The Wheel and Axle

The 2017 SEA Games ended two weeks ago on 30 August 2017, and while the Philippines did not become over-all champion, we did get to have a fairly good showing in bagging 24 gold medals (not to mention 33 silvers and 64 bronzes).

Trenten Beram, for example, dashed his way into our hearts.

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Photo credit: Twitter @DCComics

Len Wein was a comic book legend.

I mean, he only co-created Swamp Thing and this little-known character called Wolverine.

He was an accomplished comic creator, both as writer and editor, and won multiple awards. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.

Over at Marvel, Len was instrumental in reviving the X-Men in the early 70s with artist Dave Cockrum, co-creating Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. Without their work, the later Claremont run would have been nothing. The X-Men, as we know it now, would have never come to pass without Len. He also wrote for Daredevil, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Thor, Fantastic Four, and Marvel Team-Up.

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Sixteen years ago, the world changed.

I was in Manila, of course. We were celebrating the birthday of a friend over dinner in the Katipunan area. There was a TV suddenly broadcasting the terrible news as it happened. We were in Manila, but we felt the terror half a world away. When I got home later after midnight, I got glued to the TV again, watching the horror of the aftermath further unfold.

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Because Pinoy soaps are just #extra.

So Jessica Zafra’s The Stories So Far has been nominated for a National Book Award. Having gotten this fresh off print a few years back when it was published under The Library of Babel (of which I am the, ahem, Minister of Propaganda), I can guarantee it’s deserving of the nomination. Here’s hoping it wins!

If you haven’t read it, well, what are you waiting for? She still has signed hard copies available! Don’t miss it and the essay collection Geeks Vs. Jocks: each only at a great price of Php199.00 only. Email her at saffron.safin@gmail.com to order these awesome volumes from the legendary dominatrix behind the Twisted series.

The trans community is one of the most vulnerable segments of the LGBT community. It is, unfortunately, still a world where binary gender concepts are still the boxed in norms recognized by “modern” society at large – where gender identity and sexual orientation are still being confused with each other.

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Just goes to show how much social media has helped free inhibitions from actual etiquette.

Alright, that’s enough internet for the day.

Here’s a little throwback of galactic proportions.

Continued From:

Deliciously Seditious, Part 1

Aurelio Sedisyoso: A Rock Sarswela, beyond sedition and subversion, is also a grand zarzuela. It is a beautifully-boisterous production reminiscent of those colorful stagings of old, where drama and comedy were fused with music and choreography and, in some cases, cheeky but pointed social criticism. Simultaneously operatic and punk and everything in between, it seamlessly incorporates classic zarzuela accoutrements and traditional Tagalog song and dance with modern trappings such as rap battles, rock riffs, and hip-hop.

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