facilitate, fund and organize this effort.
Complicating matters, public distrust in government and hyperpartisanship would invariably threaten the impartiality of such a government entity without a high degree of independence from political forces.
In view of that, we believe that the U.S. government should establish and financially support a politically independent, impartial expert advisory committee tasked with making critical, evidence-based recommendations on pharmaceutical policy. Their overarching goals would be to ensure affordable access to life-preserving medications, while retaining consumer choice, promoting future innovation and respecting our market-based economy. The fact that 75% of Americans already favor the creation of an independent group with specific focus on the costs of prescription medicines lends credence to the acceptability of this recommendation.
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Authors: Minal R. Patel - Associate Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan | Joe Gerald - Associate Professor & Program Director, Public Health Policy & Management, University of Arizona


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For some, the word "foundation" implies a fund whose assets come from one single source such as a wealthy family or major corporation and whose charitable purpose is strictly defined by a few people. This is true of many private foundations. On the other hand, a community foundation is a collection of charitable funds established by local donors – some wealthy but just as many not – who have desire to help their community.
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I'm very pleased to have recently joined the executive committee for the MLA Division on Linguistic Approaches to Literature.
We have two calls for papers out for panels at next year's conference in Austin (7-10 January 2016). I think the topics are great so hope we have a good number of submissions (submissions due by 6th March).
How do poets employ and challenge the conventions of syntax for poetic effect? Papers providing a stylistic exploration of the syntax of poetry. 300-word abstract by 6 March 2015; to Don Hardy (donhardy@unr.edu).
Papers that approach lexical and syntactic experimentation in Postmodernist Literature from a linguistic perspective. 300-word abstract by 6 March 2015; to Don Hardy (donhardy@unr.edu).
Let me know (b.clark@mdx.ac.uk) if you have any questions about this.