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josiewe · 3 years

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I don't care if you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever you identify yourselves as!

The bill is called, "Endless Frontier Act" . Let's see, very little goes to the military!??

120 billion dollars go to foriegn aid???? Foriegn Aid hmm while Americans need help. Let's give that money to other countries that's the ticket!! So none cannot be used for infrastructure??? 50 billion to big tech???? They don't have money?? 80 billion dollars to the national science??? The same one that needed to know how long it takes for a panda to poop?? Which cost 500 hundred thousand??? And some not to mention another 3 million to see if students could tell the difference between toilet water or bottled water and as I quote all of this garbage. And let's not forget another 500 hundred thousand to see if shrimp could walk on a treadmill underwater as I quote??? OMG!!!!!! That is all for the national science that have been given money before. Oh but they need 80 billion more! For what may you ask. No of course not you cannot ask because just look at what they spent the other money for! I mean think about how many homeless people they could of sheltered! Look how many people they could of fed!

Let me see if I got this straight!

Let's start with you Mr. Senator Schumer, let's see you started out with 40 billion bill which climbed to 200 billion and climbing! Let's see what's in it. Look at above to see part of what's in the bill for all this money! How about this bill how is it suppose to be for American manufacturing contain foreign aid???? As I quote! But President Joe Biden wants to tax the tax payers for the infrastructure, how about most of this bill go to infrastructure and military???? But I guess that would make sense and it would be a bill full of integrity guess not!!

Mr. Senator Schumer how do you go to sleep at night? You cannot be serious? For all that Is going to vote for this bill dosen't matter what political party you're from this bill is disgraceful!!!!!

And Madam Speaker of the House Pelosi, hmm a bill that had China making our important medicines???? What are you thinking??? I do not want China manufacturing our medicines!!!! What's wrong with American manufacturing medicine here??? Jobs for Americans! And how can you trust a country that unleashed the coronavirus?? I mean you have to have a brain cell to be able to know that this isnt a good idea! I do not know what you're thinking Pelosi? How much more damage can you incur during your career in politics?? I mean how much money are you making here? So I oppose to your bill to send all of our meds to be made in China!! Don't know how much more I can take from you Pelosi! And I love to know how much you're making off this deal!!! And Pelosi be careful what you wish for! Talking about yet again another investigation into the January 6, 2021 due to the fact what you're really going to find out what really happened might not be what you're looking for. Every person is going to see the truth. And it might not be all you're looking to for! So this might just backfire. Maybe the commission you're doing might not what to lie for you. Because if they do lie remember all lies will be found out. So many investigations you have done have cost the American citizens the tax payers money. We pay for everything you do with these investigations! Remember that Pelosi! The voters might be your worst enemy and take you out of office legally! We don't work for you! You work for us. So the mighty will be falling with all the corruption with you! Instead of being a strong woman with power for good you have abused your power. Sad you could of done good. You will be remembered not as the most powerful woman the worst speaker in history! But keep doing what you're doing see how far you fall down.

Mr. President Joe Biden, as for you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that day one of your presidency you removed the pipeline that killed so many Americans jobs during a pandemic?? But hold the phone your brilliant idea to restore Russia pipeline to resume?? Have to ask a question how much money you made there? But seriously have to wonder whose interest do you have? And what country did you become President in? Hmm that would be The United States of America right?? Not Russia right? You can see how bad this looks Right? I just try to grasp why would an American President do that? You know being energy independent Flourish right?? You do realize that your allowing the pipeline in Russia and you keep talking about climate change?? Have to laugh because how ridicules it even sounds when your promoting this in another country. Hmm our gas being hacked! Then rewarding the pipeline in Russia???? Amazing!! While all those voters that voted for you from the union of the pipeline, and day one of your presidency you cut it off???? Oh yes next the border! My parents brought me here to this country legally! And you just opened the border during the pandemic which you made Americans wear mask, didn't allow no travel?? But allow immigrants to come in without testing them for the coronavirus?? Hmm have to wonder? How many Americans have lost their jobs, homes, and so on? But you make sure the immigrants have everything. That to me is un-American. Not allowing for schools to open but had in person classes for the immigrants! What happened to all the American children??? Just cannot believe this is happening in this country ! It really is disgraceful! What about the Democratic mayor in Texas that had to lockdown the elementary school due to several immigrants climbing the school fence?? How afraid those children must of been. Trauma Mr. President Joe Biden those children must of felt. A Democrat mayor that has to have police, helicopters, checking the area. Is that a safe for the children or the community?? Have to ask a question what is it going to take dead Americans? To see what you have created are the border into our communities to be dangerous!!!! During an pandemic, during millions of Americans with work, losing their homes, struggling to get food!! But give everything to the immigrants for free?? What country are you President of??

I feel if you're a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or whatever you identify yourselves as this is not why we voted these elective officials for! I feel that every single politicians that do these types of thing should be legally removed. These elective official's that we put into office if they cannot stop caving in or they cannot have the best interest of the American citizens then these elective officials should be removed from office legally no matter the party they're in! Also any elective officials that promotes violence, hatred, or any racial slur should be removed immediately ! That goes for tweets, news media, anywhere public! Because no one from congress, Senate or any government officials should be allowed to do that. Regardless of party.

We need strong leaders not weak ones regardless of political party! We need strong leaders to stand up for the United States of America! Not to cave to anyone or any country! We need a strong integrity! And to be honest we need elective officials that wants the best for America and to the American citizens period!!! Without strengthen in our government we have nothing! We cannot have elective officials that cave to bullies! I always believed that when we elect officials they work for us not the other way around. Just remember the American citizens are not stupid! And not only the United States are watching but not only our country but the world!

It's time to wake up America and ask the question is this what we want??

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ppatibandla · 6 years

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My Quarter Life Crisis

Told in a Series of Saved Snapchats

In about four days from now, I’m going to turn 26, which made me think that this might be a great time to reflect on year 25 of my life.

And well, also because I’m going through a post new year slump. You know, the point of time when you realize that you’re not sticking to any of your resolutions, you’re still recovering from the holiday season and struggling to get back into the daily grind, blah blah blah.

Since my creativity and productivity are at an all-time low, I figured that maybe if I just write and reflect, it might help get the juices flowing in my brain again. And I obviously had to tell my story in the most stereotypically millennial way possible - illustrated by a series of Snapchats that I’d saved over the year! :D

Sooo, back to 25 - the milestone number, the axis of our twenties, the pinnacle of our youth *eye roll*- was it everything I’d hoped it would be? Absolutely freakin not! Why?

Well to start, I spent most of the first half of my 25th year, sick as a dog. I’m not sure what exactly happened but sometime in 2016, my immunity decided to go on a vacation.

Pretty sure I had brought it upon myself with my love for Indomie and Chunky Monkey (I’m sorry, mama!), but my body was suddenly no longer capable of fighting bad bugs on its own.

I was on antibiotics for various infections, eight different times in a span of fewer than six months. The amount and dosages I was prescribed caused absolute chaos in my body.

Two months into my 25th year, after a particularly high antibiotics course, my stomach was pretty upset (common antibiotic side effect). I waited for the effects to fade away, but they never did. One week in, three weeks in, one month in, two months in…...my stomach was still chronically upset. When I say “upset”, you’re probably visualizing explosive diarrhea but it wasn’t that. I could literally not eat any food without my stomach bloating, having immobilizing cramps and feeling extreme pressure and fullness.

Now, all of these symptoms might not seem like a big deal, but imagine if this is your constant state of being where you’re always aware of the discomfort in your stomach. Imagine if the only time you feel relief is when you wake up in the morning because your stomach is empty then. Imagine if anything you put in your mouth is accompanied by the anticipation and fear of feeling like crap for the rest of the day. This was my life for months.

The doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me, they said I probably had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Now those who are familiar with IBS will also know that it is basically a medical pseudonym for “we don’t know what the hell is wrong with your stomach”. I didn’t even know what the problem was in order to look for a solution! So to fix myself, I had to turn to the last place I wanted to for help - the internet.

When you look up a sickness on the internet, it can actually be really helpful or it can fill you with a crippling fear and conviction that you’re going to die. But I had no choice because my doctor had sent me home with this very wonderful, completely unhelpful advice:

“Well all your tests seem normal. Just wash your hands more and get more sleep so you don’t fall sick.”

*crickets*. This is what you went to med school for, lady? Thanks, much. >:-[

Also, everyone and their dog is a doctor on the internet. You have no clue who out there actually knows what they’re talking about and who is click-baiting you.

Norma here would have made a much better doctor!

After trudging through hundreds of websites, I began my experimentation with the different remedies that Dr. Internet prescribed, in the hopes that it would give me some relief.

I tried three-day juice cleanses (juice only diet) and water fasts. This is supposed to help reset your stomach by giving it a break from digesting food. I received temporary relief but the moment I started eating again, my discomfort would return.

I avoided foods known to cause intolerance for months like gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, caffeine etc.

On a side note, I never realized how difficult life is when you have to actively check for and avoid ingredients like gluten, which wipes out more than half the options available to consume. My utmost respect for people who have to do this on a regular basis!

But that wasn’t helpful either because my condition was seemingly random, not caused (though exacerbated) by any particular kind of food.

I tried more antibiotics (look up Xifaxan, you need to sell a kidney to even afford this medication) and a ton of herbal drugs. Seriously, while my peers were out spending their money on vacation and parties, I was spending all of mine on expensive herbs and probiotics which promised results, but sadly never delivered. The herbal stuff was especially scary because it’s not regulated by the FDA - I was gambling with trying to fix my problem at the cost of causing new problems for my body.

And of course, I also tried more obvious things like yoga, crying, praying and what not, all in a desperate attempt to fix myself. I was trying to go about my daily life and work with a semblance of normalcy but I felt anything but normal.

There I was at 25, prime of my youth, unable to consume food, taking fistfuls of pills every night and avoiding eating any actual food, just so I didn’t have to deal with the discomfort. I lost a bunch of weight and the stress took the biggest toll on me, making my condition even worse. As if all of this was not bad enough, various members of my immediate family were having serious health issues as well which was further upsetting me.

Finally, sick of my constant visits, the doctor recommended that I get an Upper Endoscopy - a procedure where they shove a camera down your throat to look inside your stomach to make sure you don’t have cancer or a tumor.

$800 and the awful experience of having a minor surgery all alone later, the doctor came back and told me the same thing - my tests were normal! He suggested getting some other tests done too and kept talking, but as I laid there in bed in my shitty hospital gown and listened to him talk, I totally had a dramatic, bollywoodesque moment. I felt the doctor’s voice fade into the background as I made up my mind that I was fine. I covered all my grounds, did all the tests, tired all the remedies which yielded no results. I decided right then and there that I was going to be fine, even if I wasn’t.

And I swear to God, it felt like a switch had flipped and my body started getting better overnight. That night for dinner, I said “screw this shit” and bought myself pizza - I was eating gluten and dairy after months! I went back to eating everything like normal and ignoring the familiar discomfort I felt in my stomach.

Hell yeah, I post food Snapchats! Judge away!

And just like that in the following weeks, I started feeling so much better. Am I absolutely cured today? Is this going to be a miracle recovery story? Sadly, nope.

I still have pretty bad days when I’m doubled over with pain and I still take many probiotics and supplements every night. IBS is a chronic condition with no cure, it can only be managed. I know that it could be worse and that I should be grateful - I am grateful. But IBS has definitely affected the quality of my life and I will probably never be able to fully go back to how I was before. But I have learned to live with it and it’s just another part of my life now.

These were just some of the herbs, probiotics, supplements, vitamins and prescription meds I took (and still take) over the past year :/

So there you go, adulthood hit me like a brick when I turned 25 by bringing on wonderful IBS and what’s more stereotypically a sign of age than GI issues? I brought this upon myself because of self-imposed stress. The moment I consciously stopped thinking about it, I gave my body the opportunity to restore itself, at least to a capacity where I was able to go about my daily life with relative ease.

None of the stress I was dealing with was particularly special, it’s stuff we all deal with - career, visa, money, family, friends, romance etc etc. But I let it get to me and it nearly destroyed the one thing that I actually can’t fix if broken - my health.

In addition to being chronic, IBS is also pretty common and affects many people in different forms. I am hoping that my overshare story is relatable to those who suffer from it and for those who don’t, please chill out and don’t mess yourself up over things that don’t really matter like I did. Pretty basic life lesson which we all know but conveniently ignore.

But year 25 was still pretty awesome - I made great new friends (and lost some) and got my H1B visa finally after 3.5 years. IBS definitely did not hold me back from going on many many many adventures.

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A Snapchat montage of all my adventures from year 25.

While I’m super excited for 26, I do feel the twinge of regret because like most people my age, I’m nowhere near what I thought I would be by now. But a big part of growing up is realizing that the world sucks, it’s not fair, there’re always going to be men with bad hair and no intelligence (read Trump) trying to control you and there ain’t nothing you can do about it. It’s all about accepting that success is defined differently for everyone, that you can’t change everything and being okay with that. It took me a totally avoidable physical and mental crisis to realize that. Here’s me hoping that your journey to self actualization is smoother!

P.S Before you click through and start reading my older blog posts, please note that everything before this was from when I was younger, dumber and not nearly as woke.

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pronetopronoia · 6 years

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Album Debut: In Memorandum TRIGGER WARNING (for the reader)

Fuckin’ YO!

“I met a rapper and he shared with me his new album and then killed himself.”

Truth BOMB for the less familiar with literature: This is just a personality I made up in order to write this album right now. That is how writing works. I am not pursuing a rap career. I’m not being paid for this so I can do whatever the fuck I want because it’s my own personal blog.

Consider this blog my own personal open mic, hence the trigger warning for you.

Here’s where first I, then the made-up rapper personality, ramble on and on and over-hype ourselves up prior to the actual lyrics:

A “bit” about me:

First of all, to that game, have you ever/already? My answer is probably.

The University of Iowa Cinema and Comparative Literature programs are pretty good. They are now two different programs, when I went there back before ISIS was even a thing, they were one combined program. I switched to that from Pre-Med.

LOL - no, seriously, that is what the online system was called to register for classes that kicked in at some point.

I switched to that major from Pre-Med so I could get fucking wasted more with “the cool kids”. And also be in Marching Band instead of rowing on the Crew Team. I would rather hang out with dorks than single lesbians. Sorry. Unless they are sex-deprived dorks then I can’t even with that. Also the drumline guys were hot and man were they were mean to me, haha!

“Jesus fucking christ, Lauren, everyone deserves love and affection!”

Yeah, I’m not saying that, but if they are annoying and pushy as an adult then they aren’t getting it from me so best move along. Do you want something else? Other friends? Cool, I have referrals! Money? Sorry, fresh out. Do you need a job? I can point you in a direction based on your career path. Do you want to scam me? Let’s see what you got. Are you a child-molester either metaphorically or actually and that is why you are bugging me? There is sadly an enormous network of people into that (both metaphorically and actually) so you need to go insert yourself into that network. If you need the key I probably have it somewhere. Do you need a babysitter? How annoying is your kid, does their cuteness balance out their annoyingness?

Also:

D’s do get degrees.

That’s a figure of speech that means a number of things, but basically be hot and if you’re not you better be fucking funny. Because if you take the party route, regardless, you are going to need to be smart and also fucking super creative because you are gonna get into some jams!

Rambling Album Notes from the Rapper (take a seat, it’s a long one, he wrote this after some Angel Dust so buckle up, ugggghhhhhh, when can we get this at Best Buy?):

This album was really therapeutic for me to work through. I just really went through some hard times previously and I actually wrote a math album a number of years ago but never released it because I forgot and then also didn’t want to deal with math people. This album goes out to all the folks I have encouraged previously. You’re welcome. Also thank you for the encouragement. I’m a writer, comedian, English professor, and business person. Those are solitary-ish jobs. I fucking love it. I love working because I am a workaholic. Also non-practicing alcoholic but it is summer now so let’s see what happens! I also work out a lot because I am fat to my own standards and always will be, we all have insecurities. I guess I’m just really into productive self-abuse. Like a cutter but not for attention (sorry, suicide is not funny) but like beat myself up and then stuff is produced. Also, notes: I beat myself up enough so I don’t need anyone else to do it so if you enjoy conflict byeeeeeee byeeeeeeeeeee!

Oh god the next album will be White Collar Crime! Just kidding! Or am I? If it’s super on the down-low straight fucking stealing money directly from the U.S. Government’s war fund or acquiring foreign money to fucking fan out amongst subtle peacekeepers I will find the paperwork to do it. I am already at a financial stalemate with them that you would not believe and I have nothing to lose.

Also, I got an advanced degree in Screenwriting but if you just whip one out it devalues it and probably lessens the likelihood that you’ll appeal to a major label. I mean studio. Major labels are shit shows though, as you’re aware. Luckily there’s local ones like Cartouche Records. Also, I formed a local entertainment corporation, like, actually legally and with the government, of whom I plan to find a way to rob, hence the corporation. So if you are a screenwriter, get writing! I also have a sole proprietorship that currently publishes books. I can do albums too, on CD, and it’s not the most cost effective or smart, but you can do whatever you fucking want. Maybe I’ll put out this album to fucking test out the system. This experiment that started my publishing company was pretty fun and I pitched it to a really amazing other indie publisher who may or may not give it consideration once other projects currently on deck are seen through which is how you properly run a fucking independent publishing company.

Oh god the government is involved, FUCK. Yeah I need to acquire both some working capitol, assets, and debt in order to get some fucking fodder for my prospectus to appeal to a competent underwriter (GOOD FUCKING LUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK) to facilitate an initial public offering. What’s that? Oh, it’s my exit strategy.

Oh god is this another cry for help/suicide thing? Yeah, no, refer to last post. I want to just fucking metaphorically disappear to smoke blunts and chug 40′s with metaphorical 2 Pac and fucking Biggie (if he’s lost some weight by now). How can you say that?! Jesus! Also probably just have money to travel around solo on a whim sounds pretty fucking amazing to me.

Also, is writing a prospectus fun? For me it is!

Also, AGAIN, working a corporate job is awesome, I enjoy the perks and dislike the sexual harassment and politics. So fuck everyone, I just made my own corporation. LOL! You’re so cray! Haven't you had enough abuse? Nope! I bring it on myself and love it! I have years of even more stress ahead thank you Jesus! Oh, Jesus is me because I fucking am the one behind it and doing the work. You can “crucify” me all you want because you won’t have to even deal with me like ever!

Ok, here’s the hot trax:

Track 1: Suicide Bomb (not a comedy reference)

Lyrics: Something, something, something about getting off your fucking phone and not following your own self-determined set of prompts

Track 2: Someone for Everyone

Lyrics: Something, something, something about there’s plenty of fish in the sea but if you’re really fucked up and hate yourself I bet you feel totally alone, no sweat, I am sure I know the perfect match for you so if you are really hard-up I can send them your way if I have not already done so. I am absolutely not the person for you though so please scurry along!

Track 3: Write a Screenplay

Lyrics: My parents were fucking lazy and retarded in their youth and if they had been offered the opportunity to participate in a government experiment they absolutely would especially if it would ensure their entrance into the entertainment industry at some point

Track 4: Test Tube Baby or Clone?

Lyrics: Oh god life is so hard for a test tube baby but your parents created you to do their work, you are the KEY! Or wait, do you have a clone out there somewhere, they are going to annoy you so just introduce them to everyone possible and then sneak out the back

Track 5: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Lyrics: If you sense someone cannot handle conflict but you insist on initiating it with them, you need to learn about boundaries. If someone asks you to stop doing something or to stop contacting them, then respect that and leave them the fuck alone.

Track 6: Drugzzzzz

Lyrics: Don’t do them! If you want them I can get them for you though maybe, I’m a rapper! Also, not that hard to get so maybe the price will go down? That’d be nice. But then if they are legal, like, that would be good for the economy and government, so wait, which is better? If this interests you then get off your ass and pursue politics yourself and get a law passed. Or become a drug dealer. Go to law school. Fucking pick a thing and pursue it. By thing I don’t mean living or metaphorically dead creature.

Track 7: Naps

Lyrics: Yo Imma take a nap!

Track 8: Nap, Then Beers, Then Sun, then BBQ

Eight is always the best track, is that still a thing? Anyway, ending on this, keep having a nice weekend, this weather is awesome!

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cfpercy · 6 years

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THE LIFE AND WORK OF GERRY ANDERSON: ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR!

This article originally published: http://www.walesartsreview.org/the-work-and-legacy-of-gerry-anderson/

Wales Arts Review regular Carolyn Percy explores her love for the creator of Thunderbirds, and charts the remarkable story of his vision and success.

Fireflash, Terranian Airways’ Mach 6 atomic airliner, sabotaged on its maiden flight by a bomb placed in its landing gear. To land risks detonation and the atomic reactor powering the engines releasing radioactive material over a large area; if they stay in the air, the reactor’s safety shield will expire and all aboard will die from fatal radiation exposure. All efforts to try and dislodge or remove the bomb have failed. Fireflash appears to be doomed. Then, out of nowhere – a hope of salvation. International Rescue. Who are they? Where have they come from? The staff of the control tower at London Airport have no idea, but they’re Fireflash’s only hope. A rescue attempt is soon underway. Fireflash is ordered to approach with its landing gear up. International Rescue deploy their high-speed remote-control elevator cars, the flat elevated roofs providing a surface for the aircraft to land safely.

Fireflash approaches and the cars race into position. They align, Fireflash cuts power to its engines, lands, and the operator in the head car throws on the brakes. They screech, smoke beginning to rise from the wheels. Suddenly, the brakes on the head car blow, sending it spinning out of control until it flips over in the grass. The nose drops to the tarmac, sending sparks flying as the runway steadily runs out. Will they stop in time? Will the bomb detonate? Is the member of International Rescue in the flipped over car alright? All this plays out in front of a saucer-eyed four-year-old, whose mother, elsewhere in the house, is beginning to worry because, as all parents of small children know, quiet usually means they’re into mischief. That four-year-old, of course, was me.

I’m sure many of you will have recognised the climactic scene from ‘Trapped in the Sky’, pilot episode of Thunderbirds, one of the many marionette adventure shows made by the late Gerry Anderson (if, like me, you’re especially nerdy, you’ll also know where the quote used in this article’s title comes from). An aspiring filmmaker whose dream was always to make live-action films, Anderson began his career, much to his chagrin, making puppet movies. In an effort to make the puppet film as ‘respectable’ as possible, Anderson, colleague Sylvia Thamm – who would become his wife & close collaborator until their divorce in 1981 – and their small production company would pioneer a way of filming that would not only result in a level of quality and sophistication not seen before in a family show, but also give birth to some of the most iconic series in the history of British children’s television.

But at the beginning of the 1960s, the future of AP Films was uncertain. They had already produced three series for independent television: The Adventures of Twizzle & Torchy the Battery Boy – made in collaboration with children’s author Roberta Leigh – and their own original creation, Four Feather Falls, a series set in the Old West, chronicling the adventures of Tex Tucker, sheriff of the eponymous town. They had all been well received, Four Feather Fallseven making the cover of the TV Times. But the 60s was the decade that would come to be mythologised as the age of the future, and so, for their next project, that was what they looked to. In a secret laboratory in the Nevada desert, a team of people – two brilliant, eccentric scientists and their heroic test pilot – are developing a car. A car that can fly at incredible speeds, travel underwater and even into space, in other words: a Supercar.

By centering it around a futuristic vehicle, not only could they come up with more exciting and imaginative scenarios, they could also work around the limitations of the puppets – i.e. the fact they couldn’t be made to walk convincingly – to give their ‘acting’ the integrity to match the material. But an ambitious project requires money and therein lay the problem: Four Feather Falls had finished its run and Granada weren’t prepared to finance any more. They’d just about managed to keep their heads above water with some car advertisements and a low-budget live-action film, but the threat of bankruptcy was tangible.

Their last hope was Lew Grade, show business agent and co-head of ATV, a cigar chomping colossus who was changing the face of independent television. The meeting was reportedly a rather strange one. Anderson made his pitch, Grade showing cool detachment until it came to the cost: £3000 an episode. “Are you mad?” he exploded, “I can’t afford to make a show for that. Reduce that figure by half, then we’ll talk.” So, that night, Anderson went over the numbers again and again but was only able to reduce his costs by a third. He returned to Grade’s office the next day. “I’m sorry it’s not what you wanted,” he said, “but that’s my final figure.” Grade stood, implored Anderson for “just a minute” and walked through a door into what was presumably another office. After what must’ve felt like an age, Grade returned and said “Okay, you’ve got yourself a series.” And with that, not only were AP Films pulled back from the brink of financial ruin but a partnership was created that would allow a rocket-ship to erupt out of a swimming pool, a man to become indestructible and, eventually, for Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi and Superman to fly. This was the beginning of Supermaination. (Anderson would later discover that the room Grade walked into was not another office but a cupboard.)

I have my parents to thank for introducing me to the work of the Andersons. They can, of course, remember watching them when they first aired (whenever Four Feather Falls is mentioned, for instance, my dad’s first response is always to raise his arms and make gunshot noises in an impression of Tex Tucker’s magic guns). So when Supermarionation went through a renaissance in the early 1990s, beginning with Thunderbirds being re-aired on the BBC and released for the first time on VHS, they reasoned that, as they had enjoyed it as children, I might too, and bought me a video.

Now even if you’d never heard of Gerry Anderson before today (which, if you haven’t, firstly: shame on you, and secondly: what rock have you been living under?) you’ll almost certainly have heard of Thunderbirds. His most famous and, possibly, most popular creation recounts the adventures of International Rescue, a secret organisation founded by multi-millionaire ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy. Utilizing a raft of increasingly sophisticated vehicles and equipment, developed by stuttering chief scientist Brains and piloted by Jeff’s five sons – Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan – they are dedicated to rescuing lives in danger, particularly those others have failed or are unable to save. Two more important characters were British aristocrat Lady Penelope Creighton Ward and her lovable rogue of a cockney butler ‘Nosey’ Parker, secret agents who would help when needed. For even though there is a Britishness that runs through the very DNA of Anderson’s work, from the sense of humour to the Blue Peter-ish air of make and make do (sets, models and props were re-used in different combinations from series to series), because Grade was fixated on selling to the American market there was an American bias towards the characters – the Tracy brothers, for instance, were named for the Mercury Seven, a group of astronauts, including the late John Glenn, who were the forerunners to the Apollo programme – Lady Penelope and Parker were, in fact, the first British main characters since Supercar’s Dr Beaker and subsequently became not only two of the most popular characters in the show but in the whole Anderson canon.

That first episode captivated me and it’s difficult to say why & how exactly (I’d seen repeats of Watch with Mother before but, with all due respect to the beloved children’s character, Thunderbirds is about as far away from Andy Pandy as it’s possible to get) but I believe the best way I can put it is immersion: so much attention was paid to all the constituent parts, so that when they came together they created a consistent, fully immersive world.

Let’s start with the visuals and the technology used to create them. Firstly, the puppets themselves. Two things distinguish a Supermarionation marionette (a cheeky portmanteau of super, marionette and animation, coined by Anderson) from an ordinary puppet: a fibreglass head and a solenoid that, when placed inside the head, received electrical impulses sent along wires from a tape of pre-recorded dialogue that would move the mouth in time with the actor’s words, allowing for (theoretically) perfect lip synch. This, along with the later addition of interchangeable heads with different expressions, added a veneer of realism.

The same level of verisimilitude was applied to the rest of the visuals: models, sets and props were dirtied down to make them look used; practical effects (pioneered by special effects genius Derek Meddings, who went on to become an award winning special effects supervisor on the James Bond and Superman films), such as the rolling road and background – powered by motors but deployed at slightly different speeds, giving static models the illusion of movement – used to create the climactic Fireflash rescue, were filmed at high-speed, so that, when replayed at the standard twenty-four frames per second, the action was slowed down, giving them the illusion of mass, transforming modest fires and small splashes of water into raging infernos and crashing waves; the series directors also often used types of shot that were usually reserved for live-action photography (‘30 Minutes After Noon’ is a good example of this: an episode which uses a lot of experimental camera angles, including a brief shot of the action through a see-through clock face).

Then there were the stories. Anderson aimed his shows at a family audience and this was reflected in the writing: there weren’t any shoehorned morals, they simply concentrated on telling good, well-paced stories with no purpose other than to entertain. As Anderson himself said in an interview shown on BBC’s Newsnight: “It’s very simple: never second guess your audience. You do what you want to do, and if you find that the audience like what you want to do, you’ll be famous. And if they don’t like what you want to do, open a greengrocer shop.”

The stories were mainly plot-driven but good characterisation wasn’t sacrificed for this (barring the inevitable moments of 1960s sexism, Anderson’s female characters were pretty much on an equal footing with his male ones, occupying roles as diverse as doctor, engineer and fighter pilot without compromising their femininity or having that femininity reduce the importance of those roles – they did occasionally play the role of ‘woman tied to the train tracks’ – almost literally in Lady Penelope’s case – but this wasn’t their main or only function) and with no need to match mouth movements, the actors could give much more genuine performances (Scott Tracy was, and still is, my first TV crush – whether that’s sweet or sad I’ll leave up to you).

Obviously, there are elements that wouldn’t pass scientific scrutiny but that doesn’t matter, because everything made sense within the world of the show and corresponded to its own internal logic, and when this is the case you’re never pulled out of the story even if there are some things that don’t match real world logic.

And lastly, tying everything up in a nice big bow, is the music of Barry Grey: a gentle soul in a tweed suit with the voice of Alan Bennett, who composed all the music for the Anderson shows from The Adventures of Twizzle to Space:1999. Who doesn’t want to stride around the room the minute they hear the brass-band boom of the Thunderbirds march, or sigh along with the strings of ‘Aqua Marina’? But as well as being a great composer, Grey also knew when not to use music – many scenes have long stretches of no non-diegetic music, letting the dialogue convey all we need to know. So, when there was music, it always heightened what was going on screen.

After Thunderbirds, I moved on to Stingray and Fireball XL5 – the two shows that preceded it – with equal amounts of enjoyment. Then there was the show that followed it: Captain Scarlet. A colder, darker, more mature show, where, occasionally, the good guys didn’t win.

In the early 21st century, world security organisation Spectrum mans a mission to Mars. They discover a race of advanced, invisible aliens with the ability to reconstruct matter: the Mysterons. Misunderstanding leads to an altercation, resulting in a declaration of war against mankind and possession of the mission’s leader, Captain Black. Their first target: the World President. This leads to the death and subsequent possession of two more Spectrum personnel: Captain Brown and Captain Scarlet. Captain Scarlet is shot during the attempt however, and sent plummeting from the top of a London car park. Hours later, he returns to life, injuries healed, former personality intact and no memory of anything whilst under Mysteron control. Now rendered ‘virtually indestructible’, he becomes Spectrum’s key weapon in the ‘war of nerves.’ I never saw a whole episode of Captain Scarlet until I was eleven – when Supermarionation went through a second renaissance in the early 2000s. This wasn’t due to Donald Grey’s deep and scary ‘voice of the Mysterons’ or creepy Captain Black standing in a fog-filled graveyard. Oh no, I never even got that far.

A brief burst of music that soon spindles away to almost subliminal levels, footsteps echoing down a dark and empty alleyway, the unseen end coming ever closer. Suddenly, a cat screeches and torches flash, illuminating a man in a scarlet uniform. Bullets fire but the man is unharmed. He raises his gun, fires a single shot, and with a final grunt, his assailant falls down dead.

This opening had a similar effect on me that many – my mother included – claimed the Doctor Who theme had on them, and terrified me so much I was unable to watch any further. (The ending theme, however, allowed for some inappropriate hilarity when, halfway through the run, they put lyrics to what had previously been an instrumental: “…they smash him, and his body will burn/They crash him, but they know he’ll return, to live again!” accompanied by beautiful comic style illustrations of Captain Scarlet drowning in a swamp, falling off a building, being crushed by rocks whilst trying to reach for a lit stick of dynamite etc. Murder and mayhem by the way of Benny Hill.)

If Thunderbirds was the pinnacle, then Captain Scarlet was the last of a golden age. Two more Supermarionation productions followed: Joe 90 and the bizarre puppetry/live action hybrid starring Stanley Unwin, The Secret Service, which Grade cancelled after only thirteen episodes. The era of Supermarionation was over, and Anderson moved on to what he’d always wanted to do: live action – only, tragically, to find that others had taken the ideas and techniques he’d pioneered and left him behind. In the world of live action, he was no longer unique. He made a return to puppetry in 1983 with Terrahawks – this time using Jim Henson style puppets that were operated from beneath, dubbed ‘Supermacromation’ – which, despite Anderson going on record with the fact it wasn’t his favourite creation, was still incredibly popular at the time and maintains a cult following to this day.

The periodical resurgence of interest in Supermarionation has led to some good things – a new CGI series of Captain Scarlet in 2005 – and some not so good – such as the 2004 live action Thunderbirds film which was… disappointing – but all the while Anderson kept working, always looking to the future, always looking to the next project; even the crushing blow of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s didn’t stop him. But, sadly, that couldn’t last forever, and on December 26th 2012, Anderson lost the battle and died aged 83.

So, are we just left with the shows and the memories? Not so. In 2015, not only was there the start of a new Terrahawks audio series but – as a result of a co-production between ITV and Pukeko Pictures (a New Zealand based animation studio responsible for many of the effects of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films) a new series of Thunderbirds!

Thunderbirds Are Go (not to be confused with the 1966 film), now halfway into its second series, combines CGI characters with live models and sets. And whilst I’m not going to list and compare the similarities and changes made due to 50 years’ worth of cultural and technological advancement (a subject, I feel, for another article entirely) it’s safe to say it successfully embodies the spirit of the original. With this and three overwhelmingly successful Kickstarter campaigns – one that realised Anderson’s last project – Gemini Force One– as a series of children’s books, another which led to the creation of three new ‘original’ Thunderbirds episodes (dubbed Thunderbirds 1965, which used mini albums recorded in the 1960s to lay down the audio and dialogue and were made by recreating many of the original filming and production techniques, from making sure the episode titles were in the correct font to treating the film to make it resemble 1960s film stock) and, lastly, one which will hopefully lead to a new puppet series (where Supermarionation has now evolved into ‘Hypermarionation, with puppets that are controlled by rods to allow for a greater spectrum of movement and servos that allow the facial features to move) the future for Anderson fans looks very bright indeed.

#my writing #Wales Arts Review Gerry Anderson Thunderbirds

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endorsereviews · 7 years

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Fred Gleeck & Bob Bly – Information Marketing University Replay from 2014 Seminar in New York City

Fred Gleeck & Bob Bly – Information Marketing University Get Fred Gleeck & Bob Bly – Information Marketing University right now!

Dear Friend:

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We love what we do, and as Les Paul has said, when you love what you do, you will never actually work a day in your life!

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In Information Marketing University with Fred Gleeck and Bob Bly , Fred and I show you how to duplicate the same steps we did to leave corporate life — and became completely financially independent–by showing you step-by-step how to start and run an easy, spare-time Internet marketing home business selling information products online.

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>> Step One: Planning for entrepreneurial success: The most important – and difficult – decision aspiring information marketers face is picking the right niche: what topic will all your info products teach … and what market or audience will you teach it to?

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The only 3 things you need to make money selling information products online.

5 skills that all successful Internet marketers possess. The good news: you probably have 3 of them already. And the other 2 are easy either to learn or outsource.

The 7-step Self Assessment Inventory that can help you find the perfect information publishing niche – in about 5 minutes.

What Aristotle can teach you about choosing a market and topic for your fledgling info marketing business.

How to research your topic and acquire enormously valuable knowledge about it you can sell to others at a huge profit.

The “Agora Model” for doing business online … and how it helped Bill Bonner build a $475 billion a year info publishing empire.

Why you should publish an online newsletter … and how I write and distribute my e-newsletter in less than a half hour an issue.

7 incredibly effective techniques building your e-newsletter subscriber list – including one that got me 982 new subscribers at zero cost in just 48 hours.

The 90/90 rule of converting new e-zine subscribers immediately into paying customers.

Duplicate the “back-end” software and systems Fred and I use to run out million-dollar Internet marketing businesses – without buying a single software package or writing one line of code.

How to write and design compelling landing pages that increase conversion rates and sell more information products – without HTML, Front Page, or web site templates of any kind.

How to write and design an effective e-mail auto-responder series for converting more of your micro site visitors to buyers.

Are social media and blogging key components of the Internet marketing wealth-building system Fred and I use to make thousands of dollars a week of passive income online? The answer may surprise you.

How to write compelling, kick-butt copy for information products that grabs the reader by the lapels and won’t let go.

How to create irresistible offers that increase conversion rats and orders on all your landing page.

How to use web video to boost conversion rates and revenues from your landing pages by 10% to 18% — even though people keep telling you they hate video!

How to increase your annual online profits 10% to 25% or more this year through joint ventures, affiliate marketing, product licensing, and membership sites.

Shortcuts to creating e-books … forms kits … special reports … webinars … videos … audio programs … and other information products that are 10X better than those your competitors sell.

5 steps to becoming a master how-to writer – even if you hire other people to ghostwrite your info products for you.

An easy formula for coming up with killer titles that make your information products fly off the shelves and into your customers’ shopping carts.

How to protect your published information products against piracy and copyright violation.

How to become a published author: writing a book and selling it to a mainstream publishing house for a 4 or 5-figure advance plus royalties … and why this beats self-publishing your book hands down.

Make $5,000 a day or more as a paid professional speaker with keynotes … breakout sessions … corporate training … association speeches … webinars … workshops … presentations … and teleconferences.

Earn ancillary income of a thousand dollars a day or more teaching your info topic at college and university adult education programs.

How to become a recognized expert in your industry, niche, or topic – and why doing so should be every information marketer’s goal.

Get on network prime-time, cable TV, and national radio with these low-cost/no-cost public relations techniques from the author of “PR for Dummies.”

Build your information empire faster with “content aggregation.” Or: why you don’t have to be the author of every piece of information you publish or sell.

How to make more money by writing and giving away free special reports as bonus gifts.

Hire programmers to create useful software for peanuts and sell it for a small fortune again and again to your customers.

Growing richer with the years: how to run and manage a profitable information marketing empire.

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Fred Gleeck & Bob Bly – Information Marketing University Replay from 2014 Seminar in New York City posted first on premiumwarezstore.blogspot.com

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sublimedeal · 7 years