American Horror Story

FX’s creepy series tells the timeless story of a troubled family becoming more troubled when they move into a haunted house. As with some of the best haunted house stories ever told on screen—think The Shining or Rose Red—the house’s terrors tend to reflect the family members’ flaws, fears and insecurities, while simultaneously telling a story of their own. Horror nerds have a reason to celebrate, since the genre has rarely been done this well on television. New episodes air Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

Breaking Bad

This is arguably the best show on television right now. Breaking Bad follows the exploits of Walter White, a mild-mannered chemistry genius stuck in a miserable high school teaching job, who begins to cook crystal meth to support his family after he’s diagnosed with cancer. The show’s clever use of chemistry is sure to please science geeks, and the writing and performances are fantastic. While the fourth season just wrapped up in October, the first three are all available on DVD and on Netflix for anyone who hasn’t started watching yet, which is more than enough episodes to keep somebody occupied for at least a couple of weeks.

Misfits

This UK series is sort of what Heroes would have been like if Heroes was an incredible show set in London with a brilliant British cast. The plot revolves around five juvenile delinquents who gain superpowers after being caught up in a mysterious electrical storm while completing their community service. However, since young criminals tend to have fewer benevolent tendencies and more psychological issues than the average upstart super hero, this premise yields far more interesting results than the run-of-the-mill comic book setup might suggest. The third season is currently airing in the UK, and while there is no word yet on when it will be available stateside, the first two seasons are available to view for free on Hulu.

Hell on Wheels

Anyone who has left the TV tuned to AMC after The Walking Dead ends is already familiar with the network’s latest drama, which is a joy to watch for regular viewers and history buffs alike. The series follows the construction of the first transcontinental railroad and examines the violence, lawlessness and various racial and cultural tensions that flared up after the Civil War. Growing pains for an expanding nation. New episodes air ever Sunday night at 9 p.m.

“Cutting hair pays the bills, helps my family and keeps me going,” Blancas said.

But her true passion is the fight to end to coal emissions on Chicago’s South Side.

As a resident of Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, Blancas works with the Pilsen Alliance and the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization to help end air pollution from the Crawford and Fisk power plants on Chicago’s South side, where low-income residents are the victims.

As a child growing up in in the predominately Hispanic neighborhood of Pilsen, Blancas never expected the coal plants to heave meaning in her life.

“I mean we never really recycled at home,” she said. “I never really knew much about environmentalism, it’s just not how I was raised I guess.”

But Blancas quickly learned the consequences of living in an area without clean air. Her mother, Grace, suffered with asthma most of her adult life, and in 2005 she died from a heart attack.

“Sure they can’t say the coal plants killed my mother,” said Blancas. “But I know they did.”

The Fisk Generating Station made its Pilsen debut in 1958 at 1111 W. Cermak across from a elementary school and Crawford Generating Station has called the intersection of 35th and Pulaski in Little Village home since 1959. According to the Environmental Protection Agency database, coal plants emit 230 lbs of Mercury, which can cause brain damage, and 17, 765 tons of sulfur dioxide and nitrate oxide, which contribute to the severe asthma problems that have sprung up among Pilsen’s youth.

From city council meetings, to protesting to educating the community, Blancas says she does as much as she can to help the cause. At a clean air rally in October, Blancas and other environmental groups helped to organize on-site asthma screenings for community children. Held at the Pilsen Elementary Community Academy, Blancas says the elementary children are more affected by the plants.

“As a kid I guess you don’t really realize how harmful those plants can really be,” she said. “But I guess that’s the reason I became so motivated to do something about them. I now have a community of people who believe in the same cause, people that have been doing this for much longer than I have.”

Blancas says now she is most concerned about the children of her community.

“I see kids with asthma, some families that don’t have the extra funds to medicate them, and it just makes me sad,” she said.

In the future, Blancas wants to go back to school and become a health and science journalist.

“I want to find the people like me, I want to tell their stories,” she said. “I want other people to realize what we are doing to the environment affects everything and everyone around us.”

As a kid, I met Barbara Gordon through the animated Batman series of the nineties. She is the daughter of Gotham Police Commissioner James Gordon. In line with the “New 52” re-launch, it has been three years since Barbara was paralyzed in a shooting (The Killing Joke). Back on her feet and back in the tights, this long-standing member of the Batman family has something to prove to herself and the people around her. Gail Simone writes from Barb’s perspective with a touch of self-deprecation and a good dose of cheekiness.

I met Kate Kane (Batwoman) and artist J.H. Williams less than a year ago through Batwoman issue #O. I was taken with Williams’ art and the story telling, as much as with Kane, the woman under the wig. She wears the bat costume with Bruce’s blessing, yet works without his oversight or interference. Batman tends to keep sidekicks and spin-offs on a short leash. I wanted to know why he thought so much of Kate. Williams’ work with Greg Rucka on Batwoman: Elegy showed me. New co-writer W. Haden Blackman maintains the almost surreal tone and keys up the tension.

The bat-ladies wear similar costumes, one red where the other is yellow. But Batgirl’s green eyes are very visible. She smiles as she leaps from the cover of issue one. Batwoman is pale as paper, her empty eye sockets evoking more of the Batman’s menace, less of the humanity that his supporting cast brings.

Batgirl rehashes an older, established character. While Batgirl isn’t necessarily a conceptual push, you can’t have a character like the darkly driven Kate (army brat, West Point dropout, lesbian and party-girl) without the buoyant, optimistic Barbara (cop’s kid, hacker, bookworm). Both come from fathers with a “serve and protect” mentality. Each confronts certain social stigmas with poise and dignity.

That said, the books are very different. The Batwoman layouts defy description; the “Williams-effect” is magnificent, enhanced by gutters that shatter traditional grid-structures and stress mood. Kate is getting drawn into a broader conspiracy that has kept her from child-killer La Llarona, until issue 3. The fallout from Elegy continues as does her battle with the Religion of Crime. This is a newer character establishing her independent niche within a broader mythology.

Batgirl details Barbara’s efforts to reassert herself as a hero. She wants “understanding more than pity…respect more than comfort,” from her loved ones (caped and otherwise) without overcompensating. The focus is squarely on Barbara. The Mirror, her antagonist, works more to flesh out her growth than to build a broader story arch. Batgirl held it down in Simone’s Birds of Prey as Oracle and is seeing a return to form. Still, Ardian Syaf’s sweet pencils can’t match the Williams-effect.

Though the gimmicks align, each book fields a unique protagonist and contrasting aesthetics.

The historic neighborhood surrounding the Red line stop used to be lively. There was a coffee shop next to the station, Flourish, which is now closed, and the area wasn’t so desolate. Now, few people walk the streets, but, in a way, it was a comforting escape from the sardine-like bustle of downtown Chicago.

When I stepped off the El (Red Line, Bryn Mawr) onto the dilapidated platform, complete with angry-looking, gruff people and a grey sky overhead, I was discouraged. But if you’re anything like me, finding the good in the bad is a fun challenge. Bryn Mawr is worth taking on.

Byrn Mawr is quirky, to say the least. I started walking west on Bryn Mawr Avenue and was immediately caught by the store Alchemy Arts (1203 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.). The font on the sign is creepy yet inviting; being a Harry Potter fan myself, I decided to go in.

Though not quite Mr. Potter, Alchemy Arts has an appeal of its own. It’s an occult store for metaphysics, selling everything from mystic oils, to alligator feet, to incense and altar supplies. While I personally have no use for alligator feet, I was still hooked. The book collection was immensely weird, yet intriguing, covering topics such as reincarnation, our animal counterparts, and communicating with the dead. The sales clerk was all but friendly. In fact, he was downright rude, but that’s probably because he sniffed out my metaphysical doubts. All in all, Alchemy Arts is an interesting store to visit and get an taste of the stranger side of Bryn Mawr.

As I continued walking, I came across the delightful City Lit Theater (1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.), a small theater founded in 1979. City Lit Theater is dedicated to showing literary plays from writers such as Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Alice Walker, as well as more modern local writers. The 2012 season features Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” Elizabeth Margolius and Terry McCabe’s “Opus 1861” and “State Street: A Musical Comedy” by Kingsley Day and Phillip LaZebnik.

I finished off my surprisingly relaxing Bryn Mawr experience at Nookies Restaurant Bar (1100 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.), a “no-nonsense” American casual-dining restaurant with a large menu. I ordered the Sante Fe Chicken Salad, which consisted of blackened chicken breast, corn relish, black beans, tomato, cucumber, tortilla chips and peanut-lime dressing: Yum! Perhaps Byrn Mawr has a little life to it after all.

I don’t drink energy drinks. But, many college students do. And so, I have decided to blog my reactions* to three products labeled as ‘energy-fueled.’

*all reactions are real-time experiences

Amp–Code Red; Overdrive

I’m expecting the first couple of sips to taste as gross as they smell. But it’s actually not too bad. Almost to the train station and halfway done; not feeling anything yet. Maybe this experiment isn’t going to work. Or, maybe I’m so used to caffeine from different resources, energy drinks aren’t going to make a difference. I’m still exhausted and that will cause me to crash. So, before boarding the train I buy an iced coffee, which I know for a fact will wake me up. A quarter of the way done and I start to feel something.

I’m not too sure what it is, but I can’t sit still. I think my heart is beating faster–Okay, it’s beating super fast now; my legs are shaky and I think the lady sitting next to me feels it too. Awkward. Running the to-do list through my he—is today Tu—what should I make for dinner? After getting off the train, I walk to Columbia while my heart beats out of my body and I make it in record time.

After a couple hours I cool down, but feeling like I was going to explode was odd. However, I did get a lot accomplished. So if procrastination ever kicks in, the Amp-Code Red Overdrive may be just the thing.

5 Hour Energy Maximum Strength 

I’m at work and it’s 5 a.m. I went to sleep at 3:30 a.m. Being at a party last night probably wasn’t a good idea, especially because I work mornings. I go buy a 5 hour energy shot, knowing that it worked for me back in high school, so it should work for me now too, right? I chug it and wait for the affects. Waiting…and I start to feel something. It’s not energy, it’s a feeling of nausea. Should I throw up and feel better or keep making these drinks for my customers and hope it will pass?

A couple hours later—

Nauseous. Somewhat dizzy when I move too fast. Sweating. Am I just getting sick? The feeling finally stops. Maybe it’s because it’s been 8 hours, or maybe because my shift is over.

Monster Energy Drink

This thing that people call a drink smells you should be at a bar drinking Red Bull and Vodka. Watching people around me chug this down on a regular basis gives me goosebumps. A couple years ago, I literally watched my friend get tipsy off of 4 Monsters. But that may be because she doesn’t drink alcohol. Ever. When I take my first sip, I close my eyes and cringe. Surprisingly, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I’m at work so I’m hoping I won’t get sick, again. I take a couple more sips and put my drink to the side. A couple minutes later, take some more gulps. Nothing yet; interesting. Getting to my last couple sips, I wait for something to kick it but nothing ever happens. Hmm.

The first year of A Klingon Christmas Carol

When the show begins, you meet SQuja’ (Scrooge), a cowardly Klingon. He doesn’t see the merits of being a true warrior and living a life of courage and honor. His friends die heroic deaths fighting the Humans, Tribbles and other galaxy fiends, while SQuja’ sits at home counting the gold he’s made from their war efforts. And now, SQuja’ refuses to go to the Ram nI’ tay “Feast of the Long Night.” It’s the festivities that prove that you’re a true warrior at spirit through hand-to-hand combat.  SQuija’ is visited by three spirits who try to show him the error of his ways and try to get him to become a true Klingon warrior and get in the Ram Ni’ tay spirit. All this is narrated by a Vulcan, in that very analytical and marvelously condescending way.

The combat fight scenes are amazing with the Klingons swinging their  bat’leth . Even the score has a very heroic and other worldly feel to it, which brings the show’s Klingonian theme together beautifully.

Even a non-Trekkie can appreciate the realistic set design and the Klingon language after a while. If you’re not a native speaker of Klingon, no worries, there are subtitles projected on a screen over the action below.  Seeing A Christmas Carol for the thousandth time can make even the most dedicated Dickens fan snore, but A Klingon Christmas Carol will breathe some life into the old classic. As the Vulcans say, “Live long and prosper.” (And see good theater).

5 minutes with Chris O. Kidder Creator of A Klingon Christmas Carol

How did the idea of the Klingon Christmas Carol come along?

The Klingon Christmas Carol started as a fundraiser that we did in 2007. My company, Commedia Beauregard, does nothing but translated works. And that means normally we do shows from other languages and English. But as a fun little thing to do as a gala event, we did something translated out of English. We kicked around the idea of doing things in Pig Latin and Ubbi Dubbi from Zoom and things like that, but then one of my board members said, ‘Well how about Dickens in Klingon?’ He thought he was making a joke. What he didn’t realize is that we were going to write that down and turn it into this thing. Six months later, we were performing the first ever play in the the Klingon language.

Are you a big Star Trek fan yourself?

I’m more of one now than I was before. I grew up watching the reruns of the original series on T.V. after middle school and everything like that, but also I was in six grade when The Next Generation started. So I grew up with Star Trek, but at the same time I wasn’t really a Trekkie. It was just apart of the American fabric. So I know the shows, I know the characters, I know the archetypes and so on and so forth, and now I know much more about it obviously because of five years being immersed in this, it’s hard not to know more. I have learned a lot more of the language because people expect me to be able to speak it. I have friends who were on the shows now. So it’s definitely changed my life in a Star Trek way.

So how fluent would you say you are in Klingon?

Not at all. I speak it at a very low level. I recognize words. I can structure sentences.

So if you were on Klingon, would you be able to ask ‘where’s the bathroom?’

I wouldn’t be able to speak it. No, I don’t know the words for it.

You would be a little lost there.

Yeah I would [laughs]. After listening to it for a long time, I’ve gotten use to it.  But also when people come up and talk to me at conventions and such, they often talk to me in Klingon and expect me to understand. So I’ve started picking it up better. But it’s not, though while it’s a fully functional language, it’s not a widely spoken one. So it’s nothing I’m going to be using in my daily life.

Do you expect a big turnout today?

Yes. I expect a friendly crowd because opening night is mostly complementary tickets for the cast, friends and family. By the end of this round, I expect us to sell out every night for this show. In Minnesota, the first year we sold out and the second year we sold out and added a show. The third year we sold out every single performance, but one. In the fourth year it tanked.

Really? Why did it tank?

Snowstorms.

Did you have any difficulties getting this show up and running with some of the people not familiar with the language and Star Trek culture?

It’s really a machine now. After the first couple of years, we cultivated the way we do this show. We teach the language a specific way. We provide everyone with CDs of all the lines so they learn them auditorily, like listening to your favorite CD over and over again to learn the words. And we bring in language experts from around the country to teach intensives. And it’s not unlike learning a foreign language for an opera. If you learn to parse out the meaning, then you learn which parts are most important to convey the meaning to the audience. And then the acting is secondary in the first year. This year with it (the language) being secondary, it’s much bigger and more interesting.

So is this going to be an annual thing now?

Absolutely. I expect it to run for at least five years here in Chicago.

I have one more question to ask you before the show starts.

No I’m not an alien!

[Laughs] Well that’s good to know!

But yes. Down to the serious question at hand. Star Trek or Star Wars?

Yes. That is all.

Queen Noor of Jordan

Western media images of Middle-Eastern women and Islam can sometimes be slanted. Fox News Strategic Analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters says, “Islam is clearly the problem.” The conservative station often leads viewers to believe Islam is a violent culture.

One royal female is on a mission to change those kinds of stereotypes.

Queen Noor of Jordan was married to King Hussien bin talel until his death in 1999. Since assuming the throne, she has dedicated her work to shedding light on her faith.

She says Islamic law is meant to empower women, not hurt them. Women are on the same level as men in Allah’s eyes. The Quran 4:19 states,“O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower [money given by the husband to the wife for the marriage contract] ye have given them, except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity.

In the 7th century, Islamic women were given legal, social and political rights long before other nations. Queen Noor says she knows Arab women who are doctors, lawyers and leaders in their communities.

As Queen of one of the most democratic Arab countries, Queen Noor is a role model working tirelessly to shift perceptions of Muslim women and encourage them to fight for their own equality.

In the Gulf Council Countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE), only 36 percent of the women work outside the home. Queen Noor says she admires those women who have already risked their lives for a better tomorrow. She is not the only Islamic lady to step into leadership. Let’s remember past leaders like legendary Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaled Zia.

During the Middle East uprisings, Queen Noor wrote an eye-opening piece in the Huffington Post called, “The Arab Women You Don’t See.”

She writes: “Today, women raising their voices in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen are not all mothers, but they are also daughters, wives, sisters. They are fighting for their families, but they are also fighting for themselves; and in Palestine, the women of the occupied territories are fighting for the freedom to be included in the greater Palestinian struggle.”

Asia-
-Instead of cheese stuffed dough–shrimp stuffed dough!
-Shrimp and mayo roll crust
-Rice crust pizza, where a thick patty of rice replaces the crust–a healthy version of pizza
-Sweet potato mousse-filled crust
-Favorite toppings include: eel, squid, potato and bacon

Africa-
-Chicken slices on top
-Use of citrus or orange marmalade to give it a tang
-Very sweet tomato sauce
-Spicy pizza preferred
-Favorite toppings include: tofu, basil, parsley, feta cheese and onions. Sometimes bananas

Australia-
-Tomato paste placing varies. Half of pizza lovers prefer the paste on the dough; half prefer it on top of all the toppings
-Favorite toppings include: shrimp, pineapple, avocado, olive oil, salmon, dill

South America-
-Chorizo and Chili Pepper toppings
-Instead of pizza sauce, ketchup or slices of tomatoes are used
-Dessert pizza is very popular in Brazil. Toppings include: ice cream, nutella, cooked apples, chocolate, strawberries, whipped cream, along with many others
-Favorite toppings include: corn, mashed potatoes, and curried chicken with coconut milk

Europe-
-Very thin crust
-In Sweden, pizza is eaten with a fork and knife, never without
-Some favorite toppings in various countries include: fried eggs, canned tuna, corn, sardines and peanuts

North America-
-Though this style is basically the same around the country, styles vary
-The New York-style pizza is large,wide and thin. It’s easy to fold and eat on the go. Traditional toppings include tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese
-Chicago-style pizza is known as a deep dish pizza up to three inches tall at the edge, with large amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. The term also refers to ‘stuffed’ pizza, where the crust is stuffed with cheese
-California-style pizza is a style of single-serving pizza that combines New York thin crust and toppings from California that include fresh vegetables and artichokes
-Some favorite toppings include: pepperoni, ham, bacon, sausage, pineapple, green onions, mushrooms and onions

Pizza Fun Facts

• Americans eat 350 pizza slices per second
• Pizza is the No. 1 search word on Google
• There is one pizzeria for every 4,000 Americans. In Italy, there is one pizzeria for every 1,400 Italians.
• More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl week than any other week of the year

When the entire group finds out that Hershel (Scott Wilson) is keeping at least a dozen walkers in his barn—under the impression that they’re just sick people rather than undead monsters who need to be put down—tempers flare and tensions between Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) group and Hershel’s family come to a head. Hershel gives Rick an ultimatum to leave by the end of the week, and Rick pleads desperately with him to let the group stay.

When Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) notices that Shane (Jon Bernthal) is becoming dangerous, he tries to hide all of the guns, but Shane tracks him down, retrieves them, and distributes them throughout the camp. This leads  to the downward spiral he’s been on since last season’s finale. He walks through the camp, screaming about how he’s had enough of everyone else’s mistakes—risking his life for a little girl who’s been missing too long and abiding by other people’s rules—before breaking down the door of the barn and letting the walkers out. He and several others then proceed to shoot all of Hershel’s undead relatives and neighbors right in front of him as they shamble out of the barn. When the gunfire dies down and the smoke clears, a pile of bodies litters the ground and everybody is shell-shocked.

That’s when we get the strongest twist ending the series has seen so far: we hear the low, rasping growl of a single walker from within the barn, and then out comes the undead form of the innocent, young Sophia. The killing that was so easy a moment ago is now nowhere to be seen. Her mother’s sobbing is the only sound we hear as Rick has to step forward and put her down.

It’s this moment that will cement Rick’s role as the leader of the group—he made the difficult choice and took the difficult action. Right up until the moment when his people opened fire, he did everything he could to calm them down and regain control of the situation. But killing the zombies was easy. There was no emotional attachment there. When faced with the ravenous remnant of the little girl they’d spent all season looking for and trying to save, Rick was the only one who could bring himself to do what needed to be done.

This episode had everything that’s been missing from the rest of the season—escalating conflicts, moments of high drama and meaningful violence, and a turning point that will permanently change the way all of these characters will interact with one another. It’s a shame we’ll have to wait until February to see where things go from here.