“Brains’ of the Thunderbirds is a role model. He is part of the International Rescue team. He was contracted by Jeff Tracey to invent all the equipment the teams use and keep it in working condition. Brains was born in Michigan on November 25, 2001 and is 25 years old. The best word to describe Brains – Genius.

From the moment he was born, he was placed in the advanced education classes. His parents wanted to nurture his gift so that but unfortunately he lost his parents when a storm hit the town and killed his parents. He was placed with a Cambridge University Professor who helped him to mold his gift.

Brains works with metals and chemical in his inventions. He has a doctorate from Oxford University.

Jeff Tracy saw Brains speak at a lecture hall and saw Brain’s potential. Brains saw this as a great opportunity to help people. In addition, after he started working with Tracy he kept up with his skills and craft meets with other inventors in his field under the alias “Hiram K. Hackenbacker”. He also uses this name for security purposes.

Even though he works for Jeff Tracy, the Tracy’s’ treat him as he is one of the family. International Rescue means as much to his as it does to the Tracy family.

References

http://web.archive.org/web/20091028092503/http://www.geocities.com/johntracytb5/brains.html

http://www.fab1.co.nz/characters/brains.htm

When someone thinks of survival and endurance the chances are they’ll think of it in a physical sense, but in society today the concept of survival is a much broader topic. Many people will grow up hearing stories about brave adventurers who endured the harsh desert for 60 days or perhaps a teary love story about a sinking ship. However in reality, the real achievement is making it through the challenges of our everyday lives and living in hope that the future will bring a happier more peaceful world. Conformity is one of the key themes to modern day survival and plays a major part in how the youth of today endure society’s views and expectations to be what the past generations have once been.

As children, people are crowded with ideas and concepts of what survival is really about and many characteristics’ are based around bravery, strength and the term ‘trust no one’. People learn to focus on these particular strengths and in turn allow them to play a major role in the development of their character. It teaches people that as soon as their own lives become something of a challenge to act out in ways that may only really work in the brutality of our childhood stories. When in reality, people need to stop rushing around their busy lives and learn to face life with a new found hope for the future, and only then will people learn that enduring today’s modern  society really is the most admirable feat mankind has ever faced.

Another common, mislead conception is that the concept of conformity plays no role in today’s world when really it could be seen as the one word definition for the modern day society. These days life is all about having enough money to fit in, or finally getting that dream job, perhaps its partying every weekend or going on a massive shopping spree, whichever it is,  it all stems from mankind’s desperate need to fit in. Consequently the majority of people fall victim to the world’s materialism, rather than enduring the conflict accompanied with going against the crowd and simple living just to live. There should be no need for the fastest car or the best clothes, life should just be about the most important things such as passion. People need to learn how to survive the pressure of conformity and how to endure the world’s harsh views, because at the end of somebody’s life, it is not the material achievements that they are worried about but rather the relationships with the people they love and support. A different kind of endurance is necessary to overcome this pressure of conformity resulting in a true tale of survival.

It may come as no surprise that many of today’s youth are pressured into things they would not otherwise do, however some of this ‘peer pressure’ originates from the older and supposedly ‘wiser’ generations. All of a sudden expectations are placed upon somebody, they are told who they should become and how they should act. What happens if the person giving instruction does not know the harsh realities they will face in life? Do the youth then proceed to face life’s challenges, ill-equipped with the necessary characteristics and tools to survive? Life isn’t a fairytale and if all somebody ever knew of the world was pretty pictures and happy little melodies then what do theytruly living what must be seen as a remarkable turn to when reality hits? People are naturally drawn to the quest for survival. Such stories make one feel hopeful and amazed that someone has achieved such a broken adventure, to see them return stronger gives somebody courage in their selves, a hope that maybe if the need called, they too could survive such a thing. So why can’t the older generations be a better example, perhaps sometimes the sheer brutality of reality needs to be told to the youth so they can be prepared for what is to come.

Perhaps it is fear that drives people to live such lives, simply the thought of not being part of the crowd somehow forces them to live in conformity. However there are some that choose to endure life as it comes more so than others. Most people survive reality and its hurdles simply by falling into a sort of invisible-ness but some choose to boldly stand out despite the obvious pressure. This really is a true tale of survival, not some childish adventure but the story of how people overcome the fear of conformity and live in such a way that endures the cruel words of society. They have to live with harsh remarks and overlying pressures, but somehow they manage to inspire the lives of many and truly live what must be a remarkable story of survival.

 http://computersight.com/computers/virtual-reality-vs-the-real-world/

http://gomestic.com/consumer-information/how-to-clear-out-your-wardrobe-and-make-money-on-ebay/

Some of the reasons people donate to charity are because they genuinely want to help the charity. This is a noble reason, and the “right” reason to donate. Others because they get the tax receipt, or because they had stuff to get rid of. Both reasons are fine.

However there is also a trend where people donate solely for the idea of getting attention, effectively they donate so they can brag about donating. These people seem to donate to charity so they can be worshiped as some sort of celebrity in their community. They wave their donation around like a badge, they want everyone to know that they made a donation. Their act of “charity” is just that; an act.

Of course it is great that a charity got a donation, but it is a bit sad that some people use charities as a way to become popular.

True acts of charity come from the heart, many of the most sincere acts of charity come from people who want no thanks, no praise, and no “pats on the back” for doing “the right thing”. These people might make anonymous donations, or they might not, but the point is they do not behave as though donating to charity was a popularity contest.

Charities know that many people donate because they want to look good in front of others. They hold events, such as charity auctions, in which people can make their donations (in the form of bidding on auction items) very public. Celebrities often use these events to look good to the public, but even in small communities members of the public also try to use these events to look like a local celebrity or hero.

In the end as long as the charity continues to get donations that should be the main thing, but I must give a shout out to all those people who donate to charities and do so without wanting their name on plaques on the wall, or without announcing it to the world; like the person who donated over a million dollars to an animal shelter in Detroit, or to my former neighbor who donated over a million dollars to charity and nobody knew until after he passed away and the receipts were found in his humble home.

Finally I wish to give thanks to anyone who has given to charity, even if for selfish reasons, it is still better than not giving to charity at all.  I want to encourage people to support local charities too!

Related Links

Healthy Donations Needed by Food Banks

Most Needed Donations by Animal Shelters

    A joke was told over a radio broadcast of a teacher who asked one of her students if he knew Jose Rizal; the said student confidently answered “Maam, I don’t know him,  but maybe he can be found in the other section or class.” Well, the story in that joke is overstated; we know for a fact that majority of the students, in the Philippines, knew Jose Rizal as their national hero.

    In the year 1896, Jose Rizal was executed at Bagumbayan;  the day was December 30. Based on that grim incident, a decree was instituted by the late President Emilio Aguinaldo, designating that such a day would be a special time to remember Jose Rizal’s life, works and accomplishments.

Jose Rizal was born in a town named Calamba, in the province of Laguna. He first saw the light of day on June 19,1861. He is the seventh among the eleven kids of Mr. Francisco Mercado and Mrs. Teodora  Mercado; his mother was his first teacher.  He began his education at home,  then continued it in a place called Binan. Rizal took his bachelor’s degree at Ateneo  Municipal de Manila, and got the highest honors. He then proceeded his studies by taking up medicine at the University of Santo Tomas, but did not finish it, for he felt that the Filipinos are being discriminated by the Dominican instructors. He later went to Spain and studied at Universidad Central de Madrid.  He finished his course in Philosophy with an excellent grade; he was only 24 during that time.

Jose Rizal studied also in other countries like Germany and France;  he was known as a man who hates violence. Rizal was a prolific writer, aside from the poems he wrote,  he had written two well known books bearing the titles “ Noli Me Tangere” ( meaning, Touch Me Not ) and “El Filibusterismo” ( The Rebel ). The stated books were written in foreign countries, Germany and Belgium respectively. Let us remember Jose Rizal and his example; his love for knowledge is worthy of emulation.

Rizal was immediately transferred to a chapel cell to wait for his last moment. Among those who visited him were his Jesuit professors at the Ateneo de Manila where he attended high school and earned the degree of Bachiller en Artes. There was no representative from the University of Santo Tomas where he pursued Medicine and Philosophy.

Standouts among those who viewed him on his last hour were his lawyer; his bodyguard; Fr. Federico Faura who had predicted that his novel the Noli Me Tangere would cost him his life; Fr. Vicente Balaguer who was known to have married him and Josephine Bracken and who convinced him to retract his “anti-Catholic” ideas found in his novels; Donya Teodora his mother; Trinidad his sister to whom he gave the alcohol cooking stove which contained his last poem of farewell; Josephine Bracken his “wife”.

About 6:30 a.m. of December 30, 1896 a trumpet heralded the start of Dr. Jose Rizal’s death march to Bagumbayan (now the Luneta or Rizal Park), a mound facing the sea. At a distance lay the island of Corregidor and the hills of Bataan. Four soldiers with bayoneted rifles formed the advance guard. A few meters behind them Rizal marched calmly in black suit, black derby hat, black shoes, white shirt, and black tie. His arms were tied from elbow to elbow, but the rope was loose enough to make him move. To the muffled sounds of the drums the cavalcade marched serenely. A few curious spectators lined the street from Fort Santiago to Plaza del Palacio of the Manila Cathedral.

Rizal and the cavalcade arrived at Bagumbayan at exactly 7:00 a.m. He faced the firing squad ready to be shot facing the enemy. He asked Captain Dominguez that he be shot through his heart but the request was denied because the death sentence specified that he be shot at the back. Rizal reluctantly turned his back facing the sea. Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo felt his pulse and was surprised to find that it was normal— meaning, he was not afraid to die. One friar came forward to let him kiss the Crucifix. Without a word he turned his face away. (Was this the action of a man who retracted his “anti-Catholic religious errors”?)

Captain Dominguez raised his sword and ordered the executioners: “Ready, aim, fire!” Riddled with bullets Rizal whirled and fell on his back, looking up at the sky. He died at exactly 7:03 a.m. on December 30, 1896. He was 35 years, 5 months, and 11 days old.

In his prophetic vision (like his dream which foretold the exact date of his execution, December 30) he had seen himself die (as described in the third stanza of his celebrated “Mi Ultimo Adios”, his last farewell poem) wherein he imagines his blood dyeing with crimson the newborn day.

I die just when I see the dawn break,
Through the gloom of night, to herald the day;
And if color is lacking, my blood thou shalt take,
Pour’d out at need for thy dear sake,
To dye with its crimson the waking ray.

In previous executions at Bagumbayan, it was normal for spectators to be noisy after the execution. But when Rizal fell Capt. Rafael Dominguez who supervised his execution ordered the crowd and his men to be silent. The silence was a recognition of “the brave recognizing the brave.”

Rizal’s remains were first buried at Paco Cemetery which, since early times had been a graveyard for early prelates and governors-general as well as victims of cholera that plagued Manila in 1820. Sixteen years later on December 30, 1912 his remains were exhumed and placed in a glass crypt at the base of Rizal’s present monument and tomb at the Luneta or Rizal Park (previously Bagumbayan where he had been shot by firing squad). The cemetery became a national shrine during the American Occupation.

Poor Captain Britain never really caught on before this groundbreaking story – He was a lazily composite mix of other heroes who just happened to be situated in the UK. He only had about thirty to forty adventures often in supplementary stories in magazines featuring the staple heroes such as The Hulk & Spiderman.

The central problem was that Captain Britain could have been anywhere and anyone. He might as well have been Captain Armenia, Captain Australia, Captain Cameroon, etc. The stories had few decent British characters or settings. People around Brian Braddock were just there to be gobsmacked when he flew by or saved them from the peril of the week. His commercial appeal was waning and he seemed destined to be scrapped and forgotten.

Dez Skinn set out to change the fortunes of Britain’s own hero, by rooting an adventure firmly in Celtic British mythical traditions and folk-lore, with greatly improved art-work. The result was The Black Knight quest for Otherworld, a Tolkien-derivative adventure with witches, wizards, elves and goblins galore.

The Black Knight is a genuinely intriguing figure, flying the skies on a Pegasus like winged horse called Valinor. We see him initially saving a crashing coast-guard helicopter on the Cornish coast, observed by a mysterious amnesia-suffering stranger, who we soon identify as Captain Britain.

The pair is soon attacked by various demonic entities unleashed by the evil Mordred, nemesis to King Arthur in the well-worn and trawled Mallory stories. Aided by a white witch (before Mordred turns her into a tree0, and a stranger known simply as The Walker (Aragorn in all but name), the heroes set off to find a mysterious magical realm called Otherworld, where Merlyn (a deliberate mis-spelling of Merlin), who will begin the process of identifying Captain Britain’s true origins and identity. Sadly, this is left for the next volume of the graphic collection, which gave space over to the Captain’s lesser adventures, the very stories deemed too weak to give him a long shelf life in the first place.

The Black Knight adventure is beautifully drawn and at times, genuinely intriguing, with odd touches, such as revealing who Captain Britain is even with no one really knowing for sure, and elves who are actually the size of dwarfs.

Ultimately, the revival worked, with the good Captain becoming more three dimensional, and enduring. Readers were buying the Hulk comics to see the man in red as much as the not-so-jolly green giant at work. The success lies in making the characters surrounding Captain Britain interesting and less stereotypical too, though Mordred seems to be little more than a nuisance villain who simply unleashes fresh menace every time the good guys beat the last one. Why he doesn’t turn the Knight and the flying hero into trees as he does with the witch is perhaps best not considered too deeply.

Arthur Chappell

Dr. Rizal was shot, but the musketry that snuffed his breath at Bagumbayan (now the Luneta or the Rizal Park), sounded the end of more than three centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines. It also heralded the birth of a new race of Filipinos. He and the Philippines have become the Filipino legacy. Before his execution there were only “Indios” or slaves. After his death the ideas and ideals which he nurtured in his own life and writings found their way into the national consciousness of the new Indio: the “Filipino”. 

Today the Filipinos are still fertilizing the future which Rizal had envisioned and for which he wished to be remembered. In a country like the Philippines (”the show window of Christianity and democracy in the Far East”) where the people reign supreme and God is the King, PEACE IS PRECIOUS AND BLOOD IS USELESS. At the EDSA Revolution to oust “Strongman” President Ferdinand Marcos, as the assault troops moved forward to kill, the world stood still and learned a lesson: that guns and pride cannot take the place of prayers and humility; that God does not march with iron-clad battalions but with the small man. The rest is for the world to emulate and remember. ###

An extra-violent Batman story, dealing with the difficulties faced in legally incarcerating The Joker, Batman’s most formidable and dangerous enemy.

Set right after The Joker’s first arrest by the vigilante Batman, the story has modern day devises like cell-phones and references to movies like Silence Of The Lambs, alongside older movie references such as that involving Carmen Miranda, but despite that, it is a very gripping fast paced, and even shocking story.

The Joker enjoys his arrest, mocking the cops and then killing many, as well as the judge who tries to sentences him, prison officers, cell mates and his own psychiatrist.

Gotham has no death penalty, so The Joker is able to show that he can take control in any prison or psychiatric facility. Arkham asylum for the criminally insane is opened specially for him, but even that proves incapable of stopping his rampage.

Not only does he kill people in immediate contact, the Joker also organizes the suicide of a cop’s wife by phone, and drives that cop into an insane murder spree of his own. Even Batman finds himself doing little more than cleaning up the mess created, with The Joker mocking him right to the closing panel.

There are pointless cameos by The Riddler, and Harvey dent (later Two-Face), but the emphasise on the sheer psychosis and pleasure in killing by The Joker is astonishing. Andrew Kriesberg writes well, capturing a sense of genuine frustration for the law in dealing with serial killers, and there are many memorable moments, such as having Batman / Bruce Wayne masquerading as a cell-mate to try to unearth what makes the Joker tick, only to have The Joker spot the ruse from the start.

A great work of retro-story telling, that is spoilt only by its modern period references.

Arthur Chappell

James 4:14 ( Bible / New living translation ) How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

 spoiler warnings

This was a great idea or a Cap’ America story and for the most part it works, but author, Jason Aaron spoils it in the end by having Steve Rogers saved by what he takes to be a miracle and becoming a born again Christian in the closing pages.

The opening borrows shamelessly from The Manchurian Candidate movie from the 1950’s with a group of prisoners of war being brainwashed into trying to kill a man who has been made virtually bullet proof by new batches of the secret soldier type of serum that made Captain America super-powered in the first place (though he was never bullet proof). 

The Captain himself, and a team of British SAS soldiers attack the compound and close down the operation, but the bullet proof man is killed before their eyes and his remains burnt by another apparent super-serum soldier, called Frank Simpson. He sees himself as the new and true Captain America, and even has the Stars & Stripes tattooed on his head. He attacks Captain America, injuring him badly, and escapes.

Steve Rogers recovers in Paris, to learn that Simpson was a botched attempt to make a new Super Soldier to replace him during his many years absent frozen in the arctic ice when he vanished towards the close of WW2. As the original super-soldier formula was lost, the work was complimented by cybernetics and steroid drug treatments that drove the new Captain America figure insane. Simpson had last been seen on a one-man rampage in Vietnam, before having turned up trying to sell the new secret soldier serums to the Koreans (the operation Rogers had stopped).

Rogers escapes (actually beating a woman up with her permission to help her cover for him), and goes to Cambodia to search for Simpson. There, he finds that ordinary men, women and children have been given the serum, and they beat the original Captain to a pulp. He wakes to find himself a prisoner of Simpson, who tries to brainwash him, and torture him into converting to his cause. He tells Captain America a great deal about the history America should be less proud of Vietnam, Watergate, etc, though Captain America knows of all this already from books and briefings by his allies. 

There are some good touches here. Simpson waterboards Captain America and tells him that this is what Americans do to their captives but fails to notice how he has become what he opposes, namely all that is bad in America.

Pushed to breaking point by the Apocalypse Now Captain Kurtz like Simpson, Steve Rogers is reduced to praying for a way out of the mess he is in.  The escape comes in the timely arrival in the cell of a poisonous snake, which Rogers exploits to help him over-power Simpson, beating him to a pulp before having him taken away by Shield agents as a prisoner.

Rogers argues theology with a sceptical Hawkman (one of his allies in The Avengers), before going to visit the incarcerated Simpson. The final panel shows Rogers reading the Bible to the prisoner, starting literally from the opening lines of Genesis (though the Bible is open half way through as Rogers reads this).

The conversion idea really angers me. Such heroes deserve to stay secular. Hopefully his newfound faith won’t be allowed to interfere with Rogers’s mentality in future Captain America adventures.

The artwork by Ron Garney is magnificent.

Arthur Chappell