Galactic Legislation and Dragon Depreciation
Politics and Economics in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Worlds
An in-depth look at how our new Minister of Magic may prove to be the worst possible leader for our society By Rita Skeeter Are we, my fellow witches and wizards, sure this is the right choice? I am sure you all know to what I am referring. Hermione Granger-Weasley has been elected as Minister... Continue Reading →
You're a wizard! Now what? Well, since seemingly 99% of professional employment in the wizarding world is with the Ministry of Magic, you had better hope you have an in there. But let's say you don't. How are you going to get enough Galleons to be able to buy those tasty treacle tarts? Well, I... Continue Reading →
Warning: this post contains myriad assumptions based on impossible-to-know numbers According to rough calculations taken from Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, there are about one million member worlds in the Galactic Republic, each with an average of two billion inhabitants, meaning that the total number of citizens in the Galactic Republic is about two quadrillion... Continue Reading →
John Scalzi's Collapsing Empire is a fun, quick read that fits comfortably alongside some of his other sci-fi novels like Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades. The novel, like most other Scalzi novels, balances multiple witty and humorous characters with serious galaxy-spanning plots. I have read basically all of Scalzi's work and would recommend... Continue Reading →
Sustainable. Beloved. Monopoly? Three words not usually used together, but in the case of the gondoliers of Venice, they certainly fit. Although this topic is not strictly sci-fi or fantasy, Venice and its gondolas are the closest experience we have to a real-life fantasy experience, so we (I on my own blog) will let it... Continue Reading →
Background: The Lion King story is pretty well-known, so I will just give a brief plot refresher to help put Scar's main song in context. Mufasa, Scar's older brother, competently rules over the pridelands, of which rulership will one day transfer to his son, Simba. Scar covets the position of king, and eventually will set... Continue Reading →
Just in terms of sheer entertainment value, musicals are one of my favorite art forms. They also, due to their unique presentation format, provide the audience with an unfiltered and clear look into the progression of the musical's plot and the development of characters. Unlike in movies, where characters often conceal their thoughts, emotions, and... Continue Reading →
Actual Cold War Impact- 5 (out of 10): Much of the difficulty in assessing the impact of NATO on the Cold War is that we simply don't know what would have happened without it. Its purpose was to provide a unified and ideologically similar alliance in Europe as a counter to the Soviet Union's military... Continue Reading →
Twilight Struggle, for those who are unaware, is one of the best board games ever made. And while that may sound hyperbolic, empirical data from Board Game Geek (the definitive board game website) backs me up here as the site rates Twilight Struggle as the 5th best game in existence right now. Personally, it is... Continue Reading →
