S.W.A.T. An Apology.

Of sorts.

At recent cultural events I've found myself writing a lot about a US TV Show called; "The Unit." Which aired in the US from 2006 to 2009.

If you can remember when we used to have events. Let alone cultural ones.

The Unit tells the story of a fictional Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit within the US Army. Meaning it is very much in the "Action" genre.

That genre has long being maligned as trashy nonsense. A succession of TV shows and movies featuring lots of gun fights, explosions and car chases. Completely untroubled by the need for a plot to explain why there are gun fights, explosions and car chases.

What makes The Unit so noteworthy is the way that it advanced the genre. From its inception it set out to not only tell the story of the men fighting in the SOF unit. But also the stories of their wives, girlfriends and families.

So each episode would have a main storyline. About the unit's latest mission, with all the gun fights, explosions and car chases that involes. However there would also be a sizeable sub-storyline. Featuring the wives, girlfriends and families.

The result of the interaction between the storylines being much more well rounded, believable, realistic characters. Adding a level of depth and character development not really seen before in the genre.

It is testament to the impact The Unit had. That what seemed to revolutionary when it was being made now seems like the abolute barest minimum expected in a US network TV show.

In recent years The Unit's main Executive Producer, Shawn Ryan, has returned to TV. Making the show; "S.W.A.T." Which is in a similar style to The Unit.

The Unit deals with a team using special weapons and tactics within the US military. While S.W.A.T deals with a unit using special weapons and tactics within the Los Angeles police department.

Bre Blair appears in S.W.A.T as the wife of "Sergeant David, Deacon Kay." Having appeared in The Unit as the eventual wife of "Sergeant Charles Grey."

The difference is that S.W.A.T is a remake of a US TV show from the 1970's. Along with a 2003 movie. This is exactly the type of trashy action show that The Unit was trying to advance the genre from.

So S.W.A.T does have to pay tribute to its trashy roots and fans of the original. For example the characters use the almost catchphrase; "Stay Liquid."

Something inspired by the Bruce Lee Kung Fu movies of the era. Which is why it was also something of a catchphrase for the 2019 Hong Protesters. They were both inadvertantly working from the same source material.

It was this trashiness which attracted me to Season 2 of S.W.A.T. During that extremely intense period at the end of 2019. Exactly the same reason which has got me so attracted to the remake of "MacGyver" at the end of 2020.

Unfortunately is was in Season 2 that S.W.A.T decided to kick things up a gear. Bringing in the magic from The Unit. To flesh out the main characters and through that bring in more substansive social/political issues.

For example Season 2, Episode 11; "School." This features the threat of a High School shooting. Which causes the characters to flashback to a previous High School shooting. Essentially the fire in which the team was forged.

This was a very deliberate reference to the 2018 mass shooting at the Majorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. More specifically it was a protest. 

At the way The Unit Season 2, Episode 20; "In Loco Parentis" was used as an unauthorised template for the Parkland shooting. An episode itself which had been inspired by the 2004 Islamist terror attack on the Beslan School in Russia.

To this day I still don't know if regular The Unit cast member Kavita Patil had an uncredited cameo in the School episode of S.W.A.T. Or whether it was another actor. Who just happened to look enough like her.

It think the Parkland Shooting troubles anyone who remembers it. I certainly have very troubling memories of the Beslan attack.

At the time I first watched that episode I was in the process of telling a UK Election story. About how I came to babysit for the, essentially, Home Secretary/Chief Interior Minister. It was a very funny story. Up until the point I finally remembered how it started.

One of the first characters to be fleshed out was that of; "Christina, Chris, Alonso." Played by Lina Esco.

Another character asks her out on a date. At which point its revealed that she's already dating someone. And shock, horror someone else is another woman, for she is a gay!

An unspoken mystery surrounding Michelle Rodriguez's portrayal of the role in the 2003 movie.

The tone of this revelation was very much the show striking a huge, virtue signally blow. For gay rights and against homophobia. Which, I have to say, annoyed me a bit.

Obviously my point-of-view on this sort of thing is not that of your average American. I'm not American for a start.

However I think for most people. When you see a woman in a traditionally male job role. Such as SWAT team member. "Gay" isn't a shock. It's more the assumption. Which is obviously a bit annoying for women in such roles who aren't gay.

Another US TV Show I've found myself writing a lot about recently is; "Blindspot."

The lead character, with so many names, is played by Jaimie Alexander. Who is actually a pretty well accomplished martial artist in her own right.

Although nothing's mentioned on her Wikipedia page. I often find myself wondering if Jaimie Alexander actually started out as a stunt performer. Before crossing into acting. 

Rather like how Ronda Rousey has crossed into acting from MMA. Including in an episode of Blindspot.

For the role Jaimie Alexander sports a short, rather butch, haircut. Along with all those tattoos.

Obviously I don't know her well, or at all. I just get the impression Jaimie Alexander spends an awful lot of time a parties politely apologizing. For not being gay.

In much the same way as I find myself spending an awful of time at parties politely apologizing. For not having seen any of the Star Wars.

So what was presented in S.W.A.T as a stereotype being heroically being broken down. Actually struck me as a lazy stereotype being reinforced.

There was a Canadian TV show called; "Flashpoint." Which was a contemporary of The Unit. It centred around a Toronto police S.W.A.T team. Which also had a female member.

I seem to remember doing a similar shock reveal. That she was dating a man.

This Chris Alonso character was then developed further though.

It was revealed that although she was dating a woman she was bisexual rather than gay. She then discovered the woman she was dating was also bisexual and was already engaged to a man.

The three then form a relationship together. Calling it a; "Thrupple." Giving a terrible name to not one but two similar relationships I've found myself in in the past.

Now this did shock me. In the sense I started to worry. That Lina Esco was genuinely seeking the benefit of my experience.

As I've said I'm not going to be sharing private details of those relationships online simply to win arguments on the Internet. However if we were to become friends, talking privately. Then that would be a very different proposition.

So in that vein I should point out the first relationship, with the Israeli Jew, barely counted as a relationship. I think I only met her girlfriend on about half a dozen occassions. If that.

The World Famous Thrupple was certainly a lot less civilised and sanitised than what was portaryed in S.W.A.T. 

It actually began with me just being really good friends with this lesbian. We used to hang out, laughing at each other's dumb jokes. Boasting about our, erm. "romantic" conquests. Then immediately being teased about it.

It actually took an embarrassingly long time for us to realise. That there was this little something else we had in common.

So I think that's why Lina Esco rather caught the brunt of it last year.

Amid the chaos I did sort of revert back to that relationship. After all she does seem like the sort of slightly pervy lesbian I traditionally actually get on quite well with.

Or at least the person she pretends to be on TV does. If she's doing her job well then I actually know very little about Lina Esco as a person.

One thing of the few things I do know about Lina Esco, the person. Is that she has been involved in the; "Free The Nipple" campaign.

This is a broad and fluid feminist movement. Particularly focused on the way women's bodies are percieved and portrayed. Both in society and in the media.

It is largely inspired by the US Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) absurd; "No Nipples" rule. Which, having been adopted by Social Media companies like Facebook, has become effectively the de facto global rule.

This is a topic I find myself being forced to write about almost endlessly. Every time there's an Oscars. Every time there's a Eurovision Song Contest. Every time there's a Super Bowl.

Which would certainly suggest that we'd have something in common to talk about.

I think Lina Esco's main role in the Free The Nipple campaign was to direct the 2014 movie of that name. A career she is pursuing alongside acting.

So in S.W.A.T they've made her character a sniper. Providing excuse for lots of shots of her staring down the telescopic sights of a rifle. Which is intended to serve as a visual metaphor for the camera viewfinder a director uses.

Which made me think it was perhaps keeping in the spirit of the production. A little bit of friendly teasing.

My main conclusion though is that what an absolutely terrible way it is to go about this sort of thing.

As has become something of a mantra for a year dominated by Zoom meetings;

"Surely this could just be done by email."

 

22:50 on 28/12/20 (UK date). 

I Think You Know The Way.

Really a companion piece to; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2020/12/welcome-to-hellmouth.html

In which I explored the mini-existential crisis that finally watching; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has been causing me.

I think the show might actually have a similar effect on the popstar Rihanna. Who I am now more than happy to describe as my former ex-wife. Mainly due to my love of lingustically redundant sentences.

The second season features another Vampire Slayer. "Kendra Young" played by Bianca Lawson. She is black and from the Caribbean islands. All of them by the state of her accent.

Although I have since heard David Boreanaz's attempt at an Irish accent. So am starting to think there might have been a little bit of onset teasing going on.

I think primarily the Kendra character is an attempt to include a prominent black character. In a positive role. In a major US network show. In 1997/8.

However the particular Hellmouth I grew up over was very ethnically diverse. 

At the time it was the sole port-of-entry for all immigrants into the UK. By which I mean it is where they had to go to get their applications legally processed. It wasn't actually anywhere near the sea.

So I effectively grew up on the UK equivalent of New York City's Ellis Island. Although it was a lot bigger.

It was actually the Balkan Wars of the 1990's, particularly the Kosovo War, which changed this. Britian was forced to open more ports-of-entry across the country. In order to stop my local area being completely swamped by Irregular Migrants/Refugees.

Which is why I have so much knowledge on the subject just stuck in my head. In much the same way as people who grew up near sea just know an awful lot about tides.

My particular Hellmouth was though still majority white. 

In the sense that it was around 50% white. Around 23% black, Carribbean and African. 23% South Asian, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi. Plus around 4% "Refugee, Other."

We had plently of Polish and Eastern European immigrants. Long before it was fashionable.

So the Kendra character could be a reference to any number of young women I knew growing up. However no one in particular. Suggesting that the sheer number was the point being made. If a point was being made at all.

It was actually something that struck me in the wake of the Trayvon Martin case in the US. Back in 2012. Social Media was suddenly full of black women complaining about white people trying to touch their hair.

For a good long while I genuinely could not work it out. Why anyone would be so interested in knowing what a black person's hair felt like.

Then I remembered. If you're 3 or 4 years old and you want to know what someone's hair feels like. Well, you just bloody well grab hold of it, don't you.

Likewise. If you've got a Stormzy-like kid. Sitting at the desk in front of you in class. And you want to playfully slap him around the back of the head. Well, sometimes that urge becomes to great to resist.

One kid I was particularly friendly with. At one of the schools/colleges I attended was a black guy. Named, no seriously; "Floyd George."

So I think I deserve a medal. For everytime this past year I've stopped my brain from doing what it's desperately wanted to do.

Just as I think I deserve a medal. For every time I've resisted the urge to roll Rihanna Rrr's.

In relation to the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest I wrote about a bisexual Israeli Jewish woman I briefly dated at this time. I almost completely managed to omit the detail that her girlfriend at the time was black.

In part that was to protect everyone's privacy as much as possible. It was also though that I'd almost completely forgotten. In that area mixed race relationships are not uncommon enough to warrant commenting on.

In Buffy the Vampire Slayer the Buffy character is a completely normal American High School girl. Who one day suddenly discovers she's got this incredible power. Much of the show is about her rebelling against the responsibility that comes with it.

In contrast Kendra knew from a very early age that she potentially had this power. So was actually given away by her parents as an infant. To a "Watcher" who would train and prepare her for the day her power was realised.

So in contrast to Buffy's rebelliousness Kendra has this sort of intense, almost military discipline. She has spent her entire life reading and studying all there is to know about Vampires, Demons and how to slay them.

While she sometimes hides it well Rihanna is actually something of a nerd. Prior to becoming a popstar she was actually a member of Barbados' Military Cadet force.

So the Kendra character certainly does remind me of Rihanna. As does the "Rona" character played by Indigo from the Patriot Act season 7. Who herself seems to be a nod back to the Kendra character.

The problem is that when the Kendra character appears in the show Rihanna would have been about 9 years old.  So at that time bore absolutely no resemblence to the Kendra character. For example this was before she became a military cadet.

So if the old cocercive control did use Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a something of a blueprint for my life?

Then it's certainly possible that they just grabbed the first teenage girl who reminded them of the Kendra character. Then decided to make her into a popstar.

It would certainly explain the collision course Rihanna and I seem to have found ourselves on.

Including her work with Eminem. Who has long had to suffer the indiginity of being used as one of my avatars.

Probably because we both grew in areas with large black populations. Something which seems to have seeped into our own personalities.

Also I think an honourable mention must go to the actress Sandrine Holt.

She appeared as an FBI agent in the 2015 movie "Terminator; Genysis." She also appeared as; "Director Thornton" in early episodes of the 2016 reboot of the; "MacGyver" TV show.

Notably she appeared in the "Blindspot" Season 1, Episode 16; "Any Wounded Thief. Find What You Need" Playing a spy who stole a Novichok-like Nerve Agent.

A role which probably led to her being cast in the penultimate Season 7 of "Homeland" in 2018. Where she played a Russian spy who kept poisoning people with a Novichok-like Nerve Agent.

Sandrine Holt is only slightly older than me. She also grew up over the same Hellmouth.

So I'm sure she's really enjoyed the last couple of years.

Anything's got to be an improvement. 

18:30 on 28/12/20 (UK date).

Welcome To The Hellmouth.

At the start of the first lockdown Britain's Channel 4 started broadcasting; "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." On it's E4 channel.

Running from 1997 to 2004 in the US this was Joss Whedon's first big TV success. Before he went on to do "Firefly" and various Movies and TV shows in the Marvel comic book universe. Including "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

In their wisdom Channel 4 decided to broadcast Buffy the Vampire Slayer at a rate of two episodes a night. Five nights a week. That's a huge commitment for a TV show that is nearly 25 years old and really aimed at teenagers and young adults.

So, at best, I dipped in and out. For example I caught Season 3, Episode 18; "Earshot." The Columbine Shooting episode. Or more accurately the episode where Joss Whedon protests against being blamed for the Columbine Shooting. On behalf of Marilyn Manson and many others.

I started paying more attention at the start of Season 5, which first aired in mid 2000. That's because I knew Season 6 would have been on air and in production on September 11th 2001 (11/9/01). The so-called; "9/11."

This was a day when the World and certainly the US public conciousness changed. In such a dramatic way that suddenly it seemed that nothing which had happened on September 10th (10/9/01) mattered any more.

With much TV and movie production being shutdown the World has experienced a similar shock through the pandemic. Although that change has certainly been less swift and arguably less dramatic than 9/11.

So I had a mild curiousity in seeing how a US TV show that was on air and in production on 9/11 handled the sudden and dramatic shift. To see if there were any lessons to be learned.

I was particularly interested because I've been watching; "SEAL Team." The current project of David Boreanaz. Whose career was launched by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Season 3 of SEAL Team is full of references to David Boreanaz's character being there on the ground floor of The War On Terror.

Despite this casual interest I was still watching really only every other episode. As I sarted to pay more attention though I started to notice. 

Elements of the show that seemed rather close to my life at the time. Things like the full names of people I knew turning up as character names in the show. Particularly on gravestones.

This started me wondering. How would an absolutely massive US TV Show know to look for these details about me. Let alone find them out. Even if one of the central characters is played by the British actor Anthony Stewart Head.

I could immediately think of one possible explanation.

A long time ago, in a land not that far away. I used to belong to the Catholic Church.

On a particular Sunday in 2000 a man living across the street from my childhood Parish Church made a decision. To pick up a pair of Samauri swords. Cross the street. Strip completely nude. Then attack everyone in the Church with those Samauri swords.

His reasons for doing this were hard to understand. Given his Delusional Schziophrenia.

However he seemed to believe that a portal to hell, or; "Hellmouth" had opened beneath the Church. 

From this Hellmouth all sorts of demons and other nasties were spilling into the human realm. So he had to fight his way through the Church in to order to seal this Hellmouth.

That is almost exactly the central premise of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
 
Something which was bound to add to the annoyance of the cast & crew. Particularly as they were still trying to fight off the blame for the Columbine Shooting.

Obviously by that age even peadophilia had turned it's back on me. So my first memory of the event was being woken by the sound of a helicopter effectively landing on my house. The big red helicopter. Whose callsign is known to all.

This was back when the old coercive control was still convincing my mother that she was straight. So she and my father were both in the Church at the time. Obviously they were seperated during the attack. 

I remember my mother returning home first. Frankly breathless and incoherent. Having set a new World Record time over the distance

So I did the most British thing ever. I put the kettle on and made a pot of tea.

As my brother, mother and I sat in the kitchen drinking this tea we slowly pieced together what was going on. Reaching the conclusion that one of us was going to have to go up there. To learn my father's fate. And by; "One of Us" we meant; "Me."

Arriving at the scene I quickly spotted my father alive and uninjured. So I slipped inside the police cordon. A which point a trembling SWAT officer hoisted the business end of his HK MP5k to my nose.

Fortunately in the distance I could just see another police officer walking by. With a severed human forearm in a plastic bag.

So I threw my hands up, palms out, stigmata showing and with a big smile shouted;

"Alright Dad! Need a Hand?!"

Which defused the tension and got the rifle out of my face.

So, yes; "Less than a second."

In case anyone is still wondering. As to the size of the gap. Between a traumatic event and me making an inappropriate joke about it.

Although I gather the scientific community has recently been forced to develop the; "Zeptosecond." To provide a more accurate measurement.

Worringly that did count as one of the better days in my childhood. So I think I'd pretty much forgotten about it by the Wednesday. After bowling into school on the Monday. Like Leonardo DiCaprio in; "The Wolf of Wall Street."

There weren't even any fatalities. However some sort of survivors group was formed. 

It was through the police's liasing with the group that a peadophile was uncovered. This being a Catholic Church after all. Insultingly apparently I just wasn't his type. Despite being such a handsome choirboy.

Eventually there was some sort of public service to mark the event. At which the guests of honour were the UK Labour Party MP Dianne Abbott and Ros, Baroness Howells. Of the Stephen Lawerence trough.

Both of whom seemed very out of place. The congeregation of this Catholic Church was almost exclusively white Irish/Eastern European. With only a handful of Africans.

The black community Abbott and Howells pride themselves on representing tend to be Protestant. So it wasn't a racial thing. There weren't many Jews or Hindus in the congregation either.

I, of course, didn't attend this service. Stuck home babysitting Dianne Abbott's son. 

But don't worry. We gave him the boot. Long before he could even think about claiming any sort of squatters rights.

Which rather begs the question of how the UK Labour Party continues to still be so confused. As to the nature of the relationship.

Now when this sort of thing happens to other people. I've developed a bit of a reputation. For running through it to see if there is any political dimension. Then, if there is, exploring it further.

Unfortunately September 11th (11/9/01) was very much My First Day. 

It was by about September 14th (14/9/01) that I'd outsripped my peers and superiors. Coming up with the correct answer of how to respond. The one that doesn't involve this David Boreanaz character still having a career.

In case anyone was still wondering what all the fuss is about.

So I can't talk about an event prior to 9/11, even one I was directly involved in. With the same authority I can talk about contemporary events. However I'm willing to give it a go.

I should start by pointing out the sole, real motivation for this man's actions is that he was severely ill at the time. He did genuinely believe that he was acting to protect humanity from an open Hellmouth.

To give you an idea of how psychotic he was. Are you familar with Church Pews?

The big, heavy wooden benches. Which you may have seen on TV and in movies.

The way I've heard the story. It took several of those benches, being used as battering rams. Along with a fair few pipes from the organ. To finally put him down. It then took about 20 people sitting on one of those benches to keep him down. Until the police arrived.

It was one of those ones where there wasn't even a trial. 

Rather than attempt to debate with him in Court as to whether it was an open Hellmouth or not he was confined to Britain's most secure psychiatric hospital, Broadmoor. For intensive treatment. Involving Tornado Teams and massive amounts of anti-psychotic drugs.

After about two years he was released. With a Skripal-like new, secret indentity.

Given how ill he was I actually hesitate to use the term; "attack." Preferring instead; "incident."

However he was brown skinned and of nominally Muslim heritage. The reason why we know these details is actually an interesting talking point about how the mind responds to shock and trauma.

Amongst the congregation that they was an older, religiously conservative Irish woman. She had clearly only ever had sex with her husband. And we're not sure she'd ever even seen him in the nude.

This woman was aboslutely appalled that a brown skinned man had been able to expose his cirumcised penis within a Church. Which really wasn't anyone else main problem with the scene. It was though the only bit her shocked mind could attempt to process.

As I've said this occured the year before the 9/11 attacks. Which did involve a few brown skinned people of nominally Muslim heritage.

My father, mother and other survivours were actually added to the Roll of Honour of London's 2001 New Year's Day Parade. Part of the global competition of New Year celebrations. An honour which apparently earns you a worthless bit of tin. Not one each obviously. One per household.

It also occured the year after the US and the UK led a wholly illegal NATO invasion of Serbia's Kosovo Province. The start of the US and the UK's efforts to convince the World of this myth of Serbia's southern province being some sort of nation state.

There is one detail about the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) that people in NATO nations are not allowed to speak of. That they are hyper-aggressive Islamists. Founded alongside Al Qaeda in the sort of Mujahideen stew left in Afghanistan following the Soviet Union's withdrawal.

So I suppose this Church incident could have served as a British warning to the US and beyond. About the growing threat of Islamist violence. Given the location Kosovo and the Balkans, rather than the US, would be the main area of concern.

I now think it might actually also have been a British attack on the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I've started watching it from the very start. On Channel 4's online streaming service "All4." The similarities with my life at the time certainly did not begin in 2000.

Obviously this is a show in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre. So we're talking about metaphors, allegories and hidden meanings. Rather than explicit statements of fact. I certainly don't recall ever encountering a real-life vampire.

They also seem to be metaphors, allegories and hidden meanings which have been based on rumour. Some of which are very wide of the mark.

Take for example Anthony Stewart Head's British Watcher character; "Rupert Giles." For the most part he represents the British foreign intelligence service, MI6. The watchers.

Except for in Season 2. Where he gets involved in a relationship with a fellow teacher. Robia LaMorte's "Jenny Calender" character. In that context they both seem similar to my father and mother. The mother with the Irish heritage and an affinity for horses.

In certain episodes, storylines and scenes the Buffy character does remind me, somewhat, of my sister. Although there are many other episodes, storylines and scenes where she does not. At all. As I progress through the show the references seem to be getting less and less.

It is in the fifth episode ever shown that the Slayer's nemisis is introduced. An annoying little boy know as; "The Anointed One."

Fortunately that character is quickly replaced in Season 2. By the "Spike"/"Drusila" combination of characters. Played by James Masters and Juliet Landau respectively. In a style that is very reminiscent of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen of Sex Pistols fame.

I should probably mention. That I once attended an, essentially, community college that was once attended by Malcolm McClaren. The manager of the Sex Pistols. Which would certainly interest a certain crowd.

Which brings me on to the; "Daniel, Oz, Osborne" character played by Seth Green. I've yet to see his full story play out. 

However he, for the most part seems to be a reference to Bryan, Dexter, Holland. The lead singer of the punk band; "The Offspring." Promoting new and fringe bands is a big part of the show.

Although checking the dates. It's possible that Dexter Holland changed his look to resemble Oz. 

The Offspring were a band that had been doing their own thing for about 10-15 years. Before suddenly becoming famous with that one album and one song you all know.

Oz's defining characteristic is his; "Stoic Calm." Even the most shocking news barely elicits a shrug.

In Firefly Whedon explored the philosophy of; "Existentialism." If this complex philosophy can be reduced to a single, short phrase it's; "Life has no meaning. Other than the meaning people assign to it."

"Stoicism" is sort of the parent philosphy of Existentialism. It could be reduced to; "Life has no meaning. Other than the virtue people can draw from it."

An important element of Stoicism is; "Stoic Physics." 

Essentially the notion that God is the Universe, the Universe is God and everything in the Universe is also God. A concept that is similar to the; "Tree of Life" concept within Judaism. Or the; "Wu Xing" concept within Asian, Animist religions.

Oz is introduced to be the boyfriend of the Willow Rosenberg character. Acting as her partner in her journey into the study of witchcraft.

The type of witchcraft used by Willow is, I think, never really explained. However it's made clear that it's based in; "The Physics." Although that doesn't sound like the sort of physics I studied at High School.

Seth Green is probably now most famous for voicing; "Chris Griffin" in "Family Guy." A show I'm going to struggle to watch in the same way again.

How each character's meaning can shift is well demonstrated by Season 2, Episode 16; "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. 

Here I was portrayed by the "Alexander, Xander Harris" character. Played by Nicholas Brendon. A shift underlined by the transference of Drusilla's affections from Spike to Xander.

As with Whedon's other work the show also makes lots of reference to contempary events. Such as the Columbine Shooting. Along with lots of gossip about other TV shows and movies inside the Hollywood bubble.

Which makes it particularly difficult to track. Some 20 years later.

Take for example David Boreanaz's character; "Angel." He is a vampire who, through convoluted Sci-Fi/Fantasy reasons has had his soul restored. Making him a good vampire whom the Buffy character falls in love with.

Then, for equally convoluted Sci-Fi/Fantasy reasons he loses his soul again. Becoming; "Evil Angel."

Evil Angel is very much a reference to the type of university frat boy. Who uses drugs such as Cocaine to seduce/sexually assault underage High School girls. Something which continues to be a relevent social issue to this day.

While I've yet to see it fully play out the love story between Good Angel and Buffy seems all about the trials and tribulations of young love. Possibly the most important issue to the show's target audience. 

Season 2, Episode 4; "Inca Mummy Girl" features a long dead Incan Princess being brought back to life. She seems to be a gossipy reference to Catherine Zeta-Jones. In her role in the troubled production of the movie; "The Mask of Zorro." Which was finally released that same year.

Not all of this Hollywood gossip is light and happy though.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the first big TV role for Eliza Dushku. Who is of Albanian descent. 

As a 12 year old child she appeared as the "Dana Tasker" character. In the 1994 movie; "True Lies."

In 2018, at the height of the "#MeToo Movement" Eliza Dushku shared a story. About being sexually assaulted/harassed by a member of the stunt crew on True Lies.

That is certainly hinted through her character Faith. The somewhat over-sexualised teenager who keeps getting those good little tickles down below.

Particularly in Season 3, Episode 7; "Revelations." In which there is much discussion over whether she needs a matronly, female chaperone. To Watch 'er on this production set.

It's the Hollywood gossip though that brings me on to a small, recurring character. Who has caught a lot of attention due to her sharing the same given name of one third of; "The World Famous Thrupple."

I'm not sure why I'm still concerned about protecting the anonymity of people I'm describing as; "World Famous." For example we know from the Johnny Cash song that one third was named; "Sam."

I'm actually a named character in Whedon's later work; "Firefly." Which is how I came to utterly ruin Summer Glau's life.

The remaining third bears the name; "Amy." Just like the "Amy Madison" character played by Elizabeth Anne Allen.

Amy Madison is a really small character in the show. Of the roughly three of seasons I've watched fully I've only seen three episodes in which she actually appears. As something more than a face in the crowd. So I'm not yet sure I have a full understanding of the character.

Aside from the name though there is nothing that reminds me of the Amy I knew. Although elements of the character's first appearance do seem to ring a few bells. In a very generic, angsty sort of way.

I think she's primarily a reference to Joey Lauren Adams. A long time collaborator of cult movie director Kevin Smith. Including in 1995's; "Mallrats."

At the time these episodes were aired Joey Lauren Adams and Kevin Smith were working on the movie; "Chasing Amy." In which she had the title role.

I don't remember the gossip in full. 

However during the production of Mallrats she started a relationship with either the director or another male member of the cast. To keep costs down during the production of Chasing Amy another male cast member was living with the couple at the time.

During that movie's production the couple's relationship broke down. Rather spectacularly by all accounts.

Leading to an incredibly awkward director's commentary on the DVD release. Which notably did not include Joey Lauren Adams.

The Amy Madison character is a witch. With a speciality in turning people into rats. Whether they go to the mall or not.

Many years later the Amy I knew was gifted a pet rat by a 'friend.' Something which makes a lot more sense to me now.

It seems impossible to talk about the various lesbian and bisexual women I've known. Without mentioning the "Willow Rosenberg" character played by Alyson Hannigan.

Over the seven seasons of the show the Willow character first has a relationship with the Oz character. Then discovers that she is gay. Having not one but two lesbian relationships. Something of a first for a major US network show broadcast at the start of the 21st century.

I think the Willow character is primarily an effort to put a realistic gay character in a central role in a major US network show.

Willow doesn't discover that she's gay until, I think, Season 4. However even in Season 1 she's frequently shown wearing a backpack. With gay pride rainbow straps. 

Which, to me, hints at a struggle between the production and the network. Over the direction of the character's development.

Willow certainly wears a lot of purple, to compliment the black. As she's dating all those boys in Season 3.

It is only yesterday that I saw Season 3, Episode 11; "Gingerbread" for the first time. The sees the town gripped by a moral panic against witchcraft. In which Willow's dabbling in witchcraft features heavily.

This seems to reflect the argument going on between the production and the network. 

With the network, already under pressure from Christian Evangelicals over the references to magic and witchcraft. Refusing to let the production also do a gay storyline. Which would certainly put pressure on the young actress.

The other controversy surrounding the Willow character is that she is Jewish. While Alyson Hannigan is not. Something which these days could be considered culturally insensitive casting.

However Sarah Michelle Gellar who plays "Buffy Summers" is of nominally Jewish heritage. Or at least has a family name which suggests she is.

The vampire myths explored in the show are all in the Christian tradition. They are injured by Christian Crosses and Holy Water. Forcing a nice Jewish girl to wear a Christian Cross for protection also seems slightly insenstive.

So I think using a non-Jewish actor to play her Jewish best friend is intended to temper the insensitivity slightly. A way to bring in and show respect for the Jewish faith.

There's actually an episode where the Willow character is forced to put up Christian Crosses within her Jewish home. The awkwardness is definitely mentioned.

Season 3, Episode 1; "Anne" actually explores elements of the Jewish faith.

It involves a young woman being inducted into a strange quasi-religious cult. Through a ritual known as a; "Cleansing" - immersion in a ceremonial bath. Which is almost explicitly named as a; "Mikvah" - a ceremonial bath used within Judaism.

Obviously Buffy interrupts the cleansing ritual. Causing both characters to fall through the ceremonial bath. Into another dimension.

A dimension where time moves much faster that it does in America. Rather like how it's currently the year 2020 in America. But the year 5781 in Israel.

In this dimension humans are forced to work as slaves. Very much in the style of Verdi's "Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves" from; "Nabucco." Particularly when it's mistaken for "Anvil Chorus" from Verdi's; "Il Trovatore." As it often is.

The conditions in the dimension causes the characters to question whether it is hell.

Broadly speaking Jews believe that God is the Universe, the Universe is God and everything in the Universe is also God. So have no concept of Heaven and Hell. Nor a concept of the afterlife.

Meaning they are much more focused on the experience of life. You could describe the Jewish concept of Heaven being a long life surrounded by loved ones. While the Jewish concept of Hell is a painful life lived without hope.

A concept the characters explore in the episode.

Willow's Jewishness becomes very controversial in Season 6. The 9/11 season.

Obviously the show doesn't deal directly with the traumatic event that was gripping America and the World. Instead it uses a traumatic event of its own. The murder of Willow's girlfriend Tara.

By then Willow is a highly accomplished good witch. The death of Tara turns Willow into a force of pure evil, one born of grief.

In this context Evil Willow is very much the Israeli Mossad to Giles' MI6. While Buffy is America's CIA. In scenes which seem to be my future being decided.

There the show does rather slip into the anti-Semitic conspiracy theories of 9/11 being an inside job. 

However it strikes me as a panicked production struggling to work with what they've got. After the plan they had suddenly went in the bin.

They certainly didn't invent the conspiracy theory. Which, at that point, was already part of the discussions surrounding 9/11.

This proved so controversial that the TV Show "NCIS" actually picked up the Evil Willow character. Expanding her in the Mossad officer "Ziva David" character. Cote de Pablo being possibly the only NCIS cast member who hadn't previously appeared in; "From The Earth To The Moon."

So controversial was the Evil Willow character in fact that it forced the production of a seventh and final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One that was firmly under the control of the US intelligence services. The Patriot Act season.

That the Willow character is a gay, redheaded Jewish woman. It makes it hard not to at least mention, possibly, the World's most famous redheaded Jewish woman.

The actress Jane Levy. 

Now I don't know if Jane Levy knows that she is Jewish. However she definitely is. Every year Tel Aviv hold a parade in her honour.

If that isn't misfortune enough. Jane Levy also shares so many similarities with so many women I've known. So many in fact I think I once described her as; "The Trifecta."

As with the Amy Madison character though. It must be said that I'm not seeing anything in the Willow character that reminds me of women I've known. Unless we're now counting Jane Levy as someone I actually know.

Although the "Kennedy" character. Willow's girlfriend in the seventh, Patriot Act season. She does definitely remind me of someone. A someone who might not be a big fan of Johnny Cash.

All the other similarities in the show of course does make rather hard not to ask;

Has the old coercive control just watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Then tried to use it as a blueprint for my life. Introducing characters they think fit?

Take for example Season 2, Episode 20; "Go Fish." This centres around a manevolant force which is killing members of the High School's swim team.

Up until about the age of about 13 I was actually something of a promising swimmer. Until I developed an allergy to Chlorine. Meaning that whenever I went in a swimming pool my sinuses would swell up terribly. Making it impossible to breath through my nose and forcing me to quit.

Early in the episode Buffy punches one of the members of the swim team in the nose. Causing it to swell up terribly. The team coach is particularly concerned about how the swimmer's sinuses are going to be affected.

It is in this episode that the Willow Rosenberg character's Jewishness is more prominant that usual. For example she wears a Star of David necklace. She is also referred to as; "Miss Rosenberg" rather than simply Willow.

Another large element of the story is a toxic gas. Being pumped into a building disguised as a shower block. A rather near-the-knuckle reference to the Nazi Holocaust. Which perhaps would have been appreciated by some Israeli Jews. If not American Jews.

It was about 26 months after this episode was aired in the US. That I met that runaway Israeli bisexual Jewish woman. At the, essentially, community college that was once attended by Malcolm McClaren.

Of course if the old coercive control has been using Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a blueprint for my life. Then that is certainly something they wouldn't want to admit to.

It would only show that they've completely misunderstood the piece. 

Or perhaps interpreted it in exactly the way you would expect.

If you were trying to trick a bunch of basement dwelling virgins. Into erecting barriers to success.

In order to keep your little European poodle obedient and subservient.

18:10 on 27/12/20 (UK date).

Edited at around 16:40 on 28/12/20 (UK date). To tidy & polish.

COVID-19: Welcome To My Vanity.

In the context of the US Presidential Election I examined the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part 1; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-2020-us-presidential-election-covid_20.html

Part 2; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-2020-us-presidential-election-covid_33.html

Part 3; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-2020-us-presidential-election-covid_11.html

In doing so I pointed out that COVID-19 is the wrong name to describe the disease. The name it has chosen for itself is Far Eastern Acute Respiratory Syndrome (FEARS).

I also pointed out that there were elements of the pandemic which seem intensely personal to me. The metaphysical fingernails. Screeching down the chalkboard inside my brain.

I've decided now is the time to take a look at some more of those elements.

Very early on in the pandemic it became apparent that tobacco smokers were less affected by the disease. Something which is very unusual for a respiratory disease.

Inhaling any form of smoke damages the lungs. This damage reduces lung function. Normally making a person more vulnerable to the further reduction in lung function that comes with a respiratory infection.

The reason why COVID-19 affects tobacco smokers less is actually pretty obvious and easy to understand.

As it's been trying to tell you FEARS is not a respiratory disease. It is an autoimmune disease. 

It triggers a fear response in the body which causes the immune system to wildly overract. The Nicotine contained within tobacco smoke is well known to dampen down the immune system. Preventing this overreaction.

It is though highly unusual for an autoimmune disease to disguise itself as a respiratory disease. Particularly in a way that seems so personal to me.

As I think many may be aware my biological mother is currently in a homosexual relationship. On the rare occasions I'm forced to talk about this I've taken to referring to her and her partner as my; "Mothers."

That is despite such a description causing a bit of tension and stress within my interpersonal relationships. 

Particularly when it comes to my, I suppose, step-grandmother. Who suddenly has to answer questions about her new found grandchildren. Whom she was certainly never expecting and has never even met.

The reason I choose to do this anyway is twofold;

Firstly it allows me to bait grammer Nazis. Along with grammer checking algorithms.

Mainly though it's my own little gay rights protest. A way to normalise similar, less conventional family units.

I feel it is particularly important to do this as a counterweight. 

To the extremely negative image of the gay community Britain has decided to promote to the World. Through its treatment of one third of the World famous Thrupple. Something which itself has been rather significant during the pandemic.

I was particularly motivated by the way Britain's shameful behaviour set back the cause of equal marriage within the US. By a good couple of years.

Although I am seriously begining to question why I bother.

This year has seen Europe gripped by the pandemic. It has also seen it gripped by the Brexit negotiations.

So Europe's gay community decided this would be the perfect time. To force the EU into not one, but two extremely bloody fights with itself. Somewhere out east. If the safeguards fail it is very hard to see the EU recovering from this.

Which makes gay rights an extremely tough sell. To any society which, you know, actually wants to survive.

I wouldn't say that my references to my "mothers" are dishonest. There exists a legal construct of kinship. If I were describing a heterosexual relationship the normal way to describe such a kinship would be; "Mother" or "Stepmother."

However I feel my use of the term "mothers" is a little bit deceptive. It sort of gives the impression of my biological mother's current partner changing my nappies. When, in reality, I was in my mid-twenties when I first met her. And perhaps even better schooled in lesbianism than either of them.

This all occured when Britain was introducing its ban of tobacco smoking within enclosed spaces. The Health Act of 2006.

At the time this mother was working as an attorney for the British Government's Department of Health. So actually wrote much of that specific law.

Obviously she was instructed to do so by the government of the day. The bill was passed into law by the properly elected Parliament. However many of the specific words on the page are her own work.

The problem with this is that I and my siblings quite enjoy smoking in pubs.

So I have many strong views on that specific smoking ban, along with the wider Anti-Smoking Movement. Some serious and deeply held. Others, not so much.

One thing that has always disturbed me is the enthusiasm with which the anti-smoking lobby will openly and clearly lie. Along with the efforts they will go to in order to silence anyone who attempts to call them out on what are often clear and obvious lies.

My intention is not to misrepresent tobacco smoking as harmless. It clearly isn't.

However, thanks to the anti-smoking lobby, the public perception of the dangers of smoking bears little relationship to reality. 

I think that in, particularly, western nations the belief is that if you smoke tobacco even once. Then you will instantly become addicted, develop lung cancer and die.

That is simply not true.

In reality only about 50% of smokers will develop smoking related diseases. The same as the roughly 50% of the general population who will develop some form of cancer. Compared to the 100% of non-smokers who will definitely die.

Not smoking tobacco is also no way to guarantee that you will not develop smoking related diseases. Such as lung cancer.

Particularly during this festive period it seems cruel to pick on specific individuals.

Although I think one already high profile example is former England and Manchester Utd footballer Rio Ferdinand. His first wife Rebecca Ellison never smoked in her life. Yet contracted lung cancer and died at the age of 34.

Likewise there is the England and Middlesex cricketer Andrew Strauss. His first wife never smoked. Yet still contracted lung cancer and died at the age of 46.

The anti-smoking lobby's decision to use lies and false information really grew organically. During the 1950's and 1960's when the first scientific evidence of the effects of tobacco smoking began to emerge.

During this time the tobacco lobby made extensive use of lies and false information. In order to discredit the science and resist regulation. Something we have seen more recently in the debates over Climate Change.

Amid those heated debates the anti-smoking lobby sort of lost its way. Starting to think it too was entitled to use lies and false information to achieve its aims.

This strategy of using lies and false information to instill fear. Then use that fear as a weapon of social control became more planned and formalised during the Emergence of HIV/AIDS in the 1980's.

Again my intention is not to misrepresent HIV/AIDS as harmless. It very clearly isn't.

The public perception of HIV/AIDS though bears little relationship to reality. The common belief seems to be that if you have unprotected sex with  HIV+ person even once. Then you too will become infected and die.

In reality HIV is really one of the least infectious of the common Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's).

Really the only reliable way of causing HIV infection is by introducing infected blood cells directly into the blood stream. Although that requires only mircoscopic amounts of infected blood. Such as the residue left on a hypodermic needle.

Sexually transmitted HIV infection also really requires the introduction of infected sexual fluids directly into the blood stream. Through very small cuts and tears in the thin membranes covering the sexual organs. That though requires a much larger amount of infected sexual fluids.

Much of modern HIV treatment, such as Pre-Exposure Proophylaxis (PrEp), doesn't attempt to eradicate the virus. Instead it focuses on reducing the so-called "viral load" within the sexual fluids. To the point it is not transmissible through sex.

Throughout the pandemic there has been much discussion over whether COVID-19/FEARS is racist. HIV is most certainly misogynistic.

It is far easier for a HIV+ man to infect a woman through sex than it is for a HIV+ woman to infect a man. Although, given the prevelance of HIV within the gay male community, the issue is really who recieves the semen.

This widespread misconception about the infectiouness of HIV is entirely by design.

Medical professionals noticed that the sudden deaths in the emergence of HIV/AIDS caused a huge amount of fear. Rather than address that fear through facts they decided to maximise it.

The cold calculation being that this fear could be expolited. To control people's behaviour, such as getting them to use condoms. That behaviour change also prevented people contracting much more infectious and equally nasty STI's. Such as Hepatitis.

This strategy of giving the public false information was named; "The Fear Strategy." 

It's main architect was Dr Anthony Fauci. The head of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (US-NIAID) who has risen to such prominance during this pandemic.

The 2020 Nobel Prize for Medicine went to Houghton, Alter and Rice. For the discovery of Hepatitis C. A clear reference to the Fear Strategy.

In case anyone was still wondering. What this pandemic has done to the standing of Dr Fauci and his fellow mask nutters within their profession.

Really the founder of the anti-smoking movement was Adolf Hitler.

Even from its earliest days the Nazi regime aggressively opposed tobacco smoking. A good 20 years before there was any scientific evidence that tobacco smoking was dangerous.

Hitler was particularly opposed to one effect of tobacco smoking. What we now know to be nicotine's role as a neuro-stimulant. In short it makes your brain run faster. Like other neuro-stimulants such as Cocaine or Amphetamines.

I wouldn't say that nicotine makes any of your individual thoughts more intelligent. How it causes you to have those thoughts much faster. Meaning that you can get through more of them in the same amount of time.

This allows you to better question authority. It allows you to think faster than the frenzy that authoritarian leaders like Hitler rely upon to whip up support. Making it less likely that you will be swept up and follow blindly.

As soon as FEARS emerged in western nations public health officials immediately deployed the Fear Strategy. Massively overstating the risks of the disease. In a deliberate effort to create fear. In order to use that fear to change the public's behaviour.

For example there is this claim that FEARS/COVID-19 can effect everyone. That is not true. The disease can infect everyone. However it doesn't effect about 45% of the people it infects at all. A further 45% of the people it infects only suffer mild effects.

FEARS/COVID-19 only really has serious effects on about 10% of the population.

The fear created by that deception was then used to support measures such as mask wearing, social distancing and lockdowns.

The Fear Strategy also combined with Cancel Culture. Turbocharging the silencing of anyone who attempted to raise even reasonable questions. Particularly on Social Media.

Take for example the issue of mask wearing. The early scientific work supporting the use of masks is clearly flawed.

It assumes a single FEARS/Covid-19 virus cell is equivalent to something the size of a basketball. When in fact it's equivalent to something the size of a tennis ball. Meaning that mask wearing is completely irrelevent to the spread of the disease.

However mask wearing was quickly made complusory. Anyone daring to point out that this was obviously based entirely on flawed science would find themselves swiftly silenced. Erased from the public debate.

This deliberate mis-stating of the facts of FEARS/COVID-19. Along with the banning of any discussion of the validity of the science. That, unsurprisingly, saw many nations adopt completely the wrong approach.

At this point it should be obvious to all. That the spring lockdowns and mask mandates had almost no impact on the spread of the disease whatsoever. The disease simply receded in the summer of its own accord. Then re-emerged when summer ended.

This near universal adoption of the wrong strategy has actually made things much worse. By preventing the use of the correct strategy.

The US state of California was one of the first to introduce a mask mandate and go into lockdown. Despite never lifting it's mask mandate it has now had to go into complete lockdown again.

The main reason for this is California actually believed that mask wearing and social distancing would work. 

Meaning that they neglected to build extra hospital capacity. For all the people who were going to get sick anyway. As masks do nothing to stop the spread of FEARS/COVID-19.

If public health officials had followed the science. Rather than intentionally pushing the lie that FEARS/COVID-19 effects everyone. 

Then they would have known that they needed a strategy built around protecting the clearly identifiable 10% who are affected. While the 90% who are largely unaffected eradicate the disease through herd immunity.

Back in the spring I estimated 55,000 UK deaths. With error margins of 5,000 either way.

Thanks to the Fear Strategy we're already at 70,000 dead. And winter's only five days old.

So FEARS/COVID-19 seems to have taken one of the most controversial developments in public health policy over the past 70-80 years. 

Then torn it to pieces in the space of about 9 months.

FEARS/COVID-19 also forced Statistical Analysis And Mathematical Modelling into the public conciousness. Terms such as; "Exponential Growth" etc.

This has been another longstanding point of contention in my life.

Britain is of the opinion that I failed out of university. As I am too stupid to be able to cope with statistical analysis and mathematical modelling.

I am of the opinion that I quit university. As I am too clever to be taken in by the nonsense that is statistical analysis.

In February 2020 Britain really should have been preparing for the pandemic. 

Instead they decided to waste time by focusing on the resignation of the government advisor Andrew Sabisky. After he wrote a blog post claiming Black people are intellectually inferior to white people.

That was done in reference to an online debate I participated in. Some 20 years ago, around the time I was in High School. In this debate I argued in favour of the 1994 book; "The Bell Curve" by Charles A. Murray and Richard Herrstein.

The Bell Curve lays out a mountain of mathematical modelling and statistical analysis. "Proving" that African-Americans are intellectually inferior to Caucasian-Americans. Who, in turn, are intellectually inferior to Asian-Americans.

That is not really what The Bell Curve shows though. It really shows how statistical analysis and mathematical modelling cannot be considered to be any sort of evidence.

That's why it's such a useful teaching resource. For that sort of High School debate.

It's interesting to see whether the person taking the anti position can get beyond simply screeching; "That's Racist!" In order to actually understand and deconstruct the topic. Easily winning the argument.

Of course in order to do that. You need someone brave enough to take the pro position. Who will often learn how to subtly tank their own argument.

I studied geography at university. So I was particularly troubled by the way in which regression analysis was being used to "prove" that Climate Change is not real.

I honestly thought I'd won that argument through fire, flood and famine. Apparently not though. Apparently Britain also needed a bout of pestilence.

One, I think, glacial geology lecture with a Climate Change denying professor got so bad. That I just walked out in the middle of it. Not so much in protest. More just to end the sensation of my braincells being killed.

As I left I remember the professor telling the rest of the lecture hall that; "He'll never amount to anything with that atttitude."

I think my subsequent work is pretty well known in United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) circles. Surely the global pinnacle of the discipline of Environmental Science. While not even I can remember that professor's name.

This incident seems to have been foretold. In the 1998 Tom Hanks produced  mini-series; "From The Earth To The Moon."

If you are familar with the 1995 Tom Hanks movie; "Apollo 13." Then "From The Earth To The Moon" is very much the TV show they made off the back of the success of the movie. Telling the story of all the Apollo space missions. Rather than just the 13th.

As was raised in the movie Apollo 13. After the historic first moon landing of Apollo 11 the rest of the Apollo program was intensely scientific and quite dull. Meaning the public completely lost interest. Unless there was a chance of dead astronauts.

The episode of From The Earth To The Moon about Apollo 13 doesn't cover the mission itself. That was well covered in the movie. 

Instead it focuses on the news media. The conflict between the fact-based; "Hard" news of Emmett Seaborn. Against the emotion-driven "Soft" news of Brett Hutchings. 

Episode 10 "Galileo Was Right" expands on this conflict. It has very little to do with space travel at all. Instead it is focused on geology here on Earth. In preperation for the astronauts collecting rock samples on the moon.

In an effort to make this bearable to non-geologists the TV show focuses on the human interest story. Of astronaut Harrison, "Jack", Schmitt who was studying to be a geologist. Before quitting to pursue the glamour of being a Navy pilot and eventually an astronaut.

He has to return to his arrogant former professor. To recruit him in teaching the other astronauts how to conduct geological surveys.

Eventually the arrogant professor is shamed. As it becomes obvious to all that the former student is now clearly the master.

At this point, feeling a bit stalked. I also watched the 2016 Tom Hanks movie; "Sully: Miracle on the Hudson."

This is about Chesley, "Sully", Sullenberger landing a passenger jet on the Hudson River in New York City back in 2009.

More accurately it is a movie about the airline trying blame Sullenberger for the entire incident. Using statisitical analysis and mathematical modelling to "prove" that the plane could have been safely landed at any number of nearby airports.

I don't want to give away any spoilers. To an event that was pretty well covered in the not too distant past. However the airline failed.

The victorious quote from the movie is that Sullenberger is; "The X without which the equation just does not work."

Tom Hanks went on to be one of, if not the, first truly globally famous people to contract COVID-19.

Which I guess makes me the metaphysical fingernails. Screeching down the chalkboard in Tom Hank's brain.

 

 

16:15 on 26/12/20 (UK date).

Edited at around 15:50 on 28/12/20 (UK date). To tidy up. Make sure most of the words now have the required number of letters.