Batman Begins VS the Fantastic Four. What Next?Written by Dave Gieber
Well, it looks like Hollywood keeps it continual pot of revenue filled with, guess what, comic book heroes. Batman Begins and The Fantastic Four are about to duke it out on Hollywood and Vine. An age-old comic book company rivalry is yet renewing heat this year. I guess all of us comic book aficionados always wonder who would win battle between such and such superheroes. Well at least in next few months one way to keep score is to watch revenues generated between recently released “Batman Begins” and soon to be released “Fantastic Four”, which were both childhood fascinations of mine. Not only are there superhero “what ifs” going on here, but which comic book company will stand to gain most economic substantiation? Batman punches daily time clock at DC Comics and Fantastic Four was brainchild of Stan Lee and crew at Marvel Comics. And don’t tell me there is a small comic book hero market. Batman Begins claimed number one spot in gross revenue on its opening weekend. It is going to be very interesting to see what Fantastic Four does. Hollywood is definitely increasing thickness of its silver lining these days with comic book hero movies. Batman took in almost $49 million it’s opening weekend. How many mint condition old comic books would you have to sell to make that kind of dough? Are we in wrong end of comic book world (ha ha)? The rivalry between Marvel and DC used to be a major dividing line amongst tight knit group of comic book collectors. When comic book interest started to decline in 1970s, this issue became largely irrelevant. But now as video games, online role-playing games and major motion picture productions are spreading across globe, classic Marvel-DC conflict is springing back to life. Superman is coming back to life on big screen as well as Wonder Woman. Marvel has been riding high off their major successes with X-men and Spiderman. They are now digging deep into their catalog of characters and are working on screen adaptations of Iron Man, Submariner, Thor and Silver Surfer, among others. Have we entered a new comic book age that will have to be defined around major motion pictures? Maybe it could be call “Greenback Age”. Do you have another definition?
| | Lavender SoapWritten by Judi Singleton
Lavender is a traditional cottage garden plant. Its gray-green spikes of foliage and purple flowers provide color all year. Since Middle Ages, dried flowers have been one of main ingredients of potpourri. Fresh sprigs are included in herbal bunches known as tussie mussies, which have been used for hundreds of years to mask unpleasant odors and ward off illness. Today, "talking bouquets" give new meaning to popular phrase, "Say it with flowers." A tussie-mussie or word poesy is a small circular nosegay of flowers and herbs, tightly gathered and designed to carry a special message in language of flowers. The traditional tussie-mussie is composed of fragrant herbs surrounding one central flower, a rose.The language of flowers spans world of ancients from Greece and Turkey to Aztecs of South and Central America.In England during Elizabethan times, judges carried tussie-mussies into their courtrooms to protect against "gaol fever." Today judges at England's highest court, Old Bailey, celebrate this tradition by carrying a tussie-mussie into court six times a year. During Victorian era tussie-mussies were carried close to nose to ward off stench in streets and plague and were composed primarily of scented herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and rue. The age-old custom of strewing pungent herbs on floors of homes was thought to protect gentlefolk from germs and provide herbal fragrances - early aromatherapy. The Victorians also turned flower giving into an art. It was common practice at beginning of a courtship for suitors to give their intended a tussie-musssie. Floriography, art of sending messages by flowers, brought a new dimension to tussie-mussies. Dozens of floral dictionaries were published listing meanings of each flower and herb. The symbolic meanings were adapted from classical mythology, religious symbolism, ancient lore, and a bit of creativity on part of floral designer. The study of botany and discovery of new plants from all over world brought new and exciting ideas to this language of flowers. Description The plant may grow to a height of 3 feet, but there are dwarf forms for edging which reach only about 10 inches. The stems are thick and woody, and become straggly if left unpruned. The leaves are long, spiky, and very narrow, and branch out near ground. To keep lavenders beautiful year after year, prune them in early spring or fall, or at harvest. Low growing varieties should be cut back 1 to 2-inches. Taller varieties (3 to 4-feet in height) should be pruned back to approximately one-third of their height. Pruning helps to keep these plants from becoming very woody. The Sunset Western Garden Book recommends beginning pruning regime during second year's growth. The tiny tubular flowers are Learn to grow, harvest and maintain beautiful lavender plants. This booklet also shows you how to cook with lavender and use your harvest to prepare simple medicines, in crafts, and to make fragrant potpourri.
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