The Virginians for Conservative Leadership PAC unveiled a new digital ad Wednesday rebuking incumbent Rep. Bob Good for his lack of “faith” in former President Donald Trump. The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the ad‚ which aims to sway voters ahead of the hotly contested June primary race in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. […]

A post shared on X claims the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) only targets adversaries of the United States and Israel. ISIS really likes going after US and Israeli adversaries‚ that’s so weird — Bay Area People’s Republic 🚩☭ (@Karl_Was_Right) March 23‚ 2024 Verdict: False ISIS and ISIS-inspired attackers have targeted several allies of the […]

Our top 10 Allman Brothers Band Ballads article looks at some of the band’s more laid-back recordings. This was not an easy list to put together because there’s a fine line between a ballad and a blues song. Can we consider a slow blues number a ballad? Many people would argue no. However when looking through the entire Allman Brothers Band catalog‚ there are not a lot of ballads. Because of this‚ we decided actually to include some of the slow blues numbers as ballads. Even more complicated was that many of their best songs were more mid-tempo recordings. We The post Top 10 Allman Brothers Band Ballads appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

News Earth Abides George R. Stewart’s Earth Abides Will Be a Limited Series for MGM+ A lone man will once again face a changed world By Molly Templeton | Published on March 26‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed The adaptation wheel goes round and round‚ and once again it’s landed on a science fiction classic about a man existing in distressing conditions. George R. Stewart’s 1949 novel Earth Abides is the latest book to move from “in development” to “actual series happening‚” with MGM+ planning a six-episode limited series based on the post-apocalyptic novel. Vikings’ Alexander Ludwig (pictured above) is set to star. We do love the post-apocalypse (The Last of Us‚ Fallout‚ The 100) and we sure do love terrible viruses (The Last of Us‚ Station Eleven). The official description of the show’s take on these perennial favorite horrors‚ per The Hollywood Reporter‚ goes like this: “Leading character Ish (Ludwig) is a brilliant but solitary young geologist living a semi-isolated life who awakens from a coma only to find that there is no one left alive but him. A plague of unprecedented virulence has swept the globe‚ and yes‚ there are a few scattered survivors‚ but there are no rules. His journey is to learn the difference between sanctuary and survival and to open his heart to love if he is to find meaning in his life after the great machine of civilization has broken down.” The best part of this description is definitely “brilliant but solitary young geologist.” I hope he really loves a good rock. The show has as its showrunner Todd Komarnicki‚ the writer of the movie Sully. He and his team are clearly moving fast on this one; production begins next month‚ and the show may premiere later this year. [end-mark] The post George R. Stewart’s <;i>;Earth Abides<;/i>; Will Be a Limited Series for MGM+ appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations Dissecting the Dark Descent The Show Will Go On: “The Swords” by Robert Aickman A rather blunt metaphor drives the young narrator’s disturbing descent into an existential hell of performative masculinity‚ violence‚ and trauma. By Sam Reader | Published on March 26‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed Welcome back to Dissecting The Dark Descent‚ where we lovingly delve into the guts of David Hartwell’s seminal 1987 anthology story by story‚ and in the process‚ explore the underpinnings of a genre we all love. For an in-depth introduction‚ here’s the intro post. Robert Aickman is an author whose acquaintance we’ve made before in this feature. With his “strange stories”—works that often satirized society by exaggerating societal elements and performativity to horrific proportions and grim humor—he carved a path through horror fiction that celebrated the unnerving‚ absurd‚ and inexplicable. “The Swords” turns that acerbic wit and talent for the absurd towards masculine sexuality‚ using its unnamed narrator to explore sexual trauma‚ masculine performance‚ societal roles‚ and the horrifying disposability of both women and men caught within that web. “The Swords” turns the expected into a forced performance bordering on psychosexual existential horror‚ and in the process demonstrates the twisted way gender roles can trap a person even when they resist.   After the death of his father‚ a young man is taken under his uncle’s wing as a traveling salesman. Moving from one place to the next‚ he finds himself in a small English factory town called Wolverhampton‚ where the only attraction is an incredibly sketchy fairground. Desperate for some amusement (and feeling pressured after making eye contact with the barker)‚ he stumbles into the tent for an attraction called “The Swords‚” an odd display focused on volunteers from the audience stabbing a young woman and kissing her for the price of two pounds. What the unnamed narrator doesn’t realize is that witnessing this bizarre performance will throw him into a bizarre and inescapable performance of his own‚ one that ends in a seedy business transaction‚ a traumatic experience‚ and the maiming of a young woman. The first thing we should discuss is the fact that the metaphor is very blunt. “The Swords” is a story about a young man’s traumatic first experiences with sexuality. It’s not subtle. The idea of viewing a softcore show where “Madonna” (a name that evokes both the Virgin Mary and the “Madonna-whore complex” that sees women as either temptresses or saintly mother figures) is stabbed with phallic objects and kissed all for the price of two quid a head—seemingly transforming from a pallid and corpse-like object as the show proceeds‚ slowly appearing more and more lifelike with each stab and kiss; the way the narrator is manipulated into spending his money on a “private show” by Madonna’s manager; even the way everyone treats the howling and sobbing Madonna as disposable after she leaves the narrator…all correspond directly to what’s thought of as a young man’s “rite of passage.” In the short time the narrator spends in Wolverhampton‚ he gets his first taste of an explicitly sexual show‚ develops a case of obsessive love for Madonna‚ has an ultimately confusing and deeply disturbing first sexual experience with a sex worker‚ and is promptly left confused and horrified‚ with more questions than answers. It’s a distressingly common experience‚ as is the obvious manipulation the narrator undergoes to get him into bed with Madonna. From the moment he stumbles into (and then out of) the tent where the titular “Swords” performance takes place‚ he’s on the hook. He’s led through a series of events as if he’s simply “supposed” to follow along. It’s all very scripted‚ with the disoriented protagonist led through encountering Madonna and her manager‚ getting the money for the “private show” with Madonna (with an old man cheering him on while giving him a fiver to sleep with her)‚ and finally getting into bed with her‚ feeling totally out of control and unable to say no or stop the experience. He doesn’t seem particularly eager to climb into bed with Madonna‚ and the experience borders on body horror even before she goes catatonic and corpse-like in his bed and he somehow accidentally yanks her hand off her arm. It’s something he goes along with because it’s what’s expected‚ and something he didn’t understand he didn’t have to consent to—not something he wants. In the end‚ both he and Madonna are left traumatized by it. The scripting and manipulation beneath the sexual trauma are an equally interesting part of Aickman’s story. The aspect of performance to “The Swords”—whereby the narrator is forced into his role in the performance as “boy becoming a man via sexual activity”—speaks to a greater truth about masculinity often overlooked in discussions of masculine gender roles. While the sexual coercion is clear and something rarely mentioned in discussions of masculine sexuality—the idea that “a man just wouldn’t say no” is ingrained in our culture even as more time is spent examining and dismantling other harmful aspects of masculinity—it’s a symptom of a larger issue‚ that being the fact that masculinity is deeply rooted in performance. Masculinity is frequently an adoption of a role either guided by toxic stereotypes or in reaction against those same toxic stereotypes. The rules of patriarchal privilege and oppressive societal norms dictate that refusing this role will result in existence devoid of agency or purpose. Thus‚ you are forced to perform. For the entire story‚ Aickman’s characters exemplify this. The narrator especially has no agency of his own throughout “The Swords.” His weird uncle gives him a job as a traveling salesman and picks out the places he stays in each town. He’s saddled with Bantock‚ a dirty old man‚ for his partner and inundated with people asking about his sex life. He stumbles across the tent for “The Swords” and enters the show out of politeness rather than seeking it out. Two people whose only identities are “manager” and “performer” go out of their way to tell him how special he is in order to lead him deeper into the “show” until he agrees to a private performance. Even the kindly older gentleman who gives the narrator half the private show fee appears to be reading for the part of “kindly wiser older gentleman.” So trapped is everyone in this absurd performance that when things do go wrong‚ they continue to play their parts‚ with Madonna’s manager accepting payment with a wink and a smile as Madonna’s unholy inhuman howls echo upward from below. Madonna’s role in the performance is as a disposable object‚ the narrator is now a customer‚ the manager is a businessman‚ and the show must go on. The fact that Aickman ends on a note of deep existential horror as the narrator says “Despite what he said‚ I never saw him again” only drives home how unnerving all of this is. Absurdist horror seeks out the mundane aspects of life normally taken for granted‚ the unanswered or unquestioned ideas underpinning our existence‚ and exaggerates them to the point that we’re forced to confront the horrifying truth in our lives. “The Swords” does this expertly‚ painting a young man’s sexual trauma‚ the objectification of women‚ and the pageantry of masculine sexuality in such a garish and horrifying light that it’s impossible to ignore the numerous problems with it. Aickman’s portrait of a young man trapped in an existential hell of masculine expectation and trauma feels miserable and deeply unnerving‚ and it should. After all‚ the worst fates in horror are existential and never-ending. And the show must (and will) go on. And now to turn it over to you. Do you think “The Swords” was true to the performative nature of masculinity‚ and in its depictions of sexual trauma? Is there anything Aickman could have explored in greater detail? And why is it that Hartwell keeps doubling (or even tripling) up on certain authors’ works in this anthology? Please join us next week for “The Roaches” with elder horror/SF statesman (and game designer) Thomas M. Disch.[end-mark] The post The Show Will Go On: “The Swords” by Robert Aickman appeared first on Reactor.

Movies &; TV Babylon 5 Babylon 5 Rewatch: “The Gathering” Keith R.A. DeCandido revisits the start of the Babylon 5 franchise By Keith R.A. DeCandido | Published on March 26‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed “The Gathering”Written by J. Michael StraczynskiDirected by Richard ComptonSeason 1‚ Episode 0Production episode 0Original air date: February 22‚ 1993 It was the dawn of the third age… We open with Ambassador Londo Mollari’s voiceover setting the stage: the dawn of the third age of mankind‚ whatever that means‚ and how the last of the Babylon stations‚ Babylon 5‚ was the last best hope for peace. A station in neutral space constructed by the Earth Alliance and administered by their military‚ EarthForce‚ it is home to dozens of species‚ with the five major powers in this area of the galaxy represented: Earth Alliance‚ the Minbari Federation‚ the Centauri Republic‚ the Narn Regime‚ and the Vorlons. Tensions are high‚ as the Earth-Minbari War wasn’t that long ago‚ and the Narn used to be a subject species of the Centauri‚ but now are the ascendant power while the Centauri are a shadow of their former selves. Lt. Commander Laurel Takashima‚ the first officer‚ is in Command &; Control‚ overseeing a ship docking at the station. The security chief‚ Michael Garibaldi‚ calls C&;C saying that the station commander is needed to greet a new arrival. Takashima says that he’s already on his way. Sure enough‚ Commander Jeffrey Sinclair greets Lyta Alexander‚ a telepath from Psi Corps who will be working on the station‚ available to be hired. Sinclair tells her a bit about the station‚ taking her through the alien sector‚ where those species who require something other than Earth-normal atmosphere and/or gravity hang out. Another person who arrived on the transport is a human named Del Varner. In fact‚ we saw him initially during Mollari’s voiceover‚ so we know he’ll be important…. Four of the five representatives are on the station: Delenn representing Minbar‚ Mollari representing the Centauri‚ G’Kar representing the Narn‚ and Sinclair reprsenting Earth. The fifth is en route: Kosh from the mysterious Vorlons‚ about whom very little is known. At one point‚ Sinclair joins Delenn in the Chinese garden‚ and she‚ to his surprise‚ provides all the intelligence the Minbari have on the Vorlons. It’s not much‚ but it’s more than Earth has… G’Kar complains to Takashima about a Narn supply ship that is being denied docking. Takashima explains that the shipmaster has refused to consent to a weapons scan‚ and they can’t let the ship dock without that. G’Kar leaves in a huff. In fact‚ he leaves in a minute-and-a-huff. Kosh’s ship arrives two days early. Also en route is the ship belonging to Sinclair’s girlfriend‚ a trader named Carolyn Sykes. Garibaldi asks G’Kar and Delenn to be at the docking bay to meet Kosh‚ but he’s having trouble tracking down Mollari—eventually finding him in the casino‚ losing a lot. Mollari asks Garibaldi for a loan (obviously not the first time he’s made that request)‚ which Garibaldi refuses (obviously not the first time he’s said no). However‚ Varner offers to stake him. G’Kar changes his mind‚ and tells Takashima to go ahead and do the weapons scan on the supply ship. En route to meet Kosh‚ Sinclair’s elevator stalls out. By the time he makes it to the docking bay and meets Garibaldi‚ they find Kosh unconscious on the deck. Vorlons have to wear full-body encounter suits in order to interact with other species for reasons that nobody’s too clear on (which is par for the course with the Vorlons). Takashima reports that the Vorlons have stated in no uncertain terms that Kosh’s encounter suit is not to be removed. Dr. Benjamin Kyle is not happy‚ as he can’t treat his patient without removing the suit. Sinclair instructs Kyle to open the suit‚ but to do it alone‚ with all monitors turned off. Kyle is bound by doctor-patient confidentiality not to reveal what he sees. Kyle’s subsequent examination reveals that Kosh was poisoned. But Kyle can’t determine where the poison was applied‚ nor what the poison is. Sinclair locks down the station‚ and Garibaldi conducts an investigation. One of his prime suspects is Mollari‚ who wasn’t at the reception with Delenn and G’Kar. G’Kar approaches Alexander after she finishes a job. The Narn have no telepaths‚ and they wish to produce some. G’Kar makes her an offer to help them do so‚ either by G’Kar and Alexander mating‚ or by cloning‚ which would be a much more complicated process. G’Kar will pay her more if they just mate. Sinclair finally gets to have some mad‚ passionate nookie-nookie with Sykes. He also tells Sykes a bit of his personal history that he’d been avoiding telling her before: that he was part of the Battle of the Line‚ the final battle in the Earth-Minbari War‚ of which he was one of the few survivors. He was doing a kamikaze run at one Minbari ship‚ then he blacked out‚ and the next thing he knew‚ it was twenty-four hours later and the Minbari had inexplicably surrendered‚ ending the war. Takashima and Kyle convince Alexander to perform a mind-scan on Kosh. She reluctantly does so‚ only to discover that Sinclair is the one who poisoned the ambassador by putting a skin tag on Kosh’s hand. Garibaldi’s investigation leads to Varner‚ but checking his quarters reveals Varner’s dead body. Confusing the issue is that he’s been dead for days‚ even though he’s been sighted more recently. Sinclair is temporarily removed from B5’s council‚ replaced by Takashima. After the council questions several witnesses‚ including Kyle‚ G’Kar moves that they turn Sinclair over to the Vorlons. Takashima votes no‚ Delenn abstains‚ while Mollari and G’Kar vote yes. But that tie is broken by the proxy vote the Vorlons provided to G’Kar‚ making it a majority yes vote. The Vorlons will arrive in twelve hours. Mollari apologetically explains to Garibaldi that G’Kar blackmailed him into the yes vote. He had information about one of Mollari’s ancestors that would prove politically embarrassing to him. G’Kar approaches Delenn about the possibility of a Minbari-Narn alliance. But when he mentions a rumored shadowy organization in the Minbari Federation called the Grey Council‚ Delenn immediately attacks G’Kar‚ nearly killing him‚ and making it clear that she’ll do worse if he ever even mentions the Grey Council again. Another body is found‚ that of a technician who has been seen since his time of death. Kyle is working in the medical bay‚ having found an antidote to the poison‚ when he sees Alexander enter‚ and she starts sabotaging the medical equipment—and tossing Kyle across the medical bay when he tries to stop her. But then the real Alexander walks in‚ and the duplicate runs away. It’s now clear what’s going on: Garibaldi has learned that Varner was a smuggler dealing in black-market tech. His most recent trip had him acquiring a changeling net‚ which would enable its wearer to look like anyone. The net would give off a lot of energy‚ so Sinclair has Takashima do a scan of major energy sources‚ and then blank out anything they know about—life support‚ lights‚ and so on—and the only one that isn’t accounted for is small and moving through a remote part of the station. Sinclair and Garibaldi suit up and go after it. At Takashima’s suggestion‚ they take a recorder that will document everything‚ so they have proof for the Vorlons. Garibaldi is injured‚ but Sinclair manages to stop the assassin‚ after he has cycled through several different disguises (including Sinclair himself). Eventually‚ he’s revealed to be a Minbari‚ a member of their Warrior Caste. Before blowing himself up‚ he says that Sinclair has a hole in his mind. Later‚ Sinclair queries Delenn about that‚ but Delenn blows it off as a standard Minbari insult. The nervous look Delenn gets before saying that makes it obvious to the viewer (but‚ for some reason‚ not to Sinclair) that she’s lying. Sinclair shares a drink with G’Kar‚ revealing that he knows that the changeling net was brought on the delayed Narn supply ship‚ which was why Varner had to come to the station to pick it up‚ and then provide it to the assassin. G’Kar says Sinclair has no proof; Sinclair counters that he put a nanotech tracker in the drink they just shared‚ so now Sinclair will always be able to follow G’Kar. Outraged‚ G’Kar once again leaves in a huff. Sinclair then reveals to Garibaldi that he was lying‚ but that’ll it’ll be fun watching G’Kar try to find the tracker that isn’t there in his intestinal tract. The big hole made by the assassin is being fixed‚ Ambassador Kosh is up and about‚ Sinclair has been cleared‚ and the station is‚ as Takashima says‚ open for business. Nothing’s the same anymore. Sinclair gets to hit several rough-and-tumble leader clichés‚ including the close friend whom he hires even though nobody else wants him‚ being accused of a crime he didn’t commit‚ and insisting on stopping the bad guy himself despite having an entire frickin staff under his command. The household god of frustration. Garibaldi is established as difficult‚ having bounced from assignment to assignment. He also doesn’t exactly light the world on fire with his investigation‚ as most of the work is done by Kyle and by the assassin being seen disguised as Alexander when Alexander walked into the room. If you value your lives‚ be somewhere else. Delenn is surprisingly friendly to Sinclair‚ which he doesn’t expect‚ given the history between Earth and Minbar. In the glorious days of the Centauri Republic… Mollari is pretty broken‚ reduced to gambling and drinking and lamenting the days when the Centauri Republic was a super-power instead of a has-been power. Though it take a thousand years‚ we will be free. G’Kar is a manipulative bad guy in this one‚ showing an impressive ruthlessness and a tiresome nastiness. The Corps is mother‚ the Corps is father. We learn that humans have developed telepathy‚ and there’s a Psi-Corps that supervises and adminstrates telepathic activity. The rules regarding telepaths are very strict‚ including no unauthorized mind-scans. The Shadowy Vorlons. Vorlons wear encounter suits at all times and “for security reasons” don’t allow them to be removed. Very little is known about them by anyone else on the station. Looking ahead. The hole in Sinclair’s mind will become extremely important down the line. No sex‚ please‚ we’re EarthForce. Sinclair and Sykes are in a nice relationship; at one point Sykes tries to convince him to resign his commission and go off adventuring with her. He says he’ll think about it. Also G’Kar tries to mate with Alexander in a scene that is eye-rolling and creepy all at the same time. Welcome aboard. In this pilot movie‚ the only stars are Michael O’Hare (Sinclair)‚ Tamlyn Tomita (Takashima)‚ Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi)‚ and Mira Furlan (Delenn). Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas are listed as guest stars‚ as are Blaire Baron (Sykes)‚ Johnny Sekka (Kyle)‚ and Patricia Tallman (Alexander)‚ even though all were intended to be regular characters. In addition‚ John Fleck plays Varner and Paul Hampton plays the senator. Hampton will return next time in “Midnight on the Firing Line.” Tallman will return in “Divided Loyalties” in season two. Also Ed Wasser plays one of the C&;C officers; he’ll return in the recurring role of Mr. Morden starting in “Signs and Portents” later in the first season. Trivial matters. Two different versions of this exist in the world: the original as aired in 1993 and a re-edit that was release when the show moved to TNT in 1998. Some of those changes were to fix things that later became continuity errors‚ including G’Kar’s reference to his wife and Mollari’s referring to Sinclair as the last commander of the station in his opening voiceover. Others were simply tightening some scenes and including some scenes that were cut‚ including a confrontation Sinclair has with a smuggler and Sykes meeting with Delenn. Sinclair and Alexander’s trip through the alien sector was cut down‚ as there were (legitimate) complaints that it looked too much like a zoo. The music by Stewart Copeland was redone by Christopher Franke‚ who was the composer for the series. In the original‚ Tamlyn Tomita’s dialogue was redone and looped in when Warner Bros. complained that she sounded too harsh; the new version restores Tomita’s original performance. Finally‚ the biggest change was Kosh referring to the assassin disguised as Sinclair as “Entil’Zha Valen‚” a reference that will pay off in the “War Without End” two-parter in season three. Tomita‚ Blaire Baron‚ Johnny Sekka‚ and Patricia Tallman were all intended to be regulars‚ but they did not continue on the series for various reasons. Tomita was replaced by Claudia Christian’s Susan Ivanova‚ Baron by Julia Nickson-Soul’s Catherine Sakai‚ Sekka by Richard Biggs’ Dr. Franklin‚ and Tallman by Andrea Thompson’s Talia Winter. Tallman’s Alexander would‚ however‚ return to the show as a guest in seasons two and three and become a regular for seasons four and five. Plotlines originally intended for Takashima were transferred either to Ivanova or to Winter. Delenn was originally intended to start out as a man‚ but would emerge from the chrysalis at the top of season two as a woman. But they couldn’t make Mira Furlan masculine enough‚ apparently‚ so they abandoned it and just had her be female all along. Furlan’s and Andreas Katsulas’ makeup were both changed when the show went to series‚ as were the EarthForce uniforms. “The Gathering” was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. The award went to Jurassic Park. The echoes of all of our conversations. “There was a time when this whole quadrant belonged to us! What are we now? Twelve worlds and a thousand monuments to past glories—living off memories and stories‚ and selling trinkets. My God‚ man—we’ve become a tourist attraction. ‘See the great Centauri Republic‚ open 9 to 5‚ Earth time.’”—Mollari‚ lamenting to Garibaldi The name of the place is Babylon 5. “Babylon 5 is open for business.” There are three things a pilot needs to introduce: the characters‚ the types of stories that will be told‚ and the setting. The latter is more challenging in the science fiction/fantasy genre because it’s the only genre in which the setting isn’t real. So in addition to everything else‚ you’ve got to build a world and make it convincing. Whatever the flaws of “The Gathering”—and they are legion—it did that part of it beautifully. Creator/writer/co-executive producer J. Michael Straczynski gives us a fully realized future history. We get an Earth that’s a power‚ but not the biggest power. We get the ugly history between the Centauri and the Narn‚ with the latter having burst onto the scene after being subjugated by the former‚ while the Centauri themselves are much less than once they were. And there’s the history of the Earth-Minbari War‚ which left scars on both sides—as well as the complete confusion as to why the Minbari surrendered. Surrounding this world-building is a story that’s a pretty straightforward whodunnit with tech and a script that can generously be called awkward. The moment where Alexander asked Sinclair why the station was called Babylon 5‚ I groaned. Thirty-one years later‚ that conversation remains the tin standard for awkward exposition‚ not aided by the fact that I kept thinking of the Swamp Castle litany in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. (To this day‚ I always refer to Babylon 4 as having fallen into the swamp.) That clunkiness of dialogue runs throughout‚ alas‚ not aided by performances that range from mediocre to uneven. Jerry Doyle’s Garibaldi is a walking‚ talking cliché of the maverick cop‚ Andreas Katsulas’ G’Kar is a mustache-twirling villain of the most ludicrous type (the scene where he proposes mating with Alexander is embarrassing)‚ and Patricia Tallman’s Alexander ranges from stilted (her accusation of Sinclair comes across as a teenager throwing a tantrum) to excellent (her body language when she’s the disguised assassin is completely different‚ making it clear from jump that this isn’t really Alexander). All three characters will‚ of course‚ get better‚ but that just makes watching the early versions of them even more painful to watch. G’Kar especially—Katsulas was one of the finest actors of his time‚ always able to bring menace and nuance to his roles (which were almost always villainous to some degree or other)‚ and G’Kar would certainly become a complex and tragic character as the show went on. But the G’Kar of “The Gathering” has muted menace and absolutely no nuance‚ and feels like an utter waste of Katsulas’ talent. The leader of an ensemble needs to have a certain charisma in order for the ensemble to work‚ and sadly Michael O’Hare doesn’t quite have it. O’Hare is the type of actor who’s better off playing the sidekick or the helpmeet or the bad guy. (He played Colonel Jessup in the theatrical version of A Few Good Men on Broadway‚ and he was amazing. It was a hundred and eighty degrees from Jack Nicholson’s performance of the same role in the movie version‚ instead bringing a quiet‚ solid intensity.) He would’ve been perfect to play Garibaldi‚ truly. Besides the world-building‚ the other way in which the pilot absolutely shines is in the character of Londo Mollari‚ brilliantly played by the great Peter Jurasik. In 1993‚ he was best known for his role of the squirrelly and slimy Sid the Snitch on Hill Street Blues and its short-lived spinoff Beverly Hills Buntz‚ which in no way prepared anyone for this. He magnificently brings the broken-down Centauri ambassador to life. The bit I quoted in “The echoes of all our conversations” above is a masterpiece‚ showing us how far the Centauri Republic in general and Mollari in particular have fallen. Finally‚ there’s the CGI visual effects‚ which were groundbreaking at the time‚ and which I was dreading on this rewatch‚ as I feared they wouldn’t have aged well. And‚ well‚ they haven’t‚ but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Mostly the biggest problem with the VFX is the same problem CGI continued to have up until 2010 or so: too bright and shiny and completely unable to convey mass. But it’s not fatal‚ and the CGI is well integrated. Next week: “Midnight on the Firing Line.”[end-mark] The post <;i>;Babylon 5<;/i>; Rewatch: “The Gathering” appeared first on Reactor.

Fighter and Warrior Pawns in Dragon’s Dogma 2 have the Springboard Skill‚ which turns into Launchboard‚ that allows them to launch you into the air. This is useful in battle and in getting out-of-reach chests… when it works. How to successfully use Fighter and Warrior Pawn Springboard and Launchboard in Dragon’s Dogma 2 As smart as Pawns are in Dragon’s Dogma 2‚ they can be really dumb at times. They also don’t know when to shut up at times‚ but that’s neither here nor there. I’ve struggled to get my Pawns to use their Springboard or Launchboard Skills to launch me to an area I can’t reach. Based on my experience and research‚ there isn’t one way to make this easier‚ but I’ve discovered a few tricks. The first thing you need to get your Pawns to launch you is to have a Fighter or Warrior with the Springboard or Launchboard Skill. Launchboard is the better version of Springboard‚ but both work to launch you in the air....

We all need a little push every once in a while‚ especially if we are propelled by a raging fire. What do the colored buttons do when controlling a LEGO Fortnite vehicle? What are the Red‚ Green‚ and Blue numbered buttons in LEGO Fortnite? The new vehicle content in LEGO Fortnite brings a whole lot of possibilities for your world and survival. There are a lot of new items‚ parts‚ and‚ of course‚ vehicle templates you can craft to get you from point A to point B in no time. However‚ besides the usual button layout that we can see on the bottom right corner of the screen when hopping on one of these vehicles‚ there are three colored buttons: a red one‚ a green two‚ and a blue three. What are these? Screenshot: PC Invasion Well‚ one of the new additions included in the Mechanical Mayhem update is the inclusion of the Wrench. This tool will allow you to assign Thrusters to a specific Channel that can be connected to different Switches. This allows a single construct vehicle or ...

An Interior Department mining agency sought to purge its website and field offices of traditional language that could offend LGBTQ individuals‚ to comply with an executive order from President Joe Biden.  Employees of Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement are directed to go through all agency messaging and remove language that presumes traditional views on gender or marriage‚ according to documents obtained by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news and commentary outlet.) Biden‚ who lied about being a coal-miner and has told miners to "learn to code" is now forcing miners to use woke LGBTQ+ termsWe got the documents from the @DOI @OSMRE ? pic.twitter.com/uKEJys0eYS— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) March 26‚ 2024 The documents also show that Interior’s mining agency sought new staff and more resources to change signage at regional and field offices throughout the country‚ to ensure sensitivity to the LGBTQ population. The agency has offices in 36 states. One document about Biden’s executive order says the effort includes discarding any written assumptions that marriage is between one man and one woman‚ or “that a person’s gender is always either male or female.” Traditional beliefs about men and women and marriage that have been held by the majority of people for all of history? Offensive and outdated. pic.twitter.com/YpJafUbd5m— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) March 26‚ 2024 Biden’s Executive Order 13988‚ signed on Jan. 20‚ 2021‚ his first day in office‚ is titled “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.”  Section 1 of the president’s executive order says:  It is the policy of my administration to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation‚ and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. It is also the policy of my administration to address overlapping forms of discrimination. Same goes for man-made pic.twitter.com/XwpvPg5qKR— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) March 26‚ 2024 Biden’s order goes on to say in section 2: The head of each agency shall‚ as soon as practicable and as appropriate and consistent with applicable law‚ including the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.)‚ consider whether to revise‚ suspend‚ or rescind such agency actions‚ or promulgate new agency actions‚ as necessary to fully implement statutes that prohibit sex discrimination and the policy set forth in section 1 of this order. In 2022‚ employees with Interior’s mining agency answered a questionnaire to help them spot potentially offensive language.  Among questions employees of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation &; Enforcement were asked: “Does the language of this action use gendered pronouns?”  Technical terms such as “manways” (used in mapping) and “man-made” are considered offensive and should be replaced with neutral terms‚ the document explains.  This is what your taxpayer $$ is funding! pic.twitter.com/j1KkOkV6kp— Oversight Project (@OversightPR) March 26‚ 2024 The questionnaire‚ or checklist‚ allows for yes or no responses. It reads: “For any issues you describe in the previous item‚ how might they affect LGBTQIA+ people differently than other people‚ or otherwise be inconsistent with the policy in Section 1 of EO 13988?”  It adds: “His/her’ is inconsistent with the policy established in Section 1 of EO 13988.” The mining agency needs more staff and resources to replace signage at field offices to ensure that offensive language isn’t posted‚ according to the documents.   “While conducting this review process‚ considerable time has been invested by the [Office of Communications] team members and other personnel‚” a follow-up document in October 2022 says. It adds: Action and Strategies to comply with EO 13988 (to review signage in regional and field offices to change or improve signage for persons who might identify as LGBTQIA+) will require additional personnel and resources‚ as well as collaboration with other OSMRE administrative office (OA) personnel. A spokesperson for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement didn’t respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment by publication time.  DOI-OSMRE-2024-000007-responsive-recordsDownload The post Mining Agency Purges Language on Marriage‚ Gender to Comply With Biden LGBTQ Order appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Abortion is a very controversial topic‚ but drug safety isn’t. Keeping America’s drug supply safe is a nonpartisan endeavor. Whatever one’s political leanings‚ everybody wants safe‚ effective drugs‚ and a full disclosure of known safety risks. Because of that‚ the Food and Drug Administration is supposed to remain agnostic when it comes to politics‚ up to and including the politics of abortion‚ and base its decisions strictly on its mission of objectively making data-driven regulatory decisions based on safety and efficacy.  Is the FDA Behaving Recklessly? Congress has granted broad authority to the FDA to determine what drugs are safe and efficacious‚ but its discretion is not limitless. When it comes to mifepristone (for abortion)‚ the FDA has abandoned appropriate drug-safety practices by not mandating that manufacturers collect all evidence of how the drug harms women.  Questions typically arise from individuals or outside groups when it comes to controversial FDA drug approvals‚ but the agency prompted additional questions through regulatory actions years after it approved mifepristone.  For the first time‚ the FDA‚ at manufacturers’ request‚ permitted epidemiologically unsound wording specifying that providers are only mandated to collect reports of deaths‚ but not any other adverse events (sometimes called side effects) following mifepristone administration. Typically‚ manufacturers have responsibly proposed to collect all reported adverse events. However‚ the new wording in the FDA-approved Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy only specifies that entities “[e]nsure that any deaths of patients who received Mifeprex are reported to [manufacturers] … .”   The question here is: Why not “ensure” the collection of all adverse events for a drug taken by hundreds of thousands of women every year? Are the FDA or manufacturers afraid of what they will find? If the answer to that question is “yes‚” that’s all the more reason that women and abortion providers be made aware of all potential associated risks of the drug.  The FDA’s death-only safety-collection language is unique compared with other Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy products‚ which use substantively firmer language for adverse events‚ including: “… [medical providers] must: At all times report …” in reference to any adverse event that occurs. Unlike mifepristone‚ other FDA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy sponsors seem to take forthright interest in protecting and informing their patients‚ and to that end‚ comprehensively collect all adverse events.  Drug Safety Epidemiology Is More Than Deaths Death is not the only adverse event of importance when it comes to evaluating the safety of drugs. Analogously‚ if one were an automobile manufacturer proposing to collect safety information about its cars‚ only collecting reports of automobile-associated deaths would thereby exclude all nonfatal injuries‚ potentially hiding the true extent of any defects or dangers. Consequently‚ consumers wouldn’t be informed about automobile failures resulting in serious injuries‚ such as dismemberment‚ burns‚ traumatic brain injury‚ or other permanent disabilities—which‚ although they might not ultimately result in death‚ are still critically important for safety assessments.  Using the current FDA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy adverse-event collection language could mean that adverse events that occur might never be reported‚ and ultimately profit-driven manufacturers could capitalize on the lack of reported adverse events‚ and in turn advertise their drugs as having had a sterling “safety” record. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that future television and other media advertisements would deceptively and falsely indicate the safety of at-home abortions‚ instead emphasizing convenience.  Set Aside Abortion Politics and Protect Women Regardless of one’s political stance on abortion‚ the at-home‚ unattended use of mifepristone does carry with it considerable‚ clinically significant risks—which is precisely why it was only approved via Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy in the first place.  Severe‚ life-threatening‚ disabling‚ and death adverse events have been reported‚ and are far more likely to be avoided if a surgical abortion is used instead of chemical abortion drugs. To the extent chemical abortion is used‚ it should be made as safe as possible for women and take place in a properly equipped clinic‚ under physician observation‚ and at least in accordance with the historical Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy‚ Medication Guide‚ and Elements to Assure Safe Use requirements.  In the name of women’s health‚ the FDA should demand the active solicitation and collection of all adverse events when mifepristone is used for abortion. Manufacturers and the FDA cannot claim that a lack of evidence of mifepristone’s harms proves it’s safe—especially when the agency stopped requiring collecting evidence of harms. Drug safety experts need all safety data mandated to be reported in order to do their jobs. The health of America’s women depend on it.  The post Does the FDA Believe Abortion Convenience Eclipses Abortion Safety?  appeared first on The Daily Signal.