How Star Wars' Famous Title Sequence Survived Imperial Assaults

‘A long time ago …’

By Iain Macdonald, Edinburgh Napier University

At the beginning of the Star Wars movies, that famous typographic walkway has always been essential to the experience. It both echoed the silent movie era and was filled with futuristic vision. How thrillingly disorientating to read “A long time ago …” while looking out at what was not yet possible.

The great cinematic graphic designer Saul Bass once said that he “saw the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional resonance with it”. Star Wars is one of the great examples of what he was talking about. Not surprisingly, it reappeared in all subsequent instalments. Yet the fact that no one has managed to wreck it along the way was by no means a sure thing.

A Force Awakened: Why So Many Find Meaning In Star Wars

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. 20th Century Fox

By Patti McCarthy, University of the Pacific

After witnessing the overwhelming popularity of Star Wars, director Francis Ford Coppola told George Lucas he should start his own religion.

Lucas laughed him off, but Coppola may have been onto something.

Indeed, the Star Wars saga taps into the very storytelling devices that have structured myths and religious tales for centuries. And with every new film, fans are able to reinforce their unique communities in a world that has grown, in many ways, increasingly isolated.

Show You Care and Help Canada Welcome Syrian Refugees [Video Included]

To help create a positive start, CARE Canada is asking Canadians to welcome Syrian refugees with a new online campaign.

UK: Give A Lost Teddy A New Home This Christmas For Charity

Airport launches campaign to rehome lost and unwanted teddies to help raise money for charity.
(PRNewsFoto/London City Airport)

Teddy bears give their owners unlimited love and hugs, but who's there to hug them when they get left behind?

People travelling through the airport often forget things such as belts, laptops and mobile phones, and sometimes their furry friends too. Some make it home, but some get forgotten. 

When staff at London City Airport found Ted in lost property, they started a campaign to get him home. The response they received from the public led them to create Adop-TED, a website for rehoming lost and unwanted teddies.

Peake Viewing: From Bizarre Astronaut Traditions To Awe-Inspiring blast Off

Tim says bye. Reuters

By Monica Grady, The Open University

Having spent days following him around, it was amazing to finally see the first official UK astronaut, Major Tim Peake, launched into space from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. He’s been through six years of training to get to this moment, and will do a six-month tour of duty on the International Space Station.

I was part of the press team that followed Peake and his crew mates Tim Kopra (NASA) and Yuri Malenchenko (Roscosmos) around as they went through the final few tests prior to their launch. It was a really interesting experience seeing all the strange traditions taking place away from the public eye – and not just from the point of view of finding out about astronaut preparation.

Tobacco Use Widespread in Video Games Played By Youth [Video Included]

Smoking is prevalent and often glamorized in video games played by youth,
according to a new report released by Truth Initiative.

Smoking is prevalent and often glamorized in video games played by youth, according to a new report released today by Truth Initiative. The report, Played: Smoking and Video Games, comes at a time when parents are holiday shopping for their children and a wave of new video games have recently hit the shelves.

European Youth Expect Tough Economic Future

• Nearly a third (29%) of young people in Europe feel their finances are in a poor condition 

• Two thirds (66%) of people in Europe feel young people have to make more financial decisions than the older generations did when they were young  

• Some 75% of people across Europe agree it is more important for young people today to learn how to manage money

Almost one in three (29%) young people across Europe are barely in control of their finances*.

A new international study of financial behaviour questioning about 15,000 people across 15 nations reveals there is widespread concern about the financial prospects of the younger generation.

We Did It! The End Of Fossil Fuels Has Begun…

Dear amazing Avaaz community, 

World leaders at the UN climate talks have just set a landmark goal that can save everything we love! This is what we marched for, what we signed, called, donated, messaged, and hoped for: a brilliant and massive turning point in human history. 

It’s called net-zero human emissions -- a balancing of what we release into the air and what is taken out -- and when the dust settles and the Paris Agreement is in the hands of lawmakers, clean energy will be the best, cheapest, and most effective way to keep their promise. This gives us the platform we need to realize the dream of a safe future for generations! Out of great crises, humanity has borne beautiful visions. World War II gave rise to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an enduring standard for our spirit and capacity as one people. The fall of Apartheid led South Africa to the single most bold and progressive constitution in the world.

Ambitious visions like these rely on movements to carry them into the mainstream, and on movements to make them reality in our everyday lives. Today is no exception: 

Click to read the story of our climate journey and join the celebration.

Dear Republicans: Do Your Patriotic Duty

A supporter of Ted Cruz holds his book and a US flag. Mark Kauzlarich/REUTERS

By Christopher Parker, University of Washington

Dear Republicans: 

For the past week, we have been reminded of the precarious position in which we find ourselves as Americans. The situation I’m referring to is the latest poll numbers for the GOP candidates. 

What has drawn the lion’s share of the attention to date is Donald Trump’s increasing lead over the field. Nationally, The Donald has 41% with Ted Cruz in second place at 14%. The situation is reversed in Iowa, an important first litmus test for presidential aspirants, where Cruz has the advantage over Trump: 31% to 21%. 

This is all the more alarming in the wake of Trump’s latest verbal bomb in which he proposed to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Cruz has remained all but mute on Trump’s comments.

Across the country, more than half of your Republican electorate (55%) supports these two Tea Party favorites. Either of these men, if nominated, would cause irreparable harm to the country. Of course, the damage would be worse if they were actually elected president.

This is why I’m calling on you, rank-and-file Republicans, to do the right thing and vote for a more moderate Republican like Jeb Bush or John Kasich during the primary. If this strategy to protect the country fails – which seems likely – and one of the Tea Party candidates wins in the primary, I urge you to do the patriotic thing and vote for the Democratic standard-bearer in the general election.

Yes, I’m suggesting that Republicans consider voting to put a Democrat in the White House. As someone who has studied patriotism as well as reactionary movements, I’d suggest this is the GOP’s best move if you really care about the country as much as you often claim.

Star Wars: Made GREAT in Britain [Videos-Clips Included]

Disney, Lucasfilm and the GREAT Britain Campaign collaborate in support of British creativity, innovation and respect for copyright

This week, the UK Government's GREAT Britain campaign, Disney and Lucasfilm announced a unique collaboration that celebrates the British inspiration, creativity and innovation involved in the Star Wars saga ahead of the December 17th UK cinema release of the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

A series of videos featuring British icons such as Sir Richard Branson, Jamie Oliver and Jessica Ennis-Hill will profile the incredible British talent that has made Star Wars the global phenomenon it is today, celebrating almost 40 years of GREAT British filmmaking. Each video tells the story of the nation's contribution to Star Wars through pillars such as innovation (Sir Richard Branson), inspiration to future generations (Jessica Ennis-Hill) and the legacy behind the films (Jamie Oliver).

The Rhetorical Brilliance Of Trump The Demagogue

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Raleigh, 
North Carolina on December 4 2015. Jonathan Drake/Reuters

By Jennifer Mercieca, Texas A&M University

Donald Trump’s December 7 Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration has attracted worldwide disdain. Nearly 500,000 Britons have signed a petition asking their government to prevent Trump from entering their country. In the US, Trump’s comments have been denounced by Democrats, Republicans, the media and religious groups.

Yet a recent poll has found that 37% of likely voters across the political spectrum agree with a “temporary ban” on Muslims entering the US.

Trump possesses an arrogance and volatility that makes most voters recoil. So how has he maintained a grip on a segment of the Republican base that – at least, for now – seems unshakable?

And how has his support persisted, despite the fact that some have called him a demagogue and a fascist, or that political observers have found parallels between him and polarizing figures like George Wallace, Joseph McCarthy, Father Coughlin – even Hitler?
As a scholar of American political rhetoric, I write about and teach courses on the use and abuse of rhetorical strategy in public discourse. Scrutinizing Trump’s rhetorical skills can partially explain his profound and persistent appeal.

Trump, Carson Lead Republican Primary; Sanders Edging Clinton Among Democrats, Harvard IOP Poll Finds

After Paris Terrorist Attacks, Solid Majority of America's 18- to 29- Year-Olds Support Sending U.S. Ground Troops to Defeat ISIS; Less Than 20% Inclined to Serve if Needed

A new national poll of America's 18- to 29- year-olds by Harvard's Institute of Politics (IOP), at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, finds Donald Trump (22%) and Ben Carson (20%) locked in a dead-heat as young Republicans' first choice in their party's presidential primary – and young Democrats giving the edge to Bernie Sanders (41%) over Hillary Clinton(35%) as the top selection in their presidential primary.  Overall, a majority (56%) of 18- to 29- year-olds prefer a Democrat win the 2016 campaign for president over a Republican, a net increase of five points since the IOP's spring 2015 survey was released.

The IOP's newest poll results also show – in the wake of the mid-November Paris terrorist attacks – a solid majority (60%) support the U.S. committing ground troops to defeat ISIS.  When asked how likely they would be to serve, 16% said they "have already," "would definitely" or "would strongly consider" joining the U.S. military to combat ISIS if additional troops were needed.  A detailed report on the poll's findings is available online: www.iop.harvard.edu/harvard-iop-fall-2015-poll.