Superman was most certainly NOT a conservative character in his first 3 or 4 years! He became one in the 50s, though thoae stories were less about petty crime and more about high concept scifi and nostalgia. In his first appearance, Superman fights a war lobbyist, breaks into the governor's mansion to prevent an unjust execution, and fights a man who was beqting his wife. During his first few appearences, he also helps miners gain more working rights and fights the national guard, forcing them to replace slums with affordable housing because he decides the reason for juvenile delinquency is because they don't have affordable good housing in the city. Superman comics also became staunchly anti-death penalty later on.
As for Muhammad, ... the works of Maxime Rodinson and Montgomery Watt, but I'd also suggest the newer books by Fred Donner (Muhammad and the Believers) and Wilfred Madelung (the Succession to Muhammad).
Juan, what do you believe this means for Egypt's stability in the next year or so? Does a protracted, low-level conflict/rivalry between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood seem likely, or will it become something bigger? (The reason I ask is because I was planning on spending next summer in Egypt, and was worried there might be some conflict)
"I agree with Mr. Nimoy, but if I was going to use a Star Trek story line as a comparison for the conflict, i think the Deep Space 9 story line about the occupation of Bajor by the Cardasians, is for more apt imho."
And here's something related from Star Trek's wiki: "Rick Berman emphasized the Bajorans were not modeled on any one real-life group. "The Kurds, the Palestinians, the Jews in the 1940s, the boat people from Haiti – unfortunately, the homeless and terrorism are problems [in every age]." (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)"
Superman was most certainly NOT a conservative character in his first 3 or 4 years! He became one in the 50s, though thoae stories were less about petty crime and more about high concept scifi and nostalgia. In his first appearance, Superman fights a war lobbyist, breaks into the governor's mansion to prevent an unjust execution, and fights a man who was beqting his wife. During his first few appearences, he also helps miners gain more working rights and fights the national guard, forcing them to replace slums with affordable housing because he decides the reason for juvenile delinquency is because they don't have affordable good housing in the city. Superman comics also became staunchly anti-death penalty later on.
Kudos to Marvel!
John Dominic Crossan, is a professor at DePaul and has published substantially on Jesus and the New Testament.
Here is his book part of the 'Essential' series:
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Jesus-Original-Sayings-Earliest/dp/1556358334
He also wrote a book called 'The Historical Jesus: the Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant'
http://www.amazon.com/Historical-Jesus-Mediterranean-Jewish-Peasant/dp/0060616296/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366912296&sr=1-2&keywords=the+historical+jesus
There's also by other authors Palestine in the Time of Jesus, setting the historical context
http://www.amazon.com/Palestine-Time-Jesus-Structures-Conflicts/dp/0800663098/ref=pd_sim_b_70
As for Muhammad, ... the works of Maxime Rodinson and Montgomery Watt, but I'd also suggest the newer books by Fred Donner (Muhammad and the Believers) and Wilfred Madelung (the Succession to Muhammad).
Juan, what do you believe this means for Egypt's stability in the next year or so? Does a protracted, low-level conflict/rivalry between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood seem likely, or will it become something bigger? (The reason I ask is because I was planning on spending next summer in Egypt, and was worried there might be some conflict)
"I agree with Mr. Nimoy, but if I was going to use a Star Trek story line as a comparison for the conflict, i think the Deep Space 9 story line about the occupation of Bajor by the Cardasians, is for more apt imho."
The fact that you know about DS9 is AWSESOME - I highly suggest that everyone here check out the episode "Duet."
Here are two scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVHR0UPHERQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23mYsNNVUPg (the ending - spoiler!)
And here's something related from Star Trek's wiki: "Rick Berman emphasized the Bajorans were not modeled on any one real-life group. "The Kurds, the Palestinians, the Jews in the 1940s, the boat people from Haiti – unfortunately, the homeless and terrorism are problems [in every age]." (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)"
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ensign_Ro_(episode)