by Damian Hospital

• The official Star Wars message boards (over 10 years of info) were deleted and terminated from the official StarWars.com.
• Star Wars fans don’t get along. The main fights revolve around canon: is the Star Wars expanded universe (called EU) in continuity?
• EU characters are spoken of as if they appeared in all the films. A newbie might think to himself: “Darth Who?”
• The bulk of posters hate the new Clone Wars cartoon; not only is it out of continuity, but the personalities are all off, and General Grievous has been depowered. But..uhm..they continue to watch something they hate. And they continue to financially support a franchise that frustrates them. This is a similar phenomena that occurs on the DC and Marvel forums; the fans state they hate crossovers yet buy them. This shows The Powers That Be to continue to create crap that will be consumed.
• The original Clone Wars cartoon is respected.
• Darth Maul survived.
• Debates center around “Who’s stronger?” and midichlorian counts.
• Many posters are under the impression that Mace Windu was the strongest Jedi.
• Looks like many fans didn’t get the message of the films, as they seem to be worshiping the Sith over Jedi.
• George Lucas is ripped, along with the new trilogy- young Anakin Skywalker, teenaged Anakin, and Jar Jar Binks especially.
• Luke Skywalker is shamelessly underrated.
• Many theories show that the Emperor is the most powerful entity in the universe and he did not require Anakin.
• Yoda gets ripped for not knowing about EU plot-lines that weren’t even published yet when the films came out.
• Jango Fett and Boba Fett lovefest.
• Star Wars video games, books, and comics are still hot.
• GROUPTHINK has prevailed; newbies with different opinions are called trolls, ridiculed, and shouted down.

They specialize in chemical mergers and acquisitions as opposed to taking the generalist approach. This enables them to be more in tune with the business cycles and trends of chemical investments. The Valence Group is independent and free from conflicts of interest. Offices are located in London, New York and Shanghai.

After hearing about how he won the NFL Person of the Year award in 1995, I realized he did use his name for good, and apparently this wasn’t good enough for him.

I also heard that he missed the excitement of playing, and gambled a lot. That made me want to scream, considering the plight of people like my son, whose medical related costs are astronomical. Why couldn’t Junior gamble on someone’s health, instead of Blackjack or Roulette?

Then I thought about how athletes are not necessarily rocket scientists. Junior was creative on the field of battle, but he might not have been great at coming up with post-NFL career ideas.

So, I forgave Junior Seau for ending his life prematurely, and wished him the best in the afterlife.

And I turned to my thoughts to the NFL. Were they to blame for what happened to Seau? I heard a quote from former Linebacker Gary Plummer that he likely suffered 1,000 concussions in his career. Apparently, many of these involved seeing stars or blacking out for a moment. These instances go away as quickly as they came, seemingly, and were not treated by doctors. Plummer would keep on playing.

I’ve also heard former players like Bob Golic and current stars like London Fletcher poo-poo this, saying there’s no way they see stars 5 times a game.

I’m inclined to believe Plummer. To be frank, I was already beginning to think that players who are tackling or being tackled five or more times in a game were likely suffering at least one minor concussion every single game. You know, the kind of thing you just shake off and ignore. Maybe it’s only once a game, but to me, that’s already once too many.

But NFL players, trained to ignore pain, grit their teeth, and press forward, just ignore black outs, and ignore seeing stars after getting hit. They keep ignoring the problem, until they’re in their 40′s, depressed, shooting themselves in the chest and leaving a suicide note stating they want their brain examined by scientists. That’s what Dave Duerson did when he killed himself. And Junior Seau shot himself in the chest, as well, clearly hoping that science would examine the effects football had on his brain.

The thought then occurs to me: If I, out of the blue, tackled someone at the Mall, would I be arrested? The answer: tackling someone in public the way Junior Seau tackled people on the field would certainly get me in trouble. I’d probably be charged with assault and battery, assuming the person whom I tackled wanted to press charges.

So, tackling someone is a criminal act in real life. It is a dangerous act committed against another person.

So, why are bone-jarring hits okay in the NFL (heck, even worshipped in clips and replays), and illegal everywhere else? Don’t tell me it’s the helmets and shoulder-pads, because that’s just window dressing when it comes to preventing brain trauma. In other words, it doesn’t help prevent brain injuries on the football field.

I’m sure some folks are afraid to even question this. Look at what happened to Kurt Warner when he dared suggest he did not want his kids following in his footsteps, for their safety’s sake. He was shouted down by Amani Toomer, a player I used to like. And I’ve heard other former defensive players make fun of Warner, calling him a hypocrite.

Look, when you compare the NFL to baseball, or basketball, I think it’s safe to say that football is the only sport where players are intentionally trying to hurt each other every single play. If a player gets beaned in baseball, there’s a good chance it was an accident. Except for the rare crazy collision at home plate, or the out of control run-ins at 2nd base, baseball does not involve behavior that would be deemed a felony if it happened on the streets. Basketball players commit flagrant fouls on occasion, and the sport is physical, but for the most part, it’s about scoring points.

Football is not a scientific sport. It’s about winning the battle at the line. If the offensive line wins the battle, the skill players have room to run and time to throw. They have more flexibility to make things happen. If the defensive line wins, the offense doesn’t have time to develop their play, are forced to make decisions quickly, can make mistakes, and can easily lose yards or turn the ball over. The playbook may look complicated, but at the end of the day, it’s about winning the war in the trenches.

Football is analogous to gladiators sparring in ancient Rome. It harkens back to our ancestral memories of blood sport, death matches. While the objective has been tamed, and the players wear “protective” gear, the physicality, brutality, and possibility of painful injuries occurring remain.

The justifications I’ve heard for defending the violent hitting in the NFL involve: 1. it’s part of the game, 2. it’s how we’ve always played the game, and 3. the sport, to quote Howie Long when he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, is “America’s passion.”

The reality is, if I sacked someone in aisle 3 in Wal-Mart, I would end up in jail. As I should.

Then I hear another justification: 4. football players know what they signed up for. I suppose that makes the sacking of someone at Wal-Mart slightly different, since they didn’t see me coming. But what about two people deciding to fight in the parking lot, both aware of each others intention? Would those people still be in trouble, even though they both agreed to fight each other in public? Answer: yes.

So, clearly, there is something inherently wrong with the NFL.

Does this mean that the NFL should be banned because of the violence that is illegal everywhere else? Logically, I believe the answer is yes. There’s no way to eliminate the violent physicality of the NFL without, basically, taking football out of the sport.

However, that’s not happening now. There are too many people defending the sport.

And let’s not forget the fans. There are millions and millions of Americans who love pro football, who love the hits, who live for the violence, who can’t get enough of it, every Sunday in Fall and Winter. As long as society demands a tamed down version of gladiators killing each other on the field, the NFL will meet that need, until the day comes the fans find something else and move on.

So, as a person who grew up watching football on TV every given Sunday with my dad, and a fan of Junior Seau, I am sad to see how Junior’s life ended, and I am sad to realize that the NFL is a sport that caters to some innate human ancestral need to watch people attack and hurt each other. Truly sad.

What a memorable first appearance for Dr. Doom!

Enneagram Pop Podcast Episode 3 – Dr Doom

Here’s an excerpt from the podcast:

… Dr. Doom has three goals that he set himself out to achieve in the comic book world. Number one was to save the soul of his mother. Number two was to outdo Reed Richards in every way. Number three was to take over the world.

Well, he accomplished all those three things, over the years. Doom is the epitome of the achiever, the motivator. It’s like reading straight out of the Enneagram textbook with Von Doom, which is amazing since he was created decades before any Enneagram book was published.

He was charming. Attractive. A workaholic. Ruthlessly ambitious. Impeccably competent. Image-conscious. He’s even a respected, and feared, diplomat in the Marvel Universe. He has combined science and magic more than any other character in comics.

He iss imitated all the time in TV, movies, books, and comics, or any other melodramatic form of entertainment. His most famous imitation is Darth Vader, who is not even a type 3, mind you, but a type 9.

Anyway, Doom believes he is superior to any other life form or cosmic being in the universe. He’s a master of robot building, technology. He’s equal to Dr. Strange in being a master of mystical arts. His intelligence is off the scale.

Granted, Reed Richards may get the decimal points a little better than Doom, but if Doom heard me say that, he would kill me in less than a second….

Feel free to leave a comment. Share your thoughts on Doctor Doom and his peronality type.

DailySkew Minute – Episode 4 Suntrust solving problems

I’m sure Suntrust means well. As a matter of fact, here’s a cool Suntrust site that gives advice on how to save money and get out of debt.

Here’s my issue: there’s not enough time in a 30-second commercial to explain how someone’s financial problems are solved. Perhaps the retiree qualified for a reverse mortgage on a home he already owned. Perhaps a family looking to buy a home just needed advice on how much to save for a down-payment. And that’s great.

The commercial gives the impression that Dumbledore, or someone like him, is in the branch, waving a wand and solving everyone’s problem. It’s just the wrong impression, you know what I mean?

It’s the end of the DailySkew Mobile Podcast, as you know it.  Everything that has a beginning has an end.  This is the end, beautiful friend.  Cover letters to World Leaders.  An open letter to the president of Guatemala.  A new podcast.  A metamorphosis.  DMP is dead; long live DMP.  We are switching to a new format, where we dictate open letters to world leaders, business leaders, and victims.  Enjoy.

DMP_123_-_The_End.mp3 Listen on Posterous

Excerpt from Open Letter to President Otto Pérez Molina of Guatemala:

I believe your proposal to impose some kind of tariff or penalty on nations that consume drugs is a radical, out-of-the-box kind of idea that happens to make sense. Basically, your proposal would legalize drugs in your nation, decriminalize it, bring it into the mainstream, and then you would collect a tariff on countries like the United States. Let’s face it: the USA is demanding drugs.

It’s a logical idea. Makes a lot of sense.

Unfortunately, as you probably figured would happen, the United States is against this idea. One, I’m sure they don’t want to pay a tariff. Two, they have a system in place already and they don’t want to change. People are resistant to change, even President Obama.

So, what I’m about to say is something you probably realize already, but just in case you don’t: I think you have no choice but to push forward with your plan. Push the other countries in the region in the direction you want to go.

The United States, and organizations tied to the United States, can be very slow-moving. For example, look at how long it took China to become part of the WTO. It takes years and years and years. Your proposal will take years and years and years. It’ll probably take decades for the USA to accept it.

Understanding this, I believe you have to take a long-view of this situation. Fight hard to get this law enacted in your nation, other nations, and eventually the United States. I think people will see the wisdom in your idea. Slowly, but surely, our two continents will embrace this idea…

… Perhaps the USA is afraid of … unintended consequences. That’s why the war on drugs is maintained. It’s the devil you know.

I think it will take decades for the United States to move in your direction, because they will want to see the devil you don’t know, and get acquainted with that devil. They will want to see how the legalization of drugs plays out in Portugal, in your nation, and in other nations first. They will want to figure out how to deal with that reality and then accept it.

So, that is also something you should consider. What are the unintended consequences? Be prepared to face unintended consequences that you did not think of….

Beast Man description from the Masters of the Universe toyline.

Enneagram Pop Podcast Episode 2 – Beast Man

Here’s an excerpt from the podcast:

Beast Man’s origin varies from cartoons, comic books, toys, and books, but the basic character is always the same. He’s either loyal or subservient to Skeletor.

Like all unhealthy 2′s, when his loyalty, actions, love, or recognition is not returned, they feel spurned. They get angry. They start plotting. They feel victimized. The Beast Man is a great example of that.

The irony is that, although, many times, the 2 feels victimized in his or her mind, without any proof (for example, it’s so easy to slight someone, even if it wasn’t an intentional slight), Beast Man is actually physically and mentally abused by Skeletor. So, it is justified.

I mean, here’s Beast Man: he’s Skeletor’s loyal, right-hand man, and Skeletor proceeds to belittle him, shoot rays, bolts from his hand at him, using his havoc staff to him. He treats him like a dog and totally mocks him. He just abuses him in every way you can think of for no reason at all, other to show his power.

It’s so easy to sympathize with Beast Man. In fact, if you were a fan of Masters of the Universe and someone says, “Okay, who was your favorite villain,” or, “Which villain did you want to hear more about or sympathize or care about?” People will say, “Oh! Skeletor! Skeletor!”

But when you really start asking, deep down, they’re like, “You know, I wish Beast Man would have just hit him, you know?”

One time, Beast Man got kicked out of Skeletor’s little gang. I mean, he really got humiliated. Kicked him out. Beast Man actually went and captured King Randor of Eternia, who happens to be He-Man’s dad. And although He-Man foiled the plot, at the end of the episode, Skeletor allowed Beast Man to come back in.

Sure enough, he continues to abuse him, and Beast Man apparently love it. It’s because 2′s want to feel wanted. They like to serve in a role that makes them feel needed.

This is unfortunately shown in abusive relationships, where you have the battered wife syndrome, or an abuse boyfriend situation. Everyone is like, “Why does she going back to him?” And no one can explain it because they don’t know about Enneagram Type 2′s.

If you listen to these podcasts, if you read our articles, if you read our books, you’ll know about 2′s and why they do it. It’s pretty sad. Beast Man is a very sad symbol of that…

… Was it ten years ago when I first saw that video, a gay video featuring Skeletor and Beast Man? It was all about their frustrations. It really opened up my eyes to the sexual tension that has always been hinted between those two. It’s all about top and bottom and all the other S&M/Craigslist lingo terms, if you want to call it that.

Basically, it just took it to the next level. I checked the Youtube and there’s hundreds of thousands of views on that. So, it’s out in the open.

Part of being an unhealthy two is engaging in sub-sub-submissive and subservient and subhuman roles in the sexual nature. And that fits in well with his personality type….

Enneagram Pop Podcast Episode 1 – The Baroness

For this first show, we decided to go with a fictional character from the world of G.I. Joe: The Baronness.

Unhealthy Type 1: the Baroness

Hear an in-depth analysis of an unhealthy Type 1 Enneagram personality type. Hosts Tony Vahl and Damian Hospital give a brief introduction to the Enneagram, and give explanations that could help you understand how to figure out someone’s personality type, including your own and those around you.

We hope you enjoy the show. Who knows? You might learn something about yourself in the process.

Links:

Enneagram Primer

Who’s What Guide

Excerpt from the show:

The Baroness’ motivation is to avenge the death of her brother. Along the way, she became a principled terrorist, with a mission to stop US foreign policy. She thinks she’s right. She’s not running a money scam, like the Cobra Commander does. She think’s she’s righteous.

The Baroness is also the European spy archetype: undercover, deceitful, able to sleep and manipulate unsuspecting men to extract information for her bosses. You know, the Type 1 female spy is very efficient because of her pure logic and cold rationale.

Although the Baroness’ anti-American revolutionary operations put her at extreme risk in the field, the Baroness does not hesitate to surrender when the odds are not in her favor.

The generic female Type 1 is a schoolteacher, a religious instructor, a strict office manager, or lawyer. The Baroness is like a prosecutor. She became a terrorist and spy when she determined that US was a hypocritical, imperialist nation that lied about its foreign policy. So, she supports anti-American revolutionary rebel groups all around the world.

Her action figure file card, way back from the mid-1980’s, if not early ‘80’s, shows that she’s a snobby aristocrat. This is also a key trait of the wealthy Type 1’s.

The 1980’s comic books, written by the legend Larry Hama, which contain the bulk of the Baroness’ life, it is revealed that she was a square when she was younger, but she flipped out when her brother died. She wrongly blamed Snake Eyes for his death. She dedicated her entire life to get the intel as to where to locate Snake Eyes and make him suffer beyond words.

In other words, she compromised her belief system because the emotions of loss and vengeance overtook her logic.

For much more analysis, take a listen!

Two tips for drivers who like to slam their brakes before crossing four lanes of traffic.  This Week in Frustrating Tech: Why we’re rooting for Google to rebrand Android, and create high quality Play tablets and phones.  Supreme Court okays strip searches for minor offenses; so much for conservative judges appointed by Republican Presidents.

DMP_122_-_Supreme_Court_Strip_Searches.mp3 Listen on Posterous