Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Because I am such a gringo, even though I grew up in Lard, here is some info stolen brazenly from Wikipidia:

In 1862, in response to Mexico's refusal to pay off its debt, Britain, Spain and France sent troops to Mexico; they arrived in January of 1862. The new democratically-elected government of President Benito Juárez made agreements with the British and the Spanish, who promptly recalled their armies, but the French stayed, thus beginning the period of the French intervention in Mexico. Emperor Napoleon III wanted to secure French dominance in the former Spanish colony, including installing one of his relatives, Archduke Maximillian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico.

Confident of a quick victory, 6,500 French soldiers marched on to Mexico City to seize the capital before the Mexicans could muster a viable defense. Along their march, the French already encountered stiff resistance before Zaragoza struck out to intercept the invaders.

The battle between the French and Mexican armies occurred on May 5 when Zaragoza's ill-equipped militia of 4,500 men encountered the better-armed French force. However, Zaragoza's small and nimble cavalry units were able to prevent French dragoons from taking the field and overwhelming the Mexican infantry. With the dragoons removed from the main attack, the Mexicans routed the remaining French soldiers with a combination of their tenacity, inhospitable terrain, and a stampede of cattle set off by local peasants. The invasion was stopped and crushed.

Zaragoza won the battle but lost the war. The French Emperor, upon learning of the failed invasion, immediately dispatched another force, this time numbering 30,000 soldiers. By 1864, they succeeded in defeating the Mexican army and occupying Mexico City. Archduke Maximillian became Emperor of Mexico.

Maximilian's rule was short-lived. Mexican rebels opposed to his rule resisted, seeking the aid of the United States. Once the American Civil War was over, the U.S. military began supplying Mexicans with weapons and ammunition, and by 1867, the rebels finally defeated the French and deposed their puppet Emperor. The Mexican people then reelected Juárez as president.


Filed under:Politics and Pop Culture

Culture o' Destruction
Quite often lately I've seen a bunch of ads online which really just make me sorta angry:


They get worse than this, even--I saw "Shoot the Terrorist" but it changed before I could get a screen print of it. I know I'm probaby being reactionary, but I think this sort of thing just speaks volumes: Kill, destroy, demolish, and get cool stuff! It's right up there with "Get this surgery and be happy!" or "Take this pill and lose all negativity!" or "Vote, and the Country won't get taken over by religious fundamentalists!".
Filed under:Politics and Pop Culture

Now I Have to Stop Buying Certain Comics Because They Have Become Nike Ads

I know people will say it was bound to happen, but product placement in comics just makes me sad. And a little angry. I'm naive, what can I say. The interesting thing is that the Wall Street Journal article points out that 'this isn't new' and it's really 'not so bad':

Weaving products into comics is not entirely new. DC says in the 1960s it produced comic-book series based on toys such as Captain Action or Hot Wheels, in response to advertiser relationships. The new auto-maker ads will be less overt.

See, that's the thing. I think in this case, 'less overt' is worse. In part because 'less over' does NOT mean that I don't see the ads. And: I can clearly decide whether or not to buy a hot wheels comic, and I know what I'm getting. But if I go see a movie and there are lots of product placements, or if I buy a comic and the same thing happens, I didn't really have a good chance at having a choice in the matter. Instead, I'll have to start only buying comics which are made by companies that don't generally do product placement...for as long as such companies exist.

Blech.
Filed under:Comics as Life Pop Culture

Awesome

Almost makes me wish I were Mormon when I was a teenager...


Filed under:Pop Culture and Religion

Scarlett, I Hardly Knew Ya

"One of the best things for a woman to hear is that she is sexy," the 21-year-old actress, star of "Match Point" and "Lost in Translation," said in a statement. "I'd like to thank FHM's readers for the huge compliment."

Inherent problems with announcing/voting a person 'sexiest X of the year/decade/minute' aside--definitions of 'sexy' and intersections of gender/race/class are among the things that make such pronouncements problematic--it's pretty disheartening on the face of it that Ms. Johansson thinks that hearing one is sexy from the people who vote in FHM's polls is one of the best things for a woman to hear.

Which isn't to say that I don't like hearing that I'm sexy, or that I think hearing such a thing couldn't be up there on anybody's list of things one would want to hear. Even if she had said "one of the best things a person can hear is that one is sexy," it would have had a different connotation for me. As it stands, seems Scarlett thinks that women in particular have 'you're sexy' in mind as one of the best things to hear. Not, 'you're smart' or 'you're kind' or 'you're strong'...although who knows, maybe her list of best things to hear is a long one.


Filed under:
Feminism and Pop Culture