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Black Sheep Astray
"Black Sheep Astray" is a science fiction short story by American writer Mack Reynolds. It is one of thirteen narratives included in the collection'' Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology'', a special tribute by ''Astounding SF ''authors to the memory of science fiction and fantasy magazine editor John W. Campbell. In terms of plot, "Black Sheep Astray" is the last in a sequence of near-future stories set in North Africa, which also includes ''Black Man's Burden'' (1961-2), ''Border, Breed nor Birth'' (1962), and ''The Best Ye Breed'' (1978). "Black Sheep Astray" and the North Africa series have been called a "notable exception" to the indirect treatment of racial issues in 1960s science fiction magazines.Langford, David, Peter Nicholls, and Brian Stableford.Race in SF" ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', 3d edition (online). Ed. John Clute, David Langford, and Peter Nicholls. 2012. par. 3. Web. Plot Sociologist Dr. Homer Crawford, for many years a tyrant of Nor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mack Reynolds
Dallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds (November 11, 1917 – January 30, 1983) was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Dallas Ross, Mark Mallory, Clark Collins, Dallas Rose, Guy McCord, Maxine Reynolds, Bob Belmont, and Todd Harding."Mack Reynolds-Summary Bibliography."''The Internet Speculative Fiction Database.''Stableford, Brian and John Clute"Mack Reynolds."''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', 3d edition (online). Ed. John Clute, David Langford, and Peter Nicholls. 2012. Web. His work focused on socioeconomic speculation, usually expressed in thought-provoking explorations of utopian societies from a radical, sometime satiric perspective. He was a popular author from the 1950s to the 1970s, especially with readers of science fiction and fantasy magazines.Smith, Curtis C. ''Welcome to the Revolution: The Literary Legacy of Mack Reynolds''. San Bernardino, CA: Borgo, 1995. (10). (13). Reynolds was the first author to write an original novel based upon the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Border, Breed Nor Birth
''Border, Breed nor Birth'' is a science fiction novella by American writer Mack Reynolds. It is the second in a sequence of near-future stories set in North Africa, which also includes '' Black Man's Burden'' (1961-1962), " Black Sheep Astray" (1973), and '' The Best Ye Breed'' (1978). ''Border, Breed nor Birth'' and the North Africa series have been called a "notable exception" to the indirect treatment of racial issues in 1960s science fiction magazines.Langford, David, Peter Nicholls, and Brian Stableford.Race in SF" ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', 3d edition (online). Ed. John Clute, David Langford, and Peter Nicholls. 2012. par. 3. Web. Plot During his meeting in Dakar with the head of the Reunited Nations African Development Project, Dr. Homer Crawford resigns his post as leader of the Sahara Division team to become El Hassan, the liberator and would-be tyrant of North Africa. Threatened with arrest, Crawford and his followers hide in the Sahara erg. They intercep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Black Sheep
In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more common white; these sheep stand out in the flock and their wool is worth less as it will not dye. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness. In psychology, "black sheep effect" refers to the tendency of group members to judge likeable ingroup members more positively and deviant ingroup members more negatively than comparable outgroup members. Origin In most sheep, a white fleece is not caused by albinism but by a common dominant gene that switches color production off, thus obscuring any other color that may be present. A black fleece is caused by a recessive gene, so if a white ram and a white ewe are each heterozygous for black, about one in four of their lambs will be black. In most white sheep breed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gentleman Ranker
In the British Army, a gentleman ranker is an Enlisted rank, enlisted soldier suited through education and social background to be a commissioned officer, or indeed a former commissioned officer. Rudyard Kipling titled one of his poems, published 1892, "Gentlemen-Rankers". Gentleman rankers in the British Army The term "gentleman ranker" suggests that the soldier was born to wealth and privilege but disgraced himself and so has enlisted as a common soldier (or one of the Other ranks (UK), other ranks) serving apart from the society that now scorns him. This fate was similar to that of a remittance man, often the black sheep of a "good" family, paid a regular allowance to stay abroad, far from home, where he cannot embarrass the family. The gentleman rankers also included the soldiers who signed on specifically as "gentleman volunteers" in the British Army to serve as private soldiers with the understanding being that they would be given a commission (without purchase) at a later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Refrain
A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the villanelle, the virelay, and the sestina. In popular music, the refrain or chorus may contrast with the verse melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically; it may assume a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. Chorus form, or strophic form, is a sectional and/or additive way of structuring a piece of music based on the repetition of one formal section or block played repeatedly. Usage in history In music, a refrain has two parts: the lyrics of the song, and the melody. Sometimes refrains vary their words slightly when repeated; recognizability is given to the refrain by the fact that it is always sung to the same tune, and the rhymes, if present, are preserved despite the variations of the words. Such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Military Dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the military. Creation and evolution Most military dictatorships are formed after a ''coup d'état'' has overthrown the previous government. There have been cases, however, where the civilian government had been formally maintained but the military exercises ''de facto'' control—the civilian government is either bypassed or forced to comply with the military's wishes. For example, from 1916 until the end of World War I, the German Empire was governed as an effective military dictatorship, because its leading generals had gained such a level of control over Kaiser Wilhelm II that the Chancellor and other civilian ministers effectively served at their pleasure. Alternatively, the Empire of Japan after 1931 never in any formal way drastically ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state, or another community, often by intrigue and usually unbeknownst to those who are outside their group. The use of this term usually carries negative connotations of political purpose, conspiracy and secrecy. It can also refer to a secret plot or a clique, or it may be used as a verb (to form a cabal or secretly conspire). The term is frequently employed as an antisemitic dog whistle, as evidenced both by its Hebrew origin and by its evocation of centuries-old antisemitic tropes. Etymology The term ''cabal'' is derived from Kabbalah (a word that has numerous spelling variations), the Jewish mystical and spiritual interpretation of the Hebrew scripture (קַבָּלָה). In Hebrew, it means "reception" or "acceptance", denoting the ''sod'' (secret) level of Jewish exegesis. In European culture (Christian Cabala, Hermetic Qabalah) it becam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tyrant
A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to repressive means. The original Greek term meant an absolute sovereign who came to power without constitutional right, yet the word had a neutral connotation during the Archaic and early Classical periods. However, Greek philosopher Plato saw ''tyrannos'' as a negative word, and on account of the decisive influence of philosophy on politics, its negative connotations only increased, continuing into the Hellenistic period. The philosophers Plato and Aristotle defined a tyrant as a person who rules without law, using extreme and cruel methods against both his own people and others. The ''Encyclopédie'' defined the term as a usurper of sovereign power who makes "his subjects the victims of his passions and unjust desires, which he substitutes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ..., first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continuously revised, edition was published online from 2011; a change of web host was announced as the launch of a fourth edition in 2021. History The first edition, edited by Peter Nicholls (writer), Peter Nicholls with John Clute, was published by Granada plc, Granada in 1979. It was retitled ''The Science Fiction Encyclopedia'' when published by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday in the United States. Accompanying its text were numerous black and white photo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Best Ye Breed
''The Best Ye Breed'' is a science fiction novella by American writer Mack Reynolds. It is the third in a sequence of near-future stories set in North Africa, which also includes ''Black Man's Burden'' (1961-1962), ''Border, Breed nor Birth'' (1962), and " Black Sheep Astray" (1973). ''The Best Ye Breed'' and the North Africa series have been called a "notable exception" to the indirect treatment of racial issues in 1960s science fiction magazines.Langford, David, Peter Nicholls, and Brian Stableford.Race in SF" ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'', 3d edition (online). Ed. John Clute, David Langford, and Peter Nicholls. 2012. par. 3. Web. Plot In parallel stories, four operatives are given conflicting missions in response to the North African war of liberation headed by black American sociologist Homer Crawford, also known as El Hassan. Counter espionage agent Paul Kosloff is dispatched by the U.S. State Department to stop Crawford's revolution before it brings about the fina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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