THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
This man is Maximilian Robespierre. As a public servant, his oratory has probably known no equal. He was an advocate against the death penalty in law trials. When it came to race relations, Robespierre was essential in the abolition of slavery from France's colonies, and a spokesperson for granting equal rights to all. He was a champion of the universal suffrage movement, declaring that all women should have the right to vote. The Revolution in France spurred the Monarchies of Europe to declare war(and in turn France declared war on ALL Hapsburg family members) on France. Robespierre made speeches about how France should not war with Austria, and that a coup of General Lafayette would calm internal tensions. Today many use his speeches when they speak of liberty and justice. The Robespierre in oratory was a man of equality and peace.
The Robespierre in power however was none of these things. After the beheading of King Louis XVI, the assembly that governed the nation was dissolved, and 9 men formed a new Committee of General Security, with one man standing above the others in influence; Maximilian Robespierre. Instead of a calming transition into a peaceful France, the Committee of General Security declared Terror. Quite literally. The Reign of Terror was NOT a post-event naming of a horrible era, Robespierre and his allies literally declared Terror upon France. Robespierre spoke about how Terror was inevitable and that the killing of dissension was a virtuous and necessary call. Paraphrased for length, "Slowness and hesitation on delivering terror is the equal of pardoning the guilty" quotes from Robespierre. In time the reality of the Terror began to set in on some of the Committee members... who soon saw themselves and dozens of their supporters marched to the guillotines and beheaded for dissension. Finally Robespierre erased all doubt of what was going on as the Committee was declared a simple Tribunal of condemnation. There was no need for witnesses, nor a trial, the tribunal had already ruled and were simply announcing who was to be condemned to death. The Committee had become above all laws and were free to make policy as they saw fit.
But that's not all. Robespierre thought that France needed a new spiritual awakening as well. For this he created what is known as the Cult of the Supreme Being. With it he declared that the striving for equality was set down by one "maker" that had nothing to do with priests and Kings, but instead relied on enlightened men. That the Supreme being demanded equality, this meant that bloodshed was divinely called for and justified. When people dissented, he had it appointed the official and only legal religion of France. Robespierre then created a festival that all of France was to take a part in. He had Paris turned into a heavenly place using plaster to create a central holy mountain inside the city. At the height of the festivities, dressed in saintly decorated clothing, he descended from the mountain to give the rules of The Supreme Being. Many likened it as "Moses descending from the mountain to his lost people". Soon prophets came forward declaring Robespierre to be the usher of a new world declared by the Supreme Being.
Robespierre was quickly imprisoned. Using his own laws against him, he was sentenced to death without a trial. They threw him into the same chamber that held the royals as they awaited the guillotine. After his death he was buried in a nondescript, common man's grave. Mere days after his execution the "Reign of Terror" was officially over.
July 01, 2014
If someone says to you, "Zelda 2: Adventures of Link" was a good game, then it is time for an intervention. You need to sit this friend down. Go into his kitchen and get a bottle of Pabst, as he will certainly have some in there. Let him take a few sips and explain to him that we're all fine and dandy with being "contrary" for the sake of being cool, but they have finally gone "too far". Going further down this path will lead him to eventually going against things he has already said in the past. Instead of liking Empire Strikes Back and rejecting Return of the Jedi, he will have to go back to liking Return of the Jedi. Instead of talking garbage about Temple of Doom, he will have to start liking Temple of Doom. In time he may have a hard time remembering which group of friends to take his opinions from. The hip or the ultra hip will be at war, going in circles. Things that are disliked will be liked again, until they are liked again too much and will be appropriately disliked. Sooner or later Heineken will be raised above Pabst, and no amount of Dennis Hopper quotation will stop it.
I watched "The Thomas Crown Affair" the other night, the 1999 version. Now I had not watched the entire movie before, though the movie held strong memories for me. In some of my most lonely of days, cleaning the theater while the "Windmills of Your Mind" played were some of my most peaceful moments. I learned later that the song was an Oscar winning song in the original year it was released. I now listen to that song infrequently when I need some time to sit and think. The original movie though is more of a heist movie than what the Pierce Brosnan produced one is and I actually really like the remake more. If you like "How to Steal a Million" then I suggest you give this one a try as well... also that works in reverse, if you like The Thomas Crown Affair(1999 version) then give "How to Steal a Million" a shot. They make a nice little duology of movies, I'm searching for the really good(not Hudson Hawk) movie about art theft to go along with them.
Samsung has recently released one of the worst designed, half thought out products to ever be set forth by a major manufacturer. Their smart watch, The Galaxy Gear has been called "next to worthless" by some respected people in the field. It seems like a hodgepodge of half baked ideas, gimmicks and solutions to problems that do not exist. It is the dumbest thing ever... right? Well, if you think the goal was to create something people want, then you'd likely be wrong. This was not a product introduction, this was a patent claim. Each of those little gimmicks and features thrown together that do not work with or compliment each other is a flag placed on a patent with something Samsung thinks may be used in the future. This is a pre-emptive strike against Apple coming out with a successful smart watch that people will actually want. They are hoping they can throw a cog in Apple's way because Samsung can not crack the market, and frankly has more faith in Apple creating a new craze than their own engineers. Samsung wants first to market patenting rights. (I do not own nor plan to own any Apple products, I'm much more an Android person)
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