Recently, the UN had a session discussion the popular Sci-Fi series Battlestar Galactica, a revival of a series from the 70's about a fleet of human ships driven off the 12 colonies (all named after the 12 signs of the western zodiac) by a race of human created "organic" robots, the Cylons.
Personally, I'm an avid fan of the series, having only recently discovered it this past winter. I can understand why it's recieved such praise as both a drama and a science fiction series. However, even I find it strange that the series has grabbed the attention of the United Nations. What is it about Battlestar that's captivated the leaders of the free world?
According to Sci-Fi, the show's primary broadcaster on which the series's fifth and final season is airing, the show raises discussion over "human rights, children and armed conflict, terrorism, human rights and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faith."
At first glance, you'd wonder how all these themes can appear in the realm of "nerddom", but there is an abundance of examples of many of these themes.
(Warning: SPOILERS!)
For instance, the controversy of whether the Cylon models (the Cylons engineered to be nearly human) should be treated humanely appears constantly throughout the series, such as the treatment of the Eights, and more specifically Boomer/Athena, the legitamency of the many Cylon/Human children fostered, and how the enemies of humanity should be treated, even when its clear that they were never truly our foes.
It's clear that many of these themes appear in Battlestar and make this more than just your run-of-the-mill space opera. A lot lies under the surface of this dynamic, addictive chase through space, and if it's good enough for the UN, it's good enough for me.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Bloggin' Blarney
Most people know Saint Patty's Day as a good excuse to go to the bar after work and chug a few pints. Few people, however, truly know its origins and the history behind it. In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day as well as my Irish heritage, I've compiled a few interesting facts about the holiday, it's history, it's traditions, and St. Patrick himself.
- St. Patrick is actually not typically associated with the color green. In fact, a shade of (typically) dark blue, St. Patrick's Blue, is more commonly associated with him and with Ireland in general.
- Furthermore, "wearing of the green" originally referred to the wearing of a shamrock on your clothes to show your patriotism to Ireland or association with Catholicism.
- Protestants, in defiance of the Catholics, would wear orange on St. Patrick's Day, in reference to William III of Orange, who defeated King James II, a Roman Catholic, outside of Dublin.
- The shamrock, which typically has 3 leaves, is symbolic of the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost).
- The snake is also associated with St. Patrick, as part of his legend is the banishing of snakes from Ireland, symbolizing the victory of Christianity over the pagan beliefs.
- St. Patrick was actually not Irish; he was sold into slavery at age 16 after being stolen from his home in Wales and returned to his home about 6 years later, coming to Ireland as a missionary for the Catholic church.
- Savannah, GA claims to have the largest St. Patrick's Day Parade in the United States, with over 750,000 attending the 2006 parade. It's also held on the day of St. Patrick's Day regardless of when it falls, unlike many others held
- Every year, the Chicago River is died green in celebration of the holiday. The green vegetable dye used for the first time was enough to keep it green for a whole week!
Bibliography:
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Title Pending
Here's the beginning of a short story I conjured up from the hobo documentary I watched in Lit. Hopefully I'll finish it before too long and update this post.
The steady tattoo of the rails below as the car glided across the smooth steel tracks rang sonorously in the cramped car, rattling the crates as they shifted in time with the movement of the train. Huddled in between them, Lucian sat, nibbling on the stale remnants of the cucumber and butter sandwiches he had hobbled together from the charity of a grocer the night before. With his long legs at his bony chest and his arms squeezed between two boxes, he idly watched the flickering light from the crack in the door. As he swallowed his last bit of food, he sighed, shifting into as comfortable positions as he could achieve wedged in between the gigantic boxes. All of the other men riding the boxcar had long gotten off, getting off at Las Vegas before hitting California.
Lucian, however, was keen on hitting Los Angeles and getting a job in a restaurant there. He knew he could wash dishes and get a good meal if he was lucky and maybe be able to get a nice place to sleep. He had become sick and tired of riding the rails all the way from Baltimore, but there was little work in the town after the crisis a few years back, and his father had left him and his mother alone to sustain themselves on whatever money she could muster.
Lost in his thought, he didn’t seem to notice the shadows on the floor begin to slow their flickering dance. The tattoo soon fell silent, and with a lurch and a sigh, the train came to a halt, throwing him forward from his tight nook. Suddenly, he found himself on the wooden floor with a mouth full of sawdust and soot.
“Hey, kid, need a hand?”
Coughing, he raised his head to see a man towering above him dressed in a worn out suit coat and a pair of torn slacks, reaching down to help him on his feet. A bit hesitantly, he took the man’s offer, gripping his calloused palm as he righted himself.
“I been watchin’ you since ya got on. Been wonderin’ what a kid like you’s been doin’ hoppin’ trains.”
“Been tryin’ to get to Los Angeles to get a job and help my mama.” Lucian explained between hacks.
The man simply shook his head and dipped a hand into his pocket, withdrawing a shining pocket watch that looked as if it had been bought yesterday.
“Looks like we got enough time for lunch. Lemme take ya into town and buy ya a sandwich.” He offered.
“T-thanks, mister.” Lucian stuttered, brushing the dust from his body.
He hopped off the car, gesturing for Lucian to follow.
“So, what’s your name, boy?”
“Lucian. You?”
“The name’s Gabe.”
The steady tattoo of the rails below as the car glided across the smooth steel tracks rang sonorously in the cramped car, rattling the crates as they shifted in time with the movement of the train. Huddled in between them, Lucian sat, nibbling on the stale remnants of the cucumber and butter sandwiches he had hobbled together from the charity of a grocer the night before. With his long legs at his bony chest and his arms squeezed between two boxes, he idly watched the flickering light from the crack in the door. As he swallowed his last bit of food, he sighed, shifting into as comfortable positions as he could achieve wedged in between the gigantic boxes. All of the other men riding the boxcar had long gotten off, getting off at Las Vegas before hitting California.
Lucian, however, was keen on hitting Los Angeles and getting a job in a restaurant there. He knew he could wash dishes and get a good meal if he was lucky and maybe be able to get a nice place to sleep. He had become sick and tired of riding the rails all the way from Baltimore, but there was little work in the town after the crisis a few years back, and his father had left him and his mother alone to sustain themselves on whatever money she could muster.
Lost in his thought, he didn’t seem to notice the shadows on the floor begin to slow their flickering dance. The tattoo soon fell silent, and with a lurch and a sigh, the train came to a halt, throwing him forward from his tight nook. Suddenly, he found himself on the wooden floor with a mouth full of sawdust and soot.
“Hey, kid, need a hand?”
Coughing, he raised his head to see a man towering above him dressed in a worn out suit coat and a pair of torn slacks, reaching down to help him on his feet. A bit hesitantly, he took the man’s offer, gripping his calloused palm as he righted himself.
“I been watchin’ you since ya got on. Been wonderin’ what a kid like you’s been doin’ hoppin’ trains.”
“Been tryin’ to get to Los Angeles to get a job and help my mama.” Lucian explained between hacks.
The man simply shook his head and dipped a hand into his pocket, withdrawing a shining pocket watch that looked as if it had been bought yesterday.
“Looks like we got enough time for lunch. Lemme take ya into town and buy ya a sandwich.” He offered.
“T-thanks, mister.” Lucian stuttered, brushing the dust from his body.
He hopped off the car, gesturing for Lucian to follow.
“So, what’s your name, boy?”
“Lucian. You?”
“The name’s Gabe.”
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Third Parties and Sex - Who Knew?
In Queensland, Australia, the big news that everyone is talking about is the upcoming state Parliamentary elections. Many parties have been offering their candidates for election on March 21st, and while the two major political front runners are stealing the limelight, a few smaller parties have introduced their own candidates just under the radar. One in particular that I've noticed is the "Australian Sex Party", a small third party founded last year by Fiona Pattern (a little bit about her and her team can be found on their website, here), described as a party with a "Social Progressive" policy. This is an interesting development, as Queensland's censorship laws have been described by Pattern as "far stricter than any other state in Australia and the same as laws on erotica in totalitarian states like China and Iran."
While her view is likely somewhat extreme, the opposition towards this suggests that her statement has at least some element of truth, as the opposition to the party has been strong and targeted, using a variety of flashy words to demonize pornography as much as Pattern demonized Queensland's censorship policies.
Despite this, I find the most interesting thing about this is that political organizations so specialized have sprouted out of these greater movements and have actually stolen some of the spotlight. They don't generally get this kind of attention Stateside, but parties like the Green Party with their candidate, Ralph Nader, possibly tipping the election towards former president Bush, and independents, like Ross Perot, who took nearly 19% of the popular vote and later, under the Reform Party, grabbed a respectable 8% percent, have really began to tip the scales in the political environment.
While her view is likely somewhat extreme, the opposition towards this suggests that her statement has at least some element of truth, as the opposition to the party has been strong and targeted, using a variety of flashy words to demonize pornography as much as Pattern demonized Queensland's censorship policies.
Despite this, I find the most interesting thing about this is that political organizations so specialized have sprouted out of these greater movements and have actually stolen some of the spotlight. They don't generally get this kind of attention Stateside, but parties like the Green Party with their candidate, Ralph Nader, possibly tipping the election towards former president Bush, and independents, like Ross Perot, who took nearly 19% of the popular vote and later, under the Reform Party, grabbed a respectable 8% percent, have really began to tip the scales in the political environment.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)