Editor ’ s Note
As a community made up of many diverse and complex individuals , we seem to have reached a crossroads . Those among us who see the glass as more than half empty ( and perhaps even cracking ) might even say that we have passed the recognizable points of our road and might have real trouble returning to recognizable ground . Our summer 2018 issue features at its heart not just entertainment and popular culture but some very real questions about ethical and universal concerns . In “ Space Race ,” H . Peter Steeves considers the limits of humanity with an important and touching dissection of our imperialist drive to conquer everything we see , without regard for the persons we fail to recognize as people , even if they are not necessarily homo sapiens . Steeves suggests that perhaps all living ( and even non-living ) things are worthy of respect and contemplation .
The repercussions of our treatment of the environment have never been clearer , and Amy Green highlights the awareness of our delicate natural balance with the world and its seas , extending from classical literature like Melville to modern video games , in “’ Here You Are at Last , in a Ruined and Drowning World ’: The Dishonored Series as Environmental and Social Commentary .” Proclaiming the value and fragility of our environment to both the young and the old has never been as important as it is right now .
Of course , power is never simple , even though we exercise it over the world around us daily . Max J . Skidmore takes a look at the lives of two larger than life presidents in “ Black Belt and Blue Water : The Vigorous Lives and Presidencies of Theodore and Franklin D . Roosevelt .” From the story of the Ted-
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