Where have all the boobies gone?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5627813.html

The decade-long battle between the City of Houston, Harris County and the multitude of strip clubs, wank banks, and “modelling studios” was dealt a severe blow yesterday as the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal brought forth by several sexually-oriented business owners and managers.

 The city points out that it has spent about 1.2 million dollars enforcing the standards put in place in 1997…but they aren’t really saying exactly how much revenue they have made off of said places in that same time period.  I understand that there are some neighborhoods that want these places out, but overall this has always just seemed like another two-faced attempt to legislate morality while profitting from what they complain about.

I understand that the city doesn’t want a red light district…or multple red light districts, but when nighborhoods, schools and churches pop up around where some of these establishments are located, then don’t they share in the blame?  Is it really OK to drive people out of a place where they’ve been doing business just because you don’t care for it?

I’m not a patron of these establishments.  Unlike the former Governor of New York, I think that it is absolutely horrifying to spend so much money on prostitutes and other sexual perversions.  After all, I’m all about smart budgeting: I have never spent more than $750 for a hooker; and I can find plenty of pornography on the internet if the need arises (which I still don’t require a pill for: little, blue or otherwise).  That may not qualify me for public office, but it gets the job done!

But I digress – just because I do not no longer attend these places on a regular basis it does not mean that I am going to be less outraged when I see what I perceive to be bad civic policy.  We can’t have our strippers, hookers and patrons of wank banks harrassed by schools, hospitals or the Sunday Mafia.  NOT IN MY HOUSTON!

Our city was founded on brothels, casinos and pubs, dammit!  It is our heritage.  We cannot turn our backs on our heritage now just because the Presbyterians and Lutherans don’t want to see Candy Kane, Euphoria and Cherry Bombz walking to work on Sunday morning with their night-time makeup, “f**k-me” pumps and fresh-off-the-assembly-line chests!  We cannot forget our past just because some parents don’t want their children to not know about the multiple opportunities to break into the fashion industry at any one of our numerous of “modelling” studios!  We cannot let the dream of Augustus and John Kirby Allen die just because some random city councilman, who back in the late 90s blew over $7500 on a stripper named Chastity Synz, and has since held a grudge after discovering that she didn’t really “like him” like him!!!!  NEVER!!!

 As long as the city collects revenue from these establishments, we should stand as one and raise our hands into the air and say “NEIN!!!”

OK, one hand will do.

On Astros and Fissures…

We knew that Kaz was an injury risk coming into this season, but my god – we live in a world of far too much information!

All that I needed to know about Kaz Matsui going on the disabled list is that he had surgery on his groin-area.  I did not need to know that he is out due to anal fissures that required surgery.  My god – that just sounds painful!  The simple concept of anal fissures is bad enough, but to think that they can get so bad that it requires surgery?  Ow! OW! OW!!!!

I guess that this means that we’ll start the season with Mark Loretta at second, so I have to figure that the batting order may change up a bit.  Perhaps now it will be:

1.  Michael Bourn
2. JR Towles
3. Lance Berkman
4. Miguel Tejada
5. Carlos Lee
6. Hunter Pence
7. Ty Wigginton
8. Mark Loretta

So, I moved Towles to #2, and put Loretta in at #8.  I’m not sure how married the Astros are to moving the catcher out of the 8-spot, but he’s definately got some pop in that bat.  I could see them wanting to keep him for late RBI help at the bottom of the lineup.  Loretta can get on base, so he may be the better candidate with Berkman, Tejada, Lee and Pence behind him and Bourn, but I’d like to see Towles get a chance to get us some quick offense.

The season is getting closer and my hopes remain low for this squad.  This remains the most relaxing preseason I can think of in recent memory for me as a fan.  Every negative is accepted and every positive is just a nice bonus!

 Go Rockets!!!!

What?  The Rockets are Rocking.  I’ll cheer for the Astros when the season starts.

Understanding Hawkman: Part 3.a – The Villains

Welcome to part one of our third installment of the Hawkmanology Project, in which we explore the character and history of DC Comic’s Winged Warrior: Hawkman.  As with every classic comics character there are three essential aspects to cover: their origin and personality; their supporting cast; and of course, their villains.  In our first installment we touched upon the various histories, and how they have been merged by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and David Goyer into the current background and origin of Hawkman.  In the second installment we began exploring the friendly supporting cast of Hawkman, starting with the many loves of his life.  In this installment we’ll begin looking at the many villains of Hawkman through his many incarnations.

While not as well-known as the villains of other heroes, such as Lex Luthor, the Joker, Sinestro, or even Captain Cold; Hawkman is not without an interesting cast of his own foes.  We’re going to begin with some of his better-known foes to the comics-reading community as a whole.  Long-time fans such as myself may not put these foes as high as others, but with this entire Hawkmanology Project I am trying to make it relevant to the character as he exists today.

 The Shadow-Thief

Carl Sands, aka, the Shadow-Thief is probably the most recognizable villain in Hawkman’s rogue’s gallery.  He was a somewhat incompetant saboteur and thief who saw his fortunes changed when he came across Thanagarian technology known as the “Dimensiometer,” or simply the “shadow-vest” for us non-alien types.  This granted Sands with the ability to phase into a two-dimensional shadow-like state.  He can become two or three-dimensional at will, he can travel through shadows and across and through most materials.  He became an accomplished thief after acquiring these abilities, but the vest has had terrible side effects on his mental state as well as having become an addictive property to Sands.  He recently killed Ronald Raymond, who was the former host of the Firestorm Matrix.

 Gentleman Ghost

“Gentleman” Jim Craddock was the bastard son of a British aristocrat who turned to a life of the Highwayman, thieving his way across the ocean to America where he encounted the western heroes, Nighthawk and Cinnamon, who were that era’s incarnation of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.  In a fit of rage, Nighthawk killed Craddock, but due to their Nth metal exposure he became caught up in their curse and has haunted them in every lifetime since.  Sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe…the true nature of Craddock was not known to Hawkman util the past few years where he made it clear that despite sometimes appearing to be an ally, he harbors nothing but hatred for the Hawks and will continue to haunt them through their days.

 Byth

Byth Rok was a Wingman of Thanagar, who’s corrupt ways made him a criminal on his planet.  He acquired shape-shifting abilities through the use of illegal drug, Krotan, which he used to escape Thanagar, eventually hiding on Earth.  It was the pursuit of this criminal that led Katar Hol and Shayera Thal to Earth, where they became caught up in the Hawkman mythos.  When last seen, Byth had been taken down by Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Hawkgirl and Animal Man.  He is rumored to be an intergalactic arms dealer, and his outfitting of Carl Sands with the Dimensiometer fit in with those rumors.

 Blackfire

Kommand’r, Queen of the vagabond remnants of the Tamaranean race, has but two purposes in her life now: to find a home for her people; and to acquire great power and influence in the process.  She inserted her people into the middle of the Rann-Thanagar War, working both sides against each other.  When her duplicity was revealed she murdered Shayera Thal, better known as Hawkwoman.  This made her an eternal enemy of Hawkman, who spent the better part of a year trying to take her down (albeit in an uncharacteristic “by the book” way), which he succeeded in doing, while stripping her of her own solar energy based powers.  The burning animosity between the two all but guarantees that we have not seen their last conflict with one another.

  Onimar Synn

One of the Seven Devils of Thanagarian mythology – Onimar Synn has proven to be all-too real.  His complete mastery of the mysterious Nth metal has made him one of the galaxy’s most powerful beings, with the ego and pride to go with it.  He had conquered Thanagar, which directly led to the rebirth of Carter Hall as Hawkman on that planet.  After Hawkman and Hawkgirl (with the JSA’s assistance) defeated Synn, he waited until the moment was right to strike again, which led to the ongoing war between Rann and Thanagar.  Seemingly banished once again, there is little doubt that Onimar Synn will not only return, but return even more powerful than before.

OK – that’s closing this part of the chapter.  I know that some may question the rhyme or reason for selecting these five when discussing Hawkman’s villains, and not some of his more classic foes, but I will get to them soon.  I wanted to touch on the five that I feel are most relevant to the character as he stands now.

Confessions of a “crossover” voter

Perhaps you’ve heard of me.  I’m one of the hundreds of thousands currently being villified across Texas and Ohio for what some consider to be a subversion of the democratic process.

That’s right – I’m a “crossover” voter…or at least that’s what I’ve been told.

Hillary Clinton’s wins in Texas and Ohio have been getting a lot of attention from Democratic Party activists, who bemoan the practice of “crossover” voting, which is when a member of a rival political party  vote in their opponent’s primaries to try to set up the election of their choosing in November.  They claim that it is “not fair,” which is always the first, last and most effective argument of a whiner.

It is true that many on the Right-leaning side of American politics were urging their members to vote for the Senator of New York, in hopes of either continuing the in-party bickering amongst the Democrats, or to set up a better opponent for John McCain to pull off a victory against in November.  I know of several people who did just this, including several close friends and relations, and for many of them, they did so just for the reasons that the likes of Rush Limbaugh has been espousing in recent days.

I have been told by many of my wonderful, non-judgemental Left-leaning friends that I am one of those nasty, poopy-pants who have struck a tell-tale blow against democracy.  I did vote in the Democratic primary, even tho I have no intention of voting for that party in November.  For my part, tho, I was not acting on the orders of Limbaugh – I voted for Obama.  Why did I do this?  It is simple: I cannot stand Hillary Clinton, a sentiment that goes back to before her days as first lady of the White House.  I won’t go into detail here why I feel such antipathy for the Senator, but trust me when I say that there is not a thing that anyone could say which would change my opinion of her.

So, why did I vote for Obama when I plan of voting for McCain?  Did I think that he’d be an easier opponent for my candidate of choice?  Not at all – what it came down to for me is that I would not have a problem with Obama as President, and in all of my years of voting for the leader of the free world, I have never had a contest where I could live with either of the major party candidates.  I do not agree with the man politically; I believe that he is rather divisive for a “uniter;” and I question some of his goals and ambitions.  That said – I’d much rather give him a shot than entertain the possibility of the Senator of New York in the White House.  I guess that it is the opposite feeling of “the devil you know.”

But here is where I take exception to the label of “crossover” voter.  That label implies that I am a Republican, which I am not, and it incorrectly asserts that I buy into our petty gang war…I mean, two-party system, which again, I do not.  I do tend to lean towards the right on many social issues, but those are not important to me.  I don’t believe that you can legislate morality, and politicians who try to do such, be they Sharks or Jets, just get a nice roll of the eyes from me.

My reasons for usually voting Republican as opposed to Democrat are mostly based on financial and economic factors.  Fiscally, I am essentially conservative; I am pro-business; I do not like programs which lead to dependancy on the Federal Government; and I believe in smart economic planning.  Since I believe in all of those things, you can see why I do not consider myself a Republican.  They have been letting me down more and more over the years, and they are no longer the party of fiscal responsibility.  Bear in mind – when I say that they aren’t, it doesn’t mean that I think that the Democrats are: they’re worse, and that’s why, despite being less than enamored with the Republicans, I still find them to be more palatable to my taste than their Donkey Brothers and Sisters.

But I am not a Republican.  I will not give them, nor any of their candidates a dime.  I won’t give my money to the other side either.  I have no allegiance to either party, therefore while some may consider me to be a “crossover” voter, I shrug off that label.  Earlier this week I did nothing to “subvert” the democratic process; I did nothing that “was not fair:” I made the decision based upon what I felt was best for me in the long run.

As for the criticism from the Republican side, especially the 305 people – you choose amongst yourselves who is going to represent your party in all of the State, County and Judicial elections.  If they’re any good, then I’ll consider voting for them in November.

I don’t care for pre-season Baseball

I don’t care for pre-season Baseball.  That’s how I know that I’m just a fan, and not a rabid fan.

As much as I enjoy Baseball, there are some aspects of the game which I have never been able to get into that seem to be the glass ceiling preventing me from being considered a “true” fan of the game.  Pre-season baseball is one, and stats are the other.

I am not against pre-season baseball, I just feel that it, like most other sport pre-seasons, goes on far too long.  I understand the need to evaluate talent, and to get a look at the prospects against current major leaguers to gauge their progress…I just don’t need to watch it.  Actually – watching it isn’t the issue: it is listening to it.  I spend far too much time in the car to have one of my sports talk radio options taken away for several hours to broadcast a meaningless game.

I’ll follow pre-season baseball…to a degree.  I’ll read the Chronicle reports on players and activities; but I don’t follow it on a daily basis.  When the season gets closer I’ll pay attention a bit more, but with the length of pre-season, that won’t be for a while.  A lot of my fellow Astros fans are paying close attention this pre-season like to point out that we’re a club of unfamiliar faces, and that they want to know what to expect when the season starts.  More power to them, but I’ll start learning on Opening Day!

 One thing I won’t be learning on opening day are Stats.  Not the mathematics behind statistics, I understand that quite well: it’s just the application to baseball which loses me.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ll follow Batting Average, ERA and Slugging Percentage over the course of the season; but I will not be able to cross-reference the number of home runs a player has hit on a Tuesday with their batting average in AA ball during away games in June.  I have never understood the appeal of such things.

I guess that I do understand how some can find number-crunching interesting.  Personally, I find forensic accounting to be fascinating…but knowing who hit the most triples under a full moon in August in domed stadiums?  Escapes me.

I do marvel at the fans who seem to have this inate ability to calculate and cross-reference statistics.  I look at fans talking on message boards, or I’ll be out at the sports pub listening to people comparing these numbers and it is just a wonder that they can keep everything straight in their own mind while still being able to formulate counter-arguments with contradictory stats.  It is amazing, but it is beyond me.

I’m more of a beer and a hot dog guy when it comes to baseball.

Understanding Hawkman: Part Two.a – Family, Friends and Allies

Welcome back to another lesson in Hawkology, where we will continue to open your eyes to the world of Hawkman.  In today’s lesson we begin our examination of the family, friends and allies of Hawkman.

As with all comics characters, there are there are three essential aspects that go towards making a hero great.  The first, obviously, is the hero him or herself.  After that the keys are a good supporting cast (friends, family, allies, etc); and then the last part, of course, are the villains.  Don’t worry – we’ll get to the bad guys soon enough.  We’re going to start with the good guys first…tho in the case of Hawkman, there are times where his friends, lovers or allies may be worse than his enemies!

We’re going to begin the exploration of Hawkman’s supporting cast by focusing on that greatest element of any story: the Lovers.  These are the women of Hawkman’s lives.  We’ll start at the beginnning…and as you know for Hawkman: the beginning is a long time back!

  Chay-Ara

Told you we were going way back!  Chay-Ara is where this whole love story began.  She was the wife of Prince Khufu in Ancient Egypt.  She and her husband crafted armaments from the Nth Metal recovered from the crashed Thanagarian ship.  She and Khufu were killed by the jealous traitor, Hath-Set – stabbed with a knife crafted from Nth Metal.  This began the Hawk’s blessing and curse, as they would be reborn time and time again to fall in love, only to die at the hands of Hath-Set.  This leads us to…

   Hawkgirl (Sheira Hall)

The Golden Age Hawkgirl was the wife of Carter Hall.  They fought side by side during World War II, and continued to operate long after the rest of their JSA allies hung up the tights.  She is the best-known re-incarnation of Chay-Ara, and it was during her life (and her death) that the things that would break the curse would be set in motion.  She and Carter had a son, Hector, and they adopted a son, Norda.  Hector was the first child they have ever had in all of their lives.  Sheira was “reborn” after dying in Zero Hour by possessing the body of her niece, Kendra Saunders, who had killed herself.  The transferrence was jarring, and she believed that she actually was Kendra.  Before passing on to her final reward, Sheira helped Kendra break Hath-Set’s curse and reclaim her own soul.

   Hawkwoman (Shayera Thal)

Shayera Thal and her partner, Katar Hol, were police officers from the planet Thanagar who came to Earth in pursuit of the villain, Byth.  They decided to remain on Earth to learn about it’s culture, and the media dubbed them as the new Hawkman and Hawkgirl…but Shayera took issue with being called a girl, hence “Hawkwoman” was born.  Shayera and Katar did develop a relationship (he was her “peacock”), and when he was killed alongside the Halls during Zero Hour, Shayera left Earth.  Upon the return of Hawkman, Shayera came back to Earth to find out what had truly happened to her old partner.  She was later killed at the hands of Blackfire during the Rann-Thanagar War.

Shayera Thal is the basis for the “Hawkgirl” character from the animated “Justice League” and “JLU” series.

 Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)

 The modern-day Hawkgirl is Kendra Saunders, niece of Sheira Saunders.  She was a film student in Austin, Texas when she took her own life.  Her uncle, Speed, took her to the hospital, but when green-eyed Kendra died…then opened her eyes again 10 minutes later with Sheira’s brown eyes, Speed knew that Kendra was gone and Sheira was back.  The shock of the rebirth was too much for Sheira, who went on to believe that she was Kendra.  She was instrumental in the return of Hawkman, but very resistant to the idea of their immortal love.  Eventually, Kendra accepted the truth about her soul, and Sheira helped Kendra’s soul return to it’s body by defeating Hath-Set and breaking their curse.  Kendra is once again fully herself, and she and Hawkman are no longer romantically involved, even though a deep, genuine friendship has developed between them.  She has stepped out on her own as a member of the Justice League of America, where she is now seeing fellow teammate, Red Arrow.  Kendra has a child whom she gave up for adoption when she was much younger, that tragic event was part of what led her to suicide in the first place.  Now, for the first time in her life, Kendra is at peace with herself.

OK – those are the major ones, but there are a few more whom we will discuss briefly as they are notable in Hawkman’s past…and possibly his future.

  Cinnamon

Cinnamon was a DC comics character from the Old West boom in comics.  She was revealed to be a former incarnation of Chay-Ara, with Khufu being the hero from that era known as Nighthawk.  Cinnamon and Nighthawk are the most notable incarnation of Chay-Ara and Khufu before the Halls came onto the scene in the Golden Age.

  Mavis Trent

 Ahh…Mavis!  This vampy co-worker has appeared in several versions of Hawkman over the years.  She was usually a co-worker with Carter, a fellow archaeologist, I believe, who made no secret of her lust for both Hawkman and Carter Hall, usually making the moves on him in front of his wife.  Not exaclty a lover of Hawkman…but she just wanted him so badly that I had to include her!  I was introduced to Mavis in the Shadow War of Hawkman back in the 80s, and I have always liked the character.  No list could be complete without Mavis trying to sink her claws in!

  Power Girl (Kara Zor-L)

What is the exact nature of this relationship?  Undefined at the moment.  We do know that they had a fling, and it’s been hinted that it may be ongoing in some sense.  Personally, I’m cheering for this one as they are great together.  I encourage all of you to write to Geoff Johns, Dan Didio, DC Comics, your House Representative, your Senators, your President and your Pope (or Pope-equivalent) demanding to see this become a reality!  Viva la Revolucion!!!

OK, when the rabble-rousing begins, that means that it is time for this portion of the lesson to come to an end.  In our next installment we will begin our look at Hawkman’s rogues gallery before revisiting this topic with more friends and allies.  Thank you, and make sure that you tip your waitress.

Nooooo!!!!!! (the Yao post)

We’ll return to our Hawkmanology shortly.  Got to address the big sports story in Houston first. 

Typical for our snake-bitten franchise.  Yao Ming – the best center in the game and the heart of this team, has gone on the shelf for the year.  Stress fracture in his foot.  Damn….

Picking up win #13 in a row was bittersweet.  I did like how everyone stepped up, particularly Dikembe Mutumbo.  Of course, ever the stoic man on the court, I couldn’t tell, but I think that he disagreed with that Technical Foul early in the game.

Basketball is the secondary issue here.  I truly hope that Yao takes all of the time he needs to fully recover from this injury.  If that means missing the playoffs, missing the Olympics or even missing training camp, then so be it.  The man has always done what has been asked of him and more, but he’s got to take better care of himself.  After the initial shock, addition of gray hairs and loss of years on my life upon hearing the news, I quickly put this one into perspective: a healthy Yao for the long-term is more important to Houston than selfishly yearning for him to press this injury in the short term.

Get better, Big Man – we’ll be patiently awaiting your return.

Rockets – step it up!  Win one for the Wall!!!

Understanding Hawkman: Part One – the new origin

 

 Hawkman – why is he so difficult for some to understand?

Sure, he’s had a bit of a convoluted history with all of the reboots and re-imaginings, but Hawkman as he exists today, who was “fixed” by Geoff Johns, James Robinson and David Goyer, is not too difficult to understand at all.  But before we break down the current history, let’s get a general overview of this character. 

Hawkman debuted in 1940 in Flash Comics #1, created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville.  He was named Carter Hall, an archaeologist by trade who realized that he was the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian prince.  He fought crime as the winged warrior, Hawkman, and became a member of the Justice Society of America, serving as it’s chairman for a long time alongside his girlfriend, Sheira Sanders, who became Hawkgirl.

Like most other war-era mystery men comic characters, Hawkman fell off the radar, but was introduced later in what came to be known as the “Silver Age” where several mystery men were re-introduced with science fiction influences popular at the time.  This Hawkman was Katar Hol, a policeman of the planet Thanagar.  Along with Shayera, also known as Hawkwoman.  We discovered that the first Hawkman, Carter Hall, existed on a planet called Earth 2, whereas Katar existed on Earth 1.

After Crisis on Infinite Earths destroyed the concept of the Multiverse in the 80s, Hawkman was one of the most profoundly affected characters.  In an attempt to shoehorn him back into the DCU, writer Tim Truman re-imagined the Silver Age origins of Hawkman in the pages of the miniseries, Hawkworld.  Thanagar was far more militaristic, and Hawkman was far more severe.  Later on they introduced the concept of the Hawk Avatar, essentially a god-like character who used Hawkman as it’s champion.

By this point, Hawkman had about 73 origin stories, give or take 26.  DC decided to simply do away with the character in the Zero Hour event, and Hawkman wasn’t seen again for a few years.

Then we get to the modern age of comics, and the title JSA, written by David Goyer and Geoff Johns; and later the new Hawkman ongoing comic written by Geoff Johns and James Robinson combined to take on the task of cleaning up the varying histories of Hawkman into one nice, neat package.   What follows is the result of that undertaking.

THE ORIGIN OF MODERN DAY HAWKMAN

 

Don’t worry – we’ll get to Hawkman caving in some Nazi’s faces soon enough!  Our story actually begins a long time ago, in a galaxy really, really close by.  We begin on Ancient Thanagar, one of the galaxy’s first star-spanning empires.  Mastering the mysterious “Nth Metal,” the Thanagarians spread amongst the stars.  One spacecraft made it as far as Earth, but it was damaged and it crashed into the sands of Ancient Egypt.  The craft and it’s dying occupants were found by the Prince Khufu, along with his court of Nabu (the future Dr. Fate) and Teth-Adam (Black Adam).  Coming in contact with the Nth Metal passed on the racial memory that all Thanagarians enjoy to Prince Khufu and he became aware of the potential power of this substance.  Fashioning a armaments partially inspired by his own religion, and paritally by the new Thanagarian memories he did not fully understand, Khufu and his bride, Chay-Ara used the Nth metal to become mighty champions of their empire, ruling with love and justice.  They were betrayed, however, by one of their closest allies, known as Hath-Set.  A combo of the Nth Metal and a curse placed upon them by Hath-Set put into motion thousands of years of re-incarnations of Khufu and Chay-ara, dooming them to meet, fall in love, but ultimately be killed by Hath-Set, who was also caught up in the curse.

The three were reborn time and time again.  Among the notable reincarnations for them were DC’s western heroes, Nighthawk and Cinnamon.

 The 20th Century saw Khufu reborn as Carter Hall, and like his original origin, he was an archaeologist by trade and a museum curator.  The Nth metal of the armaments that had been passed down through time drew the attention of a Thanagarian agent named Paran Katar, who recognized a sort of kindred spirit in Carter.  Like many of the day, Carter and his girlfriend (eventual wife) Sheira Saunders adopted costumed identities during the second World War: the winged heroes Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

They stayed active as heroes longer than most, being a part of the JLA as well as the JSA, and even had a son named Hector, who became a hero named the Silver Scarab.  This was the first time in their many lives that they had children.  During this time they met two police officers from Thanagar named Katar Hol and Shayera Thal.  The two Thanagarians became active on Earth as Hawkman and Hawkwoman for some time, but during the time crisis known as Zero Hour which saw many of the Justice Society die, the original Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Katar Hol were seemingly killed by the villain extant.  Only Shayera surived that event, but she would end up leaving Earth.

Zero Hour was essentially the end of Katar Hol, but not the end of Sheira or Carter.  Sheira was the first to return, but in an incomplete way.  Her neice, Kendra Saunders, a film school student in Austin, Texas, killed herself after a troubling life.  She was taken to the hospital by her uncle, Speed Saunders, who saw her die…but then be reborn.  He recognized that Kendra was gone and that the soul who came back was in fact Sheira Hall.  The rebirth was not fully complete, and Sheira woke up believing herself to still be Kendra.

“Kendra” would end up joining the reborn Justice Society of America, albeit somewhat reluctantly.  Always a confused, troubled individual she began to slowly open up to a few members of the team; notably then-chairman Sand (Sandy Hawkins), and Dr. Fate, who was actually Hector Hall reborn (having been killed years earlier).  She was eventually confronted by the angel, Zauriel (a replacement-character for Hawkman created during his long comics absence) who informed her that she was not Kendra, but rather Sheira.  Before she could even begin to process this she was whisked away to Thanagar, who needed her to help Carter Hall return from the grave.

It turned out that Carter, Sheira and Katar fell into a well of souls.  As previously stated, Sheira escaped first; and Katar was actually killed and had passed on, but not before his soul had somewhat merged with Carter Hall’s.  Using the centuries-old bond between them, the Thanagarian mystics used “Kendra” as a tether to pull Carter Hall’s soul from the well.  Hawkman, now with the memories of Carter Hall, Katar Hol and indeed every one of his previous lives, was reborn.  With the help of the JSA, Hawkman and Hawkgirl defeated the villainous god, Onimarr Synn and freed Thanagar from his tyranny.  Now a man of two worlds, Carter Hall returned to Earth…but unlike previous lives not all was familiar.

In this life they had a child, who like them had been reborn (in the form of his trusted advisor from ancient times); and “Kendra” did not love him, despite his attempts to reclaim her heart.   Eventually the two would become closer, and even feel love, but their millenia-spanning bond had been shattered.  Further breaking the curse, Hawkman and Hawkgirl defeated and banished the re-incarnated Hath-Set, and along the way Kendra’s soul returned and Sheira passed on to her final reward.  Now, for the first time in their many lives they are no longer slaves to fate.

 Why is that so hard to understand?

Coming up next, we’ll explore the friends, loves and allies of Hawkman

Rockets Make another trade…

This one I like. 

 The Rockets give up Kirk Snyder and a 2nd round pick for hometown kid, Gerald Green.  The guy has a bit of a surly reputation around the league, but I am of the opinion that he will find his place in this system.  That, coupled with coming home, will hopefully be a recipe for success.

I like Snyder, but he wasn’t a rotation guy, and he had no chance of becoming one.  I can at least see Green offering more to this team at this time.  Hopefully he can acclimate well and quickly so that he will be ready for the playoffs along with our other newcomer, Bobby Jackson.

I’m still not terribly happy about giving up Bonzi; and I just recently found out that we gave up the rights for that banger, Badiane, who we were developing at Center, so I’m just hoping that our two acquisitions will pay off.

Rockets Make a Trade…not sure how I feel about it, yet

OK, I get the financial/business reasons for the Rockets trade today which sent Bonzi Wells and Mike James to New Orleans for Bobby Jackson, Matt Haluska and a 2nd round pick (with Memphis somehow involved).  The Rockets get under the luxury tax threshold; they don’t risk Bonzi walking for nothing; and they pick up a solid backup Point Guard to help address last year’s problem of having to rely too heavily on Rafer in the post-season.

But beyond all of that, I can’t help but feel that the Rockets may have just made a mistake.  Yes, Bonzi has been inconsistant, but there have been many games where he was the only player on the floor to show any heart.  He seemed to be perfectly happy here in this system in the role asked of him; but of course we don’t know what was going on behind the scenes.  Maybe things in the Locker Room were not as happy as I was thinking.

Mike James just didn’t work out for us, so getting rid of that salary obligation was a good move.  I can’t help but think that James did not pan out because he felt somewhat slighted by not being given a larger role (possibly even the starting PG job) right off the bat and was instead asked to compete for it.  I know that at the beginning of the season, and all over the past summer, a lot of Rockets fans had Rafer Alston as the #3 PG on the roster behind James and Steve Francis; but Rafer outplayed them both, showed more heart and determination, and made the biggest effort to learn the system.  It became obvious early on, at least to me, that Rafer was by far and away the man for the PG job, and that the Francis and James signings were not going to pan out.  The emergence of the rookie, Aaron Brooks, sealed James’ trip out of town.

So why pick up another Point Guard?  Rafer is playing very well, and Brooks (our Point Guard of the future) is doing well for a rookie.  Bobby Jackson is a quality veteran presence who knows Adelman’s system; but I hope that people aren’t really thinking that he’s being brought in to start ahead of Alston.  A big problem I’ve seen with NBA fans is that they all too often rate players by their own preconceived notions rather than what they are currently doing: hence many fans thinking that Rafer is not a good PG; or that the Rockets are desperate for help at the Power Forward slot.  It is obvious to most Rockets fans that neither of those things are the case now, tho they seemed to be over the summer.  Jackson will not be brought in as a replacement for Alston, but rather to take some of the load off of him so that he is not worn down and relied upon too heavily in the playoffs.

My real concern in the above situation is that Brooks will see diminished playing time; but he is young and he’ll get his chances in the future.  Judging from what we’ve seen of him so far he’ll take this time to continue to improve his game and stand ready to contribute whenever he is needed.

Now, back to Bonzi – I can’t help but look at the trade like this: we just traded a pissed-off, slighted Bonzi Wells to a team whom we may very well be facing in the first round of these upcoming playoffs.  This one is going to bite us in the ass before the season is over.

Long run – this makes sense, but I’m not completely sold on it yet.  I truly hope that Bonzi and Mike James do very well with their new teams, as I am a fan of both players and will continue to be so.  I just hope, like I said, that we are not hurt too badly by this one in the near future.

 Well…time to see if we can win our 10th in a row with the chemistry shaken up.