FOUR STAR
-Faith
Depending upon the life experience you bring to this, you might be tempted to call it the most exquisitely-rendered character drama in the history of science fiction. And you might be right. From the moment you realize that you're watching the show's breakthrough episode, your eyes may widen in your determination to not miss a single breath. You may laugh. Your chest may tighten. Destiny is brought out of FTL by a star and planet that shouldn't be there. For the month that it will take to leave its gravity well, they send a crew to the surface. The discovery of an obelisk leads to the conclusion that this solar system was created by aliens. Eleven people decide that staying on the planet is preferable to returning to Destiny. Young and Rush know that losing so many might cripple their chance to survive. The debate they share with Camille is powerful, and stunningly unforced. All the human conflicts in this episode feel real in ways that few products of any genre do. The element of faith is brought in, as pertains to both god and a higher meaning; this too is perhaps the first time such issues have felt so rawly, unpatronizingly real in the sci fi universe. Choices will surprise you, and your ability to project how it will end is negated. At the heart of the episode is Alaina Huffman, as the ship's medic. She is pregnant, and the thought of raising a child on a sterile, possibly-doomed starship is unacceptable. Young's solution is unexpected, and as perfect as every other thread in this tapestry.
NOTEWORTHY
-Air ***
This pilot episode is better than its SG predecessors on so many levels. It's gritty, raw, unpredictable, and the characters feel real. It all starts with the writing, of course...it's the usual suspects, so maybe they got a visit from some glengarry-glen-ross-sci-fi-Alec-Baldwin type. ATLANTIS was an improvement over SG1, because of better chemistry. This is something else, though. It very nearly reaches the level of the most brilliant sci fi pilots ever. An accident, perhaps coupled with the ego of Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle - THE FULL MONTY, TRAINSPOTTING) sends an ill-prepared crew onto an ancient starship traveling from galaxy to galaxy on auto-pilot. The Destiny is falling apart, and the demands of supporting a live crew give them only a couple days to live...nor can they go back whence they came, as the unique origin gate was destroyed. The only annoying aspect is the religiosity, particularly with the second-in-command, an otherwise thoroughly likable performer (Brian J. Smith). Louis Ferreira lends crusty, humanistic gravitas as Col. Young, whom you're sure is dead in the first ten minutes. David Blue is great as Eli, a slacker recruited by the Air Force because he was the only person in the world able to solve an equation embedded into an online game. Jamil Walker Smith is Master Sergeant Ronald Greer...in the real world, in military prison. Among this small band fighting for survival, he becomes a captivating presence. Throw in a little Lou Diamond Phillips (LA BAMBA, SUPERNOVA), some Ming-Na (THE JOY LUCK CLUB, MULAN), send-off appearances by Richard Dean Anderson and Amanda Tapping, and the potential is...well, the universe is the limit. Is it fair to say that all TV sci fi of the previous three decades had very obviously walked in the long shadow of STAR TREK, and that SGU is the first SG series to be born post-BATTLESTAR GALACTICA? Yup. Yet it doesn't feel derivative.
-Light ***
The Destiny is out of power, drifting toward a star. A lottery is held, to send seventeen people on the shuttle to a planet that may be habitable. Before Matt leaves, he and Chloe make love, to Eli's dismay. A tense, four-star effort that glides back to three with an ending that doesn't quite ring true, as Young openly throws unsubstantiated suspicions upon Dr. Rush.
-Water ***
Mysteriously-disappearing water reserves cause tension, and require a dangerous away mission to an ice planet. On the ship, a coalescing alien particle cloud that seems friendly, becomes deadly when aggravated. What sets this series apart from virtually all sci fi that's come before is ambiguous dissonance. Most TV sci fi characters fit neatly into the ol' "good" and "bad" files, but here...one moment, you're rooting for Eli as a youthful voice of humanistic idealism, the next you're angry at him for losing his composure. One minute you're thinking Dr. Rush is an egomaniacal sociopath, the next you're lauding his clear thinking. A more honest portrayal of life? Another effort that pushes up against four-star greatness...
-Earth ***
The parade of excellence rolls on. This episode explores one of the more interesting scientific notions of the show, the idea that this stranded ship can stay in communication with Earth through communication stones left by the ancients, which allow two people to switch bodies, no matter the distance. Body-snatching is hardly a new concept, but here for the first time we're allowed to experience it as friendly technology. Earth orders Young to try a risky procedure. When he balks, Col. Telford (Philips) exchanges bodies with him, and takes over. Rush sabotages the attempt, certain it will kill them all. The most fascinating part has Eli, Chloe, and Young interacting with their loved ones on Earth, in different bodies. They all handle it in different ways. Eli pretends to be a friend of his, knowing his mom would never understand. Young has sex with his wife, but Telford accidentally returns to his own body in the middle of it. Throw in a little Richard Dean Anderson, and away you go.
-Time ***
Okay, we're entering a patch of episodes where things unravel a bit. Much unevenness. This one starts out great, as the crew discover a kino recording of events that haven't happened yet. An away team is attacked by deadly speed-slugs, while lethal sickness breaks out onboard. The ending loses focus.
-Life **
A gay lead character on a sci fi series! With actual gay scenes! You go, Ming-Na-used-to-be-Wen!
-Justice **
Young is framed for murder, and the resolution on an alien planet between he and Rush is more bloody and permanent than you'll expect. The writing could have used a defter touch, but the other elements almost obscure that fact.
-Space ***
One of the most satisfying reappearances of a character left for dead, in sci fi history. Amidst unrest and suspicions about Rush's demise, aliens attack. Chloe is abducted. Able to board their ship by communication stone, because Rush pocketed one and was then picked up by the aliens, Young frees him.
-Divided ***
A gripping, can't-turn-it-off ride. The back-again Rush leads a civilian mutiny, and the tensions over choosing sides are explosive. Then the aliens attack again. Major plot holes, but great fun...and pardon my being an undersexed male, but lt. James (Julia Benson) must officially be given fair consideration for the most conspicuous breasts in sci fi history.
-Sabotage ***
The exploration of our own humanity through the communication stones continues. With Destiny stranded between galaxies, they need to bring in Earth's top expert on the engines of the ancients. She turns out to be a quadraplegic...so for several days, Camille finds herself paralyzed on Earth, while a woman who hasn't been able to feed herself since she was a child, is inhabiting a perfectly healthy body. She returns to the closeness she once shared with Rush. A subtle powerhouse of emotions is explored...and scientifically, who's to say that some form of reality like this won't someday exist, even in our own lifetimes? On a lighter note, if you have sex while temporarily inhabiting someone else's body and contract an STD...does Hallmark have an apology card which covers that?
-Pain ***
Claustrophobic, raw exploration of humanity is this show's bread and butter, but almost as if to show that they can kick it old school, you're treated to an episode of traditional sci fi. Ticks. Alien ticks. Not impressed? Okay, how about HALLUCINATORY ALIEN TICKS!!! It doesn't fall into silliness either. The character work still resounds, but let's just breathe and have fun for one episode.
-Subversion ***
The most satisfyingly cheeky of the handful of SGU episodes Richard Dean Anderson has done. Plus a little Michael Shanks, if you fancy that sort of thing. Plus a lil' Rhona Mitra (HOLLOW MAN). We learn that Lou Diamond's sliminess thus far has been the result of Lucian Alliance brainwashing. WHY has it taken me this long to figure out that the reason they didn't name the show STARGATE: DESTINY (which would be consistent with the pattern of the previous shows) is because they didn't want the fan shorthand to forever be...STD?
Monday, October 8, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Stargate: SG1, season 8
FOUR STAR - none
NOTEWORTHY
-New Order ***
Wait a minute...THAT'S not Dr. Weir! After only two episodes, Jessica Steen is replace by Torri Higginson (who would go on to a starring role in the spin-off, ATLANTIS). We love Torri, and maybe just maybe she does bring a little more gravitas, but we liked Jessica (EARTH 2) too.
-Icon ***
Really well-made. Jackson is stranded on an alien planet that has been plunged into holy civil war by the appearance of SG1. The ending is a bit too cowboyed-up, and it's questionable whether Earth would interfere to this extent...but it's tight and well-written, with a fine guest turn by Matthew Bennett (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA).
-Avatar ***
Every so often SG1 trots out a cliched, overused plot line, but just as you're rolling your eyes, they take it to a place that feels new. Teal'c gets stuck in a virtual military training simulation which feeds off his own personality. Because he would never give up, but ultimately believes the war against the goa'uld is unwinnable, he is unable to win or free himself from the game. Nicely done.
-Affinity ***
Hold on to your hats. Is this the first time in eight seasons that a romance on SG1 displays...what's that word - oh yes, chemistry? Okay, that season 4 thing with O'Neill and Vanessa Angel thing had some sizzle. But these are banner times for Christopher Judge. He's gotten as much character development in two episodes as he had in the previous seven seasons combined. He moves into an apartment in the "real world", much to the concern of the pencil-pushers. After playing "good samaritan" neighbor a little too Charles-Bronsonly, The Trust frames him for murder, in order to get ancient translations from Jackson. His neighbor (Erica Durance - SMALLVILLE) has an abusive boyfriend. Teal'c teaches her martial arts, and they fall for each other. Sexy, believable, and long overdue.
-Sacrifices ***
The second and final turn for Jolene Blalock (ENTERPRISE). A bit better-written (again, by Mr. Judge), but a bit more scattered too - with annoying gobbledygook about marriage. Christopher gives Jolene a slightly-contrived (but nice) vulcan moment with one of her lines about how someone shouldn't be "so emotional".
-Prometheus Unbound **
General Hammond returns, to lead the Prometheus' first mission to Atlantis. Diverted by a distress signal, they find a drifting ship. Its inhabitant manages to kidnap them onto her vessel (except for Jackson), then steal theirs. Daniel, Meet Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black - PITCH BLACK, FARSCAPE), in her debut before joining the cast in season 9. Fun, but a bit "high school drama club".
-It's Good to be King **
Why do white people like Wayne Brady? And wouldn't it be cool if the SG1 episode to employ the otherworldly talents of Mr. Brady weren't a bit cheesy? Wouldn't that be so cool?
-Citizen Joe ***
This one burbles along, but its humor and heart ultimately win you. A barber (Dan Castelleneta - THE TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW, THE SIMPSONS) accidentally gets a goa'uld artifact that creates a mental link between he and Jack. For seven years, he has visions of SG1's adventures. The visions take over his life, once he becomes convinced they're real.
-Threads ***
Episodes like this make you think of all SG1 could have been. They were very nearly great, when they really tried. Jack and Sam resonate with character depth and development, in a way that is both understated and large - no mean feat. Have their walls finally dropped away? It sure feels like it, and it's nice. Add to that a Daniel plot line that couldn't be any better, as he waits in a celestial way-station, facing re-ascension or mortal death. If he ascends, he'll be prevented from interfering in Anubis' plan to eliminate all life in the galaxy. A three-way NO EXIT ensues, with Mel Harris (THIRTYSOMETHING) as the guilt-ridden being who helped him ascend the first time, and the sublime George Dzundza (BASIC INSTINCT, CRIMSON TIDE) as the hidden, half-ascended Anubis. Reunited, the SG1 team end the episode with a subtle, gratifying tip of the hat to the final episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.
-Moebius ***
A love note to the fans who've supported the show for eight years, and a fitting send-off to the Dean Anderson years. Let's be accepting of his departure - doing one season of a TV series is enough to burn out more than a few, and he did eight. Few shows go the distance...and what sci fi goes more than seven seasons, he probably figured. All those STAR TREKs? Seven. MACGUYVER? Seven. So let's give him a big hug, as he takes a well-deserved break (and relax, it's not like he won't be back in numerous guest spots and a couple movies). Here, the team goes back in time to get a ZPM, and end up stranded 5000 years ago in Egypt. A video they make is recovered in a present timeline where SG1 doesn't exist. The team is rounded up, and try to make things right. Throw in series stalwarts Jay Acovone, Peter Williams, and David Hewlett, plus ANOTHER death for Daniel, plus Jack and Sam sucking face righteously...it's all a bit obvious, but for once, that's not a bad thing.
NOTEWORTHY
-New Order ***
Wait a minute...THAT'S not Dr. Weir! After only two episodes, Jessica Steen is replace by Torri Higginson (who would go on to a starring role in the spin-off, ATLANTIS). We love Torri, and maybe just maybe she does bring a little more gravitas, but we liked Jessica (EARTH 2) too.
-Icon ***
Really well-made. Jackson is stranded on an alien planet that has been plunged into holy civil war by the appearance of SG1. The ending is a bit too cowboyed-up, and it's questionable whether Earth would interfere to this extent...but it's tight and well-written, with a fine guest turn by Matthew Bennett (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA).
-Avatar ***
Every so often SG1 trots out a cliched, overused plot line, but just as you're rolling your eyes, they take it to a place that feels new. Teal'c gets stuck in a virtual military training simulation which feeds off his own personality. Because he would never give up, but ultimately believes the war against the goa'uld is unwinnable, he is unable to win or free himself from the game. Nicely done.
-Affinity ***
Hold on to your hats. Is this the first time in eight seasons that a romance on SG1 displays...what's that word - oh yes, chemistry? Okay, that season 4 thing with O'Neill and Vanessa Angel thing had some sizzle. But these are banner times for Christopher Judge. He's gotten as much character development in two episodes as he had in the previous seven seasons combined. He moves into an apartment in the "real world", much to the concern of the pencil-pushers. After playing "good samaritan" neighbor a little too Charles-Bronsonly, The Trust frames him for murder, in order to get ancient translations from Jackson. His neighbor (Erica Durance - SMALLVILLE) has an abusive boyfriend. Teal'c teaches her martial arts, and they fall for each other. Sexy, believable, and long overdue.
-Sacrifices ***
The second and final turn for Jolene Blalock (ENTERPRISE). A bit better-written (again, by Mr. Judge), but a bit more scattered too - with annoying gobbledygook about marriage. Christopher gives Jolene a slightly-contrived (but nice) vulcan moment with one of her lines about how someone shouldn't be "so emotional".
-Prometheus Unbound **
General Hammond returns, to lead the Prometheus' first mission to Atlantis. Diverted by a distress signal, they find a drifting ship. Its inhabitant manages to kidnap them onto her vessel (except for Jackson), then steal theirs. Daniel, Meet Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black - PITCH BLACK, FARSCAPE), in her debut before joining the cast in season 9. Fun, but a bit "high school drama club".
-It's Good to be King **
Why do white people like Wayne Brady? And wouldn't it be cool if the SG1 episode to employ the otherworldly talents of Mr. Brady weren't a bit cheesy? Wouldn't that be so cool?
-Citizen Joe ***
This one burbles along, but its humor and heart ultimately win you. A barber (Dan Castelleneta - THE TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW, THE SIMPSONS) accidentally gets a goa'uld artifact that creates a mental link between he and Jack. For seven years, he has visions of SG1's adventures. The visions take over his life, once he becomes convinced they're real.
-Threads ***
Episodes like this make you think of all SG1 could have been. They were very nearly great, when they really tried. Jack and Sam resonate with character depth and development, in a way that is both understated and large - no mean feat. Have their walls finally dropped away? It sure feels like it, and it's nice. Add to that a Daniel plot line that couldn't be any better, as he waits in a celestial way-station, facing re-ascension or mortal death. If he ascends, he'll be prevented from interfering in Anubis' plan to eliminate all life in the galaxy. A three-way NO EXIT ensues, with Mel Harris (THIRTYSOMETHING) as the guilt-ridden being who helped him ascend the first time, and the sublime George Dzundza (BASIC INSTINCT, CRIMSON TIDE) as the hidden, half-ascended Anubis. Reunited, the SG1 team end the episode with a subtle, gratifying tip of the hat to the final episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.
-Moebius ***
A love note to the fans who've supported the show for eight years, and a fitting send-off to the Dean Anderson years. Let's be accepting of his departure - doing one season of a TV series is enough to burn out more than a few, and he did eight. Few shows go the distance...and what sci fi goes more than seven seasons, he probably figured. All those STAR TREKs? Seven. MACGUYVER? Seven. So let's give him a big hug, as he takes a well-deserved break (and relax, it's not like he won't be back in numerous guest spots and a couple movies). Here, the team goes back in time to get a ZPM, and end up stranded 5000 years ago in Egypt. A video they make is recovered in a present timeline where SG1 doesn't exist. The team is rounded up, and try to make things right. Throw in series stalwarts Jay Acovone, Peter Williams, and David Hewlett, plus ANOTHER death for Daniel, plus Jack and Sam sucking face righteously...it's all a bit obvious, but for once, that's not a bad thing.
Friday, September 28, 2012
artificial inskewination
For a number of years, i've bristled every time i hear someone talk about the risks for older women having babies. Birth defects, "chromosomal abnormalities" - yikes! Women alter the course of their very lives based upon this knowledge. And every time i hear it, something inside me goes, "No. Stop. You're taking something on faith, because the scientific establishment is telling you to. But i think we're getting this one wrong."
I don't doubt the sincerity of the studies that support these conclusions, but i think that something, somewhere, is skewing the data. I just don't buy that biology is so sloppy. If these numbers were really true, our bodies would have evolved to stop making babies at an earlier age. Somewhere, somehow, scientific misconception (Rim shot! Sorry.) has led us down the garden path.
I've kept these thoughts to myself for years, not having any clue where the error may lie.
I think i've finally found it.
The numbers are being skewed by artificial insemination. By in vetro fertilization. And any of the other ways in which we play god with our reproductive systems.
When we talk about birth defects in babies born to older women, what percentage of those births use some form of artificial conception? If we compare only natural numbers among women of all ages, i suspect the "older woman" risks would substantially disappear. Perhaps not entirely - the "old egg" theory probably has some basis in reality. But that reality may be so negligible that doctors in the future will no longer automatically give the "danger" speech to any woman over the age of....what's the current benchmark? One would think forty, but i wouldn't be surprised if it's gone even lower.
So how is our science betraying us?
Because the body knows what it's doing, when it comes to baby-making. We've been making babies for a long, loooooong time. Science adds to our knowledge of human sexuality a little bit every day. The newest research is showing that impregnation is a WHOLE lot less random than we ever imagined. Humans, in our natural state (something that hasn't existed for thousands of years, except in pockets of pre-agricultural communities), are eye-poppingly promiscuous. And when a man and woman are attracted, it's no accident. Our bodies don't just want to make babies, though - they want to make GOOD babies. In ways we don't yet understand, our bodies are capable of discerning which potential mate would be a good genetic match, in regard to the immunological constitution of potential offspring and such. This isn't about darwinian superiority, but rather about how two different sets of DNA will match up. This is why one out of every ten perfectly healthy couples are functionally infertile...and why we can assume that a corresponding number of couples are SUPER-fertile! Our bodies can make these judgments about potential mates, even before we've had sex with them. When two people are powerfully drawn to one another, nature is shouting "Humping, get to the HUMPING!" Nature is calling for good babies - and it doesn't stop there. When a female body has a sperm donation it's thrilled with, her cervix is capable of storing that sperm for as long as five days, patiently waiting for ovulation. If she has sex in the meantime with other males who are less genetically desirable, her body is capable of keeping their sperm from nesting happily.
Are you starting to see where playing god might be getting us in trouble?
Another statistic that's long bothered me is the stunning failure rate of artificial insemination, and more specifically, in vetro fertilization. Once you understand how IVF works, you'll be astounded to learn that it EVER fails (talk about a stacked deck). Yet the failure rate hovers resolutely around 80%. Why???
Because nature didn't choose those eggs and sperm.
Sometimes we can fool the body, if we stack the deck strongly, maybe even over and over. A baby is born.
Are you starting to see how artificially-conceived fetuses might be more prone to things like birth defects?
More and more, women wait longer to have children. Add to that the length of time "infertile" women wait before trying unnatural means...can there be any doubt that artificial conception rates are higher among older women?
I'm sympathetic to the longing of any woman who turns to artificial means. However, there is a bald-faced arrogance underlying any application of such procedures. It's an age-old human problem - if we CAN do something, we don't worry so much about whether we SHOULD do it. If it serves our immediate desires, it becomes "right".
But we're not smarter than the body. Not yet, and not by a long shot. Our doctors have a lot to answer for in this equation. If a woman waves money in a doctor's face, who among them stops to ask the larger, ethical questions? Many of our doctors are well-meaning, i'm sure. But in the big picture, that's a limited excuse. When we wave wads of cash at them, we're paying them to be smarter than us. At what point, as science becomes more aware of how sexuality works, will doctors turn their backs on what they suspect or know, because they're on the receiving end of a billion dollar industry?
How many are already there?
Money is the ultimate corrupter - if only doctors made a set salary, instead of getting richer depending on how many procedures or pills they sell. If only. We need a name for a system like that, something like..."socialized medicine"? I like that, it's catchy.
But if you or any woman you know want a baby, and it's not working the old-fashioned way, you haven't tried the more bona fide old-fashioned way. Try another man. Try three.
Try one who makes your knees feel funny.
If that doesn't jibe with your morality, it's time to get past your possessive immaturity over "biological parentage". It's time for all of us to care for every baby born, not just the ones we might pass on our greedily-hoarded possessions to. The "that's not my baby" syndrome is one of the key sicknesses of present-day humanity.
At this moment in history, statistics give us "warning signals" for older women having babies.
But leave them older women alone. Don't scare them into not having babies, and don't saddle them with potentially-defective offspring by playing god.
I don't doubt the sincerity of the studies that support these conclusions, but i think that something, somewhere, is skewing the data. I just don't buy that biology is so sloppy. If these numbers were really true, our bodies would have evolved to stop making babies at an earlier age. Somewhere, somehow, scientific misconception (Rim shot! Sorry.) has led us down the garden path.
I've kept these thoughts to myself for years, not having any clue where the error may lie.
I think i've finally found it.
The numbers are being skewed by artificial insemination. By in vetro fertilization. And any of the other ways in which we play god with our reproductive systems.
When we talk about birth defects in babies born to older women, what percentage of those births use some form of artificial conception? If we compare only natural numbers among women of all ages, i suspect the "older woman" risks would substantially disappear. Perhaps not entirely - the "old egg" theory probably has some basis in reality. But that reality may be so negligible that doctors in the future will no longer automatically give the "danger" speech to any woman over the age of....what's the current benchmark? One would think forty, but i wouldn't be surprised if it's gone even lower.
So how is our science betraying us?
Because the body knows what it's doing, when it comes to baby-making. We've been making babies for a long, loooooong time. Science adds to our knowledge of human sexuality a little bit every day. The newest research is showing that impregnation is a WHOLE lot less random than we ever imagined. Humans, in our natural state (something that hasn't existed for thousands of years, except in pockets of pre-agricultural communities), are eye-poppingly promiscuous. And when a man and woman are attracted, it's no accident. Our bodies don't just want to make babies, though - they want to make GOOD babies. In ways we don't yet understand, our bodies are capable of discerning which potential mate would be a good genetic match, in regard to the immunological constitution of potential offspring and such. This isn't about darwinian superiority, but rather about how two different sets of DNA will match up. This is why one out of every ten perfectly healthy couples are functionally infertile...and why we can assume that a corresponding number of couples are SUPER-fertile! Our bodies can make these judgments about potential mates, even before we've had sex with them. When two people are powerfully drawn to one another, nature is shouting "Humping, get to the HUMPING!" Nature is calling for good babies - and it doesn't stop there. When a female body has a sperm donation it's thrilled with, her cervix is capable of storing that sperm for as long as five days, patiently waiting for ovulation. If she has sex in the meantime with other males who are less genetically desirable, her body is capable of keeping their sperm from nesting happily.
Are you starting to see where playing god might be getting us in trouble?
Another statistic that's long bothered me is the stunning failure rate of artificial insemination, and more specifically, in vetro fertilization. Once you understand how IVF works, you'll be astounded to learn that it EVER fails (talk about a stacked deck). Yet the failure rate hovers resolutely around 80%. Why???
Because nature didn't choose those eggs and sperm.
Sometimes we can fool the body, if we stack the deck strongly, maybe even over and over. A baby is born.
Are you starting to see how artificially-conceived fetuses might be more prone to things like birth defects?
More and more, women wait longer to have children. Add to that the length of time "infertile" women wait before trying unnatural means...can there be any doubt that artificial conception rates are higher among older women?
I'm sympathetic to the longing of any woman who turns to artificial means. However, there is a bald-faced arrogance underlying any application of such procedures. It's an age-old human problem - if we CAN do something, we don't worry so much about whether we SHOULD do it. If it serves our immediate desires, it becomes "right".
But we're not smarter than the body. Not yet, and not by a long shot. Our doctors have a lot to answer for in this equation. If a woman waves money in a doctor's face, who among them stops to ask the larger, ethical questions? Many of our doctors are well-meaning, i'm sure. But in the big picture, that's a limited excuse. When we wave wads of cash at them, we're paying them to be smarter than us. At what point, as science becomes more aware of how sexuality works, will doctors turn their backs on what they suspect or know, because they're on the receiving end of a billion dollar industry?
How many are already there?
Money is the ultimate corrupter - if only doctors made a set salary, instead of getting richer depending on how many procedures or pills they sell. If only. We need a name for a system like that, something like..."socialized medicine"? I like that, it's catchy.
But if you or any woman you know want a baby, and it's not working the old-fashioned way, you haven't tried the more bona fide old-fashioned way. Try another man. Try three.
Try one who makes your knees feel funny.
If that doesn't jibe with your morality, it's time to get past your possessive immaturity over "biological parentage". It's time for all of us to care for every baby born, not just the ones we might pass on our greedily-hoarded possessions to. The "that's not my baby" syndrome is one of the key sicknesses of present-day humanity.
At this moment in history, statistics give us "warning signals" for older women having babies.
But leave them older women alone. Don't scare them into not having babies, and don't saddle them with potentially-defective offspring by playing god.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
books
Caught in the netherworld between romantic notion and prophetic practicality...
Failing a complete crashing of the world's industrial grid, one of the more touchingly humanistic ideas i've ever had is (and must be) passing away, doomed to a stillborn existence.
I love books.
Much of that love is abstract, of course...a love of all that books stand for...the dumbfounding miracle of thoughts being translated into words being translated into writing...intricate marks of staggering complexity that can be understood by a person you never have, nor ever will, meet...allowing you to walk through the mind of a stranger across the globe, or dead a thousand years...looking at their thoughts as they themselves shaped them. A miracle it's all too easy to take for granted.
A part of my love of books is not abstract at all. Growing up in this society, you develop a lifelong, intimate relationship with them. Their touch becomes as familiar as the caress of a lover. Their gentle weight as they rest on your chest. The sound of fastly-flipped pages. The smell of a literary treasure (to you, anyway) that was created before you were.
Passing away, passing away...
I first conceived this idea some years ago, and began implementing it (whenever i didn't forget). I decided to start a trend based on the notion that books should not be hoarded. They should be read and passed on, so that every book could accumulate its own rich history. Whenever i finished a book, i would sign my name on one of the blank pages at the back. Humans had long ago given purpose to the blank pages at the front (inscriptions and owner information), but i'd never seen anyone offer purpose to those empty pages at the end. In my dream, every reader of every book would list their name...i could be the 39th person to read a particular copy of "The 39 Steps". Or perhaps i'd read the copy of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" that had passed through Kurt Vonnegut's hands. Or the hardback of "Lolita" that had been treasured by Nelson Mandela.
This notion could have been my one enduring contribution to the history of literature.
But a couple years ago, i realized this was a dream that would never be. Perhaps were i born a decade earlier, i wouldn't have been progressively pragmatic enough to accept this inevitability, but...the era of paper books is coming to an end. It doesn't take a nostradamus to see. Digital reading is superior financially and ecologically, in terms of saved space and spared trees. With seven billion people on the planet, saving space is no joke. And though we might solve the problem of deforestation by using hemp trees for paper...ultimately, progress will render books little more than a quaint memory.
I've already begun adjusting my life accordingly.
A friend speaks of willing his book collection to me, and i say, "Within a decade or two, dear friend, no one will have books, nor want them."
People ask me about being published...and i tell them that anyone in the world can currently see almost all of my scribblings, virtually for free. How could any writer aspire to more? Shakespeare, Goethe, Keats...with what immeasurable, choking envy would they look upon writers in this internet age?
I've gone through my own books, a treasure i once measured as needing at least a seventy-foot shelf, and consigned the majority to charity or garage sale. I kept some rare ones and picture books, and i couldn't bring myself to let go of my collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs...late edition paperbacks that will have little value even a century or three from now. But they were a piece of my youth that exists in me beyond measure. And there they are still, much as they were when my small hands held them, transfixed. Not cold, not hard. Delicate but enduring. Burroughs was the writer who turned me into a reader. If you've never had that transformative experience, i can only offer my pity.
So while books still exist in this world, pass them on.
Signed or unsigned.
Pass them on...
Failing a complete crashing of the world's industrial grid, one of the more touchingly humanistic ideas i've ever had is (and must be) passing away, doomed to a stillborn existence.
I love books.
Much of that love is abstract, of course...a love of all that books stand for...the dumbfounding miracle of thoughts being translated into words being translated into writing...intricate marks of staggering complexity that can be understood by a person you never have, nor ever will, meet...allowing you to walk through the mind of a stranger across the globe, or dead a thousand years...looking at their thoughts as they themselves shaped them. A miracle it's all too easy to take for granted.
A part of my love of books is not abstract at all. Growing up in this society, you develop a lifelong, intimate relationship with them. Their touch becomes as familiar as the caress of a lover. Their gentle weight as they rest on your chest. The sound of fastly-flipped pages. The smell of a literary treasure (to you, anyway) that was created before you were.
Passing away, passing away...
I first conceived this idea some years ago, and began implementing it (whenever i didn't forget). I decided to start a trend based on the notion that books should not be hoarded. They should be read and passed on, so that every book could accumulate its own rich history. Whenever i finished a book, i would sign my name on one of the blank pages at the back. Humans had long ago given purpose to the blank pages at the front (inscriptions and owner information), but i'd never seen anyone offer purpose to those empty pages at the end. In my dream, every reader of every book would list their name...i could be the 39th person to read a particular copy of "The 39 Steps". Or perhaps i'd read the copy of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" that had passed through Kurt Vonnegut's hands. Or the hardback of "Lolita" that had been treasured by Nelson Mandela.
This notion could have been my one enduring contribution to the history of literature.
But a couple years ago, i realized this was a dream that would never be. Perhaps were i born a decade earlier, i wouldn't have been progressively pragmatic enough to accept this inevitability, but...the era of paper books is coming to an end. It doesn't take a nostradamus to see. Digital reading is superior financially and ecologically, in terms of saved space and spared trees. With seven billion people on the planet, saving space is no joke. And though we might solve the problem of deforestation by using hemp trees for paper...ultimately, progress will render books little more than a quaint memory.
I've already begun adjusting my life accordingly.
A friend speaks of willing his book collection to me, and i say, "Within a decade or two, dear friend, no one will have books, nor want them."
People ask me about being published...and i tell them that anyone in the world can currently see almost all of my scribblings, virtually for free. How could any writer aspire to more? Shakespeare, Goethe, Keats...with what immeasurable, choking envy would they look upon writers in this internet age?
I've gone through my own books, a treasure i once measured as needing at least a seventy-foot shelf, and consigned the majority to charity or garage sale. I kept some rare ones and picture books, and i couldn't bring myself to let go of my collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs...late edition paperbacks that will have little value even a century or three from now. But they were a piece of my youth that exists in me beyond measure. And there they are still, much as they were when my small hands held them, transfixed. Not cold, not hard. Delicate but enduring. Burroughs was the writer who turned me into a reader. If you've never had that transformative experience, i can only offer my pity.
So while books still exist in this world, pass them on.
Signed or unsigned.
Pass them on...
Stargate: SG1, season 7
FOUR STAR - none
NOTEWORTHY
-Fallen ***
In a moment the like of which was all too infrequent, Jack's humor rises to a level of genuine funniness! The team discovers that Daniel has been deposited on an alien planet, his memory, ascendance, and clothing gone. There's some way-too-Star Wars action as Jack and Carter destroy Anubis' super space-weapon.
-Homecoming ***
A well-made adventure that can't rise above the fact that Jonas' character is being "made redundant" (or whatever euphemism they're using these days). Corin Nemec, come back soon.
-Revisions ***
As blisteringly brilliant as any second-rate product can be, and a thoughtful, understated example of something that's a bit rare in the world of televised sci fi - actual science fiction. No blasters or explosions, no mustache-twirling enemy (or mustache-twirling supercomputer), no soap opera romance...just a simple story about the remains of a civilization on a radiated planet living in an environment bubble, hooked up by neural interfaces to a computer that constantly adjusts their memories to keep them alive and happy. They are oblivious to the fact that their thoughts are being controlled, and their population slowly reduced as the bubble shrinks. A nuanced performance by Christopher Heyerdahl, who would go on to be the most resonant recurring actor in ATLANTIS.
-Lifeboat ***
Is it actually conceivable that i'm glad Michael Shanks is back? It is indisputable that he became a capable actor sometime around season 3. He delivers a brilliant turn here, as he has multiple alien consciousnesses uploaded into his brain. He plays a blustering tyrant, a level-headed technician, and a scared child all with equal aplomb.
-Enemy Mine **
I wish this entry (starring uber-supporting actor Michael Rooker - JFK, TOMBSTONE) had something noteworthy about it so i could dazzle you with the tagline "Here's Rookin' at You, Kid". Ah, here it is...the STARGATE debut of future ATLANTIS stalwart Kavan Smith, as Major Lorne.
-Birthright ***
An okay effort made magical by...Jolene Blalock!!! Sorry, i get a little excitable around ENTERPRISE's T'Pol. A community of free jaffa warrior females enlist the aid of SGC. They prey on jaffa any time they need a replacement symbiote. Earth offers them a chemical way to be free of the symbiotes, but old ways die hard. Teal'c and Jolene have an affair (if i had written the episode, Mr. Judge, that would have been my move too). It doesn't fizzle, nor does it quite sizzle. O'Neill gets a great penis line.
-Evolution ***
I may lose sleep over not giving this one four stars. Airtight, visually arresting, and atypically gritty. An army of programmed super soldiers impervious to traditional weapons is created by Anubis. One is captured by dumb luck. The hunt for technology to combat this menace leads to the trail of the Fountain of Youth. Jackson is captured by honduran rebels. Carter, Teal'c, and Jacob go on a mission to destroy Anubis' soldier factory, while Jack heads to the jungle, where he's guided by an embittered former comrade (Enrico Colantoni - GALAXY QUEST, JUST SHOOT ME!). This is what living up to one's potential feels like.
-Grace **
A passable episode of Carter stranded in space alone on a ship. Her hallucinatory conversations with manifestations of herself are actually well-made, with some depth.
-Fallout ***
Welcome back, Jonas! The instability of the naquadriah deposits on Kelowna are about to destroy the planet. He, Carter, Teal'c and a scientist (Emily Holmes) must take a subterranean vessel 20 km down. The scientist, whom Jonas had been romantically involved with, is exposed as a goa'uld. It's the most "human" any goa'uld has ever been. Nicely done.
-Chimera **
When push comes to shove, Carter CAN pull off sexy.
-Death Knell ***
A well-balanced blend of character and action. Hammond and Jacob negotiate to prevent the tok'ra/jaffa/human alliance from disintegrating, while Carter, alone and wounded, struggles against a super-soldier. This is some of the best writing that Carmen Argenziano has ever had, and he's up to the moment. His name has to be considered in any discussion of SG1's most valuable supporting actor.
-Heroes ***
Tantalizingly good. One dreams of that missing STARGATE writer who could have done one final edit of every script, and pushed the series into greatness. This one has the outgoing President commission a documentary made of the SG program. The filmmaker (the wonderful Saul Rubinek - UNFORGIVEN, TRUE ROMANCE) is an independent. His work will go into mothballs indefinitely, but he's still given the cold shoulder. Adam Baldwin (FIREFLY) gives a cheeky, satisfying performance as an SG team leader. Robert Picardo (VOYAGER) debuts as Richard Woolsey, who would become a regular on ATLANTIS. On a planet where the remains of an ancient city are discovered, the goa'uld attack. There's an extremely-effective fakeout in which you're led to think that Jack has died. Rather than being given some miracle healing or other cliche, we learn that it's Dr. Frazier (Teryl Rothery) who has died...just after she got her only romance of the show, with Saul. This two-parter veers from greatness to clunkiness, but is usually closer to the former. It's surprisingly character-driven, and does a wonderful job capturing moral ambiguity.
-Inauguration ***
A new President (William Devane) is elected, and Vice-President Kinsey (Ronny Cox) loses no time in attempting to further his anti-SGC agenda, with the help of his lapdog Woolsey. What a wonderful moment in time...for a few minutes, you fall into the dream of a STAR TREK/WEST WING magical swirl (no doubt helped by the presence of Cox and Devane, who logged memorable appearances on those respective shows, and Picardo, who did time on both). The fourth actor in this (oval) office drama is James McDaniel (NYPD BLUE). A few show clips are sprinkled in. Picardo loses faith in Kinsey. The writing is more obvious than a true synthesis of those shows would be...but with delightful performances aplenty, you can mostly forget all that.
-Lost City ***
Anubis' invasion fleet is finally at the doorstep, while SG1 seeks to discover Atlantis, the lost city of the ancients. They find the next best thing, a planetary defense system left by the city's makers. Were you to see this episode as a standalone, having only seen the movie, you might imagine that the series had spent seven years living up to its promise. Gripping action, augmented by burst-out-loud laughter. Its only weakness is that it's perhaps a trifle easy...but it's so much fun, you don't really care. Sacrificing himself, Jack downloads ancient knowledge into his overmatched brain. The world saved, he gets frozen in stasis.
NOTEWORTHY
-Fallen ***
In a moment the like of which was all too infrequent, Jack's humor rises to a level of genuine funniness! The team discovers that Daniel has been deposited on an alien planet, his memory, ascendance, and clothing gone. There's some way-too-Star Wars action as Jack and Carter destroy Anubis' super space-weapon.
-Homecoming ***
A well-made adventure that can't rise above the fact that Jonas' character is being "made redundant" (or whatever euphemism they're using these days). Corin Nemec, come back soon.
-Revisions ***
As blisteringly brilliant as any second-rate product can be, and a thoughtful, understated example of something that's a bit rare in the world of televised sci fi - actual science fiction. No blasters or explosions, no mustache-twirling enemy (or mustache-twirling supercomputer), no soap opera romance...just a simple story about the remains of a civilization on a radiated planet living in an environment bubble, hooked up by neural interfaces to a computer that constantly adjusts their memories to keep them alive and happy. They are oblivious to the fact that their thoughts are being controlled, and their population slowly reduced as the bubble shrinks. A nuanced performance by Christopher Heyerdahl, who would go on to be the most resonant recurring actor in ATLANTIS.
-Lifeboat ***
Is it actually conceivable that i'm glad Michael Shanks is back? It is indisputable that he became a capable actor sometime around season 3. He delivers a brilliant turn here, as he has multiple alien consciousnesses uploaded into his brain. He plays a blustering tyrant, a level-headed technician, and a scared child all with equal aplomb.
-Enemy Mine **
I wish this entry (starring uber-supporting actor Michael Rooker - JFK, TOMBSTONE) had something noteworthy about it so i could dazzle you with the tagline "Here's Rookin' at You, Kid". Ah, here it is...the STARGATE debut of future ATLANTIS stalwart Kavan Smith, as Major Lorne.
-Birthright ***
An okay effort made magical by...Jolene Blalock!!! Sorry, i get a little excitable around ENTERPRISE's T'Pol. A community of free jaffa warrior females enlist the aid of SGC. They prey on jaffa any time they need a replacement symbiote. Earth offers them a chemical way to be free of the symbiotes, but old ways die hard. Teal'c and Jolene have an affair (if i had written the episode, Mr. Judge, that would have been my move too). It doesn't fizzle, nor does it quite sizzle. O'Neill gets a great penis line.
-Evolution ***
I may lose sleep over not giving this one four stars. Airtight, visually arresting, and atypically gritty. An army of programmed super soldiers impervious to traditional weapons is created by Anubis. One is captured by dumb luck. The hunt for technology to combat this menace leads to the trail of the Fountain of Youth. Jackson is captured by honduran rebels. Carter, Teal'c, and Jacob go on a mission to destroy Anubis' soldier factory, while Jack heads to the jungle, where he's guided by an embittered former comrade (Enrico Colantoni - GALAXY QUEST, JUST SHOOT ME!). This is what living up to one's potential feels like.
-Grace **
A passable episode of Carter stranded in space alone on a ship. Her hallucinatory conversations with manifestations of herself are actually well-made, with some depth.
-Fallout ***
Welcome back, Jonas! The instability of the naquadriah deposits on Kelowna are about to destroy the planet. He, Carter, Teal'c and a scientist (Emily Holmes) must take a subterranean vessel 20 km down. The scientist, whom Jonas had been romantically involved with, is exposed as a goa'uld. It's the most "human" any goa'uld has ever been. Nicely done.
-Chimera **
When push comes to shove, Carter CAN pull off sexy.
-Death Knell ***
A well-balanced blend of character and action. Hammond and Jacob negotiate to prevent the tok'ra/jaffa/human alliance from disintegrating, while Carter, alone and wounded, struggles against a super-soldier. This is some of the best writing that Carmen Argenziano has ever had, and he's up to the moment. His name has to be considered in any discussion of SG1's most valuable supporting actor.
-Heroes ***
Tantalizingly good. One dreams of that missing STARGATE writer who could have done one final edit of every script, and pushed the series into greatness. This one has the outgoing President commission a documentary made of the SG program. The filmmaker (the wonderful Saul Rubinek - UNFORGIVEN, TRUE ROMANCE) is an independent. His work will go into mothballs indefinitely, but he's still given the cold shoulder. Adam Baldwin (FIREFLY) gives a cheeky, satisfying performance as an SG team leader. Robert Picardo (VOYAGER) debuts as Richard Woolsey, who would become a regular on ATLANTIS. On a planet where the remains of an ancient city are discovered, the goa'uld attack. There's an extremely-effective fakeout in which you're led to think that Jack has died. Rather than being given some miracle healing or other cliche, we learn that it's Dr. Frazier (Teryl Rothery) who has died...just after she got her only romance of the show, with Saul. This two-parter veers from greatness to clunkiness, but is usually closer to the former. It's surprisingly character-driven, and does a wonderful job capturing moral ambiguity.
-Inauguration ***
A new President (William Devane) is elected, and Vice-President Kinsey (Ronny Cox) loses no time in attempting to further his anti-SGC agenda, with the help of his lapdog Woolsey. What a wonderful moment in time...for a few minutes, you fall into the dream of a STAR TREK/WEST WING magical swirl (no doubt helped by the presence of Cox and Devane, who logged memorable appearances on those respective shows, and Picardo, who did time on both). The fourth actor in this (oval) office drama is James McDaniel (NYPD BLUE). A few show clips are sprinkled in. Picardo loses faith in Kinsey. The writing is more obvious than a true synthesis of those shows would be...but with delightful performances aplenty, you can mostly forget all that.
-Lost City ***
Anubis' invasion fleet is finally at the doorstep, while SG1 seeks to discover Atlantis, the lost city of the ancients. They find the next best thing, a planetary defense system left by the city's makers. Were you to see this episode as a standalone, having only seen the movie, you might imagine that the series had spent seven years living up to its promise. Gripping action, augmented by burst-out-loud laughter. Its only weakness is that it's perhaps a trifle easy...but it's so much fun, you don't really care. Sacrificing himself, Jack downloads ancient knowledge into his overmatched brain. The world saved, he gets frozen in stasis.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
"Only Girl"
[re-write
of "Only Girl (in the world)", by rihanna]
I
want you to love me, like I'm a hot ride
Keep
thinkin' of me, doin' what you like
So
boy forget about the world cuz it's gon' be me and you tonight
I'll
tell you lies you wanna hear, cuz you're way past pride
Want
you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like
I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Every
other woman dead in the ground
Only
girl in the world...
Like
I'm the only one that's in command
I'll
manipulate you cuz I can
and
I'm pissed at you cuz I'm not a man
Want
you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like
you'll fuck me every hour every day
For
a thousand years or more if I say
Only
one...
If
your eyes are untrue, Im'ma castrate you
Spy
another butt, Im'ma chop your little nuts
Ain't
no other love but me that you'll spread
Make
my ugly sister cum and you gon' be dead
Want
you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like
every other woman choked and died
Every
bitch you ever looked at, she lied
Only
girl in the world...
Like
all the little girls and grandmamas dead
Even
your mother and your sister they're dead
like
I ripped off all their fucking heads
Only
one...
Take
you for a ride
Oh
baby, take me high
Let
me break you first
Sit
on your face all night
Take
you for a ride
Oh
baby, what you'll do
Let
me break you first
You'll
even lick me where i poo
Want
you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
If
you fuck me and we have a baby girl
I'll
rip her heart out and i'll eat it whole
Only
girl in the world...
Like
I'm the only one that's in command
Cuz
I'm the only one who understands
Two
nights of me, you'll want to fuck a man
Only
girl in the world...
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