Monday, June 26, 2006

Holy rumors!

Everyone has heard the myth about Batman and Robin being, how could I put it... an item? This was reinforced by the classic book "Seduction of the Innocent", by Frederic Wertham, published in 1954. While it's true that some horror stories were going too far in terms of cruelty and violence at the time, Wertham is said to have seen more than he was supposed to in some drawings. Who knows?

Anyway, this panel (copied from a discussion forum but allegedly sourced from the Superdickery site) would certainly give the likes of Wertham a field day, wouldn't it? Surprisingly, this is probably from the 60's, a time when writers were carefully trying to dispel any rumors about Batman and Robin being anything else than guardian and ward in a father-son relationship. This was when Alfred was killed (but later brought back) and Aunt Harriet was introduced to give Wayne Manor a "female balance", so to speak. Maybe the writer had no ulterior motives here, but all the other heroes think of their significant others while Batman wonders, in no uncertain terms, "what he has done" to Robin. You mean you didn't have your gloves on, Batman?

Monday, June 19, 2006

A sight to behold

Would you believe if you saw an entire ant colony inside a DVD box? Well, that's what I have just found in my room! The other boxes in the stack were spared - the ants' home was there, inside the "British Symphony" DVD. I don't remember whether I last touched it with anything sugary in my hands - chocolate, maybe. I'll be more careful from now own. Both the DVD and the box had to take a shower. And since the box was one of those special kinds where the cover is made of glossy cardboard, I had to tear it apart, as there were more ants between the cardboard and the plastic piece. Now I wonder whether there are more ant colonies to be found anywhere in my apartment! This is what happens when you buy more DVDs than you can watch.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

World Cup 2006

For me at least, this World Cup is different from most of the ones I've watched. I think most Brazilians share my feelings, even if they won't admit it.

I was nine years-old when Brazil became three-time champion in 1970, thus retaining the Jules Rimet cup for good (until it was stolen, that is - but that's another story). Brazilian football looked unbeatable. Then, in 1971 our greatest player ever, Pelé, bid farewell to the Brazilian team. And Brazil's substandard performance in the 1974 World Cup seemed to confirm our unspoken fears that our glory days were over: without Pelé, Brazil would never be a major force in soccer again. Then other countries began to equal Brazil's three-time champion mark and we began to fear one of them might eventually surpass it.

It took 24 years for Brazil to win another World Cup again, 24 long years of anxiety and expectation. When Italian player Baggio missed his penalty kick in 1994, believe me, I couldn't hold back the tears. And I'm not such a big soccer fan, but I had that cry of victory stuck in my throat for 24 years. But now it's different. Brazil has not only reached its longed for four-time champion mark, but surpassed it. Whatever it is the Brazilian team had to prove has been more than proved. Of course the whole country is glued to television sets, but deep inside I know we are a lot more relaxed than in previous tournaments. I think even the players feel less pressured, but also less motivated.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Very first post

This is a sister blog to "Blog do Emilio Pacheco", which I've been publishing in my native Portuguese since August 2004. I wish I could post here as as often as I do there, but I really don't know how things will progress. A blog is like a child: you give birth to it, but somehow it follows its own course. I've been rather busy lately, but I'll try to post here at least once a week. There is a lot of English writing I need to get out of my system. Some posts will be highlights from my original blog translated into English and others will be written especially for here. Welcome!