Not Marvelous

There was a game I was involved with several years ago, called City of Heroes. In it, one can make a Superhero or Supervillain, complete with costume and super powers and save or terrorize the city at will, which in my mind seems kind of fun. There are several classes of hero one can choose which basically break down into several different roles. The tanker type, which is good at resisting damage (Superman,) the quick, agile, tactician which is good at dealing out damage (Batman,) the "blaster" who is fragile but does good damage (Green Lantern,) and various support types who heal or defend. You may notice that all the heroes I listed were from DC and not Marvel. There's a reason for that.

You see, Marvel got a kink in their backside because of people actually having fun with this game. It seems that they were upset because people could reproduce the image, likeness, name or powers of some of their superheroes. Because WE own the rights to these creations, WE are going to hire lawyers to sue the pants off you. How nice of you, Marvel. Someone actually thinks enough of your characters to emulate them in an online superhero game, and you threaten to shut the thing down completely for all users, whether they are emulating your heroes or not, by shutting down the business with your lawsuit.

And how many creations does Marvel own? Bunches and bunches of them. Their website says they have over 5,000 characters. And NO ONE is allowed to emulate any of them, because some genius in the 60's came up with an idea for a certain super power, a certain costume, a certain name, they own it. Uh huh. But the story does not stop there, dear reader, oh no.

Marvel hired lawyers who took the case to court. They presented evidence of "their" heroes being used in the game. But guess what- it was the lawyers themselves who had created the accounts for the expressed purpose of recreating these heroes so that the case could be brought to trial. It is against official NCSoft policy to copy existing heroes. There is no way these lawyers could have used this evidence without letting Marvel know exactly what they were doing. So, as far as I am concerned, Marvel is complicit, and I throw them in with the lawyers as scum sucking toadstools who are worth no more than the price they intended to exact from the gaming community.

NCSoft eventually settled the lawsuit out of court, and thankfully it did not put them out of business. But its the nature of the thing- its not about how much they asked, its about how they went about it.

So I have decided to vote with my wallet in our free enterprise system. I will not view any movies based on Marvel characters nor will I buy the DVDs when they come out. I ceased being a fan when I heard about this incident. I urge others to do the same. Perhaps Marvel will learn someday not to bite the hand that feeds it- I kind of doubt it though.

cc: Marvel Public Relations

G.Houtchens
armchair coach
amateur historian

PS After writing this story, I discovered that Marvel was also involved in using lawyers to threaten a simple pre-screening of one of their movies (which was approved by Paramount and the theater mentioned, I might add.) http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/29/oh-my-god/

Perhaps they can officially affiliate themselves with Scientology and then they can begin suing anyone who even mentions their name. That would "suit" them well, it seems.

Goodbye Dean Rusk

Well, I have put this article off long enough. This is going to be a difficult one as I have many strong feelings about my times at DRMS, and wonder how mere words can hope to express the thoughts I have about this place. I have been teaching at Dean Rusk Middle School since 1990. Eighteen years. This year, the time that I have walked the halls of this wonderful place of learning has come to an end.

The times that I have spent there are etched in my memory. The thousands of young students that have passed under my care and instruction. Many have graduated from college and gotten married- one in fact this last year, I taught a child, unaware that I had also taught her mother when she came through. A handful of these students have died tragically, in car wrecks, or by disease or suicide. I pray for and remember them and the times they spent with me; whether I could have done anything that might have made a difference in their lives.

I also have many memories of the faculty and staff there, fond ones of companionship and support. The custodial staff especially I held in high regard. They were the hardest working people there, and yet received no glamor, no special recognition, not even decent pay. Man judges the outer appearance, but God judges the heart. It is my hope that they would be blessed by God in the work of their hands, and that the blessing that they were to me would be given back to them, many times over.

The faculty of Dean Rusk Middle School has undergone a change, an evolution of sorts, although its backbone has for the most part remained the same, up until this year. It was a great priveledge for me to serve with them. It was with great sadness that I saw some of the greatest teachers and respected individuals I know retire. Their friendship was greatly missed by me, although it seems to me that after 30 years of service retirement is something that has indeed been earned. Among these folks that I greatly look up to and admire, are Bob Rosenfeld, Linda Orfale, Greg Drummer, Ron Henderson, and Dr. Joe Blackwell. You all have left an impressionable mark on me, and changed me forever. Thank you so very much for your love.

As for the people that remain, there are too many for me to mention by name, but you know who you are. Thank you for your love, support and comradeship over the years. I am a better person for having known you, and I shall miss you all dearly. As I leave I would ask of you one small favor: pray for your students. Pray for them and their families, that they would be blessed and protected, that God would be with them as they make decisions in their lives. It seems like the troublemakers are the ones in need of the most help, but the silent children, the ones that rarely speak- they have issues too that although do not draw attention, are just as important to them. So pray for them all, by name and need as you are lead. In this you render to them a much greater service than no instruction of knowledge could ever hope to attain.

To my former students, thank you for the lessons that you have taught me- lessons in patience, in understanding, in hard work, in just being yourselves and allowing me to watch you grow and go through the difficult time that middle school is. The blessing in that regard has been mine. I hope that in some small way I might have been able to make a difference to you, as you have to me.

I could go on and talk about how education has changed since I have started teaching, but when it all comes down to it, its about the people I have met and the lives I have seen touched, including my own, that really matters. Thank you Lord, for this wonderful experience that has been a gift to me. Your gift, on this journey we call life.

Glenn Houtchens
armchair coach
amateur historian

Superman

Who is faster than a speeding bullet? More powerful than a locomotive? Who can leap tall buildings in a single bound? Who can bend steel in their bare hands? We can, when we bend our heads in prayer.

The spiritual war that takes place in our lives is just as real as our everyday routine, although it is not seen. By now, you have probably guessed that the bullet, locomotive, the building and the steel are metaphors for obstacles in our lives. Sin, like kryptonite, weakens us; weakens our spirits. It must be puzzling to God why we continually expose ourselves to it purposefully.

But like the yellow sun, we are empowered by the pure light of God's Holy Spirit. It is through God's grace and our own yielding that He is able to use us, sometimes in ways we do not understand, to do His will.

Our common enemy, Lex Luthor (Satan,) seeks to destroy us in a variety of ways: by distracting us from our mission here on Earth, by entangling us with the vines of sin, by compromising us and altering our world view and perspective, making us think we do not make a difference.

So then, come, and join me in prayer today. =)

Dear God,
I pray that Your Holy Spirit would come into us and live in us. Help us to know You and love You. Illuminate our minds. Inspire our hearts. Help us to love others and seek You. Let Your will be done in our lives. Thank You for loving us and being with us, even when we are too blind to see You. I love You. Amen.

G.Houtchens
Armchair coach
Amateur Historian

Insight for Prayer

I thought about this column as I was reflecting on the students that I pray for. Most of the time, the students who garner a teachers attention are the troublemakers- those who are the most dysfunctional; those who we have to correct repeatedly; those who interrupt the learning that occurs in our classes.

However, there is one thing that I have learned. That is that we are all, as people, in the same boat. We tend to see sin from our own human, earthly point of view. The sin that is most outrageous to our principals or ethics is the sin that we deem "the worst" type of sin. I believe God sees things differently, as He has a different perspective than our limited, earthly one. We *all * have issues. We all have challenges that we face in life. We all struggle with our own difficulties within ourselves, our relationships, our avoidance and adherence to personal pain and pleasure, and the consequences of our choices.

You see, the silent ones, the students who never interrupt class, the ones who always do their work and quietly go about their business- they also have needs, hopes, fears, challenges, desires and dreams. It was with understanding that I realized that they need prayer just as much as the students who are troubled.

And so, each morning, when I pray sometimes as I travel to work, whenever I pray for this particular group of students that I have taught over the years, I remember the other ones. Its hard sometimes for me to recall names, but I pray for them as a group, asking God to bless them and keep them; to guide them and protect them, to help them make good decisions and to seek His love.

For I am quite flawed, but He is not. I have, continue to, and will make mistakes in the future, but He will never disappoint. He is the One who made us and loves us. And He is the One who gave His life on our behalf, that we may know Him. I am so thankful for that.

G.Houtchens
armchair coach
amateur historian

A Must Read for Future Presidents

Above, Fox Connor, mentor to Dwight Eisenhower, who said of him, "In sheer ability and character, he was the outstanding soldier of my time."

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54260

The above article is a must read for future presidents of our country. It was a speech, given by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, to the graduates of West Point, future officers in our army. It is steeped in the lessons learned by history, wise and practical in advice for foreign policy, cautious and prudent in judgment. In his speech he gives the following advice:

Conner had three principles or rules of war for a democracy that he imparted to Eisenhower and Marshall. They were:

* Never fight unless you have to;
* Never fight alone; and
* Never fight for long.

(Note that our current president has broken all three of the above axioms- would that he should have heeded such advice instead of being surrounded by hawks who spurred him to go to war, all of whom have now deserted him.)

Marshall has been recognized as the textbook model for the way military officers should handle disagreements with superiors, and in particular the civilians vested with control of the armed forces by our Constitution. Your duties as an officer are:

* To provide blunt, candid advice always;
* To keep disagreements private;
* To implement faithfully decisions that go against you.

(Truthfulness, honor, loyalty- such traits should be found in all soldiers, officers and enlisted.) The full article is worth the read, and emphasizes the importance of understanding our history in light of current events.

G.Houtchens
armchair coach
amateur historian

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

[Click image for larger picture]

I happened upon this object as I was exploring Second Life. Its helps us to get a different viewpoint every once in a while, no?

G.Houtchens
armchair coach
amateur historian

A Little Piece of Americana

It was in 1925, before the age of popular electronic media that a man came up with an interesting advertising idea. Place road signs across America that came in small phrases as one passed by, making a humorous rhyme, followed by the name of the product that sponsored the signs. Thus the legend of Burma Shave was born. Sales multiplied dramatically.

Those who have traveled across the backwoods highways of America no doubt have seen them, although younger generations may not be aware of this piece of our social history. It harkens back to the days of our grandfathers and great grandfathers, when times seemed simpler, when our government represented us, and it was a good thing to be a patriot. As one passed these signs in the family car (for those who owned them, as a greater and greater percentage of households were able to afford investing in one,) one would read small alliterative quips, often engaging the imagination by filling in the unspoken parts of these little jingles, of a fashion. Here is an example:

A Man, a Miss
A Car, a Curve
He Kissed the Miss
And Missed the Curve

Burma Shave

The idea of a man's amorous overtures causing a disaster, with the car flying over an embankment is quite humorous, but also endearing in the way it is presented. To me, it is reminiscent of the folksy setting of the Andy Griffith Show, with its old time values and sly, dry humor.

This is a part of our national identity, of an age that is slowly fading into history, along with the people who lived in these times. We would be wise while looking to the future, to examine our past, that the wisdom of understanding our heritage not be lost.

G.Houtchens
armchair coach
amateur historian