Clockwork Chap

My Life Without A Jetpack - Divine Hatred

http://nojetpack.thecomicstrip.org/comics/319



Truth be told, I didn't see O'Connor ripping up the photograph on Saturday Night Live as it happened; it didn't even air where I live back then. And I'm not sure when I learned of it, but she had some real guts doing it. About my balloon, I was going home back after a birthday party, riding in the back of my dad's station wagon with the window open, and the balloon flew away from my hand right as we were driving past the cross.

That cross has it's own history, as it was meant to only be a temporary structure along with the stage were the Pope held mass in his visit to Uruguay in 1987, the only time a Pope visited our country. That makes sense, since we've separation between state and church for over a hundred years; around 40-50% of the population is non-religious; we're the least religious country in Latin America, and in the top five in the world. The cross is right in the middle of one of the busiest intersections in Montevideo, our largest city and capital.

So, back in '87 after the Pope's visit, a large group of people were against keeping the cross there, as it gives one religion a prevalente place over others. At first, it was debated in the city's legislative body, but 21 to 10 votes decided to keep it there. It then went on to be debated and voted in both of the national legislative bodies, where the decision was upheld by 19 votes out of 31 in the Senate, and by 48 votes in 99 in Congress. There it still stands, and now it even includes a statue of His Holyness JP2, put there in 2005 to more controversy.

To this day, every time I pass bt the cross (at least a couple of times a month), I remember that the Pope stole my balloon.

This time, music is, obviously, by Sinead O'Connor on SNL in 1992. What I didn't know until today, is that she performed a cover of Bob Marley's song War (from the 1976 Bob Marley and the Wailers' album Rastaman Vibration). That, in turn, has lyrics almost verbatim from a speech made by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I before the UN General Assembly on 4 October 1963:

https://youtu.be/ZSLyEPeWjNk

My Life Without A Jetpack - Rebel Rebel

http://nojetpack.thecomicstrip.org/comics/314



Some years ago I got into playing X-Wing, the Star Wars miniature game, or one of them, at least. I first tried it at a convention, and was immediately hooked (you've seen it in a comic here: https://nojetpack.thecomicstrip.org/comics/259/. It's great for me for several reasons, starting with the fact that space combat is one of my favorite parts of Star Wars.

On the practical side, this is a tactic miniatures game or wargame, but far more simple, rules-wise, than things like Warhammer. Additionally, the starter set is cheap, allows you to play with a friend, and you can spend a little more money or a lot more, depending on your needs and means, and have fun either way (The Force knows I've spent some credits on this).

Another plus is that the minis come pre-painted, which is good for me, since I don't have that kind of ability (you can of course customize them if you wish). I got one of my best friends on the game, and we get together to play and drink beer, and we've bought a lot of ships together.

When we play, we'll sometimes pause the game for dinner, and leave everything on the table.... which my cats, particularly Leia, love. We have to be alert and protect the ships and their positions from the giant space monster.

Speaking of her, we found her lost as a months old kitty in our building's "backyard" (it's a glorified air shaft), where she had fallen down from a wall. We weren't going to keep her (we already had Ludwig), so we gave her some food and a place to sleep under our apartment's patio roof, while we posted on social networks to find someone to adopt her.

Nobody volunteered, and two days later, I came home from work and my wife had let the kitty inside and named her Leia... to win me over. That worked, and it's been almost 8 years since she became part of our family.

She definitely takes after her namesake, she's fierce and rebellious, but also very kind and sweet.

Music this time is, of course, David Bowie's Rebel Rebel, from his 1974 album Diamond Dogs. Did I use a Bowie song last time? Sue me:

https://youtu.be/DJxCsVcZL2I