It’s amazing the bizarre stuff that you can come across when researching any number of topics. While I was doing research on Aquatic comic book heroes, I discovered the book, “The Science of Superheroes” by Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg. This book primarily deals with the scientific plausibility of superheroes/superpowers (seriously I’m not making this up). Since I was only looking at this work for the sake of the League of Aquatic Heroes, I only read the chapter on Aquatic Heroes, but I’m sure the rest of the book is equally intreaging!

So how possible is Aquaman or Namor, the Sub-Mariner? Gresh and Weinberg, bring up the theory that mankind could’ve possibly spent a period of its evolutionary track as a semi-aquatic species. I’ve stumbled across this theory before in my schooling (as a History and Archeaology major), and it’s surprisingly plausible. Many of the traits that separate human beings from other primates can be explained by mankind evolving in a heavily flooded area for a period of time. I suppose it’s not much of a stretch for the human imagination to wonder if people could’ve continued evolving from a semi-aquatic to a fully aquatic species. I guess the idea of fishmen is not as crazy as it sounds.

The chapter also deals with a number of topics related to our Oceanic heroes including: Atlantis, breathing water, ocean pressure, and how to communicate with or command fish. Unfortunately, the chapter contained no logical explanation as to why Aquaman wears an orange shirt with green pants.

Chapter Preview on Google Books:
“The Science of Superheroes”, Chapter Four, Under the Sea: Aquaman and Sub-Mariner, by Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg

Buy Book at Amazon.com:
The Science of Superheroes

In a world concerned with its carbon footprint and ever-striving for new ways to reduce environmental impact, hemp is one of those products that comes up time and again with new alternatives. This time around it’s “Hemcrete”–a new concrete-like substance developed by U.K.-based Lhoist Group, Tradical® Hemcrete® made from hemp, lime and water.

Here’s a new building material that is not just carbon neutral, but is actually carbon negative. What makes it carbon negative? There is more CO2 locked-up in the process of growing and harvesting of the hemp than is released in the production of the lime binder.

Hemcrete® is 100% recyclable, is seven times stronger than concrete, weighs half as much, and is less prone to cracking. It’s also waterproof, fireproof, insulates well, and does not rot. Demolished Hemcrete® walls can actually be used as fertilizer.

Hemcrete® has been available in the UK for years but it’ll take a while before it hits North America since it’s currently illegal to grow the species of hemp used in the mixture (although I’m not sure if it’s illegal in Canada… hmmm). If the market in Europe becomes profitable though, it’s likely that lawmakers might re-access their own laws to consider this alternative building material as well.

[Click to View Enlarged Image]

I’ve been sitting on this blog post for a while now and it almost got left unpublished. I came across it just after getting back from San Diego Comic Con. I spent a week there, exhausting myself to new degrees of human fatigue… and I loved it! So, when I saw a new post in my RSS feed titled “Dark Horse Goes Green” supported with a comic strip promoting it, I was enthusiastic!

“Of course! why NOT?!” I thought. Comics are paper, right, so using recycled paper, or partly recycled paper might make sense–at least in concept.

I was wrong.

As I read the companion strip my enthusiasm turned to over-whelming disappointment. The concept of “greenwashing” has been a topic I’ve been talking to Nikki about for almost a year. I’ve wanted to write an article about greenwashing after collecting dozens and dozens of news posts over the last year. Then the topic seemed to loose some steam in the blogging world and I thought: “Hum… maybe companies are aware of their deceptive or ignorant practices and smartening up.”

Then this: Not only did a respectable company like Dark Horse take a leader step forward, commanding respect and encouraging others to follow… they also did it wrong and even backed up their reasons for NOT going green! Absurd! Especially when tied to a green PR stunt meant to draw the awareness of green enthusiasts.

Just to break down what “greenwashing” is for people who are new to the term (including those at Dark Horse marketing presumably), here’s a definition:

Greenwashing is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing.

Let me breakdown the ways Dark Horse and the strip above wantonly stride with ignorant abandon into the land of greenwashing:

1. High-quality bags: At the con, “schwag bags” are handed out like Halloween candy to Con-goers with seemingly endless sweettooths to take EVERY bag they pass by. Dark Horse making “high-quality reusable bags” isn’t that big a deal. The argument that they aren’t “plastic bags that’ll go in the trash” doesn’t make them bags that WON’T go in the trash by those who have no interest in keeping a dozen bags from different companies with promo art on them after they get home from the Con. I, for example, have high-quality PLASTIC bags that I reuse constantly as grocery bags. Some of the plastic bags I saw being handed out at the Con were equally reusable by those with the mindset to REUSE them. It’s not the bag’s material–it’s the bag holder’s choice.
2. What else does Dark Horse do for the planet: They have their comics on Myspace and the iPhone. Congratulations. This isn’t being done to “help the planet”, so please Dark Horse, don’t lie to yourselves and don’t confuse consumers. These same comics are also printed. The online options are just that: Options. They don’t fully replace paper comics, they help reach new readers who might come into a comic store and buy paper comics. If they were series that were ONLY digital, then they win this point. If not… shame… moving on…
3. But Dark Horse still prints comics! What about all the waste!?: Comics become waste. Sure, there are collectors who will save them for decades (and eventually over a century when their kids take the collections over), but at the end of the day: Comics are a waste product. Just like G.I. Joe toys, He-Man toys, My Little Ponies toys, vinyl records, stamps, Bazooka Joe bubble gum strips–you get the point I hope. An object “being a collectible” doesn’t exempt it from eventually going the way of the trash bin, or recycling bin.
4. Trying recycled paper, but it’s not good enough quality: Thinking it’s OK to use virgin paper for comics because you THINK they aren’t “bound for the landfill” doesn’t mean that the possibility they WON’T end up in a landfill doesn’t exists. You’re ignorant otherwise.
5. Paper is recyclable: Congratulations for pointing that out. Defending the choice to print on virgin paper by saying it “is a renewable resource” does NOT make your actions green! You know what ELSE is a renewable resource? RECYCLED paper… oh right… too bad you aren’t happy with the paper stock. Fail.
6. At Dark Horse, they love the environment: This may be true… but don’t PR that you’re “going green”. This is not acceptable from a publishing company with such a great history in the industry. It’s disappointing to someone who considers this publisher to be one of the comic industry “lead voices”. Doing something like this is a huge strike against the company from my opinion–and that sucks for me to say.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to suggest that Dark Horse’s intentions weren’t good. They jumped onto the green choo-choo train without having a better strategy than the one above. As a comic book lover, I’m a fan of good quality books, sure–I love books that stay in good condition for as long as possible. Any book. Would I purchase a comic on less quality comic paper? Sure, just make it cheaper as well. Would I purchase ONLY digital comics if the right technology was out to support it–cough Quicksilver cough–abso-frikkin-lutley. But I’d still by the trades for the collections I liked.

There’s always going to be paper products for people like me. I wouldn’t want publishers like Dark Horse or any other to change their distribution model to 100% digital. What I would like to see though is companies of all kinds to STOP this kind of Green PR tactic just to be part of the trend train. Think before your market.

It’s been a few months again with no RD comic updates. A year ago now I tackled the strip again and redesigned it into 4-panels, gray tone, and migrated it all to my blog at NunoXEI.com.

At that time I had started a new video contract that took up all my free time. I also scripted out three comic book scripts and drafted out an additional 3 more for the comic I’m producing called Raven Nevermore with Emmanuel Xerx Javier, which now is blocked in up to issue 24. Still not content, I wanted to kick start more projects to make the break worth while. I wrote the script and helped layout another new webcomic called League of Aquatic Heroes with partner in crime Rui DaSilva and artist Nikola Temkov. You’d think THAT was the end of it… but no, no… I got another strip off the ground that’s in character development as I type called Fault Line, with artist Pablo Peppino, which is blocked in at 52 strips thus far.

The Lesson Learned

I’m a glutton for new creative works–this is now a sure fact. What I learned though is that, no, I do NOT have the time to do all of it myself. I spent months finding other creative people online that I could collaborate with. I saved some money and I drafted up an expense spreadsheet to see how much of my income I could filter out to the artists I’ve committed to. Along with the three comic projects that were kick-started, I also finished producing an M&M Superlink magazine and am continuing to collect works of short fiction for an anthology I intend to wrap up by next summer as well.

Nothing is impossible. It just takes planning, motivation, dedication and perseverance!

This brings me to today, and to this new RD site. After Comic Con San Diego I decided to re-visit Republic Domain once again in a way that’s been on my mind for about half a year. My time is starting to open up while the other projects are in motion and I am going to attempt to DRAW the strip going forward… even if it starts rough at first! Nothing is learned without practice and repetition–so here goes nothing!

My goal right now is to simplify the characters visually as well as create a story framework that will give the citizens of Rheddville some dimension and direction instead of just being punchline automatons. Because of this, it will still be a few weeks before I actually get the new RD strips up. I’ll aim for September some time after I’ve got a head start!

At some point between the WordPress version 2.7 and version 2.8 I ended up losing the ability to post new content to TheGreenRocket.com. The ability to select my username from the “author” dropdown just disappeared, never to be seen again no matter how many new updates to WordPress I made between those versions.

Mind you, this blog here was updated at the same time TGR was and I never lost the ability to post as “NunoXEI” so I’m near-positive that this is only in the scenario that you run a WordPress blog with MULTIPLE contributors. I could be wrong, but that’s my hypothesis (thus the “near”-positive feeling about it all). I wanted to get a new blog post up on TGR this afternoon and finally forced myself to figure out a solution.

Here’s the quickest way to resolve the issue:

1. Log in to WordPress normally with the admin ID that’s broken
2. Click on Users > Add New
3. Create new user with Administrator Role; call it “tempadmin” or something similar
4. Log out of WordPress
5. Log in to WordPress with this TEMP admin above (tempadmin or whatever)
6. Click on Users > Authors & Users and click on your ORIGINAL user ID in order to edit it
7. Change the role of this ORIGINAL admin to “Subscriber”; click Save
8. Change the role of this ORIGINAL admin to “Administrator”; click Save
9. Log out of the TEMP admin
10. Log back in with your ORIGINAL admin
11. You’re rockin’ and rollin’ again!

Hope that helps anyone else who got as baffled as me!

It always affects me negatively when I read headlines that seem to be degrading to the human race in general. I sit baffled at my computer reading and wondering: But how?! HOW can this be an issue considering what goes into STOPPING it from happening? It can’t be a question of organizations saying “we need more money”–I mean, it just can’t, not in my opinion–and I want to stress that this is all it is!

I’m not a professional statistician or world-wide animal activist or committee head. I’m just a guy frustrated at the human race. Most people spend their time concerned about themselves and getting ahead in life that they forget that parts of the world are in trouble until it’s plastered all over CNN or Fox News.

So let me start this blog post very simply, with statistics that are easy to scan over and consume. The short of it is that rhino poaching worldwide is poised to hit a 15-year-high driven by Asian demand for horns which for the most part are believed to have medicinal value. The report was presented by the WWF, IUCN, and TRAFFIC to the 58th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Standing Committee in Geneva (July 6-10, 2009) and further discussed at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, which will be held in Doha, Qatar March 13-25, 2010. The call to actions was for local governments to acquire “an accurate and up-to-date picture of the status, conservation and trade in African and Asian rhinoceroses … so that firm international action can be taken to arrest this immediate threat to rhinoceros populations worldwide.”

Here is a breakdown of other stats I’ve gathered online:

• An estimated three rhinos were illegally killed each month in all of Africa from 2000-05, out of a population of around 18,000. In contrast, 12 rhinoceroses now are being poached each month in South Africa and Zimbabwe alone (WWF)
• Growing evidence of involvement of Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai nationals in the illegal procurement and transport of rhino horn out of Africa. (WWF)
• Rhino poaching is also problematic in Asia. About 10 rhinos have been poached in India and at least seven in Nepal since January alone—out of a combined population of only 2,400 endangered rhinos. (WWF)
• Almost all rhino species are listed in CITES (the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Appendix I, which means that any international trade of any rhino parts for commercial purposes is illegal. (WWF)
• Increased demand for rhino horn, alongside a lack of law enforcement, a low level of prosecutions for poachers who are actually arrested. (Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC)
  • In September 2008, a gang of four Zimbabwean poachers who admitted to killing 18 rhinos were also freed in a failed judiciary process.
• The biggest threat to the surviving five species of rhino in Africa and Asia is poaching for their horns to make into traditional Oriental medicine. It is also used for the handles of ceremonial daggers. (Save the Rhino Foundation)
• The current international moratorium on rhino horn trade did not prevent officially permitted hunts taking place – “but the hunters will not be able to sell these horns”. (Dr Dave Balfour, a senior official at the Eastern Cape Parks Board)
• In one case, the rhino horns are suspected to have been sold to the eastern market between R18 000 to R25 000 a kilogram with the horns weighing between 8 – 11 kilograms. (TravelWires.com)

There needs to be a proper punishment for poaching. Plain and simple. These animals are endangered species, none of this should be going on. I’ve read comments on some of the blogs posting the WWF news by individuals who are ignorant enough to believe it doesn’t matter and that people come first. Listen, this isn’t about starving people–that’s it’s own problem (mainly caused by crappy distribution models, not a lack of food in the world). This is about preserving life in the general sense to reflect on the positive aspects of what it means to be human. It’s about breaking laws, especially internationally accepted laws. And finally it’s about inhumane actions that have no place in this world, against people or otherwise. Period.

Rhino horn poaching persists because the punishment for getting caught still makes it a profitable opportunity. In January 2009, a joint operation by various disciplines of the South African Police Service including the Mpumalanga, Limpopo & North West Organised Crime Units, the Gauteng Provincial Task Team together with South African National Parks who have arrested and charged 11 suspects of various nationalities in connection with the poaching of black and white Rhino. With the assistance of a dedicated specialized prosecutor the team is attempting to securing convictions as well as the severest punishment possible for all the suspects.

Here’s to hoping that the upcoming discussions at the international meetup Conferences helps start a new trend in international laws that benefitthe preservation of endangered species.

Sources:

• World Wildlife Foundation
• International Rhino Foundation
• TravelWires.com

Creative Commons Attribution: “White Rhinos“, Flickr, Martin Pettitt

I did this special strip last week late at night when my brain wandered into places that didn’t involve going to bed early. It was a guest strip for Dutch buddy, Mindcaster Marc’s Amsterdam-based bicycle blog, Amsterdamize.com. I even got to do a word play with “I Amsterdam” that fit so perfectly that I pondered what comes first with these strips–the subconscious wordsmith concepts or the strip’s written content. It’s hard to tell sometimes…