FINALS

Oh Ho, POUNCE-ite.

X, or Mu, is a continent said to have been

swallowed by the sea, and to now lie under the Indian or Pacific Ocean. The famous Theosophist Madame Blavatsky claimed that the people were ape-like giants that had the gift of telepathy. In a book called “The Lost Continent of Mu”, one writer claimed that all of mankind has its origins in X, which once extended from Hawaii to Easter Island and Fiji. Supposedly, it was completely destroyed 12,000 years ago by an enormous earthquake, and sank into the sea. (Pic NS)

X was developed by Dr. Joseph Lawrence, based on pioneering

work done by Joseph Y, whom he named it after. It wasn’t intended for oral use however—it was simply an antiseptic, and the first one. Before Y’s discovery that carbolic acid killed germs, far more people died from infections incurred during surgery than from the injuries themselves (illustrated by a saying from the time: “The operation was a success, but the patient died.”)

Since nobody knew how to stop infections before Y, amputations (to keep them from spreading) were the most common major surgery of the time, and the death rate from this procedure was around forty percent. By the time X had been in use for about twenty five years, in 1910, the death rate from amputations had dropped to a measly three percent.

X is an electronics manufacturer that makes everything

from car parts to vacuum cleaners—and, in times past, Nazi gas chambers. If you’ve ever wondered who was willing to take the job of building the group-sized hydrogen cyanide chambers used in Auschwitz, now you know. They were also immersed in building the infamous train system of Nazi-era Germany, the Reichsbahn, which transported Jews to the concentration camps.

And it’s not as if they were on the fringe of the war—X funded the Nazi Party during the 1930′s and actively supported Hitler’s regime once the war broke out. They had more than 400 factories operating throughout Germany by late 1944, many of which used Jewish Labor.

People like to use the word Y when describing

individuals with questionable ethics or no sense of morality. Y is a conjugation of X, who was considered an evil man primarily because his thoughts, both written and spoken, were new and unusual. As a result, his writings were found to be diabolical in nature, partly because they were viewed as attacks on people of importance at the time, including the clergy.

X- Machiavelli Y- Machiavellian

John Nettleship was X’s chemistry teacher in school.

So it makes a bit of sense that X would use her former chemistry teacher as the inspiration. Nettleship did not know he was the inspiration for the character until the films came out and his students, along with his wife, pieced things together. X’s mother actually worked as an assistant in the chemistry department under Nettleship, so we can’t help but wonder what the real life professor, who died in 2011, thought about the revelation that his character was in love with the protagonist’s mother.

The Black Death was a tragedy for all of the

Scandinavian countries, Denmark lost one third of its population, while Norway lost half. The plague was so devastating, the people soon made it into a character of its own. X comes as the figure of death and illness, in the shape of a hideous, old woman dressed in black, carrying a broom and a rake. She traveled from farm to farm, spreading the plague. If she carried with her the rake, some of the inhabitants would survive, but if she was carrying the broom, everyone in the family would soon die. It is still common to mention X in the context of disease and illness.

Pesta

Cow intestines led a pretty depressing existence prior to the

nineteenth century. Their taste was overshadowed by the rest of the delicious parts of the cow and their utility was overshadowed by the versatility of pig and sheep intestines for sausage casing. All of that ended in 1875 when it was used ingeniously to create X.

Typically, the 120-foot small intestine is extracted and cut into 40-foot strands that are then treated with chemicals to aid preservation. The strands are spun tightly together and dried out in a humid room for six weeks to prevent cracking. It takes nearly four whole intestines to make a single X, but even today it’s a commodity that’s cherished by some of the world’s best professional s. Previously, cow farms would pay waste removal companies thousands of dollars each month to remove the leftover intestines, but now they’ve become one of the most profitable byproducts of the slaughtering process.

Cow Gut Tennis Rackets

Last year (2012), a X appeared on Google Earth,

just north of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. They aren’t simply figments of the medieval imagination. X’s are different from mythical lands, although as we’ll see, sometimes geography and fable get confused. All these islands once existed on maps and geographers believed they were real. Some were simple errors of fact that were later put right while others turned out to be pure fabrications. All of them had an effect on peoples’ consciousness.

Phantom Islands

If you’re attending school or college, or work in an office,

you have probably noticed them around the place. They aren’t connected to the main power source of the building, as obviously everyone inside the building would be trapped in darkness if the power went out. So how do they generate this light? Long-life batteries? Hamsters on treadmills? No, sadly; instead, the light is generated by the samples of a radioactive isotope of hydrogen called tritium contained inside it. Unfortunately, however, if that same disaster that cut the power also causes it to smash, that same radioactive isotope can escape and contaminate the building and everyone in it.

X refers to a family of games with the same basic method

of play. Known as count-and-capture games, there is some evidence to suggest that they may be the earliest games played—predating even Senet but further verification is needed. To play the game, all you need is a patch of soft ground and a handful of seeds or pebbles. Rows of holes are dug alongside one another, and players distribute counters one at a time in a path round the board. There are a number of goals; but the key to victory in every version is basically to count really fast.

X was little-known in Europe and America until relatively recently. A report from the Smithsonian Institute described it as the “national game of Africa.”

Mancala

As a girl, X took her Y to school one day at the suggestion

of her brother. A commotion naturally ensued. X recalled: “Visiting school that morning was a young man by the

name of John Roulstone, a nephew of the Reverend Lemuel Capen, who was then settled in Sterling. It was the custom then for students to prepare for college with ministers, and for this purpose Mr. Roulstone was studying with his uncle. The young man was very much pleased with the incident of the Y; and the next day he rode across the fields on horseback to the little old schoolhouse and handed me a slip of paper which had written upon it the three original stanzas of the poem…”

This trading card game has been marketed by

Steve Jackson Games since 1982 and is still popular.  Expansions, in the way of cards, are frequently added to the game, and in 1995, new conspiracy theories were propagated for the game revolving around the X effecting a “fire sacrifice to Satan” by nuking the World Trade Center in New York City.  X?

Illuminati

When X was a teenager, she was captured by the English

and held for ransom. Her husband was killed and X was raped repeatedly and consequently impregnated. She was forcefully converted to Christianity, baptized, and quickly married off to an English tobacco farmer named Y to make the pregnancy appear legitimate. English historical accounts are ‘unsure of the cause of X’s death’. One theory suggests, X learned of the English intentions to obliterate her people and forcefully take their lands. Afraid that X might reveal their political strategies, her murder was swiftly plotted and she was poisoned before she could reach home and report what she had learned.

Pochahontas

____ ____ is a hag of Slavic origin, said to live in log cabins

in the woods. She is said by most to be evil – and despite her perceived wisdom, it’s considered unwise to seek her help.

The main difference between her and other more mundane hags of folklore is her chosen mode of transport, which is a mortar and pestle. She uses the pestle to ‘row’ through the air while sitting in the giant mortar, with a broom at the back to sweep away her tracks. She is also said to live in a house without any windows or doors, which supposedly has giant dancing chicken legs for moving around.

Thought to have inspired the idea of Y.

Baba Yaga; Hansel and Gretel Witch

In the Victorian Era, when you’re sending such a

massive amount of correspondence that X becomes more exhausting than a marathon, this invention may come in handy. Coming in multiple forms, in one such form the device was shaped in the form of a dog with its tongue sticking out. In an era where written documents were still the most common form of communication, this device – despite its unusual form and purpose – certainly had a place in the average household.

Stamp Licker

While it is illegal to take rocks out of the

country, some tourists bring a piece of X home with them anyway. Perhaps because it is a sacred tribal ground, people who bring a piece of X away from the site are said to experience the curse of misfortune. As a result, people regularly mail their rocks back to Y with letters of apology.

This classic, was adapted into a trippy, live-

action film in 2009. Though it’s been around for over forty years, this book hasn’t always been readily available in libraries and in stores. After its release, it was banned in libraries all across the U.S. for its dark tone and unruly lead character. Some parents were apparently uneasy about the fact that the story’s protagonist, acted far too much like a regular little boy – he was loud, chaotic, prone to tantrums, and full of mischief.

Where the wild things are

X created quite a stir with the French public

when this painting went on display in 1863. There are actually two people who modeled for the nude woman. He used his favorite model, Victorine Meurent (1844- 1927), for the woman’s face and his future wife Suzanne for the woman’s body. The two men in the painting are X’s brother, Eugene and his future brother in law.

Le déjeuner sur l’herbe

The X were like the ninjas of

America. They would sneak up behind you and slit your throat, without you even knowing. They used primitive weapons made mostly of wood and bone. They were also the greatest knife fighters the world has ever seen, and were pretty good with the tomahawk and throwing ax. They terrorized the southwest United States, and even the military had trouble beating them. They were great hit and run fighters, and their descendants teach modern day special forces how to fight in hand to hand combat. They usually scalped their victims.

Apache Tribes

X is a byword, now, for suspense. X was

nominated as director 5 times but lost all five, and was not even nominated for the now-renowned classics. The Academy finally honored him with the Irving Thalberg lifetime achievement award, for which he walked on stage, said, “Thank you,” and walked off.

Hitchcock

The origin of this phrase is, undoubtedly, from

hunting, and more specifically from the hunting of boars. A ferocious animal, it often hid in the undergrowth and _______were employed and ordered to go straight in to chase it out. But very much aware, and afraid, of the animals’ sharp tusks, they much preferred to merely ‘____ ______ ___ ____’, a practice strongly disapproved of by their masters.

Beat Around the Bush

The X is a modern off-shoot of Masonry and does not

have a direct tie to the original X – a religious military group formed in the 12th century. Members of the Masonic X do not claim a direct connection to the medieval group, but merely a borrowing of ideas and symbols. In order to become a member of this group, you must already be a Christian Master Mason. This organization is a distinct one, and is not just a higher degree of Masonry. Despite Freemasonry’s general disclaimer that no one Masonic organization claims a direct heritage to the medieval X, certain degrees and orders are obviously patterned after the medieval Order.

The Knight’s Templar

The X is from Irish mythology and are usually

seen as female spirits. They were considered to be omens of death and were believed to have come from the “otherworld”. They are generally thought to be remnants of an ancient Celtic pagan religion in which they were minor gods, spirits, or ancestors. In English they are often referred to as fairies. According to legend, Xs will wander around the outside of a house wailing when someone inside is about to die.

Banshee

X is an alteration in the perception or experience of the

external world so that it seems strange or unreal. Other symptoms include feeling as though one’s environment is lacking in spontaneity, emotional coloring and depth. Individuals who suffer from derealization may complain that what they see lacks vividness and emotional coloring. Emotional response to visual recognition of loved ones may be significantly reduced. Feelings of déjà vu or jamais vu are common. Familiar places may look alien, bizarre, and surreal. The world as perceived by the individual may feel like it is going through a dolly zoom effect. Such perceptual abnormalities may also extend to the senses of hearing, taste, and smell.

Derealization

Ever since its first display, the painting has

become a symbol for the brutality and suffering of war. The stark black and white shapes which cover the large canvass are caught in moments of anguish. Perhaps the most moving portion of the work is the figure in the far left; a woman screaming as she cradles a dead child. The resonances with the image of the X are obvious, but all too human in this case.

Picasso’s Guernica

Currently owned by the Quaker Oats Company of

Chicago, X’s trademark dates back to 1893, but was first registered in April 1937. She originated from the “Minstrel Show” as one of their stereotypical African-American characters. She was later adopted by commercial interests to represent the X brand. The X character received the Key to the City of Albion, Michigan on January 25, 1964. An actress portraying her visited Albion many times for fundraisers. Soon after Quaker Oats introduced X syrup in 1966. This was followed by X Butter Lite syrup in 1985, and Butter Rich syrup in 1991. She has simply become just a logo for a brand name over the years.

Aunt Jemima

Eventually, he wore white face paint that was coated

in aluminium dust. But nine days into shooting the film, Ebsen complained of shortness of breath, cramping and eventually the inability to breath and was rushed to hospital in an oxygen tent; where he remained for two weeks. After some tests were completed it turned out he was having an allergic reaction to the aluminium dust in his makeup.

Ebsen was swiftly replaced by Jake Haley and the costume was changed (the aluminium was blended into the white paint, rather than speckled on top). In a much happier development, during scenes in which Haley was squirted with oil, the crew actually used chocolate sauce as it looked better on camera.

Tin Man

X, whose name appears in every strip in Morse code,

and who fled from Cuba just before Castro took over the free press, considered himself a spy of sorts, and drew the cartoon as a satire of the Cold War and a criticism of its pointlessness. By 1990, health complications impeded his work on the strip, and other editors of MAD took over the task. Prohias passed away on February 24, 1998. Y is possibly the longest running feature in MAD magazine, and the hilarious battles of wit between the “protagonists/antagonists” are still ongoing in the pages of the satirical magazine.

Spy vs Spy

Ever since this was pointed out to me, I haven’t been

able to miss it. Films seem to have an obsession with using X images, shades, and backgrounds on posters and artwork. I’ve read a little about color theory in art – and according to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s color wheel, X are complementary to each other. When used together, complementary colors are naturally aesthetically pleasing, which is important for attracting people’s attention to a movie through its poster or DVD cover. There are many interpretations of exactly what emotions X are meant to evoke, but some say one makes us imagine excitement and vitality, whereas the has calming and cool mood.

Orange and Blue Effect on Posters

Audiences believed X, a virtuoso in his instrument,

made a pact with the devil to perform supernatural displays of technique. Some patrons even claimed to see the devil helping him during his performances. It is because he was denied the Last Rites in the Church and his widely rumored association with the devil, that his body was denied a Catholic burial in Genoa. It took four years, and an appeal to the Pope, before the body was allowed to be transported to Genoa, but was still not buried. His remains were finally put to rest in 1876 in a cemetery in Parma.

Nicolo Paganini

According to Muslim Internet Forum Multaqa Ahl al

Hadeeth, “X are forbidden because of its imitation to Allah’s creatures whether it is original or mixture or even deformed one and since the picture is the face and the face is what makes the real picture then X which represent faces that express emotions then all that add up to make them Haram.” Additionally, “A woman should not use these images when speaking to a man who is not her mahram, because these faces are used to express how she is feeling, and a woman should not do that with a non-mahram man.

Emoticons

“At first I could see nothing, the hot air

escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment – an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by – I was struck dumb with amazement.” What breakthrough archaeological discovery is being talked about?

Tutankhamun’s tomb

Most people are familiar with the word when it is

referring to a style of dress or architecture. The X language was one of the languages of the East Germanic branch of the Indo-European family. Not only is the X language now extinct, but the whole East Germanic branch itself as well (which also included the exotic sounding languages Burgundian and Vandalic). X had its own writing system which looks like a combination of Greek and Latin letters. It is the earliest Germanic language which has enough written records in order to be accurately attested, with the Bible being translated into the language in the 6th century.

Gothic

A real icon of this era, this image was drawn from the first

issue of counter culture ‘Zap’ magazine. The image was a cartoon created by noted counter-culture artist Robert Crumb. It depicts several men, side by side, one leg forward, strutting down a highway, or through a field, or over all manner of landscapes with the words ‘____ __ ________’ The cartoon was Crumb’s take on the lyrics of the Blind Boy Fuller song “X’ My Blues Away”. Crumb intended the cartoon to be anything other than what it quickly became, a commercialized (and often plagiarized) representation for the entire ‘hippie’ era. Crumb said the cartoon was the worst thing that ever happened to his career. The last thing he wanted to become was ‘the greeting card artist for the counter culture.’

Ivan Albright painted in the magical

realist style, but this should not be taken to understand that his paintings were full of fantastical whimsy. Magical realism in art can best be described as a stylistic realism designed to bring the interior ‘truth’ of an object to the viewer. This style is perfectly suited to the subject matter of this painting. In Y’s book, X, a young man’s sins take their toll on a portrait, and not on the man himself. This painting was commissioned for the 1945 MGM filming of Y’s book. Over the course of the film, the portrait degenerates as the young man’s soul does, so Albright was hired to make alterations to this work during filming.

Oscar Wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray