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Category: Commentary

Blasphemy: Clark Kent is not a Costume

Published by NiteMayr on March 4, 2009

“Clark Kent is a persona Superman puts on to hide his real identity”

I’ve seen this in various forms over the years, mostly from “Comic Fans”  that is to say skinny legged hipsters and dudes with soul-patches with no double-chin to hide.  It’s the dissembling of Supermand versus Batman that places them as opposite ends of the Heroic Spectrum; where Superman is the Natural State of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne is the natural State of Batman.

This is so far from correct that it would take a series of GPS Units to Lead you back to almost correct.

While Superman may be naturally super-powered and simply taking advantage of his extraterrestrial birth; he isn’t “Superman” because of his powers.  Superman is Superman because he was Clark Kent first.  That’s why Clark Kent is so convincing to the people around him; that is the natual state of Superman.  He may be the premier superhuman of the DC universe, but Superman relaxes by doing crosswords with Lois Lane in bed, not tossing Meteors at passing Comets (just in case).

Batman, or “The Batman” relaxes by pulling on his cowl and beating up muggers.  An Ideal night for Bruce Wayne, going 12 hours without being called Bruce or Master Wayne once.  Batman is the Natural State of Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne is a costume “The Batman” wears when he wants to get things done.  He also moves around disguised as criminals.

Writers come and go for these two Characters; but the fundamentals have been fairly solid since the mid-eighties.  Superman is a powerful homebody named Clark Kent who loves his mommy and goes home to his wife at every opportunity.  Bruce Wayne is the farcical personality that the Batman has adopted to allow his activities to be funded and provide the means for his crusade to continue; The Batman barely tolerates Bruce Wayne and would NEVER go home if he could hack it.

I should keep comics on hand for these rants.  Oh Well.

This is not how Batman Died
This is not how Batman Died


The Snow, The!

Published by NiteMayr on March 2, 2009
Early March weather looks good
Early March weather looks good

The Snow is getting ready to come back!  Damn!  It’s mostly gone; but it’s bitterly cold here in London, but look at that forecast!  It looks like the temperature is going to come up above 10 for a a couple days this week; that’s almost shorts weather around here!

Icy Drops

After the snow is gone, we’ll see less of this!

You may be able to live well on food stamps

Published by NiteMayr on February 23, 2009

But don’t ask Ari Armstrong how to do it.

So you don’t have to read the whole thing, here are the only fact(like) things in this article:

I spent Feb. 4 through Feb. 10 eating a highly nutritious, low-carb diet for $33.07, or $4.72 per day, less than food stamps provide. For a month in 2007 my wife and I ate a higher-carb — but still nutritious — diet for $2.57 per day each.

and

My two most expensive purchases were a whole turkey at $7.77 and olive oil at $4.48. My produce included red leaf lettuce, onions, tomatoes, grapefruit and bananas. I actually prefer more carbs in my diet, so normally I’ll continue to eat modest amounts of grains, sugary fruits and occasionally even cane sugar.

Counting the only two purchase figures we are given: 7.77 and 4.48  Ari and his wife spent 12.25.  7.77 of that on a  turkey that was either ludicrously small (as turkey tends to price out at about 3 bucks a pound off season) or they simply lied.  I think that 4.48 for olive oil could be correct.  Seriously, 8 bucks for turkey.  The Cheapest turkey I saw at the thrifty bulk foods and serve yourself or else store today was 17 dollars.  I guess when you live in an actual city and don’t shop at your dad’s store, the prices can be different.

That is all that is there in the Article about living on food stamps.  The rest is a screed about how the Welfare state is theft.  Now you don’t have to read the rest.

How to find George Bush without a Map

Published by NiteMayr on February 12, 2009
#4 posted by Anonymous , February 12, 2009 11:27 AM

About a year ago my wife and I visited a Darwin exhibit at the Field museum in Chicago. She grew up in Northern Ireland and was educated in a Catholic school. Partway through the exhibit she started crying. She said she was never taught this stuff, didn’t really understand it until the exhibit, and felt stupid.

Less than 40% of US residents polled accept the existence of Evolution as a concept.  That would be startling if what was discussed was any other country; but the USA produced Paris Hilton, Carrot Top and Sarah Palin.I can accept anything that excoriates the general lack of intelligence that marks North American society as a whole.

It is no wonder Americans are perceived as loud morons who lack the simple ability to locate their rectum using a map and two hands.  Surely they would eat the map (once it was doused in cheese) and then proceed to lick their hands clean while denying the existence of said rectum.  Later; when it was explained that rectum meant “asshole” they would drive to Texas and locate George Bush’s house in a near savant-like trance.

Holy Crap – Is GM TRYING to get nailed to the wall?

Published by NiteMayr on February 1, 2009

General Motors plans to invest $1 billion in Brazil to avoid the kind of problems the U.S. automaker is facing in its home market, said the beleaguered car maker.

According to the president of GM Brazil-Mercosur, Jaime Ardila, the funding will come from the package of financial aid that the manufacturer will receive from the U.S. government and will be used to “complete the renovation of the line of products up to 2012.”

General Motors to Invest $1 Billion in Brazil Operations — Money to Come from U.S. Rescue Program

Somewhere out there; there is a comptroller saying how this is a good idea for long-term goals and that it makes good sense.  That comptroller needs to realize that they still have to deal with their neighbors.

Crazy Like a FOX! (UPDATED)

Published by NiteMayr on January 20, 2009

If you didn’t see this “thinking” coming down the pipe when Justice Roberts intentionally flubbed the Oath, then you should shake your head and get it on straight.  The Hope-Sauce won’t stop the serious nuts from trying to tear down their enemy by any mean necessary, imagine the rules-lawyering that will be deployed over that series of words!

Expect more of this kind of stuff over the next few weeks; it’ll be on snopes by end of week in an email circulated by the National Review’s readership.

In case you think I’m crazy:

Obama’s Oath: ‘Faithfully’ misspoken

Faithfully Misspoken: Close enough for Government Work?

As if on cue

Harper Conservatives — Good for Texas

Published by NiteMayr on January 20, 2009

Republish this everywhere; okay?

From The Toronto Star:  http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/570638

The Canadian Auto Workers is criticizing the federal government for awarding a $254 million contract to a U.S. company to build trucks for the Canadian Forces at its plant in Texas while it is laying off workers at its plant in Chatham.

“Somebody has to explain to us why Canadian workers can’t build military trucks for the Canadian military,” said senior CAW executive Bob Chernecki, referring to a defence department contract to Illinois-based Navistar International Corp. to build 1,300 medium-duty trucks for the Canadian Forces.

…

Asked yesterday why the contract couldn’t have stipulated the trucks be built in Canada, a spokesperson for
Defense Minister Peter MacKay referred the Toronto Star to the public works department.

“The workers in these facilities absolutely deserve the support of their government as we go through these very difficult and challenging times in our country,” said Lewenza’s letter.

“It seems the federal government has lost sight that in 2003 they invested in the Chatham facility, by
agreeing to provide over $30 million of assistance to Navistar to maintain these important jobs in the community and Ontario,” he told MacKay.

In 2003, the Ontario government gave $35 million to Navistar to avert threatened closing of the Chatham plant.

Chernecki called it “nonsense” for Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to promise to boost the Canadian economy
with infrastructure jobs in the Jan. 27 budget, while another department “is putting taxpayer dollars into the U.S. economy.”

A regional benefits clause requires Navistar to match the $254 million contract with equal investment in  Canada.

My response:

Dear Pres. Obama,

Just caught the news that the Harper Tories are handing out cash from our taxes to your citizens, sweet deal.  Tell you what;  apply this “bailout” towards any unresolved debt I have left behind in the USA as I feel strongly that my 10000 dollar tax bill for 2008 will easily cover anything I have left behind.  Use the remainder for your kids, I think they may need more school clothes  or something.

Hugs and Kisses,

Kevin.

Seriously; could the Harper Government be any more transparently pro-USA?  Its no wonder that the Harper Government is rolling towards Bush Levels of approval (35% right now) .

Why not just outsource the bureaucracy to some overseas form while you’re at it Stephen?

Taking a Quick Swipe at an Easy Target

Published by NiteMayr on January 5, 2009
[Ron] Paul supports giving educational control back to parents, rather than allowing the federal government to fund the schools. He plans to discontinue the Department of Education and return its functions to the states

I lived in the States for a while, Oregon to be precise.  State control of the Education Budget would be a disaster there; as the people would underfund the school system to death, then blame the schools for failing to educate their kids.  I overheard dozens of Walmart Butter Trolls talking about vetoing school budget increases (needed to offset cuts imposed by NCLB) because the schools were doing a poor job of educating their kids.  Of course! The answer is obvious, force the schools to cut budgets for education, that’ll make them teach HARDER to survive!

I wonder if the education System in Oregon has been producing these dunderheads forever or only since the electorate got to vote on budgets?

People will vote down any tax “increase” simple as that.

Good Old Ron Paul was like Tax Panecea for some folks, stupid folks.