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Thread: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

  1. #21
    Heinz Guderian's Avatar *takes off trousers
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Nicely done Ali.




  2. #22

    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Quote Originally Posted by Stavroforos View Post
    Jom, I have never liked Metternich and all he stands for. After reading your article, I like him even less!

    About the Friends article...

    I think the analysis of the characters is accurate for the earlier seasons, but the characters themselves changed quite a bit later on, and were made very generic and predictable.

    The way I thought of the characters by the time Chandler and Monica got married, each character had been reduced to its most base comedic element.

    Chandler simply became to source of comedic relief with his "witty" jokes, whose quality seems to be all but gone.

    Monica simply becomes someone with OCD, and this is portrayed much more than it was earlier seasons where her character actually did things besides complain about how pans were out of order and provide humor through her desire to organize folders.

    Ross and Rachel actually seemed to have matured as characters over the course of the series, though it seemed Ross' only comedic input was either a joke about his divorces or a joke about lesbians.

    Joey's character changed from being a lady's-man with average intelligence to an idiot in the style of Peter Griffin, and his being a lady's-man was something that was no longer actually shown but something which became assumed, with his own character itself becoming whimpier IMO.

    Phoebe's character didn't change much though.

    My own two-cents, of course.

    I personally preferred Seinfeld.
    Hah, you're going to spoil my next article. I feel kind of bad for splitting the analysis up but its a great way to milk an idea

  3. #23
    Comes Domesticorum
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    omg I didn't know there'd by a sequel! My bad, bro.

  4. #24
    Jom's Avatar A Place of Greater Safety
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Of course there will be. Rez is a quality writer; what do you take him for?

    "For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

  5. #25
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    =(

    you guys are so mean.

  6. #26

    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Great work, the first I havent done in ages. Good read

  7. #27
    karamazovmm's Avatar スマトラ警備隊
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    nobody talks about my articles.... chiuf

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  8. #28

    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Great stuff all round guys
    But please don't use Wikipedia for your history any more - this article contains a few "historical inconsistencies"

    Quote Originally Posted by Jom View Post

    Copperknickers II
    Copperknickers II is a familiar face for any who frequent the Discussion & Debate section of the forum and he also has a strong presence in the Thema Devia section. An eloquent writer, Copperknickers has decided to regale us with a background to Ireland and the period known as “The Troubles”.

    A Brief Background to Ireland and the Troubles
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Ireland is at the very edge of Europe, exposed to the harsh force of the Atlantic ocean. The ruggedly elegant cliffs of Achill island have withstood the pounding of the waves for millenia, and the rain lashes and soaks the sublime islands of Clew Bay. The grass is a rich, lush green, whence comes the republic's nickname: the Emerald Isle. Ireland's history is, like its scenery, harsh in some places and yet often beautiful; it is a history of violence, occupation, bravery and courage that continue to this day, yet have roots stretching back for centuries.

    The Fenian Cycles give us some information on the ancient history of the island. After the original Neolithic farmers and hunter gatherers, there were a series of migrations and wars, culminating in the arrival of the Celtic Gaels. In the Dark Ages, with the advent of Christianity (that is, Celtic Christianity, which was not under the control of the Vatican until the 11th Century) and later the attacks of the Vikings, the nation retreated somewhat into a more peaceful period that focused on learning, and began a tradition of literature. It was at this time that a large number of the ornate the Celtic crosses that litter Ireland and the West of Scotland were made, and it was also at this time that the Book of Kells was made in Iona, which had been invaded by the Hibernian Scots under the kingdom of Argyll. It was a Golden Age of learning and religion, which established an Irish nation whose influence spread from Oileán na hÉireann itself to Scotland and even northern England.

    Ireland in the early Middle Ages was a patchwork of medium sized Celtic kingdoms, under the nominal supervision of a High King of Éire, with its own legal system, Irish language and distinct culture. It was a culture which was plagued by tribal warfare, however, and a number of people had their eyes on the land and the riches therein. In the High Middle ages, namely the 12th and 13th Centuries, some English nobles were invited into Ireland by one of the Irish kings, in order to assist him in a war against one of his neighbours. The King of England, Henry II, visited Ireland not long after this to find that this assistance had taken advantage of the weakened Irish kingdom to launch a spree of attacks. It was in danger of becoming a full-scale invasion. In order to stop this from escalating into a new Hiberno-Norman dynasty outside English control, the High King of Ireland, Rory, was persuaded by Henry to hand over the eastern provinces as far as Meath and Waterford, in conjunction with a Papal Bull that mandated a reorganisation of the Church in Ireland (the Pope had noticed that the Celtic Church was not giving him very much money), to be coordinated by Henry. And thus Ireland came under the control of England.

    However, although Ireland was known as the 'Lordship of Ireland under the Kingdom of England', and the Normans tried to instill some of their laws and systems, the country also had its own parliament and, by the 15th century, the Normans had been thoroughly Celticised. Ireland entered a second Golden Age of relative prosperity and a continuance of Gaelic culture in this time. In the 16th Century, England (which had spent most of the past three centuries fighting with France and the Turks, and getting more and more rich) turned its attention back to the growing Hibernian menace; the Reformation had destroyed the Catholic Church in Britain, and this caused the beginnings of a schism to open between Catholic Ireland and its Protestant overlords. Indeed, there was a rebellion in Ireland, aimed at ending English rule altogether, which had it succeeded might have led to history taking a very different course, but it was badly timed, and the ensuing reconquest attempt by the English state succeeded. This time however, the island had even more bitter internal struggles, and the reconquest over the next centuries turned into a genocide. After the Tudors had reasserted control, and the Kingdom of England merged with the Kingdom of Scotland in the
    Union of the Crowns, the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (in particular the infamous actions of Oliver Cromwell) plunged Ireland into a Dark Age of subjugation, famine and depopulation.

    Britain has always had a strong connection with Ireland, since the introduction of the Gaelic language in Scotland and the monastery at Iona through the Scottish Wars of Independence which spilled across the Irish sea. Because of this, many moved across to northern and eastern Ireland shortly after the reformation, which helped to mark out Ulster as a seperate entity within the Irish nation. Unfortunately, however, many of these immigrants were Protestant, and this began the Sectarianism which lead to the Troubles. The final chapter in this story is of course the fall of the British Empire and the creation of the Republic of Ireland. Ireland had served Britain in her armies to conquer a fifth of the world, as well as to resist Napoleon in the early 19th Century, but after World War 1 the Empire was fragile. Seeing a weakness, and inspired by the surge in the idea of Nationalism, the Irish rebelled once more, this time successfully, and in 1919 the Irish Republic was born, followed in 1937 by full independence and withdrawal from British dominion. The Irish Free State had wanted to bring Ulster under its control also as part of the Irish Nation. Ulster, however, voted to become the seperate state of Northern Ireland. The persecution of Republicans in Northern Ireland, and the constant tension between Protestants and Catholics, erupted in the 1960s into the Troubles, with the formation of the IRA to support the northern Catholics and the Irish claim to Northern Ireland, and the UDF to defend the right of the Protestants to remain in Britain. The UK army was brought in to ease the violence, but it only served to exacerbate the Nationalists.

    In 1998, the Republic of Ireland withdrew its claim to Northern Ireland in the Good Friday Agreement when the Nineteenth Amendment to the Bunreacht na hEireann changed the claim from Northern Ireland being a rightful part of the Irish State, to it being simply a part of the Irish Nation, ie it states that Ireland no longer has any territorial claim to Northern Ireland. Despite this, the violence continues.

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  9. #29
    Jom's Avatar A Place of Greater Safety
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Well if you'd like to point them out, either I or Copperknickers will correct them, I'm sure.

    "For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again."

  10. #30

    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Well the most glaring issue I have is how the IRA was portrayed in this article. Although it is currently no more than a terrorist organisation, it once truly did represent the army of the Irish Republic. The IRA can trace it's roots back to the Irish Volunteers (who were essentially a paramilitary group), who were one of the key groups in the 1916 rising. The rising, in fact, was not a success. The rebellion itself failed to achieve anything only hatred for the rebels, owing to the fact that 300 of the 450+ casualties were civilian. It was the political fallout after the rebellion, including the miss-attribution of the rebellion to Sinn Féin and, paradoxically, the execution of said hated rebels (one of whom was executed in a wheelchair) that made it seem like a success. Either way, there is far more politics involved here than it is worth writing about - just suffice to say that the IRA existed long before the troubles in their current context really began, and they weren't always a Catholic extremist group.
    I'm also not very sure on whether or not the people of Northern Ireland voted for union as such - under the Government of Ireland Act (1920) partition was first introduced. At this time the state of Northern Ireland was established, it having it's own Home Rule parliment just like the South. The G.o.I Act was largely intended to pacify the Northern Unionists and to ease tempers which were developing between the Ulster Volunteers and the soon-to-be IRA. (Who were, ironically, set up in response to "threat" the Ulster volunteers posed).
    And lastly, claims such as "the violence continues" should really be contextualised better. The violence is now occasional riots - it seems bad, but it's very little compared to the bombings at home and abroad (eg Canary Wharf).

    It's good overall, but it irks me when someone goes out of their way to write a decent article that is guaranteed to be read doesn't do their homework
    Keep up the good work guys
    Last edited by T.C.; August 25, 2010 at 06:30 AM.
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  11. #31
    Copperknickers II's Avatar quaeri, si sapis
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Quote Originally Posted by -TopCat- View Post
    Great stuff all round guys
    But please don't use Wikipedia for your history any more - this article contains a few "historical inconsistencies"
    I didn't use Wikipedia on that part, i was told about the IRA by my grandmother. But then again she was nearly killed by them and she is getting rather old, so i apologise for not double checking some facts, though i deliberately simplified some. I apologise for implying that they were 'formed' in the 1960s, which as you say is incorrect, but i did say this was a background and not a study of the Troubles themselves, so i stand by the final sentence, which is true. There have been shootings, bombs, and riots recently, since i don't see any of those things outside my window right now i'd say that consituted an abnormality.
    Last edited by Copperknickers II; August 26, 2010 at 04:44 PM.
    A new mobile phone tower went up in a town in the USA, and the local newspaper asked a number of people what they thought of it. Some said they noticed their cellphone reception was better. Some said they noticed the tower was affecting their health.

    A local administrator was asked to comment. He nodded sagely, and said simply: "Wow. And think about how much more pronounced these effects will be once the tower is actually operational."

  12. #32

    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    Quote Originally Posted by Copperknickers II View Post
    I didn't use Wikipedia on that part, i was told about the IRA by my grandmother. But then again she was nearly killed by them and she is getting rather old, so i apologise for not double checking some facts, though i deliberately simplified some. I apologise for implying that they were 'formed' in the 1960s, which as you say is incorrect, but i did say this was a background and not a study of the Troubles themselves, so i stand by the final sentence, which is true. There have been shootings, bombs, and riots recently, since i don't see any of those things outside my window right now i'd say that consituted an abnormality.
    Well at least the time was put into getting a decent source, despite the results of it
    I suppose it is fair to say the violence continues, but thankfully the modern pipe bombs (most of which are caught well in advance) don't compare to what we were seeing 30 years ago.
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    Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.- Josh Billings
    The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.- George Orwell

  13. #33
    SonOfAlexander's Avatar I want his bass!
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    Default Re: Helios 52 - Back in the USSR

    I've never read the Helios before but I found this all very interesting! Being from ulster, I especially enjoyed the thorough all-inclusive look at the origins of sectarian violence there, but I also found the philosophical musings on knowledge/information, pictures of campos do jordao and article on friends (one of my favourite shows ) brilliant too. I appluad every writer in this issue, great stuff!
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