Green Lama

A lot of comics from the past are offensive to modern sensibilities, reflecting as they do the derogatory racial stereotypes prevalent at the times. Not so "Green Lama," a 1940s character being reprinted by Dark Horse.

In some ways, the Lama is fairly forgettable as '40s characters go. He was published by the obscure Spark Publications. His costume was unremarkable -- hood, cape and leotard ensemble, all in various shades of emerald. Like Superman, Dr. Fate and a half-dozen others, his powers were super-strength, speed, flight and invulnerability. Like Batman, Sandman, Green Arrow and a host of others, his secret identity was the standard-issue "bored playboy" (Jethro Dumont). Like Captain Marvel, Johnny Quick and others, his powers were activated by a magic word or phrase ("Om Mani Padme Hum"). Like the Lone Ranger, Mandrake the Magician, The Spirit and many others, he had an ethnic sidekick (Tsarong).

But in other ways, the Lama was unique. For one thing, despite his regrettable name, Tsarong often acted more as an adviser than a sidekick -- despite not being white. Plus, the Lama was drawn by the remarkable Mac Raboy ("Captain Marvel Jr."), who was revered then and now for his graceful figures, clean embellishment, storytelling skills and breathtaking mastery of anatomy, foreshortening, design, perspective and rendering. Also, as his name implies, the Green Lama's powers didn't derive from the scientific and industrial prowess of the West -- they came from, and practically idolized, Tibet and its Buddhist tenets.

But most importantly, "Green Lama" may be the most enlightened comic book I've read from the '40s. For example, a full-page house ad in "Green Lama" No. 2 (February 1945) makes a plea -- no, a demand -- for tolerance. Under a stark image of a U.S. helmet next to a battlefield grave marker with no name, the text reads in part, "Let's put an end to the foul prejudice fanned by our enemies ... When you find anyone -- yourself included -- thinking, speaking, acting with racial or religious prejudice -- STOP IT! If Smith, Kelly, Cohen or Svoboda is good enough to die for us, he's good enough to live with us ... as an equal. Be American!"

You're not going to read that in "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle" in the 1940s!

And in "Green Lama" No. 5 (May 1945), there's a story even more remarkable. The Lama reacts to a bigoted American soldier by taking him behind enemy lines and showing him the logical end of racial prejudice: Nazi Germany. Realizing that he's acting like the enemy, the soldier has a change of heart, even buying the "Negro" soldiers he had previously abused some ice-cream sodas!

As Chuck Rozanski says in his foreword, "though the underlying egalitarian message may seem obviously virtuous today, it was practically suicidal in 1945."

And it was. Spark Publications began receiving hate mail, of course. But the publisher didn't back down -- in fact, they turned it up a notch. In "Green Lama" No. 6, they published a real letter from an anti-Semite on the first page of the hero's adventure. In "An American Story," the Lama goes to Texas (where the letter was from) to confront the writer (fictionalized), whom he shows the error of his ways -- as he breaks up a KKK-like hate group, complete with white hoods.

Wow! Why is this title not famous?

Here's a hint: It was canceled two issues later.

There are a number of pedestrian reasons why this might be so. The market was flooded with new comics after the wartime paper-rationing was eased, and a lot of books came and went during the Lama's short run (1944-46). And some of the Lama's backup features, like Angus MacErc and Lt. Hercules, were painfully bad.

But it seems more likely, as Rozanski speculates in his foreword, that "Green Lama" was simply too liberal for its times. "It doesn't take a huge leap of logic," he writes, "to realize that when you write comics that are deeply offensive to a significant number of your readers, for many of whom racism was a deeply ingrained value in 1945, you're going to lose some sales."

taking care of your brain

Most of us start worrying about dementia after retirement - and that may be too little, too late. Experts say that if you really want to ward off dementia, you need to start taking care of your brain in your 30s and 40s - or even earlier. "More and more research is suggesting that lifestyle is very important to your brain's health," says Dr. Paul Nussbaum, a neuropsychologist and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "If you want to live a long, healthy life, then many of us need to start as early as we can." So what can you do to beef up your brain - and possibly ward off dementia? Nussbaum, who recently gave a speech on the topic for the Winter Park ( Fla.. ) Health Foundation, offers 20 tips that may help.
1.	Join clubs or organizations that need volunteers. If you start volunteering now, you won't feel lost and unneeded after you retire.
2.	Develop a hobby or two. Hobbies help you develop a robust brain because you're trying something new and complex.
3.	Practice writing with your nondominant hand several minutes everyday. This will exercise the opposite side of your brain and fire up those neurons.
4.	Take dance lessons. In a study of nearly 500 people, dancing was the only regular physical activity associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The people who danced three or four times a week showed 76 percent less incidence of dementia than those who danced only once a week or not at all.
5.	Need a hobby? Start gardening. Researchers in New Zealand found that, of 1,000 people, those who gardened regularly were less likely to suffer from dementia! Not only does gardening reduce stress, but gardeners use their brains to plan gardens; they use visual and spatial reasoning to lay out a garden.
6.	Buy a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps a day. Walking daily can reduce the risk of dementia because cardiovascular health is important to maintain blood flow to the brain.
7.	Read and write daily. Reading stimulates a wide variety of brain areas that process and store information. Likewise, writing (not copying) stimulates many areas of the brain as well.
8.	Start knitting. Using both hands works both sides of your brain. And it's a stress reducer.
9.	Learn a new language. Whether it's a foreign language or sign language,you are working your brain by making it go back and forth between one language and the other. A researcher in England found that being bilingual seemed to delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease for four years. And some research suggests that the earlier a child learns sign language, the higher his IQ - and people with high IQs are less likely to have dementia. So start them early.
10.	Play board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly. Not only are you taxing your brain, you're socializing too. Playing solo games, such as solitaire or online computer brain games can be helpful, but Nussbaum prefers games that encourage you to socialize too.
11.	Take classes throughout your lifetime. Learning produces structural and chemical changes in the brain, and education appears to help people live longer. Brain researchers have found that people with advanced degrees live longer - and if they do have Alzheimer's, it often becomes apparent only in the very later stages of the disease.
12.	Listen to classical music. A growing volume of research suggests that music may hard wire the brain, building links between the two hemispheres. Any kind of music may work, but there's some research that shows positive effects for classical music, though researchers don't understand why.
13.	Learn a musical instrument. It may be harder than it was when you were a kid, but you'll be developing a dormant part of your brain.
14.	Travel. When you travel (whether it's to a distant vacation spot or on a different route across town), you're forcing your brain to navigate a new and complex environment. A study of London taxi drivers found experienced drivers had larger brains because they have to store lots of information about locations and how to navigate there.
15.	Pray. Daily prayer appears to help your immune system. And people who attend a formal worship service regularly live longer and report happier, healthier lives.
16.	Learn to meditate. It's important for your brain that you learn to shut out the stresses of everyday life.
17.	Get enough sleep. Studies have shown a link between interrupted sleep and dementia.
18.	Eat more foods containing omega-3 fatty acids: Salmon, sardines, tuna, ocean trout, mackerel or herring, plus walnuts (which are higher in omega 3s than salmon) and flaxseed. Flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and walnut oil are good sources too.
19.	Eat more fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables mop up some of the damage caused by free radicals, one of the leading killers of brain cells.
20.	Eat at least one meal a day with family and friends. You'll slow down, socialize, and research shows you'll eat healthier food than if you ate alone or on the go.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/The_time_is_now_for_preventing_dementia.html

[forwarded from Donna]

Paula Abdul leaving American Idol

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Paula Abdul has decided to quit the top-rated U.S. television show "American Idol," ending weeks of speculation about her future as a judge on the popular singing contest.

Making her announcement on her Twitter feed on Tuesday, Abdul said "with sadness in my heart," she had decided not to return to "Idol" which is due to start auditions for its ninth season within days. She did not give any reason.

Abdul, 47, a singer/dancer turned TV personality, has been a mainstay of the show since it was launched in 2002 and quickly became an audience juggernaut for News Corp's Fox network, growing into an estimated $1 billion-plus brand.

"I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon," said Abdul, who was known for finding something positive in almost every performance.

"What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me."

Fox and the show's producers FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment said they were "saddened" that Abdul would not be returning to the show as she had been "an important part of the 'American Idol' family over the last eight seasons."

"While Paula will not be continuing with us, she's a tremendous talent and we wish her the best," they said in a joint statement, also giving no reason for her departure.

Abdul's future with the show had been unclear since the eighth season ended in May with speculation rising as producers locked in new contracts with some of the other key players.

10 Secrets To Success

For years, Investors Business Daily has run a daily column with their "10 Secrets to Success," as follows:

1. How you think is everything. Always be positive. Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment.

2. Set goals. Write down goals and devise a plan to reach them.

3. Take action. Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started now. Just do it.

4. Never stop learning. Go back to school or read books. Get training and acquire skills.

5. Be persistent and work hard. Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

6. Analyze details. Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

7. Focus your time and money. Don't let other people or things distract you.

8. Don't be afraid to innovate; be different. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

9. Deal and communicate with people effectively. No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

10. Be honest and dependable; take responsibility. Otherwise, Nos. 1 through 9 won't matter.

nonkilling

A school for impoverished victims of war in Africa has been renamed in honor of Glenn Paige, a Hawaii professor emeritus of political science whose book inspired the teaching of non-violence to children.

Now called the Glenn Paige Nonkilling School, the two-room school in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was formerly named for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Paige, a retired University of Hawaii scholar, said he has never visited the school, but his book, "Nonkilling Global Political Science," inspired its formation in 2006. He has also helped to support the 180 students, who are casualties of war, disease and abandonment.

"The school was originally named after me. But I strenuously objected as being unworthy, and suggested it be named either after Martin and Coretta King, or Mohandas and Kasturba Gandhi. They chose Complexe Scolaire Martin Luther King. Now they just renamed it by surprise for my 80th birthday on June 28," Paige said.

"It is something of a miracle ... how an academic book from Hawaii ends up as inspiration for a poor village school in the DR Congo that aspires to grow from nothing into a model for genocide-preventing, nonkilling education in Africa," he said.

Paige self-published his book and made it free on the Internet in 2002. It has been translated into 17 languages, soon to be 34, he said. He is helping the school on his own as chairman of the Governing Council of the Center for Global Nonkilling, which he originally founded as the Center for Global Nonviolence in 1994.

Paige said he coined the word "nonkilling" to describe a radical concept that advocates much more than the word "peace."

"A nonkilling society implies not only the exclusion of killing among humans, but moreover the absence of threats, weapons or justifications to kill," he said. "We have to cross the threshold of lethal pessimism that killing is inevitable."

Hawaii Auto Parts

After my mom ruined the rim and tire (Toyota Corolla 2005, tire size P195/64R15), I went looking for a replacement

Going through the Yellow Pages

Lex Brodie 949-4539
ToyotaHawaii.com 564-1150
Abes Auto Recyclers 455.4200 www.abesautorecyclers.com (Pearl City)
Auto Recycling www.autorecyclinghawaii.com 841-7872 (Sand Island)
Revolution Motorsports 772-5698 426 Ward www.rev808.com

None of the websites were very helpful

But then I happened to go to Costco to check their tire availability and asked the guy about the rim. He gave me the reference to Hawaii Auto Parts 845-1134, 1918 Republican Street 730-400 MF which sells used rims.

The rim cost $35. Then I saw they had used tires too so I bought a used tire. Another $35 or so. I guess it was a good deal (definitely cheaper than Toyota), but now when I drive the car I can hear an uneven sound like something's out of whack.

[got the rim and tire on 6/16/09]