Battlestar Galactica: Act of Contrition/You Can't Go Home Again

I'm running behind, so I'll cram two eps into one blog... which works out nicely seeing as the eps in question form a nifty two-parter.

With a shortage of pilots Starbuck is forced to instruct a team of kids in the art of flying. Still pained by the guilt of letting Adamas son (and her lover) Zach die unnecessarily, Starbuck begins to lose control of everything around her.

This is another strong offering with very good performances from Katie Sackoff (Starbuck) and Edward James Olmos (Adama). Character development eps in early seasons can often feel like fillers but this is not the case here. The use of flashbacks within flashbacks is a smart piece of direction that keeps the viewer hooked and makes each event lasting and fresh. The biggest let down is perhaps best dubbed the Top Gun moment. Luckily the episode redeems itself by not having the all-American ending I had dreaded. Instead we are left with the most depressing three words in TV history:

"To Be Continued"

In part two (You Can't Go Home Again), the emphasis shifts from the development of Starbuck to that of Adama and Apollo. Forced to deal with the prosepct of losing yet another member of his "family", Adama risked the entire fleet to save one pilot. The conflict between the President and Adama is memorable but on the whole this is a weaker offering than the previous ep. The conclusion is a little too obvious and rushed, although it does offer an intriguing insight into the cylons.

Act of Contrition: 7.5/10
You Can't Go Home Again: 6.5/10

Babar Ahmed

Human rights abuses don't surprise or shock me anymore. They should, but I fear I've become desensitised to the suffering around me because it really has become an every day thing.

Babar Ahmad is a British citizen, arrested and beaten under the veil of the Terrorism Act. Released without charge he was subsequently re-arrested on an extradition warrant from the US.

I don't know the guy. But I do know that nobody, be they innocent or guilty should face the barbarism that is now rife in our justice system.

The dirty world of football

Not a week goes by without a story hitting the headlines of drug abuse, gang-rape, "spit-roasting" and granny prostitutes. All of them involving top footballers idolised my millions.

In this article in the Guardian, it's hard to feel sorry for anyone. The footballers may start out as naive and innocent, but it's a clear sign that peer pressure, money and fame corrupts in the most sickening way. Nor is it easy to feel sorry for these 'groupies'. Girls who may feel used, but have allowed themselves to be used, because of the status it gives them amongst friends.

It's a world dominated by overpaid fashion stars, agents that refuse to let footballers talk to their families, and clubs blinded by the desire for success, that will stop at nothing to get it.

Football is a sport I love. For how much longer... I just don't know.

The tale of two Charles'

Prince Charles is not someone I would normally cite as a modern thinker with his finger on the pulse, but his comments about the false expectations given to children in schools is right on the mark.

Now another Charles - Education Minister Charles Clarke - who is even more loud-mouthed and obnoxious than even the bonny Prince could ever be has waded into the debate.

While I may think that Prince Charles' comments in a letter to a member of staff were arrogant and elitist, his comments about schooling did nothing but call it how it is.

We live in a country were children are given the false belief that they really can achieve whatever they want. The truth is that they can't. That's not how society works. For every kid who becomes a Wayne Rooney (god forbid) or a Ewan MacGregor, there are tens of thousands who, lets face it, lead average lives.

At no time in school are children told that 90% of them will actually find a normal job, earn a mediocre wage and struggle to make ends meet throughout their 20s and 30s.

This is yet another storm in a gold plated, diamond studded, royal teacup.

War's hell

Falluja is pacified. It's a line that fails to sum up the true nature of what has gone on in Iraq over the last week. With over 1000 Iraqis dead in Falluja alone and the entire country breaking into violence, serious questions must be asked of the military tactics.

Mosul is set to be the latest city to be 'pacified'. And of course here is were the biggest problem lies. There is an assumption amongst the military planners that these insurgents are purely radical Muslims; members of Islamic Jihad and predominately foreign fighters. However, with over 1000 insurgents captured, it appears that only about 20 are not Iraqi citizens. Public support amongst the Iraqis for the US action has plummeted, and we are now told that elections may have to be put on hold.

Add to this the news that a US Marine is being investigated for executing a wounded Iraqi prisoner and it leaves more than just a bitter taste in the mouth. Let's not forget that only a couple of years ago the US successfully pressured the UN to allow their soldiers to be except from the International Criminal Court. There have now been dozens of breaches of the Geneva convention by the Americans and yet there is no international authority that can bring them to justice. We have to trust in American justice.

Where have all our politicians gone? What we need now are leaders. Leaders who will stand up to superpowers when they do wrong. It is a far braver thing to tell a friend when they are wrong, than to support them blindly.