Rob & Doug
How were these two so prescient?
Doctor Who Serial 044 – The Dominators
Synopsis: The Doctor finds himself on a peaceful planet with Zoe and Jamie. They encounter a scientific expedition, and some aliens called The Dominators who want to enslave the local population while destroying the planet. In the previous story, The Doctor, in our future, encountered a nice young scientist named Zoe. He invited her to join him on his journey. This is the first surviving story with Zoe in it, and she joins Jamie to become the best companion pair (perhaps until Rory and Amy). The Dominators have a terrible fashion sense, but create adorable robots named Quarks. No relation to the bartender. The robots might be adorable, but they’re… Read More »Doctor Who Serial 044 – The Dominators
Doctor Who Serial 041 – The Web of Fear
Synopsis: A continuation of the missing serial 038, The Abominable Snowmen, the Yeti have returned. Robots disguised as Yeti under the control of the Great Intelligence had years earlier terrorized a Buddhist monastery. Now, years later the Yeti are terrorizing the London Underground. Marks the first appearance of Colonel Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Lethbridge-Stewart would later be promoted to Brigadier General and be put in charge of UNIT. According to the TARDIS wikia… In televised episodes, the Brigadier appeared and interacted with all of the first seven Doctors — though his encounter with the Sixth Doctor in Dimensions in Time is not counted as part of the Doctor Who universe. The Brigadier would become such an important part of Doctor Who… Read More »Doctor Who Serial 041 – The Web of Fear
Beatles on Letterman
To celebrate The Beatles performing on Ed Sullivan, in 1964, David Letterman, who hosts his show on the same stage, has been inviting bands to perform Beatles songs. Broken Bells – And I Love Her Looping Ringo’s drumming from “I Am The Walrus,” Broken Bells add some sparse electronic music, acoustic guitar, and vocals. The tempo is slowed down and they were very effective in creating a melancholy mood to the song. It honestly reminds me of Sinister-era Belle & Sebastian. A higher compliment, I can barely fathom. Of course for those unaware, Brian Burton is Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse made the epic Grey Album which mixed both Jay-Z’s Black Album with The… Read More »Beatles on Letterman
Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story by Robyn Doolittle
Sigh. I kinda feel sorry for Robyn Doolittle. She’s an excellent reporter for the Toronto Star, but sadly her name is most associated with Rob Ford. Crazy Town is a book about our mayor, his family, and his problems. Crazy Town at times is extremely hard to read. We’ve lived through this drama for the past three years (longer, if you include his time as councillor). We’ve seen the insanity. Reliving it is not something you really want to do. However, Doolittle does add some interesting new revelations into her book that make it quite interesting. For non-Torontonians, I think it is a must-read. Anyone outside this city who has seen… Read More »Crazy Town: The Rob Ford Story by Robyn Doolittle
Doctor Who Serial 040 – The Enemy of the World
Synopsis: The Doctor is mistaken for Salamander, a man who is trying to become dictator of the world. Salamander’s enemies try to convince The Doctor to impersonate the evil man and help take him out. In the 1970s, the BBC was junking old TV shows in its archive. Back then, reruns didn’t exist, and the concept of home video and DVD would have been ridiculous. The shows were recorded onto video, and rather than buying new tapes, it was easier to blank the existing ones. They also had 16mm prints which were used to sell shows to foreign markets. Since film takes up a lot of space, those were destroyed… Read More »Doctor Who Serial 040 – The Enemy of the World
Political Parties
Parties are no longer about commitment, in the sense of principles, loyalty and tradition. Long ago, partisans rallied to Sir John A. Macdonald’s Tories under the slogan “the Old Man, the Old Flag, the Old Policy.” No more. A party is not a collective project. It is a “mutual fund.” Commitment has become investment, and investment demands appropriate returns. If “wasted,” it should be pulled out and put “elsewhere.” The party’s name and symbols are no longer marks of allegiance, but are merely a “brand.” Brands are corporate marketing devices for products. Brand identification is intended to promote sales. If sales falter, re-branding may be required.” – Reg Whitaker writing… Read More »Political Parties
Doctor Who Serial 039 – The Ice Warriors
I forgot to mention at the end of the last post… Serial 038, The Abominable Snowmen, is missing five of its six episodes. Back to The Ice Warriors. Synopsis: Global climate change is wreaking havoc on Earth. Scientist are using an ion beam to manually heat the Earth and combat an impending ice age. In the glacier they find… AN ICE WARRIOR! This six-part story has two episodes missing (and animated), which means, I’ve never seen it before! It’s a fun episode, but a bit dumb. They introduce a new villain that they call “The Ice Warriors.” We never get to hear their actual name, but learn they are from Mars. These ice… Read More »Doctor Who Serial 039 – The Ice Warriors
Senate
This is what Canadian politics has come down to. Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, announces one of most incredible moves in Senate reform since Confederation, kicking all Liberal senators out of caucus to force them to sit as independents, and he gets upstaged by Rob Ford who allegedly ordered a prison beating. Prime Minister Harper has been talking about Senate reform for at least a decade. He’s been in power since 2006, and has barely done anything. Trudeau’s step is a step in the right direction. It’s not going to end up meaning too much yet, but it could make a huge difference in the future.… Read More »Senate
Doctor Who Serial 037 – The Tomb of the Cybermen
Synopsis: After 500 years without Cybermen, an Earth expedition of archeologists finds their homeworld to find the Cybermen sleeping in wait. Hello, and welcome to The Patrick Troughton Years. The Patrick Troughton years of Doctor Who are arguably the best. Troughton brought something very unique to the role, he brought comedy and clowning. Perhaps the greatest asset Troughton had in his time on Doctor Who was Frazer Hines. Hines played Scottish highlander Jamie McCrimmon for twenty stories, to give you some perspective, Patrick Troughton played The Doctor in twenty-one stories1. I cannot think of any companion who lasted as long as Jamie did, three years. The Doctor liked to hide how… Read More »Doctor Who Serial 037 – The Tomb of the Cybermen