Feast Bab

Nolan's The Odyssey isn't Homer's, it's Nolan's. It doesn't bend but breaks the foundation of who Odysseus is. By Nolan taking away Odysseus's hubris and pride, he rewrites the entire moral landscape of the tale. In Homer's poem, Odysseus is suffering from a lethal dose of vanity. The gods, particularly Poseidon, are putting a check on his arrogance. He's a man who much needs learn humility before he can touch his home soil again. Nolan's version is a man broken by a meat grinder war and gets tossed around a cold universe. His story is of endurance. He's just trying to survive. He's a man who believes his own soul is too corrupted to return to civilization. This all flips the entire architecture of Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus greatest triumph, the use of the Trojan Horse, is now his greatest shame in Nolan's Odyssey. It less about the gods punishing him, and his psychological inability to reach Ithaca. This is exactly why Nolan's Odysseus is humorless beyond belief. He can't stand that he can deceive so many so well. Every lie he conjures takes him further away from Ithaca. By centering guilt and unworthiness on Odysseus, Nolan dilutes the character to singular symbol of the guilt-ridden soldier. This characterization of Nolan's Odysseus actually ruins his third act. What did Odysseus learn from being a guilt-ridden, deceitful soldier? Well, it's best to kill 'em all and lie to them before I do it. The ending to Nolan's Odyssey is a relapse, not a resolution. His Odysseus has learned nothing on his journey. Now it's time for him and Penelope to abandon their posts. Cue the Dark Knight Rises theme. Michael Caine nods at the two of them. Roll credits.

From endangered to invasive. In the 1950s, sea lion numbers had dropped to just 7,000 in the Pacific. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 was designed to fix that, and it worked: today there are over 300,000 in the ocean. But an estimated 6,000 have now moved into the rivers, preying heavily on the salmon that have been a cultural cornerstone to this area for generations. Keith Hyde of Northwest Steelheaders explains what's driving it.

Fighting gerontocracy with democracy.

Two things are true. This insider trading bill up for a vote is much weaker than other bipartisan bills that could've passed. This bill is also much more aggressive than anything that's on the books.

Let there be (reasonable levels of) light.

Fighting gerontocracy with democracy.

🚨 Democrats have introduced a bill to ban ultra-bright headlights that blind drivers on the road.