... and friend at a Second Cup here in Toronto

Picturing: A Special Television Episode T-shirt

"The City on the Edge of Forever" is one of television's finest hours. It's an episode of Star Trek (1966 - 1969), one of television's finest-ever series.

Now to the T-shirt.

A few years ago, my brother contacted me saying he was going to order a few Trek T-shirts, and asked me if I wanted one... take my pick. I checked the catalogue and was impressed. An artist in the States had produced designs for all 79 Trek episodes, with each being his own unique interpretation of that particular story.

Postscript: No doubt the shirt looks even better when hugging my somewhat Hemanic chest, but I elected to take the picture with the shirt lying flat.

Quote: Lydia Lunch on Her Critics

"Because they don't like reality or fact. They like fiction, tomfoolery, stupidity, mediocrity, crap, garbage, junk."

The fiery-bright lady is right.

Video Clip: Rainfall at the TTC's Spadina Station

During my errands about an hour ago I departed the 'southbound' platform at the TTC's Spadina Station. What a rush of sound that was!

Yes, Toronto is getting drenched.

Snip: A Special Number in Page Views

Minutes ago I decided to check my website's data: the number of "now" views ― views from the last two hours ― sent shivers through me. And I started humming the song, "Ave Satani".

Thankfully the hits keep coming, which quickly obliterated "666". (My account is set up as such that my own clicks don't count in the overall data.)

Thank you, dear readers! In more ways than one.

The Week that was Hot and Humour, But So Cool

Toronto boiled heat and humidity this week. It's Saturday, and temps and water particles will continue to wrap we Torontonians for a few more days, at least.

A bit of humour: On Wednesday, as I walked, strutted, towards a client of mine, his friend said to me: "You have a bit of a Christopher Walken thing happening there."

"Very cool. But cooler."

Picturing: Wile E. Coyote's Arch Enemy

While I strolled in my neighbourhood early this morning, as part of my quest to end up at my local Tim Hortons, something caught my eye: "I spy, with my little eye, something looking 'Warner Brothers'...."

Kendal Avenue is one of many lovely streets here in Toronto's beautiful "Annex". My Canon EOS DSLR ― not my carry-everywhere Canon SX 720 HS, but my EOS ― just happened to be on hand for a needed capture.

Postscript: I looked farther down the asphalt strip to see if I could find a two-dimensional coyote. Nothing. He must have gotten away and is now working on his next scheme....

Picturing: Fix Sign(s) Toronto

While I strolled in my neighbourhood early this morning in a quest to end up at my local Tim Hortons, something caught my eye: "I spy, with my little eye, a bent street sign...."

Walmer Road is one of many lovely streets here in Toronto's beautiful "Annex".

My Canon EOS DSLR ― not my carry-everywhere Canon SX 720 HS, but my EOS ― just happened to be on hand for a needed capture.

Snip: BBC Website Headline on UK Elections Today

Minutes ago I decided to check out the BBC's website (www.bbc.com) in order to see what British media is saying about the UK's federal election. Polls closed in the Isles at 10pm (5pm Toronto, or ET, time).

Rishi Sunak and his royal Conservatives are on the road to being crushed by Keir Starmer and his Labour party.

Before I hit the hay tonight I'll check to see how delicious my sleep will be: sweet dreams of destroyed Conservatives....

Picturing: That Jar of Marmite

I can still picture it, that jar of Marmite that my mother seemed to keep active on an upper kitchen cupboard in our 'Greenwood' (Nova Scotia) PMQ. My five-year-old self could not reach for it, and I was old enough to know that I had no inclination to reach for it... that little glass jar of some disgusting greasy paste. That smell ― yes, that smell ― has lingered in my olfactory memories all these years later.

Two years ago I read an article somewhere, probably a British website or newspaper, about the health (health?) benefits of consuming (please no) Marmite. My English mum would understand the savoury British staple, but why would she spread it on toast for me? Actually, I don't remember on what 'platform' I took that substance, but I've heard that Brits enjoy it on toast.

Reading the article pushed me to ask for it in my local Metro supermarket. A gent in Aisle 2 answered my question with: "No, I haven't seen it for a while. I think there's a supply problem."

Then I forgot all about my quest.

This morning I asked again: the lovely lady in Aisle 3 at Metro was confused at first; a smart blank look: "Is it a candy? What is it, exactly?"

"It's a... yeast extract. Brits like it."

"Oh, that black jar, the little black jar!"

I couldn't contain myself: "That's it!"

"Have a look in Aisle Two. That's where the international foods are kept."

I didn't see anything black outside of Soya and Teriyaki sauces, and....

... a voice from behind me: "I found it!"

Now that I'm back home with my precious little jar (and some sushi), I'll need to read up on the best ways to 'enjoy' Marmite....

Picturing: An RCAF 100th Anniversary Hoodie

Celebrating the RCAF's 100th Anniversary with a hoodie from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada).

Great museum, by the way... this way: https://www.warplane.com/visit/directions-to-museum.aspx

Picturing: Sprouting Green Around a Toronto Church

While getting my coffee this morning, I was taken by a beautiful scene: Walmer Street Church, in "The Annex", Toronto, has planters sprouting green surrounded in green.

A beautiful city has greenery.

Happy Canada Day! 2024

Like many Canadians, I am so grateful to be living in this great country.

Sunday Fun: King of Kensington ― Opening

"Larry King", played by one Al Waxman, ran a variety store here in Toronto's famed "Kensington Market" ― hence the show title, King of Kensington.

The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) sitcom ran from 1975 to 1980 and was fairly popular in this country ― and it was syndicated to some U.S. stations. Despite the fact that this sometimes-pompous television critic had decided at a young age that he did not like sitcoms, he did watch some episodes in King's earliest years: I remember taking in a show with my mother and figuring her laughter to be some kind of 'seal of approval'. (She was British.)

King of Kensington's first season was released on DVD. This surprised me. As I found out years ago, attempting to put old CBC shows to home-video is a legal minefield, a nightmare due to a tangling of rights issues. (Actor contracts at the time did not account for the home-video market.)

Those opening titles are pretty wonderful, with a memorable song. By the way, the intersection at the clip's beginning is that of Augusta Avenue and Nassau Street. I live just a few minutes walk from there ― time to take some snaps to illustrate what that intersection looks like now. Kensington Market is where I would do a lot of my grocery shopping (fresh produce!), but, in some of its markets, prices have really gone up over the years. (I first noticed the bump-up around 2010.)

Final note: Al Waxman later co-starred on the CBS drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982-1988). He was very good as the titular characters' big boss.

What a guy.

Picturing: A Special Sunlit Tree in Toronto

On Thursday, in order to get some big steps in, I made my way home from the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) subway station, "St. Clair West". It's been a long time since I last walked down that upper stretch of Spadina Road. My breath had been taken away when I looked up and ahead as I walked, approaching Casa Loma. It was early evening and the scene was a gorgeous green.

The tree seen here stood right out with its vibrant trunk and branches. The sun was cutting low from the West, splashing late day golden rays, revealing riches of chroma.

Postscript: I'm not a fan of enhanced pictures where one boosts the colours to unreal levels. The photo here I posted "as is".

Sunday Magazine: Football in Germany ― Euro 2024

I wish I were in Germany right now, taking in Euro2024. For years this cheap bastard has been meaning to go back to that beautiful country, with such restricted motivations inspiring me to at least hire a 'German' tutor. (Not much is stopping me from going there for a week or two, to soak up the sights, sounds, and... beer & pretzels.)

A client of mine's parents are from Spain, and knowing I'm a big football fan, he gave me a copy of Guia De Oro.

Picturing: A Freshly Fallen Toronto Maple Leaf

Strolling down a freshly minted sidewalk here in Toronto brought me to the above beauty: a freshly fallen maple leaf. (No Toronto Maple Leafs jokes, please... that's my domain. Did you hear about those Maple Leafs strewn about the local golf course?)

I used my smart phone's camera for this one as it was just too handy.

Isn't nature beautiful?

Father's Day 2024

H.W. St. Laurent, RCAF / CAF

Reading: Roger Corman (Gray)

With Roger Corman's passing last month at the age of 98, this big fan of the prolific director and producer went for the bookcase. Sitting among my film & television-themed books sat Roger Corman: an Unauthorized Biography of the Godfather of Indie Filmmaking (Beverly Gray, 2000). While I reread it a few summers ago, it was time to dig back in.

What a brilliant guy. The Intruder (1962) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964) are two favourite films of mine. They illustrate how, as director and Corman alumni member Jonathan Demme once said, that when he wanted to be, Corman was an excellent director. No kidding.

As a producer and studio exec, of his own studio, he kept on going: through many decades, to the day he died.

Gray's book is a warts-and-all telling of her years working for the man. Through extensive interviews with many others who worked for the man at some point in the breadth of years, notes and memories are discussed, compared, and decoded.

"And to all my fellow Roger Corman alumni who've gone on to make a difference in the film industry."

Indeed!

DVD: Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles)

Magical Mystery Tour

Made by

The Beatles

EMI Records Limited

2012

***

A few years ago I found out that my Beatles-fan brother had not yet seen a certain 1967 television opus. I asked why he hadn't sought out that essential slice of Fab Four 'merchandise'.

"I'm afraid I'll be disappointed."

This Beatles fan, if not quite "fanatical", enjoyed the group's foray into filmmaking, Magical Mystery Tour. While it might not be magical, it has its appeal for some of us.

"They're promising to take me away!"

Willingly I went along for the bus ride, sharing the "coach", as they call tour buses in the UK, with a sorting of interesting and odd characters. Through the frequent stops in various towns, villages, and fields, the crowd's buffoonery becomes the scenery. The production involved a lot of made-up shenanigans, and at times it shows. There is that unscripted "let's just have fun" vibe to most of the 53-minute running time. And there are those great Beatles songs to give the picture some solid ground, even if a lyric mentions a walrus and we see a "walrus", and a line speaks of a "fool on the hill" and what we get is Paul McCartney playing not so much a fool, but a bored-looking bloke standing still, on a hill.

Though critics at the time of MMT's original television showing in December of 1967 complained of being bored stiff, today's rearview mirror of some 50+ years rates the flick as an interesting, if not exactly absorbing, artifact. Unique among the telly tableau of the mid-sixties, the Beatles-authored experimental film plays better today... though many fans now still list this creative tour as a rare Fab Four trip.

The DVD contains a few extra features: I'm interested to hear what Magical Mystery Tour booking agent and organizer Paul McCartney has to say....

Poem: Don't Show the Monster Too Much at the Beginning

A sick and dying cockroach
traversing a wet cold roof
Old Man’s lot in life
is an empty lot

his mind made of mucilage
in a detritus of thoughts

eligible for citizenship
in a nightmare country
lying peacefully in agony

land mounds built away
from progress of waste

The sun slides silently back
Aurally and visually stunning
Promising a mourning rise

These hills have
Gary Mitchell eyes

___

2019

Simon St. Laurent

Newton's Waste Materialization

Image Orthicon ― Immy ― Emmy

Sunday Fun: Jimmy Kimmel Delights in Trump Camp

I don't watch these late-night shows, never have, but I have to admit that this segment above, from Jimmy Kimmel, is absolutely brilliant: satire in its purest late-night form.

Oh... in case you haven't guessed, Mr Kimmel pries expired Commander in Chief Donald Trump from an expired can of Chef Boyardee Beefaroni.

Pardon the imagery.

Enjoy!

The Great Aluminum Foil

"I've often wondered about the 2 distinct philosophies to space tech between the two superpowers. The US always seemed to be gunning for more and more complex systems of tech and machinery and the USSR seemed to be more leaning towards "good enough". I think they still use rocket tech that's over 40 years old. Hmmmm...."

The above was a response to my posting from June 7th, 2016, "Yes, Russia Did Win the Space Race. And How!" The comment prompted me to respond with some details. Rereading it a few days ago prompted me to do a minor edit and repost....

There is some truth to what you state.

The issue is much too complicated for summation through a few simple paragraphs.

But try, I shall.

The USSR's rocket scientists and engineers too went for "tech", but Soviet industry was not always up for the challenge. For instance, in the 1960s the thickest gauge of sheet aluminum that the Republic could produce was 13mm, causing major problems for their moonshot heavy-lift rocket, the N-1. This deficit meant that the skin of the rocket could not be used as an integral part of the fuel tank; separate internal tanks had to be made, adding to the overall tonnage. The completed assembly came in seriously overweight, which was a contributing problem for the space engineers in their attempt to deliver a substantial enough moon-landing vehicle.

The R-7 "Soyuz" rocket's ancestry can be traced back to the 1950s, but, of course, the booster and the Soyuz spacecraft itself have been modified many times since then. Yes, it works; wonderfully, dependably well.

The open market of the United States of America ― and much of the West ― definitely encourages great leaps in scientific and technological progress, but it is a myth that the engineers under the Soviet system were somehow backwards, unambitious, and perhaps best suited for reorienting bowling pins produced over the Ural Mountains.

Stone knives and bearskins, not.

You may be right when you say "good enough". Over-engineering is not optimal: the US space shuttle ― in hindsight a machine that was too complex, leading to a ridiculously expensive and often unwieldy program. Hard to believe, in a way, that the space shuttle is now history. (History won't be kind to the US space shuttle program, unfortunately.)

Coffee Story for a Sunday Morning

A few years ago I read Norman Lear's autobiography Even This I Get to Experience. The late great film and television producer produced an easy and informative read. The book is full of memorable stories, with the following being one of my favourites:

Lear had a conflicted and complicated relationship with his father, Hyman ("Herman"), but he had some fond memories of his upbringing. One such memory is how his father would get up in the morning and savour his cup of coffee. (Herman loved life and lived it to the fullest ― including a few years in the slammer when Norman was a child.)

Many people are forever looking for the secret to a happier life. Maybe part of the answer is on the table in front of them.

Bottled Inspiration? I Asked

Does alcohol help the creative juices flow? I asked this very question six years ago, and I will ask it again, even if I'm more aware of the only answer possible. Like many people who write I probably work better with caffeine. I have no memory of writing while consuming alcohol. Oh... I do. Over pints of beer I did a major rewrite of a troublesome script of mine: no more than a couple frosties per pub-based writing session. To be perfectly honest, the rewrite produced a much better script. Inspiration, not inebriation.

When Charles Bukowski was around he probably could answer that question faster than he could put back a full bottle of wine at one of his poetry readings. (Very fast.) He never stopped at one full bottle. The guy must have been prickled!

Some regular readers here might say to my claim that I don't write over beer or wine: "Coulda fooled me." Quantity, not quality.

Picturing: Planters Welcome at a Walmer Road Church

This morning, while walking up Walmer Road here in Toronto's beautiful "Annex" neighbourhood after getting a Tim Hortons coffee, something caught my peripheral vision: milk crate planters... lots of them... rows of them. Seedlings are beginning to sprout at the east end of Walmer Road Baptist Church. It's a beautiful day here in the city: warm in the sun; cool in the shade; with much greenery.

Those crates will soon harbour a sea of green.

Victoria Day: HMS Victoria

As it's Victoria Day here in Canada, and another lovely day here in the great city of Toronto, I thought it might make some sense for me to post something with the name "Victoria" on this beautiful day. A few years ago I read a fine book titled Castles of Steel - Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert K. Massie, the amount of detail brought to life by a wonderful sense of story-telling is most impressive.

John Rushworth Jellicoe (1859 – 1935) was Admiral of the Fleet in Britain's Royal Navy during "The Great War" (better known today as World War I); Massie spends some time giving background to "Jack": Guys like Jellicoe did, and still do, their time on a series of warships before reaching the top office. One vessel on which he served in the late 1800s was HMS Victoria; and he almost drowned after the ship was accidentally punctured by another. When the 'bang' happened Jellicoe was in bed with a dysentery-induced 103 degree (Fahrenheit) fever. He ran up to the deck to see what had happened. Not long after he began to help fellow sailors abandon the sinking Victoria, the once-mighty battleship started to capsize. In the name of "every man for himself" the executive officer fell off the side and into the sea. As Jellicoe noted in a letter he wrote to his mother after the close-call: "The curious thing is that my temperature today is normal, so the ducking did me good."

This hull-head was not familiar enough with that Royal Navy vessel, so, naturally, I consulted Wikipedia: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Victoria_(1887)

On it I saw a photograph that I had initially believed to be a contemporary painting. The image has a painterly quality, making my error understandable. It is a lovely, multi-textured photograph ― taken in 1888....

Quote: Author Tom Holden on the Creative Type

“For some reason in our modern, sterile and sometimes harsh world, creativity is something that is frowned upon. Never be ashamed of this talent ― it marks you out as different from huge swatches of the population.”

True.

Notes from a Brat: RCAF Hercules ― Trips of Notes

A "flip" on a Canadian Armed Forces CC-130 Hercules built some of my fondest memories. As a military "dependent", or "brat", one gets occasional lifts on transport aircraft. In my case, a trip to England from West Germany, and back again, involved hopping onto a Herc.

Kids, brat kids, don't care about the luxury of a commercial airliner as much as the raw and open power of four Allison turboprops propelling noisily a military transport aircraft. During takeoff, especially, the racket is invigorating. But, my mother hated it. I can still picture her sitting opposite me. She slumped in her seat, obviously hoping the flight would be brief.

I remember a flight back to West Germany out of Gatwick Airport. The aircraft was packed: service people and their families, and individuals, occupying all available seating ― there is no designated seating on a Herc, by the way; no seat 12A. As a matter of fact, the seats would be better described as "webbing". As I sat against the forward starboard bulkhead, the flight suddenly, and without any warning, became a joy ride. We shot straight up from our seats and seconds later we were dropped with great force back down. Mere inches from my right foot a blur and a great sound: "Clack-cla-ClackClack!" The tethered cargo retaining shackles that were normally affixed to the bulkhead immediately beside me had also risen during the aircraft drop, but instead of falling back into position, they fell to the floor, missing me... barely. I asked my dad years later about that incident. He remembered it, too:

"If those hadda hit you there would've been hell to pay."

"What happened?"

"The loadmaster wasn't doing his job."


My sister served in our Forces for a few years in the 1980's. She was stationed for some time at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. "Maple Flag", a training exercise, is hosted at the base every summer. A participant in these games is the Hercules. One day a compatriot asked Karen if she wanted to jump on board. She said yes.

During Maple Flag, Hercs will execute a series of evasive maneuvers. This process involves the pilot (a "Herc Driver") putting his or her machine into various attitudes: skids; power back; power full; turns; and so on. The idea is you are being attacked and such changes in the aircraft's flight attitude increases your chances of survival. During the twists and turns, flares are dropped in order to help 'confuse' any intercepting missiles.

It was hot. The Herc flew its special maneuvers over prairie fields. Karen started to feel unwell. It was too much for her system; too much to take. It was bound to happen.

As she held the special receiving bag in front of her mouth, she unloaded. A steady stream of stomach contents. A crewmember rubbed her back.

The aircraft landed back at the base. Karen: "The most humiliating part was I had to carry my bag of vomit off the plane."

I asked her recently who the crewmember was. "It might have been the flight engineer." I doubt it. He would have been in the cockpit, with the pilots. It was probably the loadmaster.

Leafs Fans Fail Leafs History

"Go ahead, sir. I'm in no rush."

My offer went appreciated but ultimately rejected.

The bloke explained his position: "I'm in no rush, either. There's no Leafs game to watch tonight."

I told him that I'm old enough to have remembered the last Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup victory had I seen it, but I was living overseas in 1967. My memory was in full swing by that point.

As I explained to the gent, "I could tell people that I saw the Leafs win the Stanley Cup". (What a claim that would be. With beer and pretzels.)

Then depression set in. That was a long time ago!

Sorry, Leafs fans. Fallen to the cracks of history.

Leafs Fan Perspectives

Some readers could be forgiven for getting the unmistakable impression that I don't like the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last night, that 'storied' NHL club was eliminated in the first round by the Boston Bruins ― stopped from participating in the race for professional team sports' most beautiful championship trophy, the Stanley Cup. Yet again. When I got an alert indicating the game's final score, I celebrated immediately: I had a cigarette.

But.

As I'm prone to say at times: "Perspective!"

A story about this hockey fan in 1971....

In April of that year, deep in the National Hockey League playoffs, I, for some bizarre and inexplicable reason, was hopeful for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team in eternal question was playing against the New York Rangers, a good, solid club, and one coached by the great Emile Francis.

The date was April 15th, it was game 6 of the quarter final round between these two members of the "original six". The Rangers led the best-of-seven series by three games to two.

Overtime: This match, tied at 1-1, was resolved with venomous brutality when a Rangers player (Jean Ratelle? Walt Tkaczuk?) scooted down the ice over the Leafs blue-line, through a hapless Leafs defenceman (Jim McKenny?), and snapped off a quick shot. Goaltender Jacques Plante shot out his right leg, he stretched out his toes, but failed to stop or deflect the smoking disc-shaped piece of vulcanized rubber from fulfilling its Nomad-like programming. The next event was more acoustic in nature; the sound of what happens after a speeding 6-ounce hockey puck motions past a Leafs goalie at such a critical time in the NHL season. "Clank!!!"

(Forever Futility.)

I did my job quite well: I was a pro. I (got a wee bit upset).

My dad laughed, no doubt amused by a hockey-loving kid who had yet to snap out of a silly phase. I can still picture him, to my right, getting a kick out of my "upset". Translation: "Kid, it's just a bleedin' game. It means absolutely nothing in and among the grand schemes of life." (My dad was right, of course; except when his beloved Habs lost.)

For decades I've asked myself the question: "Why?" Not the question of why a Leafs goalie would fail to stop or deflect an ice hockey puck, which even an answer of "42" could not explain away, but why I would waste allegiances on a total, complete, absolute, non-achiever. This memorable match had played out mere weeks after my 10th birthday, and after the Leafs team began to brush up on all the interesting local golf courses and beer halls, I would, in guided prescience and with great leaps of maturation, shoot my affections to the Montreal Canadiens. This would pay off ― sorry for the spoiler, young ones ― and my reaction this time around would be one of: Joy.

Toronto-based sports journalist Peter Gross reported on the wireless this morning that the Toronto Maple Leafs are just one loss away from being "mathematically eliminated" from making the playoffs this year.

This cynic must admit: That loosey-goosey sports organization has been improving since 1971. By way of avoiding playoff games on a regular yearly basis they spare many a 10-year-old from having certain hopes and, more importantly, breakdowns. And from having anything of relevant interest to write about 53 years later.

(Replay: "Claaaaank"!)

Flash Poem: Whither Leafs? (Fields of Evergreen)

Whither Leafs?

To where does a withered Leaf fall?

To the manicured green grasses below

of course....

___

2022

Simon St. Laurent

A Toronto Maple Leafs Yearly Celebration

Last night the Boston Bruins eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the NHL playoffs. This is a tradition... a "Boston Tea Leaf Party".

"Into the harbour!"

Post-season analysis, a tradition with pundits and Leafs-fans alike:

"The Leafs have some issues to address before they can promote themselves as serious Stanley Cup contenders"... "It was a fine regular season run but it goes to show you the playoffs are a much tougher league"... "All those young Leafs players have to be convinced it's important to carry their play from the regular season into the playoffs"... "It's been said the playoffs separate the men from the boys; an aphorism which required but a few games to entomb a certain club in ice"... "The facts are incontrovertible: the Toronto Maple Leafs' icebound scramblings were not good enough."

Quote: Cats on Countertops

"Yeah, they sure are convenient, aren't they?"

Cats.

Picturing: A N/E Section of Bloor/Spadina ― Toronto

I miss this Bloor Street Second Cup store location... and, for that matter, its wonderful staff. Corporate interests are partially destroying those charming and essential parts of Toronto. This city is great, yes, but let's keep it great. Development isn't always a plus.

Apparently, an ugly condo tower will be going up. My predictor computer knew the answer. How?

Flash Poem: Writers' Rights!

Writers write!

Any where

Any time

Any way

it comes naturally

sans inhibition

without limitation:

in a diary

on a script

a postcard

a napkin

Writers write!

All ways....

___

2022

Simon St. Laurent

Air Canada A320 on Approach to Toronto Pearson

While testing my newest Canon zoom lens, I snapped this picture of an Air Canada Airbus A320 as it banked to port on approach to Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Space: 1999 is Live-Streaming on YouTube Again

Last week Shout! Studios began to live-stream the old television series Space: 1999. After I made the discovery I popped up a post with the embedded video feed. On Wednesday I noticed the stream was no longer available. Fine. I don't like to delete my posts, but delete it I did.

Shout! reactivated the Space stream. I kept my html: now below the video.

In September and October of last year, I wrote a series of articles looking back at the old science-fiction/horror series Space: 1999 (1975 - 1977). The premiere piece for "Space: 1999 Days" was Space: 1999 Days ― Breakaway from Earth.

While on YouTube this past week, I noticed that Shout! Studios is live-streaming Space: 1999. As I write this, the episode running is Part One of the pulp fun two-parter "The Bringers of Wonder" from the show's second, and last, season. (Year Two was an improvement over the often-irritating Year One. It certainly was for me.)

So, if you're familiar with the space adventures of the Moonbase Alpha crew, and want to relive that experience of watching a series that you may or may not have liked when it first ran, or saw in syndication: enjoy! For those of you who are perhaps too young to know what a 'space nineteen... what?' is, or was: enjoy!

Space: 1999, for all its too-often script problems, had a look all its own. While I've never been crazy about the bland (and incomplete) Moonbase Alpha sets, certainly those of the show's freshman year, the strange new worlds depicted are often unique and quite lovely ― I call them "European Art School". All one has to do is put up with the, at times, trying storylines. And a lack a believable characterizations, but, again, Year Two is much better in that regard.

Flash Poem: Who's Flattery?

How much is too
much flattery?

It depends on who it
is you are flattering

It might fly
or lie flat.

___

2017

Simon St. Laurent

Enrico Nicola 'Henry' Mancini (1924 - 1994)

This morning I was reminded that the late film and television composer Henry Mancini would have celebrated his 100th birthday today. We tend to think of the maestro as the creator of the Pink Panther and Peter Gunn themes, and popular songs such as "Moon River", but previous to those impeccable hit pieces, he worked for years as a studio musician, writing music under contract for Universal Studios productions.

Below, third from the left, is Mr Mancini as he partakes in some song with a few fellow film and television composers.

Left to right: Leonard Rosenman, David Raksin, Henry Mancini, Jeff Alexander, Lynn Murray, Alexander Courage.

Picturing: Stem of Fresh Broccoli

Humour for a Monday Morning

Last week I told a friend that I live just a hop, skip, and a jump from Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum but I've never... set foot in there.

Some Uplifting Quotes for a Monday Morning

"You're so busy doubting yourself while so many others are intimidated by your potential."

I should send that to someone.

I'd adapt it slightly for some people I know:

"You're so busy doubting yourself while so many others are intimidated by what good things you do and have done."

Some people take one's accomplishments so personally.

Yuri Gagarin! (63 Years Ago Today)

This long time space cadet has not forgotten that today is the 63rd anniversary of Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight. The twenty-seven year old's one-orbit mission on Vostok 1 made him a name the world over. The news of a man travelling in space was exciting to this planet's masses, but it left many Americans stunned that such a "backwards" country could achieve such a feat and be the first to do so.

The USSR was not so backwards, after all.

First off, guidance control was so sophisticated that Gagarin's flight was totally automated, from the launch of the R-7 rocket to the cosmonaut's ejection after the capsule re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. The mission was controlled from the ground, with the space pilot having the option of taking over flight systems only if the need arose.

For all its successes, the Vostok 1 flight was not trouble-free. The scariest part for Gagarin was when the retaining straps holding his spherical capsule to the service module did not completely disconnect before the re-entry phase. The whole unwieldy vehicle tumbled wildly. The man on the ride thought the end was near. Luck, destiny, or some other force, eventually took control of the mission: Vostok 1 re-oriented itself into a proper descent attitude after the intense heat of atmospheric re-entry burned off the 'recalcitrant' metal strap.

For purely technical reasons, man and spacecraft did not land together on USSR soil, as a soft landing had not yet been perfected by the Soviet engineers. The only way to ensure complete success, not to mention comfort, was to have the cosmonaut land via parachute away from his capsule. By the way, this aspect of the flight had been kept secret, and for a good reason: Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) rules dictated that the pilot had to land in his or her vehicle, otherwise it was not a complete flight ― the secret got out when Gherman Titov admitted out loud that he had separated from his rapidly descending Vostok 2 capsule. (If one were to acknowledge and accept the FAI's requirements to the letter, it was actually U.S. astronaut Alan Shepard who accomplished the first manned space flight when he flew in his Mercury capsule just a few weeks after Gagarin's trip.)

The Soviet Union's space-travelling star landed in a farmer's field. Mission accomplished!

"Yuri Gagarin!"

Flash Poem: You Must Find Yours (Good Luck!)

They did
you see

They said
to me

Behold!

Bliss dropped from
the sky

But I

know not where
... nor why.

___

2017

Simon St. Laurent

Twilight Zone Versus the Ants (The Outer Limits)

For some, the issue of which is the better television series is of the utmost importance. I like both equally, and, they are actually two different shows once one gets past the anthology format, which both share equally.

The Twilight Zone (1959 - 1964)
More fantasy than science fiction.

The Outer Limits (1963 - 1965)
More science fiction than fantasy.


I have a first-hand story regarding that great often-fought interdimensional and interstellar battle.

Years ago I was visiting my neighbour. The food and drink came out, but nobody got drunk. The ensuing discussions were of the type expected at a friendly get together.

It happened. Scott, boyfriend of my neighbour, seemed to have a problem with my holding The Outer Limits in the same esteem I did The Twilight Zone. "Oh, come on, man. The Outer Limits was so bad. There was that episode that was so typical. The one with the robot boxer."

A challenge! I was thrown straight into the ring: "That episode was called 'Steel'. It starred Lee Marvin. And it was a Twilight Zone episode."

Passion. The fists flew.

Well, he pointed: "You're wrong." And continuing variations on that theme.

I went back to my apartment, and from my bookcase I pulled The Twilight Zone Companion (Marc Scott Zicree).

Back to the battlefield!

With the book opened at the proper page, the chapter on "Steel", Scott's jaw dropped. In the manner expected of a soul converted by a well-placed "K.O.", he emitted a feeble, but emotive: "This is a conspiracy." (Emphasis his.)

On such matters, don't argue with Uncle Simon.

No. "Uncle Simon" is a Twilight Zone episode.

An Answering Machine Easter Egg

Many years ago my roommate at the time and I decided to have some fun: we recorded a message for answering machine which could be best described as "daring".

Dave had a four-track audio recorder; it used cassette tape, the kind of tape used as the 'outgoing' message on my Panasonic answering machine. Inspiration hit the two of us fast and hard. We wrote the script quickly and prepared to record the message. In my music collection I have a CD titled "Hollywood's Greatest Hits Volume Two". On one track Dave and I laid down Elmer Bernstein's theme from the 1956 opus The Ten Commandments, specifically, the pastoral passage right after the bombast proper ― the background music we hear playing under the voice of God.

Next: Dave's recording of the voice of God. His voice was better than my nasally own for this important document. After we had the two tracks down it was a matter of giving the commanding orator some reverb. (A dry voice track would inspire no one, no matter how persuasive the text.)

We were very happy with our effort.

As the British would say, "the show went out".

The reaction was much greater than what we were expecting. Callers who got the outgoing message thought it was very funny, hilarious. What happened was the word quickly got around about our answering machine commandments. People would call just to hear the message, and since Dave and I were busy guys, chances were that they would get the machine.

A mutual friend went into hysterics when we gave him a live playback, but after he regained his composure, he told us his concern that some folk might not find our commandments humorous.

After some time Dave and I pulled the work. Unfortunately it's gone; we know not where.

Here is a transcription, not scripture:

"Luuuke. I mean....Mosesss. Thou shalt leave a message at the tone. Leave thy name and numberrr... (at this point Dave's voice speeds into a 'Maxwell Smart') ... And when I get a chance, I'll call you back!"

The Cuban Missile Crisis: At The Brink (PBS, 1992)

Tonight while looking for 'history' videos to watch on YouTube, I stumbled upon the above hour-long program. First broadcast by PBS (Public Broadcasting System) on October 14th, 1992, thirty years after the events it covers, The Cuban Missile Crisis: At The Brink is a solid and fascinating look at how close humanity came to the checkout counter.

During that toggle-switch crisis I was a wee one, so I have no memory of it, but my mother told me years later just how scary those events were for everyone.

Just like now....

William Shatner Turns 93 Years Young

Canadian actor and author William Shatner is, quite simply, the coolest man in this galaxy. Happy Birthday to a fellow Montrealer.

A Flip on an RCAF/CAF C-130 Hercules

Some images take us way back. The photo above, which I grabbed from Wikipedia, flew me to my "brat" youth. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules has served the RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) for decades. In my day, the "Herc" was painted in the livery illustrated above, which only help feed the pangs of nostalgia.

The route of CFB Lahr to Gatwick Airport, and back again, was my trip; my "flip".