by Kieron Gillen (writer), Billy Tan (pencils), Batt (inks), Christina Strain (colors), and Joe Sabino (letters)

The Story: Balder begins his war with Doom, as the Latverian dictator’s experiments stand revealed.

What’s Good: Gillen and Tan have a very unenviable task in following one of the greatest Thor runs of all time.  Thankfully, Gillen tries his best to work in the spirit of JMS’ final few issues.   There are no problematic shifts in character voices.  Balder and Loki in particular remain just as sound as ever.  If anything, Loki seems a little less sinister and a little sleazier under Gillen’s hand.  His manipulations are just a little more blunt and obvious, but for the time being, it works given the circumstances.

Gillen also gets the award for writing the most arrogant and pompous Doom of the month.  At times it’s a little over-the-top, but ultimately, Gillen successfully straddles the line between badass and campy. Gillen’s Doom is a vibrant, scenery-chewing read and really dominates every page he appears on.

In the meantime, there’s a rather humorous Fantastic Four cameo in the book that got a smile out of me and I actually felt Gillen’s Balder to be an improvement over JMS’ portrayal of the character over the past few issues.  While still a far cry from Reed Richards, Balder actually isn’t a dumbass under Gillen’s pen, despite maintaining his standard heroic shtick.

On art, this is some of the best work I’ve seen Billy Tan produce in some time and is head and shoulders over his recent New Avengers work.  It’s clear that Tan put absolutely everything he had into this issue.  It is easily up to the standard that Coipell and Djurdjevic have set for the series.  It’s very detailed, while maintaining a dark and epic atmosphere and mystique.  Tan’s effort is close to faultless and superior to Djurdjevic’s rushed work last week.  Despite my concern, if Tan can maintain the quality he showed this month, he was definitely the right man for the job.  Also, his illustrations of Doom’s “experiments” are fantastic.

What’s Not So Good: I was nothing less than irate over Gillen’s treatment of one of JMS’ original characters.  In my review of last week’s finale, I stated that JMS’ massive change in direction for this character was perhaps the most interesting strand he left open at the end of his run.  Gillen, however, seemed to have nothing for the character and so, decides to kill said character off.  He basically took one of the most interesting dangling plots that JMS left behind and completely snuffed it out.  The fact that he does this in literally the very first scene of the book is nothing less than insulting.

Even if the character isn’t dead, it doesn’t change the fact that Gillen has placed the character in a passive position of distress, in need of being saved.  This would be a massive step backward from the terrifyingly pro-active state JMS left the character in.

Other than that, Doom, while enjoyable, does refer to himself in the third person a little too much.  Also, there’s a bit of dialogue where Donald Blake essentially out-thinks Reed Richards.  That Reed would not be able to figure out a basic line of reasoning, especially one related to technology, is ridiculous.

Finally, in an effort to convey Jane’s shadowed surroundings, colorist Christina Strain somehow manages to change poor Jane’s ethnicity.  I had no idea Dr. Foster was Hispanic.

Conclusion: It’s far from the horrific drop-off some predicted, but there are some small glitches and the character death is absolutely unforgivable.

Grade: C+

-Alex Evans

Most people do not know that the days of the week in the English language are named after pagan Germanic gods, with Sunday and Monday being the obvious exceptions.

The etymology behind the days of the week:

Sunday = Sun day. Hope you could figure that one out. From the Old English word “Sunnandæg”, it is derived from the Latin “solis dies” or “day of the sun”.

Monday = Moon day. This one seems pretty obvious too, right? The modern English word is derived from the Old English word “monedæi”. This is derived from the Latin term “lunae dies” or “day of the moon”.

Tuesday = Tiw day. Here’s where things start getting a little less self-explanatory. Tiw was the pagan Germanic god of war, equivalent to the Latin Mars or Greek Ares. In the extinct Gothic language the god was referred to as “Teiws”, whereas he was known as “Tyr” in Norse, and “Tiwaz” in Proto-Germanic. The word is derived from the Old English “Tiwesdæg”. 

Wednesday = Woden’s day. Woden, also known as Odin in Norse, was the chief god of Germanic paganism, equivalent to the Latin Jupiter and Greek Zeus. Oddly enough, he was more so associated with the Latin god Mercury in ancient times, as Mercury’s Celtic equivalent, Lugus, was the chief god of the Celtic religion and the two shared many attributes. The word derives from the Old English “Wodnesdæg”, which in turn was the Germanic translation for the Latin “Mercurii dies” or “Mercury’s day”.

Thursday = Thor’s day. This one is probably a little easier to put together for most people than the others so far. Thor is fairly well known in modern times, thanks in part to the old comic book, and the spelling didn’t change a whole lot. The word is derived from the Old English “Þunresdæg”, or “Thunor’s day”. Thunor was the Old English word for Thor, the Norse god of Thunder. His name in Proto-Germanic was Thunaraz, which in turn gave rise to the Norse word Þor, the English word Thor, and the German word Donner (Thursday is Donnerstag in German). It is a Germanic translation of the Latin “Iovis dies”, or “day of Jupiter”, who, besides being the chief Latin god, was also the god of thunder.

Friday = Frigg’s day. Frigg was the wife of Odin and queen of the gods, in Germanic paganism, equivalent to the Latin Juno and Greek Hera. The word is derived from the Old English “Frigedæg”, but some contend that Friday was actually named after the goddess Freyja, who was the Germanic goddess of love, equivalent to the Latin Venus, and Greek Aphrodite. In that case the word would be derived from the Old High German “Friatag”, which was the Germanic translation of the Latin “Veneris dies” or “day of Venus”.

Saturday = Saturn’s day. Saturn was the Latin father of the gods, equivalent to the Greek Kronos, and was also a god of agriculture. Since the Germanic pagans didn’t really have an equivalent to Saturn, they adopted the Latin form itself, from “Saturni dies” or “day of Saturn” to the Old English “Sæternesdæg”. The Norse use variations of the word “Lördag”, which roughly translates as “bath day”, and the German speaking countries use variations of two different words; “Samstag” which is derived from the Old High German “Sambaztac” or “Sabbath day”, and “Sonnabend”, derived from the Old High German “Sunnunaband”, meaning “Sun’s eve”.

Quick nod to the new Tyr ablum: By the Light of the Northern Star.  The title is an overt reference for those in the know, the northern star was a representation of TYR to our ancestors – holding the path of the heavens true. 

This album is pure pagan metal.  I wouldn’t call it pagan/folk, because while it does have honest lyrics about heritage and myth, it does not include too many folk instruments or arrangements.

But if your a heathen and like metal, which seems pretty normal for pagans of the Norse stripe, this album is bold and it will penetrate you with pagan pride.

The first track “Hold Your Heathen Hammer High” nearly makes my heart explode.

“Hold the heathen hammer high with a battle cry
For the pagan past I live and one day will die
Hold the heathen hammer high, never turn away
Ever true unto your forefathers stalwart stay”

I’ve gotta tell you I like these guys as well.  I recently caught an interview with Singer Pól Arni Holm and I gotta say he seems like a guy that truly lives what he says.  He wore a hammer proudly, yet not arrogantly, he spoke of the myths he was currently reading and seemed like a normal dude…like many of us pagans are.

I think it’s incredible how pagan metal has become in recent years it’s own genre.  I’ve gotta say, as one who has loved so much black metal and pagan metal in the past, it’s awesome to see it become more pronounced and less subtle in it’s focus.

Other Pagan Metal bands I’d recommend:

Elvenking,Falconer, Mithotyn,Borknagar,Korpiklaani,Finntroll, Suidakra, Eluveitie

Saludos queridos lectores, desde hace un tiempo nos están bombardeando con la propaganda institucional, en la que sale la frase que titula el post, supongo que para promocionar la igualdad entre géneros, me pregunto yo ¿Por qué los actores que salen no dicen todos lo mismo? me explico ¿es necesario para dar sensación de igualdad (que supongo que será lo que quieren conseguir)?, ¿No sería (quizás, tal vez, a lo mejor) preferible que ellas dijeran que ningun hombre sería menos que yo?, ¿No sería así más igualitario? ¿será que no he entendido el anuncio (al menos es la sensación que me da)?, ¿Ganará el Alcorcón la copa?. No se, no se.

Soy partidario de la igualdad de géneros pero creo que este tipo de publicidad solo perjudican a ésta, la igualdad, puesto que, parece que no se trata de obtener una igualdad sino, una superioridad, creo,  que  sería lógico pensar que lo que no quieres para ti no lo pidas para nadie. Así que si queremos igualdad no la bombardeemos con discriminación sea “positiva” como negativa, aunque para mí toda es negativa, ya que solo genera más discriminación.

¿Y vosotros que opinais? Vota este articulo en bitacoras y te lo agradeceré

The TYR Tracer ($15) were my favorite goggles when I first started wearing them. The TRP gaskets are extremely comfortable without any excess pressure on the eye sockets. It’s a low-profile goggle but still provides good peripheral vision and the lens doesn’t press against my eyelashes, a problem I have with lower profile racing goggles. I never had any problems with leaking or fogging.  The headstrap was simple to adjust with the Glide clip system and stayed in place with and without a swim cap. 

TYR Tracer Racing Goggle (clear/smoke)

After a few months of fairly regular pool use, the clear gaskets started turning a greenish hue. I’m assuming it was mold and mildew from storing them before they were completely dry. Also, the gaskets began to deform where the straps overlap. This never caused any leaking and they would reform when I put them on. Recently, the nose piece popped out of one gasket and despite my best efforts, will stay not connected. I even replaced the nose piece with one of the extras provided and it stilled popped out.

Final Tally: 3 out of 5

Summary: Comfortable google but seemed to have a shorter than expected life-span.

He doesn’t actually give examples of what these costumes would look like, but does mention that the “sexy” versions of them would be interesting and I have to agree. Imagine a woman dressing as sexy transubstantiation instead of sexy bumblebee. For pathetic fallacy, you could dress up as some element of weather and just act human.

Or you can just do this

I think this is funny actually. Most everything about this woman is funny though.

—
On other news, two lines I detest hearing out of mouths and I heard both today are:
1. I deserve…
2. It wasn’t (or was) meant to be…

Tuesday is named after Tyr, Norse god of war, so maybe my rage is warranted? No, probably not.

John Bauer, Tyr

Lastly, I like this recent entry from Smitten Kitten where the writer (who is from Philadelphia!) talks about why jazz hounds don’t always like her, and I completely get what she is saying. Here is a quote:

ladies & gentlemen i give you:  METALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

2 subgenres in particular, power metal & viking metal.  viking metal is self-explanatory, and power metal is basically the child of thrash and speed metal, infused with lyrical obsession of all things that got you beat up in high school:  dungeons & dragons, lord of the rings (before it was cool), fantasy novels, and the like, sung typically very highly (i.e. “ahhhhhhhhAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”).  power metal has been around for a while, but got a little bit of mainstream attention with the success (relatively speaking, they’re far from platinum!) of dragonforce, based highly on their being featured in guitar hero.  dragonforce get some flack from the hardcore fanbase of the scene, they’ve been called “nintendo metal” based on the video game sound of their guitars & keyboards, but i think they pwn.  then again, metal is not my passion, so perhaps that’s why  either way, here’s a hilarious yet awesome (3 words that go together very well when talking about power metal videos & lyrics) video, “operation ground & pound”.

now for some more.  from germany…

blind guardian!!!  here’s “war of wrath/into the storm”.

from tampa, florida…

iced earth!!!  here’s “travel in stygian”.

from finland…

sonata arctica!!!  here’s “wolf & raven”.

from italy…

rhapsody of fire!!!  here’s “unholy warcry” (featuring saruman!).

from sweden…

ikea.  oh, and hammerfall!  here’s “any means necessary”.

onto the viking metal!  this subgenre has its roots in the same place as black metal, not only in that both come from the same regional area (scandinavia) but both are credited with having their beginning with the band bathory.  the band’s 1990 album hammerheart was the first viking metal record.  viking metal ranges in sound much more, as the common basis for the bands isn’t the sound or style but lyrical topics that focus on norse mythology & the viking age.  and now we get to celebrate with 5 videos that do thor proud.  beginning with, from the faroe islands…

tyr!  here’s “hail to the hammer!”.

from norway…

enslaved!  (i’m actually not a fan of dude’s voice, but they’re pretty crucial).  here’s “path to vanir”.

from sweden…

amon amarth!  here’s “guardians of asgaard”.

from finland…

turisas!  this band is crazy fun.  here’s “in the court of jarisleif”.

and to end it off, from denmark…

svartsot!  here’s “jotunheimsfaerden”.

The long-term “Revenge of Geography”; (Oct. 30, 2009)

In ancient times, oceans, seas, high mountain chains, vast deserts, large rivers, and lakes formed natural barriers that separated settled tribes from nomadic ones.  Eventually, rivers were no longer major barriers for demographic explosions and warrior-like tribes; deserts were sort of conquered with caravans of camels by 2,000 BC that originated in Yemen; mountain chains could be overcome when the other side did not offer any worthy hardships for the wealth and bounty of fertile lands.  The Mediterranean Sea was the playground for commerce and trade of the Greeks, Phoenician City-States of Sidon, Tyr, and Byblos; later Carthage, the Roman Empire, and the Byzantium Empire conquered this sea.  Major oceans were criss-crossed by the gigantic Chinese fleet as early as 1000 AC that reached the Arabic Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.  By the 15^th century, Portugal and then Spain conquered the Pacific and then the Atlantic and started the colonial period that lasted five centuries and is still going on under different labels and forms.

“It is man who has the power to create; it is nature that commands to a large extent” said Harold Mackinder in 1904.  To Mackinder, the “Heartland zone” of earth is that vast land forming Russia, Central Asia, and parts of Central Europe.  All imperial military and economic strategies such as the British and the USA were based on encircling this “heartland” with military and trade zones. 

Russia was plagued by invasions from Mongolia and Central Asia and thus, to create durable buffer zones Russia countered by expanding into that “heartland” toward Siberia in the East, Central Asia toward Turkey and Iran, and then toward Central Europe in the West.  China also suffered from relentless invasions from Mongolia and the south east civilizations and endeavored to expand westward into Tibet and Central Asia and southward into South-East Asia.  Europe turned overseas since the 15^th century to open up and conquer trade implants and then colonize the bordering regions around the “pivotal heartland”.  The 13 federated states in America expanded to the Pacific Ocean and toward Mexico.

Along the borders of the “Heartland pivot land” there are natural blocks of lands such as the South-East (from Vietnam to Burma or Maynamar with their jungles); the Indian sub-continent with the Himalaya and the Indo-Kouch mountain chains which include all of current Pakistan, then you have Iran that includes all of Afghanistan, then you have Turkey and the Caucasus. That is how the 21st century is looking like when all is settled.

The main power will reside on who control the sources of the major rivers.  China has conquered Tibet because three main rivers take their sources from the Himalaya mountain chains; mainly the Mekong (that flow into the South East), the Indus (that flow in Pakistan), and the Brahmapoutre that flow in India and join the Gange River.  China has already built 86,000 dams along the Blue and Yellow Rivers that take sources on the western plateaus; China has not consulted with the South East countries and has already built four mega dams on the Mekong, including two huge lakes that will take about 10 years to fill in order to generate hydraulic power.

Turkey controls two huge rivers the Euphrates and the Tiger that flow in Syria and Iraq.  Turkey has been building dams on these rivers without consulting with the southern neighboring States.  Ethiopia is in control of the Nile if it wishes to.  The US has been building dams along rivers that flow into Mexico.

The USA would like you to believe that there are no natural borders for its military might. That is not a half truth; it is a lie and a psychological propaganda.  Planes, missiles, tanks, and navy do not conquer lands: it is the walking soldier that does this job in order to retain any conquered land. If there is the will to resist in a rough geographic landscape then there can be no conquest. The US used all kinds of defoliate gas (Orange gas) in the jungles of Vietnam but it had to declare defeat and retreat in total chaos; it is already preparing plans to retreat from Afghanistan; it gave up rapidly after the first major skirmish in Somalia.  If the US managed to enter Baghdad it is because there was no will to resist by the people: they wanted to get rid of despot Saddam Hussein; the US is packing up and leaving next year after pressuring the Iraqis to sign an agreement.

Yes, we are witnessing the era of “Anthropocene” which means man is doing more damages to the environment than nature can stabilize but the main reality is there to account for: sources of water.  China, Turkey, Russia, USA, and Brazil control sources of major rivers.  The main struggle in the medium-term is who will control the Nile, the Congo, and Niger Rivers in Africa. Water desalination of Oceans and the towing of icebergs will do for a while but cannot resolve a long-term problem in water shortages.  Actually, huge displacement of people from megapolis to near water sources will have to be undertaken because of the huge investment of supplying water to big urban cities and in order to recover sub-terrain naps and natural ecosystems.

Iloubnan

Après trois journées et autant de victoires, le Ahed a pris la tête du championnat du Liban de première division de football après sa difficile victoire obtenue dimanche à Bourj Hamoud contre La Sagesse (2-1).

Sur le terrain du stade municipal de Beyrouth, le Nejmeh, grâce à sa large victoire sur le Tadamon Tyr (5-1), a conforté sa place de dauphin devancant désormais le Racing qui au Safaa stadium a chuté pour la première fois de la saison face au Safaa (0-2).

Dans les autres rencontres du week-end, le Ansar l’a péniblement emporté sur le Ahli Saida (1-0) au stade municipal de Beyrouth. Sur la pelouse du stade municipal de Tyr, le promu Islah bourj shmeli a vaincu au bout du suspense le Mabbarah (3-2). Enfin, à Saida Shabeb Ghazieh et Shabeb Sahel se sont quittés sur le score nul de un partout.

Voici par ailleurs le classement général à l’issue de la 3e manche:

1- Ahed 9 pts; 2- Nejmeh 7 pts; 3- Racing 6 pts; 4- Safaa 5 pts; 5- Ansar 5 pts; 6- Tadamon Tyr 4 pts; 7- Islah 3 pts; 8- Mabbarah 3 pts; 9- La Sagesse 2 pts; 10- Shabeb Sahel 2 pts; 11- Ghazieh 1 pt; 12- Ahli Saida 1 pt.

… et le classement des buteurs:

1) Maciti (Nejmeh) 6 buts // 2) Khodor Saleme (Safaa) 3 buts // 3) Fabio Dos Sontos (Ahed) 3 buts// 4) Mahmoud Alali (Ahed) 3 buts// 5) Fayssal Antar (Tadamon Tyr) 2 buts.

Why Europe is barbaric?

The barbaric Catholic Church;(October 13, 2009)

            There is a resurgence of Islamophobia in France couched under the pretext of discovering the origins of European civilization as a combination of Greek and Christian cultures. It would be worthwhile to set the historical facts straight for any meaningful reply.

            By 324 AC, the Roman Emperor Constantine had defeated the three other co-Emperors and is the sole ruler of the Mediterranean Sea Empire, including England, France, northern Africa, Egypt, Turkey, and the Near East to the Euphrates River. Emperor Constantine ordered the Bishops of all the Christian sects in his Empire (they were a dozen at least) to meet in Nicee (Turkey) to adopt a unifying “dogma” for a central Orthodox Church based in Constantinople. By a slight majority, bishops who agreed to Constantine’s radical abstract dogma (he was a new convert) started to persecute the “heretic” Christian sects who fled to the western side of the Euphrates River that was under Persia Empire.

            From 325 AC to around 700 AC there was a Christian Empire dominated by Byzantium with Capital in Constantinople. This empire was to the east of the Euphrates River, crossing Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, all the way to England and including North Africa. To the west of the Euphrates River there was a Persian Empire, mostly under the Sassanide Dynasty.  For four centuries, the Christians of the Orient under the central power of the Church of Constantinople shied rational thinking and sciences were halted.

            The Arabic Empire, around 650 AC, did not conquer the western part of Turkey which remained with the Byzantium Empire until 1450 when the Ottoman Sultan Muhammad 2 entered Constantinople and spread all the way to the borders of Vienna in Austria. The Christians of the Orient, especially the heretic sects, converted to Islam that represented a pragmatic common denominator religion away fro the Orthodox Church. Rational thinking got a boost; translation of foreign knowledge and Greek manuscripts to the Syriac and Arabic languages got underway; it was about time.

            In around 1000 a major schism in Christianity split the Catholic Church of Rome with the Christian Orthodox Church of Constantinople. Actually, the initial Crusade campaigns had for objective to conquer Constantinople and coerce the Orthodox Church into uniting with Rome. That is what took place and Constantinople was ransacked and burned before the Crusading forces marched on toward Jerusalem. The other successive Crusading incursions had for objective to capture Egypt and free the spice routes directly to Europe without paying taxes to the Moslem Kingdoms along the maritime and land caravan routes.

            The Koran was translated in Constantinople in the 9^th century. It was translated in Toledo (Spain) in the 12^th century but was not disseminated in Europe.  Europe got aware of Islam’s concept of decentralized religious power in the 16^th century when printing made it feasible; this was the period when the Catholic Church of Rome experienced its decline on holding on absolute religious and civilian power.

            Thus, from 325 to 1450 Europe was Christian.  Why Greek civilization, if Europe insists on taking the source of its culture from antique Greece, was not prevalent during over 11 centuries?  Why Europe remained barbaric till the 15^th century?  Is it because the Christian dogma of Rome was barbaric and refused other civilizations and cultures to infiltrate Europe?  Certainly the Christian clerics were at least bilingual, mostly Latin and Greek, and consequently, if Greece had any culture it would have been translated into Latin. Some would give the lame excuse that the scholars in Europe, mostly the clerics, could read the Greek manuscripts in their original forms and had no need to translate any manuscripts into Latin or other live languages; this would be another proof that the Catholic Church of Rome was barbaric and refused philosophical and scientific disciplines to penetrate into Europe.

            Europe experienced a demographic surge around 1000 AC; it is after getting in contact with the Near East culture and civilization (under Arabic/Islamic kingdoms) during the Crusading campaigns that culture entered Europe from the open door.  Even after the total defeat of the Crusaders in 1200 the Near East culture permeation would continue via Andalusia in southern Spain. The Arabic/Moslem civilization in Spain was the main source for the transfer of sciences into Europe until the “Christian” Spanish monarchs conquered completely Spain in around 1400 and chased out Moslems and Jews from its territory.

            Greece after Aristotle did not produced much in culture.  It was just a brilliant century for the City-State of Athens during Pericles period, as so many glorious periods for a dozen other City-States that dotted the Mediterranean shores and the Euphrates River, from Mary, Harran, Edessee, Ugharite, Tripoli, Byblos, Beirut, Sidon, Tyr, and much later Alexandria, Antiochus, and Ephesus, and on that scholars and archeologists have to start focusing on for the origins of civilizations.  The proof is that the Byzantium Empire that was established in Greece for over 11 centuries is no where mentioned as source for any worthwhile civilization.

            Macedonian warriors under Alexander conquered the Near East.  It is not because the Near East people, from Alexandria, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and coastal Turkey, who assimilated the Greek language and spread their own culture and civilization in the Greek language that Europe has to claim its civilization to Greece. Europe should not. It is the Near East culture and civilization that assimilated the languages of the various conquerors (Mesopotamians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs from the Arabic Peninsula, Ottomans from the Turkish Plateau, and the most recent French colonialism, and English colonialism) that absorbed and disseminated the fundamental cultures and civilizations to its neighboring environment.  

            It is not because of the invasion of nomadic warriors from the Arabic Peninsula that Arabic civilization should be labeled Arab.  Why the Mogul Empires that lasted longer than many Empires and stretched much further than many are not given any civilization?  It is a shame that Europe still feels the urge to attribute civilization to military conquering warriors.

            Europe would have remained barbaric if it was not superceded as a superpower by the USA and Russia after WWII. The recent colonial dominations and the slaughtering of indigent people is a striking proof.  The single streak that the USA inherited mostly from Europe is its barbaric pre-emptive wars against smaller nations and its racist tendency for hegemony whenever the chance knocks.

            Thus, the break up of the “heretic” protestant sects with the Catholic Church of Rome opened the way for Europe’s renaissance and the transfer of Islamic scientific discoveries and scientific methods with sound mathematical discipline. Strong with new sciences the “heretic” Protestant sects created models of nationalism to civilize the “barbarians” of the world.  Renaissance of Europe turned out not to be driven toward humanitarian purposes but based on exclusive nationalism proprietary that exhibited its brutal and ugly racist behavior for many decades.

            After the 18^th century Papal Rome tried hastily to catch up with the scientific trend and put up a face of progress and the conservator of scientific investigation.  This obscurantist religious central power initiated and backed all European invasions and the extermination of aborigines under the guise of “Christianizing” the pagan barbarians.

Note: I use chock titles to lure readers; those who patronize my blog comprehend that my posts are highly rational and the work of much analysis and reflection. I have no zeal to dwell into religions of any kinds. I would like readers to refer to my recent post “Damascus saved the Greek culture and language”.

FINA has released it’s official list of swimsuits approved for 2010.  Most major swimsuit manufacturers are represented on the list including Nike, Arena, TYR and Speedo.  Here is that list in its entirety:

FINA 2010 List of Approved Swimsuits

The devil is NOT in the details; (October 16, 2009)

            Details are what bring people together to communicate, dialogue, and negotiate to reach compromises.  The main wall that separate among communities is the concrete wall mixed with myths, general concepts, and abstract notions.  Strong with draft details each organization can start to sort out the differences and comprehend the big picture; it is never the way around in social behavior. I will discuss two cases, one religious and the other of political nature.

            After the crucifixion of Jesus many Christian sects were born in the Near East in the first four centuries.  Fundamentally, these sects were almost identical in applying the Jewish daily rituals or the Jewish 650 laws of “correct” conduct. What separated these sects were abstract concepts that did not harm their peaceful coexistence in separate communities of believers: they never attacked by force one another; military persecutions started when the Church acquired central power in Constantinople; whole “heretic” sects and entire communities had to flee to safety. 

            Thus, The Mighty Wall was erected after 325 AC when Byzantium Empire decided to adopt Christianity as the main religion of the Empire.  Thus, the central power concept of the Empire dictated that church should be centralized.  Instead of focusing in negotiating on the details that split the various sects an upper abstract super-structure on concepts was imposed; concepts such as the dual nature of Christ, the deity of the threes (the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit), the virginity of the mother Mary and on.  This time around, the sects were to join the Orthodox Church by force if need be: a central Empire cannot permit disunity, even on totally nonsense abstract conjectures!

            Consequently, the labeled “heretic” sects had to flee beyond the eastern shores of the Euphrates River (to the Persia Sassanide Dynasty).  The Nestourian sect reached China and translated “their” Bible into the Chinese language. Many other “heretic” sects settled in the Arabic Peninsula; the Christian-Jewish “Ebionite” sect was firmly entrenched in Mecca; the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, Ain Warkat, was the Patriarch of this sect and Muhammad learned to read in the Aramaic Ebionite Bible; Muhammad aided his uncle in the translation of this specific Bible into the Arabic slang of Mecca.  Thus, Islam is originally a common denominator “heretic” Christian sect, one of many Christian sects in the Arabic Peninsula; the Prophet had to delete all the abstract notions to unite the sects; it was named Islam or the belief in the One and only God.

            The strong animosity of the Catholic Church of Rome against Islam was not directed at a religion such as Buddhism or Mazdean but at a new “heretic” Christian sect usurping its central power in the Near East. The Orthodox Church in Constantinople was more lenient with Islam because it understood its genesis and the causes for the need of this new “heresy”; for Constantinople Islam was the oriental counterpart of Protestantism to Rome when Islam became the dominant religion in the region. 

            It is said: “the enemy of my enemy is my ally”; this Machiavellian principle was lost to obscurantist Catholic Church. Rome was too far away and fought Islam with the ignorance of abstract concepts. For the Catholic Church in 1,000 AC, Islam was doubly “heretic” instead of just the counterpart to the central Orthodox Church of the Byzantium Empire: it failed to realize that if Islam spread so fast and so widely it is mainly because most the labeled Christian heretic sects quickly converted to Islam as representing their system of belief against the monopole of Constantinople.

            The other case is the concept of a Syrian Nation with well delimited natural borders including Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and part of Iraq to the west of the Tiger (Dujlat) River. This concept was highly widespread among the people of the region as the Ottoman Empire was dying during WWI.  It was still even more alive during the mandate of France and Britain to the region (Near East) after WWI. The people in the Syrian Nation speak one language and have the same customs and tradition.  This nation was as natural as ABC; the immigrants were first called Turks during the Ottoman Empire and then they were all called Syrians regardless of location or religion.

            The main problem is that the political parties spent two critical decades proving the evident (according to the newer definitions of the West for a Nation) instead of making the effort to developing draft detailed programs on the type of political administrative structure for this nation, the social representation, and election laws; (for example, is it a Federal structure like the USA where each mandated State is fully autonomous with local government and local parliament, or provinces tailored made to religious, ethnic, and sectarian majorities, or loosely united States with open borders, common money, central army, or centralized foreign affairs; is Syria to be a monarchy and what kind). 

            Instead of discussing detailed programs, political parties mushroomed with abstract concepts not based on facts or pragmatic long-term goals. The colonial “mandated powers” of France and England had field days of “dividing to rule”.  Every sect established its political party in every potential State claiming either total independence, or seeking a pan-Arabic Nation of Arabic speaking majorities in States, or Islamic Nation.  We watched the emergence of communist parties disclaiming the notion of affiliating to a nation, to sectarian parties claiming democracy, socialism, and progressive. The worst propaganda that was encouraged by the colonial powers is to incite citizens against the Syrian people with the objective of discrediting the word Syria and giving it a bad connotation.

              Natural borders of chain of mountains, desert, or large rivers do not necessarily protect from invasions; natural borders certainly encourage people to trade and interact inside the borders.  It is the internal rough geography and terrain that protects from outside military incursions.  Once a force crosses the border then Syria is an open land all the way to Egypt. Syria, or the Near East, was continuously occupied by foreign armies: these foreign invaders had to retreat quickly or get absorbed culturally. Whatever monuments, constructions, temples, sport arena, or scholarly works that were attributed to invading nations (Persia, Egypt, Greek, Rome, or Arab) are basically the work of the Near Eastern civilization, their scholars, their craftsmen, and their adventurous business acumen.

            The City-States in the Near East (Tyr, Sidon, Byblos, Ugharit, Mary …) competed in commerce and trade but never attacked one another militarily.  In Greece, City-States frequently waged military wars against one another.  The Near Eastern people adopted defensive strategy; even Carthage in its apogee refrained to antagonize Rome militarily.

            Egypt and Persia frequent invasions in the Near East did not last long.  The Greek were absorbed: what Europe claim as Greek civilization is nothing less than the civilization of the Greek writing Syrians who spoke Aramaic.  Rome was finally absorbed: the Roman Laws are of the legal minds from the school of Beirut and the latest Emperors were born, raised, and educated in Syria. The Byzantium Empire was fundamentally a Near Eastern Empire.  The Arabs from the Arabic Peninsula were absorbed when Damascus was selected as Capital during the Umayyad Dynasty; the Arabs were absorbed by the Persian civilization when the capital shifted to Baghdad.  The Mogul retreated quickly but established long lasting Empires in India and Afghanistan. The Ottoman conquered this land and could not be absorbed: the Syrian people were already exhausted from many years of successive invasions, religious obscurantism, and immigration by scholars to greener pastures.  France and England retreated within two decades.  Israel failed to retreat on time and is now being absorbed as Near Eastern regardless of Israel attempts to seeking European image.

            Consequently, failing to writing a draft on a possible administrative program for the Syrian Nation opened the door to abstract concept instead of working out negotiation and dialogue on pragmatic matters that concerned the people.

Black Sabbath
Tyr
(1990)
1. Anno Mundi
2. The Law Maker
3. Jerusalem
4. The Sabbath Stones
5. The Battle Of Tyr
6. Odin’s Court
7. Valhalla
8. Feels Good To Me
9. Heaven In Black

Moje pierwsze wrażenie: co to, do cholery, jest? Black Sabbath i mitologia nordycka? Jak to może razem zadziałać? I do tego ta paskudna okładka… Z racji jednak, że znana sentencja ludowa mówi “nie sądź po pozorach”, nie skreśliłem krążka już na starcie, a po przesłuchaniu stwierdziłem w duchu, że… warty zachodu był pośpiech ekipy Black Sabbath, bowiem “Tyr”, choć odmienny od wydanego rok wcześniej “Headless Cross”, trzyma poziom. Może zabije to suspens recenzji, ale już na początku powiem: to kawał solidnej roboty. Niestety, tak jak poprzednik, zupełnie niesłusznie dziś zapomniany.

Zaczyna się dość… intrygująco, bowiem chórki Tony’ego Martina brzmią niczym te z… Queen. Bez obaw, nie ma tutaj więcej odniesień do drużyny Briana Maya. “Anno Mundi” rozwija się w podniosłą kompozycję o dość melancholijnym refrenie, i w sumie taki styl będzie utrzymany aż do końca. “Tyr” to materiał nieco bardziej zróżnicowany, niż “Headless Cross”, na pewno też już nie tak mroczny, a raczej bardziej patetyczny. Niektórzy mogą kręcić też nosem na fakt, że – mimo niezaprzeczalnie dobrej jakości – krążek mocno oddalił się od stylistyki zespołu, chociaż na pewno nie tak, jak na “The Eternal Idol”, a nawet jeśli, potrafi to zrekompensować. W zasadzie bardziej ‘typową’, sabbathową kompozycją jest rwany “The Sabbath Stones”, którego stonowana część ustępuje szybszej końcówce, gdzie pojawia się fajny zaśpiew Martina; nie ma jednak co wybrzydzać na pozostałe utwory. Galopujący “The Law Maker” podobać się może ze względu na chwytliwe zwrotki i niezłą solówkę, a “Jerusalem” na urokliwe harmonie wokalne. Swoją grą popisuje się w “Heaven In Black” Cozy Powell, który zresztą dość mocno zdominował ten album. Pewne zdumienie może zaś wywołać “Feels Good To Me”, ballada będąca raczej kuzynką “No Stranger To Love”, aniżeli na przykład “Changes”, a która niekoniecznie powinna znaleźć się na krążku Black Sabbath. Głównym daniem “Tyr” jest zaś tryptyk: “The Battle Of Tyr” to niepokojące, klawiszowe intro, “Odin’s Court” to akustyczna piosenka – gdzie na pierwszym planie występuje Tony Martin – jaka płynnie przechodzi w czadową “Valhallę”.

“Tyr” to już nie tak dobry materiał, jak “Headless Cross”, niemniej nie ma sensu go deprecjonować, bowiem i tutaj zawarto zróżnicowane, niezłe kompozycje, Tony Martin ciekawie ułożył swoje partie wokalne (także harmonie i chórki pojawiające się w tle), a i od strony lirycznej nie można się zbytnio przyczepić. Może przesadnie wygładzono brzmienie, niemniej produkcja, tak jak i na poprzednim krążku, jest odpowiednio selektywna (ewentualnie miałbym zastrzeżenia do ciut zbyt wysuniętej perkusji). Nie ma tutaj niczego przesadnie wbijającego w fotel czy elementu szczególnego zaskoczenia, niemniej nie oznacza to, że “Tyr” zasłużył na zapomnienie. Kolejna z perełek, po którą niekoniecznie sięgają miłośnicy Black Sabbath. A szkoda.

Ocena: 7.5 / 10

Ciekawostki:

• Choć część tekstów opiera się na mitologii nordyckiej, nie jest to concept album. Ich tematyka wypłynęła z zainteresowania Tony’ego Martina historią.
• “Jerusalem” zostało nagrane ponownie przez Tony’ego Martina na jego solowej płycie “Back Where I Belong” z 1992 r.

The barbaric Catholic Church; (October 13, 2009)

            There is a resurgence of Islamophobia in France couched under the pretext of discovering the origins of European civilization as a combination of Greek and Christian cultures. It would be worthwhile to set the historical facts straight for any meaningful reply.

            Since 325 AC to around 700 AC there was a Christian Empire dominated by Byzantium with Capital in Constantinople. This empire was to the east of the Euphrates River, crossing Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, all the way to England and including North Africa. It was basically a Mediterranean Sea Empire.  To the west of the Euphrates River there was a Persian Empire, mostly under the Sassanide Dynasty.  The Arabic Empire did not conquer the western part of Turkey which remained with the Byzantium Empire until 1450 when the Ottoman Sultan Muhammad 2 entered Constantinople and spread all the way to the borders of Vienna in Austria.

            In around 1000 a major schism in Christianity split the Catholic Church of Rome with the Christian Orthodox Church of Constantinople. Actually, the initial Crusade campaigns had for objective to conquer Constantinople and coerce the Orthodox Church into uniting with Rome. That is what took place and Constantinople was ransacked and burned before the Crusading forces marched on toward Jerusalem. The other successive Crusading incursions had for objective to capture Egypt and free the spice routes directly to Europe without paying taxes to the Moslem Kingdoms along the maritime and land caravan routes.

            Thus, from 325 to 1450 Europe was Christian.  Why Greek civilization, if Europe insists on taking the source of its culture from antique Greece, was not prevalent during over 11 centuries?  Why Europe remained barbaric till the 15^th century?  Is it because the Christian dogma of Rome was barbaric and refused other civilizations and cultures to infiltrate Europe?  Certainly the Christian clerics were at least bilingual, mostly Latin and Greek, and consequently, if Greece had any culture it would have been translated into Latin. Some would give the lame excuse that the scholars in Europe, mostly the clerics, could read the Greek manuscripts in their original forms and had no need to translate any manuscripts into Latin or other live languages; this would be another proof that the Catholic Church of Rome was barbaric and refused philosophical and scientific disciplines to penetrate into Europe.

            Europe experienced a demographic surge around 1000 AC; it is after getting in contact with the Near East culture and civilization (under Arabic/Islamic kingdoms) during the Crusading campaigns that culture entered Europe from the open door.  Even after the total defeat of the Crusaders in 1200 the Near East culture permeation would continue via Andalusia in southern Spain. The Arabic/Moslem civilization in Spain was the main source for the transfer of sciences into Europe until the “Christian” Spanish monarchs conquered completely Spain in around 1400 and chased out Moslems and Jews from its territory.

            Greece after Aristotle did not produced much in culture.  It was just a brilliant century for the City-State of Athens during Pericles period, as so many glorious periods for a dozen other City-States that dotted the Mediterranean shores and the Euphrates River, from Mary, Harran, Edessee, Ugharite, Tripoli, Byblos, Beirut, Sidon, Tyr, and much later Alexandria, Antiochus, and Ephesus, and on that scholars and archeologists have to start focusing on for the origins of civilizations.  The proof is that the Byzantium Empire that was established in Greece for over 11 centuries is no where mentioned as source for any worthwhile civilization.

            Macedonian warriors under Alexander conquered the Near East; it is not because the Near East people, from Alexandria, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and coastal Turkey, who assimilated the Greek language and spread their own culture and civilization in the Greek language that Europe has to claim its civilization to Greece. Europe should not. It is the Near East culture and civilization that assimilated the languages of the various conquerors (Mesopotamians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs from the Arabic Peninsula, Ottomans from the Turkish Plateau, French colonialism, and English colonialism) that absorbed and disseminated the fundamental cultures and civilizations to its neighboring environment.  

            It is not because of the invasion of nomadic warriors from the Arabic Peninsula that Arabic civilization should be labeled Arab.  Why the Mogul Empires that lasted longer than many Empires and stretched much further than many are not given any civilization?  It is a shame that Europe still feels the urge to attribute civilization to military conquering warriors.

Note: The title was meant to be catchy to drive through the purpose of the topic. I have no zeal to dwell into religions of any kinds. I would like readers to refer to my recent post “Damascus saved the Greek culture”.

AFP

Un militant du parti chiite Hezbollah a été grièvement blessé lundi soir alors qu’il tentait de désamorcer une roquette datant de la guerre de 2006 entre Israël et le Hezbollah, a indiqué à l’AFP un responsable des services de sécurité.

Abdel Nasser Issa, un membre du “Parti de Dieu”, avait trouvé la roquette au bord d’une rivière près du village de Tayr Felsay, à 20 kilomètres à l’est de la ville côtière de Tyr (sud). La roquette a explosé alors qu’il tentait de la désamorcer chez lui.

“Il se trouve dans un état très grave parce qu’il a été atteint de brûlures dans le visage et dans le corps”, a précisé le responsable qui s’exprimait sous couvert de l’anonymat. Un incendie s’est déclaré dans la maison composée de deux étages à la suite de l’explosion, selon lui.

Folk metallers Korpiklaani have announced a U.S. headlining tour to kick-off the new year. The Finnish act will be supported by Swashbuckle, TYR, and White Wizzard. The bands will be playing 23 shows in 24 days. Lets hope their livers are ready.

1/08 – Palladium – Worcester, Massachusetts
1/09 – Club Soda – Montreal, Quebec
1/10 – Opera House – Toronto, Ontario
1/11 – Blondie’s – Detroit, Michigan
1/12 – Jaguar Club – Chicago, Illinois
1/13 – Peabody’s – Cleveland, Ohio
1/14 – Gramercy Theater – New York, New York
1/15 – The Sterling Hotel – Allentown, Pennsylvania
1/16 – Jaxx – Springfield, Virginia
1/17 – Volume 11 – Raleigh, North Carolina
1/18 – Masquerade – Atlanta, Georgia
1/19 – Czar – Tampa, Florida
1/21 – Emo’s – Austin, Texas
1/22- Ridglea Theatre – Ft. Worth, Texas
1/23 – The Flytrap Music Hall – Tulsa, Oklahoma
1/24 – Launchpad – Albuquerque, New Mexico
1/25 – Club Red – Tempe, Arizona
1/26 – Key Club – Hollywood, California
1/27 – Ramona Main Stage – Ramona, California
1/28 – DNA Lounge – San Francisco, California
1/29 – Satyricon – Portland, Oregon
1/30 – Studio Seven – Seattle, Washington
1/31 – Rickshaw Theater – Vancouver, British Columbia

I can’t post this without showcasing one of Korpiklaani’s akward, yet incredibly awesome music videos. Enjoy!

-Chris

1) Speedo Vanquisher - The line of Vanquishers easily make the top of this list due to their wide ranging appeal.  These are a great goggle for both competitive and recreational swimmers.  Vanquishers feature soft silicone gaskets around the eyes for a very comfortable fit.  Each pair of Vanquishers also comes with a set of four different size nose pieces.  This allows each individual user to select the fit that is just right for them.  Vanquishers fit more directly in the eye socket rather than around the eye.  The line of Vanquishers includes Junior, Women’s, and Men’s sizes in addition to the newly updated Vanquisher 2.0.  Best for: Recreational and competitive swimmers ages 13 and up.

Vanquisher 2.0

2) Aqua Sphere Kaiman Goggles - Kaiman goggles are popular for their excellent visibility and outstanding comfort.  These are a favorite of open water swimmers and triathletes due to their 180-degree visibility and easy-adjust buckles for the perfect fit.  Kaiman goggles offer possibly the softest gaskets available in a goggle today.  Due to their wider shape Kaiman goggles do not fit directly into the eye sockets, but rather fit more around the eye.  The silicone nose bridge is not adjustable; however, due to its soft nature it is comfortable for a wide range of nose types.  Kaiman goggles are available in both small and full size models.  Best for: Adult recreational swimmers, open water swimmers, triathletes.

Kaiman Goggles

3) Speedo Hydrospex - Speedo Hydrospex are a no frills goggle that are ultra comfortable and easy to use.  The back strap adjusts with the speed fit clip to make adjustments a snap especially with the new Hydrospex 2.  The wide gaskets of the Hydrospex make these an ideal goggle for beginning swimmers.  While Hydrospex do have a solid nose piece that does not allow for adjustments they do come in both Junior and Adult sizes to fit a wide range of users.  As an added bonus… Hydrospex come in a nearly endless array of colors.  Best for: Children and beginning swimmers, anyone who likes wider goggles.

Speedo Hydrospex 2

4) Swedish Goggles – Swedish goggles are a swimming classic and long time favorite of competitive swimmers.  Popular for the clear view and excellent field of vision they promote.  Though these are a favorite of experienced swimmers they do take some getting used to.  Swedish goggles must be completely assembled by the user and do not have any soft cushioning for your eye.  The hard plastic eye pieces of Swedish goggles fit directly in the eye socket for a very unique fit.  Swedish goggles are available in many colors including metallic for the outdoors.  Best for: Experienced and competitive swimmers looking for a custom fit.

Swedish Goggles

5) TYR Technoflex - Technoflex are another wide frame goggle that is great for youth and beginning swimmers.  Much like the Speedo Hydrospex the TYR Technoflex feature a solid nose piece and easy adjust fit clips on the sides.  Soft silicone gaskets make the Technoflex goggles easy on the eyes while giving you clear vision in the water.  TYR Technoflex 4.0 are available in a great selection of fun colors.  Best for: Youth and beginning swimmers, anyone who likes wider goggles.

TYR Technoflex 4.0

6) TYR Swimple - Swimple goggles are the ultimate ease of use goggles.  They come in one size designed for kids and come in several fun colors.  Swimple goggles have a solid nose piece and soft silicone gaskets that are easy on children’s eyes.  The easy adjust release button on the sides of the goggles allow for no fuss adjustments of the back strap.  These goggles will have your kids splashing around in no time.  Best for: Kids who enjoy recreational swimming.

TYR Swimple

7) Speedo Aquasocket - Aquasockets were engineered with competitive swimmers in mind.  Their ultra low profile design ensures minimum drag through the water.  These goggles fit directly in the eye sockets with their soft silicone gaskets for a snug comfortable fit that will not come off in competition.  Aquasockets also come with multiple size nose pieces to allow for a more customized fit.  Best for: Competitive swimmers ages 13 and up.

Speedo Aquasocket

8) TYR Tracer – Tracer goggles are another model designed with the racer in mind.  Tracers fit directly in the eye socket but are not rough on the eyes thanks to the soft silicone material.  They also feature various size nose pieces so you can pick the one that fits you best.  Tracer goggles offer excellent peripheral vision for a racing goggle.  Best for: Any swimmer that measure’s success by the tenth of a second.

TYR Tracer Goggle

9) Aqua Sphere Seal – The Aqua Sphere Seal mask is somewhat of a cross between a goggle and a snorkeling mask.  The Seal mask has a much larger profile than most goggles, but does not cover the nose like a typical mask.  This allows it to function as a normal goggle while providing more of a full face coverage.  The Seal mask is well know for the excellent seal it makes between the goggle and the face.  This makes it great for swimming in turbulent waters.  The Seal mask is available in the original and XP Seal mask version with a lower profile.  Best for: Open water swimmers and swimmers how like full coverage from their goggles.

Aqua Sphere Seal Mask

10) Speedo Sprint/Pro -  These are a few of Speedo’s classic goggles.  Both styles are made with soft foam around the eyes and come with an adjustable nose piece.  Pro goggles have a circular shaped eye piece while the Sprint style has more of an oval shaped eye piece.  These goggles have been a staple of the swimming community for some time due to their reliability and comfort.  Best for: Goggle traditionalists and anyone who prefers foam gaskets over silicone ones.

Speedo Sprint Goggles

There is no better time to stock up on practice suits than right now.  D&J Sports female grab bag suits start out as low $32 each.  You pick the size and D&J Sports will send you a brand new Lycra Speedo, Nike, TYR, or Dolfin swimsuit.  If you need to stock up on swimsuits you will also stockpile the savings with additional discounts.  Men’s grab bag suits are also available starting out at just $15 for briefs and $24 for jammers.

AFP

Des archéologues japonais ont découvert lundi dans le sud du Liban une grotte aux parois recouvertes de fresques datant de l’époque romaine et contenant des sépultures, a déclaré à l’AFP un responsable supervisant les fouilles.

La grotte, située dans une zone rocheuse de la localité de Borj al Chemali, à l’est de la ville côtière de Tyr (85 km au sud de Beyrouth), “contient six tombeaux appartenant à une famille romaine”, a indiqué Nader Siqlawi, archéologue à la Direction générale des antiquités au Liban.

A l’entrée, “les parois sont décorées de fresques représentant des végétaux, des animaux et des oiseaux multicolores”, a-t-il ajouté.
Une partie du sol est également couverte de mosaïque.

Les sept archéologues, de l’Université japonaise de Nara, ont découvert lundi matin cette grotte qui mesure trois mètres de haut et 12 mètres de large.

La région de Tyr contient de nombreux vestiges datant notamment des époques phénicienne et romaine.

TÍTULO: Hipokrisia
PAÍS: España (de mi ciudad )

AÑO: 2006

WEB O MYSPACE:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=73364303
http://www.tyr.cc/

ESTILO MUSICAL: Heavy Rock Progresivo

Descarga:

parte 1: http://lix.in/-31b794

parte 2: http://lix.in/-37d20e

by Gile

TYR Comic Strip Ringback

TYR has just released several new prints in their Durafast Polyester swimsuit line.  One of the new prints is the Comic Strip Ringback.  The Comic Strip Ringback features a bright, exciting print and the ultimate in comfort due to it’s unique back.  The Ringback offers an adjustable ring that slides into place for flawless fit and comfort that you won’t find in other suits.

The Comic Strip Ringback is made of TYR’s Durafast Polyester material.  Durafast Polyester is proven to last three times longer than a traditional Lycra swimsuit.  Durafast Polyester is chlorine and sun resistant to prevent unwanted fading and stretching.  This suit is ideal for both training and recreational swimming.  The Comic Strip Ringback is available in adult and youth sizes, and multiple color combinations are also available so you can pick one that best suits you.  The Comic Strip Ringback is available now at D&J Sports.