Archives 2010

Captain Jackson, Michigan’s Real-Life Superhero

by Josh Ellingson on March 8, 2010
Real-life superheroes may be this year’s Hollywood darling, but Michigan has had their very own masked vigilante, Captain Jackson for years. The Captain has been patrolling the streets of Downtown Jackson since 1999, spreading his message of civic duty while keeping an eye out for crooks and super-villains. He keeps a website with a schedule of community appearances, safety tips, and even a roster of his allied costume heroes, The Crimefighter Corps. Always ahead of the curve, Captain Jackson has been maintaining a blog since May 2000 called The Captain’s Corner with brilliant entries such as, CALLING ALL GOOD DEED DOERS!, BEING AWARE, and HOW TO BE A CRIMEFIGHTER. In addition, the blog features ground chuck-centric recipes in a section called “Cooking with the Captain”.
Captain Jackson’s career ran into a snag in 2004 when he was charged with “impaired driving”. The local newspaper subsequently ran an article about the incident and published the Captains real life identity. The toll that the  media coverage took on our hero is best outlined in the blog entry, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.  After a two-year hiatus, it seemed that he was back in active-duty at community events and online. In the past year though, there seems to be little to report on this masked man, but we may not have seen the last of Michigan’s own, Captain Jackson.

Date: June 26-27
Organizer: Atavistik (http://www.myspace.com/hero_zero8a)
Informational meet and greet/patrol on June 26-27 in San Franisco
The team up will work around “Pink Saturday” and the LGTB Pride Parade on Sunday.
Interested parties please contact Atavistik via MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/hero_zero8a, Atavistik on Facebook or on RLSHspace.com
WARNING:  This is not an event for kids or those with delicate sensibilities. This is an alternative lifestyle event (we are not alternative, just support their right to free choice) so there will be a lot of exposed skin, as well as fetishes.
More information at: http://www.therlsh.net/upcoming-events-f10/rlshsf-2010-t2553.htm

Superheroes get real
by fighting important issues
By Joshua Simmons
Published: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Up in the sky! It’s a bird; it’s a plane. Nope, it’s a superhero.
Comic book superheroes complete with cape and cowl are running through the streets of almost every major metropolitan area in the United States.
They have colorful names like Dreamer, Terrifica and Super Barrio. Rather than fighting crime in a traditional sense, they combat issues that they feel to be just on a more personal level.
They have left the bat-shaped boomerangs and X-ray vision at home, instead opting for food and blankets for the homeless or assisting with organizing to combat corporate injustice.
Portland is no different from the rest of the nation. That’s right; we have a superhero of our own. His name is Zetaman.
Zetaman has taken on the responsibility of defending Portland’s homeless population from the frigid nights and hunger. Armed with blankets, socks and food, he travels around Portland by night and provides those men and women with the necessities to make it through another night.
“They are happy to receive them,” Zetaman stated in an e-mail.
The royal blue clad superhero has based his costume on Superman and Zorro, but his real heroes are his grandfather and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
What could lead a man or woman to becoming a superhero?
“I guess some free time Internet searching, a want to do good things combined with a lousy work schedule. As far as recommending [becoming a superhero] to others, I would not. It is a very difficult thing to do because it opens a person up to a lot of ridicule,” Zetaman said.
“First if I saw the costume I’d think, ‘We must be in Portland.’ If I saw what they are doing I’d be really happy that they are out there doing something, and I would do anything I could to try and help. I do community service in my own way; I fed the homeless around town for Thanksgiving, which feels better for me than to sit around eating a big dinner and feeling guilty,” Kassi Havens, a Clackamas Community College student said.
According to the World Superhero Registry, yes there are so many superheroes out there that they are being registered; three things need to be accounted for in order to be considered for membership.
The first is what many would consider obvious, a costume. The World Superhero Registry states on its Web site, “The purpose of a costume is not simply to protect the identity of the Real-Life Superhero from criminals that might seek revenge but to make a statement both to the evil-doers that you fight against and to the world at large: you are not simply someone who happened upon crime or injustice and made an impulsive decision to intervene.”
The requisite costume has become something of a symbol for comic book fans and “Reals” alike. From the iconic Superman logo, to the basic jeans and T-shirt that accompany Wolverine’s metal claws, costumes are how superheroes are identified worldwide.
“I think it’s a good thing because you don’t get people who are just trying to get attention; they are actually trying to have fun while helping people,” said Havens.
Zetaman, however, has run across his share of the bad element in the Real Life Superhero community. Like with anything the Superhero community attracts people who actually want to make a change in the world, as well as the less than savory types who are just interested in getting five minutes in the spotlight.
The other two rules are a bit more complicated than cutting up your mother’s bed sheets and wearing tighty whities on the outside of your pants. The first is heroic deeds; a Real must be able to prove that they became a Real-Life Superhero for the benefit of mankind.
The final step is listed as personal motivation. The Web site indicates that in order to be registered “a Real-Life Superhero cannot be a paid representative of an organization”
In other words next time you see a spotlight in the sky at night, keep in mind that a Real is out doing their part to make the world a better place.

Civitron will be particpating in the Project Bread’s 2010 Walk for Hunger.
Many Massachusetts families are seeing their monthly income stretched beyond capacity. They are forced to go without food in order to pay their rent, utility, and medical bills. The demand for emergency food has never been greater with pantries and meal programs supported by Project Bread serving 57.3 million meals last year alone. Hunger is not just an urban problem — it exists in nearly every community throughout the state.
The money that is raise by with fund more than 400 emergency food programs in 135 communities statewide. Hunger affects more than 554,000 people in Massachusetts, including the state’s most vulnerable citizens — children, the elderly, the disabled, and the unemployed. Hunger also affects the working poor, who use more and more of their income to pay rent, heating oil, medical care, and childcare. Both children and the elderly are disproportionately represented at emergency food programs funded by Project Bread. In low-income communities throughout the state, one child in three lives in a family that struggles to put food on the table.
Donate to Civitron’s cause at www.projectbread.org/goto/civitron

First off I believe as good law abiding citizens you should report a crime if you ever come across it. If you report illegal activities you are helping make a positive difference in your community. These are some tips about reporting a crime. Make sure to call 911 right away.
1. Be Aware
You have to be aware in order to see what is going on around you. Always keep an eye out. Keeping yourself aware will allow to keep yourself safer and will make it easier for you to spot a crime.
2. Location
Observe where you are and the exact location of the crime. Try to remember if you have ever seen the suspect in the area before. Remember which direction the criminal headed if they left the scene of the crime.
3.Time
Note the time as precise as possible
4. Get a description
There are many different things that can help identify a suspect. Her is a list.
PHYSICAL TRAITS
Sex– Was it a Male or Female?
Height– Try to estimate the their height. It may be helpful to compare to your own height.
– Estimated. Remember to take their height into consideration.
Build– Did they appear fat, husky, slim, muscular, average, etc.
Age– Estimated
Race/Ethnicity
Eyes– What color eyes did they have? Were they wearing glasses?
Hair–Note the color, texture, hairline, style; also possible dyes or wigs
Forehead-Note forehead height, and whether the skin is smooth, creased or wrinkled
Eyes– Note the color, shape (round, slanted), whether clear or bloodshot, and the heaviness of eyelashes and eyebrows
Nose– Overall shape (long, wide, flat, etc.) and nostrils (wide, narrow, flared) are important
Cheeks– Are their cheeks sunken in, flat, round, full etc.? Are there wrinkles around nose or mouth? Are cheek bones high or low, wide or narrow?
Ears– Note size and prominence (protruding or flat against head)
Mouth– Are lips thin, medium, full?
Chin– What is the shape (round, oval, pointed, square)? double chin, dimpled, cleft?
Neck– Note protruding Adam’s apple or hanging jowls
Complexion– Note pores, pockmarks, acne, razor rash, bumps
Facial Hair– Were they clean shaven? unshaven? Did they have a beard, mustache, goatee, sideburns, etc.?
Tattoos– Shape and style; on what part of the body
Scars – Size, Shape, and location on body
CLOTHING
Hat– Note color, style, wording or symbol, how it is worn (bill forward, backward, to one side)
Coat– Note color and style (suit coat, jacket, topcoat, overcoat)
Shirt/Blouse/Dress– Note color, design, sleeves, collar
Trousers/Slacks/Skirt– Note color, style, cuffs
Socks– Note color, pattern, length
Shoes– Note color, style, brand name for sneakers (if possible), and the condition of the shoes
Accessories– Scarf, gloves, necktie, belt
Jewelry– Rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces
General appearance– Do they appear neat or sloppy? clean or dirty?
Oddities– Look for clothing too large or too small; odd colors; patchwork; rip; tears; holes
OTHER
Voice– Pitch, tone, rasp, lisp
Speech– Articulate, uneducated, accent, use of slang,
5. Describe the Vehicle
If the suspect is in a vehicle, note as much of the following information as possible:
Vehicle Type– Auto, truck, van, motorcycle etc.
Color– Make sure to et the color of the vehicle
Make– Was it a Ford, Dodge, Nissan, Mazda, etc.?
Model– What was the specific model of the vehicle?
Condition– Was it dirty, clean damaged, dented, etc.?
License Plate– What was the license plate number? What state was license plate from?
Direction– Which direction did they drive off to if they left the scene?
With your help the police can do a better job.
Together we can create a stronger safer community.

Go Faster! Training tips to improve your running speed.
http://www.the-biomatrix.net/run-faster.htm
By Adam Sinicki
Obviously if you want to improve your running speed you should practice firstly by running, varying your speed between sessions and regularly attempting to push your top speed. You can practice at set points or use what I call ‘incidental training’, which is when you turn an ordinary task into a training opportunity for example by running to the shop or to work. Personally I run practically everywhere. Like a mentalist.
If you want to push the boundaries further and use some more unconventional methods to improve your 100 metres the following strategies will serve you well.
Upper Body Strength
The power created by swinging your arms is very important to your overall running speed. When I was younger I wanted to be Sonic the Hedgehog (actually I thought I was Sonic the Hedgehog) so I used to run with my arms flailing around behind me which significantly decreased my running speed. From this I learned two important points: do not run with your arms behind you,
The most important muscles to train are your deltoids, closely followed by your biceps and triceps. A good way to train the latter two is with ‘dumbbell runners’ which involve holding two mid-to-light dumbbells and making a slow-motion running motion. They’re much like bilateral hammer curls mixed with kickbacks and they’re brilliant. Shrugs meanwhile are a great way to train the shoulders.
Also important is your core strength, which can be trained with press-ups, sit ups and pull ups.
Leg Strength
Training your legs is important for running but it’s also paramount that they don’t become too bulky which can be detrimental to your speed. Your muscles will be developed to an extent from the running itself, particularly by running up hill.
To get an extra edge though use leg extensions, hamstring curls and calf raises. Running utilises fast twitch muscle fibres which you need to train by practicing the movements explosively with ‘bursts’ of strength to lift the weight.
Overspeed training
Overspeed training is the incredibly cool name for a training method used by sprinters and football players to increase running speed. Basically it involves finding a way to run up to 10% faster than usual, by getting towed, or by running downhill, or with wind behind you. The idea is that by doing this, you are ‘teaching’ your body and your brain the movement necesary to create that kind of speed and that hopefully they’ll eventually be able to repdoduce it on their own. In theory this technique could be used for several other endeavours. For example there are machines that take your arm through the perfect golf swing. Having your friend help you with a heavy weight might even have a similar effect. Still you should do overspeed training just because it’s called overspeed training! It would be even cooler if it was called hyperspeed training… (I’ve got to invent that).
Running against resistance
This is like it sounds – basically the opposite of overspeed training (underspeed training?). Some things that can provide resistance are shallow water, sand (think Rocky 3) and ankle and wrist weights. You could also run while towing something ala Rocky. Quicksand would probably be awesome but it’s hard to come by.
Ooh! This is now called hyperspeed training!
Stamina
It should go without saying that you need to increase your stamina in order to maintain a good speed. Any CV training will achieve this but obviously running and jogging are the most well-suited. Use a treadmill if you’re in the gym and alternate between 10 minute jogs and 2 minute sprints for the best results.
Springbak Speedsoles
‘Speedsoles’ are squidgey insoles that you place in your shoes to give yourself a bit of extra bounce. They can supposedly increase running speed and jumping height by around 10%
While you shouldn t expect flubber I have found that they do at least give you a bit of a spring in your step and have the added bonus of combating shin splints and other running-related pains.
Visit the site
You may also be interested in:
Buy Now: Project Superman Paper-back!
Yes you read right: Project Superman is now available as a 124-page paper back! For just £13.88 (+P&P)
Project Superman is the name I gave to my personal mission to try and improve myself in every way possible; to become faster, stronger, smarter and more agile. This book is a veritable bible of unique training methods, fighting techniques, tools, future transhuman technologies, psychological tricks, health tips and everything else you need to improve yourself in every way possible.
Whether you want to be a superman or just improve your health, there’s something here for you.
Reposted with permission from http://www.the-biomatrix.net

Message from Thanatos:
-I am inviting all RLSH here to my city, Vancouver British Columbia in February of 2010 to co-incide with the winter olympics here. the cityis planning on making the downtown areas ‘safe’ by simply removing all the people on the street for the duration of the games. this means that close to 600 people will be forced into the downtown eastside of the city. this area is known as “Canada’s poorest postal code area”. this is the area where I do most of my work.
I am contacting the downtown residents association about us doing patrols and neighborhood watch kind of things for them. there will also be handouts done for the homeless.
a lot of this is in the planning stages yet and we shall see where it goes. I will have a hall or place for us to meet and plan and work from.
the meetup will last about four days as that is about all the time I will be able to take off work at that time.
I will post info as it becomes available, I have started with a listing of the downtown hotels in the area.
these are scans of the hotel listing provided by the downtown eastside resisdents association.
please keep in mind these are the hotels located in the downtown eastside and are NOT by any means 5 star hotels. this is right in the thick of things with stuff happening all around.
Vancouver is a strange beast and while many would like to jump in and ‘engage’ some of those you will see around you here, the best method is watching and calling in the actions to the police.
there is just too much going on to try to stop it my ‘traditional’ means of operation.
More details can be found at
http://www.therlsh.net/upcoming-events-f10/vancouver-olympic-meetup-in-2010-t1116.htm
 

Local Businesses and Artists Join Together to Raise Money for “Superheroes”
ORLANDO, Florida (February 1, 2010) – Several Central Florida businesses and artists are joining together for “Heroes and Damsels” an online clothing, accessory, art, goods and services auction to raise money for “real life superheroes.” All proceeds collected from the online auction of items donated by local artists will benefit Team Justice, the Florida Team of Real Life Superheroes, a non-profit organization that uses the creativity of iconic comic book superheroes to help the community through activities such as safety patrols, school talks, hospital visits, aiding the homeless, distributing wanted and missing person posters and community clean-ups.
Clothing will be donated by AM/Fashion, a women’s clothing line by Central Floridian Anna Fuller that is inspired by her love of music. The jewelry will be donated by Chronicle Stones, a hand-crafted jewelry line by local artist Su Laing that incorporates custom and vintage pieces inspired by personal ornamentation.
Chronicle Stones will host the online auction the day of the shoot at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chronicle-Stones/100981131032
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:
“Heroes and Damsels” will photograph local modeling talent as well as member of the Team Justice Superhero team for the online option.
What: Heroes and Damsels Photo Shoot managed by Seven Red Apples Photography
When: March 28, 2010,9:00 am –Noon.
Where: Orlando Paintball Inc.,7215 Rose Avenue, Orlando.
For more information on the partners involved, visit the following sites:
Team Justice: http://teamjusticeinc.webs.com
Real-Life Superheroes: http://reallifesuperheroes.org
Seven Red Apples Photography: www.7redapplesphotos.com
A/M Fashion: www.amfmfashion.com
Chronicle Stones: www.chroniclestones.etsy.com
Orlando Paintball: www.orlandopaintball.com
Media Contact:
Irene Ayala
407-406-0320
[email protected]

Who: The Sunscreen Film Festival is a 501 (C) 3 non-profit charity dedicated to promoting the art of filmmaking, providing educational opportunities for individuals of all ages in all aspects of film and it’s related crafts, and creating economic development in the State of Florida and the Greater St. Petersburg/Tampa area through film and filmmaking.
What: The Sunscreen Film Festival is bringing together several Film Producers and Comic Book experts along with a group of Real Life Superheroes (Team Justice, also a 501 © 3 nonprofit charity) to present panels and workshops relating to comics and film during the 2010 Festival. Currently confirmed guests for this include;
Ralph Winter, Producer: X-men, Fantastic Four, Original Star Trek Films and many more Dan Lin, Producer: New Sherlock Holmes movie, Terminator Salvation, The Departed, Dean Batali, Producer, Showrunner: That 70’s Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Leo Partible, Screenwriter, comic books, films: Behind the Screen: Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture, The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Pop Culture (with a Foreword by Stan Lee)
When: During the Sunscreen Film Festival, which is from Wednesday April 14, 2010 to Sunday April 18, 2010.
Where: Muvico 20 &IMAX and the Baywalk Entertainment Complex in downtown St. Petersburg,FL.
Why: To further the non-profit missions of these two organizations. Additionally During the fest Sunscreen is partnering up with the Children’s Dream Fund to fulfill the wishes of several terminally ill children. This event will coincide with the Children’s Dream Fund event as well.
Sunscreen Film Festival
The Festival has been able to rapidly expand its reach by attracting top talent both in front of and behind the camera. Guests have included John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Patrick Wilson (Watchmen, Phantom of the Opera), and Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice, Changeling) along with accomplished screenwriters Steven DeSouza (Die Hard, 48 Hours) and Timothy Sexton (Children of Men). In addition, each year the festival draws professionals from all areas of the entertainment business and sponsors workshops to encourage and inform up-and-coming filmmakers looking to learn from some of the most knowledgeable people in the entertainment industry.
The Sunscreen Film Festival was recently named one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals” of 2009 by MovieMaker Magazine.
Information about the Sunscreen Film Festival:
http://reallifesuperheroes.org/wp-content/uploads/Sunscreen_Film_Fest_Comics_Film.pdf

Environmental Media Northwest, Captain Ozone and a group of local citizens are organizing a public demonstration for renewable energy known as “Green Power Rally” which will occur on Saturday, July 31st, 2010.
This will be the very first demonstration of its kind in America, raising public awareness and support for renewable energy far and wide.
Green Power Rally is not an aggressive protest against the fossil fuel or nuclear power corporations. It is an optimistic, peaceful demonstration to support zero-emissions energy.
The demonstration will teach local citizens the following:
1) Green Power can make all nations energy self-sufficient – eliminating wars over limited supplies of foreign oil.
2) Zero-emissions energy will never cause climate change.
3) Green Power can create millions of new industrial jobs – boosting our global economy.
4) 12 ways to be a Green Power activist.

Captain Ozone is looking for other Real-life Superheroes who wish to become lead public demonstrators in their home cities for Green Power Rally.
Wearing your superhero uniform, you will be leading a small group of your friends and family who will be demonstrating for Green Power with you in your local community. Your superhero uniform will act as an attention-grabber for your local media!
If you’re interested in becoming a lead public demonstrator for Green Power Rally in your home city, please contact Captain Ozone at MySpace.com/CaptainOzone.
~Captain Ozone

Green Power Rally will take place on Saturday, July 31st, 2010.
For more information about this demonstration, go to http://GreenPowerRally.org