May 17, 2002

In an article in the Weekly Standard, Jonathan V. Last, argues that the Empire is actually the force for good in Star Wars. The Empire which stands for order and stability is fighting against the Rebel Alliance which routinely allies itself with pirates and smugglers, and whose leaders are not chosen by merit but on the basis of midi-chlorian counts in their bloodstream. While humorous, this idea is not new. LucasArt’s PC game Tie Fighter, released in the 1990’s allows the player to help fight the Rebel scum to bring order to the galaxy. Also, in 1999, following the release of the Phantom Menace, in an article for Salon.com, science-fiction author David Brin examined the issue of elitism in the Rebel Alliance. His conclusion was that Star Trek, and its belief that "education is a great emancipator of the humble" is a worthier role model. 11:15:52 PM

Thanks, Mom To protect her son against charges of stealing valuable rare art pieces, a French woman chopped up numerous stolen paintings he hid in her house. She then threw away the remains of the paintings and also other art pieces such as rare musical instruments. The value of the art is estimated at least $1.4 billion. 10:46:52 PM