Two Thousand and Thirteen or Nineteen Eighty-Four?

A few months ago I had the urge to once again read George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. I was shocked at the staunch parallels with today’s society that I found within. While my head was buried in my book, Edward Snowden began leaking the NSA files he gathered while working as a contractor. The timing was surreal. If you haven't read Nineteen Eighty-Four, or like me, you haven't read it in a long time, let me refresh your memory. You’ve likely heard the concept of Big Brother, the watchful eye of an oppressive government, but that is just a portion of this amazing novel by the author of Animal Farm.

George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949 and used Stalin controlled Soviet Russia and wartime London as inspiration for a dysfunctional future setting. While his main objective may have been to discredit Communism through metaphor, the similarities to U.S. modern society are still striking.

The book begins with protagonist Winston Smith returning home from work. He describes his stark surroundings and mundane routine. In a state of constant war, all material items are rationed and simple things like coffee and chocolate are luxuries of the past. Buildings with “their sides shored up with balks of timber, their windows patched with cardboard and their roofs with corrugated iron” line the streets of London. The description of London reminds me of the terrible photos of bankrupt Detroit, decrepit and run down.

The Harrowing Thanksgiving

This time of year, I am usually thrilled to see trees change colour and enjoy the fresh chill in the air, knowing that winter is coming. Unfortunately, fall also brings a depressing period with it, Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a very tough holiday for me and many vegans. Not only is it sad that we (Americans) celebrate stealing the Native Americans' land and consequential genocide under the guise of friendship and togetherness, millions of turkeys are killed under the banner of "Tradition." While I often hear the argument that this is a time of year to celebrate the family, I am not swayed in my distaste for this terrible holiday.

It is always difficult for me to continuously turn down invitations to family events and feasts, as this is the one time I refuse to back down, to the irk of my husband. While the tradition is meant to encourage love and togetherness, I find it seriously lacks compassion.

REVIEW: Blackfish – An Inside Look At Killer Whales In Captivity At SeaWorld

When I was a kid I loved SeaWorld. Watching animal shows and hoping to get splashed was the best part, of course. The trainers would talk about the orca as if they loved to do these shows, that this behavior was normal for them in the wild. So, when I went into this film, the child in me was devastated to find out that this amazing show was a farce.

Blackfish is a documentary that takes a hard look into the reality of orca’s (a.k.a. Killer Whales) lives in captivity. The film begins with a rough looking fisherman almost breaking down in tears talking about the capture expedition he went on in 1983. In this expedition, they captured a baby orca, named Tilikum, off the coast of Iceland.

Pacifica Radio, A Truly Progressive Voice of Dissent

Everyone loves a good NPR piece. For a long time, it was my go-to radio station. Recently, however, I’ve found a new love in Pacifica Radio. What is amazing about Pacifica is, well, everything. 

In an age of government spying, covert wars, and a crackdown on civil liberties, it is increasingly important to have a full understanding of vital issues and events within the United States and around the world. Pacifica is fiercely independent radio that is not afraid to confront tough issues and guide listeners through in-depth topics which most news organizations skim over. 

But what is Pacifica? What makes it different?

Million Mask March

On November 5th, the hacktivist group Anonymous called for an international day of action to protest, well whatever you want. Thousands, if not a million people around the world marched, protested and spread their messages of equality, freedom, and honesty. Here in Los Angeles, we marched for a variety of reasons, while the most vocal of the group being to end the Federal Reserve.

REVIEW: Unmanned: America's Drone Wars

Drone Home - Illustration by John Gomes

How many stories have you heard about drone warfare? And I don't mean stories on the news or government counts of successful strikes, but stories from victims?

Unmanned: America's Drone Wars takes a hard look at drone warfare through the eyes of its victims, a compelling one hour film which gives faces to the families affected by US drones. Director Robert Greenwald shows interviews from family members and predominate figures within Pakistan, who explain what drone strikes have done to their communities.

The film begins with a US veteran describing how modern drone technology can read the licence plate on a car. He explains how when he was recruited to the army, to help pay off his college debt, the recruiter told him he would be just like Q in a James Bond film. He was told, "we kill people and break things." Some of these operators don't even need to leave US soil when controlling drones because the army has a large facility in Nevada where soldiers can kill people across the globe.