Today I had the opportunity to attend Fan Expo 2007 in Toronto. Those of you who have been with me for some time will remember my coverage of Games Day 2006. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me this time, and thus you will be subjected to my descriptions alone, forced to glean what meaning you can.
The Fan Expo comprises a number of different “conventions” squeezed into one massive room. I veered away from the Anime, Horror, and Games areas — the first two due to my lack of interest. While I enjoy the latter in the presence of friends, my home, and the occasional arcade, I have learned my lesson from the single Super Smash Brothers tournament I have ever entered in. These people occupy a different world than I, when it comes to the game medium. Where I see a man, a corridor, they see the code itself, flowing through space.
So yes, I mostly stayed around the Sci-fi and Comics end of things. With not a lot of money to spend I tried to avoid any major purchases, avoiding the temptations of the wares being offered to me. I was looking forward to meeting Adam West, not even for a signing — simply to ask why Batman no longer danced, as he once had. However, upon arrival I mistakenly believed he would not appear until Saturday, and my spirits died there, so that when I did see him, the sight of the line and my fatigue overcame me, and I passed on by.
Still, I did get to meet Ramon Perez and Kent Burles, two artists whom I am aware of due to their work for Palladium Books. I have always been fond of Perez’ work — it has a comic book feel, yet he has an uncanny ability to make his style fit the setting, be it superheroes or futuristic Wild West North America. If this man draws a wizard batting robot soldiers while his pyrokinetic friend fends them off with mind-flames, you believe that it’s happening.
I will be honest, Burles’ work has not been a favourite of mine in the past. However, looking at his art now, I think I misjudged him. His style is indeed very different from much of the other art you see commonly, but it stands out and particularly suits certain settings. Anything fantasy or organic looking by him is really great. I actually got to talk to him for a while about his art and Palladium’s financial problems and I felt bad about expressing so much dislike about his art on the net. He’s a really nice guy and looking back through my books I’m coming around to his style more and more. I guess I get a bit carried away with the anonymity the Internet affords sometimes, which is why I was glad to meet him in person.
Continuing with the theme, I was able to find a copy of Palladium’s original “Rifts”, Second Printing (1990) in nearly perfect condition, for a mere $12. Since every copy of the old book I’ve seen since I started playing the game has been torn to hell, this was pretty awesome.
Never having been to such a large con before, Fan Expo was indeed an interesting experience. I would have liked to spend more time (and money, if I had it) looking around, but such are things. Got to meet artists, preview some upcoming board games (Tannhauser and Starcraft!) and see a lot of costumes, ranging from the impressive (Stormtrooper Legion) to the bizarre and disturbing. Fan Expo runs until Sunday, and it caters to nearly ever variety of nerd imaginable. The Penny Arcade Expo is on this weekend as well (but it’s in Seattle), and yes, it is true that Hayden Christensen cancelled, but…wait, that last one should be an incentive to go, if anything.
Am I on crazy pills here? You may have read a recent story about Tre Smith, the Humane Society’s lead investigator. In this story, he found a dog left alone in a vehicle on a hot day. He smashed open the window to free the animal, then began helping the animal with the assistance of people nearby. Not so bad so far, right? Well we’re just turning off the exit of the sanity highway, baby!
When Cyrus’s owner returned to his car, Smith handcuffed him to the vehicle and left him alone while Cyrus was taken away for treatment. It was during that time, the owner alleged, that the angry mob already gathered at the scene began beating him. (CBC).
When the police showed up, the guy was still handcuffed to the car, but he was now bleeding! If he’s anything like me, that blood probably just started pouring out on its own. However, some suspect that the angry mob was to blame! Not Megan Ball, who doesn’t know Smith. She set up a Facebook group supporting the investigator.
As for Smith, he doesn’t think he’s hero material, and just said: “It’s unfortunate that it took Cyrus’s pain and suffering for us to get here.”
Preventing animal cruelty is one thing, but didn’t Smith think before leaving a defenseless man handcuffed to a car surrounded by people who probably weren’t too happy with him at the moment? Now people are calling for Smith’s reinstatement after his suspension.
To anybody who supports this guy: you realize that he willfully left a man in what was probably a worse condition than he found the dog in, right?
Depending on who you ask, Premier Dalton McGuinty of Ontario has either done a lot of bizarre things or a lot of nothing during his time in the office. Regardless of what he’s actually done, he gets quite a lot of bad press (see the tuition fee protests against him). However, once in a while he does something right, in my ever-so-humble opinion. Way back in September 2005, we had the Sharia Law campaign in which McGuinty said that we wouldn’t be seeing religious arbitration in Ontario. One point for him. Another point is added today, as he announced free HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines for Grade 8 girls in Ontario, starting this fall (CBC).
Back when I was involved with the Ontario secular movement, this issue got tossed around quite a bit. The central debate here is between the right of vaccination and the right of parents to refuse. Ignoring those who might see vaccinations as mind-control weapons of the “man”, there is a very real concern among some parents that such a vaccination intrudes into their freedoms. Sometimes underlying this concern is the belief that such a vaccine might lead to promiscuity, much in the same way that some believe condom distribution will.
I’m not sure how prevalent this latter sentiment is, but it disturbs me nonetheless. Wikipedia says:
Other critics, including socially conservative religious groups, warn that the vaccine will encourage promiscuity by making it seem safer. Many women’s rights organizations disagree. Dr. Christine Peterson, director of the University of Virginia’s Gynecology Clinic, said “The presence of seat belts in cars doesn’t cause people to drive less safely. The presence of a vaccine in a person’s body doesn’t cause them to engage in risk-taking behavior they would not otherwise engage in.” (HPV vaccine controversy – Wikipedia, August 2 2007)
Those who oppose the vaccine on more libertarian grounds will have to speak to their daughter, not the state:
Jensen also told CBC News that parental consent forms will be issued prior to vaccination. But if a 13-year-old girl wants the vaccination despite her parents’ objections, she will still be able to get one. And even if parents agree to the vaccination, their daughter can still opt out.
Giving the choice to the person it’s actually affecting? What a novel idea. Of course, they might accuse schools of pressuring their children, but if the worst criticism of the program is that it’s encouraging children to prevent terrible disease then I think that speaks for itself.
