Getting over the election: Return to Escapism!

Instead of getting gloomy over the elections, I've been looking at new TV shows to veg out with. The most promising is this new sci-fi series that is a remake of this campy old TV show called Battlestar Galactica. The new series is premiering now on SkyOne in the UK. Anyway, this remake has some really notable production values and could win best new sci-fi show awards:

The camera work is edgy and liberally uses inventive techniques like shaky cam, the editing is artistic with jarring jump cuts for memories instead of flashbacks, and the acting is above par as well. It's the first music video/sci fi series. Also, the soundtrack is kinda minimalist, and pretty hip as well. I think that it's sort of the exact opposite of the original BSG, in that it's the opposite of campy. I like how characters are given some depth to balance out their campiness (like a female fighter pilot jock who likes to smoke cigars, but is hiding the guilt of being responsible for the death of her fiancee). In fact, every character is conflicted and tortured and is hiding some secret. One is insane. Another is dying of cancer, secretly. Another is an alcoholic. Another might be a sleeper agent. There are lots of close up shots - all grainy, arty, sweaty and gritty - and using bleach bypass on the film processing, so it feels more like an art film submerged into the scarred psyches of a dysfunctional family, than your run of the mill sci-fi.

This show is NOT about aliens, because you rarely see them. It's about a bunch of tragic heros marooned on a limping, straggling convoy of badly beaten losers, who are trying really hard not to self-destruct. Especially without sleep for 130 hours and the enemy attacking every 33 minutes. It's about mourning, cancer, death, ingenuity, insanity, hiding, heroism and hopelessness. It's really quite dark, but at the same time, it is this very darkness that illuminates the eternal hopefulness of the human race.

It's really brilliant filmmaking.

Also, there's another great show on BBC called Spooks, that is like methadone for 24 addicts.

Thank god for BitTorrent. It's made the world a smaller place!

Ouch, that hurt!

I'll admit it. I'm a bit shocked at the election results, especially after the exit polls were leaning so heavily to Kerry. But in the final count, the late signups and undecideds broke for Bush in a big way. A couple of personal reflections about this election:

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With George Bush wielding all of this newfound political capital, I think it’s wise for the remaining liberal bastions, like San Francisco, to circle the wagons. Fortunately, quite a few Democrats have won local elections, so certain local governments will be able to successfully fight for personal liberties against the encroaching conservative federal mandate. Therefore, in the final analysis, the only thing we really have is each other. As a result, we, free-spirited liberal thinkers and stoned slackers and out of work dotcommers, need to stick together, support each other, and work together to make life worth living. Remember that the best revenge is a life well lived.

Anyway, I was taught the art of meditation by a Taoist master… wow, close to thirty years ago. When I talked to my teacher about politics and “changing the world”, he simply sighed and told me that Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching, wrote that text because he was stopped by a border guard who knew his reputation as a sage, and begged him to write something down, before he disappeared into the Western hinterlands. But the question is, he added, why was Lao Tzu leaving China in the first place? Because decency was waning, the government was corrupt, and evil and incompetent men were gaining the upper hand. In other words, he was disgusted.

If Lao Tzu were alive today, and watched the rise of George W. Bush, what would he do? Well, he’d probably sigh, but he’d tell you that this is the way of the world, that good and bad will always battle, and that decency and intelligence of political leaders will wax and wane and wax and wane until the end of time. It’s an endless soap opera – so don’t get so attached. And then he’d get on his donkey and head for the rocks and pines in the untrampled territories of the Cascades or Himalayas.

Yep, that’s what Lao Tzu would probably say. Don’t get so attached to the world. Look inside, that’s where true happiness and fulfillment dwells. And if you choose to be politically active, remember what Winston Churchill said, "The essence of success is the ability to go from failure to failure to failure, without any loss of enthusiasm."

God bless ya and America too.

As a welcomed yet eerie calm settles over the nation, the business of politics gives way to the mechanics of voting. Even though a record turnout is forcing Americans in some states to wait as long as three hours to vote, every thing is running smoothly and people seem to be in great spirits. It's a great joy to see democracy running smoothly for once, providing a role model for emerging democracies.

Neighbors who were bitter rivals in this hotly contested election have already begun mending their friendships with "that thickheaded Republican" or "that bleeding heart liberal" next door. No more pre-election insanity of Kerry supporters trying to run down Bushites, and Bush supporters threating Kerry campaigners at gunpoint. It's starting to get downright civilized. In online forums across the nation, virtual hands are extended across the Internet to once again unify the country. Scanning bi-partisan chat groups, you can see postings like:

"No matter what the outcome, it's been a pleasure debating, arguing, and calling many of you names for the last few months. No matter who is in the big chair after the dust settles, somehow we'll find a way to muddle through the next 4 years until all of the debating starts again. Good luck to us all, no matter what side of the fence we're on."

I don't want to jinx it, but I think finally we're on the road to better times.