Author: somegeektoldme@gmail.com

The ABCs of the DMZ

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Geography

I want to talk about the Korean Demilitarized Zone or as it’s most commonly known as the DMZ. Why? Because it’s one of the most heaviest protected border regions on the planet and I’ve actually been there.

Ok, let’s back up a bit shall we? So what exactly is the DMZ and why is it so unique? Let us once again enter our own TARDIS and travel backwards in time to the year 1953, to the beautiful Korean Peninsula. Just like Semisonic’s “…every new beginning, comes from some other beginning’s end” our lesson begins at the end of the Korean War. 1

Originally the boundary between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK aka North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK aka South Korea), ran along the 38th parallel, which cuts the Korean Peninsula in half. After 3 years of fighting (1950-1953), the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on 27th July 1953. It brought a long term ceasefire between the North and South Korea.

With the Armistice Agreement, both countries moved their forces back 2 km (1.2 miles) from the front line, so the DMZ could be made. Through the centre of the DMZ is the Military Demarcation Line or MDL, that separates North Korea from South Korea.

Image by Rishabh Tatiraju via Wikipedia

The DMZ stretches from one side on the peninsula to the other. It is 250 km (160 miles) long and 4 km (2.5 miles) wide. There are no active soldiers in this area, apart from the Joint Security Area (JSA). There are barbed wire fences and military posts dotted along the area, to keep people out.

Because of this, the area inside the DMZ had become a somewhat of a conservation reserve. Because very few people actual interact within the DMZ, it has created by accident, a type of biodiversity bubble. Over 65 years of nearly unmolested attention from humans, has resulted in over 2900 species of vegetation and over 70 species of mammals can be found within this bio-bubble.

The red-crowned crane and the white-naped crane, are two endangered species of crane, that now live in the DMZ. It is also to be believed that the Asiatic Black Bear, Amur Leopard and Siberian Tiger; which are all endangered species, may all be living in the DMZ as well.

So what else is interesting about the DMZ? The border separating North and South Korea is actually closed to everybody. What this means, is that if you wish to North Korea from South Korea, you must travel through Russia or China to do it; and vice versa.

There is however a meeting place at the JSA called the T1-T3 conference rooms, or also known as the blue houses. These buildings are where negotiations can take place, because there are located on the MDL. Inside these buildings, you can step from one country into the other and back again. 2

T1-T3 conference rooms

Image by Driedprawns via Wikipedia

I was fortunate enough to visit the DMZ in late 2005, so this was over 15 years ago. Some of the routines, systems or protocols may have changed over that time, so I can only talk about my experience when I was there and what I can remember.

I was working as an ESOL teacher at the time, in a city called Jeonju, located south west of Seoul. I had traveled to Seoul before, but on this particular trip, the aim was to visit the DMZ. I had a Lonely Planet guide book, which explained where in Seoul I could catch the tour. 3

Anyway, I found where the tours started from and caught a bus to the JSA, which was at the village of Panmunjom, which is north of Seoul. 4 Once there, we were taken into a building for a lecture. An American officer working for the United Nations Command proceeded to explain what was going to happen and where we were going to be taken.

Before that point, I had been in a constant state of curiosity during the bus ride, which I think lasted something like 1hour 30 minutes to 2 hours. I had been reading about the history of the area and when I finally arrived, I was very excited. That all changed during the lecture.

The officer basically said, because of where we were, we needed to sign a waiver. This was because if anybody did anything stupid that would result of somebody getting shot, injured or killed by the North Koreans, the UNC would not be liable. When I held the wavier in my hand, things became a lot of more real to me. I mean, how would I explain to my Mum about why some North Koreans decided to try and shoot me? I decided from that moment to dial down the curiosity and dial up the self-preservation.

After signing the waiver, the tour group was led from the room by the officer. Now I can’t 100% remember the order of these events, but I can remember that they happened. We were told about the 1976 Hatchet incident or Axe Murder incident and shown it’s location, along with the Bridge to No Return.

While we were walking around inside one of the buildings, a ROK soldier came walking to towards us, so the American officer told us to stop and listen. As the ROK soldier walked past, we could hear a small metallic noise. After the soldier had left, the officer asked us if anybody had heard anything.

A few people raised their hands, so the officer asked another question: What was making that sound? The group had a few guesses, before the officer revealed that the sound was a ball bearing inside the heel of the soldier’s boot.

This of course led to the reason why, not just that particular ROK soldier had one, but all of the ROK soldiers at the DMZ had ball bearings in their heels. The answer left me gobsmacked! The reason the ROK soldiers had ball bearings in the heels of their boots…was quite simply to annoy the DPRK soldiers with the noise! I found that quite funny and fascinating at the same time.

Even though it’s very obvious, I made the observation of what some of the ROK soldiers were doing. I saw some ROK soldiers that were guarding buildings on their side on the MDL, were staring directly at their North Korean opposites; for hours!

However, what was truly amazing was that some ROK soldiers were standing behind a building, with half their body exposed and the other half unseen; from the North Korean side. When I asked the American officer why were we looking at, he replied that there were two reasons the ROK soldiers were only exposing half their body. The first was that the ROK soldiers could still observe and watch the North Korean sentries, while the second was that the each ROK soldier was only giving the North Koreans half a target to aim at!

I was also shown and told the story about the two flag poles, representing the flags of North Korea and South Korea. So the story goes that, during the 1980’s, the South Koreans constructed a flag pole on their side on the DMZ, at a place called Daeseong-dong. The flag pole was built to a height of 97-98 m (323-325 ft). I need to point out that at the top of the flag pole was the South Korean flag and weighed 130 kg (287 lb).

Now the North Korean government was not to be out done for this. Their response was to build an even larger flag pole, standing at a massive 160 m (525 ft) and flying the North Korean flag, which weighs 270 kg (595 lb) at the village of Kijŏng-dong.

This leads me to talk about the two villages. Daeseong-dong and Kijŏng-dong are known as “peace” villages, because they are the only settlements allowed to be in the DMZ area, under the Armistice Agreement. The funny thing is that they are quite odd.

Take Daeseong-dong on the South Korean side, it is protected and administered by the United Nations Command and residents are expected to live at least 240 days per year in the village. The village had a population of 218 people in 2008. At 11pm, there is a curfew and headcount every night in the village and residents are exempt from military service and paying taxes. Nice deal eh?

Kijŏng-dong on the North Korean side, is something else entirely. Also known as the Propaganda Village, Kijŏng-dong appears to be fake. On one hand, the North Korean government has previously stated that the village is home to over 200 families, where they work on a collective farm.

On the another hand, the South Korean government and western media state something crazy! They claim the buildings in the villages are concrete shells, because they lack glass windows or rooms; a small crew of caretakers sweep the empty footpaths; and some lights are turned on and off at set times, to try and give the impression the village is a hive of activity. Sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction.

To reinforce how crazy the pettiness of the two countries have been, they have used loudspeakers to pump out various propaganda to each other, 5 as well as using balloons to drop leaflets on the neighbouring country.

Now one thing I haven’t mentioned are the tunnels. From 1974, several tunnels have been discovered running into the DMZ, from North Korea. The great thing is that as part of the tour, you can descend into one of the tunnels. 6

As we walking into the tunnel, the tour guide explained the history of the tunnels. It went something along the lines of the tunnels being discovered by the South Koreans; North Korea would claim that South Korea was responsible for their construction; then North Korea would later claim ownership of them, because it was stated they were coal mines.

It’s an interesting story, especially when you are hearing about it and actually standing in the tunnel. It was at that point when we were shown the craziness of the situation. The tour guide pointed out the blast points, which indicated they were made from the North Korea side.

However, the best thing about it was that the walls were black. As in black paint. The North Koreans painted the walls black, to give the illusion that it’s coal!

Over the years, diplomacy between North and South Korea has increased. This has resulted in many changes within the DMZ; the biggest have been the removal of landmines and guard posts, but also the reintroduction of transportation.

If you ever get the chance to visit the DMZ, please take it. You won’t regret it.

Thanks for reading and see you in a fortnight!

1 I need to point out that technically North Korea and South Korea are still at war, they are just in a frozen conflict.

2 Granted there are DPRK and ROK soldiers staring at each other and you, inside the building. It’s a surreal setting.

3 My South Korean Lonely Planet book went everywhere with me, it was amazing! (Not a sponsor).

4 Because the JSA and Panmunjom are so close to each other, the two names can and have been indistinguishable. It’s also mentioned in Billie Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

5 Again, just another way to piss off your neighbour and their family.

6 I think it was either the 2nd, 3rd or 4th tunnel.

Sir Edmund Hillary: King over the Mountain

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People

I want to talk about Sir Edmund Hillary. Why you ask? That’s a good point, so I’ll try and answer that question, as I muddle through my thought processes. During my childhood and later as an adult/man-child, “Sir Ed” as he was sometimes referred to, was a larger than life icon that generated a massive amount of mana (respect) from the country.

I mean, I could name some of the most famous and important people in the country growing up. There was the Prime Minister, the All Blacks coach, the All Blacks captain and Sir Ed.

Say the name Sir Edmund Hillary and someone might say that’s the first person to reach the summit of Mt Everest, which is the highest mountain above sea level, which stands at a colossal 8,848m or 29,029ft.

Mt Everest is located in the Himalayan mountain range, which sits along the border of Nepal and Tibet. Hillary and fellow mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, accomplished this insane feat on 29th May 1953, where they stood on the highest point on the planet for 15 minutes, before descending down to base camp.

Now, I could try and focus on this now famous expedition; that quite frankly, changed the world. However, that is not what I want to talk about, even though it was truly amazing. What I want to discuss, are Hillary’s astounding achievements after climbing Mt Everest. This of course is not to take away Hillary’s achievements before climbing Mt Everest.

Head and shoulders portrait of Edmund Percival Hillary circa 1953.

Image by TimofKingsland via Wikipedia

Now, I’m going to break them down into three sections, so the first section is what I call Professional Achievements. In 1953, Hillary was made a Knight Commandeer of the Order of the British Empire. Basically this meant he was knighted; hence the “Sir” in his name. Hillary also received many other awards and medals from United Kingdom, New Zealand, Nepal, Poland, United States of America and India, over the years.

From 1955 to 1958, Hillary was took part in Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which he was in charge of the New Zealand section. By doing this, the expedition was the first to cross Antarctica via the South Pole, by using vehicles. Hillary actually arrived at the South Pole, driving a modified Massey Ferguson tractor. Seriously…a tractor.

Hillary also ventured back to the Himalayas, throughout the 1960’s; though he never attempted a second climb of Mt Everest. I mean, why would he go back, after he knocked the bastard off. 1

On another expedition to Antarctica in 1967, Hillary and his party first climbed Mt Herschel, which stands 3,335m or 10,941ft. Hillary also led the first jet boat expedition up the Ganges River in 1977 and then pushed on to climb to its source, located in the Himalayas. As you do.

Hillary was also the first person to complete, what is now known as the Three Pole Challenge. This is a challenge to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and the top of Mt Everest. Hillary reached the summit of Mt Everest in 1953, the South Pole in 1958 and lastly, reached the North Pole in 1985, flying with; of all people, Neil Armstrong. You just can’t make this stuff up!

The next section of achievements is about family. Hillary was a suitor of Louise Rose, whom was 12 years younger than him. She left Auckland, New Zealand to continue her music studies in Sydney, Australia. On his way to the Himalayas, Hillary stops and visits her, where they kiss for the first time, while walking along the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Hillary married Louise in September 1953, which he later confessed to being terrified of proposing to her! They went on to have three children; Peter, Sarah and Belinda.

It would be remiss of me to mention that in 1975, Louise and Belinda were killed in a plane, near Kathmandu, Nepal. Hillary remarried 14 years later to June Mulgrew.

At last, we come to the third and final section, Hillary’s Humanities achievements. In 1960, Hillary established the Himalayan Trust, which is a charity organisation that supports the Sherpa people of Nepal.

Through his amazing work, many schools, hospitals, airfields and conservation projects were built, which greatly aided the community. Hillary was also made Honorary President of several ecological non-profit groups. Hillary also served as the New Zealand High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh, as well as the Ambassador to Nepal from 1985-1988. Hillary’s devotion to the Sherpa people lasted his adult life and on the 50th anniversary of his famous Everest climb, he was made an honorary citizen of Nepal.

To end this celebration of Hillary’s post-Everest achievements, it’s one of the most obvious. Beginning in 1992, Sir Edmund Hillary’s portrait has appeared on the New Zealand $5 note; which at the time, made him the only living person to appear on a banknote that was not a current head of state.

Image by Reserve Bank of New Zealand

It’s only interesting to point out that the mountain in the background of the $5 note, is not Mt Everest; but actually Aoraki/Mt Cook, which is the highest mountain in New Zealand. This was done at Hillary’s insistence.

Hillary passed away in 2008 at 88 years old and the world is still less because of it.

Thanks for reading and see you in a fortnight!

1 This is a quote from Hillary after descending Mt Everest with Norgay. The first person they met was George Lowe, where he uttered the famous words “Well, George, we knocked the bastard off.”

You know that we are living in a chemical world …

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

…and I am a chemical girl, I mean boy, I mean man!

I want to talk about chemicals. Why? It’s funny the way people describe or talk about something, when in fact, they are actually talking about something else entirely. Like when your uncle said that he saw some monkeys at the zoo, when in fact, they were chimpanzees; something else entirely.

Chemicals are another great example. You may have heard someone talk about how they don’t like to have chemicals or added chemicals in their food or drink. They might explain they only eat organic food, that is grown or produced locally; along with no added chemicals. They only want to consume or drink healthy options; anything that is chemical free or not dangerous to novice dancers, like the latest Chemical Brothers or My Chemical Romance albums.

Sounds fair, right. I mean, what type of person, would actually like chemicals in that new berry flavoured sports drink or that delicious looking chocolate muffin? The answer would be you.

Wait a minute, so what is a chemical? Helmenstine (2011) describes a chemical as a substance that is made up of matter; which can mean a gas, solid or liquid. Helmenstine (2011) also adds that a chemical can be an element or a mixture like a gas, compound or solution.

So chemicals are everywhere and in everything. In the food you eat, the liquids you drink and the air you breathe. You swim in chemicals, you wear clothes containing chemicals and you use chemicals to maintain the ongoing function of your body, like testosterone, adrenaline and estrogen.

Basically, you can’t avoid chemicals. Whether it’s the gas Carbon dioxide (CO2) your body exhales; the Dihydrogen monoxide or water (H2O) you drink or the Sodium chloride or salt (NaCl) that you sprinkle on your food, chemicals help maintain life on this planet.

These chemicals fall under the branch of science known as Chemistry, which relates to the study of the periodic table of elements, atoms, molecules, reactions, their relationships and bonds to each other and everything else that goes with it.

I think that when someone says they don’t want to eat or drink chemicals, what they are really saying, is that they don’t want food or liquid that has been altered or created, by means of Genetically Modified Food or GMO; or at least ingesting or inhaling dangerous or harmful chemicals.

These harmful or dangerous chemicals can be made naturally or artificially, by humans for different reasons. Also, just because a chemical is created naturally, does not automatically make it good for you; just as an artificial chemical is not automatically bad.

Governments around the world have different departments and organisations, whose function is to regulate and administer the control of harmful and dangerous chemicals in food chains.

They include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA in the United States of America), Foods Standard Agency (FSA in the United Kingdom) European Food Safety Authority, World Health Organization (WHO) and many more.

So, the next time you hear some person complaining that they don’t want chemicals in their diet, please just politely remind them; that just like Wet Wet Wet’s 1994 cover about love…chemicals are all around.

Thanks for reading and see you in a fortnight!

Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels.com

References:

Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, February 11). What Is a Chemical and What Isn’t a Chemical? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-chemical-604316

The Magna Carta: Still kicking arse after 805 years

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History

I want to talk about the Magna Carta. Why? Because when I told my wife what I was going to write about, she asked if the Magna Carta was a Harry Potter spell. No, it’s not.

So…what is the Magna Carta? It’s one of the famous and most important documents in the world. However to me, and only to me; it’s an amazing piece of legislation that is still relevant in 2020, as it was when it was created in 1215. 1 To understand what the Magna Carta aka the Great Charter, truly is and it’s importance, we need to jump inside our TARDIS and travel back to the High Middle Ages; in particular, England.

So, let’s set the scene shall we? At that time, different countries around the world were using the feudal system. Feudalism was a way that land ownership and duties were administered and exchanged. For an example, in England, the king would own all of the land in the kingdom. Now, owning all of the land sounds great…but it’s not really practical. I meant being the landlord of the country; think of the paperwork!

Because of this, the king would parcel out land to lords, barons and nobles in exchange for service and soldiers. These lords would be called vassals, which they in turn would parcel out smaller sections of land to lesser lords, local lords and to the peasants.

Now King John was the ruler of England in 1215 and he wasn’t exactly popular. Because of this, he is remembered as being one of the worst kings in English history. He had been king for 16 years and in that time, he had lost various wars with France; gained an annulment for his first marriage; was accused of murdering his own nephew; starved 22 knights to death; implemented heavy taxes to fund his foreign wars; excommunicated by the Church and sleeping with some of the wives and children of his barons. Also he was supposedly an enemy, of one green cladded archer that lived in Nottingham Forest. 2

Anyway, the barons and lords of England were very tired of his shenanigans. If they refused to pay the taxes, King John would confiscate their properties or punish them severely. They needed to stop the never ending and increasing taxes, so they could avoid losing their lands.

The barons wanted everybody in the kingdom to obey the laws of the land. To them, nobody was above the law, not even the king. Because of this, the barons; led by Robert Fitzwalter in 1213, took their concerns to Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

After a meeting with the barons aka the rebels, 3 Langton went to see King John, to remind of the Charter of Liberties. This was a set of rules, laid down by Henry I in 1100, for a king to be bound by, to safeguard certain rights for their subjects. Langton wanted King John to honour that charter, but in a surprise to nobody, King John did not share the same ideas as the Archbishop or the rebels.

WASHINGTON – MARCH 03: A copy of a 1297 version of Magna Carta is on display during a press viewing at the National Archives March 3, 2008 in Washington, DC.

Photo by Alex Wong via UK Human Rights Blog

King John looked to Pope Innocent III for support and protection from the rebels and their allies. However, after two years of negotiating and stalling, the rebels were sick of the situation; they decided to create a solution. In May 1215, the rebels met, broke their allegiances to the king and started a military campaign against him. They captured London in the same month, which forced King John back to the negotiating table.

On 10th June 1215, King John met with the barons at Runnymeade, to discuss reforms and they did this with a document. After some editing and discussions, the Great Charter was signed on 15th June 1215, by King John, the barons and various other people. 4

Magna Carta has been annulled, reinstated and had many revisions over the years, but what is so special about it? I mean, it was created over 800 years ago, how is it relevant to governments and their citizens in 2020? The answer is all about legacy.

There are many clauses in Magna Carta, but the two most famous ones are about liberty and rights:

“No free man shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed, exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by the lawful judgement of his peers and the law of the land.

“To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.”

This is profound because of the changes Magna Carta would bring, not just to England, but to the world, throughout the centuries. The Great Charter helped in creating the first Parliament of England; it was used in creating the Petition of Rights in 1628, to challenge King Charles I and was used at his trial; the United States of America’s Declaration of Independence of 1776, was based on Magna Carta; it led a movement in England for all men to have the vote, which in turn became a movement for women to have the vote, years later.

The importance of Magna Carta had also gained strength internationally, because subjects of the British Empire, began to demand the same rights granted to British citizens, under Magna Carta; many leaders around the world, fighting for freedom, were citing Magna Carta for their rights; and 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created, based on Magna Carta, to promote the rights of people all over the world.

Over the years, Magna Carta has become a beacon for justice, liberty, freedom and rights the world over. Not bad for a document that is 805 years old. Though to be fair to Magna Carta, the world and Judge Dredd, the greatest piece of legacy the Great Charter has given us is quite simply this: That everybody must obey the law and that nobody is above the law; not even a king.

Thanks for reading and see you in a fortnight!

1 I’m not an expert, but I think Judge Dredd would have approved of the Magna Carta.

2 Does the name Robin Hood ring any bells?

3 The answer is no. The rebels did not have X-Wings nor did King John have a Death Star.

4 Even though King John did sign the charter, he actually didn’t believe in it or follow it.

Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker paid for my wedding

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics

I want to talk about comic books. This is because I’m a comic book fan, so I’m also a reader and collector. It’s funny, because I have a hard time remembering when comic books were not part of my life. For some reason, I had a large cardboard box filled with comics, underneath my bed, when I was young. Where the comics actually came from, I have no idea.

Maybe they came from older cousins; maybe they were donated from family friends; or maybe my future self, travelled backwards through time and placed them there, in order to maintain a linear timeline. 1

Before I ramble on any more about comics, I need to clarify something. When I am talking about comics, I am not just discussing superhero comics, but comic books of any and all genres. 2

Great, let’s crack on then.

Let’s talk about the stigma that comes with comics, especially with adults. What I mean is, why would a grown adult choose to read literature that has hand drawn pictures to guide the reader through its narrative? Why bother reading about something that is like a child’s fantasy, as well as looking at female characters whose physical dimensions are grossly exaggerated? Why read something that is obviously designed for children and the illiterate, along with people that are not intelligent enough to read a real book? Or something like comics appealing to people with poor social skills, unable to grow up or face reality? 3

Harsh words I know, but I have heard similar and even worse than this about people that like comics. Sometimes directed at me and sometimes directed at comic fans in general. Because of this, it’s amazing what time and self-confidence can do to someone.

I think maybe for nearly twenty years, I was ashamed and embarrassed for people to learn that I read and collected comics. Nearly twenty years. I think I was afraid of what people would think of me; however now…it doesn’t bother me. If someone wants to think less of me, because I read comics, then I can’t help that.

Over the years, I had collected hundreds of comic books and I was running out of room. So I decided to start selling some online via Trade Me; it’s basically the number one website in New Zealand, for buying and selling anything! Anyway, after eight years of selling second hand comics part-time, had provided me with a small fund.

The problem was that I was saving that money for something special, but I didn’t know what. Enter the solution; my fiancée. I got engaged and suddenly I had an expensive wedding to pay for, but with no money…except my secret comic book selling fund. In a nutshell, Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker and all of the other uncountable comic book characters, paid for my wedding.

Sorry, I got side tracked. Over the years, my taste in comics has changed, because of the different genres that are available. You can read horror, romance, superheroes, thriller, crime noir, fantasy, all ages, foreign, science fiction, drama, humour, mystery, politics, non-fiction, supernatural, teen, war and western; to name a few. There is seriously a comic book for everybody.

Image by lisistent from Pixabay

So…why do I read and collect comics? That is an interesting question, to which I’m not entirely sure. 4 I think a lot of it is linked to comics themselves and also the messages they give. I love the marriage of what literature and art can do in a comic book. Whether it’s spaceships and alien worlds or a zombie apocalypse or good old cape story, having the narrative unfold with mind blowing art, solidifies how profound the medium can be.

Imagine Judge Dredd cruising around on his Lawmaster 5; or Spider-Man swinging around New York; or Wonder Woman head butting Ares the God of War; or Michonne killing her 23rd zombie for that issue; WITHOUT the artwork. The cultural and visual impact would not be the same, because how I would think the Phantom’s costume would look like, could be different to your version.

Also please name another medium, where each week or month, your favourite characters return to continue their adventures. Each issue is like a chapter in a book, but instead of waiting to turn the page to see what happens next, you have to wait for the next issue to be released. Being a comic book fan teaches you to be patient. 6

Now I am going to get a bit predictable here, I’m sorry. I want to discuss the messages and themes comics carry and the importance of them. It sounds geeky and corny, but comics have taught me things, I really don’t if I would ever learn anywhere else.

Peter Parker taught me about having great power, comes great responsibility. Clark Kent taught me that I’m stronger than I think. Mar-Vell taught me that everybody has the capability to change. Charles Xavier taught me about tolerance. Al Simmons and Daniel Ketch taught me to say no to the devil, while Anung Un Rama taught me that my destiny is my own. And Bruce Wayne…well he taught me to never give up.

There are so many comic book characters that I feel have left nuggets of wisdom for me to follow and absorb into my own philosophy. From the Fantastic Four (don’t show off to your girlfriend and her little brother) to Green Lantern (you’re never alone) to Invincible (family is forever) to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the proper way to dispose of chemical waste) to Wonder Woman (it’s ok to be a paradox).

Though there is a group of characters that have given me one of the best lessons: supervillains. They have taught me that it doesn’t matter if you get knocked down for the 1st time or the 1,000th; if you stay down for 1 minute or 10 years; pick yourself up and try and try and try again. 

I try to teach some of these messages to my UMCs, because I want them to believe in themselves and in the future, so if they are ever in a relationship with someone that likes Sour Cream and Chives, they will have the strength to be tolerant.

Basically the takeaway message is this: be curious and brave and go to your local library; or even better, visit your local comic book store and start your journey into the wormhole of comics. Your future self will thank you for it!

Now I know there are many things wrong with the comic book industry, but there are so many things right with it. Yes, I kind of feel like a walking, talking comic book encyclopedia; but I love comic books. I always have and I always will.

Thanks for reading and see you in a fortnight!

1 In my humble opinion, linear time travel is the one that rules them all. 

2 To be fair, superhero comics were my gateway drug.

3 I’m playing Devil’s Advocate here, I don’t believe in any of that.

4 What kind of idiot asks himself a question that he can’t answer?

5 Drokk!

6 Let’s not mention titles on hiatus. I’m looking at you, Saga. I’m 100% looking at you.

Science, Science, wherefore art thou Science?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

I want to talk about science. Why? I think science is cool; well, at least to someone like me it is. It’s something that I love learning about, because it can answer a lot of my questions, along with things that I had never thought of or imagined. 1

Alright, let us begin, shall we? Science. From the Sodium-Potassium pump to the strong nuclear force to plate tectonics to magnetars to hereditary genetics to the periodic table 2, I love it. From Darwin to Hawking to Easley to Faraday to Ibn Al-Nafis to Curie, I love them.

Now I’m not as smart as any of the people on this list, to actually create the science that we learn about. I’m just smart enough to remember some of the details. That’s it. These people have inspired me with their discoveries and their positive impact on the world is massive. 

Take the field of astronomy and astrophysics, which are two of my oldest loves. Having different people from all over the world research stars, comets, planets, quasars and everything else, is quite frankly, completely amazing and humbling at the same time.

An example of this was in April 2019, when the Event Horizon Telescope project released the very first image of a black hole. 3 To me, reading about the project; watching the video clips; and staring at the image; I was left with one word. Wow.

I know it was debatable whether an image could be taken of a cosmic object that had a gravity well so demonstrably strong, that not even light could escape it. However, as Sheperd Doeleman of Harvard University and Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said “We have seen what we thought was unseeable.” If that is not an example of “Impossible is nothing”, then nothing is.

Having people dedicating their lives to mapping the human genome, creating weather models, studying planetary magnetic fields, understanding isolated ecosystems; and then revealing that information to the world is amazing. Because of this, I’m reminded of Sir Isaac Newton quote, when he said in 1675 “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

We are currently living in the Contemporary History time period. Never before in the history of life on this planet, has the sheer amount of information and knowledge about everything, has been so accessible to the population of our species; regardless of age, gender, class, job or favourite snack flavour.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

In my humble and geeky opinion, this is truly astounding, because we can learn about centuries worth of scientific content; as well as new discoveries as they unfold. Seriously, you can learn about time dilation, while you eat your breakfast; covalent, polar and ionic bonds while riding public transportation; or the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, while distracting yourself from your neighbours’ out of control party. Seriously, is that not cool? Well, you not being invited to the party is not cool, but…you know.

Another thing that is important to me is that details matter. Facts matter. Misinformation and disinformation about Science seems to be on the rise, which to me, is just insane. By this I mean take COVID-19.

Scientists are promoting social distancing, self-isolation, hand washing and mask wearing, to limit the spread of the virus. However, it seems that in too many countries around the world, these scientists are slowly getting dragged into political arguments.

It gets worse, because some people believe that (all) scientists are part of different deep state or conspiracy groups, hell bent on controlling or brain washing us. So science and scientists can never be trusted.

Because of this, some people in our society are under the impression that science is a religion or at least, it’s some form of cult, where you need to worship scientists as gods and perform crazy ass rituals. Therefore, they must be “devil worshipping, god hating zealots.” I find this interesting, because in 19th century New Zealand, a lot of the scientists of that time, were also clergymen.

Science is not a religion. Religion deals with belief systems that govern our actions, based on those beliefs. They are about how we should treat ourselves and each other. 4 To me, science is simply about understanding the world around us through observations and experiments.

So if you ever are curious about something scientific about our world or if someone else asks you a scientific question and you don’t know the answer; don’t panic (unless you forgot your towel). Be brave and make the time to search for the answer, but be careful: you may fall into a rabbit hole of information and you might learn something.

I believe that having more adults that are scientifically literate in society, means we have more informed adults. 5 By having more informed adults, means they can make better choices about themselves and the world. Like saying yes to vaccinations and saying no to climate change and Sour Cream and Chives.

Thanks for reading and see you in a fortnight!

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

1 Basically questions related to super powered individuals.

2 I was reading a book about helium and I couldn’t put it down.

3 I like to call them “beautiful nightmares.”

4 Notwithstanding the law, of course. Somewhere Judge Dredd is silently agreeing.

5 Birds are a special kind of dinosaurs. Accept it.