eonfreon

Now I've read the article and it is completely out of context. Not relevent? Sure, I suppose influencing science fiction themes to this very day is not relevent. Should it retire from the field of battle? What an asinine way of saying it. The franchise encompasses an entire universe. Are we to believe that nothing further can be plumbed from a universe wherein brand new characters and situations can created? Good writers can and do build upon what has come before and acknowledge their influences and inspirations. Dr. Who is far older and it has managed a healthy and highly enjoyable modernization imho- and that is about a single character! Star Trek has the added bonus of being completely open-ended.

Trust me FOX News has not been embraced by us Americans as a whole. We know it's propaganda (at least most do ) and we hate it (at least I do). But I do watch it once in awhile. After all I gotta know what kinda trouble they're trying to stir up. Since it is out there and does influence a bunch of our neighbors, I watch it to see what to expect from the right-wing crazies. Unfortunately, that means I sometimes add to their ratings, I guess. Even misinformation is information if you know that it's misinformation. For the rest- well, every country has it's unwashed masses- they're the same bored mofos who watch Springer have to have some form of news. EDIT: And sorry to be so far off topic too, but you got to understand that this stuff is crammed down our throats as much as PRAVDA was in the Soviet Union, so we're kinda tired of hearing it. And "FAIR AND BALANCED" is their trademarked slogan, not some label we gave 'em. Anyway back to the topic at hand......

Just curious. What are the European's plans for these batteries? I'm assuming that they will also have a large increase in hybrid cars and face the same problems (of course we are assuming that there will be a problem). What are their plans before this comes back to bite them in the rear end?

The thing you need to understand, Bezelton, is that every generation's speech pattern's are different from every other's. Especially among the young. I'm sorry that you couldn't groove to those hap cat's lingo, daddy-o, that's really a downer. You know. Seriously, what one says is also augmented by how one says it. And body language. When I was young "cool" could convey many, many things, even it's opposite. Someone tells you something and you are barely interested, you would say "Yeah, thas cool" (spelled phonetically "thas"- weakening the strong "ts" sound of "that's" to a lisping "s" sound) which would actually mean "yeah, I heard you and I could care less". Especially if you moved your hand in a waving away motion- but that was usually reserved for a very aggressive dismissal. Plus if they were talking amongst themselves, to friends, meaning may be implied in other ways. When one says "you know" to a friend, he probably does know, even if YOU, while eavesdropping, don't. Ya know? The survey you ran (over) for a mere five hours (is the survey ok, by the way, did you run over his toes?) at a large chain like Barnes and Nobles, which is more about entertainment than education, hardly qualifies you as an authority on this country's intellectuals. Go visit a library. A coffee shop during a poetry recital. Heck,even a park near a university. Not a store that mostly deals in escapism. Even intellectuals like escapism, that's one of the reasons sci-fi is so popular. So where do we hide our geniuses? Well, mostly at the labs ,university classes, board meetings, etc. The rest of the time, when on a break and wanting some "down time", we hide in plain sight. B)

I'm tired of . . . I'm gonna go take a nap.

Oh yes. Good to know MPAA has a dvd checking department. I've been looking for some place to check the legitimacy of my dvds. I can't tell you how important such knowledge is to me. What are you talking about? Why would anyone do what you suggest? Are you worried that a snobby dvd player may reject the dvd and spit it out exclaming "That's not legit! It tastes bad!"

I didn't mind too much that they had to change so much. I did mind that it SUCKED SO BAD.

Well I just saw the movie today and I really liked it. I too felt it may have been a little weak in the middle, but overall I really enjoyed it. Especially as it was really about bringing back Superman into the modern consciousness. And it setup a lot of great concepts for following movies. I hope Bryan Singer can stay on for that, because I really want to see him get to really cut loose and bring on the supervillains. Personally, I give alot of kudos to the filmmaking on this movie. I highly recommend it. Love it or hate it, seeing it on the big screen was quite a treat. And I loved it. And about the off-topic stuff here: I have to agree that we should not whitewash history. Racism is real and part of our history. I recently found a dvd with old original Superman cartoons made during WWII. Naturally, they depicted the Japanese and Germans as the enemy. On one episode Clark and Lois are reporters imprisoned in Japan. Clark allows himself to be imprisoned and every night he sneaks off and wrecks Japanese military installations and weapons. In the end he gets Lois out but stays behind to continue his one-man war. It was propoganda pure and simple. Maybe a salve for the children whose father's were away? Did the younger ones allow their imaginations to believe that their daddy would be okay, because Superman was there to help? Anyway, the cartoons are classic and beautifully done. I would hate for them to be destroyed or hidden away because they show an ugly side of human nature; to demonize the enemy, and now Japan is no longer our enemy. We're human, we have our ugly side and our noble side. Denying it won't work. When something becomes forbidden it is almost always more enticing, at least to the younger generations who want to make their own mistakes, not be patronized about how our elders know best. Anyway, now I'm really off-topic- so back to Superman. It was well-worth seeing IMHO.

not me

Basically, "hero" and "antihero' is a personal point of view. I cited Hunter S. Thompson. To me he was a hero. To others he was an antihero at best. Still others would see him as a hedonist with no redeeming values. I feel he took many risks and always stood by his values, that makes him a hero in my book. However, if you don't agree with his values then you might at least concede that he was an antihero and brave enough to poke a stick into the ribs of the status quo. Then he committed suicide which is an unforgivable sin in many faiths (not mine- but then I outgrew my church a long time ago). To that person he would be unredeemable. Your values shape your heroic ideals. Of course, this is with a real person. A fictional character is more straightforward because the writer often gives clues to how we should feel about a character.

Hunter S. Thompson is way up there on my list. Jack Keroac definently. I'll think of more later.

personally, I see no harm on shows that depict things that others would find reprehensible. Ignoring things won't make them go away. It is good to have some exposure to things we don't agree with, even if it's exposure thru hollywood, which is still miles away from reality. I've always thought an anti-hero was just that, someone who does not do the things that are traditionally "heroic". Often selfish and with few redeeming values- you know, a human being.

Well I googled the story after reading the articles that confirm this and deny this story. Every single article debunks this as a hoax. Before posting such a thing perhaps the original poster should do a little research. It's amazing how many were ready to jump on the bandwagon and were advocating Israel and the U.S. attacking Iran. I personally have many misgivings about the Iranian government, but I don't see how it is any affair of ours what happens there unless it is a direct threat to us. I mean missiles would have to be launched at us or our allies before I would care. They have a terrible Human Rights record, but so do many of the governments we support. If you want something to hate Iran for go to http://save.nazanin.googlepages.com/ This is where international pressure should be applied. As for Nuclear weapons, we have them and Israel has them (even though they weren't supposed to and it was one of the worst-kept secrets that they did). As much as I wish no nation had them, that's not going to happen, and Iran can look to N. Korea and see we haven't invaded them (they do have nukes) but have invaded Iraq (who didn't). Remember when we claimed having nukes was a deterent to war?

i am certainly not gonna waste my goodwill on the MPAA. I can't seperate the deed from the person, to me the deed is the person. Or to paraphrase Emma Goldman. "There is no greater fallacy than the belief that a person is one thing, while a person's deeds are another, this conception is a potent menace to social regeneration."

Yeah, I just love that figure. They're losing 6 billion a year. Poor babies. That explains all the executives and producers I see at the welfare office and lunch lines. I love how they try to link illegal dvd sales to terrorism too. Doesn't that mean I'm fighting terrorism by downloading for free and not buying a bootleg from the local Al-Quaeda operative down the block? When it boils right down to it, many people buy DVDs and many MORE just RENT from rental stores, which have copies that are already paid for. If anything they are hurt more than MPAA members.

well said

c4evap, I was also horrified when we were attacked on Sept. 11th. I was angry. I have family in New York. I wanted to strike back and I was easily swayed by Bush and supported all his craziness. Now I'm not so sure. Oh, no doubt, it was a strike at civilians, but these civilians are seen the world over as "backdoor" soldiers, profiteers at the expense of other nation's suffering. I saw a show about the WTC attack where they interviewed a Wall Street Trader. He stated how the first thoughts that came to his mind, as the building burned and bodies dove out the windows, was "Holy shit, the price of Gold just shot way up- buy, buy, buy!" I am only half-American. I was born here and my mother is American but my father is not, he's from South America. The WTC was always apparently viewed by most South Americans as the financial arm of our Imperialism. Now, I don't believe it, but it is a fact that it was viewed like that for most of the world. And the fact remains that no evidence linking Al-Quaeda to Iraq has ever come to light. With no evidence how could we legally demand that Suddam step down for office, and then use his refusal as an excuse to invade Iraq? And where are the WMDs? At least in Afganistan there was a clearer link between the Taliban and Al-Quaeda, plus Bin Laden was there. There was ample proof that he was involved and naturally we demanded that he be brought to justice. For the most part I do agree with you and I love my country very much indeed. I am willing to turn a blind eye to certain things if they are in our best interests, for it is a harsh world, and even harsher on the global scale. Death and destruction is a normal human condition it seems and we have to be willing to get our hands dirty to protect ourselves and our loved ones. But it is getting harder, at least for me, to accept that our leaders have OUR best interests at heart, and not just the interests of other rich people, from whatever country. I am not saying you've said any of these things. For the most part I agree with you. It is hard not to value my good buddy Joe down the street far higher than many Iraqi civilians. For that I suppose I should be ashamed, but I am not. About Iran. I sincerely hope that Bush doesn't go Nuclear. I don't think he will. I think this is just a ploy to horrify us with an insane option and then present another invasion as at least far saner by comparison. We'll be so horrified that we'll consider an invasion (whoops I meant "pre-emptive strike") as a more viable option. Keep watching Dubya, I'll bet that turns into his ploy. Any takers?

I never cared one way or another about the montage, until it gave something away. The second part of the Resurrection Ship, where Caine gets killed ruined it for me. I could tell by the scars on the wrist that it was going to be Six that killed her. Since then I just look away.

Nope, not right at all- this series has little connection to the original. It's been 40 or 50 years since the last war in which the Cylons were pushed away- not 40 years since the last t.v. show.

Why do most people wish that the Pegasus would be destroyed? It's called Battlestar Galactica because she's the one who basically saved the remaining humans. The Pegasus was only about destruction and striking back at the Cylons. Galactica was about preserving the remaining humans. And the Galactica is the "leader" of the "fleet" (such as it is) because Adama is the highest ranking officer in the remaining forces and commands the Glactica. The Pegasus being there doesn't take away from Galactica's achievements. Let's not forget that these 49,000 + people are it for the human race, at least as far as the colonies are concerned. Earth is may or may not exist. I for one am glad the Pegasus is there to help out. As was previously mentioned, the two Battlestars complement each other, especially now that they are both commanded by Adamas.

Hah, hadn't thought of that. The Human Cylons do seem rather overly-proud of themselves don't they? The old Toasters do seem to be doing most of the hard work, most of the fighting, and most of the dying. The Human Cylons ("Organics") so far seem to treat the Toasters as expandable as we ever did. The Toasters rebel and the Organics are forced to turn to the Humans for help. Now that would be interesting too.

Well said folks. Thing I don't understand is that I've never heard of a good business model that includes bullying and intimidation (well besides the mafia). And with statements about loss of billions of dollars as we then see these executives with incredible homes and vehicles and boats and... well you get the idea. If they are losing billions and yet still make billions, then advertise this fact, doesn't it start to gall people. Oh boo hoo, they could only afford twenty trips to Hawaii instead of their usual twenty-five. Kinda hurts to hear that as I get my ten bucks an hour (which I'm grateful for even) and missed my favorite show cause I couldn't get someone to trade shifts with me and I'm working 'till 1 A.M. and my buddy forget to tape it for me. I haven't seen too many stars forced out in the street because of the "loss" of revenue. And yes, my budget is limited and I won't pay for something if I don't know if it's good. But when I do love a show, I will buy the Deluxe DVD with all the Extras. BUt forgive me for browsing before I buy. Anyway, enough with the ranting, I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir. But it just pisses me off that I'm considered a criminal for downloading something THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO OBTAIN HERE- D. Who being a prime example. And what's worse- when it does come here it's edited for our crappy commercial television. Forgive me for wanting to see the the show as edited by the creators.

I tend to agree that making Baltar a cylon would not make sense if we truly knew what the Cylon grand "Plan" was, but we don't. Obviously, even within their culture there are divisions and dissent. Some like Six are more "religious" and others like Sharon are more pragmatic. I don't know what to think and that's exactly how the writers like it. Look, we're just as paranoid about who's a Cylon as the Fleet, and we're not even under attack. Like I said, I don't really think Baltar's a Cylon anymore, especially after reading this and other forums. However, we really don't know the Cylon's ultimate agenda. For all we know the upper-echelon Cylons are testing other prominent Cylons, kind of how Lucy Lawless was baiting and testing Six- to see her loyalties. Plus, it appears that they could wipe out the remaining Humans but have chosen not to. It almost seems like an experiment. So maybe #1 (if he is Baltar) has immersed himself deeply as a Human to truly understand them. And the programming for the Sleepers is obviously not perfect- look at how strongly Sharon fought it- and even successfully as in the "Water" episode. And another Sharon betrayed the Cylons if her mission was to create a Hybrid for the Cylons to raise. Having said all that I still don't think Baltars a Cylon, but the writers are keeping us guessing. Apparently I've heard that some writers have come forth to explain that the hallucinations are a way to illustrate Baltar's guilt and now Six's- to show how similar Cylons and Humans may be.

Maybe, except we still know little about Cylons. How many copies are there? What differentiates them? So far two "Sharons" have gone over to the humans. Are other Sharons also "defective"? We know so little still, this was at best a teaser and a new plotline ( a possible resistance and rebellion? ), so many things could happen, including Baltar being a Cylon. I know it's mostly my imagination, but we don't know who #1 is. There could be just one, or very few copies. For that matter who or what is their "god"? Obviously Cylons keep things from each other and don't fully trust each other. Anyone else notice when Sharon is resurrected she is handcuffed to the "bath" but Six is not. Understandably they don't trust Sharon- another copy just helped the Humans escape and then entrusted herself and her unborn child to the Humans- a child the Cylons seem to truly want to have be born. So like I said earlier, Baltar COULD BE One- we really don't know- what you said made sense but we just don't have enough info yet.