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War of the Weasels
Dave Thomas
Skeptical Inquirer Volume 34.3, May / June 2010
An Evolutionary Algorithm Beats Intelligent Design
How an intelligent design theorist was bested in a public math competition by a genetic algorithm—a computer simulation of evolution.
In the summer of 2006, a different kind of war was waged on the Internet—a war between computer programs written by both evolutionary scientists and by intelligent design (ID) advocates. The war came to a climax in a public math competition in which dozens of humans stepped forward to compete against each other and against genetic ("evolutionary") computer algorithms. The results were stunning: The official representative of the intelligent design community was outperformed by an evolutionary algorithm, thus learning Orgel's Second Law—"Evolution is smarter than you are"—the hard way. In addition, the same IDer's attempt to make a genetic algorithm that achieved a specific target without "specification" of that target was publicly exposed as
a rudimentary sham. And finally, two pillars of ID theory, "irreducible complexity" and "complex specified information" were shown not to be beyond the capabilities of evolution, contrary to official ID dogma.
Genetic Algorithms
"Genetic algorithms" (GAs) are computerized simulations of evolution. They are used to study evolutionary processes and solve difficult (and sometimes intractable) design or analysis problems. Several novel designs generated with genetic algorithms have been patented (Brainz.org 2008). Evolutionary algorithms are currently used in a variety of industries to get effective answers to very difficult problems, including problems whose brute-force solutions would require centuries, even on superfast computers. In contrast, GAs can often produce highly useful results for the same problems in just a few minutes.
The basic idea for a genetic algorithm is simple. You start with a randomly generated "herd" of possible solutions to a given difficult problem, where the general structure of any conceivable solution can be represented with a chunk of memory in a computer program. Treat the members of this herd as "organisms," and test every herd member's performance with a fitness function. While the fitness function can be written in terms of proximity to a distant known "target," it is more often just a straightforward calculation of some parameter of interest, such as the length or cost of some component or feature, or perhaps the gain of a wire antenna. Any candidate organism can have its fitness readily measured, and the performances of any number of candidates can be impartially compared. The fitness test is commonly used to help decide which organisms get to be "parents" for the next generation of organisms. Throwing in some mutations, and letting higher-fitness organisms breed for a few hundred generations, often leads to surprising (and sometimes even astonishing) results.
Creationists and intelligent design proponents vigorously deny the fact that genetic algorithms demonstrate how the evolution of novel and complex "designs" can happen. They claim that GAs cannot generate true novelty and that all such "answers" are surreptitiously introduced into the program via the algorithm's fitness testing functions. The support for this claim stems mainly from a few pages of a book Richard Dawkins wrote nearly twenty-five years ago.
Dawkins and the Weasel
Creationists have been fixated for decades on Richard Dawkins's "Weasel" simulation from his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker (Dawkins 1986). Unlike real genetic algorithms developed for industry or research, Dawkins's Weasel algorithm included a very precise description of the intended target. However, this precise specification was used only for a tutorial demonstration of the power of cumulative selection rather than for generation of true novelty. In the Dawkins example, the known target is the phrase from Hamlet, "Methinks it is like a weasel." The organisms are initially random strings of twenty-eight characters each. Every generation is tested, and the string that is closest to the target Weasel phrase is selected to seed the subsequent generation. The exact Shakespearean quote is obtained in just a few dozen generations. Despite Dawkins's explicit disclaimer that, in real life, evolution has no long-distance target, creationists of all varieties have latched on to "Weasel" as a convenient straw version of evolution that is easy to poke holes in.
The main ID theorist dealing with genetic algorithms is William Dembski, who stated the ID/creationist position as of September 2005 with these words:
And nevertheless, it remains the case that no genetic algorithm or evolutionary computation has designed a complex, multipart, functionally integrated, irreducibly complex system without stacking the deck by incorporating the very solution that was supposed to be attained from scratch (Dawkins 1986 and Schneider 2000 are among the worst offenders here). (Dembski 2005)
Stephen Meyer is a top gun in the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, the Seattle-based center of ID pontification and promotion. In Meyer's "peer-reviewed" ID paper, "The Origin of Biological Information and the Higher Taxonomic Categories," he states:
Genetic algorithms ... only succeed by the illicit expedient of providing the computer with a target sequence and then treating relatively greater proximity to future function (i.e., the target sequence), not actual present function, as a selection criterion. (Meyer 2004)
Both Dembski and Meyer cite Weasel in these statements and go on to claim that all GAs are similarly targeted. And that is the gist of the formal ID response to genetic algorithms: paint them all with the Weasel brush, and pretend they all need predefined targets to work.
Steiner's Problem
In 2001, as I was preparing a response to an upcoming talk by ID's Phillip Johnson at the University of New Mexico, I decided to address the Weasel problem. I set out to develop a genetic algorithm of my own for solving difficult math problems, without using any specified target. I wanted something visual yet simple—a sort of miniature digital playground on the very edge of complexity. I ended up choosing "Steiner's Problem": given a two-dimensional set of points, find the most compact network of straight-line segments that connects the points (Courant and Hilbert 1941).
In Steiner's problem, there can be variable "Steiner points" in addition to the fixed points that are to be connected. If there are four fixed points arranged in a rectangle, the Steiner solution consists of five segments connected in a bowtie shape; each of the points on the rectangle's corners connects to one of two Steiner points in the interior of the rectangle, and a fifth segment connects the two Steiner points (figure 1).
A Genetic Algorithm for Steiner's Problem
In my Steiner genetic algorithm, the organisms are represented by strings of letters and numbers—a kind of primitive "DNA." Two such DNA strands are shown in figure 2. The strands, when read by the transcription routine, supply three types of information about the network represented by each organism: the number of Steiner points, the numerical locations of these points, and a true/false connection map that dictates which points are to be connected by segments.
Steiner points can be placed anywhere in the region encompassing the fixed points; for these simulations, the region is a square with 999 units on a side. Length is measured in these units; for example, the length of the horizontal segment joining points (550,600) and (650,600) is 100 units.
Some representative networks for a six-point Steiner problem appear in figure 3. These are the "phenotypes" that correspond to the transcription of DNA (or the "genotype"). The fitness function used tests for two things: Are the fixed points all connected? What is the total length of all "expressed" segments? It's critical to emphasize that the fitness function need not have any descriptions of the actual Steiner solution for any given set of points. Fitness, here, is not based on any specific future function but only on present function. For example, the two organisms of figure 3 are clearly not the optimum Steiner solution for six fixed points (solid circles) in a rectangle. Yet, they can both easily be evaluated for current function. Here, the organism on the right is considerably shorter than the one on the left, and thus it has a better chance of having its "seed" continue on to the next generation. If an organism fails to connect all the given points, it is given a large "death" length of 100,000 units, making it extremely "unfit."
The Cyber Battles Begin
I posted a detailed discussion of this work on the Panda's Thumb blog on July 5, 2006. The point of that report was to demonstrate that genetic algorithms can solve difficult problems without knowing anything about the answer(s) in advance. I demonstrated that, while occasionally producing the correct (Steiner) solution, most of the time the algorithm converged on imperfect solutions. I called these "MacGyver" solutions, after the television hero who often found clever ways to get out of tough fixes. While the MacGyver solutions are clearly not the optimum Steiner shape, they get the job done efficiently and are often within one percent of the length of the formal Steiner solution itself. The GA operates by seeding the next generation with those organisms that are shorter in length in the current generation. This GA does not, as Meyer falsely claims, select for future function (a precise target) rather than for present function (here, the lengths of the digital creatures).
The ID community responded to my article by simply reiterating their claim that the solutions were secretly introduced via the fitness function. IDers are desperate to make Dawkins's Weasel the poster boy for all GAs, and they continue to paint all GAs as similarly "target-driven" or "front-loaded." Some ID theorists have tried to skirt the obvious lack of specific target description in the Steiner genetic algorithm by claiming that its virtual environment—the condition "shorter is better"—is really a description of the "precise target" itself. They say, "After all, you wanted shorter networks, and the Steiner solution is defined as the shortest network, so you are selecting for a specific target!"
This ID argument fails because the specific details of complex solutions are not explicitly imbedded in the overall design goals. To use an analogy, simply stating the objective "Build a vehicle that can carry men to the Moon and back" does not result in the spontaneous appearance of the complete plans for an Apollo spacecraft (with separate command, service, and lunar modules), along with a Saturn V launch vehicle.
The Collapse of the Pillars of ID Theory
One reason I chose Steiner's problem was that Steiner solutions possess "irreducible complexity" (IC) and also exhibit "complex specified information" (CSI), two features that intelligent design theorists claim are impossible via evolutionary processes. I contend that the results of the GA—both Steiners and MacGyvers—exhibit IC: if any segment is removed or rerouted, basic function of the system (here, connecting the fixed points) is lost completely. In addition, the Steiner solutions themselves are CSI, by virtue of their being complex (in the sense that the correct answer is rare enough to be improbable) and by virtue of their nature as specified information (as the formal solution to a given math problem).
ID proponents responded by claiming that the Steiner solutions discussed were "not really IC," even though these solutions obviously represent "a single system composed of several well-matched, interacting parts that contribute to the basic function, wherein the removal of any one of the parts causes the system to effectively cease functioning," the very definition of IC from Michael Behe's book Darwin's Black Box (Behe 1996). Behe goes on to claim that IC structures are impossible in gradual evolution (improvement by slight, successive modifications to precursor systems) "because any precursor to an irreducibly complex system that is missing a part is by definition nonfunctional."
The general ID response to my article was that the Steiner solutions could not be IC because they were derived from ancestors that were longer but still functional. So, the very existence of functional precursors is now being used to redefine irreducible complexity. IC apparently no longer has anything to do with the existence of critical, precisely interlocking components. This is classic goal-post movement. The concept of IC has become a useless tautology: if it's IC, it can't have evolved, and if it evolved, it can't be IC. Of course, Behe was thinking only about bottom-up evolution initially. In the Steiner GA, however, populations of organisms often become less complex through shedding of redundant complexity. This type of pathway to IC structures has been observed numerous times in nature.
The ID Version of a Genetic Algorithm
Bill Dembski's coauthor of his Uncommon Descent blog, software engineer Salvador Cordova, was the most prominent member of the ID community to weigh in on the series of GA articles. Cordova repeatedly misrepresented GAs as necessarily "front-loaded" and dismissed the results as "computational theatrics." On August 15, 2006, Cordova posted his code for a genetic algorithm, which he contended could solve for the sum of the first 1,000 integers without specifying the answer. He said this program was based on the same "theatrics" I was employing in my Steiner GA. However, I proved that his program was, despite copious amounts of smoke and mirrors, simply a direct method of specifying the answer, or target. Instead of matching the string "Methinks it is like a weasel," Cordova engineered his GA to converge on the specific target sequence 251, 252, 253, ... 750. Cordova then added these 500 numbers and doubled that sum, inevitably arriving at the sum of the integers from 1 to 1,000, or 500,500. It was easy to prove that his badly written and confusing program was a direct encoding of a fixed target, leading directly to the summation of the first N integers.
The Design Challenge
On August 14, 2006, I posted a public "Design Challenge" on the Panda's Thumb blog in which readers were given one week to submit answers for the tricky six-point Steiner system shown in figure 4. It was an open-book test. Since the ID person responding to this discussion, Salvador Cordova, had been claiming that the answer was "front-loaded" into the fitness test, I challenged him to follow that lead to the answer.
I had come up with the six-point problem two days earlier, while trying to design a system that would have the "double bowtie" as its Steiner solution (figure 5). Upon reviewing an overnight batch of three-hundred runs, however, I was surprised to see solutions with lengths much shorter than the double bowtie's 1,839 units. And when I checked out the GA's best solution, the odd design shown in figure 6, it was like finding a diamond in the rough. I realized the GA had found the correct Steiner solution, and it wasn't what I had been expecting at all. Instead of the double bowtie, the actual Steiner solution twists both bowties a bit, and they become conjoined in a three-segment "dogleg" along the center vertical. There are two possible Steiners, one with the bowties skewed up and the other with them skewed down. The GA found both solutions, along with hundreds of compact MacGyvers.
Dozens of Panda's Thumb readers responded to the Design Challenge. Most were pro-science enthusiasts, but ID theorist Cordova submitted several candidate answers as well. Cordova had repeatedly compared the Steiner GA's fitness function to a T-shirt with a large bull's-eye emblazoned on it and the Steiner solution itself to the person inside that shirt. He analogized shooting a paintball gun at the bull's-eye symbol and then telling the victim, "Don't be mad, I wasn't aiming at you, I was aiming at the shirt you were wearing." Curiously, Cordova did not reverse-engineer my publicly posted GA (the shirt) to deduce the solution (e.g., the person wearing the shirt). Instead, he went the traditional route and tried to design an answer using Fermat points and trigonometry. Interestingly, Cordova failed to deduce the basic network shape for the six-point solution, finding instead the slightly longer MacGyver solution of figure 7. Fifteen other "intelligent designers" (humans, in other words) were able to derive the correct answer—the true Steiner solution. However, all of these humans were pro-science skeptics of intelligent design creationism. Correct solutions were also found by not one but two independent genetic algorithms! An additional fifteen designers derived various MacGyver solutions, thus proving these, too, are complex specified information.
And that's how ID theorist Cordova learned the true meaning of what Daniel Dennett terms Leslie Orgel's Second Law: "Evolution is smarter than you are."
After being bested by an evolutionary algorithm, Cordova changed his tune and moved the goalposts over to computer speed. He said there was no shame in being beaten by the computer because computers are designed to do lots of math very, very fast and are thus superior to humans in that regard. But that argument doesn't wash either. The computer can check out lots of random solutions very quickly (about 8,000 per second), but simply guessing randomly at the answer is a terrible way to solve the problem. After dozens of hours, random guessing couldn't come close to matching even one of the efficient designs the genetic algorithm was pumping out every ninety seconds (figure 8).
The 2006 "War of the Weasels" was, to say the least, not kind to the ID movement. The central dogma of ID regarding genetic algorithms—the Weasel offense—was definitively and publicly shot down. ID theory's two main "evolution stoppers"—irreducible complexity and complex specified information—were shown to be child's play for an evolution-based program that evaluates current function only and is mindless of any specific future optimum. Finally, an ID "theorist" was bested by a program that used evolution to derive solutions. Check out the complete archives of the War of the Weasels on the Panda's Thumb blog, in the "Evo Math" category. l
Behe, Michael. 1996. Darwin's Black Box. New York: The Free Press.
Brainz.org. 2008.
15 real-world uses of genetic algorithms. Available online at http://brainz.org/15-real-
Courant, Richard, and Herbert Robbins. 1941. What is Mathematics? London: Oxford University Press.
Dawkins, Richard. 1986. The Blind Watchmaker. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
Dembski, William.
2005. Rebuttal to reports by opposing expert witnesses. Design Inference,
May 14. Available online at www.designinference.com/ documents/2005.09.Expert_
Meyer, Stephen. 2004. The origin of biological information and the higher taxonomic categories. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 117(2): 213–239.


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Calls will be rounded up to the next multiple of 3 minutes.
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TIP: Reduce rounding costs by purchasing products which round to one minute or less or by using all of the available minutes in a single call.
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subset: commoncrawl


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This morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) officially announced the creation of his new Blue-Dog style coalition of approximately 15 "moderate" Democratic senators. As Roll Call explained last week, members of the group "acknowledge that they are seeking to restrain the influence of party liberals." During his announcement, host Joe Scarborough asked Bayh who is in the new coalition. Bayh said that while a press release on the group's creation included the names of 12 senators, there are "three or four" who don't want to be identified:
SCARBOROUGH: This is great! Can you tell us who's in it?
BAYH: Well there are about 12 of us on the press release and then there are three or four who we are putting in the witness protection program, who attend our meetings but don't want to be publicly identified yet.
Watch it:
Explaining the likely rational for senators not wanting to be publicly associated with Bayh's new group, Matt Yglesias writes, "After all, Barack Obama is popular! And his agenda is popular! So if you choose to oppose it, you might face political problems. So better to keep the sabotage secret."


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Young white-tailed deer in Custer State Park
© 2016 Marc Haegeman. All Rights Reserved
Bison in Custer State Park
Unlike your regular cow, bison can be deadly dangerous, especially in the rut when testosteron-packed bulls think of one thing only. This big male charged heedlessly past the car, seconds after this picture was taken.
Ponderosa pines near Iron Mountain Road
Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park
Cathedral Spires in Custer State Park
Striking granite formations, recalling gothic cathedral spires.
Devils Tower, Wyoming
Devils Tower National Monument is a striking flat-topped volcanic formation looming 1,267 feet (or 386 meters) above Wyoming's eastern plains.
Mount Rushmore
One of the USA's most iconic monuments, Mt. Rushmore was sculpted by Gutzon and Lincoln Borglum between 1927 and 1941. The busts of four presidents Washington, Jefferson, Th. Roosevelt and Lincoln stand 18 meters tall. The monument featured in an unforgettable climactic scene in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) starring Cary Grant.
Peephole to Mount Rushmore on the Iron Mountain Road
Pigtail bridges, switchbacks and narrow stone tunnels framing Mt. Rushmore turn the Iron Mountain Road (US 16A) in a top scenic drive. As so much in this area the road was devised by Peter Norbeck, South Dakota's first governor and U.S. senator hailing from the state, in the 1930's.
Three-toed woodpeckers - heroes of the Black Hills
With the epidemic of the mountain pine beetle in Western North America, the three-toed woodpecker and the blackbacked woodpecker are considered the local heroes, since the wood-boring pests are primarily on their menu. A male is feeding his chick larvae.
Black HillsCathedral SpiresSouth DakotaUSACuster State Park


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adowling needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 49 designs submitted by 20 freelance designers.
Gentle Birth Options
Hi! We're a homebirth midwife practice (not too many of those around, huh?!) looking for a fresh unique logo that adequately portrays our business look & feel! We are an all female group, passionate about women and babies. We have 1 midwife, and 5 birth assistants who also share the office duties, and are so passionate about the cause and purpose that they dedicate a great deal of their time to making this option available to women.
We are a fairly new practice in the area. Our target audience is primarily women, most of them naturally minded and eco-friendly, though not all. Although pregnant women are our primary audience, we also provide well women care to women of all ages. Due to the nature of our audience, including non-pregnant women, we try to portray a non-medical image, and provide their care in a home setting or home-like setting.
Our primary colors are natural tones, particularly a bright green (not lime, though - think "lizard green") and dark brown. We seek something that is organic, free flowing, curvy and non-medical. Incorporating trees (think tree of life type trees) are options. The logo should display the practice name (Genle Birth Options, LLC) and contain an element that can be used alone to represent the business. It will be used on the website, blog, facebook & other social media networks, on letterhead, on all patient forms, etc so it should also not be too elaborate and easily readable in all formats.
A feminine look is desired, though it shouldn't be "girly" or "flirty" as it also needs to look professional so that it is obvious it is a credible business run by a legit professional because it will also be on paperwork that may go with a mother should she require a transport from home to hospital.
We are open to some creative freedom with the image and overall look & feel and we have no attachments to any particular image going into this project. We're just wanting a clean fresh unique image that encompasses what we stand for while looking professional. We encourage you to take the information we've provided & run with it! Our current website, which is also getting an overhaul, is: http://www.gentlemidwifery.com/
Other inspirations that the midwife has been drawn to:
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-il…f-life.php (images without roots though - she feels the roots make the image too harsh)
(also without roots - the tree w/ colored leaves is a good representation of the greens she currently uses)
This clean, organic, natural look appeals to her as well.
She's also not opposed to something a bit more feminine such as this:
She's not sure she wants any of these exact trees incorporated, but this should give a good example of her taste, style, etc.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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I have always looked up to Theodor Geisel, better known to millions as Dr. Seuss. As a writer myself, one of his qualities I admired most was his ability to take complex ideas (e.g. learning to read, racial equality, materialism) and make them engaging and easy to understand for readers (e.g. "The Cat in the Hat," "The Sneetches," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!").
Having read a biography on Seuss, I knew that his birthday was just around the corner (March 2), which got me thinking: If Seuss were still with us, how might he have used his considerable talents to explain a complicated and sometimes boring topic like retirement planning?
Of course we'll never know, but I thought I'd use his rhyming and poetic meter as inspiration and take a stab at it myself. The result is the poem below called 'Someday' is Here!
'Someday' is Here!
You've made it.
After 40 years and a day
Of working and toiling and slaving away.
You've got money in the bank
And time on your hands
Now is the time to make some great plans.
There's only one problem
A big concern, really.
If you want a great life then you really must hurry.
You see, all these years
You've heard experts opining
That your primary worry should be money and timing.
Those are vital, for sure.
But, take care to remember
If life were a calendar
You'd be in September.
The clock keeps on ticking
It gets louder each year.
You've spent years saying "Someday"--
Well, "Someday" is here.
It's time to stop dreaming
And actually DO.
That is my primary advice for you.
So how does one start?
Where to begin?
Grab a pencil and paper and let's jump right in.
The first thing to do is to ask yourself this:
What types of things bring retirement bliss?
Don't try to please others.
We're talking about you.
What is it that YOU'VE always wanted to do?
Maybe that's travel or volunteering to help others.
What would it be if you had your druthers?
Once you know that, then you're well on your way.
But there are a few other things I should probably say.
First, don't forget friends.
In life they're the glue.
They hold everything together.
Otherwise it's just you.
And while friends are important,
Don't forget about your spouse.
If you're happy together
You'll have no reason to grouse.
So work on your friendships and marriage for sure.
What else? Let me think?
There are two or three more.
Oh yes. Now with plans and people in order
You can shift your attention and start to reorder.
Your priorities that is. Your To-Do list is jumbled
With all sorts of things you should probably fumble.
Get rid of the extra and purge the redundant.
Once you do that, life will be more abundant.
So that's a few things that will get you ahead.
But remember, they won't help a bit if you're dead.
So get yourself healthy and lose the spare tire.
If you need a few pointers, call your doc and inquire.
Before we wrap up, a quick review.
What are the things you really MUST do?
Have money and plans. Relationships too.
A good healthy body and priorities not askew.
Do each of those things and you'll be ahead by a mile
Because those are the things that make retirement worthwhile.
For a free, illustrated PDF of this poem, visit www.intentionalretirement.com/someday.


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Reports > Automotive > Selected Report
Global Green Tire Market Report for Period 2017 till 2023Single User: $2195 Multiple User: $3195 Enterprise User: $4195
Report Summary:
�green tire means the tires used a whole new breed of environmentally friendly rubber. .Green tire technology focuses on the fuel efficiency bit. These eco-friendly tires also employ a special type of tightly bonded rubber in the tread blocks to retain more energy while driving � this means a lower rolling resistance and therefore less engine power sapped in rotating the tire.
Market Segment as follows:
By Type
All-Steel Tire
Semi-Steel Tire
By Application
Passenger Vehicle
Light Commercial Vehicle
Heavy Commercial Vehicle
By Company
Shanghai Huayi
Sumitomo Rubber Industries
ZC Rubber
Nokian Tyres
Triangle Group
The main contents of the report including:
Section 1:
Product definition, type and application, global and China market overview;
Section 2:
Global and China Market competition by company;
Section 3:
Global and China sales revenue, volume and price by type;
Section 4:
Global and China sales revenue, volume and price by application;
Section 5:
China export and import;
Section 6:
Company information, business overview, sales data and product specifications;
Section 7:
Industry chain and raw materials;
Section 8:
SWOT and Porters Five Forces;
Section 9:
Table of Contents / Index:Table of Contents
1 Market Overview
1.1 Market Segment Overview
1.1.1 Product Definition
1.1.2 Market by Type
220.127.116.11 All-Steel Tire
184.108.40.206 Semi-Steel Tire
1.1.3 Market by Application
184.108.40.206 Passenger Vehicle
18.104.22.168 Light Commercial Vehicle
126.96.36.199 Heavy Commercial Vehicle
1.2 Global and Regional Market Size
1.2.1 Global Overview
1.2.2 China Overview
2 Global and Regional Market by Company
2.1 Global
2.1.1 Global Sales by Company
2.1.2 Global Price by Company
2.2 China
2.2.1 China Sales by Company
2.2.2 China Price by Company
3 Global and Regional Market by Type
3.1 Global
3.1.1 Global Sales by Type
3.1.2 Global Price by Type
3.2 China
3.2.1 China Sales by Type
3.2.2 China Price by Type
4 Global and Regional Market by Application
4.1 Global
4.1.1 Global Sales by Application
4.1.2 Global Price by Application
4.2 China
4.2.1 China Sales by Application
4.2.2 China Price by Application
5 Regional Trade
5.1 Export
5.2 Import
6 Key Manufacturers
6.1 Michelin
6.1.2 Company Information
6.1.2 Product Specifications
6.1.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.2 Bridgestone
6.2.1 Company Information
6.2.2 Product Specifications
6.2.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.3 Continental
6.3.1 Company Information
6.3.2 Product Specifications
6.3.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.4 Pirelli
6.4.1 Company Information
6.4.2 Product Specifications
6.4.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.5 Goodyear
6.5.1 Company Information
6.5.2 Product Specifications
6.5.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.6 Shanghai Huayi
6.6.1 Company Information
6.6.2 Product Specifications
6.6.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.7 Sumitomo Rubber Industries
6.7.1 Company Information
6.7.2 Product Specifications
6.7.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.8 ZC Rubber
6.8.1 Company Information
6.8.2 Product Specifications
6.8.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.9 Yokohama
6.9.1 Company Information
6.9.2 Product Specifications
6.9.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.10 Nokian Tyres
6.10.1 Company Information
6.10.2 Product Specifications
6.10.3 Business Data (Capacity, Sales Revenue, Volume, Price, Cost and Margin)
6.11 Hankook
6.12 Maxxis
6.13 Triangle Group
7 Industry Upstream
7.1 Industry Chain
7.2 Raw Materials
8 Market Environment
8.2 Porters Five Forces
9 Conclusion
Research Methodology
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Sunday, April 18, 2010
Big Bite of Stupid 2: Joss Whedon to Direct the Avengers Movie
Joss Whedon has his talents. Arch, camp, sort of gay, stuff like "Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long," or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Angel, or inside Hollywood stories like "Serenity" or "Firefly" (about a Hollywood rebel who did it his way, as a space cowboy captain), are certainly within Whedon's power. Arch, camp, gay, popular culture snappy dialog, are things Whedon can do in his sleep. If one were to remake "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" only with an Alpha, thuggish asshole that women love, instead of Michael Cera, with a few rape scenes (for shock value) and even more hipsterism, well Whedon's your guy.
For a comic book movie like "the Avengers" or Captain America, its is disaster to have him involved. Both the Avengers and Captain America depend on the lead character, Captain America, who is the exact opposite of everything that Whedon can do. Having him write and direct is like asking Terrell Owens, a man not without skills even as he ages, to be an offensive lineman instead of a wide receiver. He just can't do it.
Whedon's specialty is feminism, pop culture quips, shock for the sake of shock, campy and gay singing and dancing, and more feminism. He has an appeal to gay men and women (and GLAAD awards to prove it), and a small cult following of some geeky omega guys, plus a few women. That's it. That's all he's got. His male characters are either flamingly gay, neutered drones, or Alpha assholes repellent to most men. He's never been able to write for a male audience, and his stint on Marvel's "Amazing X-Men" only made all his camp, gay, and feminist tendencies worse. Comic books dirty little secret is they don't make much money or have many readers. It is not uncommon to have some titles with readership in the 12,000 range. Comic books today, are written by and for a small group of hipster-geek fanboys in their forties. Piggybacking on creative work done nearly 70 years ago, in some cases. No comic book since the late 1970's has created a character that has lasted, or captured the imagination. The Punisher being the last character with any staying power. Quick, who is "Speedball," or "Night Thrasher," or "Geist," or "Loose Cannon," or "Argus?"
Nothing speaks to comic books total creative bankruptcy than the failure to create compelling new characters. Comic book characters use powers as an amplification of their character, not the character themselves. The record of comic book writers, for the most part, is absolute failure. The exceptions being Jim Shooter (at Valiant), and a few writers at Dark Horse and Malibu comics, who created new and interesting characters based on well, character not powers, as well as consistently interesting inter-related universes.
Joss Whedon writing Captain America and directing The Avengers will be predictably stupid. Let us predict the failures:
First, feminism. Just ask him, Joss Whedon is a feminist. This means his female characters get passes for bad things they do, based on being pretty. Most of them are prostitutes or semi-prostitutes. A number of them get raped, by bad boys they love. Many of them consider suicide, because the world is too tragic for their power. Many of them are lesbians or bisexual. His female characters consider men based solely on their ability to be the most brutal and physically dominant man in the group, i.e. the biggest biker thug. All other men are there to be flamingly gay idiots, or sexless supportive drones.
Moreover, as typical for feminist writers, his female characters are weak but idiotically strong. Waify, weighing about 90 pounds, they have physical powers to beat up guys, but have no intelligence, strength of character, sexual self-control (around Asshole Alpha males), ability to plan and think, and are prey to their own emotions and weaknesses (for Asshole Alpha males). None are really two dimensional, with interests outside men they are sexually interested in, hobbies, family issues, and human weaknesses (greed, envy, substance abuse, parental issues, etc.) that they guard against. The female characters are all boring, blank canvases with boring superpowers, having boring sex with boring Alpha males.
Another feminist theme is the normalization of whores. Whores show up in Whedon's stuff all the time, from Inara, to Anya, to the theme of Dollhouse (the female and male characters are in a sense prostitutes). How can anyone care about Captain Mal and Inara when the latter is a whore? Nothing means anything, not with Inara, or Faith, or Echo, or Anya. Yes, feminists insist that women having lots of sex with different men is a "double standard" (and it is, so is the female one about men being geeks or Alphas). But who dreams of Ashley Dupree or Rachel Uchitel, among young men? They might find notoriety and fame among women, but I have not seen the wedding announcement for Monica Lewinsky. To put it mildly.
His male characters, as typical for feminists, are even worse. Any hint of geeky enthusiasm or intelligence, is made "gay." Male characters are gay and useless geeks, sexless drones who exist only to support hot chicks with boring superpowers, or Alpha Assholes who humiliate other guys all the time. And indeed, "lead" because they beat up or humiliate other guys (a woman's idea of a leader of men). A more toxic combination of male characters could not be imagined.
Superman was and is the hero of 11 year old boys because he is NOT a bully. An intimidator. He's so strong that bad guys fighting against him is useless, he's a force of nature. An actual, intelligent, career-driven woman falls in love with him because he is often geeky, awkward, boy-scoutish, and decent. Note, while Lois Lane is independent, she is not a whore, nor does she have a parade of men through her bed. Superman is just the costume the real Clark Kent puts on. Needless to say, Superman does not rape and torture people, nor do women find that sort of thing appealing (as they do in Whedon's stuff). Superman's fathers are not sexless drones, but men who teach him the meaning of manhood. Both Pa Kent and Jor-El are very important to Clark Kent. You find this pattern in Batman (endlessly avenging his parents death without being a monster himself), Spider-Man (a geek at heart who lets his inner WWII GI wise-ass out in fights), and most other lasting superheroes.
This is particularly true for Captain America, a hero with minor powers who's ability to lead others is his real power. Ability not by intimidation (Thor, Iron Man, and the Hulk are all far stronger) but by example, courage, sacrifice, humor, and intelligence. Yes, Captain America is akin to Ed Winters (the real man and the character in Band of Brothers). With minor super-powers. He is, after all, a geek who remains one at heart. Unlike Angel, or Spike, or Captain Mal, Captain America never humiliates or beats up friends and allies just to show who is boss. Nor does he embark on violent, degrading S&M bondage relationships with women.
Like Superman, Captain America is what every normal, well adjusted, 11 year old boy would wish to become. Predictably, both the Avengers and Captain America movies will have a Buffy-Faith-Echo-Serenity type kick-ass waif in love with a brutal thug, with icky violent/domination overtones, and of course an asshole not a hero for the lead. Captain America will predictably punk out and degrade other men, because that is what Whedon male leads do. Of course, there will be flamingly gay geeks (message to geeky young boys and men: you are a loser, give up).
Secondly, Whedon cannot write group dynamics, for men. Predictably, the group will fall apart, only to be intimidated into last-minute unity by asshole-dom by the lead. Or simply, a deus ex-machina. Serenity, Dollhouse, and Firefly all failed for a reason -- they could not attract a male audience. Which loves stories about war, and sports, where men from many different backgrounds come together under a tough but fair older man, and an immediate boss, who is funny and decent and the natural leader. Friday Night Lights (the series), Major League, Band of Brothers, all touch on this repeatedly. It takes the ability to imagine being both a follower and a leader to write this stuff, which is why most of Hollywood, populated by Alpha Assholes not too different from Angel or Spike or Captain Mal, cannot do it most of the time.
The core audience for the Avengers and Captain America, is boys 11 year old and up, and men up through their thirties. Who find stories about heroism and leadership, in moral constraints, fascinating and entertaining. This audience is guaranteed to be turned off by rampant assholery and jerkiness, extolled as virtues not flaws. Major League's "Roger Dorn" (played well by Corbin Bernson) would be the "hero" not asshole needing correcting by Tom Berenger's "Jake Taylor."
Thirdly, patriotism. As is the rule for feminists, and Hollywood liberals, Whedon has shown a distinct lack of patriotism, love of country, or indeed identification with homely, home-y, ordinary values and people in everything he has written or produced. Instead, his characters and situations express contempt for ordinary people, their lives, and indeed their values. A great deal of what motivates Captain America, from conception in 1940 onward (when America was still neutral, and Britain might well lose), is an intense devotion to nation and country. Patriotism. But not a patriotism of "uber-alles," rather an intense LOVE. Love of baseball, apple pie, American traditions, songs, folkways, music, language, literature, culture, of all the smallness and hominess and coziness of Americana and America.
He's Captain America. And Joss Whedon will turn him into Captain Post-Modern.
Fourthly, villains. Frank Miller, perhaps one of the only original and creative comic book writers today, noted, Captain America and Superman EXIST to punch out villains. This is what Captain America is all about:
He's there to punch out Hitler. And in the Avengers, set in the modern day, punch out Osama bin Laden. Miller wanted to have Batman punch out Osama, but DC would not let him. Cringing PC is self-defeating. Neither Superman nor Captain America, nor any hero featuring Americana or devotion to America, will do well overseas. Like anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism is a disease rampant and unstoppable throughout the world. With many of the same motivations. Neutering all that makes Captain America (or Superman) is like taking the apples out of Apple Pie and substituting dried bananas. You could do it, but it would not be any good.
Young men today know who the enemies are not. They are not the corporate guys who approve or cut Whedon's budget. They are not rival directors or writers. They are not the people who fund his movies and TV shows to the tunes of millions of dollars. They are not conservatives, Republicans, Christians, or George W. Bush. Young men might or might not like the politics of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, or Sarah Palin, but they don't find them threatening or credible current villains. Young men in America do not find the US troops villains, nor their military commanders, though doubtless they do not approve of everything they do, or every single policy. They do find Osama bin Laden, and Ayman Al-Zawahari, alien, polygamous, and mass murderers who would kill them in a heartbeat, to be their real, true, and threatening enemies.
Joss Whedon, predictably, will have Captain America replicate this cover, only punch out Sarah Palin (feminists hate her), or Dick Cheney, or someone like them (conservative, White, Republican). The "real villain" will be someone who vetoed his project at Fox or Universal. Maybe even a demonic law firm (now there's a threat, as Mohammed Atta is coming at ya, in a jet liner aimed at your skyscraper). This is entirely predictable, and will go over like a lead balloon. Complete with popular culture quips, coming from someone from the "Greatest Generation."
In short, everything about Whedon's strengths and weaknesses, will make both movies utter disaster zones. Pop culture quips out of "the First Avenger," the primal superhero from the 1940's. Rampant Assholery as "leadership" and bullying as qualities to be emulated. Because it is, in Hollywood. Promiscuous women as a feminine ideal, along with emotionally and intellectually weak waifs who kick ass, and the promise that "nerd equals gay" that turns off most young boys (who have yet to hit puberty) and the 90% of men not Alpha. There will be shock "deaths" that can be predicted by plot points or story beats, at least one rape by the "hero" of one of the female characters, and America and ordinary people presented as disgusting and worthless, along with the political beliefs of half the audience. The villain will be someone out of Hollywood's legal or executive suite. This is all perfectly predictable.
Yet why is Marvel doing this?
Because they are stupid.
DVD revenues are plunging 14%, in the first quarter, as $1 Redbox rentals become the norm. Blu-Ray is only in the low teens of home entertainment purchases and rentals, and this on top of big declines in purchases of home entertainment (DVD and Blu-Ray). No one is going to be spending much for 3-D TV in a nation with likely, 25% real unemployment (including those long-term discouraged from jobseeking). Mass is where its at, and the niche appeal of Joss Whedon is a recipe for revenue somewhere between Dollhouse and Serenity.
Executives read this. They know it. But they believe in stupidity. In feminism, that millions of young men secretly yearn to be either assholes or gay, that they find whores or wispy waifs with empty brains and spirits, kicking ass, exciting. That the vast audience finds Fox News (the most popular news network) a threat bigger than Osama bin Laden.
Even when the entire future of Marvel Entertainment, in making the big cross-over event designed to make them (and parent Disney) lots of money, the executive suite took a second bite out of stupid. Remind me again why most men have abandoned entertainment?
38 comments:
I really enjoy your site Whiskey. Thorough writing on a subject I knew little about-TV. Your writings give me alot of faith and was the 1st place I realized the Old Guard was struggling.
- April 18, 2010 at 9:28 PM
- Foxfier, formerly Sailorette said...
Neutering all that makes Captain America (or Superman) is like taking the apples out of Apple Pie and substituting dried bananas. You could do it, but it would not be any good.
A quibble: that actually sounds like it might be alright. Not as good as apple pie, but alright, so long as you don't compare it to apple pie.
Kinda like the GI Joe: International Spec-Ops movie, vs GI Joe, American Hero.
- April 18, 2010 at 11:35 PM
I would argue on one point: I think DVD sales are plunging because 1) People's collections are filled up and 2) the recession.
Since we can understand the logic of #2, let's go to point #1: after DVDs became commonplace, people rushed to fill up a library, since, for once, you could easily and cheaply get hundreds of movies and store them in a compact area. Now, however, that everyone who ever wanted "Bringing up Baby" or "Star Wars" in their collection has it, there is no more audience for it.
This explains why studios are pushing "Blue-Ray" technology: the hopes to reboot the home market by promising a ten fold increase in movie experience in Blue Ray. Its not working because everyone knows that there is a marginal difference in Blue Ray but costs a lot more to get and requires new equipment; people aren't stupid.
The recent 3-D push is also part of this panic. Avatar wasn't any better in 3-D than in 2-D, but the hope is to try to push this old and unchanged technology on all movies in the hopes of 1) boosting box office and 2) creating an audience that expects movies to be 3-D. If successful, the audience would increase demand for 3-D films at home, driving both newer, more expensive "3-D DVD" sales and technology.
What studios fail to realize is that 3-D is a cheap fad that will fade again. Avatar rocked the box office because it was a James Cameron experience, not because you got wussy purple classes. It doesn't qualitatively improve a movie other than the initial "wow" factor that fades when you realize how crappy it is.
DVD sales are dropping because of this, not RedBox. RedBox and NetFlix is just the home rental market made cheaper for RedBox and NetFlix by reducing overhead-----it isn't hurting DVD sales, at least from what I can see. When Blockbuster was going gangbusters and was everywhere, movie studios weren't hurt. The rental market is a long term money generator for studios--the expression is they now use the box office as mere advertising for the rental market, where the real money is made.
No, the studios are just having their "CD crash" moment. I'm alluding to when CD's blew up in the late 80s, and music companies freaked out and thought that people were suddenly musicophiles and wanted 15 versions of Beethoven's 9th, instead of what happened---people just wanted to have the new,improved technological recordings of their old vinyls.
Disney, smartly, has played this angle well, by limiting the release of their library titles and "taking them back into the vault" and making big announcements when one comes out of "the vault." It ensures that they'll have a steady, predictible stream of DVD moneys, since you won't find $1 Snow Whites in the Wal-Mart bin---you're paying the $20 for the "digitally remastered" version because your kids want it.
If studios want to increase long term profit, they need to follow Disney's lead and avoid flooding the market with DVDs of new movies to boost short term gains----a move which many are adverse to, given the nature of studio jobs. However, it is to their detriment. I can buy a copy of "The Searchers" off Amazon for $9---and probably for $2 at a used DVD store/Walmart Bin/Closing Blockbuster. Its one of the greatest and most influential movies of all time, and it comes dirt cheap. Imagine if Warner Bros. hadn't flooded it into the market, and pulled a disney trick and retired it into the vault for 5 or 10 years---they could charge $20 for the premium edition twice a decade, and never lose that stream, since every newly minted film buff would NEED the film.
- April 19, 2010 at 12:17 AM
Just an additional note on my above comment on Disney and DVD's: the exact same sequence is happening in the newspaper world. Papers that charge for access have seen sales stabilize or be boosted---aka the Wall Street Journal, which now is challenging the NY Times as the paper of record. Meanwhile, the NYT is giving away its content for free, seeing its revenue drop to next to nothing.
By limiting its release to those willing to pay the premium, the WSJ has made sure its product isn't viewed as cheap and is seen as vital. The NYT is having its DVD crash moment now.
- April 19, 2010 at 12:24 AM
- Foxfier, formerly Sailorette said...
As a squeezed young family, netflix+ our internet= we don't buy DVDs until they're on sale.
- April 19, 2010 at 12:30 AM
Interesting post, but for the sake of accuracy you should correct a few things. Whedon's X-men comic was actually titled "Astonishing X-men," the Band of Brothers character is "Richard Winters."
Also, DC didn't cancel Frank Miller's Holy Terror Batman comic. After years of saying he was making progress at various conventions and in interviews, he apparently has recently decided to quit work on it on his own. See:
I think a lot of the pop culture geek audience would do well to read an article like this to challenge their post-modern views, which are generally unchallenged in the geek scene echo chamber.
However, the second they see basic information like this is incorrect they will immediately tune out and use that as an excuse to say you don't know what you're talking about.
Just friendly advice is all.
- April 19, 2010 at 11:18 AM
I never really saw Mal as an alpha asshole. The Inara thing always rang false to me but aside from that he seemed ok. Do you have any specific incidents in mind?
Other than that, solid piece.
- April 19, 2010 at 11:30 AM
- Whiskey said...
Agreed Anon that people with 50 DVDs don't need a 51st DVD. Or that Blu-Ray offers little advantage for huge cost. And on 3-D. That's a good point on the CD comparison. I've long said the same about the movie industry following the music industry.
Correct, it's Richard not Ed Winters. I don't know why I keep making that mistake! WRT Miller and Al-Qaeda, I am not surprised that DC killed it (and Miller said he simply "quit" -- if DC had wanted it they would have had it). Likely DC raised objection after objection to kill it, fearing to upset Muslims or Al Qaeda.
Rollory -- Captain Mal's interaction with Wash and Simon tend be of the assholish variety. Definitely putting both in their place, hierarchy wise.
- April 19, 2010 at 12:09 PM
- John Smith said...
it'll be even worse than the last superman/franchise killer was.....
- April 19, 2010 at 2:10 PM
joss whedon as a paragon of "hipsterism?" lol what? you must be a baby boomer or something dood. i have heard something more tone deaf about popular culture since mitt romney said "who let the dogs out."
- April 19, 2010 at 4:48 PM
I love your site and the majority of your posts are spot on. I think that you have pointed out that Joss Whedon does have a serious blind spot when writing. You mentioned his run on Astonishing X-Men, and I think it was one of the more heroic stories in comics. However, your points are particularly well noted in how he chose to portray wolverine in the 2nd story arc-brainwashed nancy boy. It was if classic masculine character absolutely terrified him. In his third Arc, it was Kitty Pryde who saved the day and many of the male characters seemed to be second fiddles.
In regards to Avengers, I am worried that he will craft the story more like his work on Runaways, quite possibly the most interesting team book from Marvel in 10 years. An interesting story that was a mess that had literally no point to it and little advancement of the characters through acts of heroism. I am worried that the Avengers may end up being that kind of story.
By the way, I believe the Runaways are in production and you would think Joss would have a hand in it, but it seems Marvel won't let him touch the characters with a ten foot pole.
Rodimus 903
- April 19, 2010 at 10:04 PM
- Whiskey said...
Sailing -- Willow as a Lesbian? Buffy as Bisexual? In the comics? "Buffy I loved you so much I had to rape you?"
Yes, quite the hipster.
Anon -- Whedon's been unable to write male group dynamics, which is not surprising since he's had no experience with it, given his background in Hollywood.
He seems to pencil in the Hollywood dynamics instead of that of the military, sports, and other male-dominated areas.
- April 20, 2010 at 2:06 PM
- The Anti-Gnostic said...
I liked Firefly/Serenity, but yes there are some obvious tropes in it.
Whence comes his Confederate sympathies?
- April 20, 2010 at 7:22 PM
I thought Riley Finn was Captain America?
- April 20, 2010 at 10:08 PM
Love the blog, Whiskey; found you via your comments on Nikki's site. Don't always agree of course but hey, that's what makes this America still - right?
This post in particular is mostly (imho) spot-on, though my one notable quibble would be:
who and where are these hypothetical Norman Rockwell-esque 11 year old boys of whom you speak, and (thank God) clearly care so much about the intellectual/healthy gender role development of?
I ask because when I look around I see a predominantly shallow youth culture - which my producing partner derisively yet accurately refers to as the 'future of America' - that is enraptured with first-person-shooter videogames and proudly displays all of the extreme narcissism, self-righteousness and general moral hollowness which that milieu embraces.
For my part, I'd love to see more people develop material featuring heroic leads who balance self-directedness and the spirit's need for autonomy (within deeper connection) with a sense of honor, duty and dignity - free of politics and clear of any underlying messages, save those that are dramatically relevant to the story being told.
- Brendan
- April 21, 2010 at 1:15 PM
- Whiskey said...
Riley Finn WAS Captain America. Which was why Whedon booted the character very quickly.
Brendan -- You are quite right that largely, there is no male culture that guides boys in proper ways to become productive men in society. Factoring in high rates of divorce, single motherhood, and the like, and the most important thing to a boy -- his father, in determining what his model of masculine behavior will be, is absent.
Which leaves to this task a culture that largely abandoned boys around the early 1990's, and video games, many of which are unhealthy or have no content whatsoever.
As corny as they might be, Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Captain America all contained valuable lessons for boys growing up on how to be a proper man. How to use strength and power properly, how to fight evil without becoming it one's self, how to take responsibility, and be a leader not a bully.
I agree we should not have politics in entertainment, it is trivial and unimportant to the real task at hand which is entertainment first, and secondly and critically, decent examples for kids and adolescents on how to grow up into decent adults.
I've seen only two examples of this, the late lamented Veronica Mars and Life, both featuring highly individualistic characters in a "connected" web of social obligations.
Sadly I think the poor state of entertainment kept many from trying those series. That is the problem of a bad reputation.
- April 21, 2010 at 1:40 PM
- Jesus Christ Supercop said...
I was actually just thinking about how Hayao Miyazaki's movies always have very positive characters, whether male or female.
The protagonist of Castle in the Sky, a young boy, is fearless, strong, morally upright and adventurous, and a bit reckless. He encounters a girl on the run from some bad guys, and does not think twice about risking everything to help her. The girl herself is also very upright and strong, even if she isn't as physically capable as the boy. But that's the thing: she doesn't have to express strength through violence and domination like so many Hollywood heroines.
In Kiki's Delivery Service, the 13-year old Kiki's romantic interest is a friendly and outgoing boy who's into aircraft and flying. He looks nerdy, but isn't awkward or socially retarded, and has a lot of friends. The movie also has very positive depictions of family life.
Spirited Away was specifically written with 10-year old girls in mind, as Miyazaki wanted to give them a good heroine of their own age. The movie's heroine starts off as being sullen, spoiled and whiny, but is thrust into extraordinary circumstances where she find it within her to become a stronger and better person as she overcomes various challenges.
Roger Ebert remarks about My Neighbor Totoro: "It has a strong and loving father, in contrast to the recent Hollywood fondness for bad or absent fathers. [...] The family is seen as a safe, comforting haven. The father is reasonable, insightful and tactful, accepts stories of strange creatures, trusts his girls, listens to explanations with an open mind."
Miyazaki's movies are very positive and optimistic, even naive. They emphasize traditional values, but never in a didactive or patronizing way. There's no cynicism or post-modern claptrap. Big suprise that nearly every movie he makes is an instant classic and a license to print money.
I rarely watch American movies these days.
- April 21, 2010 at 9:59 PM
JCS, thank you, Spirited Away is one of my favorite movies. I'll look for those others.
- April 22, 2010 at 12:32 PM
- Jesus Christ Supercop said...
Another great movie I neglected to point out is Porco Rosso (trailer).
- April 23, 2010 at 1:34 AM
- Mil-Tech Bard said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- April 23, 2010 at 8:42 AM
- Mil-Tech Bard said...
Even Marvel comics can no longer do Captain America, let alone Joss Whedon.
They first made Steve Rodgers an anti-nuclear activist and then killed him in a Superhero civil war with Tony Stark AKA Iron Man.
If you want traditional, heroic-male story lines, go to Baen books.
Otherwise, forget it.
- April 23, 2010 at 8:44 AM
It's kind of amusing to see old-fashioned comic books held up as exemplars for young male behavior as not so long ago they were considered the reason the country was going to pot. (There is a book about this, 'The 10 Cent Plague,' I believe.)
Also, you say:
"As corny as they might be, Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Captain America all contained valuable lessons for boys growing up on how to be a proper man. How to use strength and power properly, how to fight evil without becoming it one's self, how to take responsibility, and be a leader not a bully."
But you also mention that the only comic book hero to have become popular since the 60s was the Punisher - a loner vigilante who lives in a dungeon surrounded by expensive weaponry and kills criminals (and who was evidently inspired by those 'Death Wish' movies). Not exactly a wholesome role model to instruct boys how to become gallant gentleman and get the girl.
I think the problem is that the 'wholesome hero' is not actually that appealing to boys and does not have a long history and probably only really shows up towards the end of the 19th c. if not later. Our first Western male heroes, Achilles and Ulysses, were certainly not wholesome, one was a rage-prone bully and the other a tricksy fast-talker. I'm sure this is true if you look at other cultures: in China, you have the Outlaws of the Marsh. The heroes are all bandits, and the leader of the bunch has to go on the run for killing his concubine in a fit of anger. (Would Superman even have a concubine let alone knife her?)
By the way, Miyazaki movies are incredibly preachy, and dripping with a kind of pacifist sensibility the post-war Japanese seem especially prone to. (Watch Princess Mononoke for the preachiness; howl's moving castle for the pacifism.)
- April 24, 2010 at 2:20 PM
- Foxfier, formerly Sailorette said...
Y'know... I am really sick of folks saying "well, SOMEONE said at one point that X was bad, so you're wrong!"
If you believe something, bloody well defend it. Don't appeal to an authority that you don't even identify.
- April 24, 2010 at 6:18 PM
- Whiskey said...
Blah -- for a wholesome hero to be created requires a creator.
It was not a demand problem so much as a supply one -- every creative person around became fairly decadent and dependent on shock rather than well, character.
And regardless of Achilles or Hercules, heroes from the 1600's onwards have been fairly wholesome -- the myth of Robin Hood and Arthur, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Sherlock Holmes, and one in particular who was a carpenter and part-time preacher in Israel under the Romans. What was his name again? Heck even Beowulf was a noble guy in the story (not the lame movie with Angelina Jolie), fought a couple of monsters, and later a dragon. Keeping nothing for himself and being a "noble warrior" as much as any medieval knight (in the retelling, anyway).
The problem with comics was the creators could not come up with new characters, particularly in DC and Marvel. Heck the Punisher only worked in conjunction with other, powered characters (to show the ruthlessness of an ordinary man around the powered, lacking power himself and not subject to social constraints anymore).
The problem with of course, NEW comic book characters is that the character has to come first, not the powers, and modern creators don't understand that.
- April 25, 2010 at 8:40 PM
- Foxfier, formerly Sailorette said...
Our first Western male heroes, Achilles and Ulysses, were certainly not wholesome, one was a rage-prone bully and the other a tricksy fast-talker.
Cultural disagreement. You're basically complaining that pre-Christ characters don't act as befits the Christian flavored society you call home.
For the tradition of an culturally idealized hero, look no further than Don Quixote-- the main character in what was supposed to be a parody of chivalrous romances. That was finished by 1615.
- April 25, 2010 at 9:08 PM
'It was not a demand problem so much as a supply one -- every creative person around became fairly decadent and dependent on shock rather than well, character.'
This is too absurd for you to believe. If little kids still wanted wholesome heroes, they'd be getting wholesome heroes. (And, anyway, I think they still largely get them: I'm sure most kid's cartoons feature reasonably upright heroes. I recall the Batman and Iron Man movies - both pretty successful - featured fairly heroic heroes.)
Also, do you remember what it was like being a boy? I think this yearning for manly wholesomeness is just the kind of thing an adult would project onto a child. (I remember talking with a girlfriend's young cousin once; when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he answered, 'a high-tech assassin.')
'The problem with of course, NEW comic book characters is that the character has to come first, not the powers, and modern creators don't understand that.'
That seems about right and I'm sure comics today are shit, but when did they really start to bleed their audiences? I know you've pointed out before that TV started to hemorrhage viewers well before the advent of the internet - but don't video games probably have something to do with the decline of comics, rather than their inability to 'connect' with the kids? (Btw, you once mentioned that Call of Duty sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of games during its opening week - this is basically a killing simulator where the heroes - manly but not wholesome - are briefly shown torturing the bad guys.)
I probably wasn't very clear: my point is only that the 'wholesome hero' that Whiskey wants to bring back is not some essential element of Western culture, and that functioning, successful, 'manly' societies, while offering children heroes, don't have to offer them 'wholesome' ones.
- April 25, 2010 at 9:40 PM
- Foxfier, formerly Sailorette said...
That does make a lot more sense, though I may still disagree with you-- we may be disagreeing in how we use words, rather than what we mean.
Do you mean "wholesome" in the "traditional 50s culture with Mom and Apple Pie" or do you mean "wholesome" as "promoting those values and manners Good People should have"? If the former, than I'm just as guilty of not being clear as you; if the latter, than we disagree.
- April 25, 2010 at 9:54 PM
Interesting post, Whiskey.
I agree with you about Joss Whedon. He is a serious, hard-core feminist mangina and his work from Buffy the Vampire Slater to his Astonishing X-Men comics showcases it.
On another note, Whiskey. I myself am a fan of The Punisher comics for a quite some time (namely the Punisher MAX series). You gotta keep in mind that there are a lot of people out there who read comics like The Punisher and other anti-hero characterson the grounds that they break away from the world of superpowers and Spandex and takes the reader into a more "real world" setting.
- April 26, 2010 at 5:16 AM
- jimbo said...
I myself have been noticing a return to old style straight up heroic "lone wolf" type on TV. First there was "Burn Notice", which features ex-CIA spy who wants only to clear his name so he can get back to his old job, and who helps the helpless in the meantime. Sure, there's the requisite fighting chick, but at least she does it mostly with guns and bombs and not with her useless fists.
And now there's "Justified". I've only seen the pilot, but it looks like an honest to goodness laconic, heroic lawman from the old west transported to the modern day.
I also hear they're remaking "The Rockford Files".
I think that TV executives are getting desperate, so they're greenlighting shows that people actually want to watch instead of "edgy" stuff that will get them industry awards.
- April 26, 2010 at 6:39 AM
- Got Medieval said...
Uh... have you read a Captain America comic published after 1945 or so? Cap's been an anti-establishment figure since he was revived in the sixties.
I think you have Cap confused with any one of a dozen or so knockoff characters (USAgent, the Patriot, the Spirit of '76, Right- and Left-Winger, etc) that show up in Captain America mostly so they can be shown up by Cap--they're all contrasted as too patriotic, too reactionary, too masculine, too much like the character you describe here.
- April 29, 2010 at 3:43 PM
Every episode of "Justified" has some sort of Nazi theme in it that "Raylan" has to "tsk tsk."
- April 29, 2010 at 8:14 PM
Check out this positive review of "Kick Ass"
- May 7, 2010 at 3:16 PM
- Anonymous said...
As a long time Belmont reader I now find myself scanning only to slow down and read your comments. Please write a book.
- May 17, 2010 at 1:53 AM
Whedon had a lot to do with Marvel's "Civil War" story in which Tony Stark is the robotic defender of the law and Steve Rogers is the heroic rebel, defying the laws of the United States because, darn it, the law is just plain WRONG!
He doesn't get either character at all.
Is there any writer/producer in Hollywood we could trust with Captain America? Is John Milius still working?
- July 8, 2010 at 10:24 AM
- panagiwta said...
Look at these
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- July 27, 2010 at 5:14 AM
or check this
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- December 29, 2010 at 2:33 AM
Hahaha, dumbass. I see your predictions are all fail.
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- May 4, 2017 at 3:16 AM


text:
It is the policy of Barnard College that all forms of sexual assault are unacceptable, and we strongly support efforts to eliminate its occurrence and to discipline offenders.
Barnard College and Columbia University provide a wide array of programs and resources aimed at the prevention of sexual assault and the support and care of victims/survivors. These include educational workshops for students, training for residential life, student affairs, and security personnel, and counseling and other services through our various Health Services departments. Other programs are offered throughout the school year by student groups, including peer counseling, support, and referrals available at the Columbia/Barnard Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center (RC/AVSC) located in Hewitt Hall, 105 and in Lerner 7. Call 212-854-HELP for access to 24-hour Advocacy support, a confidential resource. In addition, there are numerous community resources available. A list of these programs and resources are available on the Primary Care Health Services webpage, the Barnard Title IX & Equity page, and in other generally available Barnard and Columbia publications.
Information on the policies and procedures of Columbia University concerning personal safety and sexual assault can be found on the Columbia University sexual respect webpage.
If a Barnard student has been raped or sexually assaulted, there are many resources available to her. If a victim of sexual assault feels she is still in physical danger, she may contact Barnard Public Safety or the police. The Barnard Public Safety Department can also contact other staff as requested or appropriate. A request for an advocate can also be made as described above.
It is particularly important to get appropriate medical care at a hospital emergency room as soon as possible. As part of the exam the doctor will also do evidence collection. However, showering, bathing, and douching all decrease the likelihood that evidence may be collected, as does a delay from the time of the assault to the hospital visit.
A hospital visit is highly recommended in the immediate aftermath of a rape or sexual assault because of special services the hospital can provide a victim. However, medical treatment and counseling are also available at Barnard's Primary Care Health Services. If it is closed, the clinician-on-call can be reached at 855-622-1903.
If a student wishes to report the sexual assault to the police, the Executive Director for Equity or Public Safety can assist her. The New York Police Department Sex Crimes Hotline is 212-335-9373.
Barnard and Columbia students who are accused of committing a sexual assault are subject to a University-wide Gender-Based Misconduct disciplinary system. A complete description of the University-wide policy is available from the Gender-Based Misconduct office OR it can be downloaded from Columbia's website. Barnard College policy and procedures are found Barnard's Title IX and Equity webpage.
For students found reponsible of a violation of Gender-Based Misconduct policy, the University may impose any one or more of the following sanctions on a student determined to have violated the Policy:
• Reprimand/warning
• Changing the respondent's academic schedule
• Disciplinary probation
• Revocation of honors or awards
• Restricting access to University facilities or activities (including student activities and campus organizations)
• Community service
• Issuing a "no contact" order to the respondent or requiring that such an order remain in place
• Moving the respondent's residence
• Dismissal or restriction from University employment
• Removal from student housing
• Suspension (limited time or indefinite)
• Expulsion
• Revocation of degree
In addition to any other sanction (except where the sanction is expulsion or revocation of a degree), the University will require any student determined to be responsible for a violation of the Policy to receive appropriate education and/or training related to the gender-based misconduct violation at issue. The University may also recommend counseling or other support services for the student.
In addition, students who experience sexual or gender-based misconduct may seek accommodation from the College. The Barnard Executive Director for Equity or the Gender-Based Misconduct Office, in consultation with the Dean, will determine appropriate measures based upon the individual request. Potential ongoing accommodations may include the following:
- Providing an escort for the individual
- Moving the individual's residence
- Changing the individual's academic schedule
- Adjusting the individual's work schedule
- Allowing the individual to withdraw from or retake a class without penalty.
- Providing access to tutoring or other academic support, such as extra time to complete or re-take a class


text:
I want to get the L1 cache load miss of some code. But the code is too short(written in assembly) to get a stable and precise values.
And i calculate the l1 cache load miss when nothing to do between the PAPI_start and PAPI_read, the result is 1~12. So how can get a precise value of PAPI event?
My code is like this:
in a for loop:
/* Start counting events in the Event Set */
if (PAPI_reset(EventSet) != PAPI_OK) {
printf("PAPI reset failed. \n");
return -1;//handle_error(1);
//some code
/* Read the counting events in the Event Set */
if (PAPI_read(EventSet, values) != PAPI_OK) {
printf("PAPI read failed. \n");
return -1;
get the values and store.


text:
Fort Lewis, Wa — To promote more productive civilian employees, several branches of the military began hosting wellness programs that allow workers to focus on health and physical activity during working hours.
The Navy's Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Pearl Harbor, HI, officially established an Employee Health and Wellness Program last month. Employees can designate three hours per week during the official work day to participate in the program, though supervisors are authorized to suspend participation if critical mission needs warrant it.
The Army also started an employee wellness program at the Sheridan Sports and Fitness Center for Installation Management Command at Fort Lewis, WA.
Participants in this program also are allowed to work out for three hours per week during duty hours and are offered the services of a personal trainer. In addition, program organizers monitor their blood pressure, cardio fitness, body fat and flexibility.
About 140 civilian employees graduated in April from the six-month fitness program. A second group of employees started the program the same month by taking benchmark evaluations to track their progress.
Most participants showed improvement in some, if not all, evaluated areas, says Cindy Branton, the Fort Lewis health promotion officer, who said the overall feedback from program participants was positive.
"Statistics say if they're exercising, employees are more productive," Branton says. "There is 'presenteeism' when you're present at work but you're not actually doing anything. Statistics show that when they're exercising, they feel better, they're healthier and they're more productive the hours they are at work. And stress levels decrease."


text:
In the Cilento area, admire the prehistoric caves, rocky cliffs and botanic scenery…
The toponym Palinuro reminds us of the myth of Enea, as this stretch of sea once frightened sailors passing by due to the numerous shipwrecks, caused by sudden changes in the weather. Nowadays the coast is still of an incomparable natural beauty despite man's violence and lack of respect to the landscapes.
The coast of the promontory Palinuro is reachable by boat, and looking at it from the sea, it appears as a treasure of natural beauties, caves, bays, and coves such as the Blue grotto, Cala Fetente, the Bay of Good Sleep and the Natural Arches.
All the cliffs overlook the sea and depending on the time of day, the color changes from green to turquoise, and if you look carefully you can see hawks flying over. The Bones Grotto is really interesting from an archaeological point of view, you can see the remains of a Pleistocene fauna which the prehistoric man used to hunt.
Remains of bones broken to reach the rich marrow, is now cemented in the rocks. Some more remains of rabbles and lithic tools take your imagination to the hunting scenes occurring in the plains facing the promontory of Palinuro. Not to miss are the botanic endemisms such as the primrose or the limonium.
It is situated near the National Park of Cilento and the Nano Valley. Centola born during the bizantina age with Giustiniano even if its development was subsequently with the Longobards. Here is possible to visit the Convent of Cappuccini, the Baronial Palace Rinaldi, the Baronial Palace Lupo, the Church of Saint Nicholas di Mira and the Bell Tower in the historical center. In the the southern part of National Park of Cilento there is Palinuro, a famous seaside resort in the green.
The origins of Palinuro remember the virgilian age that is present in the Eneide. Between the beauties to see the towers saracene, the Scoglio of the Rabbit, the Bay del Buon Dormire and the Castle Molpa, the Saint Village Severino, the Bulgaria Mountain and the Mingardo river. Palinuro, pleasent resort on the Cilento Coast. The trip on boat, around the promontory, allows to visit a group of natural caveswith salactites and walls keeping human bones andpreistoric animals remains.
The legend wants that this place, has derived the name from the helmsman of Enea, Palinuro, that unfortunaltely found the death in the clear waters of this sea. The blue mirror of water of these places, invites us to sail along a practically uncontaminated coast where is possible to discover jagged inlets, beaches of white sand, enchanting and exclusive bays and marine caves. This remote angle of Campania region still preserve exemplas of flora as her "Primula Palinuri" that grows on the walls rocky of the promontory. Nowaday it becomes also symbol of the Cilento national park.
With its good organization of tourist structures, it represents one of the better known summer tourist places of the whole region.
Where to stay in Palinuro
Hotels, condo hotels, B&Bs and apartments: search and make reservations here.
Historical outlines
Colonized toward the IV century b.C. it saw its history tie by to another promontory in downfall, the Molpa. After the epidemic of plague in 1656, the decimation of the population fed the infestation of the criminals, changing in good measure the popular mottos and the country habits. Palinuro belonged to the feud of the prince of Centola, up to 700 around. Then the feud became some family Rinaldi. In 1814 arrived the king of Naples, Murat, with the intent to inspect the beautiful zone.
To visit
The Saracen towers, the Castle of Molpa, the Church of S. Giuliano, the Church of S. Maria of Loreto, the Rock-cliff of the Rabbit, Buon Dormire bay, the Blue Cave, Monks Cave.
Palinuro is a part of the county district of Centola. This land represents one of those cases when the fraction of a bigger county takes on more importance than the main county district itself. In our case, the region is extremely special. In fact, for the untouched beauty of its territory, Capo Palinuro is extremely unique. In addition to that, the story and the legends that hover about this land contribute to perpetuate the attractiveness of these places.
An immense arc of jagged rocks stretches out into the sea as protection of a bay, which functions as repair and natural port to the sailors. Such bay must have appeared already in ancient times to the Argonauts, the Phoenicians and to the Greeks who used to come to these places.
The Capo preserves signs of very ancient human settlements, with tombs that can be dated the V century B.C., and with archeological findings that show how the beauty and the strategic position of this port have favored the settlement of a Greek colony. The same name of the place recalls the figure of the Aeneas's helmsman, Palinuro, who fell in love with a gorgeous lady named Kamaratan and followed her image until the end of the cliffs of the Capo, which, since then, takes on his name. Palinuro's beauty is widely lavished in the blazing sunsets, in the shape of the rocky bights, in the natural arc illuminated in backlight, and in the white beaches that classify this city as one of the most beautiful of the world.
However, Palinuro is not only sea; the rough and strong nature of the coast is characterized by the Macchia Mediterranea (the Mediterranean Spot), which among bushes of mirth, genista and heather, enumerates even a great rarity: the famous "Primula of Palinuro", an original flower that grows only in this zone. Moving inside the Mingardo Valley, through the Gola del Diavolo (the Throat of the Devil), we can find the medieval village of San Severino, the only village preserved almost intact since it was abandoned because of the continuous landslides. The castle is dated back to the XI century and it lived through the events which led the two Normans: Guimondo and Gisulfo in the fight for the dominion over these districts.
Today, Palinuro relies essentially on its tourist resources sustained by a mite climate that allows to make use of the sea for ten months a year and by a wonderful uncontaminated nature where many structures receive visitors with hotel arrangements, camps, and, only recently, with agritourism which allows tourists to fully learn about the hospitality of the people in Cilento and to taste in its place of production: oil, wine and all the natural products that are at the base of a really healthy Mediterranean diet.