The Second Great Depression

by on April 18, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Book of Civilizations

I didn’t know anybody who lived through The Second Great Depression when I was young. Or if they had, they didn’t advertise. That’s Northern Minnesota for yah. We all have history, so why talk about it? I’ve met a few people after The War came who did, and the thing that gets me is that most people never saw The Depression coming. They thought there was always another person, bank, or country to borrow money from back then. They thought the credit lines would never end. All they wanted was enough credit to buy the next television, phone, or gaming console. And if they watched the news at all, it was about places far away like Washington, Europe, or Asia. None of it meant anything to their world. Until it did. And then it was just far too late to save the world they knew.

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The Second Great Depression

by on April 17, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Book of Civilizations

The Second Great Depression, The Cybernetic Wars, and the rise of the Chinese and Russian blocks helped create the world we live in now. Some histories say that it all started when America defaulted on her foreign debt and kicked off the Second Great Depression, but that is simplistic thinking. The fact is that The Second Great Depression was just one step on a long path all of us walked to get to where we are now. It was simply one of many crises we have seen. Probably the reason it sits in our cultural baggage is because of how many people alive today saw it happen. It was the greatest crisis of their lives until The War came upon us all. So of course they remember it as world changing. And they’re right in a way. It did change the world. But it wasn’t the cause of the change. It was the result of the change.

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Goodbye R. Lee Ermey

by on April 16, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Ronald Lee Ermey has been an institution in my life. He was discharged from the Marines before I was born, but from the moment I was conscious, he’s always been there for me to see or hear. He’s appeared in TV shows and movies that I love to this day, and his voice acting credits are legion. It’s impossible to overestimate the effect he’s had on my generation. We grew up hearing his voice in everything from Toy Story, to Kim Possible to Family Guy. His voice and tributes to him are in the video games we play. He’s a spokesman for everything from Glock to Tupperware, and we’ve seen him selling Coors Light and GEICO. We can see him in every form of media we have.

He is THE Marine Drill Instructor of my generation. He will be missed.

I can think of no more fitting end then to let The Gunny sign off with one of his more famous lines from a movie that is almost as famous as he is.

“Marines die, that’s what we’re here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU live forever.” – GySgt. R. Lee Ermey

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The Changing Olympics

by on April 15, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The change in Olympic policies to allow athletes to pick their own flags and anthems resulted in the expected results of refugees representing their old homes. The Free Tibet, Free Taiwan, and New Japan Olympic teams are examples of this. But there were numerous unexpected results of this policy. Real life organizations like PETA were quick to capitalize on the opportunity, as were fans of various fictional organizations. The Star Trek-themed Federation and Klingon teams were quick to appear, as were the Star Wars-themed Empire and New Republic teams. The majority of modern athletes still represent physical nation states, but many “non-governmental organizations” now compete in the Olympics to great acclaim. That is one aspect in which the Olympic Games continue to evolve, sometimes in unexpected ways, as time goes on.

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Japanese Kitsune

by on April 14, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Kitsune Lasertag League was a big part of Kitsune culture before The War. I always figured they picked the name because they really just wanted to say KiLL on the national networks. I watched some of their matches back in the day. It was fun seeing them collect the tails of their vanquished foes and waving them high for the crowds to cheer for. That all changed after The War came for us, of course. Many of their best joined the military, and a few of the teams even stayed together. I ran into some of them from time to time during the Hyades Campaign, tails and all. One time really stands out, though. Standard infiltration op went sideways all the way and I was stuck behind enemy lines with no way to exfiltrate. Team Inyusha happened to be on planet, saw it all go down, and saved my bacon. I still can’t say how we got out. Literally. Can not say, even here. Seriously top secret squirrel kinda stuff. They violated secrecy orders just talking to me because I was not cleared to even know they were there. That was one of the more interesting days of my life, let me tell you. I still owe them a few dozen favors for getting me out with all my pieces intact. Mostly.

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