Monday, September 29, 2008

Politics/Geek: The Wire... Wasilla

Just read a fascinating laundry list... sorry, I meant Associated Press article raising questions about some of Sarah Palin's activities while she was boss hog (ahem) in Alaska.

Makes me wonder how fascinating it would be if The Wire returned with a special Wasilla one-off in the run-up to the American elections. Perhaps it could serve as a CSI-style pilot for a spin-off. Or not.


I only just got into the Wire, courtesy of Net 2 who are showing the fourth (and apparently best) season on Sundays. Each season offers insight into a different aspect of the US city of Baltimore: its drug trade, its port, bureaucracy in city hall, the school system and (in Season 5) the media, looking at how each institution affects the other and the people in the city. I read a magnificent suggestion in a blog I follow (can't remember which one) that something similar should be done for international development. We live in hope.

There are no famous actors or actresses to be seen on the Wire (although Idris Elba and Lance Reddick are becoming increasingly familiar faces). Above all the show just seems real, stripping away the glamour and gloss; portraying ordinary people in bad situations, bad people in good situations and everything in between, with no syrupy Hollywood endings in sight.

... and yes: like others things recently posted on this blog, it gets the Obama endorsement too.

What?

The man just has good taste...

8 comments:

  1. Nice spot folk, hope u don’t mind the drive by, do chk me out one day

    rawdawgbuffalo and if u like what u read, maybe u will come back, even Blog Roll Me

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  2. Hi, I currently live in Alaska and found your blog a few weeks ago. My hubby and I are moving to Nigeria in Spring so I was looking for folks in the region. My mother in law is Ghanaian and my hubby was born in Nigeria, father in law is from there. Anyway, The Wire is one of my favorite shows, I hated the last and final season however. Anyway, just thought you ought to know you have an American who happens to live in Alaska reading who's a fellow Palin hater and Wire lover.

    Cheers,

    Kate
    katehallet@gmail.com
    www.katesalaskanadventure.blogspot.com

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  3. Hey Kate,

    Thanks a lot for the feedback. If I'm ever in Nigeria again, I will look you guys up. What - pray tell - are you moving there to do?

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  4. dude! Net 2 rocks! It's certainly going "beyond the limit!";-) I'm so bloody jhooked onto Second Chance like no-one asked me to...

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  5. I totally understand the Wire appreciation. Thanks to our illustrious friends in China, I was able to get the Wire Season 1-3 on the streets of Accra. Loved it...well Season 2 was snooze-worthy for the most part and hard to get thru. Pity I don't get Net2 over in my 'hood...Idris Elba aka Stringer Bell was a major pull factor for me...

    You gotta give Sarah Palin credit though coz as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It's Alaska!

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  6. Emmanuel: Second Chance? Not you too! Noooooo....! *Scurries to a corner to wait until 9pm*

    Abby: LOL. Thank God for Chinese industriousness. As for Palin, I'm looking forward to tonight. I hear she's a great debator.

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  7. my hubby hasn't been back since he was 16 (now 35). He's going to be teaching at a Univ there. My in-laws just moved back and are teaching/administrators as well. I'm just going to go to school and live a little. However, if I had my choice we'd be going to Ghana. We'll be living in Yola, which is far from what the fam is used to. They are Yoruba and are from Ilorin area. So it's going to be very interesting. It's going to be interesting for me as because I've completely fallen in love with Alaska and the peace and quiet.

    If we ever get over to Ghana (which must happen!!!) I'll let you know...

    By the way, I found you by your being a fan of "Jump Tomorrow." If you were curious.

    -Kate

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  8. Just went to the local movie theatre here in Homer, Alaska and watched the debate. Homer is the one liberal city in all of the HUGE state of Alaska. Palin is not very popular here. Homer is also home of the Time Bandit guys from Deadliest Catch. Unfortunately, I think Palin did better than expected and hope it won't hurt the Obama/Biden ticket.

    However, Obama is very popular in the Kenai peninsula part of good old Alaska.

    Cheers,

    Kate

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