What exactly do we know about the new vaccines against COVID-19?
Before making a decision about vaccination, I think it is good to know the place and about the vaccines that are available or are expected to be available soon. The following vaccines are currently on the market, or are approaching it:
**RNA vaccines**
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have released the first vaccines that use state-of-the-art RNA technology. These vaccines contain small balls of fat. I will explain in the simplest way how they work:
In the center is a drop of salt water in which RNA molecules float. When that drop enters the body, our cells "swallow" it. RNA is destroyed after a couple of hours to a few days, but in the meantime it causes our cell to produce several viral proteins. It acts to our immune system as if that cell is infected with a virus, and it raises an alarm, and starts making antibodies. This is important because when the real virus reaches the body, the immune system already has a ready response, and is easily defended.
**Does the RNA vaccine change DNA !? NO, this is not "genetic therapy," and it is absolutely physically impossible for that RNA to be "embedded in the genome" or any of the other conspiracy theories and inaccurate intimidation circulating on the Internet.**
The effectiveness of both vaccines is over 95%. For Pfizer-BioNTech we also have very detailed safety data (sources 1.2 - linked at the end of the text). Their study compared 21,000 people who received the vaccine with a control group of 21,000 people who received an injection of saline instead of the vaccine.
After the distribution of the vaccine began in England, two people with extremely severe allergies got a rash and difficulty breathing after the vaccination. Both recovered immediately, as soon as they were given antihistamines (anti-allergy drugs). Not to be confused, these are people who always have to carry an “adrenaline pen,” an injection they can give themselves on the spot if any allergies make it difficult for them to breathe, so this is not surprising.
**For people with extremely severe allergic reactions, a warning has been added that they must tell their doctor their history of allergies and that they most likely should not receive the vaccine. This would be the case with almost every vaccine.**
**Adenovirus vaccine**s
AstraZeneca and the Russian Gamaleja vaccine (Sputnik) use a different approach. Both vaccines use adenoviruses, a type of virus that causes generally mild illness in humans. Normal contents are expelled from these adenoviruses, so they cannot reproduce, and when they infect a human cell, they produce only pieces of corona virus proteins in it. The process is as follows: with the vaccine, the adenovirus enters the body, causes a local infection, and alarms the immune system - which then comes and produces antibodies to attack those parts of the corona virus. Later, in the case of a real corona virus infection, the immune system already knows how to recognize it.
The big problem with vaccines like this is that all people have been exposed to various adenoviruses since childhood, so we all have at least partial resistance. Therefore, our immune system can destroy part of the virus from the vaccine before they can make that local infection (which thus prevents the development of immunity to the corona virus). Also, this vaccine is produced much more slowly than the RNA vaccine, and a much smaller number of doses will be available.
Overall, the results show very high safety, but less efficiency than would be ideal. In any case, they prevent hospitalizations and severe forms of the disease, even if it does not prevent the infection itself.
Several other companies are also developing adenovirus vaccines. A potentially big player will be Johnson & Johnson, whose research is approaching the stage where the first significant data is expected. The data from the first stages look good, approximately similar to the above vaccines (link 4). Several other companies from various countries are in the race with their versions of the adenovirus vaccine (CanSino, Reithera, Merck (), but with little data that we can see for now. Vaxart has developed a type of adenovirus vaccine that is taken in tablet form, and produces an interesting type of immunity in the gut that promises to be especially strong and long-lasting; however, it has little chance of entering the market before the end of 2021.
**Classic vaccines**
The Chinese company Sinovac is currently in the third phase of research with the classic vaccine, which is based on the killed virus. These are "old-fashioned" vaccines, similar to Torlak's that were given in our country. They work as follows: First, a large amount of virus is produced in the cell culture, then the virus is killed, and the killed parts are then given as part of the vaccine, along with adjuvants that alert the immune system. This is old and proven technology, but it is also "dirty". The problem is that antibodies are produced against various pieces of the killed virus, and the results are less predictable than with newer technologies.
There is not enough data for this vaccine yet. Preliminary data have not been published yet, although it has been claimed in the press that the vaccine has an 86% effectiveness in protecting against the virus infection, and that there have been no major side effects.
The big disadvantage of these classic vaccines is that the production of the virus is a relatively slow process and it is difficult to make large quantities. Given that China has over a billion and a half people who need to be vaccinated, the question is how much and whether it will be able to set aside for other countries.
**Other vaccines**
Several companies are trying to produce vaccines through recombinant technology (which is used to make vaccines against diphtheria and pertussis). In this case, the proteins themselves are artificially produced from the corona virus, which are given as a "target" for the immune system. This is a "cleaner" vaccine than the classic ones, and it can be produced more easily in larger quantities, but it often has low effects (so it neither causes problems nor helps).
Leaders in this field are Novavax, which should come out with results by the end of January; and a collaboration between the giant companies Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, which had just announced that their first studies had failed, and that their candidate’s broader studies had been postponed for several months.
Over thirty smaller companies scattered around the world are also trying various other approaches; none, as far as I know, went beyond the first test results in humans, so I will not make this text even longer by explaining each of them separately.
**Which vaccine to take?**
For now, security is not an issue for anyone who is a serious candidate. Everything is incomparably better than getting a virus. Efficiency varies - Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are leading the way for now, but we'll see how things look as more information is gathered.
**And the biggest problem is the fear that is directed in the wrong direction - you should not be afraid of vaccines, but the effects of the virus We suspect and discuss the possible side effects of the vaccine - while at the same time everyone can directly see the effects of the virus itself…**
**It's like a man inhaling smoke in a burning house, and while coughing and choking, he discusses whether he should go outside in the wind and rain, because maybe his hair will get wet and he will catch a cold ?! The aim of this text is to stop this complete confusion of priorities.**
What we need to know about vaccination against COVID - 19
Vaccination against COVID-19 has started in many countries these days. I think it's important that before you conclude anything about corona virus vaccines, you have clear and accurate information about them, in one place.
**Factors influencing the decision to vaccinate**
These are the factors that influence my thinking on this topic. Everyone is free to think for themselves, of course. This is given as an example of breaking down the problem into smaller parts.
1.The SARS-CoV-2 virus is now endemic, circulating at a level where it will not be able to be eradicated. Anyone who has no resistance will get it sooner or later.
2.Therapies developed by doctors and scientists from March until today, with bloody work, have significantly reduced mortality. But hospitals are still full. Queues are in front of the doors of clinics and hospitals all day and night. Even with that better therapy, people are dying on all sides. You don't have to believe anyone's word about it, all you have to do is count the death certificates or take a walk in front of the ambulance and see the lines with your own eyes.
**It's never been like this with a single flu. This is not "just a cold," and it's not a naive thing. It is time to put those stories aside, because they are dangerous to health.**
Scientific studies show that a large number of people, perhaps up to 20% of those who had significant symptoms, survive the disease, but with damage to the lungs, heart, kidneys, vascular system, and occasionally the brain. This is not the first time we have seen something like this: the current epidemic is very similar in many parameters to the Spanish flu epidemic that hit the world in 1918-1920. People with similar consequences as we see today buried neurological, cardiac, and pulmonary clinics until the 1950s. We can expect that those who get the virus will live shorter on average, be sicker, develop various chronic diseases earlier in life, and that we will generally have more disabled people over the next few decades.
In cases where problems with vaccines were detected, these problems occurred no later than three months after vaccination. In fact, 99% of the side effects of the vaccine occur either within a few days or a maximum of the first two weeks after vaccination (which is the period during which the body actually responds to the vaccine). Therefore, if the vaccine is given to tens of thousands of people, and if after three months there are no signs of major problems, the chances are very small that something very bad has been hidden.
RNA vaccines are a new technology. Personally, I am not afraid of them, since I know the technology by which they are made. But I realize that many people find it intimidating to take something new.
**If you have been healthy so far, your choice is this: you can take the vaccine, and risk its side effects. Or you can wait to get the virus, and risk the side effects of the infection. There is no risk-free option. You can only choose which risk you want.**
**It is important to know that the absolutely worst vaccines we have ever had had effects that were nowhere near the effects of the virus. For it to make sense to choose a virus instead of a vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines would have to be thousands of times worse than the worst ever made in history.**
Starting the weekend with everybody's favorite cat and mouse - Tom and Jerry
The animated series "Tom and Jerry" was created over a period of time by several excellent producers. It was designed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in the early 1940s. The two of them wrote and produced 114 cartoons at the "MGM" studio in Hollywood. After a period of time in which several producers took turns, Tom and Jerry reappeared in a series of cartoons produced by Hannah-Barber in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The first episode was made in 1940, and it was called "Puss Gets the Boot".
The space in front of the TV would be immediately filled whenever the well-known music from the rush hour was heard. The theme of this animated film is the never-ending rivalry between Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse. From episode to episode, Tom was always persistent in his intention to catch Jerry, and although he succeeds in that for a short time, the mouse somehow always, cunningly and deftly manages to escape him and outwit him. Sometimes it would happen that these two heroes would bury the "axes of war" and become good friends, but in the next episode, their chase would continue.
In addition to the main characters, several others appear in the series (mostly animals with human characteristics), thanks to which each episode becomes even more interesting. There are two dogs, the American bulldog Spike and his son Tyke. Spike is presented as the guardian of the house, a little confused and reckless. The race between Tom and Jerry often interrupted some of his important work, such as building a house or teaching Thai. Then there's Tom's landlady, who is incredibly afraid of mice. What is especially interesting about her is that we can't see her face in any episode, so the eternal mystery of our childhood remains. The episodes also feature Jerry's cousin, who has great strength, then a bird in a cage, a small mouse, Tom's friends - cats from the street, among which the most famous is the black cat Butch, as well as many other characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaFtAcIrGWA
In addition to the animated series, several films have been created, and one of them is called "Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring" and was made in 2002. Also, popular heroes have appeared in a large number of video games.
Without much spoken text, Tom and Jerry still make us laugh to tears with their silly moves. Take your free time for a while and return to the magical world of children. Especially for you, we single out one of the many interesting episodes that will relax you and fill you with positive energy. Let Tom and Jerry be responsible for a quality start to your weekend today.
**Photo source Google**
Skin, nails and whip: Catwoman is the best Batman villain ever, and here's why
When we think of "The Return of Batman", a 1992 film by Tim Barton, most of us will have only one association - Catwoman.
Michelle Pfeiffer masterfully played the anti-heroine Celine Kyle, whom we see at the beginning of the film as an insecure, frightened secretary who works for Max Shrek (Christopher Walken), a successful businessman, a criminal in secret. When Selina accidentally discovers his conspiracy, Shrek kills her, pushing her out the window. Her body is found in front of the building by a group of cats, which gives her new life.
When Selina returns to her apartment, which had been furnished "under the thread" until then, from the sudden knowledge of what happened to her, she starts to ruin everything in front of her. At this moment, we fully sympathize with her, while we are overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and pity. Selina starts sewing her suit and becomes a Catwoman.
Her costume has a rough aesthetic, and she made it while she was under a nervous breakdown. It looks just right, as if someone was constantly cutting and sewing until the nervous breakdown passed. The costume reflects her mental state. The costume also symbolizes a new, seductive side in it. Completely in black, discarded from the purple and gray shades in which comics often put her, Catwoman is a soul mate to Batman. It evokes a feeling of romance in him, and that is what the dark knight suppresses and does not allow himself.
Selina moves on Gotham, saving the helpless, but at the same time creating chaos, giving Batman big problems. She is the only villain, or rather - the antihero, who managed to get closer to Batman - to make him reconsider, and to do something for her that he would not have done otherwise. The Joker, the Two-faced, the Penguin, the Poison Ivy ... all inflicted great torment on the Dark Knight in various ways, but none of them managed to approach him intimately like Selina. The chemistry between Batman (Michael Keaton) and Catwoman is undeniable. And not just in this movie. Selina and Bruce are constantly in love and quarrel in all the realizations in which they appear together.
Catwoman Michelle Pfeiffer is ultimately Batman's villain on screen. She came closest to spoiling Batman and distracting him from his mission. While other villains like the Joker, Bane, Poison Ivy, and others have played with Batman’s emotions, none of them can boast that Batman would sacrifice his principles for them. They may have temporarily broken his body, but none of them managed to test his heart and soul like the Cat Woman did.
This Selina caught him in a web of love that clouded his mind whenever he judged her methods and the chaotic kind of social justice. Michelle Pfeiffer's playful, unpredictable and sinister play takes on a balance between character drama and sympathy as she plays her duality as a good and a bad girl at the same time.
Pfeiffer created a character, Catwoman, who convincingly wrapped Batman around her little finger. Any villain who manages to leave a dark knight in such mental and emotional distress must be a class above the rest.
Winter depression rages on in January
Although our life has been shifted from all definitions of normalcy for ten months, Covid-19 is not the only culprit for our bad mood - shorter days, skies of lead and weak sun are the ones that cause seasonal mood disorders in sensitive people, colloquially called winter depression. This seasonal disorder affects every tenth European and affects as many as 40 percent of the inhabitants of the Scandinavian peninsula. Winter depression is diagnosed in people who are depressed every day for at least two weeks and in whom the melancholic mood is repeated for two years in a row.
That transient melancholy of a seasonal character, which will be recognized by each of us, was marked by the psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal with the term winter depression, i.e. seasonal affective disorder. In his most famous work, "Winter Blues - Everything You Need to Know to Overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder," he explains that there are three triggers to continue this pain - serotonin neurotransmitter deficiency, eye hypersensitivity to reduced daylight, and circadian rhythm disorders, which cause early dusk. .
According to this psychiatrist, the main allies in the fight against the "winter blues" are outdoor physical activity, light therapy and going to warmer regions. Since winter depression is caused by a deficit of sunlight, people prone to melancholy should spend as much time in daylight and walking as possible. Physical activity raises the level of so-called. neurotransmitters of pleasure, and proper nutrition can be an ally in the treatment of seasonal depression - it is recommended to reduce carbohydrate intake and eat foods rich in protein and vitamins.
**We need sunlight for life, but also for good mood.**
Depressive than manic episodes are much more common in people with bipolar disorder in the winter, just as manic phases are much more common in these psychiatric patients in the spring and summer. The reason why even mentally healthy people suffer from winter melancholy is simple - the cold makes us less mobile. In winter, we move less, go for walks less, see friends less often, spend less time in the fresh air and because of that we feel worse overall. Even residents of the Scandinavian countries suffer from light deficits - which is why the rates of alcoholism, suicide, car accidents and domestic violence are high in these countries.
Chainlink - What is it that makes him different from the others?
**What is Chainlink?**
Chainlink (LINK) is a decentralized network and platform that aims to connect smart contracts with global data. This type of connection is achieved using a tool called Oracle.
We can look at the oracle as an agent that finds and verifies real-world phenomena and delivers that information to the blockchain that is further used by smart contracts. Oracles provide the external data necessary to activate the execution of smart contracts when the pre-defined terms of the contract are met
Currently, most of the existing Oracles are centralized, ie they are located on one Node, which makes them vulnerable and resistant to unauthorized access due to hacker attacks. In case Nod crashes, the smart contract will stop working.
To avoid such a scenario, Chainlink is building a secure decentralized network consisting of multiple oracles. What sets it apart from other solutions is precisely that Chainlink aims to build a secure decentralized network that will consist of a large number of oracles. This decentralized solution aims to avoid trust on one side and enable smart contracts to seamlessly interact with data outside of blockchain networks. This is the first step towards enabling smart contracts to replace the digital contracts used today in the near future.
**Chainlink case studies**
Some of the case studies of potential applications of smart contracts could include the following:
The smart contracts that will be used for the insurance will need to refresh the data related to the insured event in question. One example would be the question of whether the magnetic warehouse door was locked at the time of the burglary.
Trade finance smart contracts will require GPS data on deliveries, data from supply chains and customs data on goods shipped to confirm fulfillment of contractual obligations.
Lately, one of the most popular topics in the world of cryptocurrencies is the so-called DeFi. DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance.
We can look at DeFi as an open financial ecosystem where you can create a variety of small financial tools and services in a decentralized manner.
Currently, the most well-known examples of DeFi in the world of cryptocurrencies are open lending protocols.
An open lending protocol can be viewed in the same way as when a user does business with a bank, he puts some money in a deposit and when someone borrows digital assets he earns interest. However, instead of intermediaries (banks), here smart contracts dictate the terms of the loan, connect lenders and borrowers and are in charge of interest distribution. Due to the lack of intermediaries and the transparency of blockchain, the lender earns higher revenues and better understands the risks.
Chainlink is currently the most reliable solution if you want to connect your smart contract with the real market values of digital assets.
Borrowing platforms require that the price be constantly updated to ensure the total value of the collateral. With the help of Chainlink, it is now possible to issue and settle loans, liquidate collateral and calculate the price of interest.
A good example is the Synthetix project, which uses Chainlink for a price refresh to set prices on their derivatives trading platform, as well as the AAVE lending platform, which uses a price refresh to ensure the total value of collateral.
Another interesting thing about Chainlink is the so-called external adapter Tesla Chainlink. This external adapter allows interaction with Tesla inc servers used to interact with Tesla vehicles and other Tesla products such as Powerwalls batteries. It can also be used to interact with fake servers for various testing purposes.
**LINK token and its application:**
Chainlink’s ICO happened in September 2017 and the company raised $ 32 million.
Using the services of Chainlink oracles is not free. Chainlink's main token is called LINK and it is used to pay for Oracle, ie nodes that enable the secure data refresh service.
In the future, when Chainlink's network matures enough, smart contract makers will be able to require node owners to pledge collateral before accepting their business.
Chainlink's team came up with this solution to make smart contract makers sure that oracles provide accurate and timely data. In case this is not the case, the owners of the nodes will be fined and this pledge will be taken away from them.
**Chainlink and its competition**:
Band, Tellor and DIA are Chainlink's main competitors in providing oracle services.
The band is currently the biggest competitor to Chainlink although it currently has a total market capitalization of $ 119,849,206, compared to Chainlink’s market capitalization of a staggering $ 4,670,925,962.
Although ChainLink is a far more popular project than Band, here are some of the benefits of the Band protocol:
1.Chainlink's oracles are currently only compatible with Ethereum blockchain, while with the Band Protocol, oracles are compatible with dozens of blockchains, including Ethereum.
2.The band differs from Chainlink in the way data is requested. With Chainlink you can choose one of their verified providers and receive data after paying for a certain amount of LINK tokens, while with Band there is a chance that the data you need is already stored somewhere on the blockchain because it is constantly entered into the network. This is another important advantage of the Band because you can receive data faster and cheaper.
3.If you want to be a data provider with Chainlink, you will have to prove your identity by providing certain documentation, while with Band Protocol this is not the case, but anyone who has a certain amount of BAND tokens can become a validator.
**Partnerships**
These are some of the companies with which Chainlink has entered into partnerships:
Credits, Oracle, V Systems, DApps Inc, Google Cloud, Matic, GoChain, Reserve, Harmony, Shyft, Hedera Hashgraph, IOST, Streamr, Ocean Protocol, Synthetix, Provable, Celer, STK, Mobilum, ETHA, Kaiko, Wanchain, Hydrogen , bZx, Morpheus Network, Web3, GameDex, OpenLaw, OpenZeppelin, ClinTex, BET Protocol.
**Rating**
LINK is one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. It is currently priced at $ 12.02 and has a market capitalization of $ 4,670,925,962.
Chainlink has a solid team and a reputable advisory board. Chainlink has established a large number of partnerships with various companies and that number is increasing day by day. Chainlink's community is very widespread and even more members are expected in the future.
As for the competition, it exists, but it is still not seen that some of the competitors threaten to significantly endanger Chainlink, which still maintains its dominance in the market of providing oracle services.
Winter wonderland - how to have fun and train
Snow. Some are happy for him, especially the youngest, and there are those who don't really like him. Everything is white around us, and it is cold. However, we should take care of physical activity, and snow offers us many opportunities to enjoy it. Not only recreation but also serious training can be more interesting on a slippery surface.
Snowballing is certainly a great recreation, with a lot of fun, all the muscles are activated and we don't notice how tired we are in making and throwing snowballs, and this snow is perfect for that. We should not forget about making Snowman. By rolling the big ball and lifting it, we also activate all the muscles. So, whether you are a recreational athlete or a professional athlete, go outside and enjoy.
The fresh air will surely please you, and if you are not for some heavy physical effort, then you can enjoy a light walk at any time of the day. Clear the snow around your entrance or in your yard, and you will be proud of your "past" work.
Snow football - the perfect recreation! Whoever tried it, must have been delighted. The ball does not move exactly as we wanted, but it slips easier, and the fall is not so painful because the surface is soft.
Wet and sometimes frozen socks are guaranteed. However, when you come home visibly tired, you will realize that it was a unique pastime and physical activity. A cup of hot tea will quickly regenerate you. Appetite will be increased. All calories burned should be reimbursed.
A little rest, especially if you are younger, and you can return to the snow field again, to the "second half".
You will surely forget about the phone, the computer ... the white space around you will entice you to enjoy the winter magic. With a little imagination, think of some fun on the snow. Play, whether you are young or old, you will enjoy physical activity.
A reddened face, mild frostbite in the fingers, all this is "cured" by a cup of your favorite tea. Circulation is maximum and there are more health benefits.
Long walks in the snow ... most people enjoy them. In the morning, in the afternoon or in the evening, on the mountain in the city, anywhere. Even if it snows at the same time, the atmosphere will be complete. You just have to indulge and enjoy.
Let's not forget my favorite children's hobby: sledding. Although adults are not immune to it either. The more shy will justify doing it for the sake of the children. Going down the slope and back will take away the last atom of strength. Enjoy.
Do not hesitate, move, a unique experience is in front of you. Once you feel the charm of recreation on the snow, you will surely be happy to return to it, again and again. The mood will be at a high level. One more thing is for sure, you sleep better after such activities. This means that you will be more rested in the morning, so repeat everything one more time ...
On the other hand, professional athletes are already ready to train in such conditions. Some of them first clear the field to prepare for training. Clearing the snow served them as a warm-up, before the efforts they had planned for the day.
A dog that was sacrificed for science - Laika's space journey
November 3, 1957, is a date that is remembered as the day when the first living being was launched into space. The first astronaut, the dog Laika, also became the first victim to pay tribute to the space race. The opinions of the space experts at the time were focused on the conditions of the launch. It was believed that humans could not survive them and that flights needed to be tested on animals first. Scientists of the then Soviet Union chose dogs for these endeavors. The sad and cruel life of the dog Laika and her heroic death became a part of history with this decision. Based on this experiment, the existence of the possibility of surviving the launch into orbit and being in a weightless state of any living being has been proven.
Before Laika, there were several attempts with other dogs that flew for a few minutes only for scientists to get data on how they manage in a gravitational state. However, Laika was the first dog to be sent into space.
The origin of Laika is more or less unknown, since this stray dog was brought to the laboratory directly from the cold streets of Moscow. It was thought that stray dogs, accustomed to the cold, starvation and difficult street living conditions, would be able to respond to the challenge for which they were prepared. According to some sources, Laika was a mix of terriers and huskies. Although she received several nicknames during the training, the name that is remembered - Lajka literally means bark. On the other hand, this dog is described as calm and sociable. A dog, about three years old, together with two other dogs, was trained to survive in a small space, and trained to withstand the impending stress. However, the meaning of the entire training did not refer to her ability to survive, since it was known in advance that Sputnik 2, the ship in which Laika was launched, would not return to Earth. The technology was not developed enough to ensure the safe return of the spacecraft. Under the pretext of progress, Laika was sentenced to death in advance.
In order for the dogs to adapt to the pressure capsule, which is only 80 centimeters long, Kotovskaja trained them by moving them to smaller and smaller cages every few days. The dog would also pass the test under a centrifuge, which stimulates the power when launching the satellite, but also the noise.
"We chose females because they don't have to lift their legs when urinating and thus take up less space. We chose strays because they are more resourceful and not too demanding," says Kotovskaya, adding that dogs had to be photogenic as well. Apart from photogenic, they were also given significant names due to propaganda. The name Laika comes from a Russian word meaning "barking". Kotovskaja says that she had an exceptional nature, adaptability and an intelligent-questioning look, and adds that the night before the mission, all members of the team came to say goodbye to Lajka.
"We knew that she would die during the summer, there was no way to bring her back at that time. I went to visit her, asked her to forgive us and I cried while I caressed her for the last time," says Kotovskaja. A day later, Laika set out on a journey of no return.
The Sputnik satellite was launched at 5:30 Moscow time from Kazakhstan, and at first everything seemed to go according to plan.
"During the summer, Laika's heart accelerated greatly, and only after three hours did it return to normal. And then suddenly during the ninth circle around the Earth, the temperature in the capsule began to jump sharply and reached 40 degrees Celsius, due to insufficient insulation from the sun's rays." .
Although there was hope that Laika would stay alive for at least 10 days, she passed away due to heat stroke and dehydration after only a few hours from the launch. Despite that, the Soviet radio continued to report on the "good health" of Laika, who became a planetary heroine. According to the official version that Moscow has been holding for a long time, Laika died from the poison put in the food so that it would not burn when the capsule re-enters the atmosphere. Sputnik itself disintegrated in the atmosphere on April 14, 1958, above the Antilles. Laika had been dead for months then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOS-rxXP3GM&feature=emb_rel_pause
The space venture in which Laika died caused numerous protests and condemnations. The biggest reaction of the public was recorded in London, where people protested by taking to the streets together with their pets. Numerous phone calls were made to the Royal Society for the Fight against Cruelty to Animals, and the British National Association for the Protection of Dogs submitted an initiative to introduce a minute of silence dedicated to Laika. The first secretary of the Russian embassy in London, justifying himself to the British citizens, explained how the Russians love dogs and stated that the experiment was conducted for the benefit of humanity and that it should not be seen as an act of cruelty. The British public was not happy with the answer. Numerous unanswered questions related to setting boundaries in such and similar research. If it is allowed to use stray animals, is it perhaps justified to use people who do not have families, death row inmates, etc. for experiments? In Germany, reactions to Laika's fate indicated that her death united the world for a moment, regardless of racial, national or political affiliation. Demonstrations were also organized in front of the United Nations building. No matter how uncertain it seemed at the time, this event left a moral mark in Russia, the then Soviet Union, as evidenced by the fact that in 2008 a monument was erected in Moscow in memory of the dog Laika. Long before that, back in 1964, also in Moscow, a monument to the conquerors of space was erected, on which this barking wanderer of an unfortunate but heroic destiny also deserved its place.
The space journey of Belka and Strelka, the first dogs to return from space on August 19, 1960, opened the way for Yuri Gagarin, who became the first man in space on April 12, 1961.
Who was the real Modesty Blaise - a heroine comic modeled on a girl from the Balkans
What do you know about Modesty Blaze in the comic in which she is the main character? Peter O’Donnell created this legendary female character. The creator of the idea, O’Donnell, described her as a feminist and individualistic female character, and yet some journalists assessed her as a “feminist icon”. Not much was known about this girl when she managed to escape from captivity, during the war, from a camp located in Greece, writes the Comic Blog. Seemingly gentle and fragile, but disobedient, she managed to arrive, in a wave of refugees from the Balkans to Persia. When she saw that an old man was being robbed of food, she jumped in to help and managed to save him, and since then, that man, gifted with wisdom, has become her mentor, guardian and companion. He also gave her a name, Modesty, and she herself chose the surname Blaze after one of the characters from the legend of King Arthur. She was a master of survival. Nothing was foreign or difficult for her, she worked and stole, she tried in every way to get some food, and so she continued with her mentor until one day she became a worker in the club of a bandit, a certain Lusa.
Modesty head of the gang, gathered it and preserved it, and then the real life began.
In reality, in order for the Germans not to occupy the eastern oil fields, a young non-commissioned officer in charge of the communications detachment was assigned to Persia in 1942 to reconnoiter and report a possible enemy attack, which did not take place. That young man was just PiModesty Blaiseter O’Donnell. Just then, while they were resting, because their work was not in their favor, while they were eating, a small dark-skinned, black-haired figure appeared. It was a girl, scared like a wild beast.
https://youtu.be/bRd8wL0d3m4
O'Donnell immediately realized that it was not an Arab woman, but most likely refugees from the Balkans, of which there were, although not in large numbers. She was afraid of everything and every member of his team, but she still took a meal and help at least in the food and drink they offered her.
She continued on, lost somewhere, but her gentlemanly, above all proud attitude, O’Donnell never forgot.
A little more than twenty years later, a proud and strong female character emerged, Modsty Blaze, a world-famous comic book heroine, as part of the memory of a war veteran.
The joy of living with pets
Our faithful companions and best friends, pets, helped many to get through the quarantine days. In a period when contacts with other people are reduced to a minimum, and social distance is a part of our everyday life, often the only close contact is the one we have with our pets at home. Although there has been talk for years about the positive impact of pets on relaxation and stress reduction, most of us have been able to experience this fact during this period, and strengthen the connection with them. The question is, why are we so attached to our pets at all?
One of the theories claims that the relationship between man and animals is similar to the one he has with other people. All living beings are capable of creating deep emotional bonds, and bonding with pets is similar to bonding with friends or partners. By creating a kind of unique community and providing emotional support, pets are just as important in our lives as other people.
Animals often feel our emotions better than people in the environment and support us in situations we don't talk much about with our family or friends. Representing a relationship in which we will never be judged and in which there are no prejudices or quarrels, our pets are the ones who provide us with unreserved support.
Like talking to other people, interacting with pets contributes significantly to our health and reduces stress. Many dog owners claim that the time spent with them is a relaxation and joy in them. Also, some claim that during stressful periods, they spend more time with their pets in order to forget about problems, which leads to a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. In addition to physical health, there are many positive effects on mental health.
Research shows that only the presence of animals in our environment leads to an increase in positive emotions and laughter, but also that people who are truly attached to their pets have better relationships with other people, are more tolerant and much more sociable.
Psychiatrists are increasingly advising their patients to get a pet to relieve stress, relying on research that claims that living with a pet helps fight depression, anxiety and loneliness. However, they are not the only method for improving mental health, but are mainly used in combination with therapies and various workshops. Also, not everyone will like their presence, especially when treating more severe disorders, so it is best for such a decision to be made by a therapist or psychiatrist.
Some studies consider pets to be family members, which will be confirmed by many of the owners, while for some the presence of a pet is just as pleasant as the presence of close people. When your dog greets you when entering the house after a hard day at work, he does not care what your day was like, he is just happy to be in your company again, and his happiness is contagious. Respondents claim that this type of welcome and interaction makes us change our attitude, relax and enjoy the rest of the day.
Although the relationship we have with animals is quite different from that with humans, new studies prove that they are extremely influential in the way we perceive feelings and relationships with others.
History of walking on high legs
High heels are, without a doubt, synonymous with elegance, style and sex appeal. They are certainly the obsession of many women, and most of them cannot live without them and do not experience them only as a fashion detail, but as a reflection of their own personality. You know the old one: "Look in your shoes, then let them in." Throughout the history of mankind, it has been seen what kind of footwear he wears and therefore a man has been "judged". As heels have developed throughout history, they have gained cultural, phenomenological and sociological significance, and most of them represent a great passion today. Where does the love between women and shoes come from, the question is now!
It was not until 1,400 that Chopines platform shoes first appeared in Turkey and were popular in Europe until the mid-17th century. Believe it or not, they are not designed to adorn a woman's leg, but, on the contrary, to be practical for men! Namely, as in the 15th century, the horse was the main means of transportation, many riders encountered problems because their leg slipped from the stirrups, causing frequent injuries. Therefore, high-heeled shoes were made to solve the problem of slipping flat shoes. Of course, they were not like today's high-heeled shoes, but the so-called "riding heel" has gradually grown into more extravagant models of heels throughout history, without which most ladies nowadays cannot imagine life.
**Chopines, the first riding shoes from the 15th century**
Shoes are a fashion detail that goes with everything!
Soon after, this type of shoe became commonplace in the yards. Due to her unenviable height, the French Queen Catherine de 'Medici first wore high-heeled shoes at her wedding to the Duke of Orleans in 1533. When the royal bride walked her pair, such shoes became a hit among members of the fairer sex of the European aristocracy. The craze for heels has begun - they have become an integral part of every real lady's life. The higher the status in the society, the higher the heel, and such shoes were a reflection of fashion and wealth. At the beginning of the 18th century, King Louis XIV of France allowed the upper social class to wear high-heeled shoes, provided that they were no longer his. In addition, he is known for his shoes with red heels.
In the middle of the same century, narrow "Pompadour" shoes with high heels appeared, which were originally worn by Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV. Women who wanted to follow the fashion of the time - and had longer feet - forcibly wore even two numbers smaller, at the cost of even fainting during court ceremonies and dinners. Everything in the service of beauty and prestige.
**High elegance from the 17th and 18th centuries**
After the French bourgeois revolution, high heels were banned because they were considered indecent at the time. However, from the 19th century onwards, heels were in vogue again. To this day, such footwear has inevitably gained in importance. The thirties and forties of the last century were difficult times, so the high heel on the shoes was more moderate and lower. It was this period that led to the renaissance in Hollywood, when actresses wore shoes with glittering details, and that also led to a new challenge with French heeled shoes. The trend continued in the fifties and sixties, and later the heel significantly "climbed", which contributed to a better appearance of the feet. In the seventies of the last century, fashion was dictated by platform shoes, whose "task" was to shock.
The eighties brought pointed shoes in a sporty-colorful style and were a must have detail that matched all the skirts and leggings. This was probably the reason for the appearance of supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and others on the front pages where they wear high heels. In the 1990s, low heels without platforms were worn, and to this day, the style has also changed. Platforms are back in fashion and have been a fashion hit that every woman has in her collection for years.
Many women would rather stay at home than go out in front of the world in flat shoes
We have always been crazy about shoes, even in the most difficult moments of civilization. Heels simply play a big role in women and there is no further story. The fact is that women feel special on the "high leg". When it comes to self-confidence, without a doubt those few inches more means a lot! We all simply adore them, and it’s up to you to find your mate and wear it proudly!
Self-confidence above all - the story of a lion
Once upon a time, in a distant jungle, lived a lion. All proud and brave, he was a true king of the jungle. He had his own lioness and kept the whole pack together. He was highly esteemed. Powerful and strong. One day he had his first son. A little lion. He was really cute. Lively, handsome, and painfully curious. As soon as he was old enough, his father took him hunting with him. He taught him everything he knew. He passed on his wisdom to him.
One evening, the little lion, hardened, set out on his first solo walk. He had a great desire to prove to his father that he had learned everything he needed to. That he was big enough to hunt alone. And as determined as was, he ran through the field, when he heard strange sounds. Frightened, he started to turn around and at one point he noticed a pack of hyenas. Seeing that the little lion was alone, the hyenas set off in pursuit of him. For them, it was a wonderful snack. The little lion started running back to his father with all his might. He made sounds but it wasn't a roar. He was still small, though. As he approached his home, the hyenas drew closer to him and just when he thought he was safe, one hyena jumped him.
The little lion fought with all his might, but he was too weak. Too small. The hyena injured his head, cut his eye, and just as he was about to give him one last blow, a large lion appeared and scattered them all. Although very angry at his son, the big lion was too worried about him for that anger to last. The little lion was badly injured. The mother lioness tried in every way to heal him. In the end, the little lion recovered, but not without consequences. He lost one eye, and due to a major head injury, it was likely that his real lion mane would not grow.
The lioness, crushed by pain and sorrow, talked to the lion. How will their son ever become the king of the jungle? How will other animals respect him if he didn't even look like a lion anymore. He was more like a freak.
Thoughtful, the lion was deep in thought for a while, then sighed deeply and said to the lioness, "No. He will be the real king of the jungle. All animals will respect him. From now on, I will forbid the whole pack to pity him and look at him as a parable. From now on, you will treat him like the strongest, brightest lion. He will have his power if he believes in it strongly enough. He will be strong, wise and respected if he believes in it himself. I order you to act accordingly. "
As the years passed, the little lion grew. And he was as his father had anticipated. Big, powerful, wise, strong, and respected by all animals. Not because he looked like that, but because he believed in it.
Calimero - Well that's an injustice
The famous cartoon hero Calimero, a black chicken with an egg shell on his head, marked the childhood of many with his ups and downs. Many remember him lamenting over himself and his bad destiny and saying at the end of each episode, 'Thar is injustice!' (or: 'Well, that's real injustice.'). Calimero is good and doesn't want to harm anyone, but happiness is simply not on his side.
He first appeared on the children's television show 'Carosello' in Italy in 1963, and the characters were created by creatives from the animation studio Organizzazione Pagot, first as part of a series of animated commercials for soap and cleaning products Ava, which were sold throughout Italy.
Italian detergent factory Miralanza performed a sad and annoyed black chicken in front of the public in an advertising campaign for Ava soap, which has not even been polished yet, because the tip of the egg remained on his head, and he is already facing all the misfortunes of this world.
The creative team made a series of promotional cartoons, and they all had the same ending: a black chicken, bathed and washed with Ava soap, would turn into a beautiful and clean, and most importantly and happily - a white chicken.
Calimero outlived Miralanza's advertising campaign, became a character for himself, and moved from commercials to life, to cartoons and comics. This is, I guess, a unique case in the history of imaginary friends and fictional heroes: someone who was destined, like a dragonfly, to live only one day or one advertising season, became a hero of the era, about whom stories were told that no longer had a connection. with soaps and detergents.
But just as life is not a television commercial, so that every story has a happy ending, so Calimero was not so lucky that the screenwriters sapped his life black with some magic. On the contrary, his story will be a story of irreparable torment and trouble, of the existence of those who are destined for life to be and remain - victims. The black chicken among the yellow chickens and could be nothing but a victim.
Calimero is not very smart, so the troubles that the screenwriter brings him into are not overly ingenious or complicated. Others would easily get out of them, but Calimero would not. It is his job to lament over himself and his bad destiny and to say at the end of each episode: "Thar is injustice" (or: "Well, that's a real injustice"). And that sentence eventually remained what we remember Calimero for.
Was he happier as a model of soap and detergents, in a world where everything costs, everything is produced and everything can be bought, including pure white feathers even after you are born black, or is he happier like this, in a world ruled by an injustice in which he, Calimero, also exists only to make injustices happen to him. If anything were fixed with this world, Calimero would disappear. Calimero would die.
Although he turns 59 this year, the famous Calimero looks younger than ever today. The famous baby, the only black chicken in the family of yellow chickens, since its presentation in Italy, now back in 1962, has come a long and interesting way that took him through Japan, where he gained full worldwide recognition, to France and the Gaumont animation studio. Calimero refreshed the image and devised new adventures of this hero, but also kept the qualities that made Calimero loved by many generations - cheerful spirit, wit, friendliness and most importantly - love of justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ovzN-0hJgI
Continents that lived fast and short
The new model of development of the planet Earth assumes that some continents existed for only a few billion years, and then disappeared without a trace.
When the Earth was still a young planet, there were many continents on it that disappeared in the meantime, leaving only a few traces behind, the latest research showed.
Based on the comparison of the age and radioactivity of rocks from different parts of our planet, a hypothesis was created about the continents that were an integral part of the Earth for the first few billion years. These continents supported the emerging civilization and then disappeared without a trace.
Efforts to study the Earth from the time when the first traces of life appeared on it required a more detailed investigation of several remote locations, where rocks from that time are still found.
According to scientists , those continents "lived fast and short", but they created the basis for the formation of new, more permanent continents, from which tectonic plates were formed.
The continents were weak and prone to destruction in their ‘childhood’ four to 4.5 billion years ago, after which they gradually changed and became firmer over the next billion years to form the basis for modern continents.
The explanation for this is that the Earth's crust formed slowly, and that the Earth's surface was initially covered with a thin crust of the ocean, which is recycled every few hundred million years.
For hundreds of millions of years, the continents have been more or less stable, but have shifted due to a series of tectonic activities, forming various shapes, including the former supercontinent of Pangaea.
The appearance of the "puzzle" of the continents several hundred million years ago is similar to today's "puzzle", but there is very little information about what the continents looked like in the early history of our planet.
To study this early period of history, scientists used computers to create an interaction of rocks and magma in the earth's crust and below. Scientists assume that the temperature of the Earth's interior was three to four times higher in its early days. The Earth's crust was much warmer , but also thinner, so that the continents easily split and were again covered by volcanic magma.
The new continents would then emerge from the magma that covered the previously submerged continents. By the beginning of the Archaic, 2.5 to four billion years ago, at the end of Hadayka, the basis for today's continents had already been laid. In the last decades of the twentieth century, geologists identified several rocks in the area of western Greenland.
Impostor syndrome, you might have it too
Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon, is a psychological pattern that many people around the world experience without being aware of it. It refers to an internal experience and individual can have where they feel as if they aren’t as competent and people around them think they are.
That is how the name itself, impostor syndrome, came to be because people who suffer from it feel like imposters and have a deep seethed fear of being found out as a fraud.
One of the biggest issues people who suffer from impostor syndrome have is that they believe they got everything they have through nothing but luck and that they don’t deserve anything they have in life.
This syndrome can affect anyone no matter their age, gender, background, or expertise. There are many different characteristics of impostor syndrome, and some of them are:
A feeling of self-doubt.
An inability to realistically observe your own skills and competence.
Constantly feeling like you won’t live up to someone’s expectations.
Attributing all of your successes and accomplishments to external factors.
Self-sabotaging your own success.
There are five different types of impostor syndrome
1 – The perfectionist1 – The perfectionist
Perfectionists always set impossibly high goals for themselves that are hard to achieve. And if they don’t achieve those goals, they go through a lot of self-doubts. This type of impostor syndrome can be found in people who often micromanage, have a hard time delegating, and have a great need to have everything be perfect at all times.
2 - The Superwoman/man
This type of impostor syndrome is found among people who think their colleagues are worthy of their positions but they themselves aren’t. The Superwoman or Superman impostor always works hard and pushes themselves to prove they’re good enough even though they don’t believe it themselves.
People who suffer from the superwoman/man syndrome often stay late in the office, don’t have a lot of hobbies outside of work, and feel stressed if they’re not working at all times.
3 – The natural genius
People who were very gifted and intelligent as children were made to feel like a natural genius at a very young age and this belief has stuck with them. Since a lot of things came naturally to them as children, in the adult world they feel shame if it takes time for them to master anything.
The natural genius imposters set an impossibly high internal bar for themselves and are only happy if they manage to achieve something as soon as they attempt it. If they’re faced with a setback at any time, their confidence tumbles, and they have a feeling of shame.
4 – The soloist
Soloists are people who believe that if they ask for help from anyone, they will be revealed as phonies, and that is why they refuse assistance from everyone just so they could prove their worth. They feel a strong need to accomplish things on their own.
5 – The expert.
The expert impostors believe their competence can be measured with what and how much they can do or know. However, they believe that all of their knowledge still isn’t enough and they gear they will be exposed as unknowledgeable.
They don’t agree if someone calls them an expert, they’re constantly seeking new trainings and certifications that will improve their skills, and no matter how much time passes, they never feel like they’re good enough to fill out the role they have.
Gotham - how superheroes were created
Today I continue the story of the, in my opinion, underrated session of "Gotham". If you missed my post yesterday you can read it at https://read.cash/@rainyday/why-is-gotham-one-of-the-most-underrated-series-right-now-70165085
I would like to tell you something about certain "gems" of "Gotham"
**Stenography**
Honestly, I would immediately jump to the story of the characters, but before them it is important to note that Gotham has extremely talented set designers because of which we have not seen such a good performance of the city since the first Burton film. Stroke, the collapse of the system on the streets, the gargoyles on the buildings, the Gothic, the beautifully executed undefined period of time (the hour we think is the mid-eighties, and then someone's mobile rings) versions of the Latin Quarter in Paris. The police station where the angry Jim Gordon is a real masterpiece of interior design, just like the neglected Wayne Manor, everyone's favorite Arkham madhouse, nightclubs, the misery and misery of the Narrows and all possible and impossible aristocratic halls where beloved villains make chaos.
From the scenery and great interiors to the computer-perfectly designed panoramas of Gotham, you will believe that this is the most authentic depiction of a completely stumbled city in which Batman will one day operate.
**The best of the good**
Gotham is, above all, a police story. That’s why it’s important to have Ben McKenzie and Donal Loge who excel as the unstoppable James Gordon and the overtired, infinitely likable Harvey Bullock, detectives who slowly discover the extent to which their city is poisoned, how hopeless the G CPD is and how radical a concept of justice is needed. change. Jim Gordon's anger and helplessness mark the series, push him to the edge of everything he believes in, elevate him and then humiliate him, but the former soldier stubbornly continues, to his own detriment and the detriment of his closest ones. McKenzie plays him with his eyes and jaw, and his convincing, sometimes animal despair will spread to you as you watch the series. What Gordon, who firmly believes in uncompromising law enforcement, is not aware of or wants to be aware of, is that the aforementioned radical change will come in the form of a sociopath in bat costume.
The sociopath in question is interpreted by David Mazola, whom we had to get used to since we didn't know "young Bruce Wayne" until now. His parents are killed, he goes abroad to "study", he returns as a vengeful, too rich carcass and that's it. The middle of the story is open to various fantasies, and those in the series come to the fore when, from season to season, Bruce begins to learn about the lawlessness of his city, as well as the philosophy of mask, fear, business, acting, hypocrisy and self-defense. We don’t want to believe that Bruce Wayne was ever an unsuspecting brat, but Mazola will convince us of that, and we will learn to love him as such. Perhaps the best Alfred so far helps him along the way, in fact the only Alfred whom, thanks to the phenomenal Sean Pertwee, we can believe was a British Marine with a lot of horror and trauma behind him in his career.
From Selina Kyle who, through Carmen Bicondova, is literally shaped to remind us of Catwoman performed by Michelle Pfeiffer, through Lee Thompkins about whom it is enough to say only Morena Baccarin, all the way to characters who rarely appear and miss us because of it, such as is Lucius Fox, played by Chris Chalk, Gotham brings together convincing "goodies" who feel the chemistry and love for their roles. First of all, they all said that Gotham is one of the most fun projects in their lives. For example, Ben McKenzie went to some masquerades dressed as the comic book Jim Gordon with all his mustache and trench coat.
**The worst of the bad ones**
The "curse" of DC, according to which the positives turn out to be pathetically pale in relation to the spectacular negatives, also fell on Gotham, which is why many believe that the series is actually about the rise of various scum of this city. We see the real range of talents when Edward Nigma, , once a successful forensic scientist and now a schizophrenic obsessed with riddles, Riddle, speaks for the first time. From there, a plethora of characters begins to emerge, led by Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin), with such a tragic story that you will adore him and forgive him for every attack of hysteria and shooting someone in the face. Barbara Kean stands out here, the weakest link of the first season, which successfully grows into a great "boss of the underworld" on the constant edge of madness, which does not bother us at all.
It was a pleasure to see Harvey Dent as a young and promising lawyer with some uncontrolled outbursts of rage, where one side of his face was skillfully shaded in each frame, hinting at the fate of the "white knight". Actor John Doman as Carmine Falcone belongs to the Sopranos in terms of quality. Young Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) is terrifying beyond all expectations. Victor Fries is the absolute emperor. Totally crazy, but brilliant.
Indeed, many cult villains paraded through Gotham and they were all convincing, ideally colorful and / or completely insane. Victor Fries (Mr. Freeze), Poison Ivy, Firefly, Professor Peg, Mad Hatter, all received not only "origin" stories but also integral parts of each season in which they contributed to planting the diversity of Gotham as a Mecca of crime and madness. Even some of the unnecessarily exaggerated characters such as Hugo Strange or Fish Mooney have grown from their overemphasis to purposeful members of the "ensemble". However, they did not manage to surpass one.
**Jerome**
Gotham gave us the talent of Cameron Monaghan . This kid took Jack Nicholson’s stance, Heath Ledger’s philosophy, and Mark Hamill’s vocal power, squeezing it all into his proto-Joker, Jerome Valescu. Nothing in this world can convince me of cheap fore showrunners trying to convince us that Jerome is just the inspiration for the real Joker. Cameron is the Joker, in laughter, in actions, in thinking, in physiognomy, facial expressions and facial expressions. All of us who hold this opinion fear only Cameron's mental state, because the things he does in front of the camera can drastically affect the psyche of a young actor, unless his willpower in separating himself from the role is extremely strong. It certainly works that way.
**And for the end**
I spoiled a lot of things from the four seasons of the series. That's right, and I just will. Not because I like to spoil people (I don't like ... much), but because there are somewhere thousands of potential fans who are so closed in their resignation to Gotham as God knows what "disrespect of the canon" that they did not notice, I repeat, partial Elseworld a story that goes in more than a great direction.
Bruce is not in the best condition at the moment, he hurried with his need to trample on criminals, he violated almost all the rules that are Batman's "Old Testament" and at the same time, in the hell of older adolescence, he discovered what he could spend his parental wealth on. In the current phase of his growing up, he learns to balance the perfect hypocrisy of a spoiled rich man and a future ruthless fighter for justice.
So, feel free to indulge in the colorfulness of Gotham, expecting from season to season the performance of all the above-mentioned characters, and even a bunch of unmentioned ones because of which this text could go smoothly on the ten pages, and we won't do it anymore.
Why is Gotham one of the most underrated series right now?
Imagine if today, in the advanced age of the Internet, when 90% of its users "stick" to someone's existing opinion, criticism or effect of the mass Bandwagon, Smallville appeared.
The beloved series about Clark Kent's youth in rural Kansas, which from season to season becomes the epicenter of the entire DC universe (minus Batman) before Clark even cloaks the Man of Steel mantle, would most likely be dismantled online by critics and on-duty "only real" fans ”. However, no, that story remains in the best memories of the audience, because in those times there was simply no exposure to millions of incompetent people, critics and trolls who panickedly want to convince you that they are right and you are not. And that you are miserable. And that you should bury yourself and not breathe. It's the internet.
Today, this is exactly what is happening with the CW series in the DC universe: Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and the latest, Black Lightning, all of which apply the same principle that celebrated Smallville: Action, drama, kissing, breakup, action, reconciliation, apology , action, cliffhanger. The essence of the difference in the situation is that the exposure to criticism today is maximally directed towards the original material, ie. what is taken from it, mutilated or "mutilated".
Each of these DC series stands out a bit: Arrow tries to be dark and forces some ok choreography of the fight with crazy camera movement and Flash focuses on the special effects and benign nature of his characters. Legends of Tomorrow throws all logic and common sense out the window for the sake of forcing the absolute, innocent fun of each episode, and so I succeed in everything. Supergirl ... well, I'm not sure what Supergirl is emphasizing (because after the two episodes I had to watch - crossovers, what to do - I didn't want to draw any conclusions).
All of the above series are persistently greeted with a knife from season to season, because the audience does not want to understand their essence: Bringing the superhero genre closer to an audience that is not used to it. The CW does this so well that 35% of its audience is defined as the target group of “housewives between the ages of 35-50”. Whoever can get used to the fact that CW has to balance ardent superhero fans and completely unaccustomed "casuals", should not engage in these series at all.
But, outside of CW, there is only one more corner of the DC series that proves the incorrigibility of the Internet as a giant, eternal high school, where everyone tries to be as cool, edgy and special as possible, and at the same time follow the opinion of the mob at all costs. belong to the “herd,” and that is Gotham.
**Is Gotham Elseword at all?**
For the u, "Elseworld" is a DC tradition that sometimes moves its characters to other circumstances on a "what if" basis, as well as to completely different historical periods. Batman, through that multiverse, was a knight, a pirate captain, a steampunk Victorian hero, fought side by side with Captain America and Daredevil, chased in a monstrous horror version with Dracula personally, and himself became a vampire, and so I can count until tomorrow . At some point he fought with both Popey and Predator, so much.
“Staffworlds” became some of the most popular publications over time, but when one day it came to a series focusing on Jim Gordon’s career and Bruce Wayne’s childhood from the moment Martha and Thomas Wayne perished, as Heath Ledger’s Joker would say, “they are all clearly detached ”. The introduction of cult villains into the story, the young and still drooling Bruce that no one can imagine as a monster that instills fear in Gotham criminals, the strange counting of time, all this aroused so much unwarranted anger in fans of Batman's character and work, that then no one he did not think for a second about the potential that this series has.
As time goes on, Gotham may or may not be Elseworld, because whenever we think the story has been radically changed, the series offers us a grain of doubt about everything that is currently happening. The best move you can make is to consider Gotham a partial Elseworld.
Tomorrow I will tell you more about the series itself.
I’m not Alice, but I’m in Wonderland sometimes too
The world is great wonderland. Everyone is rushing and rushing somewhere, setting rules that they then break, love, but still hurt, waiting for something to be indifferent later. And so the days go by. In the end, we realize that the world is strange, too strange.
While we are children, our world looks like a large space that has no end. And everything is so perfect. You play, you go to school, others take care of you and think for you. It is an obligation to be happy and good, to be an example of a wonderful child. Although our childhood is filled with great freedom, we still receive rules and instructions from all sides: "It's not nice", "You can't do this and that", "You have to do this and that". I used to think that older people don't make mistakes and that they respect all the rules, but then I realized that adults know how to lie, cheat, be uncultured and bad people. Over time, I wondered how that was possible and why we were then the world we live in is truly a wonderland. Everything is absurd and meaningless, and people do not have one face. Sometimes I am so surprised how little I know about the world in front of me. Admittedly, even when I think I got to know him better, again some surprise. I like surprises, although I don't always like them.
The world we live in is truly a wonderland. Everything is absurd and meaningless, and people do not have one face. Sometimes I am so surprised how little I know about the world in front of me. Admittedly, even when I think I got to know him better, again some surprise. I like surprises, although I don't always like them.
The world is a wonderland. Alice was really right. Growing up brings cognition. Our eyes are completely open, but we still can't help but wonder. And what amazes us so much? Maybe it's just hard to be an adult, and the world has always been that way. Maybe they taught us wrong, so we are disappointed.
The world is a wonderland. Time is such a meaningless category.
And what time is it, actually? Where is the white rabbit Alice running after? Where is he persistently late? Who is waiting for him? Did he arrive on time and does he know where he is late? Does it symbolize those we always wait for or those who always arrive on time? It may be impossible for everything to be according to a strict rule. It’s probably hard when you’re an adult and when you have to get to countless places at a certain time. Although, it seems to me more and more that sometimes people don't know where they are going and what they are chasing or who is waiting for them. Maybe they are just trying to be responsible and that they can rightly say that they are adults and mature people. Maybe they are still children and they need someone to take care of them. Maybe they are just pretending and acting walking in the shoes of adults, and secretly fantasizing or wishing for chocolate from a guest or for someone to pat them on the head and treat them like a child.
The world is truly a great wonderland. Sometimes the decisions of mature and smart people are completely immature and stupid. And adults sometimes do not know how to judge, evaluate, decide, but are guided by some stereotypical rules. Of course, they can also make mistakes. Why not. Everyone makes mistakes, but sometimes it seems that a child will admit a mistake rather than an adult. Adults like to be strict, so sometimes they laugh a little. They can be both disinterested and cold and say that children's problem is harmless nonsense. For adults, sometimes everything is black or white, and for children, it is mostly colorful. That is why every child, as he matures, reaches that wonderland that changes everything for him. It really is all so weird and inexplicable.
Alice is surprised as she grows and shrinks and she can't help but be surprised that at one point she is so small that she can go through a mouse hole, and then suddenly so big. He marvels at his growth which is a natural and normal phenomenon, but growing up and maturing brings realization. Alice not only gets acquainted with the changes in her body, but also gets acquainted with the world in which she lives, its flaws and virtues, and people with all their characteristics and habits. It is probable that every child on the way to growing up was like Alice at least at one point - surprised, scared, curious.
The world is one great wonderland. We grow up and surprises are constantly changing. Anything surprises us, but most people. Their habits, decisions, actions are strange. It is even stranger that the restless and curious child in them is completely lost. As much as the benefits of growing up are, every person wants to remain a child and enjoy their timeless world, where nothing matters, where neither the white rabbit nor anyone else is in a hurry, because it is not late anywhere and where the wonderland is not full surprises. It seems to the child that he is so far from the world of adults and that he will never have to be a mature person. However, while playing and imagining, his years slip away so imperceptibly, and then the moment comes when he realizes that the toys are outdated and that he has definitely stepped forward. Yes, to Wonderland.
Bloody History Madame Tussaud: Who was she really?
You've probably heard of the Madame Tussaud's wax museum, but do you know who Madame Tussaud really was? Born as Mary Grossholz in France in 1761, at the age of only 6, she discovered the art of making wax figures. Her mother was a housekeeper with Dr. Filip Curtis, who was also a famous modeller. He taught Mary how to make a wax figure, and at the age of only 17, she made her first figure herself, which attracted the attention of the French authorities.
During the French Revolution, Mary was arrested for her sympathies with the royal family. Fortunately, Dr. Curtis, with the help of his connections, managed to get her out of prison with the promise that Mary would make death masks for people guillotined by revolutionaries. Among them were King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The masks were worn through Paris to let the public know who was killed and to avoid wearing a guillotine head in a state of disintegration around the city.
In these difficult times, Mary hardened and grew into a determined and strong woman. Old Dr. Curtis recognized that, too, so he bequeathed all his wax figures to this modest girl.
Mary marries engineer Francois Tussaud i1802. year with his unusual heritage goes to England where he exhibits for the first time hitherto unimaginable exhibits. The Franco-English war prevented her from returning to France, so in the following years she traveled all over Britain, exposing her
Her son Josef soon became her greatest collaborator. The first permanent exhibition of Madame Tussaud's wax figures was held in Baker Street in London in 1835. There was also, at that time the most controversial, the Hall of Fear, in which, in addition to the famous serial killers and torturers, Mary also placed masks of people she was forced to work during the French Revolution.
In 1838, Mary Tussaud wrote a memoir. The last figure she made was her own. She made it in 1842 and left it in the museum to take care of her sons. She died at the age of April 16, 1850, at the age of 88, leaving behind an entertainment empire that still operates with undiminished.
Today, the Madame Tussaud's is one of the biggest tourist attractions in London, and it also has branches in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and New York. Historical and royal personalities, film, music and sports stars, but also famous murderers have their wax figures.
Rainy day
They say a lot can be learned about a person based on how he endures a rainy day.
For some, the scene is relaxing and meditative, for others it causes anxiety, as if every drop hits his head. Someone is completely indifferent… and someone is constantly changing all these states of consciousness.
So when all those colorful umbrellas washed out on the street. Like movable roofs above our heads. And some don't even need it, because they like to show their courage and insensitivity a little. What a rain, and even a downpour, compared to all those storms that roared through them.
Well, that magnificent sight when the light of the city is reflected in the puddles. And the louder and harder it falls, the more we are aware of the peace we have. How much it just reminds us of gratitude that we have shelter. And that glorious end of her fall… As if nothing had happened. A reminder that everything has an end. Regardless of whether we enjoyed it or it bothered us.
Like when we water the plants, when it rains it's like the sky is flooding us - because he can't wait to see us bloom. It falls so confidently and sharply, as if every drop knows exactly where it should fall. It's as if every drop knows exactly which point on earth is destined for it. And as if every drop is equally important. If there was only one, all that downpour would not be able to function properly. As if it were some mutual conversation of heaven and earth. Like a conversation between two friends who haven't heard from each other for a long time and now have so much to make up for. Until he encounters a rush of baskets and totally redirects them and untangles their strings.
If we pay better attention to her rhythm of falling, we will hear that it is the rhythm of a special song for us. A rhythm that silences everything around it. It was as if she could hardly wait for it to start falling. She had been sneezing and holding back in her clouds for so long. And she just cut in vain and rushed down. To show his long-prepared choreography. And then so a little proud and proud overshadowed every other event. It's interesting. We who are on earth all aspire to some growth, some heights. And what is already in the heights - gives the impression as if it has a purpose to go down.
Every drop falls equally passionately, concentrated, consciously. And in all that force and speed, at one point, it just hit the ground softly and spilled all over the ground. Then, those drops that fall, clean something, make mud somewhere. In any case, now only the smell of freshness remains, the outlines of old traces, the smells of new beginnings.
It's as if those rainy minutes unite us all. Until that moment, everyone had their own worries in mind. And from that moment on, we all stood under the same veil. And when, after all that, the sun's rays just break through again!
It is not the same sun before and after the rain. We are somehow too used to this before the rain, it is too ordinary for us, it is too much for us. This after the rain is like a kind of reward, it shines cleaner and penetrates better. And whoever didn't like the rain, now forgives her.
@rainyday
