Postering Anti-F-35 in Toronto

 

On my way home from my noon-hour errands on Bloor Street, here in Toronto, I came across some folks who were just about to slap-up a poster of some kind. When I saw what the content was, I pulled out my handy Canon camera and went to work... after asking, of course, if the rebel crew didn't mind my taking some journalistic photos. They readily obliged. After I told them I think it's a big mistake for Canada to take the Lockheed Martin F-35 "Flying Brick" (my pet name for the Incredible Flying Folly Fighter Machine) the poster people gave me some lines about certain government "lobbying". Yes, I know all too well.

Enjoy the ridiculously expensive Eff Thirty-Five! ("Seats one, employs thousands." That's too funny.)

On a more pleasant note: I meant to put this picture up while it was hot off the circuitry, but I wanted to finish my sushi first. It was really good, by the way.

***

Postscript: the website for this group is www.nofighterjets.ca

Me on Catmates

"Cats are not pets, but roommates."

Yeah, and they never pay rent... but we let it go.

A Forever Question: Oceans Apart

“Since before your sun burned hot in space and before your race was born, I have awaited a question."

Sir. Why is there a "South Pacific" but no "North Pacific"?

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

Book: In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl (Trezise)

In and Out of the Goldfish Bowl

by

Rachel Trezise

Parthian Books

2000

CD: Marquee Moon (Television)

Marquee Moon

Television

Elektra

1989

Athot for the Day: Invading Forces

I'm old enough to remember the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; and I'm old enough to remember the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, as I was living in West Germany at that time (my father was with the Canadian Armed Forces as part of NATO).

So, I'm horribly not surprised by some things....

Liverpool and Man United?

I'm working away at home here, when minutes ago I decided to see if there are any Premier League action matches that I can break to today.

Liverpool vs Manchester United is a must-not-miss match made just for me. Between now (12:30pm) and 3pm there is a lot of time to work and wait... and to figure out who I really support in this case.

A Forever Question: And Ones

“Since before your sun burned hot in space and before your race was born, I have awaited a question."

Sir. When someone calls you a "zero", does that mean you're eligible for a fresh start?

Book: Script Doctor (Cartmel)

Script Doctor

- The Inside Story of Doctor Who 1986-1989 -

by

Andrew Cartmel

Miwk Publishing

2015

(this edition)

Sunday Fun: Standby for Action! (Standing By....)

On Wednesday I scribbled a piece about a (then) upcoming special concert in Birmingham, England -- a concert I may have attended had there been more lead time. While there I could visit relatives, and see a heritage country I've not been to in years. To be honest, especially with myself, the Isles' Covid restrictions are so poor that I probably would not have made the trip.

Nostalgia may have won out, however.

It was a busy week for me, and as soon as I posted Barry Gray Tunes in Birmingham This Weekend, I forgot about the 'upcoming' performance. Well, Sunday morning comes, and time arrives to let me treat the subject further....

From the BBC's website, posted four days ago:

Live orchestra Thunderbirds concert held in Birmingham

By Phil Mackie

Midlands Correspondent

For the first time ever, fans of Thunderbirds and Stingray will get the chance to enjoy the music from classic series - played live by an orchestra.

The iconic puppets have been brought to Symphony Hall in Birmingham for a unique concert.

Attendees can look forward to hearing every piece of music composed for Gerry Anderson's shows, from the earliest - the Adventures of Twizzle - all the way through to Terrahawks.

The show takes place on Saturday.

Anderson and his wife Sylvia created some of the best-loved television series of the 1960s and 70s.

I love how Brits define "television" in terms of their own product. We can't do that here in Canada, for obvious reasons. Sylvia and Gerry Anderson definitely produced television programmes that were part of my childhood: Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, and UFO were the big ones. Thank you, CKVR and CFTO (and CTV).

Some of the themes are regarded as classics - especially the Stingray theme and the Thunderbirds March. There were also songs, like the theme to Fireball XL5 which will be performed too.

Composer Barry Gray was a talent. His themes were not only "catchy", an almost prerequisite for telefantasy shows, certainly ones of that time, but the maestro's background scoring was often full of rocketship excitement: Witness the aural strains of brilliant brass played presto to a shot of a taxiing futuristic jetliner. And this was a childrens' programme. Unbelievable.

I'm guessing last night's concert went over well, and to the countdown of: "Five!... Four!...  Three!... Two!... One... Thunderbirds Are Go!"

Bloody brilliant!

Gerry Anderson and friends.

Barry Gray Tunes in Birmingham This Weekend

On BBC Radio 2, minutes ago: Show host Steve Wright played the title music to the old Supermarionation show, Thunderbirds. He explained why he was spinning International Rescue's theme tune....

"There's a special concert this weekend at the symphony hall in Birmingham. For the first time ever there will be an orchestra playing all the Gerry Anderson themes, such as Stingray and this Thunderbirds are go."

Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons were two favourite television programmes of mine when I was a child. As a matter of fact, I saw the feature film Thunderbird 6 on the big screen when it was released. Then UFO came along... to Canada's CTV network in September of 1970. As dark as it could be at times,  "U-Fo" was family viewing in our house.

Many Brits make fun of Birmingham. Perhaps they'll be there with "The Hood" this Saturday night.

Book: Young Filmmakers (Larson & Meade)

Young Filmmakers

Rodger Larson with Ellen Meade

Camelot / Avon Books

1971

Picturing: The Film Effects Crew, Toronto (1993)

L to R: Alan Peppiatt, Bob Yoshioka, Chris Ross, me, and George Furniotis.

(Missing: John Furniotis; Susan Furniotis; Brenda, the receptionist.)

Picturing: Toronto Harbourfront WaveDeck Walk

A Forever Question: Stems From

“Since before your sun burned hot in space and before your race was born, I have awaited a question."

Sir. Can one be a vegetarian if one eats a live plant?

My Day Planned Via a Simple Snip (Premier League!)

I've a lot to do, accomplish, but football may be my agent. (I pity the poor 'sports heads' who lose to the mighty gods of: ice hockey; North American football; basketball; baseball; volleyball; cricket; rugby; billiards; darts....)

Poem: Whither Leafs? (The Buds Do Spring)

Whither Leafs?

To where does a withered Leaf fall?

To the manicured green grasses below

of course....

___

2022

Simon St. Laurent

Leaving a Message for a Special Day

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 callers 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 reasonable facsimile:

"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!"

Book: Steven Spielberg (McBride)

Steven Spielberg

- A Biography -

by

Joseph McBride

University Press of Mississippi

(second edition)

2010