Navajo Code Talkers Day

 Today is Navajo Code Talkers Day.

This day is about honoring the members of the Navajo Tribe that used a code based on their language to transmit and receive important messages and information during WWII. Most famously, the Navajo language was used as a basis for codes, but other languages from other tribes were used, including Comanche, Hopi, Mohawk, and Cherokee. These "code talkers" can be credited with aiding in several major victories in WWII. 

Code talkers were actually first known to be used during World War I, thanks to Cherokee soldiers in the 30th Infantry Division. They transmitted messages in their tongue during the Second Battle of the Somme. 

During WWII, a city engineer for Los Angeles named Philip Johnston proposed using the Navajo language as a basis for secret transmissions. Johnston himself was the children of missionaries to the Navajo and knew a dialect of it. Why that language? Well, Navajo has a complex grammar, and even by the 1930s, it was still an unwritten language. It also had a lot of dialects, which made it hard to translate for those who were not heavily exposed to it. The code that developed from the language would not be deciphered until 1968. 

The first Navajo Code Talkers Day would be declared in 1982 under Ronald Reagan. In 2008, President George W. Bush would sign the Code Talkers Recognition Act into law in 2008, which awarded every Native American soldier that served in the World Wars with a Congressional Gold Medal. These Gold Medals were awarded to the tribes as a whole, with silver medals given to the surviving talkers at the time or next of kin.

These brave people used their language to help win World War II, and on this day, we honor and give thanks to them. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Partial Eclipse Day

Today is a rather special day, as today, we'll get to see a partial solar eclipse!

On this day, we'll get to see the moon pass between the Earth and the Sun. A total solar eclipse is when the moon completely obscures the Sun, leaving only a very faint corona visible. This type of eclipse occurs every 18 months on average. This is unlike a lunar eclipse, in which the Earth passes between the sun and moon. 

"Wait a second!" You may be asking yourself. "If this kind of eclipse happens every 18 months, why is it such a big deal?" Well, that's because of the orbits of the Moon 🌑 around the Earth 🌎 and the Earth around the Sun 🌞. You see, the Moon's orbit around the Earth, just like the Earth's around the sun, is not perfectly circular. It's elliptical. The Moon's orbit is also tilted at about 5 degrees to the Earth's. This is the reason why the Sun and Moon can appear to be different sizes in the sky. The elliptical orbits cause differences in distances between the three celestial bodies. As a result, the Moon's shadow often misses Earth. In fact, if the Moon's orbit was circular, and shared an orbital plane with Earth's, total solar eclipses would occur once a month with every new moon.

This eclipse will be seen as partial or total depending on where you are. If you're in Europe today, you'll get to see the moon cover most of the sun. If you're in the U.S. like I am at now, you'll get to see it being more covered, due to the path of totality.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! if you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

World Lion Day

 Today is World Lion Day!

In honor of this day, here's some lion facts courtesy of MSN.

1. Baby Lions have spots.

When lions are young, their fur has little spots on it. These disappear as the cubs grow up.

2. Lion manes have a purpose.

Male lions' manes look cool, but there's also a point to them. Much like glam rockers in the 80s, male lions use their manes to attract mates. However, the manes also help provide some protection for their heads and necks.

3. Lions are pretty fast.

While they're no cheetahs, lions are no slouch when it comes to speed. they can run at speeds up to 50 miles per hour for brief periods to catch prey.

4. Lions are LOUD.

Lions do not do things small. That includes roaring. A lion's roar can be heard up to five miles away, thanks to it reach the ear-splitting height of 114 decibels. This is handy as a lion's roar has a variety of purposes, including intimidating away others from its territory.

5. Lions are great leapers.

When we think of animals that can leap, for many of us, frogs and kangaroos come to mind. Which is understandable. After all, leaping is their thing. But lions can leap pretty far, too. A healthy lion can leap as far as 36 feet. A lion would be handy to have on the long jump. 

6. Lions love sleep.

Like many other cats, lions love to sleep. Sleep is their passion. In fact, they can sleep for up to 20 hours a day. 

7. Lions are big.

Lions are pretty big animals. On average, a male lion weighs over 410 pounds. The more active female lions can weight only almost 280 pounds on average. But then again, the female lions are significantly more active. 

8. Lions are big eaters.

As I said before, lions do nothing small. They are big, their roars are big and loud, and so are their meals. A lion can eat up to nearly 90 pounds of food per meal. Maybe that's why male lions are so big? 

9. Lions are nocturnal hunters.

Lions may sleep most of the day, but the remaining four hours of the night? It's hunting time. Yup, night is when the lion goes to get some food.

10. Lions are endangered.

Like the tiger, the lion is a very endangered species. It has lost almost all of its historical range, and it's believed there are only about 23,000 lions left in the world. Yeah, like the tiger, it's in big trouble, population-wise.

So, yeah. Ten facts about the lion. They are fascinating, beautiful creatures. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Marvel: The Lost Generation #5 (October 2000)

It's that time again! It's time to return to the adventures of the Lost Generation of Marvel Super Heroes: The First Line! Last time, we looked in on the Line as they helped prevent the Skrulls and their super-villainous cronies from wrecking the historic Moon Landing. But they had another adventure in the Swingin' Groovin' 1960s. Let's take a look at it! This is Marvel: The Lost Generation #5!

The cover is a John Byrne and Al Milgrom piece. I love it! It's such a cool cover. You have the First Line gasping in shock at a familiar hammer. Gets you wondering why Thor himself has shown up.

"Wild in the Streets"
Writers: Roger Stern, John Byrne
Penciler: John Byrne
Inker: Al Milgrom
Colorist: Glynis Oliver
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins in Asgard, the realm Eternal. Odin is sitting on his throne, and he is not a happy skyfather. It's not the throne itself, that's fine. The new cushions are nice and comfy. What he's angry about...is Thor.

"Thou has spilled the royal coffee on mine favorite couch for the last time, Thor!"

You see, Odin had been working to renew a royal truce between Asgard and Niffelheim. Things were finally cool between the Asgardians and the Storm Giants. Of course, Thor had to go and screw it all up by trespassing on some forbidden lands. Dagnabit, Thor...

Thor defends himself by saying there was a legit reason he was there. He was pursuing a monster that was a threat to Asgardian and Storm Giant alike, and he feels Odin is deliberately ignoring that part. Odin is in no mood to hear it. He tells Thor that the Thunder God must go to Midgard (what the Asgardians call Earth), and see this evil to its end. And it's here that we head to Earth. 

We're still in the 1960s, before the Moon Landing. A mysterious singer has a whole lot of young people ensorcelled by her magical songs. Among the people enraptured is Autumn MacRae, the superheroine Sunshine, much to the horror of her husband Fred, aka Captain Hip. 

Yeah, you may remember the MacRae family from earlier issues. It can be presumed that their daughter Truth is very young at this point. Pixie tells Fred there's nothing they can do now, as they need to find out who is behind all this at the moment.

The singer on the stage would have a natural knack for getting people under her spell, as this singer is no ordinary woman: this woman was Venus. As in the Olympian Goddess of Love.

Funny enough, Timely Comics (the predecessor to Marvel Comics) published a romance comic series starring Venus from 1948 to 1952. It lasted 19 issues. The series started out light-hearted but would take on darker sci-fi and horror themes through its short run. It's also notable for introducing an early version of Marvel's incarnation of Loki. 

If we go by how Marvel incorporated their Golden Age comics into their canon, then we can assume that not only were the events of those series canon, but they also happened in-universe in the late-40s/early 50s. So yeah, Venus would be running around in the MU in the 1960s.

She herself has seemingly fallen under the spell of a mysterious man.

"Now, who wants to hear some Chubby Checker?!"

He laments that his power no longer works on everyone, just the young, but since gods can have eternal youth, they still work on Venus. Backstage, the ensorcelled Sunshine is brought backstage. Venus wonders how she could be affected, as Sunshine is in her mid-twenties at this point, too old for the power to work on her. But Sunshine says that age is a state of mind. The man behind is worried about something else. If Sunshine was in the crowd, then other superhumans could be there as well...and that could get the attention of the First Line. And much to his fear, Pixie is spying on him. She spots a man towering over her and hits him with her petrifying pixie dust. But it has no effect. You can guess why.

"Urgh! Tastes like cranberries! I hate cranberries!"

Heh heh, that's pretty funny. Anyway, Captain Hip is off looking for Sunshine himself, as he thinks Pixie flaked out on him. He finds her, but she has no idea who she even is. In fact, she blasts him with her powers. She can create kaleidoscopic light effects that can dazzle or even hypnotize people. She can even use this power to control minds...which makes you wonder how she can be effected by Venus. But then again, Venus is a goddess, and Sunshine has to actively try to control someone's mind, so...yeah. Either way, Captain Hip is out of action for a while.

Meanwhile, Black Fox is angrily grumbling about "the hippies".

"Those hippies stole my car!"

One member of the Line, a Major Mercury, thinks this is just kids acting up, a tradition in every generation. Black Fox disagrees. This isn't normal juvenile delinquency. The Fox believes an old enemy of his is behind this. A man...called Rumor. Thankfully, Pixie has brought Thor to the First Line. The Black Fox is naturally unhappy with Pixie just bringing presumed gods straight to their command post, but the argument is tabled for now. After all, there's a massive gathering of youths...being led by Sunshine and the now mind-controlled Captain Hip. 

One First Liner, Frank (who may or may not be Frankenstein's Monster. Personally, I think he's a different monster. That's because in the comics, the actual Monster was in suspended animation in the 1960s, and wouldn't be revived until the Marvel Age), doesn't want to hurt the kids. Mr. Justice is sure Black Fox has a plan, but he disappeared.

Makes sense when you keep in mind that Robert Paine is meant to be a pastiche of Batman. Thor's had enough and is eager for some action. Oxbow will hold the fort down as he's been sidelined with a broken leg. I imagine he got injured in an earlier battle. 

Meanwhile, Effigy is sneaking around. He thinks about how the world is seemingly falling apart since 1963. He hints something really bad happened then, but he's not going to let an entire generation of Americans suffer. After all, he owes it to the Yankee Clipper. He sneaks in pretending to be a child that's hard of hearing and ends up recognizing Venus. Effigy's thoughts reveal that he and Venus first met in 1952. Again, the last issue of Venus's comic was published in 1952, so it can be assumed that they met after the events of it. 

Effigy asks for Venus's autograph. Rumor tells her to keep him close by, not realizing the boy is actually Effigy. He then puts on a special mask.

"The mask makes me feel pretty!"

To Effigy, the mask confirms that the man is Rumor, mind controlling war criminal. During World War II, he was a hidden member of Hitler's elite, using his powers to subtly amplify the madman's own charisma and persuasive abilities. Until he ran into an Allied intelligence agent named Robert Paine. Yup, Paine was an Allied spy before he became the Black Fox. Rumor managed to flee the future costumed crimefighter and had not been seen since. Effigy had heard, well, rumors about Rumor's activity since, mostly that he may be helping the Soviets, but this is the first confirmed activity he's been involved in since the war. Makes you wonder what he was doing in the last nearly twenty years since.

Black Fox is watching the march, and he finds it ironic that Captain Hip and Sunshine are leading them, despite they're being mind-controlled. You see, the Fox believes that the two got their powers thanks to secret drug tests from the CIA. Yeah, a government agency may have created the superhumans that just may end up destroying it.

The Fox tries to use some sleeping gas to slow the march down, but there's far too many people. He also manages to knock out Sunshine before her dazzle powers knock her silly. An angry Captain Hip starts beating him down with his own superior speed and strength. Thankfully, the Fox is saved by Thor, who has arrived with the rest of the First Line. They need to contain the riot; Frank gives it a shot by throwing a car over the crowd...but Major Mercury is able to bring it a gentle landing. That's because throwing a car could cause a fire and even an explosion thanks to damaging the gas tank.

How are the Line doing when it comes to containing the riot? Honesty? ...things could be better. A lot better. 

Thor was sorely tempted to bring down the lightning after one kid kicked him in the nards.

The First Line may be full of experienced superheroes with a variety of powers, but they're massively outnumbered. Not to mention the First Line really do not want to harm any of these people, being innocent victims of Rumor and Venus. And as if fate has decided to be a big troll, Venus manages to get Thor under her power.

Yeah. It's not a good day to be a First Line member. Frank gives the addled God of Thunder a Mighty Punch across the chops, showing that he can potentially match him in raw power. Effigy is just left completely confused by the whole thing.

To be fair to Effigy, he wasn't in the room when Pixie introduced Thor to the Line. Rumor uses his power to make Frank toss Thor away, reasoning that his power will work on the monster's child-like mind. Meanwhile, Captain Hip and Sunshine are back to their normal selves. Hip is confused as to why Sunshine fell under Rumor's spell. After all, she's no kid. But Sunshine has a theory: she's pregnant. Yup, the MacRaes are going to be parents!

Remember Truth McRae from previous issues? Yes, she's the kid they're going to have here. Anyway, the rioting youths are advancing on the Line. Thankfully, a massive tragedy is averted as Effigy manages to capture Rumor, and Black Fox ends the threat.

"Augh, that was my favorite voice box! WHY?!"

Yeah, Rumor's vocal cords can produce a subsonic pulse, and I'm guessing his mask has some tech in it that helps enhance it. With that, Rumor's threat is stopped. Black Fox offers an invitation to Thor to join the First Line. Thor is not interested. He was only here to help stop the threat. And now that it's done, he has better things to do with his time than hang out with a bunch of mortals. Like get drunk.

Remember, this is long before Thor re-emerged in the Marvel Age a humbler god thanks to his time as Donald Blake. Frank suggests that Captain Hip and Sunshine join up, but like Thor, they're not interested in it, either. They've always preferred doing their own thing. Also, now that they got a kid on the way, Hip and Sunshine have decided that now is a good time for them to retire. Hang up their costumes for good, as it were. The story ends with Venus wondering if that was really Thor. Lady, you're a goddess, I think you'd know if that was the real deal or not. 

Sadly, I have to say, this is the weakest issue of the maxiseries so far. And that's a shame, because the First Line meeting a pre-Marvel Age Thor? That is just ripe for story and character potential. The Line dealing with an arrogant Thunder God that could presumably take any of them to the woodshed if they annoyed him enough? That sounds a like a big old fountain of story potential. I did like Thor remarking during the riot that he'd rather embrace Hela than allow the rioting children to come to harm. It's a nice little bit of subtle foreshadowing, showing that even though at this point, Thor is more arrogant, self-centered and hotheaded, he still has lines that he will not cross. He still has a code of honor, and helps show a bit of the humbler god he'll become in the future.

I also admit, I was a bit thrown off by Odin sending Thor down to Earth to deal with a "great threat", but then I remembered that "Oh yeah, Nazi war criminal managed to somehow get a goddess under control". Personally, I would have gone with the idea of an Asgardian monster or mad sorcerer making their way to Earth. That would be cooler in my opinion. 

As for John Byrne's art, nothing new. I still enjoyed it. That's pretty much it, really.

Sadly, this maxi-series has never been collected as a standalone trade. It was collected in a 2018 Omnibus: The Marvel Universe by John Byrne Vol. 2. Otherwise, you'll have to look around for the original issues. I got the maxi-series on eBay. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

International Cat Day

Today is International Cat Day!

This day was started in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare out of a desire to honor cats. Humans and cats have had a long relationship. It's believed that cats were domesticated in Africa and the Near East during the Neolithic Era. It's believed the modern domestic cat is descended from the African wildcat. In fact, there is evidence that Neolithic Man and wild cats had interacted quite a bit, presumably due to human settlements providing plenty of rodents for them to eat. From here, domesticated cats would spread to the Mediterranean into Europe via maritime trading and into Asia via the Great Silk Road. 

In actuality, what we call "domesticated" doesn't quite apply to cats. They never were selectively bred for complete domesticity. As a result, cats often retain behaviors of their wild ancestors. Ancient Egypt famously loved their cats, even mummifying them on their deaths. When the family cat died, the mourning family would shave their eyebrows and take said cat to Bubastis to be mummified. The goddess Bastet was depicted as having a cat's head, which led the Ancient Greeks to associate Artemis with cats. In the 19th century, cat breeds started to emerge.

Cats are known for their love of perching in high places and having excellent night vision. They only require one-sixth of the light humans require to see. They also have better noses and ears than humans. However, we have them beat in taste. Humans have 9,000 taste buds on their tongues, much greater than the cat's 470, and cats can't taste sweet things. Cats love hunting small prey, mainly rodents and birds. They either actively stalk prey, or ambush them. They can cause a lot of problems for local wildlife. 

As of 2007, over 500 million cats are kept as pets. Owning cats have been shown to help improve mental health, easing anxiety and depression. So show some love to cats today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

International Owl Awareness Day!

Today is International Owl Awareness Day!

Over 200 species of owl exist, found almost everywhere on Earth except for the polar ice caps. Owls tend to be nocturnal critters (exceptions are the northern hawk-owl and the burrowing owl). 

Owls are carnivorous birds of prey, their diets include small mammals, insects, and even other birds. However, there are some that eat fish. Owls are notable for being able to turn their heads almost 270 degrees. That's because their neck muscles, circulatory systems, as well as their neck vertebrae (Owls have 14, twice as many as humans' seven) are all adapted to allow this without cutting off blood flow to their brains. Owls can turn their heads in such ways, because unlike humans, they can't move their eyes around to look around them. Owl eyes are rather large compared to their skulls.

And speaking of eyes, owls have very good eyesight, especially in the dark...despite being far-sighted. Presumably, this is because of how they hunt. Owl ears are also unusual, as they are asymmetrically places on the owl's head. This aids them in determining where prey is by calculating the time between sounds hitting each ear.

Because of their being almost everywhere on earth, owls are known to many ancient cultures. North America and Europe tend to associate owls with wisdom and intelligence. That's because owls were associated with the Greek goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare. Among the Kikuyu people of Africa, owls are seen differently. They are seen as harbingers of death. According to them, hearing the hoot of an owl means you'll die soon. In India, owls are a symbol of wealth, prosperity, wisdom, and good fortune, associated with the goddess Lakshmi. In China, owls are more mixed. They can be seen as symbols of evil, but they are also seen as symbols of good luck in military affairs, protection against evil spirits at funerals, and even as incarnations of ancestors. Japan once viewed owls as a symbol of death, but now are more seen as a sign of good luck. Various Native American tribes tended to view owls as bogeymen or associate them with death and dark powers.

Yeah, owls are fascinating creatures. They also help with natural pest control. So, show some love to an owl today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to show this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Happy National Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

This day has been celebrated since at least 2005, and it's all about celebrating these cold treats.

The ice cream sandwich is a novelty food made from ice cream put between two thin biscuits called wafers, bread or most notably, cookie. 

The exact origins of ice cream sandwiches are actually unknown. But what is known is that ice cream vendors in New York City have been selling these as early as 1899. These early snacks were actually sold between two sheets of paper and called "hokey-pokeys". Later, thin biscuits made of cookie would be used, but it's unknown who innovated this. The first patent involving ice cream sandwiches was recorded in 1921 for a machine dedicating to making ice cream sandwiches. 

Other countries have also embraced the concept of the ice cream sandwich, with their own little twists. For example, in Singapore, ice cream sandwiches can use ice cream flavors like honeydew, red bean, and even sweet corn. In Iran, traditional ice cream called bastani is used for the center, sandwiched between two wafers. German ice cream sandwiches use Neapolitan ice cream in the center. 

Why are these treats so popular? Well, they're convenient, they tend to be cheap, and they're delicious. Not to mention they're a nice way to beat the heat. So enjoy one today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!