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Fredric Wertham and the Comic Code Authority Making Comic Books Safe for Kids!!

One of the books that I am reading is Harold Schecter’s The Mad Sculptor: the maniac, the model and the murder that shook the nation. The Mad Sculptor is Robert Irwin, prior to committing the murder (I haven’t gotten that far yet) Irwin is committed to Bellevue hospital, after an attempt at a little self-emasculation (he stopped because of the pain). While he was there one of the psychiatrists who saw him was Fredric Wertham.
Frederic Wertham
 

Fredric Wertham (March 20, 1895 – November 18, 1981) was a German-born American psychiatrist and crusading author who protested the purportedly harmful effects of violent imagery in mass media and comic books on the development of children.[1] His best-known book was Seduction of the Innocent (1954), which purported that comic books are dangerous to children. Wertham’s criticisms of comic books helped spark a U.S. Congressional inquiry into the comic book industry and the creation of the Comics Code. He called television “a school for violence”, and said “If I should meet an unruly youngster in a dark alley, I prefer it to be one who has not seen Bonnie and Clyde.”[2] Comics, especially the crime/horror titles pioneered by EC, were not lacking in gruesome images; Wertham reproduced these extensively, pointing out what he saw as recurring morbid themes such as “injury to the eye”.[1] Many of his other conjectures, particularly about hidden sexual themes (e.g. images of female nudity concealed in drawings or Batman and Robin as gay partners), met with derision within the comics industry. Wertham’s claim that Wonder Woman had a bondage subtext was somewhat better documented, as her creator William Moulton Marston had admitted as much;[citation needed] however, Wertham also claimed Wonder Woman’s strength and independence made her a lesbian.[2] Wertham also claimed that Superman was both un-American and a fascist Wertham critiqued the commercial environment of comic book publishing and retailing, objecting to air rifles and knives advertised alongside violent stories. Wertham sympathized with retailers who did not want to sell horror comics, yet were compelled to by their distributors’ table d’hôte product line policies. Read more (Emphasis added)
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Today in History – July 31, 1200 – Byzantine's Game of "Broken"Thrones starring John "the Fat" Komnenos

On this day in the year 1201 or 1200? John Komnenos nicknamed “the Fat” attempted to usurp the imperial Byzantine throne from Alexios III Angelos – pizza (- sorry my mind just thinks pizza when it hears Angelos) Below is a map of the Byzantine Empire *circa 1204…..

Byzantium1215

Map to show the partition of the empire following the Fourth Crusade, c.1204. The overall outcome of the Crusades leaving the Empire permanently weakened.

John’s coup was launched on 31 July 1201, when the conspirators broke into the Hagia Sophia, where they swore to restore the Empire to its ancient bounds against the Vlach-Bulgarians, Seljuk Turks and the Latin Crusaders. While John was being proclaimed emperor and crowned by a monk – since Patriarch John X Kamateros hid himself inside a cupboard – the capital’s populace rioted outside and set fire to a number of churches.[11][12] Then the conspirators marched towards the Great Palace. Avoiding the Chalke Gate, which was held by the feared Varangian Guard, they made for the imperial box in the Hippodrome, the kathisma, which was connected to the palace precinct. John’s supporters indeed managed to drive off the Macedonian guard placed there and entered the palace through the Kareia Gate.[13][14] read more

Today in History – July 31, 1200 – Byzantine’s Game of “Broken”Thrones starring John “the Fat” Komnenos

On this day in the year 1201 or 1200? John Komnenos nicknamed “the Fat” attempted to usurp the imperial Byzantine throne from Alexios III Angelos – pizza (- sorry my mind just thinks pizza when it hears Angelos) Below is a map of the Byzantine Empire *circa 1204…..

Byzantium1215

Map to show the partition of the empire following the Fourth Crusade, c.1204. The overall outcome of the Crusades leaving the Empire permanently weakened.

John’s coup was launched on 31 July 1201, when the conspirators broke into the Hagia Sophia, where they swore to restore the Empire to its ancient bounds against the Vlach-Bulgarians, Seljuk Turks and the Latin Crusaders. While John was being proclaimed emperor and crowned by a monk – since Patriarch John X Kamateros hid himself inside a cupboard – the capital’s populace rioted outside and set fire to a number of churches.[11][12] Then the conspirators marched towards the Great Palace. Avoiding the Chalke Gate, which was held by the feared Varangian Guard, they made for the imperial box in the Hippodrome, the kathisma, which was connected to the palace precinct. John’s supporters indeed managed to drive off the Macedonian guard placed there and entered the palace through the Kareia Gate.[13][14] read more

Say “Happy Birthday, Gracie” – “Happy Birthday, Gracie” – It’s Gracie Allen’s Birthday – July 26,1895!!

Gracie Allen

So on this date in 1895, yes, you read that right,1895, one of the great comic actors of all time was born, Gracie Allen. From the time she began performing with her husband George Burns in vaudeville in 1922, until they finished production on their TV show in 1958, Americans loved the antics of Gracie. I have fond memories of the George Burns and Gracie Allen TV show. I remember watching it in the afternoon,so it must have been in the 60s when I was watching because the show ended its regular run in 1958, but reruns were shown on CBS in the daytime throughout the 60s. read more

Thoughts Re:Tom Petty Billboard Interview, Huckabee's Vicious Dog Comment, and Gov. Deval Patrick's Compassion!

 

tom_petty_billboard_cover_a_p

From The Hollywood Reporter


The other day I read a post about Tom Petty’s recent interview in Billboard. In the interview Petty spoke about  the church, and sex abuse, which forms the controversial message behind his new song “Playing Dumb”. Petty related that the song addresses the way that the church sat idly by, while child after child was sexually assaulted by members of the clergy, essentially “playing dumb” while children were hurt! Some of Petty’s quotes from the interview include read more

Thoughts Re:Tom Petty Billboard Interview, Huckabee’s Vicious Dog Comment, and Gov. Deval Patrick’s Compassion!

tom_petty_billboard_cover_a_p

From The Hollywood Reporter

The other day I read a post about Tom Petty’s recent interview in Billboard. In the interview Petty spoke about  the church, and sex abuse, which forms the controversial message behind his new song “Playing Dumb”. Petty related that the song addresses the way that the church sat idly by, while child after child was sexually assaulted by members of the clergy, essentially “playing dumb” while children were hurt! Some of Petty’s quotes from the interview include read more

Exploring Indonesia’s Election of Joko Widodo as the Nation’s 7th President!

On Tuesday 0f  this week Joko Widodo, often better known by his abbreviated name Jokowi was named President-elect of Indonesia. Jokowi collected 53% of the vote over his opponent Prabowo Subianto, who withdrew from the race prior to the completion of the count and is contesting the election! Currently, Jokowi is Governor of Jakarta, a post to which he will return, until the start of his official term as the 7th President of Indonesia, which begins on October 20, 2014.

Now the question becomes two-fold, first who is this Joko Widodo and the second does an election in Indonesia really matter. Well, maybe the second question should really come first, does an election in Indonesia matter, to answer that question let’s explore a little about Indonesia. From Wikipedia” read more

Exploring Indonesia's Election of Joko Widodo as the Nation's 7th President!


On Tuesday 0f  this week Joko Widodo, often better known by his abbreviated name Jokowi was named President-elect of Indonesia. Jokowi collected 53% of the vote over his opponent Prabowo Subianto, who withdrew from the race prior to the completion of the count and is contesting the election! Currently, Jokowi is Governor of Jakarta, a post to which he will return, until the start of his official term as the 7th President of Indonesia, which begins on October 20, 2014.
Now the question becomes two-fold, first who is this Joko Widodo and the second does an election in Indonesia really matter. Well, maybe the second question should really come first, does an election in Indonesia matter, to answer that question let’s explore a little about Indonesia. From Wikipedia” read more

William Burt patents the "Typographer" the first typewriter! (July 23, 1829) Then the Solar Compass and Equatorial Sextant!

301px-William_A_Burt_1873
On this day in 1829 William A Burt patented the “Typographer”, which was a predecessor to today’s typewriter. According to Burt, the typographer was the first constructed and operating typewriter in the world. Through the years Burt has been referred to as the “father of the typewriter”
Burt’s great-grandson Austin Burt, built a working model of the machine for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Burt used a parchment copy of the original patent (No. 5581X) as a guide. It took him a month to construct the model because many of the parts had to be made by hand! Here’s a picture of the  model taken at the University of Minnesota, where the young Burt was an engineering student, and where the model was on display prior to being taken to the World’s Fair in April of 1893.
220px-W_A_Burt_typographer
From Wikipedia: read more

William Burt patents the “Typographer” the first typewriter! (July 23, 1829) Then the Solar Compass and Equatorial Sextant!

301px-William_A_Burt_1873

On this day in 1829 William A Burt patented the “Typographer”, which was a predecessor to today’s typewriter. According to Burt, the typographer was the first constructed and operating typewriter in the world. Through the years Burt has been referred to as the “father of the typewriter”

Burt’s great-grandson Austin Burt, built a working model of the machine for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Burt used a parchment copy of the original patent (No. 5581X) as a guide. It took him a month to construct the model because many of the parts had to be made by hand! Here’s a picture of the  model taken at the University of Minnesota, where the young Burt was an engineering student, and where the model was on display prior to being taken to the World’s Fair in April of 1893. read more