Justice Isn't On A Platter.
Capt Black
I don’t expect justice to be served on a silver platter. Where I’m from it rarely is seen on the menu.
My time as a knight errant in the American South teaches justice is the result of sustained effort- not a given.
The people and causes I support are too often swept under the proverbial rug by “supervillains” of real life: racists; religious bigots; homophobes; elitists, etc. whose everyday attire disguises extraordinary evil.
Speaking of supporting someone’s fight against extraordinary evil, I’m assisting Shahed Wali Muhammad, a retired New Orleans police officer and dynamic senior citizen with more illnesses; issues to resolve and initiative than three lesser men combined.
If anything I do it out of gratitude. He’s been a ” Capt. Black ” longer than I’ve been alive; giving away the equivalent of a fortune to family; friends and worthy causes because he could do no less and live with himself. All the official corruption and personal tragedy he’s experienced are recounted in his tell-all book, ” Beyond The Star and Crescent ” http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/beyond-the-star-and-crescent/6036846.
For me he’s a daily reminder that we get only the justice we’re ready to tirelessly pursue. Injustice, especially institutional, expects you to give up… or give out. Institutional injustice can be in the form of biased public agencies like police departments; courts or prosecutors offices. It also comes in the guise of private groups, employers, or worse, gangs and other criminal collectives looking for folks to dominate.
In the face of such odds activists should develop “automatic pilot” to keep themselves going when elapsed time and opposition make our efforts appear fruitless.
That’s why I don’t expect justice on a silver platter. Everyone from Nazi hunters like Elie Wiesel to fellow creative crusaders of the media-dubbed ” real life superhero ( RLSH ) ” movement demonstrate that minus tenacity justice will never be yours.
We only get justice in direct proportion to the amount of time and energy expended- period.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes finding your “super” through creative crime prevention; homeless outreach and political advocacy. (504) 214-3082.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot (padding for armor)
A lot of the RLSH wear armor of one type or another. From simple sports armor to full on ballistic protection and everything in between. Some even make there own armor to get that total custom look to it. One thing that almost everyone does to their armor, be it home made or store bought, is add a little extra padding. Possibly because you want it more comfortable, or able to take a harder hit or just because it doesn’t quite fit right.
So the question becomes, “What do I stuff under my armor and still feel manly?” Can’t very well use toilet paper like some teenage girl, can we. We need something macho and strong. And gadgety.
Enter D3o. That’s ‘dee three oh’ not dee thirty. D3o is a molecular super material that changes from gel to solid when impacted. It is sort of a Non-Newtonian fluid in jello form. It is gooey and pliable at rest, and very solid when impacted at high velocity. It has been available in Europe for a few years and is now making it’s way to the U.S. in high end sports gear. There has been a lot of talk about it in the RLSH community for a while.
I got a chance to test some of the new USA version D3o for Project EON some time ago. I tested the expensive D3o against a lesser known, much cheaper, type of polyurethane called Sorbothane. Some of you may already be familiar with my findings but for those who are not, I am re-posting them here so they can be archived for the future.
I got a sample pack for testing of each product. The USA D30 called Deflexcion and the Sorbathane. I figured the best way to test the abilities of the materials was to place it over something fragile and then smack it with something hard. Like my big ass framing hammer for instance.
I built a small frame to hold the edges of the d3o net like part in place.
It had a recessed part in the center so the d3o sample will be held above a voided area.
Then I placed the d3o sample in place above the void and screwed down a holding frame to keep the sides held tight.
Theoretically the force of the hammer should now be transferred through the entire structure making it all rigid and preventing damage to the wood below.
It actually became rigid enough to break. The force of the blow stiffened the whole sample. But with no way to dissipate it, it shattered.
The power of the hammer could now be transferred through the material into the wood.
Now lets take a look at the Sorbothane.
Its stretchy. It comes in 5 durometer levels. Which is a measure of how tough it is. 30, 40, 50, 60, 70. 70 is the toughest and the least stretchy. That’s the 30 I am stretching.
Laying each piece on its own wood sample, I proceeded to strike each with the hammer. You can see where I hit it.
No noticeable damage to the wood. I repeated this test with each of the samples. There was no noticeable damage to the wood in any of them.
Conclusion: D3o out smarts itself. It is too unforgiving if it is fixed on the edges. I feel if it is sewn into a suit and then struck it will probably not break like my sample but will instead transfer the force to the stitches causing the suit to become damaged. It would have to be loose in a pocket structure of the suit in order to be effective.
It dosen’t have any give under a forceful blow. so if you have it over your knee and are hit with a sledge, it will become solid and transfer all the force of the sledge to your knee. I can see making a helmet from it or padding over a soft area of tissue. But I wouldn’t use it over a boney area like the knees ankles and elbows. Also it is NOT available in raw form. You have to buy equipment with it already installed. The price of such equipment can be unforgiving as well.
Sorbothane on the other hand seems to maintain a gooey consistency and is probably rippling under the force of the hammer like a stone hitting the surface of a pool. I would like to get this on high speed film. You can buy it raw and add it to your existing equipment. The primary supplier being McMaster-Carr. Supplier of all sorts of industrial gadgetry and parts.
Under New Management
These past few months, I’ve been preparing this site for new owners. The new management of Reallifesuperheroes.org is The Watchman and Life. Any questions about this site and modifying its content, please address those questions to The Watchman or Life via Private Message. The new team has access to the Google, Twitter and You Tube account now and will be able to modify parts like the RLSH Map, Event Calendar, and other Google features embedded in the RLSHorg site. The new team will also be able to create blog sections for people.
I’ve made some recent tweaks to the site. As most people noticed, I have removed the Registry. The registry was removed because the new team should not have to have the headaches having to verify who is real and who is not. The new team should not have to make the decision Dark Guardian and I had to do by removing profiles of individuals who were less than stable. And the new team are active RLSH, and do not have the time to research other people; the team’s time should be better spent helping others and researching ways to make a difference. In its place, I have transferred the Wiki files to the main site. Users who want to work on the wiki pages must request access from the new moderators. To add a wiki page to the site, copy and paste the form listed at http://www.reallifesuperheroes.org/wiki-2/wiki-submission/ and email it to [email protected]. Per instructions, new profiles must have photos which backgrounds are outside and not Photoshopped.
I wish the new management well. I hope that in a few years I can visit this site and see big changes that the new site owners will bring. Good Luck guys.
-RLSHtech
You're Already "Ready"…
You are already “Ready”….
So I’m at the gym to day hitting the bag & working on combos with Brother Power & “E” and during minute breaks somebody asks me “What do I have to do to become a Superhero?”. They hear my numerous (& humorous) stories about what goes on & want to throw their hats in the ring. Well one of the things I always contest to is I have the most boring Origin stories of anybody who does this…I just kind of fell into it after years of
Reading Comics as a kid (& giant kid)
The military
The Police academy
Professional Wrestling School
Etc.
So W/O even realizing it I kind of “Groomed” myself to end up doing this anyway.
The two guys in question, one was a PKA fighter & the other Fought Muay Thai both are in constant awesome shape & train like pro athletes, one already does the “Big Brothers” program & the other just got his Masters & is a Sikh (The Klingon Warriors of the religious world) so I told them “You guys are already “ready” put the Kybosh on it & get your Gimmicks & get out there.”
I tend to think that most of the people who end up doing this have already unintentionally prepared for it all their lives in one fashion or another.
When you’re ready to go….go.
SH
