Valore.
by Jon HassingerEvery once in a while, I'll pick up the mail for work...
I don't really mind, since it gives me time, to walk outside, and enjoy the beautiful weather.
The pretty palm trees. The clear blue sky..
Sometimes I'll just stand still, and breathe in the fresh air.
I mean c'mon, nothing like a nice stroll outside to get the blood flowing, before a long day's work.
Ahhhh... It's good to be alive.
Rocky III
by Mike Agnew Jr.
Newest...Second...Cousin?
Welcome to the world
Rocco Louis Danio III
8.8 lbs
...and a little photoshop later...
DC University : The Spectre
by Mike Agnew Jr.Characters of the DC Universe fall into several categories: aliens, magicians, demons, time-travelers, etc. The Spectre falls into a very specific category only one other character shares (as far as I know). To be honest I just found this out in one of the recent comics I read. The other interesting point here is that comic book characters develop just like the stories. They grow and change and even have revelations from time to time. The Spectre is the perfect example of this because he has a few origins, many of them conflicting. This occurs a lot when writers want to resurrect stories and characters from the past. They sit around and try to think up some way to bring some minor character back into the picture and usually get scrutinized for it. But I digress, time to meet the Spectre.
He's Tan....like me
He is the wrath of God incarnate. See I told you, whole new category. Let's jump into the back story...the original back story. God is good. Devil builds up an army. The Devil revolts against God. Devil loses. God smites him. Yay God. As the story goes the Spectre was one of the angels that revolted with the devil but later repented. God punishes the Spectre by sending him to earth deal out judgment, which he carries out in a very poetic and sometimes completely misguided way. For instance, in the case of the pending execution of a wrongfully convicted man. His death sentence was commuted to life in prison after the Spectre threatened to kill the entire population of the state of New York in retribution, arguing that if the execution was carried out, the "people of the state of New York" would become guilty of murder in his eyes. For those of you who have read the bible or just the cliff notes, the angel of death that killed all the first born sons of Egypt....the Spectre....at least according to the DCU.
Hal Jordan as the Spectre
To balance this wrathiness, the Spectre has always been paired with a human host. Someone to say, "Hey you know wiping out New York is not such a good idea." You end up with a buddy system that makes situations very intense and confrontational as an internal debate ensues. Jim Corrigan, a murdered cop who decided to reject the afterlife, assumed the role of the Spectre for a very long time. He is the version of the Spectre we see as part of the JSA(Justice Society of America, a 1950's style Justice League). Later on his soul found rest and for a while the Spectre was on his own. At one point he was tricked into thinking that all the magic elements in the world were evil and had to pass judgment on them. I would say a good 50-60% of all magic characters were killed off in the chaos that was the Day of Vengeance. Soon the role was passed to one of my favorite characters, the late (at the time) Hal Jordan. After the Green Lantern went a little nuts and tried to rewrite the universe....yes...that's right. He eventually let his guard down and was killed by the Justice League (see Zero Hour). Hal was a cool host for the Spectre because he argued with the ridiculous totalitarian logic of the Spectre on almost every occasion.
To really get a feel for the Spectre you have to read all the big events, Infinite Crisis, Day of Vengence, Identity Crisis...there are a few more but the names escape me.
At one point he was labeled as too powerful but the writers of DC. How is Superman going to beat the Wrath of God? By punching him? So eventually they gave him the weakness of blind justice and absolute power. When you read a Spectre story there will always be a point where you put down the book and figure out what side you would be on; what you would tell the Spectre. Then you hope it plays out that way.
I like the Spectre. He's mid-level character but definitely one of the good ones.
Read: Books of Magic; Day of Vengeance; Crisis on Infinite Earths; Zero Hour
Hi, My Name is Mike Agnew.
by Mike Agnew Jr.Well I have been busy and left this blog to dwindle in the wind. With work, school, videos, a little brother, and a girlfriend, I have been stretched quite thin. Not that I am complaining, but this is a formal apology. A formal apology that will hopefully stop the Hassinger's Mind jokes. Even though I don't mind them at all because all of my friends pretty much make up my mind. 
I wouldn't think the way I think if it wasn't for them. So it's all part of the same thing.
It's a remix...shut up.
So I think I got stuck when it came to writing the DC University. I got all caught up in getting everything exactly right and became consumed by the research. In the next few weeks you can expect to read articles on The Spectre, Booster Gold, The Death of Bruce Wayne, and, my favorite topic, The Origin of the Joker.
Along the lines of comic books, I will also be posting all the reasons why Heroes had all the potential of becoming a great show and threw it all away to become a prime time soap opera.
I will take some time to brag about my Motorola Droid and what it actually does. I will give my opinion on the best apps and also what the greatest annoyances are. Eventually Bill and I will switch phones for the weekend and give a real showdown comparison of the Droid vs. the iPhone.
Finally I will be building the SDAND website with Flash. I will post about my progress and find ways to explain working with flash and photoshop in plain english. I will also be posting updated information on the Summertime SDAND event set for July 24th.
P.S. There are a few other side projects I plan to work on. One of them being turning one of my previous posts into a book, a novel of sorts. Wait. Wait. Ok now that all the eye rolls have finished....you know you will read it if I do write it.
Also thanks to Jon for keeping this slumbering bear of a website alive. I'm calling all the baby daddies out. Where's the Fatherly Advice?
It’s easy being Green.
by Jon Hassinger
In these times, when everyone is doing their "best" to save the world, last Sunday, Renee and I decided to give these "Green Bags" a test.
The idea that a specific environmentally safe plastic-type bag, is not only safer for the planet, but keeps produce fresher, longer.
So we used grapes and strawberries, which as you know can have a short shelf-life.
Obviously you do the same prep-work you would do for all your fruit.
Clean and dry.
Don't these grapes look so damn good? Like in Ancient Egypt.
And then they are stored.
I must admit I had my doubts. But I was able to have 5-8 strawberries everyday at work for a mid-day snack, with no sings of mushiness. Renee actually finished off the last of them today, by the pool.
The grapes have barely been touched, only for a tiny bit I enjoyed last Wednesday, and the rest of the bunch, in perfect form.
Consensus: Worth it. Plus they are reusable.
HAPPY Birthday, to Me.
by Jon HassingerAround 2 years ago, back in the Manayunk days, Renee decided to throw a whole bunch of veggies, some boneless pork chops, and a homemade broth, into a slow cooker. She let it simmer for around 3-4 hours.
Afterwords, what I ate was the most delicious meal I have ever tasted. Since then I have asked and asked for her to re-make this wonderful dish. But she refused, for fear of being unable to reproduce what I called "My favorite dinner, ever".
So yesterday, I used my birthday as a loop-hole to ONCE AGAIN, FINALLY, feast upon the Pork Chop Stew.
And like always, my fiance did not disappoint...
The Story of Sick-Jon Continues
by Jon HassingerI used to make fun of germ freaks. I mean, if you don't build some sort of tolerance, a simple cough could kill you!
I ate from the community bowl of nuts Ben Stiller warns Jennifer Aniston about in "Along Came Polly". I used public rest rooms, and port-o-potties. And I still tried to shake people's hands during the "sign of peace" at Mass, even when everyone else was terrified of the swine flu. Now we all just wave, which I actually prefer because it's easier to connect with more people. But during the swine flu scare, I was not afraid!
I was never afraid of germs, until now. Until this:
This damn germ-trap has taken down 4 of my fellow Nature City employees over the past 2 weeks!
Sitting atop the water-cooler that everyone uses multiple times a day,this bowl comes in contact with our germ-ridden hands, a lot.
I'd grab some every morning when filling my water bottle, to start the day. Next thing I know, I had a 103 degree fever.
When I finally returned to work, first thing I did was fill my water bottle. And, as if by some habit, went to grab some of these unnamed candies. I stopped, and it all made sense.
I am terrified of all said situations previously stated.
New Book
by Jon HassingerMy buddy Bob went to space camp when he was younger, and fell in love with outer space. He's even held shuttle launch parties, because from some points down here in South Florida, you can watch the shuttle actually soar through the sky, and disappear into space. Which is pretty amazing.
However, this book, so far, focuses very loosely on all things space travel, and more tightly on, in certain circles, the rock-star life style of astronauts.
I'm on page 100, and so far, so good.
Delve into Agnew’s Mind
What you think?
Loading ...Recent Comments
- Mike Agnew Jr. on Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Jon Hassinger on Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Jon Hassinger on Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Mike Agnew Jr. on Safe-Time Continuum
- Amanda on Safe-Time Continuum
