Daily Archives: September 11, 2023

The BioShock franchise is well-regarded for its combination of complex, in-depth narratives with exploratory first-person shooter mechanics. The franchise comprises three titles: the original BioShock and BioShock 2 both take place in the underwater city of Rapture, while the third and most recent installment, BioShock Infinite, takes place in Columbia, a flying city high up in the clouds.

These iconic titles broke boundaries around the types of stories typically told in video games, especially in first-person shooters, and they have earned a reputation among the gaming community as some of the best in their genre. Due to their continued praise and acclaim, the BioShock games continue to attract new players despite their age.

RELATED: 10 Most Important Pieces Of Halo Lore New Players Need to Know

All three BioShock games take place in the past. BioShock is set in 1960, and the events of Bioshock 2 happen eight years later in 1968. Despite being a later release, BioShock Infinite's story is set even further back in 1912. Each game references real-world historical events, either subtly or explicitly, throughout their storylines.

However, these references do not mean that the BioShock games are set in the version of history that audiences are familiar with. The settings for these titles are alternate histories, where certain events happened differently than they did in reality, altering the course of time and resulting in further differences from real-world history.

Though the BioShock series is set in the past, the scientific and technological advancements available in Rapture and Columbia are far beyond even what modern real-world developments are capable of. Rapture has the gene-altering addictive substances ADAM and EVE that allow its citizens to effectively gain superpowers and capable robotics to enhance their security system, not to mention the technology it would take to construct a sustainably functional city so far underwater.

Columbia, similarly, has tonics called vigors that temporarily imbue the player with various combat abilities, such as levitating enemies, throwing flaming projectiles and creating an energy shield to block incoming attacks. In terms of technology, Columbia's police force features cybernetically enhanced soldiers known as Handymen and security automatons similar to the robots found in Rapture.

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Rapture, the setting for the first two BioShock games, was founded by Andrew Ryan, based on his ideal of a society where neither governmental nor religious influences could put limitations or regulations on the people's work. Ryan famously asked, "Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?" Rapture was his answer to that question, a laissez-faire society where one would own only what they produced and earned.

As a result, every element of Rapture ran on a strict capitalistic system. Even the police and firefighters would not work unless the citizens who needed them paid the correct fees. These policies led to a culture of extreme individualism, where everyone looked out only for themselves.

One of the more science-fiction elements of BioShock's world is the introduction of ADAM and EVE. At some point in the late 1940s or early 1950s, one of Rapture's scientists discovered that material from a previously undiscovered sea slug could be refined into a substance called ADAM.

ADAM, when used alongside its byproduct, EVE, allowed the user to rewrite their genetic code and empower them with untold enhancements or abilities. However, it had dangerous side effects of slowly degrading the user's DNA over time, forcing them to use more and more to remain healthy. Significantly prolonged use and withdrawals both led to potential mutation and insanity.

Since the sea slugs alone couldn't produce an appropriate amount of ADAM for consumer use, further experimentation was conducted. These experiments revealed when the slugs were placed in the stomachs of living hosts, the resulting amount of ADAM was exponentially higher. However, young girls were the only subjects capable of serving as viable long-term hosts.

As a result, the Little Sisters were created to produce more ADAM and to harvest it from the dead as the population's addiction worsened. They also became targets for those who turned to violence to feed their ADAM addictions, leading to the creation of the Big Daddies. These eerie young girls and their steampunk guardians are among the most memorable images from the BioShock universe.

Despite his commitment to his ideals, Andrew Ryan's utopia couldn't last forever. Although he controlled Rapture's most widespread and successful corporation, a challenger arose. Frank Fontaine, the founder of Fontaine Futuristics, took advantage of Rapture's entirely unregulated market to rise to power through funding the research and production of ADAM, alongside the suspected smuggling of goods from the surface world.

Fontaine's competition and criminal enterprises enraged Ryan, leading him to seize Fontaine's company and imprison his allies. This violation of his strongly professed belief in non-interference caused conflict among the citizens of Rapture and contributed to its social collapse. When the player arrives in Rapture, the city is nearing the end of a violent uprising, and many of its systems are in shambles.

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The flying city of Columbia in BioShock Infinite wasn't always hidden among the clouds, isolated from the rest of the world. Though Zachary Comstock supported the creation of Columbia and would eventually become its leader, he did not found it. The American government used Rosalind Lutece's discoveries to build Columbia and launch it at the 1893 World's Fair.

Columbia remained a part of the United States until the early 1900s. In 1901, Columbia's forces violently intervened in the Boxer Rebellion without orders from the government. This revelation of their combat abilities and willingness to act without orders caused outrage, and their actions eventually led to Columbia seceding from the Union in 1902.

When Columbia left the United States, Zachary Comstock took his place as its de facto leader. The people had rallied behind him during the conflicts that led to secession and followed him unflinchingly when Columbia disappeared into the stratosphere, isolated from the rest of the world.

Comstock established religious nationalism as the norm for Columbia, elevating himself as a direct connection to divinity through the veneration of the American Found Fathers: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Through preaching and prophecy, Comstock made himself and his family the unquestionable, divinely appointed leaders of Columbia.

Though it's designed to appear as a neo-classical paradise, Columbia contains a violent world full of despair for those who don't meet established social requirements. Many of Columbia's values are centered on racial supremacy and classism. Part of the rift that formed between Columbia and the United States was due to the outlawing of slavery.

RELATED: 10 Best Video Game DystopiasMinorities faced a dismal fate in Columbia, forced into indentured servitude or outright slavery and dehumanized by the majority of the population. Beyond the realm of colorful Americana that is Columbia's streets lie dingy slums and sweatshop factories where the poor and oppressed suffer under Comstock's regime.

Many players, initially, don't understand how Bioshock Infinite can be a part of the same series as BioShock and BioShock 2. Though they have different protagonists, BioShock and BioShock 2 both take place in the same setting, but BioShock Infinite does not.

While there are a lot of differences between the worlds of Rapture and Columbia, the BioShock games do comprise a cohesive series, the throughline just requires a more comprehensive understanding. The BioShock series is intertwined and interconnected through a few different factors. One is the series' philosophy on alternate realities and multiple universes. This concept is part of why Bioshock and BioShock Infinite's opening sequences are so similar.

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Bioshock: 10 Pieces of Important Lore New Players Need to Know - CBR - Comic Book Resources

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If ever there was a city regarded as a culinary epicenter, it's New York City, a metropolis known worldwide for its steakhouses, its pizza, its celebrity chefs, and its award-winning restaurants. But topping that list of famous foods is the humble bagel, a breakfast tradition that's spawned hordes of bakeries and cafes across the city, and insights impassioned debates about which bagel shop makes the best.

Sure, bagels are not exactly a rarity. They can be found in chain restaurants, with fast-food breakfast sandwiches, and even iat your local Walmart. But real-deal, New York-style bagels? You gotta visit a real-deal bagel shop in NYC to scratch that itch.

Considering the surplus of bagel places throughout the sprawling city, though, it can be hard to narrow down the bagel bucket list. That's why we asked chefs who know the city well to recommend the best bagels in town.

One of the bagel shops that gets widespread praise is Absolute Bagels, a frills-free joint that ranks as the favorite for James Tracey, chef of Monterey Brasserie in New York City, as well as a go-to for Mark Welker. The latter is currently the executive chef and culinary director of Paradisaea in San Diego, but previously spent years in New York, working as the pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad.

For him, Absolute Bagels is nostalgia done right. "One of my first apartments was in Morningside Heights on 113th and Amsterdam. This was my go-to spot, and the bagels just happened to be amazing." He raves about the shop's "more traditional NYC sandwich offerings" and the everything bagels in particular, and since the owners are Thai, he loves that you can also get a Thai iced tea.

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Another bagel brand that doubles up on praise is Black Seed Bagels, a local burgeoning mini chain that skews contemporary with its craft and its flavors. For Chris Arellanes, corporate executive chef of KYU NYC, it's Black Seed all the way. "My go-to is a toasted everything bagel with lox spread," he says. "The best part about this place is you can never tell which side is the top of the bagel because both sides are evenly doused in whatever seasoning you choose. The lox adds a salty, smokey flavor to the cream cheese, and when generously spread on that toasted, crusty everything bagel, it's truly a religious experience."

Michael Gallina agrees. The current co-owner and chef of Take Root Hospitality in St. Louis, he honed his love for Black Seed Bagels while working in New York as the chef de cuisine of Blue Hill at Stone Barns. "There's nothing better than going to Black Seed Bagels in Soho when I'm in town in the spring time for their ramp cream cheese on an everything bagel," he says. "I love the chewiness and flavor of their wood-fired technique." 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Open since 1976, Ess-a-Bagel has long been a pioneer on that bagel front, and it remains one of the foremost destinations in the city for a good ol' fashioned bagel done right. Chefs like Freddy Vargas, from the new Virgin Hotels NYC and its restaurant Everdene, is a big fan. "If you're in NYC, you have to start your morning with Ess-a-Bagel," explains the chef. "My go-to is an everything bagel with cream cheese and bacon. This one is the perfect combination of crunchy and softa true New York bagel."

Another advocate of the everything bagel at Ess-a-Bagel is Jack Logue, chef atThe Lambs Club in NYC, which he customizes with lox, cream cheese, and avocado.

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With a handful of locations scattered around town, and a strong reputation for smoked fish, hand-rolled bagels, and perfectly stacked sandwiches, Zucker's Bagels commands quite the following. Just ask Jason Krantz, chef of Smyth Tavern, located right next door to their TriBeca location. "Our neighbor,Zuckers Bagels, is serving some of the best hand-rolled bagels in New York City," he proclaims. In fact, he loves the Zucker's bacon, egg, and cheese bagel so much that he started a collaboration: "We combined their bacon, egg, and cheese bagel with our Smyth Tavern signature sauce to make the ultimatebreakfast treat."

In Queens, Utopia Bagels is the type of business that lives up to its heavenly name. The shop is the number one favorite for Welker, who applauds the company for baking bagels continuously all day and ensuring each and every order is hot and fresh. "They have a nice hard crunch on the outside and are super soft andchewy on the inside," Welker says. "Their sandwiches are also stellar and non-traditional as well." His recommendation: the chicken cordon bleu sandwich.

RELATED: 7 Best Cheesesteaks in Philadelphia, According to Chefs

One of the most famed delis and bagel destinations in New York City is one that exceeds the hype. Another favorite for Welker, Russ & Daughters Cafe is an institution with a well-earned reputation for bagel supremacy. Even though he may prefer bagels at Utopia, he notes that Russ & Daughters serves his favorite bagel sandwich: the Super Heebster with whitefish and salmon salad, wasabi flying fish roe, and horseradishdill cream cheese.

You know a bagel is good when you serve them at your sons' bris. That's exactly what Leah Cohen, head chef of Pig & Khao and Piggyback NYC, did for her sons' bris ceremonies, serving bagels from her favorite place in town, Tompkins Square Bagels. "My go-to order is an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese," she says. "If I'm feeling extra hungry, I'll get the everything bagel with smoked salmon, tomato, onion, capers, and scallion cream cheese. They are truly my favorite bagels."

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For some of the best bagels in New York City, you may need to cross the river to Jersey City. That's according to Ari Bokovza, chef of New York's Dagon, who prefers Wonder Bagels for its "classic, doughy, gut bomb" bagels. But if he's looking for more inventive taste, he's another fan of Black Seed Bagels, too.

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8 Best Bagels in New York City - Eat This, Not That

National leader Christoper Luxon confirmed today his party would not introduce a bed tax to fund infrastructure in Queenstown Lakes, despite the mayor and local councillors questioning his reasoning.

In a statement to Crux today, Mr Luxon says National does not support a regionally-targeted tourist tax whilst New Zealand is in a cost-of-living crisis and attracting fewer visitors.

Tourist numbers are still not where they were pre-Covid so lumping an extra tax on international and domestic visitors, when travelling is already expensive, does not make sense, Mr Luxon says.

Instead of asking holidayers to help fund tourism infrastructure, Mr Luxon says his party will establish a National Infrastructure Agency.

It will deliver the infrastructure New Zealand and sectors like tourism need to grow, he says.

Mr Luxon first declared his lack of support for a bed tax while in Queenstown last Thursday, announcing new tourism-growth plans for New Zealand.

Mayor Glyn Lewers says he would very much push back on the cost-of-living argument, as the alternative to funding tourism-related infrastructure in the district is to target ratepayers.

He says increasing rates would have more impact during a cost-of-living crisis, calling Mr Luxons stance a pretty shallow argument.

This year, Mr Lewers and council chief executive Mike Theelen have been attempting to reignite tourism levy conversations that started in 2019 and were shelved during the pandemic. An initial proposal pitched in 2019 had support from 81 percent of ratepayers.

Suggested was a five percent charge added to the cost of accommodation in the district, and Mr Lewers says a targeted rate like that would be around the same price for visitors as getting a cup of coffee in Queenstown.

Mayor Glyn Lewers pushed back on the cost of living argument as the alternative was to ask the district's ratepayers to foot the bill for tourism infrastructure.

He says no matter who gets into government next month, there will be hard choices as to how to fund infrastructure in Queenstown Lakes.

Cruxs previous coverage of Nationals new tourism-growth package and local responses to it have generated a local and central government stoush on social media.

Local National MP Joseph Mooney is advocating for his party and its fresh plans for tourism, which include a new Great Walk in Canterbury, e-bike chargers on the NZ Cycle Trail, longer-term Department of Conservation concessions, and "eliminating" consents for existing infrastructure upgrades and new infrastructure, and streamlining building consents to cut compliance costs.

He also vouched for the idea of the National Infrastructure Agency, saying it would work with local councils such as that of the Queenstown Lakes that have low ratepayer bases and high visitor numbers to ensure they can access the finance they need for local projects.

But Queenstown Lakes councillor Niki Gladding says the infrastructure agency and its funding mechanisms sound vague, while deputy mayor Quentin Smith likens the infrastructure plans to an episode of Utopia.

While your statement might sound good there is no detail and zero understanding of the financial and carbon costs of your policiesjust a comforting-sounding statement that basically says youll work it out later, was how Ms Gladding put her counter-argument.

Ms Gladding says plans to grow tourism in the district in spite of the sentiment expressed by local players in the destination management plan, in addition to National's policy of letting foreign buyers back into the residential housing market at the $2-million level are tone deaf proposals and exacerbate Queenstown Lakes' key issues.

Labour took a we know best, one size fits all approach and, at this point, National is doing the same.

Mr Smith says while some of the new proposals are nice, on a whole they don't "really deal with the core of our problems.

The online comments follow an interview with Crux, where the deputy mayor responded to Mr Luxon's tourism announcement saying the opposition to a bed tax did not make sense in relation to a cost-of-living argument.

Main image: National leader Christopher Luxon and party tourism spokesperson and Southland MP Joseph Mooney last week revealed their plans to build back tourism if elected to government next month.

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Luxon doubles down on bed tax opposition | Crux - Local News ... - Crux News

44 North, 70 West becomes the center of the documentary community for the next few days. Ben Fowlie, executive and creative director, Points North Institute.

In case youre not up on your longitude and latitude, that makes Maines Midcoast towns of Camden and Rockland the most important locations in the movie world this week. The annual return of the Camden International Film Festival, taking place Thursday through Sunday, has always been a major stop on the nonfiction film festival circuit. But now, as Fowlie makes the airtight case, in its 19th season, its ready to take on the world. Or at least bring the entire movie world here to Maine.

Our festival reputation has grown, Fowlie said. Industry people are calling us a key stop on the fall festival tour, and were using that as leverage to place a spotlight on the incredible talent throughout the nonfiction filmmaking community, outside the United States and in. At the same time, we want to ensure that filmmakers and audiences have a place to ask, What is nonfiction film, and where is it going?

Camden International Film Festival is truly one of a kind when it comes to celebrating the limitless possibilities of a genre too often thought of as simple documentation. Said Fowlie, We at Points North are focused on advancing the artistry of nonfiction film. Pointing to one of CIFFs two opening-night films, director Martn Benchimols Argentinian film, El Castillo, Fowlie extols the way the documentary melds form and content into a whole new cinematic shape.

Its about a woman whod been the housekeeper for a wealthy family who inherits their mansion in Argentina, with the stipulation that she can never part with it. And how, as the giant house deteriorates, it becomes like an anchor. But its really about the beautiful relationship between a mother and daughter, and about how Argentinas history and modernization exist side by side. Youll go see it and scratch your head, thinking how much of this really happened and didnt. But that will be secondary to how much you love these women and how you cant believe you got to spend 80 minutes with them. Its gorgeously shot and truly cinema at its best.

Camden International Film Festival is like that. Audiences walk into one of the festivals three exceptional venues (the Camden Opera House, the Strand Theatre, and Points Norths pop-up waterfront theater, Journeys End) and come out seeing the world and the art of documentary in a completely different way. Excited to share this years impressive and dizzyingly eclectic slate of nearly 70 features and shorts with CIFFs always receptive crowds, Fowlie promises, Fundamentally, we present documentaries. But were always trying to be one step ahead in order to bring audiences and the industry along. In presenting this work, we want to engage, but its also about moving the thought process forward and broadening the understanding of the form together.

Looking over CIFFs ever-impressive 2023 lineup is all about getting pulled into one singularly fascinating world after another. Madeleine Gavins Beyond Utopia, another opening-night feature, follows the harrowing journey of one extended family who makes the perilous decision to escape from infamously authoritarian North Korea, a more straightforward nonfiction tale that Fowlie promises is as gripping and moving as any fictional Hollywood thriller. The winner of Sundance Film Festivals Audience Award, the film will be marking only its third U.S. screening at CIFF, with Fowlie noting that, among the festivals many visiting filmmakers and subjects this year, the post-show guests here will make for a once-in-a-lifetime audience experience. Not to give anything away, but this will be one of the most emotional experiences people will ever have had at the cinema.

As always, I set Fowlie the task of plucking out a few personal favorites from CIFFs carefully curated roster of films. Its a tough job, especially since, as Fowlie explained, The number and quality of submissions just gets larger and better every year. It really makes our job harder. Still, Fowlie is game, first pointing to the sure crowd-pleaser In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. At a mighty three-and-a-half hours, the film chronicles the now 81-year-old music legends life and career as he works to complete his latest studio album, Seven Psalms. Said Fowlie of this U.S premiere, Its just super-special, and were thrilled that our audiences will be some of the first in the country to see it.

Delving deeper into the stylistic adventurousness CIFF seeks to foster is Vlad Petries Between Revolutions, a cross-cultural conversation between two women who may, or may not, have ever existed. Said Fowlie, Its really about the power of the archive. Two fictional characters, one in Tehran and one in Bucharest, both in periods of national turmoil, begin a letter-writing relationship. The filmmaker is scripting a narrative from archives that exist in a certain place and time. What emerges is a poetic desire for hope, fear and joy while being in the midst of a struggle, and this is just one film this year that shows how archives can become time capsules for forgotten, erased, or stolen histories.

Iconic nonfiction filmmaker Errol Morris new film, The Pigeon Tunnel, sees the director matching wits with legendary spy novelist (and former spy) John le Carr. As Fowlie notes, Its Errol at his finest. At times, you dont know who is interviewing who, what is real and what is not. Its just a beautiful dance between these two deeply intellectually curious people.

The ongoing war in Ukraine perhaps inevitably forms a running theme in this years festival, with Karim Amers Defiant and Vitaly Manskiys Eastern Front (both in U.S. premieres) providing two very different but equally intense depictions of a country under siege. Defiant is about the politics behind building support for Ukraines fight against the Russian invasion and Russias disinformation campaign. Eastern Front is on the ground and in the trenches, jumping between the helmet cam of co-director Yevhen Titarenko, a civilian volunteer medic and long, beautiful shots of the volunteers and their families swimming, eating and talking about what they imagine for Ukraine after the war.

And these are just a taste of what promises to be another stunner of a Camden International Film Festival. (Ill throw in a plug for Mainer Ian Cheneys ruminative and delightfully eccentric The Arc of Oblivion, which I wrote about in July.) As Fowlie puts it of Points Norths ongoing mission (which has seen the organization hand out over $400,000 in funding to filmmakers this year alone), We give unrestricted grants to filmmakers at various stages in their careers so they can continue to take those creative risks that are a priority of ours going forward. And now weve got over 50 filmmakers coming to Maine for the biggest documentary gathering in the United States this year. Having so much talent concentrated in a small community like ours that just doesnt happen anywhere else.

The Camden International Film Festival takes place from Thursday to Sunday. In addition, the online virtual CIFF will be available from Sept. 18-25, if youre not up for a lovely trip up the coast to see some amazing movies, for some reason. For tickets, directions and information on this years stellar crop of nonfiction films, check out pointsnorthinstitute.org/ciff.

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