Ayn, Neal and the world around me...

[dover]

Welcome to the 112th. Good luck with your task at hand. I hope your will of purpose is true to the intent of the document that created you. Thank you for reading it, I pray you understand it, and implore you to further its cause.

 

To Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

 

 

 

Amendment X

 

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

 

 

 

[dover]

New books by you know who....

 

 

[dover]

My electric tooth brush smiles at me when I brush well enough. I find this very interesting a little bit of a game to see if I can brush long enough to get the smile.

 

Could you imagine more products that when you use them correctly, they would smile at you? This could be a neat little feature.

 

 

[dover]

As a family, we give to a few charities that I tend to favor. One of these charities is a local home for children. We have been donating items, clothing, toys and money to them for years. Our children are involved in so much as we talk aout it, where the money is going, who it will help. We have also visited the complex of old buildings at the home. So they are learning the idea of sharing good fortune and the warmth of charity.

 

A few days after Christmas our boy came to us and put an amont of money on the counter. He said he wanted to give it to the children's home. He felt he had enough and wanted to share. Needless to say, I was very proud.

 

 

We are the moral compass of our children. They will learn based on the direction of our travel and the iron in our teachings and the conviction of our actions.

[dover]

Updates:

 

 

Superboy

 

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Tomahawk

 

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[TeddieMercede]

wow look at those grades on those Tomahawks !

[seanfingh]

 

Consistently one of the best threads on the Boards.

[dover]

This man's insight is missed but he lives on in tapes, videos and books.

 

 

 

 

 

[dover]

Magazines in the theme of Adams...

 

Emergency

 

 

 

Epic

 

 

 

Savage Tales

 

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Six Million Dollar Man

 

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Adventure Comics

 

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Action Comics

 

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the Batman....

 

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the Brave and the Bold

 

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Detective Comics

 

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Green Lanterns...

 

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House of Mystery

 

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House of Secrets

 

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the Justice League of America

 

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the Phantom Stranger

 

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Jimmy and Lois

 

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Superboy

 

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Superman

 

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Tales of the Unexpected

 

 

 

 

Tomahawk

 

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the Spectre

 

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the Strange Adventures

 

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the Unexpected

 

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the Witching Hour

 

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[dover]

I am reading a new book: Madison and Jefferson. So far it is everything I hoped it would be. But I came upon the chapter on the Virginia Declarations of Rights and was enlightened by what I read.

 

This was written June 12, 1776. And as Virginia was dependant on slavery, the first Declaration had to be written in a manner so as not to "free all slaves" once the declaration was signed and ratified. It is easy and hurtful when we gaze upon our Founding Father's and ask why did they continue slavery? It is harder to put ones self in the mind set of the time in history.

 

Regardless, we can see where this Declaration was leading.

 

 

 

The following is the complete text of the Virginia Declaration of Rights:

 

A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS made by the Representatives of the good people of VIRGINIA, assembled in full and free Convention; which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of Government.

 

I. That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.

 

II. That all power is vested in, and consequently derived from, the people; that magistrates are their trustees and servants, and at all times amenable to them.

 

III. That government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security of the people, nation or community; of all the various modes and forms of government that is best, which is capable of producing the greatest degree of happiness and safety and is most effectually secured against the danger of maladministration; and that, whenever any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of the community hath an indubitable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter or abolish it, in such manner as shall be judged most conducive to the public weal.

 

IV. That no man, or set of men, are entitled to exclusive or separate emoluments or privileges from the community, but in consideration of public services; which, not being descendible, neither ought the offices of magistrate, legislator, or judge be hereditary.

 

V. That the legislative and executive powers of the state should be separate and distinct from the judicative; and, that the members of the two first may be restrained from oppression by feeling and participating the burthens of the people, they should, at fixed periods, be reduced to a private station, return into that body from which they were originally taken, and the vacancies be supplied by frequent, certain, and regular elections in which all, or any part of the former members, to be again eligible, or ineligible, as the laws shall direct.

 

VI. That elections of members to serve as representatives of the people in assembly ought to be free; and that all men, having sufficient evidence of permanent common interest with, and attachment to, the community have the right of suffrage and cannot be taxed or deprived of their property for public uses without their own consent or that of their representatives so elected, nor bound by any law to which they have not, in like manner, assented, for the public good.

 

VII That all power of suspending laws, or the execution of laws, by any authority without consent of the representatives of the people is injurious to their rights and ought not to be exercised.

 

VIII That in all capital or criminal prosecutions a man hath a right to demand the cause and nature of his accusation to be confronted with the accusers and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favor, and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of his vicinage, without whose unanimous consent he cannot be found guilty, nor can he be compelled to give evidence against himself; that no man be deprived of his liberty except by the law of the land or the judgement of his peers.

 

IX That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed; nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

 

X That general warrants, whereby any officer or messenger may be commanded to search suspected places without evidence of a fact committed, or to seize any person or persons not named, or whose offense is not particularly described and supported by evidence, are grievous and oppressive and ought not to be granted.

 

XI That in controversies respecting property and in suits between man and man, the ancient trial by jury is preferable to any other and ought to be held sacred.

 

XII That the freedom of the press is one of the greatest bulwarks of liberty and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.

 

XIII That a well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided as dangerous to liberty; and that, in all cases, the military should be under strict subordination to, and be governed by, the civil power.

 

XIV That the people have a right to uniform government; and therefore, that no government separate from, or independent of, the government of Virginia, ought to be erected or established within the limits thereof.

 

XV That no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.

 

XVI That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore, all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.

 

Adopted unanimously June 12, 1776 Virginia Convention of Delegates drafted by Mr. George Mason

 

 

[dover]

If we stop to mourn the one, we may forget the others. If we pause to mourn the group, we neglect the many. If we cry or scream or collapse at the weight of sorrow we may begin a series to honor the fallen; without hope of an end. But some times, in life, it is okay to stop, to pause, to focus on one with full knowledge that one is too many and too many proceed and will follow.

 

...and sometimes it is as simple as a new morn

[dover]

Neal Adams did so much outside of 'comic books" it is hard to document and find it all.

 

Here are some of the Ballantine Tarzan covers he did.

 

 

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[dover]

[dover]

"get out"

 

 

 

A few nights ago, my wife and I had an opportunity to do some investigating of a paranormal kind. We have a friend that lives in a house that seems to have many strange things occurring. We have heard about it off and on for a year and often talked about doing an overnight test. We do watch a few of the ghost shows on T.V. and have been on ghost tours in a few cities. We make no claims of being experts or anything closely resembling someone that knows about such things. They are simply interesting things for us to talk about and loo for on our travels.

 

Well, Saturday night we spent the night trying to find evidence of something out of the normal. We don't have any fancy equipment and we have never done this before, but it seemed like a good idea for some fun. We used a digital recorder to see if we could get on tape something that would prove or not that there was something in the house not quite living.

 

We managed to stay up most of the night, listening and watching for any sign of ghosts or pixies or anything. We heard things throughout the night, but nothing ever happened that alarmed us or got us excited about a presence of something paranormal. In the morning we packed up and returned home, D&D coffee in hand.

 

My wife has been listening to the recordings over the last few days and so far we don't have anything to classify as "big" or "paranormal", but we definetaly recorded things that we could not hear at the time. These sounds are audible on the recorder but not at the time using your ears. There have been some sounds that can't be explained by house creaking or windows cracking or anything normal. Some movement, some tapping, some other things.

 

We are not done listening to the whole tape yet, but even so it was certainlly an experience. Something I bet we explore in the future. I'll keep up to date if anything comes through from the otherside.

 

 

[dover]

There's a lady who's sure

All that glitters is slabbed

And she's buying a hoard at conventions

 

When she gets there she knows

If the dealers are closed

With a kiss she can get 1/2 price for

 

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

And she's buying a hoard at Wizard

 

There's a sign on the wall

Highest and only, 9.8

'Cause you know sometimes there are

several copies

 

In a table by Roberts

There's a Batgirl who sings

Sometimes all of our books are

Taken

 

Ooh, it makes me wonder

 

Ooh, it makes me wonder

 

There's a feeling I get

When I press a new book

And my grade is rising

above Very Fine

 

In my thoughts I have seen

Entire Adams run in Minty

And the money of those

Who want them

 

Ooh, it makes me wonder

 

Ooh, it really makes me wonder

 

And it's whispered that soon

If we all bid in tune

Then Schmell will have a great auction

 

And a new book will come

For those who bid big

And the auctions will

Echo with shillers

 

Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh

 

If there's an auction on CLink

Don't bother to bid high

It's just a goal of a set

For the CGC awards

 

Yes, there are two Worlds you can go buy

But in the long run

There's still time to change

The theme you're on

 

And it makes me wonder

 

Aw, uh, oh

 

Your books are glossy with white pages

In case you don't know

The buyers are calling you to buy them

 

Dear lady, can you read the price guide?

your books are not near mint,

Your asking price is way to high

 

And as we type on chat room boards

Our persona taller than our own

There walks a member we all know

Who shines white light and goes to shows

And everything he has is gold

And if you read his posts you know

The truth will come to you at last

When all are his and no one else

To be The collector overall

 

And he's buying GA from

Harley...

 

 

[dover]

I have a new understanding about what and how I need to collect.

 

I have a stated goal to gather every book with a Neal Adams cover in nice little CGC plastic cases. I have about 300 right now from 9.0 to 9.8 grades. I have been trying to get the highest grade I could and have many 9.8's sitting in boxes. But lately, it is getting harder to continue in this direction while still being able to collect at the pace I want. Basically, I do not have enough money to buy a few books a month which is most likely how much the little collecting bug inside me needs. But I do have books sitting, like a pile of cash, just wondering what they are going to do in my collection long term.

 

"9.8's are for selling, 9.6's are for collecting". When this was first told to me it made a lot of sense. It did not apply to me, but one should always acknowledge truth when seen. And then, at the right time, I realized that it may indeed apply to me. As a result, I have started to let go of some of my 9.8 copies. The ease of replacing them in 9.6 and the substantial cost savings is quite a remarkable.

 

To many of the experienced collectors here, this is no revelation, but to me it is a new direction.

[dover]

In response to my new found definition of collecting, I have begun to alter my habits. I think I will be quite happy.

 

I sold the 9.8 copy, which was beautiful, but the 9.6 I got is spectacular. I might just keep going in this vain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TeddieMercede]

[dover]

I let go of a few books from my collection. I did not need the money, I have just gotten to the point where I want more, better grades, better copies and they were just holding a place for a future 9.6. I sold them here on the boards because this is where I have lived and learned about collecting for the last 5 years.

 

I considered it a pay back of sorts to the community that I have found support from and within. I gave back after being able to take and receive so much in my tenure here. I am always a little saddened and sometimes confused when selling something I collect. In this case I come to a place where I have to ask, "why am I selling something I bought to collect"? I feel as if I have done a disservice to my collecting goals by buying something that I later sell. Did I not collect the right thing? Have I changed? If I don't want them now, why did I want them then?

 

I have spoken long on this subject with a few choice individuals who I have grown attached and affectionate of on these boards. I have to say, my goal is the same, how I seek to complete it has been modified to suit my current needs. I sold these without current upgrades in hand, I now need to fill these two gaps.

 

I said goodbye to these books: I hear the trumpet of taps in the back ground.

 

.

 

I also sold this to a person I have the utmost respect and friendship with, even though I have never met them. What I have learned about social networking would fill another post entirely. They have given me so much and continue to do so at their own expense in light of mine. I owe them much and hope in some way this helps put a small portion on the scales tipped so far to my side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dover]

I started reading the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Everyone assumes that because she is my Avatar that surely I must have read all things by her, believed all things spoken by her, subscribed to all things of her. Alas, I do (and have) not.

 

Perhaps when I reach 10,000 posts and I change my avatar I will then be automatically aligned with said person or idea and I will have to start all over convincing people that it is an image, a picture and not necessarily the person I am.

 

But I wanted to read this book as the precursor to her more developed theory being presented in its early form; pre-Atlas. So far it is what I expected it to be. Ms Rand presents one of the main characters, Howard Roark, the individual spirit of the book, right away; thankfully. And he is as one would expect, living the world as he sees fit.

 

Some interesting things so far.

 

"Have you thought of your potential clients?"

 

"Yes," said Roark.

 

"The client," said the Dean. "The client. Think of that above all. He's the one to live in the house you build. Your only purpose is to serve him. You must aspire to give the proper artistic expression to his wishes. Isn't that all one can say on the subject?"

 

"Well, I could say that I must aspire to build for my client the most confortable, the most logical, the most beautiful house that can be built. I could say that I must try to sell him the best I have and also to teach him to know the best. I could say it, but i wont. Because I don't intend to build in order to have clients. I intend to have clients in order to build."

 

"How do you propose to force your ideas on them?"

 

"I don't propose to force or be forced. Those who want me will come to me."

 

Rand art at its finest.