Past and present mythologies.
Somewhere there is an Al Queda terriorist doing the happy dance because the U.S. took out Al-Zarqawi, and now he gets to be top dog and call the shots and prove his cunning and his devotion to Islam.
Not that Al-Zarqawi didn't deserve his end, but chopping off the head of a hydra isn't usually considered progress.
A minor change
Yes, folks. The blog has moved and has a slightly different look to it. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while. Besides the new header image and a few color tweaks nothing really has changed. It will be the same old me posting rants and half baked theories and ideas for your entertainment.
"Hiding in the Backwaters" has been the official name of the blog since I first moved to WordPress as my blogging software. I figured it was about time I made the offical name the public name as well. If you've linked to the old URL, those links will still work and forward you to the right page at the new URL.
Enjoy.
What’s in a name?
These days if anyone starts bashing someone named George, odds are pretty good he resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. We'll here's a George who could use a good beating who resides on the opposite coast.
Mr. George Lucas has resisted releasing the original original Star Wars trilogy on DVD, i.e. the undoctored versions that were released in 1977, 1980, and 1983. The ostensible reasons are personal. He doesn't like them. Technology being what it was in 1979, he couldn't turn "A New Hope" into the visual masturbation gluttony that the later installations are, and we should all be grateful his creative vision was limited by technology, cause he obviously can't manage it on his own.
The original Star Wars actually feels "real," like it might actually have happened "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." "Star Wars" was a special effects extravaganza for its day. I remember walking out of the theater completely blown away. I walked out of "Revenge of the Sith" underwhelmed. Not only did the environments feel totally plastic, little more than an elaborate sound stage, the character development took a back seat to compensating for perceived flaws in the original works. I never liked Anakin. I'm told I wasn't supposed to like him. Then why the hell should I give a damn that he was redeemed in the end? Tell me George: Why didn't you spend more time making Anakin actually complicated instead of a selfish brat? He missed his mommy and that turned him into an evil bastard? Get real.
Anyway, I'm getting off the subject. It seems that George has finally decided to release the original versions of the first trilogy on DVD. Caveat: He claims he doesn't have the original footage anymore so they will be ripped from laser disc editions. Fine. Whatever. Here's where the beating comes in. You cannot buy them separately. They will only be sold as a six CD set with the remastered version. What are six CD sets running these days? You think you'll get them for less than $75? And what about those of us who already have the remastered versions (because those were the only versions ever available for sale?) We're supposed to buy them again? Basically George is thumbing his nose at his real fans, those of us who went back and saw the original Star Wars in the theater over, and over and over because it was such a damn good movie, and made him millions in the process.
Bite me, George.
HAT TIP: Penny Arcade
Salt Lake City Pride
Now you might think that Pride is a small affair in the good ol' state of Utah. It's true, Utah is pretty conservative. It has more than its fair share of wingnuts. But if you come to Salt Lake expecting a tiny little affair, you'll be amazed.
This year was probably the biggest Pride parade I have seen. There were over 75 entries. Six years ago, the first time I ventured to Pride to watch the parade, I was a bit flabbergasted. Club music was blasting from pickup trucks. There were Latino drag queens dancing around in platform heels and thongs. The clubs each had a float with hotties dancing in their underwear. And so on.
Then came The Boring Years. I'm not sure what happened, but I guess the gay community tried to make nice. 2001 was, in a word, lame. 2002 wasn't any better. Then in 2003 QUAC (Queer Utah Aquatic Club) decided to make ... um ... a splash. We put together a dance routine, blasted dance music from a pickup truck and danced through the parade in our Speedos. Needless to say, we were a big hit.
Now in 2006 Pride finally seems to be back to its old self, and you know what? I'm glad. I know a lot of people get their panties in a wad about a "freak show" and negative publicity and so on. Lighten up. I've always viewed Pride more as a party than a political statement, and it seems that more and more people are coming to the party. There may be something to be said for conformity. On the other hand, I think acceptance of all people, however they dress and walk and talk, its a better goal to shoot for. I don't have a problem with homosexuals always being a little bit counterculture. I think conformity will end up being a natural consequence of acceptance. Already today's youth are worlds apart culture wise from their counter parts in the 60s and 70s. There's no need to rush it.
2006 is a marker year for me in other ways as well. Usually, there are two or three politicians who participate in the parade. Jackie Biskupski, Utah's openly gay member of the House and occasionally Rocky Anderson, the mayor of Salt Lake. This year they were joined by easily three times that, including one Scott McCoy, our openly gay state Senator, and a candidate for county Sheriff.
A more pleasant surprise was the city policemen on hand. In 2004 there was actually some harassment. The parade was kept moving at way too fast a pace. The children in the parade had to be carried and QUAC ended up jogging most of the time just to keep up. Naturally complaints were made. Rocky had words with someone on the police force and 2005 was much better. This year, however, some policeman were downright friendly. I saw more than one cell phone out snapping pictures. Also making a first time entry in the parade was the SLC fire department.
Maybe that's old hat for cities like San Fransisco or New York, but here, that's damn cool.
All in all, it was a fine morning. I have hundreds of photos I took of the parade. The vast majority of them are of the swim team since that was my official capacity this morning. As soon as I have a moment to sort through them, I'll post a few.
Happy Pride Day.