The Lost Dutchman's Mine and the Ghost with the Golden Bullets

This amazing piece of, not just comics, but artwork, is truthfully one of the best works of literature that I have ever read. Thrilling and adventures, Moebius takes the reader through the most exciting western stories- The Lost Duchman's Mine. A bit of irony in each piece of action and the ultimate disapproval of superstition makes this comic book a definate read. I'll give it a 9/10.

What is the meaning of life?

I could not have made up a broader question. But, I find it interesting to philosophize about such complex matter.

The meaning or the point of life can literally be anything. Individually, achieving your goals, as Existentialist would say, life is the measure of your own individuality. Collectively, the point of life might be developing a successful society, whether it is through Thomas Hobbs' Leviathan or Rousseau's Social Contract. Religions would say doing good works, or obeying God.

In conclusion, the answer to this grand question is beyond human comprehension. Cultural relativism, opposing forces of reason and irrational, Hegel's dialectic and other motives in the history of human progress prove that the plane cerebrums embodied in all homo sapiens is too plane to know even what the point is even of its own existence.

Comics, Comic Strips, and Graphic Novels

Why are comic books not socially equal to other art forms? Having Marvel and DC comics in the U.S. dominate other comics with their childish and naive heroes, the appreciation for comics could not have been greater. They inevitably were destined to be doomed with such poor literature. The same, repetitive stories consisting of the same hero, whether he is Hulk (a green monster), or Superman (a flying human), or something else, all result with the defeat of "evil." Not even adults can survive such boredom. The only reason it is interesting to kids is because it is disliked by adults; the same attractive label that alcoholic drinks have. Graphic novels are perhaps somewhat better. V for Vendetta or the Watchmen could intrigue some with it is drawings and attractive stories. However, true visual literature that make comics strips a true art form are still not popularized. Comics, such as Blueberry depicting the wild west, and Asterix satirizing human nature, are shunned by the inferior "heroes." Maybe, it is due to the fact that Americans don't want to read European comics, or because there is a minimum production of them locally. Whatever the reason, European literary movements would remain the centers of true visual literature.

NBA vs. Euroleague Basketball

"What is the Euroleague?" is a common question in the United States, as nobody even knows that Europe has its own basketball league. However, in Europe, everybody knows what the NBA is. Europeans even stay up as late as 4 a.m. to watch NBA games. Most Europeans have favorite basketball players from the NBA; Pao Gasol being the Spanish favorite; Nowitzcki, the German; Tony Parker, the Belgium; and...etc. Without a doubt, NBA's popularity is superior to that of the Euroleague.

But the true question is whether NBA's basketball is better than the one in the Euroleague. In the US, most people would say "Yeah, of course, European basketball is nothing comparing to the NBA." They say this, because they have no idea what European basketball is. Another common misconception is that "best European players automatically go to the NBA" and that the Euroleague is only an amateur's league. This is not true. First of all, most of Euroleague players don't even plan to go the NBA, especially the best players who are payed well. Those who do go to the NBA, they do so only for financial reasons. The amount of international players in the Euroleague would make it seem even more global than the NBA.

Are Euroleague players more skillful? Well, there is not a correct answer to this question. During the off-season, there have been times when different teams from the NBA played Euroleague teams. Sometimes the NBA teams won, but not always. You can see in this video, one of ex-Euroleague players playing NBA superstars, and braking their ankles. Bodiroga vs. Carmelo Anthony.



The NBA has better action and games, but the European argument for that is that NBA games are set-up. Since the case of referee corruption during the games of Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angelos Lakers, fans of the NBA believed more and more that games are being set-up only to gain more viewers, where as in Europe this is not the case. To many, the NBA is becoming more like WWE- entertainment, not a true sport.

Overall, the NBA reigns superior; however, everyday it is more threatened by the rising quality of the Euroleague.

Thank You Blogger

Finally, after three posts, I think I realized why I created this blog. To some extent it is because of my need to express my interests and concerns around me. However, I came to the conclusion that this blog would serve a far greater purpose. Giving me the ability to express my views, critique others and communicate through cyberspace, the blog leads not only to self-education, but also to the general betterment of my own individuality. Despite the fact that I am certain that I will have almost no readers, I feel this openness to the world has helped me already. I gratefully thank blogger and the internet for giving me this opportunity to ameliorate myself.

Ramachandran's Explantion of Art

This a very intresting Youtube video and lecture posted by University of California that introduced me to plenty of amusing facts in effort to answer the ultimate question- What is the meaning of art?

V.S. Ramachandran can be easily proclaimed one of the people who take a scientific view toward this question. He, himself, states that he is not a "philosopher." Taking the empirical view toward art led him to dismantle art into 8 features that make it great and successful in fulling its intent. As an Indian, he concentrates most on Indian works. I did not mind this, but I think it would have been more powerful if he took examples from a larger spectrum of art. Stating that Indian sculptures are more erotic than Playboy pin-ups was an unusually comparison. I did not find this to be the case with me. Playboy pictures in most cases were more erotic than Indian sculptures.

V.S. RamachandranRamachandran

How it Came About

"Pi5tol" is a cool name, however, not intended for this blog. My initial desire was to call it "ad lib," "ad victoriam," or "bene placito," or some other Latin phrase... To me, Latin always added a degree of eloquence and interest; each word served as a verbiage of the almighty Roman Empire, a culture and society that since my birth intrigued me. Yet the true meanings of these phrases are unknown to me, my definitions are only the interpretations of today's society, not of fellow Romans. Marcus Tullius Cicero, the famous Roman orator, might for that very reason be turning in his grave for today's common misinterpretations of his sayings. Maybe that's why "Pi5tol" is a better name for my blog? Pete Maravich is my favorite basketball player. His nickname "Pistol Pete" would be the true root of this blog's title. His miraculous dribbling and shooting skills were never managed to be replicated. Averaging 45 pts. per game gave him a rightful spot in the Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, this blog's concentration is not basketball. This blog concentrates on everything, as my interests vary from the quantum theory to Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Just like the title resulted from pure randomness, the blog's topics are also not that similar and homogeneous.

The Foundations of the Pi5tol Blog

Today, May 16th, 2009, a blog called "Pi5tol" was created. Probably just another future unnoticed website, but the urge to create it was too powerful to be withheld. The designs of the blog are intended to express my interests and views. Like in a bloc of marble, I hope that my sporadic writings would unveil an amazing sculpture- a pleasant addition to the world of cyberspace.