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sights-on-the-scifi · 4 years

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THE COMPLETE SIGHTS OF SCIFI STAR WARS REVIEW PART 2.

BRIDGES TO A NEW HOPE.

https://sights-on-the-scifi.tumblr.com/post/189186099956/the-complete-sights-of-scifi-star-wars-review-part PART 1.

These next four pieces of STAR WARS media have exactly the kind of things i’m looking for in STAR WARS prequels, they fully understand what made the original trilogy so great. All of these titles meaningfully expand the universe not just with words, but also through engaging cinematic techniques and fun characters all wrapped up in an entertaining adventure general audiences can enjoy!

Action, drama, politics and effective score. Its all here in full force.

JEDI FALLEN ORDER 2019.

Years after the fall of the galactic republic and the destruction of the jedi order. The newly formed galactic empire has begun its conquest of the galaxy, seizing complete military enforced control of the means of production and industry, invading disobedient planets, taking control of natural resources through force then assimilating all species and their cultures under the emperors one rule.

Oppression can be felt everywhere.

The burnt out husks of the republic, separatists and the clone wars are being brought down to shipwrecking planets like Bracca to be stripped for valuable parts, melted down and recycled into materials that will construct the empires growing imperial war machine fuelling this transition.This is all carried out by overworked and underpaid engineers turned scrappers... This location also serves as a fantastic opening to the game! Giving us a believable insight into how the aesthetics and technology of this galaxy changed so drastically into the one we are all familiar with.

All of this world building is organic and we get to experience the emotional and political impact of this new reality at the same time the character we play as does. Cal Kestis is a jedi padawan who has gone into hiding after the events of order 66, and it is here he has spent most of his young life dismantling the world he had once known to blend in, waiting for any sign of other surviving members of the jedi council to hopefully tell him what to do next and its fantastic juxtaposition. We see him and his friend Prauf running through and scaling the dangerous work environments of this planet talking about their hopes and dreams for a future outside of this depressing place.

The heroes journey is an essential part of STAR WARS storytelling.

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Prauf being the oldest wants Cal Kestis to someday find his destiny and tries to motivate him to do so. As you can see there, the performance capture on this character even Cal is incredible and you really feel the emotion in the dialogue. Layered within this endearing narrative is great foreshadowing of events to come, political commentary and emotional content, this is stuff that I wish the Lucas directed star wars prequels were better at. But regardless its amazing to finally see it done so well here.

Jedi fallen order is not just an exciting star wars action adventure game with sleek mechanics, its also an intriguing narrative that shows us how survivors of a gone away world cope with the loss of that civilisation and their role within it. The game is full of great characters who assist and motivate Cal on his journey to discover hope for the future! I dont want to spoil too much of it because its really something you gotta experience for yourself to fully appreciate.

These qualities will also be expressed in the next three pieces of bridge media ill review.

SOLO A STAR WARS STORY 2018.

This is the second movie to be released in the STAR WARS anthology movie series. In it we are shown the backstory to one the original trilogy’s most recognisable characters Han Solo! While it is not a perfect production (What star wars movie is?...) its still a fun and exciting adventure full of style.

Like with Fallen order we get a detailed look at the ways in which the empire is taking control of the galaxy not just in terms of society and culture but also on the economic level, and it all has some interesting real world parallels. On the planet Corellia Han and his girlfriend Qi’ra are trapped in a life of crime for the local gangsters who use orphaned children as a means to carry out scams and steal expensive vehicles from rival gangs and even the wealthy elite. Discovering a rare resource on a job which is used by the empire to power their enormous starfleet, Han steals this along with a lighting fast speeder to outrun their masters and hopefully bribe the imperial guards at the immigration port checkpoint to then escape off world for good.

Its through this impressive opening sequence that we get an insight into the class divide of this universe and how the empire oppress and exploit populations of the worlds they control, we are even shown how they collude with the gangs to funnel desperate youths into recruitment offices for the empire’s vast military. Again its all organic, interwoven with the narrative of the character we follow. We experience it as they do! With shots of the newly constructed empire star destroyers that we saw were built with the re purposed scrap seen in Fallen order for an example.

This is what STAR WARS excels at, wrapping interesting social commentary and scifi themes around a fairly simple heroes journey. There is even more of this stuff too throughout the rest of the film, like we see in vivid detail how the empire sends the poorest of these worlds to fight in off world conflicts across the entire galaxy to eliminate native resistance and install a regime loyal to the emperor. It is fascinating way to show how oppressive and brutal this fascist empire is... When Han’s escape plan fails and he is separated for Qi’ra, he is then forced to escape from the gangs and imperial authorities by posing as a civilian looking to become a soldier in the empires army, though he does not get to be a pilot like he imagined for long. Han is thrust into a survival situation, as he and many others like him are forced to fight in a world war 1 inspired hellhole.

We see thats its not just elite storm troopers that compose the empires forces, but also these scarcely equipped mud troopers comprised of the working poor. After these amazing sequences the film settles into a more predictable heist narrative with a ragtag criminal crew, seeing Solo develop into the character we all know and love from those original films. Finding Chewie, getting the Falcon, his iconic Blaster, meeting Lando you name it and its all here!

Solid stuff.

STAR WARS THE FORCE UNLEASHED 2008.

Originally intended to be the official bridge between REVENGE OF THE SITH and the 1977 CLASSIC STAR WARS. This game tells the tale of Darth Vader's secret apprentice Starkiller, who is tasked in eliminating the emperors enemies and former Jedi.

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The game received very mixed reviews upon release as it was criticised for being perhaps a little rushed and a very bland button masher in terms of gameplay mechanics. Though the way in which you could use the force was pretty impressive, especially when combined with very impressive physics systems. What ultimately makes this game so interesting is its story, showing us how Darth Vader desires to escape the control of his master even while he still serves him... He uses Starkiller (Who was a child he stole from his original father/former jedi he was sent to kill), as a means to find the emperors enemies covertly, who just so happen to be rallying together to fight against the sith lord. In so doing Starkiller becomes a double agent, encouraging the formation of this resistance while at the same time killing Jedi to appease Lord Vader and aid his secret plan to assert control of the empire from within.

Over the course of this journey Starkiller will eventually grow to be sympathetic to the rebel cause and fight for the freedom of the galaxy, though I wont spoil the specifics here.

Like with the previous media shown in this review we get even more glimpses into the ways in which this galaxy operates, and also how the empire operates. We see junkyard planets filled with the remnants of the clone wars, a deathstar in a very early stage of construction, and small insurrections formed by a surviving Jedi striking at the hearts of the imperial war machine. Its pretty similar to how Fallen order does it, but I feel that Fallen order does a much better job at this while at the same time being a phenomenal gameplay experience.

Despite its flaws though FORCE UNLEASHED is still a fun adventure that fits surprisingly well in the overall narrative i’m experiencing here chronologically! :D

ROGUE ONE A STAR WARS STORY 2016.

The first movie in the STAR WARS anthology film series, ROGUE ONE does everything that SOLO did right perhaps even more so! This movie takes place directly before the events of the 1977 classic, showing us the daring mission to secure the Deathstar plans that Luke then stumbles upon. What is so clever about this narrative is how it wraps a human story around such a small annoying detail in a new hope relating to the Deathstar’s ultimate weakness we are all aware of. The thermal exhaust port...

ROGUE ONE shows us how the empire exploits the minds and talents of the galaxy’s brightest individuals to construct its oppressive technology and weapons, destroying livelihoods and families in the process as we see in the opening. Galen Erso, a former lead scientist for the Deathstar super weapon project has gone into hiding to avoid aiding in the empires efforts to construct it, becoming a moisture farmer on a remote world. Much to his dismay, Director Orson Krennic a high ranking imperial officer he was once associated with has discovered the location of this farm and intends to bring him back to finish the research on the weapon.

Foreseeing this eventuality that he will become a hostage to the program, he devises a plan to hide his wife and daughter from the empire while he attempts to avoid being taken away, something that unfortunately is unlikely to happen... The plan does ultimately fail and his wife is killed, while only his daughter manages to escape Krennic’s elite bodyguards. Its a very emotional and impactful opening sequence that has real world relevancy, the history of WMD’s are full of personal tragic complexities like this for example.

Jyn Erso, Galen’s daughter is orphaned by this event, growing up to become a member of local rebel groups until becoming disgruntled and solitary. When broken out of imperial prison she will soon realise once tasked by the Alliance to retrieve information on the Deathstar that her Father is still alive, and while forced to work on the weapon placed a weakness in the design of the station the rebels can exploit. The groundwork for his revenge. The scene where she views the message made for her is amazing, see for yourself.

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Its very well executed and the emotional impact of the scene really makes it heartfelt while also expanding the universe in a really unique way! The climax of the film expertly shows us the bravery and sacrifice involved in a mission like this aswell, but I wont spoil it go watch the movie yourself to see :D. Again like with the other media shown, it sprinkles in lots of social and political commentary in its visual world building.

This is what a STAR WARS prequel should do!

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I hope you enjoyed these reviews and are encouraged to add these films to your viewing list :). I’m now going to be rewatching the 4k restored theatrical cuts of the original trilogy then playing battlefronts 2′s singleplayer so stay tuned for those reviews once they release!

#star wars #Review #star wars prequels

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bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 5 years

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Shadowhunters 3x15, To the Night Children -- Review

You guys are in for a treat this week. I'm actually doing this review way earlier than I normally do. But make no mistake, this absolutely doesn't mean that I enjoyed this episode and I was just so excited to talk about it. Quite the contrary, I didn't enjoy this episode. Just like the previous episodes, I found this episode boring and completely unnecessary in the grand scheme of things as most Heidi centric episodes tend to be. Again, it leaves me with the questions, "what was the point?" and "when is the plot going to finally start?" So let's discuss Shadowhunters 3x15, To the Night Children.

I would like to preface this review with saying that I am NOT a huge supporter of this show. I do enjoy certain elements of it but I'm not what would be classified as a devoted fan. For me, Shadowhunters is not a good show and I do get very critical of the show in my reviews. Honestly, for me, I watch the show because 1) I'm too curious not to and 2) I find that this show can be so bad its funny and that's how I reap enjoyment out of it. I am not at all invested in this show or its characters anymore. I'm just watching to see what happens. If you're a die hard fan and you lash out at everyone who has a different opinion than you, you might want to skip these...I'm just saying. My reviews may not be for you. If you do decide to be a total troll, well then pay attention to the below disclaimer.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you're the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that's on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that's the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I'm not telling YOU how to think and feel. I'm telling you what I, quirky and socially awkward me, think and feel. So please, lets discuss with dignity and respect. If I'm critical about this show, it's only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I do not hate Shadowhunters, I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It's great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn't mean I'm not going to point out the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do like the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my fondness for the books. I don't really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as the changes are good, it makes sense, and it doesn't create plot holes within the confines of the world the show has created. My problems with this show are problems I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it's perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world building, and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the books and movie.

How is it possible that we're half a season in and we've only had filler episodes? Seriously, the endgame plot for this show better be something fantastic to make up for the pointlessness that has been these past few episodes. You could skip this episode and you wouldn't miss anything.

What Is The Point of the Heidi Plot

Seriously, what even is the point of this plot? Particularly with how it was closed out in this episode. This plot did nothing for Maia's character arc, it did nothing for Simon's character arc, it was a complete waste of time. It was a horrible usage of what happened to Simon's family. None of our characters had any sort of emotional attachment to Heidi and I highly doubt any of the audience has any sort of emotional connection to her. No one cares about her so why on earth was there so much time the show doesn't have devoted to her? And I can now say that without a doubt that the Maureen plot done in the books was a 100x better than what happened here in the show. It was actually kind of epic. And this isn't me being mad that the show changed stuff from the books, this is me looking at the plot objectively and remarking that the books did it better. How does Heidi die in the show? Maia kills her for killing her pack, nothing more to it than that. How does Maureen die in the books? Via collusion between Lily the Vampire and Maia that results in an alliance between the vampires and the werewolves and effectively ending conflicts between the two parties that stems centuries; Lily becomes head of the vampire clan and Maia becomes alpha of the werewolf pack and together along with Magnus and Alec's guidance, they work through downworld drama one conflict at a time. What's the difference between the show outcome and the book outcome? Well, the book outcome has a lasting impact on the world, it actually does something for Maia's character arc, it gives her agency. What does the show outcome do? It gives Maia vengeance, I guess. I'm not sure what else. And to be perfectly honest, it's never felt like show!Maia was all that connected to the pack to begin with. It always kind of felt like she hung around them because she was obligated to and not because she genuinely thought of them as family. The only wolves she really socialized with were Luke, Jordan, and Bat.

And I think it's a little unfair of Simon to be looking down on Maia for killing Heidi considering it's not like he hasn't done the exact same thing for Clary before. Maia had every right to take vengeance for her pack especially when we just proved in an earlier scene that Alec had made a deal with Heidi. In Maia's eyes, it looked like she wasn't going to get justice for the pack. And can I just say how utterly pointless it was that so much work was put in to bring that girl out of her coma to "out" Heidi when Maia literally killed Heidi in the very next scene. They wasted so much time on that when they could've been doing something with the actual plot.

Malec Stuff, I Guess

What was Malec up to in this episode? Well, they were dealing with the implications of Magnus losing his apartment. Alec is letting Magnus stay at the Institute but the other shadowhunters aren't super fond of that idea. And in the biggest surprise I think we've gotten in the entire series, there's an actual cafeteria where shadowhunters actually congregate and eat with each other. I had no idea. I was honestly contemplating the possibility that they might not even eat, period. Seriously, why don't they use this cafeteria setting more often? It would be so much more interesting instead of scenes constantly being done in the war room. But as Magnus walks into the cafeteria with Alec, everyone just kind of stares at him like he's the new kid at school or something. Magnus contemplates that maybe they should go out to eat and Alec tells him not on "pancake day" and I'm very confused by this. Does NYC not have anywhere that serves pancakes? The NYC Institute must be serving some bomb-ass pancakes, let me tell you. These better be pancakes so awesome they would make the angels weep. Highly doubtful considering what I saw on the plates looked barely edible. And apart from the questionable pancakes, I did notice something else in this cafeteria scene. Alec goes to sit next to Clary and Magnus sits next to Alec. And just the body language Alec and Clary had sitting next to each other was just so much more positive and open than the body language of Magnus and Alec sitting next to each other. And Clary's body language was certainly more open towards Alec than it was to Jace. Honestly, it felt like Alec and Clary were the ones romantically involved with each other. While I don't ship Clalec by any means, I can't help but notice their chemistry and its certainly more pallatable than the chemistry Kat has with Dom or the chemistry Matt has with Harry. I'd be very interested in visiting the alternate universe in which Matt was the one who played Jace.

But there's a little bit of drama when Magnus is talking with this other shadowhunter dude, and the shadowhunter dude reveals he's glad that Magnus and Alec worked things out. You know, that fight they swept underneath the rug in 3A? You might think this is finally the moment in which that conflict will actually be dealt with. You would be mistaken. There was enough time to highlight some Clave bigotry but apparently not character development it would seem, that's Shadowhunters for you, though. The whole debacle is laughed off as jealousy and ends with Magnus saying he doesn't mind if Alec airs their relationship's dirty laundry with his co-workers. And I'm just like, "What?!" Who could possibly be okay with something like that?! I tell you, this show is trying really hard to avoid that whole immortality conflict. But my question to the writers is if you didn't want to deal with it, why on earth did you bring it up in 3A to begin with? It was pointless then and you're treating it as if it's pointless now. Can we please have these two deal with a conflict like the actual adults they're supposed to be?

And this all culminates into Alec and Magnus deciding to move in together as throughout this episode Alec had been realizing he can't be an effective leader if he doesn't follow the same rules as those who are under him. Since it's against the rules for a downworlder to stay at the Institute, Alec and Magnus decide to find an apartment and move in together. And this whole leader business kind of showcases why I don't necessarily like that Alec is the head of the Institute this early into his character arc. This whole being a stickler for following the rules and then not following the rules and then following the rules again. It's far easier for your heroes to bend the rules if they're not in this position and at the end of the story, Alec's character arc is to become a leader so he can now make the changes he wants. But with Alec in this kind of situation, it's just kind of a "bleh" character arc that really doesn't go anywhere and it's full of plot contrivances and whatnot. Alec hasn't made any changes to the system at all and it's become quite evident that the Clave doesn't trust him and it really leaves you questioning why the Clave continues to leave him in charge.

But anyway, the episode ends with Magnus having a seizure and Alec calling out for help. What is up with this season's awkward endings? Sheesh. And I guess now we're going to have another filler next week to deal with this BS as well.

The Plot This Episode Should've Focused On

We have Clary trying to deal with her own guilt about letting Jonathon go in the previous episode and it just keeps on highlighting how I dislike how this story is being handled. Jonathon basically arrives to taunt Clary about the fact that she can't do anything to him and once again, can we get this plot going already? It's taking forever. Even though I still hate how this show is executing this plot. Clary basically has no sense of agency, there's no kind of personal reflection in it. It's like the show is doing the bare minimum to get by with it. Probably because they have so little time to actually do anything with it so they're trying to keep it as minimal and simple as possible. But this is one of those things where I don't want it to be simple. I still think Jace would be a better option in terms of being the subject of Jonathon's obsession. The show wasn't willing to do the Clace incest angle so why are they so ready to dive into this incest plot? Obviously, I know why. It's because Jonathon's evil. Shadowhunters has never been known for its subtlety.

Miscellaneous Stuff

There's an altercation between Clary and Aline in which they're sparring and Aline is making it very obvious that she wants to hurt Clary if it'll hurt Jonathon, maybe even kill her. It eventually gets out of hand when Clary loses control and starts beating the crap out of Aline basically. Jace pulls Clary away and asks Aline not to turn Clary in and I'm just rolling my eyes at this point. What does this show have against holding Clary accountable for anything...or admitting that she’s selfish, for that matter? I am kind of happy that we got a character here in the form of Aline who doesn't automatically worship the ground Clary walks on, though. It's about time. Clary is so worshipped on this show that I'm beginning to think she has a bigger ego than book!Jace. Just serves to further prove that Clary has way more in common with Valentine than she does with Jocelyn. And wouldn’t that be an awesome character arc for her? Where she has to come to terms that she has a bit more of her father in her than she cares to admit?

Clary has a conversation with Luke at the precinct and Luke tells her he's planning on holding himself accountable as he feels guilt for leaving the pack and potentially leaving the pack wide open for this kind of attack. Clary tells him he shouldn't and while this certainly wasn't Luke's fault, I can respect what Luke is doing here. It's too bad Clary doesn't understand the concept of holding oneself accountable when you feel you've done wrong. But she convinces Luke to stop with his current way of thinking because she still needs her father and I'm just like, "Since when?" When has it ever been shown that she's needed Luke in any sort of fatherly capacity. She certainly didn't need Jocelyn. I mean she decided to use the wish to bring back a guy she's only known a couple of months as opposed to her mother, her entire motivation for all of Season One. But whatever, I guess.

Izzy decides to prosecute Raphael due to the role he played with Heidi. And once again, I don't understand the whole point of all of this. It's a thing that happened I guess so I suppose I should take note of it. And once again, we're stuck on this whole Rizzy thing and I can't stand it.

As I mentioned earlier, this episode was hammering pretty hard on our heroes needing to quit bending the rules and follow them full-scale and it's just something that leaves me very confused on. Because it's not like they don't know the Clave has been doing some shady shit. So it's like they're turning a blind eye when they're making these kinds of decisions. And I'm particularly confused about why Simon is so big on this whole followoing the rules thing. When has that been a prevalent aspect of his character arc?

This episode continues to make me ask the questions, "What was the point?" and "When is the plot going to start?" I'm sick of these filler episodes. This episode gets a C for me. It's an episode that's just kind of there. As always, let's hope for better next week.

#shadowhunters #shadowhunters 3x15 #shadowhunters 3.15 #shadowhunters to the night children #to the night children

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racingtoaredlight · 5 years

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Opening Bell: April 12, 2019

In December, widespread protests and demonstrations arose in Sudan in response to spikes in the price of bread and fuel. The protests were large, well-organized, and the Sudanese military—long a bulwark supporting the rule of President Omar al-Bashir—did not attempt any serious intervention. Over time, the protests grew and evolved into a general airing of grievances against the reign of Bashir, which had persisted since 1989 when he gained power with the support of the military. Bashir’s grasp on power become even more important in 2009 and 2010, when the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Omar al-Bashir based on actions carried out by Sudanese troops in the restive Darfur region in the western part of the country, including massacre and rape of civilians. In recent weeks, protestors accumulated around the Sudanese army’s headquarters in the capital of Khartoum and an attempt by the National Intelligence and Security Service to break up the protests was forcibly prevented by Sudanese soldiers. The tipping point was finally reached yesterday, when the military acceded to the demands of the demonstrators and announced that a two-year transitional government would be formed under the defense minister, ending the three decade rule of Bashir. While a civilian transitional government was sought by protestors, the military’s role as kingmaker made the unlikely. Sudan, with the third-largest population in Africa, though stands at a crossroads for the first time in 30 years, and if the military follows through in good faith in its caretaker role and allows civilian elections to occur in two years, it would represent enormous progress for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Eight years ago, Swedish national Julian Assange was accused by the U.S. government of conspiring with former Army Specialist and intelligence analyst Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning with attempt to gain access to classified data. In 2011, seeking to avoid a Swedish arrest warrant based on a sexual assault allegation, Assange ended up in London, knocking on the door of the Ecuadorian Embassy. Ecuador was, in 2011, led by President Rafael Correa, an avowed socialist who opposed American influence in South America in general and Ecuador in particular. Correa, as a means to prevent Assange from being arrested in London on the Swedish arrest warrant and then potentially extradited to the United States on potential charges stemming from violations of the Espionage Act, ordered that his embassy in London admit Assange and give him asylum. International law protects embassies around the world, requiring that host nations treat embassy and consulate grounds as the soil of the nation that occupies it. If British police officers had attempted to enter the Ecuadorian Embassy to arrest Assange, it would have caused an international incident. Instead officers of Scotland Yard held a 24/7/365 vigil outside the embassy, watching to make sure that Assange, who had been granted Ecuadorian citizenship, could not slip out of the embassy and get a flight out of Britain. With the election of a new president in Ecuador, one more amendable to American policy, Assange’s status appeared as though it would change. In recent weeks, the Ecuadorian government of President Lenin Moreno stripped Assange of his citizenship and, shortly after a formal request for extradition by the United States—based on a newly unsealed indictment by a federal grand jury—and Assange was removed from the embassy and arrested by Scotland Yard. The end of one seven year drama is here, but the story of Julian Assange is far from over. The next big event: his actual extradition to the United States and his first appearance in federal court.

Late yesterday afternoon/early evening, the Washington Post broke a story in which it showed that the Trump administration attempted to pressure officials within USCIS to release detained migrants in so-called Sanctuary Cities as a means to seek revenge on political enemies of the president. Sanctuary Cities get their name because local law enforcement—either city police departments, country sheriffs, or both—adopt a policy of not turning over illegal migrants who are detained for unrelated reasons to USCIS for deportation proceedings. The Trump administration has attacked this policy and the cities who adopt them, saying, without evidence, that they allow dangerous criminals who would otherwise be deported, to remain in this country. The emails, obtained by the Post, from Trump administration officials to immigration authorities suggest that migrants who were part of the so-called “caravan” headed to the U.S. border in November 2018, be bused to other cities before their release. One such city mentioned was San Francisco, a well-known subscriber to Sanctuary City doctrine and which is encompassed almost entirely by Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s congressional district. These allegations, which are limited to the incident in November and another in February of this year, are limited in their occurrence, but they nonetheless amount to an unprecedented attempt to place political pressure on what should be a non-political consideration, and for the worst reasons.

In July 1947, a rancher outside of Roswell, New Mexico discovered a tangle mess of equipment on his property, which appeared to belong to the military. He called the local sheriff, who in turn called the commander of the local Army Air Force Base. Somewhere along the way, a reporter for the town’s newspaper called Roswell Army Airfield’s public relations office and was told something about a “flying disc,” being recovered, which subsequently made its way into headlines the following day. This caused a buzz which was notable but quickly waned. The case of the “Roswell Flying Disc” crash become nearly forgotten until two decades later, when a renewed interest and enthusiasm into investigating the existence, source, and depth of government knowledge of UFOs and aliens—the two should be distinguished as UFOs are simply unidentified phenomena stemming from eyewitness recollections—led to the creation of MUFON, or the Mutual UFO Network. MUFON remains the largest and best organized group seeking to uncover whether UFO incidents amount to alien visitors to our planet and, concurrently, the degree to which the government knows of and conceals this visits. In recent years, however, a split has emerged in MUFON, as more outlandish stories have been brought forth by so-called “whistleblowers” who make claims which border on the absurd, the more scientifically inclined members of MUFON have come to openly wonder if these individuals are themselves government plants, meant to undermine what credibility organizations like MUFON have. This summary barely scratches the surface of this conflict and, whatever your own beliefs, I encourage you to read this.

In 2007, a foot, cleaved of its constituent human body, but still nestled within the athletic shoe which its wearer laced up prior to his or her demise, washed up on the shore of British Columbia. The body of water which carried the foot ashore, the Salish Sea, which encompasses Canadian waters and those which make up the Puget Sound that lap at the shore of near Seattle, is one of the largest inland seas in the country. This foot was the first of what has become, as of January 2019, 21 that have washed ashore; 15 on Canadian beaches and 6 on American. Ten of these feet have been paired up, but the rest remain single reminders of a life lost in mysterious, perhaps unknowable, circumstances. Foul play in the form of a new serial killer has been ruled out, and no major airplane crash or shipwreck in the northern Pacific Ocean has gone unreported. The Salish has brought ashore thousands of interested and banal items over the thousands of years that humans have resided nearby, but none so interesting in such a short period of time as the 21 feet clad in sneakers that have done so over the last twelve years. This is a meditation not just on the floating feet, but on the Salish Sea and the infinity and eternity of the Earth’s oceans.

Buffet restaurants have long been considered an absolute expression of Americana: any one person can go to a series counters with heating trays piled high with food: fried chicken, crab legs, rice, bacon, roast beef, prime rib, soup, salad, breadsticks, etc. It is empowering to walk up to what a buffet offers, knowing that you and you alone can decide what combination of foods end up on your plate. This breaks the mold of other restaurant designs, which focus invariably on one type of food: Italian, Mexican (or more accurately Tex-Mex in most places), BBQ, Americana (think Chili’s or Applebees), or even Indian (often famous for having buffets of their own). But in the last decade, buffet style restaurants have, with one notable exception, been failing in this country. There have been health scares to be sure, but many of the failures can be connected to the economic downturn of 2008-2011, during which time individuals ate less at restaurants. This Vox article—an outlet which I am usually loathe to post for a variety of reasons—is much deeper than I expected.

Much as in 2016, where Republicans fielded a large array of candidates all eager to take on the legacy of Barack Obama, Democrats have fielded a now equally large field of candidates hoping to upend President Donald Trump and make him the first incumbent president in nearly two decades to not win a second term in office. There are dangers in having such a large field. One needs only to look at how the opposing personalities of the Republican 2016 field cancelled each other out and gave space for Trump to move to the forefront. But the Center for Politics analyzes how and when a Democratic forerunner could emerge.

Welcome to the weekend.

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demitgibbs · 7 years

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Jaimie Wilson Plays to His Own Beat

Brody Levesque Jaimie Wilson, 21, is rambling along in his custom Jeep Wrangler 4×4, headed for a gig to perform his beloved country music in his adopted home state of Florida. Shirtless, tanned, fit, and blond-haired, he looks like most every other young man his age who is entering adulthood trying to figure out where his path will take him. As the Jeep rolls down the freeway, his guitar and overnight bag perched in the back seat, windows rolled down, he sings along to the radio, the oversize off-road tires humming as the miles fly by. But life wasn’t always like this for his handsome young man. In fact, getting to this point was actually pretty difficult for Jaimie. He grew up the youngest of four children in rural Livingston County, Michigan, near its county seat of Howell. This is an area of Michigan that is deeply red, religious, and conservative. He and his three older brothers lived on their family’s horse farm. It was there that and Jaimie kept a secret which he knew he couldn’t share with his closest friends or family. He knew, from as early as age five, that he wanted to be a boy! Jaimie, you see, was born a girl. He described growing up as difficult, hardly permitted to be a tomboy by his deeply religious and conservative family, who were opposed to anything related to the LGBT community, to the point there was never, ever, any mention of LGBT people. Jaimie waited until the second semester of his senior year of high school to come out, knowing that his family was hardly affirming. February 4, 2015, though, became Jaimie’s red letter day. “When I realized that I was “different,” I decided I would never come out. It just wasn’t an option for me because I knew how my family would react. It was something I was just going to have to bury deep and deal with. But I woke up one morning and decided I was done living a lie. A few days earlier I had watched a viral video by Ruby Rose entitled Break Free and it was like a lightbulb went off. I needed to break free! So I called a nearby salon and made the earliest appointment I could. I cut my long-flowing locks. I didn’t tell anyone I was doing it. I just came home that day with short hair and dressed in men’s clothing.” Jaimie had spent countless hours searching YouTube and other internet portals trying to find others like him, trying to find himself. He describes grabbing hand-me-downs from his older brothers, without their knowledge, to wear when he was alone. He related that he’d tuck his long flowing hair up under a baseball cap, throw a pair of jeans and a shirt and transform himself, at least for the moment, into his ‘real self’. That winter day when he decided that he needed to live as his true and authentic self was traumatic. “My mom and dad did not react well. There was a lot of crying and confusion. A lot of ridicule. They made it impossible for me to stay with them. Still in high school, I was forced to move out and fend for myself. One of my brothers initially was supportive but his opinion changed shortly after I came out. My family (mom, dad and brothers) have progressively just gotten worse about my transition and we no longer have a relationship.” Jaimie’s anchor in what had become a tumultuous and oft-times drama-filled life was his love of music. He had started playing piano at around the age of five and picked up playing guitar when he was 16. His mother had an old guitar she was getting ready to throw out and she offered it to him first. Music, he says, became his escape. One of the primary outlets for his musical creativity became YouTube. In a video posted on October 15, 2013 prior to his transition, Jaimie wanted to raise awareness regarding suicide among LGBT youth with an original song he’d written. “My hopes for this song is not to make you sad…but to inspire you to reach out to others, because a friend, can sometimes be a life-saver. Every single person is important, and if anyone ever needs a friend or someone to talk to I’m here.” Music, he explains, is much more than just a personal passion: it is a way to contribute, to give back. “Being transgender, I have always struggled with trying to make others happy but I want to show that it’s okay to break free. I’m hoping with these words I can bring the community together and encourage others in similar situations to be true to themselves.” It was the realization that his family was going to remain unsupportive and unyielding in their opposition to his decision to live his life authentically that crystallised his decision to move away from the confines of his Michigan hometown. “I like sun and water and warm places, so moving to South Florida made sense,” he said. Jaimie knew now he had to be open about himself. He documented his journey in countless pictorial posts on social media as he made his transition to help fellow female-to-male trans people like himself. He picked an Instagram handle that was his bench mark, the date of his medical transition, June 15, 2015. His selected screen name? Tboy61915. “I started my medical transition on June 19, 2015 and [had my] top surgery in September 2015. It was important to me to get top surgery because I didn’t identify with having a female chest,” he said adding, “it was an amazing day and a weight off my shoulders!” “I started my Instagram account June of 2015, a few days before starting hormone therapy. I started the page to document my transition and changes. In the early stages of realizing I was transgender, I would look at FTM guys on Instagram and look at their progress and top surgery and voice changes. It was extremely helpful and inspiring. I wanted to make sure I had a place to document my journey as well so I started an Instagram for that.”

“My motive for being a trans activist is spreading awareness. I am in a position to be able to help others and be visible, so I do what I can. I had no support from family or friends so I know how helpful it can be to have someone give out binders, donate to their GoFundMe campaigns, speak for them when they don’t have the voice. It’s very important to me,” he said. As he continues to rack up thousands of views on his YouTube videos and has built an audience of nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, he pursues his musical career, interweaving his music with an unabashed commitment to his trans advocacy. On the subject of music and genre he explained, “I grew up listening to country music so that’s really my roots and what I enjoy to write and sing. I love all genres of music and get a lot of requests for pop covers as well. Recently I’ve gotten more into the production of music. I used to have my songs recorded at a studio but now I’ve been doing all the production, recording, mixing and mastering myself. I’m looking forward to working with more people in helping them take their ideas and make them a reality.” One recent song, “Soldier,” posted to his YouTube channel last month, talks about his take on personal battles people face daily, but also his conflicts as a trans man. “I wrote the song to speak to everyone because, whether they show it or not, every single person is going through struggles in their life. We are all soldiers fighting our own battles. In the song I express that although life is difficult, love can help you overcome anything. For me personally, the song “Soldier” was about living my own truth while battling against hurtful words and actions. Even though coming out was very hard for me and I endured a lot of pain, I did my best and do my best to keep love by my side. Again, love can help you overcome anything.” He also DJ’s around Florida and performs at gay bars, Pride events, and charity events. When asked why he wasn’t living in either Nashville, home to Country Western or even Memphis, he was direct and blunt: “Nashville and Memphis are not trans-inclusive as far as the country scene goes. Country music does not have very much LGBT representation. I would really like to break that barrier.” Is there room for a transgender country music star? Jamie is convinced there is. “Absolutely. I think doing so would really help make trans visible. I am a country singer who happens to be trans. For me it is very important to be open about being transgender, I take it as a opportunity to spread awareness.” He sees fellow musician Steve Grand as someone to follow. Grand is a singer and songwriter who’s been acclaimed by some to be the first openly gay male country performer and the first to attract mainstream attention after building a massive following on social media and the Internet. But Jaimie is dedicated to continuing his work building his own following and his own fan base. He continues to also remain dedicated to his advocacy work as a vital component of who he is as a person, and as a performer. “Music is something I do to make myself feel complete; I would still be writing and singing even if no one wanted to hear. I don’t write with a specific audience in mind. I never want to limit myself or listening audience. I just sing and write what comes naturally to me, and I’m very grateful for anyone who enjoys!” Asked if he would consider auditioning for one of the popular talent shows such as The Voice, the X-Factor, or America’s Got Talent, he was coy but didn’t rule out those possibilities . “I do gigs around Florida, but I’m not limited to Florida. I have a 10-state tour and two international stops coming up this year.” For now at least, he’ll continue to pursue his dream, working hard on building his fan base, writing and performing his songs, dee-jaying gigs, and strumming his guitar to his own unique tune. Brody Levesque is journalist and currently the chief political correspondent for The New Civil Rights Movement Web Magazine and the former Washington Bureau Chief for LGBTQ Nation magazine. Photograph courtesy of Jaimie Wilson

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/05/16/jaimie-wilson-plays-to-his-own-beat/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/160734151970

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cynthiajayusa · 7 years

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Jaimie Wilson Plays to His Own Beat

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/05/16/jaimie-wilson-plays-to-his-own-beat/ from Hot Spots Magazine http://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2017/05/jaimie-wilson-plays-to-his-own-beat.html

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hotspotsmagazine · 7 years

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Jaimie Wilson Plays to His Own Beat

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/05/16/jaimie-wilson-plays-to-his-own-beat/

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