Son of la Niña de Gibraltar

Just finished watching for the eon time "Corto Maltese: La Cour secrète des Arcanes," based on the Pratt novel "Corto Maltese in Siberia;" also finished watching the 3 dvds of Corto Maltese adventures for television, produced by Canal+, adapting the stories 'La Ballade de la mer salée,' 'Sous le signe du Capricorne,' 'Les Celtiques and La Maison dorée de Samarkand.'

Corto is one of my favourite heroes of all time...

Corto Maltese is a sailor-adventurer, with a somehow complex character, born in 1887, son of a British sailor and a gypsy Andalusian prostitute, known as "La Niña de Gibraltar."

It was created by Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt in 1967.

The Corto Maltese series has been translated into many languages. Stories range from straight historical adventure stories to occult dream sequences.

Who is Corto Maltese?

As a boy growing up in the Jewish quarter of Córdoba, Maltese realised he had no fate line on his palm and therefore carved his own with a razor, determining that his fate was his to choose. Although maintaining a neutral pose, Corto instinctively supports the disadvantaged and oppressed.

The character embodies the author's skepticism of national, ideological, and religious assertions. Corto befriends people from all walks of life, including the murderous Russian Rasputin. He also knows and meets various historical figures, including Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Herman Hesse, Butch Cassidy. His acquaintances treat him with great respect, as when a telephone call to Joseph Stalin frees him from arrest when he is threatened with execution on the border of Turkey and Armenia.

Corto's favourite reading is 'Utopia' by Thomas More, but he never finished it. His name is said to be possibly derived from the Venetian Courtyard of the Maltese.

A must see, watch, read; also, check out the new --& old-- posters made available for sale here

In 'Gli Scorpioni del Deserto' (The Desert Scorpions), Corto Maltese is described as disappearing in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

SuperDeath

Loved these visuals!

Have been picked from Toyash's Flickr account, where loads of the cyber dude's creative design expressions are featured.

Speaking about DEATH, here is some interesting points worth being shared:

We're all going to die. But here are some things you might be interested to know!

1. The practice of burying the dead may date back 350,000 years...
2. Never say die: There are at least 200 euphemisms for death, including "to be in Abraham's bosom," "just add maggots," and "sleep with the Tribbles" (a Star Trek favorite).
3. No American has died of old age since 1951. That was the year the government eliminated that classification on death certificates.
4. The trigger of death, in all cases, is lack of oxygen. Its decline may prompt muscle spasms, or the "agonal phase," from the Greek word 'agon', or contest. Within three days of death, the enzymes that once digested your dinner begin to eat you.
5. In 1907, a Massachusetts doctor conducted an experiment with a specially designed deathbed and reported that the human body lost 21 grams upon dying. This has been widely held as fact ever since. It's not.
6. In 19th-century Europe there was so much anecdotal evidence that living people were mistakenly declared dead that cadavers were laid out in "hospitals for the dead" while attendants awaited signs of putrefaction.
7. It is estimated that 100 billion people have died since humans began.

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Calvin & Hobbes: Insight into the Mind

Bill Watterson's 'Calvin & Hobbes' are one of the most delightful cartoon creations...ever. My favourite comic strips, wonderful as, Calvin & Hobbes never stop getting into trouble; and I can never get tired of Calvin & Hobbes. The six-year old kid and his stuffed tiger are always faced with obstacles, getting into weird and wonderful situations; from his folks to the teacher, their stories are always full of creativity and the kind of humour that makes u laugh and go huh..at the same time... Where would Calvin be without Hobbes? His ever present animal companion... Calvin is the very model of childhood innocence, imagination, and such inquisitive little kid. With crazy and outlandish imagination, he raves on philosophical, socio-political, and psychological matters, where Hobbes tends to chip in with wonderfully dry comments. The result is witty, funny, visually inventive, and pleasurably thoughtful. Hobbes often talks using comically long words and articulate terms well. There are other characters who appear too, notably his neighbour Susie. She is the polar-opposite of Calvin; serious and well mannered.

If you like Calvin & Hobbes and for anyone not familiar with Calvin and Hobbes, I recommend ALL of Bill Watterson's strip books. Watterson won the 1986 Reuben Award as Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year. "The Calvin and Hobbes: Tenth Anniversary Book" features commentaries from the man himself, as Watterson narrates 'Calvin and Hobbes' making of and the inspiration behind it. He writes about the struggles he's had with them and discusses the pressures faced to commercialise them more. It's loaded with Insights into Modern Culture. Otherwise, & BEST Buy, The Whole Box Set; Enjoy a wonderful Insight into the Mind.

Andy Wharol just 4U

"The Philosophy Of Andy Warhol" by ANDY WARHOL

This is Warhol's 1975 first edition book, autographed and dedicated by Andy Warhol himself with an original 'Campbells Soup Can' drawing on an inside page; it still has its original jacket. This book is Andy Warhol's stance vis-a-vis love, sex, beauty, fame, work, money, success; all that crap if I may!! But also, about New York and about himself--his childhood in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, the explosion of his career in the sixties, and life among celebrities. Obtained thru a well respected Fine Arts/Book Gallery, it is/was --[not sure] available for sale. A definite stunning addition for any collector with a certificate of Authenticity. Check it if interested on Eil.com EIL.com is the world's biggest online store for new, rare, collectable CDs, vinyl records, music DVDs, clothing, limited editions, imports and music memorabilia from the around the world. And if you're a fan of the infamous pop artist you may also be interested in his Greta Garbo (Fantastic 60cm x 85cm colour offset exhibition poster produced for a Warhol show at Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover Germany between October & December 1981. Autographed by Warhol in black felt pen underneath the iconic image of Greta. The poster features show dates and a bold 'WARHOL' in white across the bottom and costs USD 1,455.00.

Creative Commons emblem

I came across this perfect flag, that actually looked more for me, like a rendered version of the KSA's; or a smoother vision of the pirates'. In fact, IT IS inspired by those gangsters of another rage; however, the person behind this thoughtful design had more of a reflective thought on piracy in the New Age, the Networked Age. Here are Akma's random thoughts on the featured visual: "I realized that a Creative Commons emblem couldn’t just be a skull and crossbones, since part of the point is that the culture for which we’re struggling isn’t properly someone else’s good that we want to steal, but rather is should be recognized as a common good, that we want to turn loose for the benefit of the culture in general. Instead of a skull, then — a light bulb (illuminating its surroundings, and itself an invention whose patent we would not want to have seen extended indefinitely). The crossed bones — a pen (obviously) and. . . a microphone?" Click on I READ