Back When You Took Your First Step Into A Larger World

Get on over to Superfun Happy Slide's blog and relive the glory days of Zellers and Star Wars toys.

As an enterprising young Star Wars fan of the late 70s and early 80s, Zellers was home to some of my greatest moody moments and temper tantrums. While my parents could never understand the allure of Zeller's toy section and how it could change the rational child I usually was into one that was induced into a temporary phase of I want, my passions were awakened as soon as we walked through the doors. In all honesty, I can't really be too hard on my parents, after all, they were soooooo old. Yes, Zellers was my Star Wars destination of choice and my still developing 8-year old rationality was stressed to its absolute finest fibers upon entry into that beautiful consumer's wonderland. Looking back now, I know that the lovely red glow of the Big Z owned my soul.

Atheism, Failed Science And Bad Philosophy

Here is a guest post from frequent commenter Honshui. I'll see you in the comments.


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I was reading today about how atheists in santa monica have taken over the display space that previously held nativity scenes for Christmas. The Christians who have been crowded out from doing their festive display claim that the atheists "gamed the system" to get said space and they are none too pleased about the atheist statements about their blessed holiday.(http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/us/santa-monica-nativity-scenes-replaced-by-atheists.html ).

As a committed agnostic I find the atheist religion amusing to watch. Like other intolerant religions, atheists cannot let people with other beliefs be. They feel a need to confront the other believers I presume in an attempt to convert them to atheism. Atheists are 21st century missionaries!

Now before the atheists get their knickers in a knot over being called a religion let me state my case that agnosticism is the only non-faith based position one can take. To be an atheist one must have faith that there is nothing like a god or higher power. If atheists truly understood science then they would see this but atheists are not scientists, they are philosophers relying on logic to infer the uninferrable.

Christians believe that there is a god. Atheists who believe that there is no god challenge Christians to prove that there is a good. If we were conducting this in a scientific way, then we would form a "null hypothesis" to test like: Ho: There is no god, against an alternative hypothesis Ha: There is a god. If empirical evidence could be generated to prove that there is a god then presumably the atheist would convert to christianity since the burden of proof would be to reject the null hypothesis. The tricky part for atheists comes from what to do when there is no evidence that there is a god. You cannot reject the null hypothesis. Atheists then make a flawed logical assertion that failure to reject the null means that one must accept the null -- ergo, there is no god. The problem with the atheist position that a lack of evidence that there is a god does not prove that there is no god. In the scientific method you can reject the null hypothesis but you cannot prove it is true. Thus, all we can say from this scientific test where we do not reject the null hypothesis is that we don't know if there is or is not a god. Ergo, the agnostic position is the appropriate one to take unless you have faith that there is no god. In this case, the faith or belief that there is no god guides the atheist making it just another religion that really doesn't fit well with science.

Magneto's Gonna Make You Blow Up? Put on a Happy (Iridium) Face!

Mettle, laid-back surfer dude and young Avenger. He's cool, he's calm, he's super strong and he's made entirely of living iridium.

Mettle has been through a lot in the past 6-7 issues. He's killed people, he's almost had sex with a toxic waste spill, and he's visited himself in the future (spoiler: still bald). Through it all, Sean Chen and Tom Raney have done a bang up job in bringing life and emotion to a metal skull.

Here's determined Mettle.

Here we have concerned Mettle.

This is Mettle looking pensive. This is a different panel. Swearsies.

Finally, Mettle looking quizzical.

My hat is off the Raney and Chen. I can't imagine they're excited about trying to bring emotion to a metal skull head, and they do a fine job along with the help of the writing of Cristo Gage and the lettering, and the inking, and the coloring.

Dinos Cheat Their Way to 8-0 Season, Still Lose in Playoffs

Stung by their repeated and annual failure to advance to the Vanier Cup, the Calgary Dinos Football team has had to rely on skulduggery and cheating in order to improve their 2011 regular season record. Thanks to the UBC Thunderbirds fielding an ineligible player, the Dinos now see their regular season record go to 8-0. Sadly for the Dinos, they had only themselves to blame for going 0-1 in the CupBowl, a game, in which it MUST be noted, that they played at home. No travel. Easy-peasy. Pumpkin-squeazy.

In light of this offense taken by an unnamed player, questions must be asked. How long did he play for Calgary? Did the Dinos coaching staff tell him to hide the truth of his eligibility when they forced him to transfer to UBC, and why did similar "transfers" not work work with Laval? Were those western quislings discovered, or were they simply too shitty to make the Rouge et Or? Why is no one asking these questions?

Here's to you Dinos. Here's to you turning failure into winning, the kind that comes with a "participant" ribbon.

Two Curmudgeons, 1 Clip

What to get two curmudgeons for Christmas? How about the same thing?

Sean Twist wants you to know that Christmas "...isn't about caring for one another--it's about showing how each of us can out-do the other."

As I like Sean to be right (and so does his wife; makes him less grumpy/suicidal) I present the two-post worthy, almost-hand-made, Christmas wreath, as done up by Kevin from the Theater of Cruelty.

In contrast, here we have another Londoner, just a short throw from Kevin's house, and his attempt at Christmas cheer.

Don't be discouraged Kevin, this guy is competing with his neighbour, who also has a display, both bright and animated, to match. Keep in mind the words of London's Lord of the Dark. He says that you and this guy with the huge electical bill are both doing your part to "Go back to the pagan roots of this celebration, ...the real reason people like to get drunk and hang out with each other was to take their minds off the dark. Off the cold."

I say your wreath and big display guy have done just that. Thank you.

So, where's the mead and the mushrooms?

Sometimes You Can Get to Watusi Through A Horse

You start with Denise discussing art. Terms like "anus", and "feces", and "horse carcass", and "Star Wars" get bandied about, as they often do when discussing modern art. Invariably, the talk gets dirty, with "c**t dip" and "salad tossing" becoming part of the back and forth till finally a real artist steps in to set everyone straight.

The artist is Kevin Peddicord, and he painted this.

Kevin tells me that he was inspired by Guadalcanal Diary and their song "Watusi Rodeo".

You can get there from here. You just have to sleep in a horse carcass to do it.

C'Mon, It Totally Looks Like Sylvia & Korob

So varied and wonderful are the gifts we receive at Christmas.

Behold the centre piece gifted to us by my usually very talented mother-in-law.

Sure it's kind of ugly and tacky and styrofoam. But what it is, or should be, is a tribute Sylvia and Korob, the Ornithoids from Pyris VII.

You know, the weird aliens who were cats and Raveen, and killed a couple of red shirts.

Second season? First episode? "Catspaw"?

Nobody?

How about now?

How about now?



Really? I mean look at these two freakish puppets:

Well, that's my tortured story, and I'll be telling everyone who comes in the door, just to make them regret showing up. Merry Christmas!