#actas tribe

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1978 Philippines, Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Aetas tribe. Volcano Pinatubo in the background

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Media Evolution and the Changing World: Its Implication to Communication and Education

BLOG ENTRY # 2

Written by: Mariel Angel L. Galagar

What is media

Communication is the foundation of what makes us human, as well as a vital component of our societal structure. It essentially allows us to instill vision while communicating ideas and information to a diverse range of people. And evidently, without media, conversing relevant information which involves news, and our various experiences would indeed be unattainable to share across separate regions and to individuals who reside in distant locations. The media will remain a component of our daily lives through having a huge impact in our nation. 

Media can be classified in divergent ways. In general, media is the plural form of medium, that further refers to any communication method. This includes everything from printed paper to electronic data, along with art, current affairs, educational content, and a wide assortment of many other types of information. Furthermore, according to The Penguin Dictionary of Media Studies, it entails disseminating texts and messages to a large number of individuals while also carrying some intellectual baggage or currency. What's more, in the field of education, the media brings knowledge to a plethora of distinct topics, bringing children and teenagers nearer to a variety of information sources and developing inquisitiveness about what they would like to learn.

In line with this, there are also four different categories of media. First is the Media Modality where it refers to audio, video, graphics, and animation. Next, Media format which talks about being digital or analog. Third, the Ways of Transmitting that specifically means the electromagnetic or the radio waves. And lastly, the Mass Media Form or the TV, radio print Internet, telephone, or mobile. Additionally, because of global connectivity, the relevance of media is increasing daily. As a result, each of us must become cognizant of the media's power since it thus enables us to be skeptical of all the data we get on a regular basis. We, the media users, should further remember that our responsibility is to constructively critique the data we gather so that our perception is not influenced by the interests of others.

Media evolution

Because the ear is the predominant sense organ during this time, McLuhan refers to the Tribal Age as the first historical era. Because the senses of hearing, touch, taste, and smell were far more fully developed than vision, this period is also known as the acoustic era.  The development of hearing, touching, and scent occurred in the Tribal Age.

According to McLuhan, in an acoustic environment. Hearing visualizes something beyond seeing in the tribal age because it makes you fully aware of your environment. In the period of the tribe, the senses of hearing and smell provide us with a perception of the world we cannot see. The hearing was more significant at this time since it made it possible to be more quickly aware of your surroundings, which was crucial for hunting. Because everyone hears at once, listening to someone in a group becomes a unifying act, strengthening the sense of community. Everything is more immediate, and present, and encourages more passion and spontaneity in this realm of surround sound. By hearing, it was believed during the Tribal Age.

Pre- Industrial Age (Pre -1700)

Clay tablets (2,400 BC), which were created in ancient Mesopotamia, were in use for more than 3,000 years. Scribes imprinted inscriptions in wet clay using a reed stylus. The tablets were frequently sun-dried and occasionally heated in kilns. In order to preserve them for millennia, documents were frequently kept in libraries.

Papyrus(2500 BC) 

Out of the many uses for Egyptian papyrus was more significant than its use as a writing surface. The majority of these sheets were fashioned and sold as scrolls, while occasionally individual sheets were offered for record keeping and lists. 

Roman Acta Diurna were essentially daily gazettes that contained official notices. They were displayed on message boards in open spaces like the Roman Forum and were carved on stone or metal. They were also known as Acta. During the Roman Republic, Acta originally appeared in its original form around 131 BC.

People established iron production, created machine tools, harnessed the power of steam, and produced a variety of goods (including books through the printing press) In short, this time period is characterized as the result of utilizing machine power. With the invention of the portable printing press by Johannes Gutenberg, the printing press greatly increased visual dependency.

A typewriter is a mechanical or electronic device used to create characters that resemble the movable type used by printers. Keys on a typewriter push against a ribbon to transfer ink or carbon impressions onto paper. Typically, each key push prints one character.

The term "telephone" was previously used to refer to various innovations before the electric telephone was created, and not all early researchers of the electrical gadget dubbed it a "telephone." John Taylor, a captain, created the telephone in 1844 as a means of communication for sailing ships.

One of the best panoramic cameras of the time was the Cyclographe (right), which could capture 360-degree images. A pointed punch that would strike and therefore mark each new exposure on the roll before it passed in front of a slit at the shutter was part of the flexible telescopic camera.

Electronic Age (1930-1980)

The electronic era began with the creation of the transistor. Transistors' power was harnessed by humans, which resulted in the transistor radio, electronic circuits, and the first computers. Long-distance communication became increasingly effective in this era.

Among the many advantages for adopting electronic media is the ability to sell oneself as well as other things like businesses, products, and services. The usage of media platforms and networks, as well as social media sites like television and the internet, are just a few of the numerous ways you may take advantage of electronic media to communicate effectively with others. Because franchisees can purchase commercials to be shown to millions of people, television is one of the most popular electronic media devices. This increases revenue for the franchise owner. 

Human emotions can be learned by machines due to the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning. THIS empowers them to do actions like humans would, facilitating production.

Diversity of Society 

The world evolves as people make it happen. Many inventions were made from the past that were modified and were reinvented into more accessible and convenient to use. Today, media is being spread around the world meant to be an outlet of communication to spread information to people. Back then, people had limited resources in the media as a way of communication. They had telegraphs as a communication instrument to transmit information less hassle than hiring someone to send messages or information manually to the person. Today’s generation has the advantage of using media and acquiring information from it as it is available anytime. Moreover, this not only provides information to masses, but it also lets people express themselves through different media modality, format, and form. 

People nowadays use the media to educate people with their knowledge that gives impact to people on the internet. This way, people can also be educated and be the better version of themselves as responsible media users.

 Implication to Communication and Education

Students are more engaged in their education and have a richer experience thanks to media in education. They can further see representations of what they are learning via the usage of media in lesson illustrations, smart TVs and other interactive media. In addition, the media has the ability to inform people concerning both good and awful. Because it has an impact on the mind, ears, and eyes nothing can simultaneously counteract the impact of the media. In a developed society, the media should take a laudable goal of educating people and discouraging contentious, sectarian, and communal trends. Acquiring knowledge is a process called learning which certainly requires effort. Jobs can sometimes lead to learners being irritated and getting disinterested in the class because they are bored. That is within that instance, using media in the teaching-learning process is needed to capture students' interest and make teaching and learning activities more successful. The use of media in the process of teaching and learning is not a new thing because many educators are aware of the value of media.

Overall, bringing students of all ages together to assist them with all types of media, from homework to various research projects, is one of the main benefits of each social networking platform. It is significant to note that the geotagging phenomenon has a fantastic outlook on the future of education because it may be utilized to locate pertinent information about the target and find locations that are being researched. Additionally, social media platforms can help students, as has been demonstrated by researchers in resolving their relationship crises. In fact, the absence of the primary driver of pupils' academic success is now involved. In this instance, social media brings them into direct contact with working along with their teachers to make sure the studying procedure is correctly kept up and conducive for learning. 

Reference: 

“Papyrus: A Brief History” (2016, May 23)  https://sites.dartmouth.edu/ancientbooks/2016/05/23/67/

Abercrombie N. & Longhurst B. (2007). The penguin dictionary of media studies. Penguin Books. The Penguin Dictionary of Media Studies | WorldCat.org

 Baculi, Joyce et al,. The evolution of traditional media to new media. https://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-evolution-of-traditional-media-to-new-media--6EnZMSt2SqCEmNnYTdYXh2XN

Dimaculangan, A. Evolution of Media throughout the ages my exposure to media as i grow. https://www.sutori.com/en/story/evolution-of-media-throughout-the-ages-my-exposure-to-media-as-i-grow--7DJpAA8EfZPsd3KsRgswrLdg

Ewan, C. (2019). Why did humans start writing? https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/4000-year-old-tablet-recording-workers-wages

Goreccita, G.  (2016, September 6.) Tribal Age https://evolutionofmediaorg.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/tribal-age/

IMPOFF. (2020, March 04). Importance of media in different aspects of life. The Role and Importance of Media In Our Daily Life (impoff.com)

Kuiper, K.  (2015, March 3). Acta, Ancient Roman Publication https://www.britannica.com/topic/Acta

Lancaster, A. (2022, June). Why is communication important. Why Is Communication Important? | Life and Career Benefits | Mallory

Rohart (2017, July 23) Industrial age 1700’s-1930’s https://rohartpogi.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/industrial-age-1700s-1930s/

Navarro, S.  (2016, July 18) Mcluhan’s Media History https://prezi.com/4pkqnowpp-87/tribal-age/#:~:text=McLuhan's%20media%20history,than%20the%20ability%20to%20visualize.

Stoltzfus, J. (2020, December 23). What does media mean. Techopedia. What is Media? - Definition from Techopedia 

Preeti (2014, March). Education and Role of Media in Education System. https://www.ijser.in/archives/v2i3/SjIwMTMxNTg=.pdf 

[coda-90]

The Evolution of Social Standards

by Durga Kulkarni.

Psychological Evolution

Why do Social Opinions matter?

Social Expectations

Social Organisations

Psychological Evolution

What is it?

Psychological Evolution, or Evolutionary psychology has roots in Cognitive Psychology and Evolutionary Biology.[1] It focuses on how evolution has shaped the mind and its behavior. It also concentrates on how the main purpose of our lives has shifted, from survival, to contentment. Additionally, it helps us in understanding why we humans behave the way we do, and what are the underlying instincts that we are unaware of which is making us do these things. It also states the importance of human interaction and connection in our lives.

When it comes to human interactions, there are a few default archetypes noticed in each interaction, them being: exchanging information, opinions and expectations. In today's world, during a healthy conversation, we tend to follow these archetypes, for the sake of adding simplicity, purpose and direction to the conversation. This is where social opinions and expectations start affecting us.

Initially, due to the hierarchy that used to exist in the tribes, conversations were very minimal and reserved, but as the tribes kept splitting, and more exchange of information was needed, the people realized that they needed a proper language for their convenience.

The “Pooh-Pooh theory” holds that speech originated from spontaneous human cries and exclamations; the 'Yo-He-Ho theory' suggests that language developed from grunts evoked by physical exertion; while the 'Sing-Song theory/La- La Theory' claims that speech arose from primitive ritual chants and playful songs.[2]

By the time of the Roman civilization, the hierarchy amongst men was very much visible, and was put to use. Along that period, the importance of exemplary words and literature was noticed, and was worked upon by involving a new change bringing item in all the civilians and senators lives; Newspapers (Acta Diurna (Daily Events)). In these newspapers, multiple things were mentioned, including the next political event, the victories. They even had an obituary section in their newspapers. Along with all this information, slowly opinions started seeping into the texts. These opinions helped people in creating a judgment for voting.[3]

By 1600, the social hierarchy was divided into six parts; Monarchy, Nobility, Gentry, Merchants, Yeomen and the Labourers. Due to this, if any judgement was to be made, it would have largely been based on rank.[4]

Then by, about the 1800’s, the social hierarchy was divided into three parts; Upper class, Middle class and the Working class. The Upper class used to consist of the Aristocrats, Nobles, Dukes and other wealthy families working in the Victorian courts.The Middle class consisted of industrial revolutionaries, who have changed our lives. The Working class, lowest among the Victorian social hierarchy were the working class. This class remained aloof to the political progress of the country and was hostile to the other two classes. This working class was further categorised as the skilled workers and the unskilled workers.[5]

In the 2000’s, the hierarchy merged and divided into five social classes; Upper, Upper-Middle, Middle, Working and Lower class. This did not cause as much difference and conflicts as the other classes did in the past. But something else did.

Why do Social Opinions matter?

“Social influence is the process by which individuals adapt their opinion, revise their beliefs, or change their behavior as a result of social interactions with other people.”[6]

When we are in the presence of other people, we like to blend in. To blend in, we abide by a few social norms. These norms help us maintain a calm, mannered and composed personality throughout the day. These norms turn into expectations, expectations turn into opinions and opinions turn into reality. These opinions and expectations, when pondered upon, seem quite irrational, but due to these opinions and expectations being around for a long time, we have grown to accept them, and to some extent, even like them. But then why question it?

The reason being that these opinions and expectations ARE in fact quite irrational and toxic.

Interdependence

We follow these opinions and expectations because we are living in a society that entirely works on being Interdependent. Interdependence is the state of being dependent upon one another (Mutual dependence/Interdependence). For eg. We depend on our neighbours and they depend on us to be welcoming and decent.

To abide by the social expectation of being decent, we usually follow the societal idea of “Decency”, which is being calm, reserved, polite, helpful, straightforward and clean.

Also, other people's evaluations of us is both crucial and necessary to impact behavioral changes, which is what ultimately allows us to gain professionally and personally.

Social Expectations

Each social situation entails its own particular set of expectations about the “proper” way to behave. Social roles are the ‘part people play as members of a social group’. With each social role you adopt, your behavior changes to fit the expectations both you and others have of that role. There are 7 main types of societal roles; Leader, Knowledge Generator, Connector, Follower, Moralist, Enforcer, and Observer.[7]

To explain these roles, we will take a problematic social situation into consideration, to show what exactly each role does.

Leader: Proposes strategies and techniques to conquer a problematic situation. (Leader of a country)

Knowledge Generator: Shares information about the status of the situation. (Advisory)

Connector: Transmits the decisions made by the leader or opinions of other roles. (Media)

Follower: Follows a leader. (Politics)

Moralist: Looks for fair shares for all the other roles. (Law)

Enforcer: Punishes the behavior of other roles. (Army)

Observer: Shares information about the compliance of the behavior of other roles, as well as the role who answers to another observer's request about information about other roles. (General crowd)

We as human beings keep on switching between these roles according to the situation. With these roles, there can be unsaid expectations. Most of the time these expectations are rather helpful than problematic, though there are exceptions. But these exceptions occur only when there’s excess of Destructive criticism, Stratification, Peer Pressure and Mass Hysteria.

Destructive Criticism

Destructive criticism is defined as criticism performed with the intention to harm, derogate and destroy someone's creation, prestige, reputation and self-esteem. It's meant to ridicule, damage and bring the person down.

It is very common on social media. Sometimes it even occurs with your closest peers.

Stratification

Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic hierarchy based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, sex, and power. The people who have more resources represent the top layer of the social structure of stratification.

This is also widely noticed in public spaces such as schools.

Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is the influence displayed by people within the same social group. It is also the term used to describe the effect this influence has on a person to agree to in order to be accepted by the group. Sometimes peer pressure is used to positively influence people, but most of the time it’s not. Many adolescents fall into the trap of Peer Pressure.

Mass Hysteria

Mass hysteria is a phenomenon that conveys collective illusions of threats, whether real or imaginary, through a population and society as a result of rumors and fear. Mass hysteria occurs anywhere at any time. This is very common during global pandemic.

Social Organisations

In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and social groups. Characteristics of social organization can include qualities such as sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, division of labor, communication systems, and so on.

These are the most noticed basis for the Social Organisations; Religion, Gender, Race and Monetary status.

Religion

Religion affects human beings very much. It is the root and base for our mental growth and morals. Religion is a very controversial topic to talk about. Many of them involve multitudes of intricate rituals.

Religions are based on philosophies by spiritual people. These philosophies are more of lifestyles, and when people follow a religion they completely imbibe it, no matter what. This changes their outlook towards social interactions and social opinions. This causes a difference in everyone’s knee-jerk reactions associated with different situations.

Gender

There has always been inequality between the female and male gender. This is called Sexism. Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles. This means in many countries there aren’t equal human rights for both the genders. Even though in few countries there may be basic equal rights for both the genders there always is one favored gender and things like salary and weight of opinion is not the same for the favored gender.

Race

Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits according to physical appearance and can be stratified based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or hate directed against other people because they are of a different race or ethnicity. Modern Racism is often based in social perceptions of biological differences between people. These views can take the form of social behaviour, practices or beliefs, or political systems in which different races are supposed as ingrained superior or inferior to each other, based on assumed similar inheritable traits, or qualities.

Monetary status

The Monetary status of people has an influence on decisions made by law. It also gives them unrequited privilege to commit minor or major crimes, and evade the consequences. This brings a sentiment of power and pride in them, which then gives them a sense of togetherness.

In summary, this write up covers up the basic Evolution of Communication, the importance of abiding to Social Norms, the Seven basic types of Social Roles, Compelling Social Ideologies that change the perspective of the human mind, and the differences that bring humans together.

[12stem2group6]

"Media Evolution and the Changing World"

How important it is to study the evolution of media?

It is important to check the evolution of media so as to grasp how change in technology changes society. once you consider the analogue media technology of the 20th century it gives you an understanding of the differences between the society of the published era and our current situation. It's easier to determine how particular ideas and values may be so dominant after you understand how expensive and complex mass media was. This centralized control of the media. Alternative viewpoints did not have access.

The age of the tribes or the tribal age (1500 BC – 1500 AD)

“In tribal age hearing is believing” Tribal age is that the first period in history, as per McLuhan. within the Tribal Age, Ear is that the most vital sensory organ for obtaining information. It enables people to instantly receive information. All-round sound quality also promoted the community, and language was mainly a community experience. The sound feel isn't conducive to privatization; because you whisper or whisper directly into someone’s ear in order that others can’t hear it. Words with no substantive meaning, direct and vivid, only exist at the instant of hearing, because this era requires personal and intimate interaction, and hearing plays a key role during this era. this can be also called an acoustic era because the senses of hearing, touch, taste, and smell were way more strongly developed than the power to visualize. In natural situations, hearing is more important than seeing since it permits you to be all the more quickly mindful of your environmental elements. With sight, we are restricted to heading and distance. we will just detect what's obviously before us. On the off chance that a preying creature is behind us or taken cover behind a tree, we are pitifully unconscious without affectability to sound or smell. Hearing and smelling provides a feeling of that which we will not see, a big capacity within the Tribal age.

The pre-Industrial Period/ Pre-Industrial age (Pre-1700’s)

Pre-industrial age or before 1700. Cave paintings or parietal art. Some theories suggest that cave paintings served as a means of communication, while others suggest that they served a religious or ceremonial purpose. Animals are a popular topic that produces the most amazing visuals, and the paintings are very similar across the world. Humans are typically shown as hand stencils created by blowing pigment onto a hand held against the wall. Clay tablets in Mesopotamia are written on a wet clay tablet and then dried in the sun or air. If they are done writing on the tablet they can erase it and make a new one out of it.

Papyrus paper was used for writing in ancient Egypt, and it may also refer to a text written on sheets of such material that are connected side by side and wrapped up into a scroll, which is an early form of a book.

In Rome, the Acta diurnal was used for public notices and announcements such as births, weddings, and deaths. Legal, municipal, and military notifications were among the other types of Acta. Only officials were allowed to access Dibao, which included official notifications and news. They declare it orally or in writing. Handwritten or engraved wooden blocks were used to print them.

Codices Maya Professional scribes working under the patronage of deities such as the Tonsured Maize God and the Howler Monkey Gods produce folding books.

Industrial Age (1700's - 1930's)

Between the late 18th and early 20th centuries, the Industrial Revolution saw tremendous development in mechanization, industrial output, and societal transformation.

New technologies have greatly increased the speed with which people and commodities may be transported. Between Liverpool and Manchester, the first intercity railway was completed in 1830. The railways made it possible to carry more freight at a lower cost and in a shorter amount of time. Traveling from London to Manchester took four days in 1700, but only four hours in 1870.

The use of steam engines. The steam engine's development was crucial to the Industrial Revolution's success. It enabled steam trains, as well as steam-powered pumps and machinery, increasing labor productivity.

The Agricultural Revolution made it possible to produce more food with fewer farm laborers, resulting in excess employees who could work in industries. Crop rotation, selective breeding, economies of scale from larger farms, and improved transportation all contributed to this agricultural revolution.

Global commerce expansion. Britain's excellent shipping capability and Empire, which provided raw materials, aided them.

The Electronic Age: (1930s – 1980s)

The industrial age and the electronic age are two different periods of civilizations. These civilizations are thought of in schools as part of the curriculum in basic computer study in Junior secondary schools. This article covers all that students need to know concerning the industrial age and electronic age.

The industrial age is a period of social and economic reorganization. Remember the stone age, the period when crude tools were used. During the stone age, production was done by the exertion of human efforts.

Although industry and machinery are an important part of today's world production. Another important factor was considered in the late 1950s. This vital factor of production, also known as the digital revolution, is known as the electronic age.

The electronic age is also called the information age or digital age. It started in the 1970s and continues to this day. This is a stage of transition from a traditional industry to an information-based economy.

The electronic age is the information age, and electrical switches make it possible. Today can no longer be fully described as the electronic age. We can classify this time as Internet of Things (IoT) time. Because we are gradually relying on robots and machines to perform functions previously performed by humans.

With the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, machines can learn human emotions. This enables them to make decisions that humans should make, thereby supporting production.

Information Age (1900s- 2000)

The Information Age refers to the idea that information availability and control are the distinguishing characteristics of this new phase in human history. The development of personal computers ushered in the Information Age, also known as the Electronic Age, Digital Age, and New Media Age. The "information era" began in the 1980s. Big businesses used mainframe computers, which allowed them to handle information (although laboriously) and perhaps make it available. That lasted until Google came up. Google performed something unique in history: they "broke" Goodhart's rule. That is, their sole metric for determining the relevance of a web page became a target, which Goodhart claims indicates it is no longer a quality metric. They become authoritative after a few years of excellent programming, a tidy model, great luck, timing, and a fanatical concentration on search quality. That was the Information Age's final game—Google won and received a little reward from the whole planet for making the world's information available for free. Now we're approaching a new era with unrestricted access to information, the ability to construct virtual worlds, machines that are smarter than people, and sci-fi like robotics, among other things.

Reference:

https://the21stcenturylearners.wordpress.com/2018/10/08/the-tribal-age-acoustic-age/

https://andy15blog.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/pre-industrial-age/#:~:text=Pre%2Dindustrial%20society%20refers%20to,help%20perform%20tasks%20en%20masse

https://rohartpogi.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/industrial-age-1700s-1930s/?fbclid=IwAR0fBZJ9IWnj0ubdSN0c_0v6TGlkxplAJD6P203ImmFaBnk2JpKWY6Dz6m0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_London_Gazette https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone http://precinemahistory.net/1890.htm http://www.encyclopedia.com/literature-and-arts/performing-arts/film-and-television/motion-pictures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_film https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraphy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punched_card

https://www.kmacims.com.ng/industrial-age-and-electronic-age/

[lady-daydream]

Random things about being in a relationship with Arcade Gannon - Fallout New Vegas Imagine

This ones for you @vita-ante-acta who asked for anything to do with are best boi Arcade, who as you put it is definitely the cutest Gay in the wastelands <3. I hope this is alright :). Once again I apologise for spelling error, I am horrible at spell checking. If anyone has an imagines or reactions from fallout 3-4 or new Vegas just comment or send a request. Hope you all enjoy and have an amazing day -Love you all <3

Also side note idk why but I kinda get Arcade Vibes from the song Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier? just me? idk.

- If while travelling, the courier and Arcade step onto something that might aid    Arcade in this scientific study, the courier will happily sit and wait, and let him collect whatever data he needs. Even in the middle of night.

- People have learnt that when they see a focused blonde scientist knelt over a plant or piece of technology or documents, writing notes and muttering to himself, they should just continue on like they haven't seen anything. Those that have rude comments to say or outright insult him end up having a warning shot fired at them from a certain courier who is stood close by 

- The both of them ended up sleeping together originally out of convenience one evening when the courier was injured and arcade insisted that he keep an eye on them but that they also needed to rest. After that, it became a habit that neither of them complained about even after the courier was all healed.

- Arcade will read to the courier if they can't sleep. Though he thinks his voice and whatever he is reading will bore the courier. The Courier enjoys the comfort of it and the sound of Arcades voice, plus sometimes subconsciously Arcade will draw circles with his fingers on the couriers back while reading.

- Arcade is normally the one to fall asleep last. The courier seems to be able to fall asleep on command or due to being exhausted  from running around everywhere. It takes a while for Arcade's mind to stop overthinking and switch off. Though the courier's presence has helped him relax more.

- Both have a habit of overworking, so both try to stop the other from pushing themselves too far. Arcade will make sure the courier eats and actually gets treatment for the infinite amount of injuries they get on their travels. While the courier has learnt to recognise from Arcades body language when he needs to be pulled away from research and remind him to take breaks and rest 

- Arcade started to notice that the courier would start to use small pieces of Latin after being with him for a while, from just picking up phrases he says in his company. Once Arcade started noticing them doing this he would make a note to try and teach them and uses new phrases.

- The phrase “You're an idiot, but you're my idiot, so please don't do something that stupid again “ is used a lot

- Arcade quickly found out that the Courier was terrible at maths. Even simply maths takes them a while to work out, and they freeze whenever asked to do quick maths on demand. So every time it happens Arcade steps in and answers. He has tried to help teach them but it didn't stick.

- The courier does however have an amazing memory. If they have been to a place before, they remember directions, town names and faces very quickly. They are a fast muscle memory as well so when arcade taught them simple first aid, they picked it up with demonstration very quickly. This comes in handy when they travel together since Arcade didn't normally travel often and having someone who is confident while travelling is a comfort.

- The courier will steal his glasses from time to time just so Arcade can kiss them in order to get them back.

- One of Arcades fears is that he may not be able to defend the courier if they get seriously injuried while in combat. He knows the courier can more than handle themselves in a fight, but he also knows if he didn't have his laser gun at hand he isn't all that useful in a fight, not that he wouldn't die trying. The thought keeps him up at night but he has never told the courier 

- To the courier's surprise Arcade is stronger than he looks (Strength - 6), and he gets asked a lot but the Followers to help when heavy lifting is involved.Though he doesn't mind helping and being useful he will be sarcastic the whole time while doing it

-When it comes to telling you he loves you vs showing it, he is more of a showing you kind of person. When he gets flustered or doesn’t have a lot of control in a conversation his words get muddled. So he would make sure that the courier was patched up after a fight, and would leave notes reminding them he cared for them in their bag along side supplies he has snuck from them, so while travelling they could find it, along with hugs and kisses in private.

-  Both of them enjoy looking at the stars, however Arcade doesn't know any constellation- new world or old- meanwhile the courier from their years of travelling has learnt what tribes see in the sky along with an old world book on it that they keep on them. So the Courier while travelling with him at night will tell one of the many stories on the stars, which always makes traveling seem quicker and Arcade enjoys the Courier talking about something they are passionate about.

- Their first kiss happened when the Courier returned injured, Arcade began a tangent about how they should have been more careful and how he was worried, and midway through the courier kissed them saying “they got back here as soon as they could so they could see him again”. Arcade still continued his rant however had a blush all the way through and stumbled on his words more often.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Rajasaurus narmadensis

By Ripley Cook 

Etymology: King Reptile

First Described By: Wilson et al., 2003

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Ceratosauria, Neoceratosauria, Abelisauroidea, Abelisauridae, Majungasaurinae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 70 and 66 million years ago, in the Maastrichtian of the Late Cretaceous 

Rajasaurus is known from the Lameta Formation of Gujarat, India 

Physical Description: Rajasaurus was an Abelisaur - so, a kind of theropod with a long body, almost nonexistent arms, and thick, powerful legs. Rajasaurus in particular differed from other Abelisaurs in having particularly short legs, making it even more… sausage-like… in appearance than even its close relatives. It had a boxy head and thick neck, which would allow it to have a very powerful bite and strength in the neck to hold down prey. It had a strong sense of smell, as well, to help it to find prey from farther away - allowing it to set up an ambush for said prey when it got too close. It had horns on its forehead, made of bone from the nose, which was probably not extended by skin. It was also a lot shorter than other Abelisaurids - which means that it was only about 7 or so meters long, and maybe only two meters tall, if that. It really wouldn’t have stood much taller than an adult man. Rajasaurus had an especially short neck, which may have allowed it to grab onto prey even tighter than other Abelisaurids. It had very short, four-fingered hands, with claws on the first three of them. Though the legs of Rajasaurus are short, it did have very robust, thick toes, giving it more support on the ground. As an Abelisaurid, Rajasaurus was covered in scales all over its body, with potentially round bumpy bits of bone (osteoderms) interspersed among the scales. 

By Paleocolour, CC BY-SA 3.0 

Diet: As a large Abelisaurid, Rajasaurus would have primarily fed upon larger herbivores, such as Titanosaurs.

Behavior: Abelisaurs were not the fastest animals - after all, if they ran too quicky, they wouldn’t have been very balanced - but what they were extremely agile turners. Being able to turn very quickly allowed them to be efficient ambush predators. Rajasaurus would have waited for prey to appear, and then charged - seemingly out of nowhere, by turning rapidly towards the prey - and then grabbing down onto the struggling prey with its strong, boxy jaws. Though Rajasaurus had small arms and hands, it traded those off for having a stronger neck - to better hold the prey steady with. Then, the stress would weaken the animal, along with blood loss. The horns on the head of Rajasaurus were probably for display and interaction between members of the species, with fights occurring to argue over carcasses or for mates via head-butting or neck-bashing. The horns would have also packed quite a bit of a cutting edge in these fights. It’s also possible that bright colors could have been used on the horns to display. While it doesn’t seem likely that Rajasaurus was particularly social, it did probably take care of its young, and may have formed small family groups while they grew up, in order to protect the young from the many other predators around. 

By ДиБгд, CC BY-SA 3.0 

Ecosystem: The Lameta Formation is a fascinating Late Cretaceous environment due to the fact that it was a grassland! Grasses evolved sometime in the Cretaceous period. While they did not spread rapidly until the Cenozoic, they did seem to be present in quite a few areas during the Cretaceous (to the point of some hadrosaur relatives evolving to eat them). India at the time was an isolated island, so grasses were able to thrive and diversify more there than in other locations where they did not gain as immediate of a foothold. There was a large amount of volcanic activity nearby, which probably added to its extensive biodiversity (before it made many of the animals present go extinct, via the explosion of the Deccan Traps). It was a lush environment filled with grasses resembling modern rice, flowers, algae, and ferns. This was an environment filled with many lakes, surrounded by extensive mud that lead to its fossil preservation. Rajasaurus was certainly not the only dinosaur of this environment, either! There were even other Abelisaurids - Indosaurus, Indosuchus, Rahiolisaurus, Lametasaurus, and their close relatives the (potentially piscivorous) Noasaurids such as Ornithomimoides, Laevisuchus, and Dryptosauroides. There were also other theropods, probably also Ceratosaurs - Jubbulpuria, Coeluroides, and Orthogoniosaurus. With all of these predators and fishermen, it makes sense that there were a lot of large herbivores for them to feed upon! And there seem to be at least three different kinds of titanosaurs there - Titanosaurus, a dubiously known one; Jainosaurus, a slightly better known one; and Isisaurus, the best known one that seems to be one of the main features of the environment. There was also potentially an ankylosaur - Brachypodosaurus! As for non-dinosaurs, there were large snakes, Sanajeh and Madtsoia; a variety of turtles; and some Dyrosaurid crocodylomorphs! 

By José Carlos Cortés 

Other: Rajasaurus was one of the Majungasaurines, which had longer holes in their snouts in front of their eyes than their close relatives the Carnotaurines - aka, they had lighter skulls - and having small crests widening the front of their heads; and, in general, longer snouts. This group of Abelisuarids underwent extensive island hopping, reaching places like India via rafting and other journeys across the ocean. Rajasaurus, being one of them, had ancestors that underwent such a journey!

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut 

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Delcourt, R. (2018). "Ceratosaur Palaeobiology: New Insights on Evolution and Ecology of the Southern Rulers". Scientific Reports. 8 (9730).

Filippi, L. S., A. H. Méndez, R. D. Juárez Valieri and A. C. Garrido. 2016. A new brachyrostran with hypertrophied axial structures reveals an unexpected radiation of latest Cretaceous abelisaurids. Cretaceous Research 60:209-219

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Gianechini, F. A., S. Apestteguia, W. Landini, F. Finotti, R. J. Valieri and F. Zandonai. 2015. New abelisaurid remains from the Anacleto Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Patagonia, Argentina. Cretaceous Research 54:1-16

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Mohabey, D. M. 1989. The braincase of a dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Lameta Formation, Kheda District, Gujarat, western India. Indian Journal of Earth Sciences 16(2):132-135

Mohabey, D. M. (1996). "Depositional environment of Lameta Formation (late Cretaceous) of Nand-Dongargaon inland basin, Maharashtra: the fossil and lithological evidences". Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India. 37: 1–36.

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Novas, F. E., S. Chatterjee, D. K. Rudra and P. M. Datta. 2010. Rahiolisaurus gujaratensis, n. gen. n. sp., a new abelisaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of India. In S. Badyopadhyay (ed.), New Aspects of Mesozoic Biodiversity. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences 132. Springer-Verlag, Berlin 45-62

Persons IV, W. S.; Currie, P. J. (2011). "Dinosaur speed demon: the caudal musculature of Carnotaurus sastrei and implications for the evolution of South American abelisaurids". PLoS One. 6 (10): e25763.

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Rogers, Raymond R.; Krause, David W.; Curry Rogers, Kristina; Rasoamiaramanana, Armand H.; Rahantarisoa, Lydia. (2007). "Paleoenvironment and Paleoecology of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". In Sampson, S. D.; Krause, D. W. (eds.). Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 8. 27. pp. 21–31.

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Sampson, Scott D.; Witmer, L. M. (2007). "Craniofacial anatomy of Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". In Sampson, S. D.; Krause, D. W. (eds.). Majungasaurus crenatissimus (Theropoda: Abelisauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar (PDF). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir 8. 27. pp. 32–102.

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[zombietango]

A guide to the Devilman franchise and whats available

Chronological list of the various Devilman media taken and updated from a article i wrote a while ago. I will update it regularly.

1971

Demon Lord Dante: A precursor to the series, featuring many elements later to feature in Devilman and the various sequels. (Translated)

1972

Raijin Thunder: An incredibly early draft for the Devilman anime, little of it is incorporated into the final draft of the show. (Currently Untranslated)

Devilman (Manga): The original series following several aspects from Dante, it follows the young Akira Fudoand the mysterious Ryo Asuka as they battle against the demon race and later humanity itself. (Translated)

Devilman (Anime): Following a far lighter tone than the manga does, the monster-of-the-week style anime follows the titular Devilman as he fights against the Demon Tribe. (Translated)

Devilman (Hiruta Manga): One of the two manga adaptations of the anime, it was written and drawn by Mitsiru Hiruta following a similar style battling a new foe each chapter. (Translated)

Devilman (Isako Manga): The second of the two anime adaptations, written by Masaru Isako, it follows a similar format to the anime but has several original Demons. (Currently Untranslated)

1973

Mazinger Z vs Devilman: A crossover film taking elements from both the Devilman and Mazinger Z anime series. (Translated)

Mazinger Z vs Devilman (Manga): A adaptation of the film, it it a part of Gosaku Ota's Mazinger Z manga. (Currently Untranslated)

Violence Jack: Post apocalypse series set in fallout of the events in Devilman. It follows various characters as they try to survive the hellscape with the mysterious Jack frequently serving as something of a framing device. It serves as one of two possible sequels to the original Devilman, the other being Devilman Lady. (Currently Untranslated)

1979

Shin Devilman: The first sequel to the original Devilman, it follows Akira Fudo and Ryo Asuka as they travel through time battling the demonic forces. (Translated)

1981

True Devilman: A novelization series of the original manga, written by Go Nagai's brother Yasataka Nagai, it follows a similar structure to the original manga with some small differences, it also gave name and backstory to some characters like the Makimura parents and Massami Izumi aka Devilman Puffurle. (Currently Untranslated)

1986

Violence Jack: Harlem Bomber: The first Violence Jack OVA, follows a original story and cast with Jack himself having only a small amount of screen time. (Translated)

Violence Jack: Tokyo Metsubo Hen: Written by Yasutaka Nagai and illustrated by Go Nagai, this was the first of two novels by the duo. (Currently Untranslated)

1987

Devilman: The Birth: The first of Umanosuke Iida OVA's it was based on the earlier True Devilman novels. (Translated)

Deluxe Edition of Devilman. (Partially translated)

Devilman: One Summer Day: A short story set during the events of Devilman, following Akira as he fights the demon Doelamale, while Ryo has visions of the future. (Translated)

Devilman: Fallen Angel: Another short story which has Ryo begin to remember his origins as Satan. (Translated)

Violence Jack: Kanto Slum-gai Hen: The second Violence Jack novel by Yasutaka Nagai. (Currently Untranslated)

1988

Violence Jack: Evil Town: The second Violence Jack OVA, based on the 'Evil Town' story arc which has Jack help a group of survivors escape a shopping mall that was submerged during the great earthquake.  (Translated)

1990

Devilman: The Demon Bird: The second of Iida's two Devilman OVA's. (Translated)

CB Chara Go Nagai World: A three part OVA series that acted as a super deformed crossover between Devilman, Mazinger Z and Violence Jack. (Translated)

CB Chara Go Nagai World (Manga): A short manga set alongside the OVA series. (Currently Untranslated)

Violence Jack: Hell's Wind: The third and final OVA, Jack assists a small town againt a rougeish motorcycle gang. (Currently Untranslated)

1995

Violence Jack: Golden City: The last Violence Jack novel, written by Tatsuhiko Dan and illustraited by Nagai.

1996

True Demon Lord Dante: A remake of the original Demon Lord Dante written by Akira Fuuga. (Currently Untranslated)

1997

Devilman Lady: The first official sequel to the original Devilman since Shin, it follows a new protagonist Jun Fudo as she battles Devilbeast and Demon alike. It is the longest series to date. (Translated)

1998

Toshin Devilman: A manga writen by Yoshihiro Iwamoto, it follows a new protagonist Kei Kamishiro. (Currently Untranslated)

Devilman Lady (Anime): An anime adaptation based on Nagai's manga, taking certain elements from it while following a formula similar to the '72 Devilman anime in a much darker tone. (Translated)

1999

Devilman Ghost: A side story in the Devilman Lady manga that has Akira Fudo fight Devilbeasts in his temporary ghostly form. (Translated)

Neo Devilman: A large compilation of various short stories by different authors. (Translated)

Devilman in the Dark: A short manga that follows the young girl Akemi from Devilman Lady as she follows Akira Fudo through Hell. (Translated)

Amon: The Darkside of the Devilman: A manga set in a new timeline from the original manga, taking twists on the original, and expanding on earlier scenes with the demon Amon taking the center spotlight. (Translated)

2000

Amon: The Apocalypse of Devilman: A loose adaptation of the initial arc of the Darkside manga, it is intended to be in the same story line as the Iida OVA's. (Translated)

Devilman (Playstation): A video game loosely following the origonal manga, it also had a special storyline based on the Toei anime unlockable after beating the game once. Many characters and demons from the manga make appearences here.  (Translated)

2001

Violence Jack: Demons in a War Torn Land: A special one-shot manga, fairly short and ended very abruptly, even for Go Nagai standards.  (Translated)

2002

New Demon Lord Dante: The second remake of Demon Lord Dante, this time by Nagai himself. (Currently Untranslated)

Demon Lord Dante: A adaptation of Nagai's Dante remake, however there are still elements that stick closer to the original. (Translated)

2004

Dynamic Heroes: A large scale crossover featuring many of Dynamic Pro more iconic series. (Currently Untranslated)

Devilman (Film): A live action tokusatsu styled Devilman, it was panned by critics, fans and the public alike. (Translated)

2005

Devilman: Strange Days: A short one volume manga by Yu Kinutani the same author/writer of the Darkside manga. It follows the struggling band The Flyers as the end of humanity looms. (Translated)

Shin Violence Jack: A very surreal series following a amnesiac Jack through the wastes of Japan. Full to the brim of Devilman refrences.  (Translated)

2007

Akuma Kishi: aka Demon Knight, it was published in three parts yearly. Set before the original Devilman in the very first timeline, it follows Sirene, Amon, and Satan in their rebellion against God. (Translated)

Sirene: Tanjo Hen: A short story that follows Sirene as she infiltrates the human world before attacking Akira in the original manga. (Currently Untranslated)

2010

Devilman vs Getter Robo: A crossover manga that featured the Getter crew and Akira Fudo teaming up to battle the alliance between Emperor Gore and Sirene. (Translated)

Gekiman: An autobiographical manga about Go Nagai's creation with its first arc detailing the creation of the original Devilman manga and the TV series. (Currently Untranslated)

2011

Demon Lord Dante VS Getter Robo G: A crossover manga in which Ryoma Nagare the pilot of Getter-1 accidentally fuses with the titular Dante. (Currently Untranslated)

2012

Devilman Grimoire: Written and illustrated by Takato Rui, Devilman Grimoire is a new story, that has callbacks to many previous series, with most characters based on an already existing character in an old Nagai or Devilman work. (Translated)

Sirene-Chan: A very short gag comic series which features Sirene as a young schoolgirl. (Currently Untranslated)

Devilman vs Hades: A manga by Team Moon that has Akira travel through Hell in search for Miki Makimura, encountering old foes and new ones also, many characters from Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger also appear. (Currently Untranslated)

2013

Cutie Honey vs Devilman Lady: A crossover manga in which Jun Fudo teams up with Honey Kisaragi to fight Devilbeasts and Panther Claw. (Translated)

2014

Devilman Saga: A manga by Go Nagai that is the final chapter of the Devilman series starting from Devilman to Devilman Lady. It features Yuki Fudo as he is employed by a company using ancient but advanced armor used by the demons in the ancient past. (Currently Untranslated)

2015

Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman: A crossover OVA featuring the main characters from the prolific series of Shotaro Ishinomori and Go Nagai coming from Studio Actas. (Translated)

Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman: Treacheries: The Traitors: Prequel novel to the OVA's. (Currently Untranslated)

Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman: Breakdown: A manga adaptation released to further promote the OVA's, however it uses a different plot to them. (Translated)

2018

Devilman Crybaby: An anime series that roughly follows the story of the original manga. Released on the streaming site Netflix in early January. (Translated)

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Korean Shamaness – Wedded to God

Hwanung and the the bear who was transformed into a woman. They gave birth to Tangun, the ancestor of all Koreans.

These insights into Korean shamanism help to explain where Sun Myung Moon got his ideas about a sexual interpretation of the Fall of Man. He added some Daoism, Korean Confucianism, numerology and Western guilt to the mix which contained the theology of Kim Seong-do, Chong Deuk-eun and Kim Baek-moon. Moon then asked Eu Hyo-won to systematize it all. The result was the “Divine Principle”.

Korean Shamaness – Wedded to God

by Kirsti L. Nevalainen

2.1. Main Tenets of Shamanism

According to the shamanistic world view it is entirely possible for gods and goddesses to have a sexual relationship with human beings. By means of sexual intercourse they can have physical sons and daughters on earth.60 Rev. Sun Myung Moon has adopted this shamanistic belief and thinks it is possible to create God’s Kingdom on Earth which is inhabited by God’s direct physical descendants. In order to understand this kind of world view we must clarify the main tenets of Shamanism and especially the role of a shaman or shamaness in society.

According to the shamanistic myth, the Koreans descend from a sexual union between the Sky-God and a mother bear:

The Tangun myth

Hwanung, the son of the Sky-God Hwanin, descended from Heaven. The Bear and the Tiger came to him asking him to transform them into humans. Hwanung promised to transform them if they avoided sunlight for one hundred days. However, only the Bear could cope with this requirement, and it was transformed into a woman. She became pregnant by Hwanung and gave birth to a son, who was given the name Tangun. Tangun later became the founder of the Joseon state, a long-living ruler, a cultural hero, and the progenitor of all Koreans.61

Female shamans are common in the Manchurian region, broadly defined, the very same region where the bear myth is also particularly prominent. Female shamans predominate in both Korean and Japanese Shamanism. The Korean female shaman (Mudang) does have a male counterpart (Paksu), but the vast majority of all Korean shamans are females. In Japan, all shamans (itako) are females. The same seems to be true of the Hokkaido Ainu shamans (tusukur).62

There are two major types of North Asian shamanism. The two types may be identified as Siberian and Manchurian, respectively. In the Siberian type, which covers most of North Asia, but extends also to Central Asia, there is no functional differentiation between male and female shamans.

In the Manchurian type, which is today centered on Korea and Japan, there is a clear predominance of female shamans. Although the reasons behind female shamanism may be multiple, it is reasonable to assume, that at least one of the reasons is the original role of the female shaman as the special medium required by the Bear Cult. The role of the female shaman is to search for the help of the Celestial Ruler, who, although conceptualized as the Prototypical Bear, is much more powerful than the specialized helping spirits represented by other animals. Ancient China, too, was characterized by a highly developed and institutionalized Bear Cult. ...

Shamanistic beliefs and practices have greatly influenced Korean people and their culture for thousands of years. The Korean people’s ancestors belonged to the Tungus tribe in Siberia.65

According to the Tungus and Manchu shamanistic world view, the shaman or shamaness must take care of the spirits, feed them and handle them, when he or she wants to introduce them into himself or herself. The Tungus shaman or shamaness introduces spirits into himself or herself at his or her own will, he or she uses his or her own body as a placing for spirits. A voluntary introduction of a spirit is also characteristic of Shamanism, but the spirits may also be called in and introduced into other people at their invitation. The same is true about the next step, the expulsion of the spirits, which is beyond the power of ordinary people. Thus among the shamans and shamanesses a voluntary introduction and expulsion of the spirits are only particular cases of mastering the spirits. The most important and characteristic condition which makes of an ordinary man or woman a shaman or shamaness is that he or she is a master of spirits, at least of a group of spirits. Among the Tungus of Manchuria the number of spirits with the beginners is five or six, while by the end of a good career all spirits are mastered directly or with the assistance of other spirits. The number of spirits is also a measure of the shaman’s or shamaness’ power – the more powerful the shaman or shamaness is, the more spirits he or she has.66

60 Krader, L., Shamanism: Theory and History in Buryat Society in Shamanism in Siberia, Edited by V. Diészegi and M. Hoppal, Akadémiai Kiadé, Budapest, 1978, p. 199.

61 Jamhunen, Juha, Tracing The Bear Myth In Northeast Asia.

http://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/publictn/acta/20/asi20-001-janhunen.pdf

62 as above

65 Kim, Chong-sun, Rev. Sun Myung Moon in The Unification Church I, Views from the Outside, Edited with an introduction by Michael L. Mickler, Garland Publishing, New York, London, 1990, p. 209.

66 Shirokogoroff, S. M., Psychomental Complex of the Tungus, Reinhold Schletzer Verlag, Berlin, 1999, pp. 271-272.

The above is an extract from Chapter 2 of Kirsti L. Nevalainen’s book:

Change of Blood Lineage through Ritual Sex in the Unification Church

Introduction to Ritual Sex in the UC / FFWPU

The Legendary Founder of Korea, Tangun Wanggeom

Moon’s theology was used to control members

Church member never allowed herself to enjoy sex because “sex was evil”

Sex with angels

A Korean perspective on Moon and his ‘Fall of Man’ teaching

[kflemhealth]

Fermented soybeans offer probiotic properties that fight bacterial infections and balance cholesterol

(Natural News) Tungrymbai, a fermented soybean product commonly eaten in parts of India, may possess probiotic properties, a study shows. The research, led by the Tezpur University, was published in the journal Acta Alimentaria. Tungrymbai is common to the ethnic tribes of Meghalaya. While its unique texture and flavor may not be palatable to everyone, the dish – as...

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[cle-guy]

Hall of Fame Thoughts: Active Players & the 2019 Ballot

I have spent too much of my life considering who should, and should not, enter the Hall of Fame, especially since I missed the 2018 induction ceremony when Jim Thome spoke this year.  As a lifelong Indians fan it is possible Thome is the only player to enter Cooperstown as an Indian in my lifetime; I hold out hope Vizquel, Lofton, Sabathia and Lindor prove me wrong in the future.  However, with the largest class since 1936 entering the Hall of Fame I want to jot down several miscellaneous thoughts on baseball’s repository of immortals.

Class of 2019

Compared to 2018, 2019 seems boring.  There are three parts to the ballot worth reviewing: returning BBWAA ballot players, new BBWAA ballot players, and the Today’s Game Ballot.  To start let’s look at returning BBWAA players; here are the remaining candidates from last year’s ballot who rolled over into 2019 by vote percentage:

Edgar Martinez (10th):   70.4% Mike Mussina (6th):       63.5% Roger Clemens (7th):    57.3% Barry Bonds (7th):         56.4% Curt Schilling (7th):       51.2% Omar Vizquel (2nd):      37.0% Larry Walker (9th):         34.1% Fred McGriff (10th):      23.2% Manny Ramirez (3rd):   22.0% Jeff Kent (6th):             14.5% Gary Sheffield (5th):     11.1% Billy Wagner (4th):        11.1% Scott Rolen (2nd)         10.2% Andruw Jones (2nd):    7.8% Sammy Sosa (7th):       7.8%

Overall not a ton of noise here, although there are a few interesting storylines to follow:

1.  Barry Bonds & Roger Clemens are creeping up the ballot, but may stall.  I have been bullish on their chances in the past, but am less certain at this point.  Joe Morgan’s letter to Hall of Fame voters was less than well received in most circles I read regularly.

2.  Omar Vizquel’s debut of 37% on a crowded ballot is encouraging for him.  As a comparison: Jack Morris debuted at around 20%.  I am not certain there is another 37% of the electorate which will find Omar as a definite yes on their ballot space, but we shall see.  

3.  Curt Schilling made up all the ground he lost.  I am an ardent Schilling fan, and hope he can jump up to where Mike Mussina finds himself this year, speaking of which....

4. Mussina wont make it in 2019 (barring an truly exceptional jump), but he will make the Hall of Fame some day.  I’m happy for Mike.  His debut of 20% was concerning, but (similar to Blyleven), the sabermetrics crowd went to bat for him, and he’s made progress in bounds.

5.  Scott Rolen, Jeff Kent, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield & Andruw Jones seem screwed.  They’re all deserving candidates.  I think Jones and Sosa fall off the ballot this year.

6.  Edgar Martinez will enter the Hall of Fame, possibly resoundingly.  It is highly unusual for a candidate to come as close as Edgar and drop: only Jim Bunning has done so in the past and he faced an excruciating ballot.  The new crop this year largely boils down to a few candidates, nobody in Edgar’s class.

The newcomers to the 2019 Ballot are:

Mariano Rivera. He’s the class of the ballot, and arguably the classiest player from the New York Yankees 1990s Dynasty, and their long 2000/2010s playoff run.  With the saves record, the best ERA+ of any pitcher over 2,000 IP, and an astonishing post season record: he will top 90% of the vote.

Roy Halladay.  The best pitcher of the 2000s in my opinion.  His recent death, morbidly, will probably help his case.  The sabermetric crowd will probably all forcefully press his case.  In an era with few workhorses: Halladay threw a ton of innings.  Halladay posted eight seasons with over 200 innings pitched, and led the league in innings pitched four times.  He led the league in complete games seven times.  He won two Cy Young Awards, and could have easily won at least another award.  Overall: his peak is clearly Hall of Fame worthy, and the best of his peers.

Todd Helton.  An underrated first baseman and his peak JAWS score exceeds the average.  His offense was buoyed by Coors Field in its hey day, but he (like Larry Walker) slaughtered pitchers at Coors.  He posted a .300/.400/.500 slash line for his career, and was an excellent first baseman.  He probably could have won an MVP four or five times, but was eclipsed by Barry Bonds as a young man.  It doesn’t help that he played for generally poor Colorado Rockies teams, and only played in the Playoffs twice.  I think Helton deserves a full look, and would strongly consider voting for him.

Andy Pettitte.  I’ll admit being annoyed by Pettitte.  He was a great pitcher: better than Jack Morris, and thus has a credible Hall of Fame case.  However, I think this (like Morris’) is entirely due to the fact he played for great Yankees teams.  I expect Pettitte to get a decent amount of support, probably around 20%.  

The Today’s Game Ballot has not been announced yet, but I do not expect anything exciting.  Most of the interesting recent players are either not up for induction yet, or are on the BBWAA ballot currently.  It will be interesting to see if they add any non-players to the ballot, or reconsider Mark McGwire.  Other than that nothing to see here.

In conclusion: we can expect at least a two person ballot in 2019, with Mariano Rivera & Edgar Martinez getting nods.  There’s an outside shot at a four player class, with Halladay & Mussina being the favorites there.  We will also need to monitor the cases of: Schilling, Helton, Bonds, Clemens and Vizquel to see how the electorate reacts.

Active Players

It may be a cliche but it is possible to determine whether a player merits Hall of Fame induction before he retires.  For this list, I will use JAWS as my main guide.  I will rank the players by how positive I am they will enter the Hall of Fame, and use a score during the game to rank them, without further ado, here they are:

Game Over Edition:

Albert Pujols, First Base, 2nd All time

We’ve known for a long time Pujols will enter the Hall of Fame.  Pujols is not only among the best first baseman ever: he’s among the best players at any position ever.  Only the Iron Horse ranks ahead of him in the JAWS rankings.  There is little to say about Pujols, which better writers have not written already.  

Adrian Beltre, Third Base, 4th All Time

The ranking here continues to amaze me.  Adrian Beltre is an amazing player, who truly blossomed late, despite some excellent seasons as a young man.  He might make it to 500 home runs, but at 39 he’s running out of time.  He probably deserved at least one MVP during his career.  

Miguel Cabrera, First Base, 11th All Time

I was a little hesitant to put Miggy here, but let’s not lie to ourselves here: Miguel Cabrera is a slam dunk, first ballot, Hall of Famer.  Two MVPs, four batting championships, Triple Crown winner: he’s amazing.  He’s an even better hitter than Jim Thome, who was a slam dunk Hall of Fame hitter himself.  Here I’ll add some personal thoughts.

Miguel Cabrera played for the Detroit Tigers, who tortured the Indians during his career.  Even as he got older it seems like the Tribe could never get Miguel Cabrera out.  He’s hit walk off home runs, he’s wrecked our good pitchers, he’s done EVERYTHING against the Tribe.  He reminds me of a David Ortiz, in many ways, except we played him more often.  Manny Acta intentionally walked him with the bases empty and nobody out...just because he tortured us so badly.  While I never liked the man: the man could hit, and he moved around the diamond to make room for players.  I will applaud when he reaches Cooperstown.

Ichiro Suzuki, Right Field, 17th All Time

I deliberated even writing about Ichiro in this column as well.  Ichiro is, in my opinion, retired.  He stopped playing because he simply couldn’t continue (although he found ways to torture the Indians at the beginning of the year as well).  He was a magician in his time, and a terrific fielder.  I have less to say about ichiro than Miguel, but if you include his time in Japan he is the all time hit leader for the Major Leagues.  

A Three Run Lead in the 9th Edition

Joe Mauer, Catcher, 7th All Time

It’s a shame Mauer must languish below the list above: but there’s serious doubts about whether Mauer will make it to Cooperstown, among some.  The issue? Mauer did not remain at catcher long enough in the eyes of a few.  While in some ways I see their point, his peak in my opinion simply screams Hall of Fame.  No, Mauer was not quite in the Johnny Bench territory, but his peak had more value than Yogi Berra.  At 39.0 7JAWS: he ranks 5th all time in peak value at Catcher.  He also crossed the 2,000 hit plateau, which Jay Jaffe correctly points out is a barometer for many in the BBWAA community.  I think if Mauer posts a few more decent seasons he’ll get 60.0 WAR, and be fine.

I will add a few more words about Mauer as well.  Mauer was an amazing presence for the Twins.  I remember his 2009 season, when he won the MVP (should have won in 2006 as well).  He miraculously developed power, as if his contact and fielding abilities were not enough.  In the beginning of the year, when the Indians had pretensions of contending, he effectively ended the Tribe season before it began in an early season.  That season: he batted .365 with 28 homeruns, while winning a Gold Glove!  It was an epic season which I will not forget. 

Clayton Kershaw, Starting Pitcher, 48th All Time

The fact Kershaw ranks this high is impressive.  For the record: he already ranks AHEAD of Koufax.  Now, I am not saying Clayton Kershaw is Sandy Koufax, he isn’t, and it’s why he’s not quite in “slam dunk” territory...yet.  However, what Koufax has accomplished is historic.  He’s won three Cy Young Awards, and missed out on Cy Youngs three times, despite superb seasons.  At age 30, Kershaw may be slowing down, but he’s effective enough to collect some counting stats.  He’s already pitched 2,000 innings and 2,221 strikeouts, which is impressive at 30.  He only has 148 wins, which could hurt him, and his post season record is pitiful (which is why Koufax is incomparable), both of which could hurt him.  However, barring a meltdown Kershaw should get a plaque in Cooperstown.  Unfortunately for me, I have yet to see Kershaw pitch in the big leagues (being in Cleveland in all), so I have little to add here.

Justin Verlander, Starting Pitcher, 62nd All Time

I wavered on Verlander but....I am becoming convinced.  He probably wont win the Cy Young this year, leaving him with the single victory (he was robbed, as far as I am concerned, by Boston pitcher Rick Porcello in 2016).  However, he has a Cy Young, he has an MVP, and he has a World Series ring.  Overall, there is little left for Verlander to do in a career.  I think he needs 200 wins, which he’ll get, and I think he needs one more strong season (or 4-5 decent to good ones).  If he can add some postseason glory to his resume, he’ll be good.

Amusingly enough, as an Indians fan, my fondest memories of Verlander are all the starts the Tribe pummeled him.  And in his career: Verlander has had numerous clunkers against the Indians. 

A One run lead in the 9th Edition

Zach Greinke, Starting Pitcher, 51st

Wait a minute, didn’t I just rank Verlander higher?  Yes, yes I did.  It comes down to consistency for me.  Greinke posted some better seasons than Verlander, but Verlander’s been more consistent.  I’d say Greinke has won one Cy Young, and probably has never quite deserved another.  Verlander has had an argument numerous times, got robbed once, and I’d probably give the 2012 Cy Young to him over David Price.  Greinke also lacks much of a post season resume.  Overall, I’d put Greinke’s chances high, but I feel his case is missing something, not unlike Kevin Brown’s.  

Yadier Molina, Catcher, 26th

There’s another catcher on this list I will discuss later, but Molina I think may already have punched his ticket to Cooperstown.  He’s already regarded as one of the best catchers ever, defensively, and he’s been decent offensively at times.  Unlike Mauer, he’s managed to stay behind the plate (which helps his case), and he’s packed a ton of hardware: eight Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and two World Series rings (four pennants).  The statistic minded crowd may give him deference, as catching stats are less understood than other fielding metrics, which helps.  Unlike other glove first candidates (AHEM: Omar Vizquel), his bat has not been as big a drawback.  Barring a collapse, he should be in good shape.

Barely leading in the 8th Edition

C.C. Sabathia, Starting Pitcher, 72nd

OK.  Sabathia’s case is far more personal to me.  He’s a little older than Greinke & Verlander, and he started younger.  So overall he’s been around a lot longer, and pitched more innings.  Sabathia was drafted and started as an Indian.  He grew up in Cleveland, and finally put it all together in a Cy Young campaign in 2007.  In 2009, with the Yankees, he won a World Series and started a strong string of seasons where he went 59-28 with a 134 ERA+, pitched 705 innings and struck out 624.  Sabathia’s biggest problem?  He was never quite the best pitcher in the league.  In 2009 Zach Greinke was otherworldly.  In 2010 Felix Hernandez was damm good.  In 2011 Verlander went off.  It also doesn’t help that, his best season (2008) was split between the AL & NL.  In 2008 Sabathia led the league in innings, shut outs, and complete games, striking out 251 while dragging the Milwaukee Brewers into the post season.  He reinvented himself in 2016 as a solid back end starter.  Sabathia’s case is being a workhorse, in an era with precious few of them.  He will get to 3,000 strikeouts (and may be the only one to do so), and 250 wins as well.  The problem?  His peak was just a touch short.

I have several favorite Sabathia stories, but I’ll share two.  The first is his shutout of the Yankees.  That was a fun start, where Sabathia reared back and showed his raw emotion and fastball.  The second: his near no-hitter in Pittsburgh. I would have called the lone hit an error on his part...but I am biased. 

Chase Utley, Second Baseman, 11th

Many may challenge me for being bullish on Utley: but I think I am right.  Utley lacks hardware, yes.  He lacks counting stats (no 2,000 hits), yes.  But the sabermetric community is strong around him (they’re already preparing the battlegrounds here) and unlike sabermetric darling Scott Rolen: he’s only played for two teams (Philadelphia & Los Angeles).  I sense something different about him.  He already exceeds both the career and peak scores in JAWS, and he played a critical role in the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series.  I think he’ll surprise, and sneak in.

Buster Posey, Catcher, 16th

The best argument for Posey is his peak: he’s already past the catching threshold.  Then again, so is Thurmon Munson (a Yankees legend), Gene Terrance and Ted Simmons and they’re not in yet.  Posey has some things they don’t, however: youth.  He’s only 31.  He’s still hitting well, and he’s won three World Series.  Overall, the portents lead to enshrinement, but if he gets injured and falters he wont make it.   

Tied in the 6th Edition

Joey Votto, First Baseman, 17th

He’s already cleared the 7JAWS threshold for first baseman.  However, Votto is short on counting stats (1,693 hits & 266 HR), and his resume is pretty bleak outside of some stunning on-base percentage seasons.  People still do not respect the walk, and while Votto did win an MVP, he will drop down because he spent his entire career on largely middling Reds clubs.  He’s still going strong at age 34, but he’s going to need several more good years to earn entrance in my opinion.  

Evan Longoria, Third Baseman, 21st

Two bad things happened to Longoria recently: 

1.  He got traded to San Francisco (so he wont spend his whole career in Tampa Bay)

2.  He got old.

The first is mildly comical.  However, it is true players who spend their careers in one place get an advantage over those who play for many ballclubs.  The second problem is larger: Longoria has been underrated in his career, largely since the Rays have fallen off a cliff since his debut.  More importantly, however, Longoria is old.  He’s not hitting as much anymore, and this season his on-base percentage dropped below .300.  His power is sapped, and his glove inconsistent.  He needs to rekindle what he had in 2016 if he hopes to reach Cooperstown.

Ian Kinsler & Dustin Pedroia, Second Baseman, 18th & 19th

These two guys are largely in the same boat.  Both have peaks not quite amazing enough to get in on their own.  Both are middle aged (36 & 34), but both are so dang close they cant be written off yet.  Of the two, Pedroia has the better chance at glory with an MVP and two World Series rings to his name.  At 34 he’s hurt, again, and may not recover.  Kinsler is older, but remains a spry defensive player at 36.  However, Kinsler has never won a ring or an MVP.  Both should get to 2,000 hits, but both need to age a bit more gracefully to stay the course.

Max Scherzer, Starting Pitcher, 87th   

I am going to catch flak for this, but I don’t think he’s there yet.  Largely due to age.  Scherzer has been stunning since his emergence at age 28: winning 3 Cy Youngs, and deserving them. However, Scherzer does not have age on his side in my opinion and I think he may be falling off a hair.  If he stays the course, he can make it.  If not...he’s another short lived pitcher like Johan Santana.   

[npb-en]

Kosuke Fukodome to hit sixth, play right for Tribe: Cleveland Indians Insider

#npb #KosukeFukudome [Cleveland Plain Dealer]CLEVELAND, Ohio — Until further notice, Kosuke Fukudome will be the Indians' regular right fielder and bat sixth in manager Manny Acta's lineup. The Indians acquired Fukudome, a left-handed batter, from the Cubs on Thursday for minor leaguers Abner Abreu ...

[jculture-en]

Kosuke Fukodome to hit sixth, play right for Tribe: Cleveland Indians Insider

#npb #KosukeFukudome [Cleveland Plain Dealer]CLEVELAND, Ohio — Until further notice, Kosuke Fukudome will be the Indians’ regular right fielder and bat sixth in manager Manny Acta’s lineup. The Indians acquired Fukudome, a left-handed batter, from the Cubs on Thursday for minor leaguers Abner Abreu …

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Kelenken guillermoi

By Scott Reid 

Etymology: For Kélenken, the Bird of Prey Spirit of the Tehuelche Tribe

First Described By: Bertelli et al., 2007

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Cariamiformes, Phorusrhacoidea, Phorusrhacidae, Phorusrhacinae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 15.5 and 13.8 million years ago, in the Langhian age of the Miocene of the Neogene

Kelenken is known from the Collón Curá Formation of Rio Negro Province, Argentina

Physical Description: Kelenken was a Terror Bird, a type of large flightless terrestrial dinosaur from the late Cenozoic era, mostly in South America though a few reached North America when the continents collided. These were some of the top predators of their environments, built for chasing down food over long distances and then using their monstrous beaks to tear into flesh. Kelenken was one of the biggest members of the group, about two meters tall, and it had one of the largest known skulls of any bird, with fused bones to give it significant strength in its head and strong bire force. Its limbs were very robust, probably allowing for powerful movements of the legs. It had very small wings, as other Terror Birds did, and as such they probably weren’t used very much (think of the arms of Carnotaurus but the bird version). It had a long, winding neck, and its head was mostly beak. The beak was hooked at one end. It had a short tail, though we don’t have any feather impressions to know if it had any sort of feather decoration at the end of it. It would have had a huge bite force, and it possibly was a faster runner than other Terror Birds.

Diet: Kelenken primarily fed on large animals, especially faster moving ones such as hoofed mammals

Behavior: Kelenken probably spent most of its time chasing down its prey, though it’s uncertain how. It’s possible that it would chase down prey, catch it, and shatter its bones with its beak by repeatedly pecking at it (if… pecking is an accurate word to use with such a huge beak doing the pecking). It’s also possible that it would chase down smaller prey, pick it up, and shake it vigorously to break the prey’s back. It also possibly scavenged off of prey. Honestly, it seems likely that Kelenken would utilize all these strategies, and those not even come up with, to get any prey it could in an opportunistic fashion. 

By Michael B. H. 

Kelenken was a fairly fast animal, and probably able to run for longer distances. As its environment was transitioning to an open grassland rather than a forest, this ability to run moreso than its earlier relatives was probably a direct adaptation for that open habitat. As such, Kelenken would have been extremely alert and on the lookout, both for food and for potential dangers, as it was tall enough to poke out above the grass and be visible to anything looking for it. Kelenken could fight with others of its species and against other animals both with its beak and with its feet, as it had very robust legs that would have been good for kicking, possibly very rapid and sharp kicks.

As only a few specimens of Kelenken are known, it’s difficult to determine its social behavior, especially since its closest living relatives are the Seriemas - a much smaller sort of dinosaur. Still, it’s possible to at least glean some behavioral patterns from seriemas. It’s possible that, like living seriemas, Kelenken only spent its time in pairs and small groups, which may have worked together cooperatively to take down larger mammalian sources of prey. It’s also possible that it may have been territorial over its nests, with breeding pairs avoiding other Kelenken and fighting with those they come across. This is all speculative, but would make sense given the environment and size of the animals. Kelenken, being a bird, almost decidedly took care of its young, though we cannot know if both parents took care of the young as in modern Seriemas, or if only one parent did the job at a time as in modern flightless birds. More fossils might be able to clear up this picture, though of course, it’s possible we’ll never know. 

By Ripley Cook 

Ecosystem: Kelenken lived in the part of the Miocene that was the hottest, called the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum. This was immediately followed by drastic cooling. Thus, Kelenken lived in a uniquely warm period of the time in which Terror Birds dwelled. The formation was surrounded by extensive rivers and lakes, as basins formed in South America due to tectonic plates separating. This environment was a growing grassland, with the pampa overtaking the old deciduous forest that had once been there.  

Kelenken is the only dinosaur known from the formation, but there were many different types of mammals present. There were the heavy-bodied hoofed mammals Protypotherium, Epipatriarchus, and Interatherium; the smaller hoofed mammals Hegetotherium and Pachyrukhos; the weird fast hoofed mammal related to Macrauchenia, Theosodon; armadillo relatives such as Proeutataus, Paraeucinepeltus, Peltephilus, Prozaedyus, and Stenotatus; the anteater relative Neotamandua; the rodents Galileomys, Guiomys, Maruchito, Microcardiodon, Neosteiromys, Protacaremys, Acarechimys, Alloiomys, Megastus, Neoreomys, Prolagostomus, and Stichomys; the new-world monkey Proteropithecia; the sabre-toothed marsupial Patagosmilus; and the extinct shrew opossum relative Abderites. There were also reptiles such as boa relatives like Waincophis, lizards, and turtles like Chelonoidis. There was also the horned frog Wawelia.

Kelenken probably would have hunted a variety of these things, especially the hoofed mammals, though some would have been too big for it to eat. It definitely would have been in direct competition with Patagosmilus, which probably would have specialized on different prey than Kelenken.

Other: Kelenken is most closely related to phorusrhacids such as Phorusrhacos and Titanis, two of the other more famous genera in this group.

~ By Meig Dickson

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[npb-en]

Kosuke Fukodome to hit sixth, play right for Tribe: Cleveland Indians Insider

#npb #KosukeFukudome [Cleveland Plain Dealer]CLEVELAND, Ohio — Until further notice, Kosuke Fukudome will be the Indians' regular right fielder and bat sixth in manager Manny Acta's lineup. The Indians acquired Fukudome, a left-handed batter, from the Cubs on Thursday for minor leaguers Abner Abreu ...

[jculture-en]

Kosuke Fukodome to hit sixth, play right for Tribe: Cleveland Indians Insider

#npb #KosukeFukudome [Cleveland Plain Dealer]CLEVELAND, Ohio — Until further notice, Kosuke Fukudome will be the Indians’ regular right fielder and bat sixth in manager Manny Acta’s lineup. The Indians acquired Fukudome, a left-handed batter, from the Cubs on Thursday for minor leaguers Abner Abreu …

[npb-en]

Kosuke Fukodome to hit sixth, play right for Tribe: Cleveland Indians Insider

#npb #KosukeFukudome [Cleveland Plain Dealer]CLEVELAND, Ohio — Until further notice, Kosuke Fukudome will be the Indians' regular right fielder and bat sixth in manager Manny Acta's lineup. The Indians acquired Fukudome, a left-handed batter, from the Cubs on Thursday for minor leaguers Abner Abreu ...