Tuesday, January 26, 2010

A PARTIAL LIST OF SHADOWY ORGANIZATIONS WHOSE NAMES BEGIN WITH "THE" AND THEIR OBJECTIVES:
  • The Alliance of Twelve: World domination through profitable arms distribution
  • The Army of the One: World domination through monotheism
  • The Army of the Twelve Monkeys: (1) World destruction; (2) (alt.) zoological freedom
  • The Champions: World domination through Kenny and Johnny Bananas making fun of people
  • The Comet Empire: Galactic domination through collision
  • The Company: World domination through viral contamination, mutant superpowers
  • The Covenant: World domination through profitable arms distribution
  • The Dharma Initiative: World domination through science experiments
  • The Dollhouse: World domination through method acting
  • The Legion of Doom: World domination through trying to blow shit up
  • The Others: Peaceful separatism through armed self-preservation
  • The Ring: World domination through software
  • The Sopranos: Northern New Jersey domination through intimidation
  • The Syndicate: World domination through superannuation
  • The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: World domination through failed ideology

35 comments:

  1. The Pathetic Earthling4:40 PM

    May I add to this "The Wholeness" - an Army bent on domination of the post-apocolyptic Williamette Valley and Cascade Range.

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  2. The Union of the Snake: World domination by breaking through the borderline.

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  3. Joseph J. Finn5:04 PM

    Alternate The Company: World domination through time travel and an army of cyborgs.  Plus, chocolate.

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  4. Jenn.5:22 PM

    The Borg:  World domination through assimilation

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  5. The Cobra-Kai:  Domination of adversaries through sweeping the leg.

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  6. Caroline5:31 PM

    The Pentavirate: World domination through the addition of addictive chemicals to popular foodstuffs.

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  7. The Reflex:  World domination through finding of treasure in the dark.  (And watching over lucky clover -- now isn't that bizarre?)

    BTW, I *think* I liked Caprica.  Others?

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  8. isaac_spaceman6:28 PM

    Yeah, I liked it, once I figured out that you just have to put BSG out of your mind.  There were times when the BSG connection was distracting, like when I thought about how Joseph Adama has to go from here to civil rights lawyer who writes trial advocacy treatises, or when I tried to figure out why Gaeta sat around typing into a Wang terminal when 60 years earlier people were using computers that were essentially sheets of paper.  I guess there were BSG things that did work, like the realization that Admiral Adama's father contributed to the germination of the Cylons' monotheism (at least in the Colonies, since the Earth cylons got there thousands of years earlier), or the perfection of the first Centurion.  But for the most part, this is far more straight sci-fi than BSG -- I can't see it getting to where BSG was by "33" in the next four or five episodes.  I did like the central conceit, with what happened to Zoe and her relationship with Lacey.  I did not care about the big reveal with the schoolmarm, which is actually what got me to write this post in the first place. 

    The show needs more charismatic characters and some occasional humor, though.   

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  9. isaac_spaceman6:31 PM

    I call shenanigans on Cobra-Kai and Reflex, though.  The first one doesn't have "the" in the title; the second isn't a shadowy organization. 

    Pentavirate is a nice call. 

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  10. sconstant6:38 PM

    Not that I want to lose you from here, but this is mcsweeneys.net material.

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  11. Scott6:40 PM

    I thought "The Legion of Doom" was world domination through an agressive forecheck?

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  12. Maggie7:35 PM

    The Wave: World domination through experimental teaching techniques.

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  13. MidwestAndrew7:47 PM

    The Legion of Doom: World domination despite lack of a good pair of pants

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  14. Carmichael Harold7:56 PM

    The International Olympic Committee: World domination through graft and furry, anthropomorphic, animal mascots.

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  15. If I may:

    We'll fight the Comet Empire
    Battle through the raining fire
    Filled with the hope that Earth will survive
    We'll keep peace alive with
    Our Star Blazers!

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  16. Meghan9:07 PM

    The The: World domination through '80s British New Wave music?  

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  17. Figured Caprica inspired the post, which is why I wrote that here.  I have a lot more interest in the religious conflict/terrorism angle than in the "birth of the Cylons" angle, but there was enough in there to bring me back for another episode or three. 

    As for whether The Reflex is a shadowy organization, I guess it depends on how you read the song.  :)

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  18. Nice call on the Johnny Bananas.

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  19. You forgot The University of Chicago.

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  20. Holy shit.  They built a working wave motion gun?

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  21. piledhighanddeep7:55 AM

    The Justice League:  World Domination through costumes with tights and capes.
    http://www.myfunkymunky.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/justice_league.jpg


    The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen:  World Domination through invisibility.
    http://www.planetvideo.com.au/blog/2008/11/29/The_League_of_Extraordinary_Gentlemen_1280x1024.jpg

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  22. World domination through reducing transaction costs?

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  23. J. Bowman9:30 AM

    This is the greatest day of my life.

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  24. The Alan Parsons Project: World domination through the use of Alan Parsons.

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  25. The Ohio State University - World Domination through obnoxious nomenclature.

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  26. To say nothing of that scary eye in the sky.

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  27. J. Bowman11:49 AM

    And a "laser."

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  28. GracieGirl12:57 PM

    Ugh.  I grew up in Columbus, am the daughter and niece of OSU grads, have cheered the Bucks for as long as I can remember, and I can honestly say that nothing bugs me more that all that "THE Ohio State University" crap.  School spirit is one thing.  Blind arrogance is another.  (I guarantee you the folks who started that did not experience the Earl Bruce / John Cooper years.  I lived in Ohio from '81 - '01 and I never once heard the school's name pronounced with heavy emphasis on "THE.")

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  29. I came here just to add that--I should have known it would be taken care of.

    And they meet at The Meadows.

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  30. Scott6:15 PM

    Completely agree.  And don't most state schools (and many private universities) also start with "THE," but don't feel the need to emphasize it?  I went to two such schools.

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  31. Elizabeth9:42 PM

    The E Street Band.

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  32. Real evil organization names are acronyms such as S.P.E.C.T.R.E, THRUSH or K.A.O.S.

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  34. Anonymous3:24 AM

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