Marvel Comics Attempting to Convert the Middle East into Thor Worshipers!

Marvel Entertainment, will be partnering with Teshkeel Media Group to "bring Arabic-language Marvel comics, trade paperbacks and magazines to the Middle East region. The agreement was announced by Naif Al-Mutawa, CEO of Teshkeel, and Bruno Maglione, President of Marvel International."

From the Desk of J. Jonah Jameson:

This move by Marvel can only be interpreted in one of two ways. Marvel is possibly continuing their insidious plot to advance the "Mutant Agenda" in some misguided attempt to end anti-mutant sentiments in the Middle East. We all know that Marvel has long been seeking to undermine our value systems to get people to think of mutants as anything other than the threat they are. These abominations have enough power to destroy the world! Need I remind anyone of the atrocities Magneto has committed?

The other possibility, and the more likely one in my opinion, is that Marvel desires to convert the world to Thor worship. Rumor has it that "Thorsday" celebrations have already begun in the Middle East, and this reporter has received news of "rain ceremony" sacrifices being made to the Thunder God. With America as the new Rome, will this ancient religion turn the Middle East into a new version of the Gothic hordes who conquered the once great empire?

My only question is what will Apocalypse, aka En Sabah Nur, think? More to the point...what will the people of the Middle East think about Apocalypse (one of Marvel's major supervillains), or of Sabra, aka Ruth Bat-Seraph, the superpowered Israeli special agent?

Who will offend them more?

Apocalypse?

or Sabra?

Two Updates in the PSP Revolution.

Sony is manufacturing a PSP compatible DVR. Take that $2.00 Desperate Housewives download Apple dudes!

Fred Davis at Always On has some interesting things to say as well.

I know that Apple has its loyal Macult members, but this PSP thing is amazing. I don't own one, and have resisted for some time, yet everyday some new pre-existing functionality comes to light. While I am still waiting for a PSP 2 to come along, I look at the PSP as a prototype, the device looks to be taking advantage of all that really cool technology Sony has been developing over the past decade.

[Thanks to Zonereyrie for the links]

A Better Version of Infinite Countdown/Crisis/...

Thanks to Monitor Duty for this link to a Countdown parody.

Will PSP Conquer iPod?

With the PSP, Sony may have begun a move to challenge Apple dominance in the "communications future." Officially there device can already, according to the website, store digital photos on the convenient and multi-compatible Memory Stick, store music in the robust ATRAC3 compression method on Memory Stick or Mini-Disk, Transfer video on those same systems, play games (naturally), and surf the internet at any internet accessible location. But that is not all the PSP can do. Reading Quick Foo today, I found that there is a device which will let you run your PSP on your TV. I don't know if this works, but if it does this means all those PSP movies are now available for easy transport and viewing. We already know, thanks to 1up, that you can read Manga on the PSP.

Seems to me that Sony has designed a device with greater functionality than Apple, but with none of the proprietary baggage.

Now if only I can get people to return to the word "webcasting" instead of "podcasting."

What Number One Wants for Christmas...

As they have yet to offer holiday vacations at the beautiful seaside community "The Village"...

I think I want a life sized working Robby the Robot for Christmas. At 5 cents under 50 grand, it's a bargain. If it were actually 50k, I would think twice about asking, but those 5 cents sure make a difference. If you want to buy me a "hand crafted" Robby, rather than the corporate one above, you can get one here.

D&D Has History on Its Side

It always fills my heart with warmth when a new person is brought into my favorite geek hobby. Yet it has seemed in the past that the Roleplaying establishment were satisfied with their current "market share" and were unwilling to advertise outside the existing players. Earlier this month, my opinion of the industry hadn't changed when I read that November 5th was World Wide Dungeons and Dragons day, after all the event was marketing "game days" at current niche gaming stores. Who goes to these except people who are already playing.

But lo and behold! It appears that Hasbro is a major sponsor of The History Channel's upcoming documentary about the Crusades. It looks like Hasbro is waking up to marketing in order to expand the hobby. Either that or someone at the History Channel is an RPG geek. Since THC has a card game called Anachronism (it's a pretty good one at that), my guess is that the latter is more likely.

Parents Television Council Releases TV Best and Worst List

The Parents Television Council, the modern equivalent of Tipper Gore's PMRC, has released their list of Best and Worst Television shows. The list is based on assumptions similar to that of former Hearst columnist Louella Parsons and Tipper Gore. Parsons has been quoted as saying: "The child's little mind is like a beautiful rosebud; if you force it open with unnatural things you will have a warped rose." (Thanks to Cathy Seipp for the quote). Naturally, according to the PTC, modern television is filled with many unnatural things. As for Tipper, well in her natural "I know better than you way" she said in her book, "It's not easy being a parent these days. It's even tougher being a kid. Perhaps together we can help our society grow up." Isn't that nice.

You probably have guessed by now that I don't much like these "what's wrong with the world today" lists. It isn't because I like the thought of 8 year-olds jackin' cars and smackin' hoes while playing GTA: San Andreas. My ire is raised because the advocates of these kinds of lists seem to be under the impression that we once lived in some Golden Age where young minds were pure and uncorrupted by sex, violence and drugs. It is true that in 1650 young people didn't read these kinds of stories, instead they lived them. I imagine the life of a child in Magdeburg in 1630 where he gets to see his father burned alive and his mother raped by imperial troops -- all of which happens before some pederast rapes and murders him or her -- and I start thinking about how nice it is that we can spend so many resources "protecting" our children from graphic images in modern society, and it is nice. I am grateful that we live in a world so peaceful and stable, at least here in the West, that we can worry about imagined explicit acts and how much they cause real immoral acts to occur. But I also know that much of the social science research in this area is deeply flawed by preconceived notions as to whether seeing violence causes violence, even if the witnessed violence is virtual. Before I dig myself too deep, let me just say this. I believe it is the duty of every parent to actively engage in their children's upbringing and to monitor their activities. It is also central that parents communicate and transmit virtuous character to their children. I don't like preachy people who come off as holier than thou telling me what is good and what isn't.

So without further ado, their list and my thoughts.

Best Shows, according to PTC:

1) Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Okay, I have to admit that this is pretty positive programming and I watch it when I loose faith in humanity, but I cry everytime I watch this show. It is so overwhelmingly manipulative of my emotions, so I don't watch it regularly.

2) Three Wishes. Nope, I don't watch EM:HE the NBC version because it is even more gratuitous in its manipulation of my emotions.

3) American Idol. Right, these are positive role models for children...Baby Mama anyone?

4) The Ghost Whisperer. Haven't seen it, have no interest. Seems like a schmaltzy combination of Sixth Sense and Necroscope, but no make me jump moments.

5) Everybody Hates Chris. Haven't seen it, have it on TiVo because everyone seems to like it. But seriously, the PTC recommending Chris Rock?

6) Reba. Don't watch it, can't say anything pithy.

7) Bernie Mac. Like it, don't watch it much.

8) Dancing with the Stars. Now we know who watched that show.

9) 7th Heaven. Huge guilty pleasure for me.

10) None. Are you kidding me?! What about Rock Star INX (it was no more/less immoral than American Idol)? How about Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy? Nope...nothing else kids can watch.

Worst Shows according to PTC:

1) The War at Home. This show bored the heck out of me, it was so forced that I was forced to change the channel. Okay, I think it's bad too, but that's just because I find it dull.

2) The Family Guy. Just like I don't like "preachyness," I hate forced sophistication and "edgyness." When a show is naturally edgy, or does it real well like South Park, I like it. Family Guy? Click. I think I'll watch the Simpsons.

3) American Dad. Yawn...is this a show? See comments re: Family Guy.

4) The O.C. I love this show and am certain that, just like Laura Ingraham, the PTC doesn't actually watch this show. Sure they describe the events from the episode descriptions, but do they actually watch the show. Sandy Cohen is one of the all time great fathers in television history. Sure there are drugs, sex, and scandal. But this is a show about how a family who loves one another deals with the problems around them. Your wife or mother is an alchoholic? Have an intervention and get her help! Yup...that's bad advice. Ryan drops out of school and doesn't want to apply for college? Talk to him about his problems, work through them and get him on track. Yup...that's bad advice. Tell woman, your first love in fact, who wants you to cheat on your wife with her no? Ooooh how shocking. As I said, I don't think they actually watch the show.

5) C.S.I. So criminal procedurals are a no go, but Ghost Whisperer is okay? Okaaaay. I understand the subject matter is a little "raw," but criminals are caught and punished and treated like scum. Isn't that what we want young people to learn?

6) Desperate Housewives. Don't watch it, but looks entertaining. Question to those of you who do. Do the characters who behave immorally not get punished or something?

7) Two and a Half Men. Obviously the PTC is confusing Charlie Sheen's private life with that of his character. Have you ever noticed the Charlie character, you know the playa, is often made the fool. Sure he doesn't learn from his past, but the anti-Charlie website episode was hilarious.

8) That 70's Show. Most of my comments about the O.C. apply here. Red rules. The PTC must be smoking dope.

9) Arrested Development. Too "edgy" for me.

10) Cold Case. Can't watch those procedurals. Is it because murderers are caught?

Maybe tommorrow, I will post the shows that I like. I won't post about the shows I don't like because I don't watch them.