tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131275312024-03-08T15:31:43.420+08:00Kiwi Kat's KakkleHiya, I'm 40-something, and I live alone with roaming pet poultry and rusting old junker type cars in the "Mediterranean" semi-arid-climate wheatbelt farmlands area of Western Australia. I share this house with about 1,000 books, 3,000 videotapes and a small but ever increasing quantity of DVDs.Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1143155355881900022006-03-24T07:09:00.000+08:002017-06-09T19:58:16.967+08:00ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY SCREWS US OVERSome brief background.......I am proudly Christchurch born-and-bred but previously I have lived in Mid-Canterbury for some 10+ years during my teens and young adult life, Then I moved to Perth and Outback Western Australian Farmlands areas where I have been for the last 20 years. I'm back home in Christchurch now and catching up on what's been happening while I'm away<br />
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Thursday 23 March was World Water Day and on the preceding Wednesday night the TV-3 program "Campbell Live" featured several water stories.<br />
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Canterbury, is one of the driest Provinces in NZ with just 500 mm annual rainfall has recently been turned over to substantial dairying, which is totally unsuited to the climate. The Dairy-farmers get by by irrigating the land heavily using Water Rights that were handed out willy-nilly by Environment Canterbury in the early 1990's. (EC = Govt Dept responsible for bore/river-water allocations)<br />
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Firstly, this is environmental suicide, second only in stupidity to Australia's example of SouthWest Qld and NorthWest NSW where Rice and Cotton, the 2 most water in-efficient crops there are, are grown in the desert.....but only by sucking almost every bit of life out of the Murray-Darling river system.<br />
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Yep Canterbury's headin' down the same path it seems. Dunsandel area for example is extracting 400% the water now, that they used to 15 years ago. Many homes and farmhouses which have bore-wells only 10 or so metres deep have run dry and are forced to drill deeper wells at costs upto $10,000 (or install large rain-water tanks) to ensure their household has sufficient water for normal household purposes.<br />
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According to official Environment Canterbury figures the "Irwell" river runs dry only once in 25 years "on average". Yet of late, it has been dry in 7 of the last 9 years. Water quality in all rivers in the Canterbury Plains has degraded significantly because of Nitrates (basically caused by fertiliser run-off from over-fertilised paddocks and animal manures being allowed to enter waterways and catchment areas).<br />
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Increasing Nitrate levels contribute to poisonous Blue-Green Algal blooms which can kill fish and frogs etc. I dunno if this regular occurrence of Australia's degraded waterways happens here in Canty yet, but it can't be far off if things keep going the way we're going.<br />
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The Campbell Live TV show did question the head honcho SIR KERRY BURKE of Environment Canterbury about whether in the face of this impending ecological disaster, was he going to wind back the water rights already granted (there's no disputing that water was well and truly over-allocated in the early 1990's, when Environment Canterbury was giving out licences in Cornflakes packets).........<br />
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His reply.......words to the effect of "We Can't, we signed contracts and we're locked in for 35 years". *Ta Ma Duh*. Well what a load of old rubbish.<br />
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Now don't get me wrong, I am NOT actually accusing Environment Canterbury's current administration including SIR KERRY BURKE of being either incompetent or corrupt, but I think whoever WAS in charge in the 1990's should answer to some serious charges.<br />
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Let's get something quite clear. Nobody gets a job at EC unless they know their stuff, they don't employ fools and idiots there I'm sure. The science nerd types must have appropriate science tertiary degrees and the administrators and bean-counters would have to have the appropriate qualifications in corporate management. Look mate these people are paid $50k or $100k or $200 Grand a year because they're supposedly top-notch... if they WERE to be so *jing-tzang mei yong-duh*, how on Earth could such high executive salaries be justified ?<br />
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So if we can assume they are all competent, why would they make such bad decisions, like for instance signing away 35 year water-rights when they only have say 100 years of historical data to go on, (not a long enough time to get a good long-term "average" in weather terms) plus knowing full well that global climate change is making the climate go haywire etc etc<br />
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According to Sherlock Holmes, "eliminate the impossible and whatever remains, however unlikely, must be the truth". Well I say that some previous corrupt and evil sacks of *Niou-fun*, as employed by Environment Canterbury at the time, (supposedly to look after the welfare of our public resources) took big bribes either in cash or in their Swiss Bank Accounts and signed away Canterbury's future. I hope they rot in Hell.<br />
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.....And as for Sir Kerry's comments on Campbell on We night, that 35 year water rights once signed couldn't be broken. Yeah mate. *Jien Tahduh guay* I say *Je shr shuh muh lan dong shi* he's spouting out of his mouth.<br />
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In the past Chch residents have had 99 year leases cancelled at the stroke of the local government authority's pen. some years back, I had friends who got caught this way (refer to "catherinejemma.blogspot.com" for my 'Blog entry of October 2005 about halfway down under "NSW Toll Road Rip-Off vs Poor People Lynched on their Leases" for the full details of that story.....sorry I tried to provide a direct link but it didn't work) but try cut-and-pasting this ( catherinejemma.blogspot.com/2005_10_1_catherinejemma_archive.html )<br />
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When poor people's 99 year house-section leases can be cancelled so easily (and without the payment of any compensation), anyone who says that 35 year water-rights can't be broken just as easily is talking *Gos se* .<br />
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In Australia the whole area of "water rights" has been utterly stuffed up. In some areas for example, farmers ARE NOT allowed to collect and use the rain that falls on their own land, because someone hundreds of kms away has bought "water rights".<br />
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We know from many examples in Australia as well as the Middle East and southern Russia that wide-scale irrigation causes land to become contaminated with poisonous salts. The mighty Snowy River in NSW, once the raging torrent of Bushman Poets now has 99 % of it's water taken and it is now down to a pathetic trickle.....not much more than our own nearly-dry Irwell River in places.<br />
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I might be just some *jien hwo* but even I could come up with some *jing tsai* ideas to safeguard Canterbury's future and ensure that we have long term sustainable farming here. Environment Canterbury should pull their finger out and start doing properly the job they're paid to do !<br />
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I've lived more than 15 years in the salt-laden farmlands of outback WA, where inappropriate farming practices have poisoned hundreds of thousands of acres, ruined for farming or cropping purposes for the next 100 years at least. I just hope and pray that Canterbury isn't roaring headlong along the same path.<br />
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Cheers<br />
Cate<br />
24 March 2006Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-77302536612352591042010-09-21T16:46:00.002+08:002017-06-09T19:48:42.671+08:00Update to my posting of 7 October 2006I have posted an update, which I discovered on a Beaututes website. I have inserted the item within my original posting.Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1160198776173709652006-10-07T13:15:00.001+08:002010-09-21T16:44:11.449+08:00Cate's whinge re Saturday Newspaper 7 Oct 2006OK I've just driven down and collected my Saturday's newspaper and this week<br />I actually got around to reading a fair bunch of it, and I'm excited ! Oh<br />no, sorry, that was that Queensland guy who used to say that in the tv<br />adverts.....<br /><br />Actually I'm pretty darn peeved off by a few things I've just read......and<br />something else outstanding from a few days earlier.<br /><br />So ok, this communique is being made available to various folks, friends of<br />mine, plus my 'Blog. Mostly it refers to today's paper, being the Country edition of<br />Saturday's West Australian newspaper 7 October 2006<br /><br />Page 6, some poor guy has been charged with "reckless driving" for<br />travelling at 80 kmh in a 110 kmh zone. Y'say what ? Just how overpaid and<br />unworked ARE local police that they finding extra work for themselves.<br /><br />Somewhere on the main highway (about 400 km from here) this guys old car<br />developed a breakdown. It was a big old Ford LTD model. Now this is a long<br />lonely stretch of main highway through outback areas. Coolgardie is a large<br />enough country town and as well as fuel stations would have food-shops and<br />mechanics/car repairs available.......certainly it has a well staffed police<br />station, most of their duties in that area being traffic patrol duties<br /><br />Once out of the main townsite area, there are long stretches of open road,<br />no farmhouses or phoneboxes to call for help in the event of a breakdown.<br />Every 50 km or so if you're lucky, often 100 km or more apart, you'll find a<br />"Roadhouse" a sorta combined petrol station and takeaway food place (a few<br />of the larger better equipped ones have showers and motel rooms for<br />overnight accomodation) however roadhouses DO NOT have repair workshops or<br />mechanics on staff. Mobile phone coverage (aka cellphones) is confined to major towns only, unless you have one of those special "satellite" will-work-anywhere-on Earth type phones, once you're a few kilometres out from a major town, you're on your own.<br /><br />Well this guy was in between Coolgardie and Bullabulling, some 40 km from Cg<br />when his old car's auto transmission stuffed up. He was able to get going<br />again, but only by travelling in reverse, so he was travelling along on his<br />merry way when a police radar speed trap stopped him for doing 30 kmh<br />*below* the speed limit. The newspaper article does not make it clear<br />which direction he was travelling in, whether just to BB to use the phone or<br />to Cg where mechanical repairs would be available. The article says he'd<br />driven about 20 km distance when he was stopped by the police.<br /><br />Now anyone who's driven an auto car in reverse knows that there's nothing<br />terribly unsafe about it and in a short time you can quite "get the hang" of<br />driving rearwards in a brisk manner. After 20 km of practice, even starting<br />off at just normal carpark reversing speed, I reckon he'd be pretty darn<br />good at reversing-at-speed !<br /><br />Now this poor bloke only has the money to drive an old clunker of a car and was<br />already having a bad day when his transmission shit itself (pardon my<br />language), here he was stranded miles from the nearest help on an outback<br />highway, he's able to get moving, underway again albeit backwards, and is trying desperately<br />to get back to somewhere where he can get proper help......and along come a<br />bunch of boys-in-blue (well actually country and outback coppers have<br />different uniforms, sorta Khaki coloured)... and spoil his day a little<br />bit more than it already was.<br /><br />All I can say Is I hope he gets off when it comes up before the Coolgardie<br />traffic court on Monday.<br /><br />I've driven lots of old cars over the years and I know what it's like to<br />have a previiously reliable vehicle suddenly start failing on me, sometimes<br />a makeshift roadside repair means you can push on a bit further, hoping to<br />reach some help, watching the water temp gauge as it shoots skyward, or<br />listening for that strange noise, and trying to get the speed *upto* 30 kmh<br />as the fuel starvation or ignition problem cuts in and out<br />periodically.......yep been there done that.<br /><br />.......my last car that died on me,an automatic (but it did still keep going<br />forwards !) got me home with multiple stops to keep refilling the radiator,<br />it took some 20 or 30 litres of water to get the last 100 km home. Some<br />kind of major internal defect in the engine had suddenly developed whereby<br />cooling water was being sucked into the combustion area and blown out the<br />exhaust, although just for good measure, some was also finding it's way into<br />mixing with the engine oil......oh well I only paid $100 for the car and got<br />9 months regular use from it so can't complain. That model is known for<br />doing in their heads/gaskets as they age<br /><br />...THIS ADDED on 21 SEPTEMBER 2010...I just found this on a Beaututes website...I believe this item is somewhat dated but I'm unsure exactly when it was written...I'm not sure if the url link will work properly<br /><br />quoted section begins<br /><br />A man who was stopped by police as he attempted to drive from Kalgoorlie, in south-eastern Western Australia, to Perth, in reverse, has been fined and had his driver's licence suspended.Scott William Poulton was sentenced in Kalgoorlie Magistrates Court yesterday after he was caught by police earlier this month on the Great Eastern Highway just outside Coolgardie driving his car backwards.<br /><br />Poulton was charged with reckless driving and driving without a licence.He told officers at the time the transmission on his car had failed and the vehicle would only go in reverse.Magistrate Dennis Temby fined Poulton $1,100 and suspended him from holding a driver's licence for 18 months.He said Poulton put the public in danger and he compared his actions to driving blindfolded. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...0/s1771961.htm">http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...0/s1771961.htm</a><br /><br />quoted section ends<br /><br />Page 11..... has an article on stolen cars, the procedure known as<br />"ReBirthing" or "Ghosting". Basically it works this way, you goto an<br />insurance company sell off of badly damaged cars. Buy a car of a certain<br />make and model. It can be a total write-off, banana shaped wrapped around a<br />pole then burnt out. Then you steal an identical make and model car, then<br />swap the body number "VIN" plate etc Now this system is well known,<br />depicted in the original "Gone in 60 seconds" film of about 1975. Car<br />insurance companies actually facilitate this kind of theft because they<br />deliberately leave the VIN ID plate and number plates and rego attached to<br />obviously written off cars, knowing that the wreck can never actually be<br />really re-built, and knowing full well that it will be bought at auction by<br />car theives, to provide the ghost identity for their next stolen car<br />project. When some ten plus years ago, car insurance companies were<br />quizzed publically as to why they were working in with car theives to<br />promote car thefts, their response was words to the effect that, if they<br />cancelled the damaged cars legal identity, such as by removing the VIN id<br />plates and handing them back to the government.....then they would only get<br />lower prices for the wrecks at auction, because the only people bidding on<br />such wrecks would be genuine buyers just wanting salvagable parts, it's the<br />car theif rebirthers who are prepared to pay higher prices for absolute<br />wrecks<br /><br />Yep it really really is a case that "car theft, brought to you by your local<br />insurance company" (apologies to KM, I know you work for an insurance<br />company, in an unrelated area).<br /><br />Actually a similar thing was going on until recently with stolen mobile<br />phones throughout Australia. For years and years and years Telstra and other<br />mobile phone connection suppliers, would happily and knowingly connect<br />stolen mobile phones. They didn't care, so long as they got their monthly<br />connection fees. If the phone when stolen was still under contract then the<br />original owner still had to pay out the entire connection fee anyway, so the<br />phone company was "double-dipping" getting paid twice over. The technology<br />systems in place all along could have prevent stolen mobiles from being<br />re-connected, (the carrier, to connect you, needs to know each phones set at<br />the factory internal id) but that would cut into the profit telecoms<br />carriers make, especially by double-dipping, so they simply chose to support<br />mobile phone theives. Only recently did govt and public pressure force<br />carriers to change their policy and come out and say, that from a certain<br />date onwards, they would no longer knowingly connect stolen. mobile phones.<br /><br />Of course even before that racket they're making a fortune on the improper<br />use of premium pay for use telephone services. For almost 2 decades now<br />unauthorised people, often underage minors (at parent's home) or employees<br />at a workplace have been racking up bills of between $10,000 and upto<br />$60,000 in a case I heard of. Yep for *just* $5 a minute you can phone<br />"Sexy Sarah" and listen to her talk to you about what she's wearing or doing<br />or whatever, or something like that. I never called that sorta thing<br />m'self (20 minutes of that kinda pollava and I could buy another car instead<br />! ) but there's enough folks around who get hooked into an addictive<br />behaviour of that sort of phonecalls, leaving parents and employers to foot<br />huge phonebills........of course Telstra and other carriers get HALF of the<br />fee.....there's no way the'd wanna stop that, eh !<br /><br />Page 5 ..... About 5 years ago an English family newly migrated to Perth WA<br />and bought a large old house (they have 4 kids and wanted a decent size<br />house on a large block). The house is very old and now some 5 years on they<br />are ready to demolish it and build something newer and better suited to<br />them.....including complying with the new state laws requiring new houses to<br />be substantially better designed, far more electric/energy and water<br />efficient than previously, insulation to keep it warm in Winter and cool in<br />Summer without having to resort to paying for unnecessary air conditioning<br />and heating.<br /><br />Now some years back, this house was owned by members of the "Court" family,<br />almost a dynasty here in WA, both the father and one son having served terms<br />as state Premiers in the past. The Court family are very very rich and own<br />lots of houses and other assets, they didn't want this house anymore and<br />sold it and made a big fat profit and laughed all the way to the bank.<br />Consequently this English family have come to buy it in 2001, intending all<br />along to demolish it and build their own dream home.<br /><br />Now suddenly, people are saying "you can't demolish that house because it<br />used to belong to the Court family". Note that this house IS NOT subject to<br />any kind of historical building preservation order, the UK family bought it<br />with no conditions on a freehold title.<br /><br />Suddenly their application to council for a demolition permit (usually just<br />a formality) is held up, the Historical places people want 6 weeks to even<br />assess it and there's talk of the Court family buying it back at a price<br />they will decide "derr what !"<br /><br />Look here you lot "The Court Family" this place was so UN-important to you<br />that you flogged it off, first chance you got, to the highest bidder. You<br />didn't care tuppence about it.<br /><br />To suggest now that the new owners should be forced to live in an<br />uncomfortable old house with high energy and water bills, or sell it and<br />move is unfair.<br /><br />I say to that UK family, *if* you choose to sell it, then offer it at<br />auction. With Perth house prices currently in "Pyramid Money Scheme" mode<br />the price will go ballistic, you can even push the price up further by<br />making pretend dummy bids (called politely "vendor bids" although the laws<br />regarding them do differ from state to state)<br /><br />If the Court family have suddenly decided that they wanna own that house<br />again, let them buy it back at whatever the market rate, on that day, is.<br /><br />If the UK family wanna demolish their own old leaky drafty dark-and-dank<br />pox-hole of a house, then let them !<br /><br />Look it's as simple as this. The old owners no longer wanted the house so<br />sold it, freehold title, no Historic building preservation encumbrances. If<br />the new UK migrant family wanna knock it down and build something better<br />then ok, Live with it.<br /><br />.....recent news but not in the newspaper this morning....while in NZ it<br />made the news that a few years before some smart alec had trademarked the<br />numbers 10 through to 20 in New Zealand. (how I dunno, I guess they<br />convinced the relavent govt patent/trademark and copyright authority that<br />they'd invented something new and unique I guess)<br /><br />More recently NZ set up a new football team to take part in an expanded<br />Australian Eastern States football league. In NZ the league is known as<br />"Super 14" (there<br />are 14 players each side, in that football code). The NZ branch paid the<br />good old "un-disclosed sum" to the person who had trademarked the number 14.<br />Now if you want my opinion then they could probably have just started using<br />the number 14 anyway, but obviously they thought that a negotiated payment<br />in advance would reduce the costs of lawyers and dragging it through<br />interminable court proceedings (even if they were to ultimately win).<br /><br />This was reported in the air of "wasn't this person so clever, trademarking<br />all the numbers likely to be used for future team sports events then selling<br />the rights later for massive profit" etc<br /><br />Well yesterday it was announced that someone (being someone totally<br />UN-connected with the recently deceased Steve Irwin and the Australian<br />Private Zoo based in QLD) had taken out the appropriate web url licence on<br />various web urls to do with his daughter Bindi Irwin (only 8 years old but<br />already being groomed for tv animal shows) I dunno but I guess<br />"bindiirwin.com.au" ???<br /><br />Well I don't support the NZ govt selling off the number 14, I use that<br />number myself ! (such as whenever I count the number of days in a<br />fortnight) however if some one has done the required legal steps to rent the<br />relavent urls, then I say good on them. They'll most likely end up selling<br />those rights onto the Irwin family/zoo business anyway, golly what a great<br />idea, I wish I'd thought of it myself. Maybe I could've made enough money to<br />buy a Perth house.....mmmmm you'd wanna do a title search going back<br />donkey's years, see if anyone in the Court family has ever owned it at any<br />time in the past. Don't want them to come a-knockin' on the door one day<br />saying "you're not allowed to modernise it, and I want it back !"<br /><br />cheerio<br />Cate<br /><br />Note that for your reading enjoyment a limited number of spelling mistakes<br />have been accidentally, err, deliberately included...have fun spotting them,<br />"theives" seems to have got through every time !<br /><br />this email brought to you by Rubbish-Dump computer-power !<br /><br />Find me at http://myspace.com/catherinejemma<br />check my weBlog http://catherinejemma.blogspot.com<br /><br />Patsy....."So is killing NOT wrong anymore ?"<br />Trudy....."We don't have to worry about Right and Wrong anymore, ZOOT<br />decides for us"<br />................The Tribe episode 2:49Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1162911701304913722006-11-07T22:59:00.000+08:002007-06-26T09:08:20.620+08:00Treating a sick hen (Warning description of fly-strike)<blockquote></blockquote>I just found a chicken which had gotten all maggotty around it's back end,<br />NOT anywhere near the cloaca actually, simply the meat of it's "rump"(?) <img alt="Blockquote" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.quote.gif" border="0" /><br />eaten away. Obviously must have had some trauma there originally (pecked at,<br />caught on piece of wire ?) that subsequently got flyblown<br /><br />I tried rinsing them out in my bathtub from a gentle trickle of coldwater<br />from the handshower attachment then decided on another track and took it<br />outside and sprayed it with the normal Pyrethrim mist I make up, a Vet<br />available mammal and bird safe spray or dipping drench (added later...I'm<br />glad it's mammal-safe too, as sometimes I end up gettin' near as much on me<br />as on the chooks ! )<br /><br />I left the chook to stand...it's sorta half conscious, on the concrete path<br />for a few minutes then counted over 30 maggots, mostly small or tiny, drop<br />off onto the surrounding ground<br /><br />The trigger sprayer I had only mixed up 125 ml of medicine spray anyway so<br />obviously the last little bit doesn't spray out well, especially if you're<br />holding the spray-bottle at an angle<br /><br />So I up-ended the chicken and had a close look, I could see many maggots<br />still affecting the hen, many were almost inside "tunnels" within the flesh,<br />so I took off the spray-top and trickled out the last wee bit of liquid in<br />the spray bottle. directly over the affected area<br /><br />Just like the fella on Dad's Army tv show used to say "they don't like it up<br />'em !". Re-standing the hen on another piece of path I counted another 30<br />maggots drop off over the next few mins<br /><br />I got the hen to sip up some sugar-water on a teaspoon, and then took it<br />inside the (flyscreened) laundry-bathroom area and stood it up in a large<br />plastic bowl (I don't think it's energetic to step out<br /><br />That was just on dark anyway and it seems to be sleeping standing up on one<br />foot, I guess the other hip is sore (the damage is off-centre)<br /><br />I snuck in with a torch earlier and without disturbing it observed around<br />it's backside and could see what might be another 5 maggots possibly still<br />alive, hopefully dying from exposure to the pyrethrum spray, in the bowl<br />bottom I can see the dying remains of 10 plus maggots<br /><br />In past years, I have on occasion restored to health, birds at least as<br />badly affected in the past so we'll just have to see how this one goes.. Oh<br />I noticed also that it's blind in one eye. I don't know the problem as the<br />eyelid seems permanently closed. Maybe it's a skincancer of the eyelid and<br />is permanent, and maybe Sometimes a minor infection causes hens to become<br />temporarily blind on one side, perhaps a grass-seed gets stuck in a corner<br />of their eye, but then in a few days things sort themselves out and they see<br />perfectly again. I do not know whether it's eyesight will restore on that<br />side in future. Maybe I should call this hen "Lucky" ! In my domestic<br />situation, where unlimited feed and water is easily available in their shed,<br />and they only need leave if they choose to roam about outside, I'm sure a<br />chicken can survive quite happily with sight in only one eye anyway.<br /><br />If it lasts the night and then starts drinking water regularly, it should be<br />ok. I noticed when I first picked it up it is **SO** underweight compared to<br />normal so maybe it hasn't been eating for quite some days<br /><br />If it doesn't last the night, I guess I've done me dough on another $3<br />chicken !<br /><br />UPDATE added July 2007. Sorry I thought I'd given a progress report but apparently it didn't go through. Well after one week in my bathroom-laundry the hen had improved enough (eating and drinking fine, able to stand sit and walk around ok, the skin dried and healed enough NOT to get instantly flyblown again) and I re-introduced it back into the flock. I kept an eye on it for several weeks, picking it up every couple of days and checking around its rump. Feathers quickly re-grew around covering up the damaged skin area. Indeed I only stopped keeping an eye on it as it soon became indistuinguishable from the other hens ! Therefore another full recovery on my record. <br /><br />Cheerio<br />Dr Catherine Jemma<br />.....(Doctor of Bathroom Veterinary Sciences ! )<br /><br />this email brought to you by Rubbish-Dump computer-power !Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-82546351224828185722007-05-15T13:08:00.000+08:002007-05-15T13:17:14.664+08:001963 vs 2007 (comedy article)I happened across this on an Aussie newsgroup ("aus.cars"). It's obviously already been snatched from some US source. It's a bit of a stretch butnevertheless it does make some good points. Have a bit of a giggle but don't take it too seriously<br /><br />1963 vs. 2007<br /><br />Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack of his truck.<br /><br />1963: Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to his truck and gets his to show Jack.<br /><br />2007: School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.+++++<br /><br />Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.<br /><br />1963: Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends.<br /><br />2007: Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.+++++<br /><br />Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.<br /><br />1963: Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.<br /><br />2007: Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.+++++<br /><br />Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives him a whipping.<br /><br />1963: Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.<br /><br />2007: Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.+++++<br /><br />Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school.<br /><br />1963: Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.<br /><br />2007: Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.+++++<br /><br />Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.<br /><br />1963: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college<br /><br />.2007: Pedro's cause is taken up by state democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can't speak English.+++++<br /><br />Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.<br /><br />1963: Ants die.<br /><br />2007: BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.+++++<br /><br />Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary, hugs him to comfort him.<br /><br />1963: In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.<br /><br />2007: Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.Yep, things sure are getting better.<br /><br />DAVOCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-13424683674332221862007-04-18T18:11:00.000+08:002007-04-29T11:14:31.114+08:00Review of SWANCON # 32 Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention April 2007NOTE it's better if you read this on my MySpace site. Transferring the posting here has lost all the formatting and run a lot of sentences together. I've corrected *some* of these.Please Just goto "myspace.com/catherinejemma" instead<br /><br />Here is my review of the recent annual "SwanCon" (now in it's 32nd year).Perth and WA state's annualScience Fiction and Fantasy convention. It is being sent to you because youare in my address-book (as a personal friend, or a SciFi related contact)and I thought you'd like to read about it. If you do not wish to recievethis, or other future email contacts, then simply email me back at thisaddress, and I will have you Deleted (from my address-book, that is).<br /><br />Notethat I have explained certain aspects in some detail, this is for the benefit of non-Perth residents. This review is not intended to beexhaustive, but to give an overall impression of the event. It is notintended to be just a "name-dropping" exercise either, please don't feelsleighted if you're left out. I'll be naming the main guests and some ofthe panel presenters, but I don't want this to turn into just atelephonebook-like listing !<br /><br />In the past, my reviews have been shorter than this and taken about 3 hours to type. This review has taken somewhat longer spread over several days.Hopefully it's several times better, not just longer ! I've tried to polish it a lot more. Note I have digressed into a spiel at times, egthings like US IP laws, but only where these directly impact upon SwanCons.I know it's long, but try to read through all of it as I think its worthy of proper consideration.<br /><br />Note that I consent to this review being reproduced and re-published in anymedia that is not intended primarily for profit. Such might include clubnewsletters, fanzines, websites, weBlogs, or small print run books. It maybe edited provided that such editing is reasonable. (Miss Steaks that havebean deliberately maid, should bee left unkorrekted !)<br /><br />SwanCon #32 "Inconceivable" 5th to 9th April 2007<br /><br />On Thursday 5 April 2007, I loaded up my recently repaired Renault (good job Catherine !) and ventured forth from my outback abode. Arriving in Perth afew hours later, I left mycar parked at a friend's place at the extreme edge of the Perth greatermetro area,and took the hour long express-bus journey into the city. Just a shortdistance out fromPerth's central city area, I happened to glance out the bus' window as theFreeway passes along close to the river's edge and noticed a flock of Swansfrollicking freelyalong the riverbank. These were of course the native "Black Swan" whichbeing, pretty much unique in the world, has become a symbol of Perth and thestate of WA. (Indeed before it was named "Perth", the area was actuallycalled "The Swan River Colony" by early European settlers (the river itselfalso being named after the Swans).<br /><br />After the Freeway, the bus concludes it's journey at Perth's near new,multimillion dollar "Bus-Port". This is a disgraceful sack of rubbish,poorly designed and administered. For example there is absolutely NO groundlevel exit available to the adjacent streets. An elevated semi-enclosedwalkway leads off, with exit available one entire city block away (althougheven then the bastards sometimes conspire to defeat you, by locking the gateat the farend, which you can't see until you get all the way there). So if you'redisabled and cannot manage a flight of stairs, (or perhaps dragging aluggagetrolley loaded up with cardboard cartons and the like), the only option istoexit through the buses own entry and exit roadway ("No Pedestrians Allowed"etc),braving the abuse of bus-drivers, as they narrowly avoid running you over.<br /><br />Compared to the Lichfield Street busstation and lounge area ("City Exchange"), in the much smaller city ofChristchurch, NewZealand, which has disabled (and people with trolleys etc) access at all ofit's entry and exit points.......Perth's much touted "Bus-Port" is rubbish.It's disgusting to think how much the civil servants who signed offapprovals on this monstrositygot paid, and the esteemed architects who got paid squillions designing it,deserve to have the goolies cut-off.Fortunately on this occasion, I didn't need to exit at street level (TheEmerald Hotel, where previous SwanCon and mini-conventions have been held,is just a short walk from The BusPort....*if* you can get out of thewretched placethat is).<br /><br />SwanCon this year was held at the "All Seasons" hotel,the same venue as last year's SwanCon, (although last year it was called"The Acacia"..... a much nicer, more "Australian" name if you ask me). Thisis in the area just north of the Perth city centre known as "Northbridge".Fortunately for weary travellers, trapped at the BusPort by it's poordesign, another means of escape does exist, hop onto another bus tosomewhere else! The "CAT" service is free and does a circuitous routearound the Perthinner-city area, including the southern part of Northbridge. Mmm, more pooradministration, these CAT buses burn fossil fuels whereas Christchurch'sequivalent service (the "shuttle") uses fully electric buses recharged byrenewable power.<br /><br />I used one of the un-used wheelchair pozzies on the CAT bus to stow mytrolley, heavily laden with cartons and dufflebags of, well, stuff, y'know,all the junk one takes to conventions. As the bus wound it's way from theBusPort, through the Perth inner city area, more and more passengers keptgetting on, at every stop (bastards ! sic). By the time it got to where *I*had to disembark, it was packed to standing room only from front to back. Ihad to fight my way through the crowd, as politely as I could, to extractmyself, my trolley load of stuff, and my backpack.<br /><br />I then had a fair old walk upto the hotel which was a couple of blocksfurthernorth than the CAT busroute went, and the ground is slightly uphill. You'dbarely notice it if you's just walkin', but if you're dragging a heavilyladen trolley along behind you as well.........(every year I say I won'ttake as much stuff to Swancon next time, then every year I do)I missed Swancon in 2006 as I was in NZ, but I had visited the hotel once in2005 when I booked the room that I would have used. This year the room hadalready been booked and paid for by Wendy, someone I've shared a room withat the last 7 or so Swancons.<br /><br />I went upto hotel reception and asked for myown key. Fortunately Wendy had had my name attached to the room booking.Unfortunately the Acacia hotel, at some previous date, had decided it was agood idea to buy a unique type of electronic doorlock, for which extrareplacement keycards would not be available. However since last year'sSwancon (with a high percentage of people sharing rooms requesting 2 keysper room)they had obtained another product which could be programmed to operate thedoorlock, so I wasgiven what looked like a piece off a broken pencil. (But even of these,they had only a limited supply.) I'm not good with the puppy-dog pleadingeyes, but I think I looked pretty frazzled after having hauled thattrolley-load of stuff up from the bus stop, so they took pity on me and gavemeone of the very few spare, reprogrammable keys.I went upto the room and let myself in, Wendy was already there, as well asanother who was to share the room with us.<br /><br />Michael wasn't known to me(although I'd seen him around at GenghisCon a few months back). Wendy hadpreviously shared a room with Michael at last year's "Wai-Con" a JapaneseAnime' convention.Wendy and Michael had brought as least as much stuff to the convention as Ihad, perhaps more. As well as various costume outfits for them both, ourroom alsosported a full size replica of DR WHO's *K-9* (robotic dog).Disappointingly there was *no* microwave oven, so I had to survive withoutbeing able to cook the potatoes I'd brought along, (anyone that knows me,knows that I only feel like I've really been fed, if a meal includespotatoes ! ) but the ensuite bathroomwas nice and had a full bathtub as well as a shower-above. The shower rosewas on a long flexible tube, and this would've been very useful if we'dneeded to wash a dog in the bathtub (K-9 was clean already, plus he's partlycardboard, so we didn't try washing him)<br /><br />So yeah, with all our stuff in it, the room was a bit "squeezy" but atSwancons you really only need the room to sleep in, and use the facilities.The kettle worked well and there was plen'y of teabags anyway. Michael hadthe single bed, and Wendy and I shared the huge bed, I guess it was Queensize. Sometimes Swanconners smuggle an extra friend into their rooms,without telling the hotel, especially with the double-plus-single bedlayoutsthat many hotels have nowadays, but we'd been honest and specified a3-occupancy room (partly because we wanted to make sure we all 3 of us gotthe included buffet breakfasts ! ) We were charged a slightly higher rate,although it still worked out cheaper for all of us, than if just Wendy and Ihad shared the room at the standard twin room occupancy rate.<br /><br />Now anyone that knows me, knows that I've been "a survivalist" since mysecond reading of John Wyndham's "The Day Of The Triffids" when I's 14 yearsold. Now I must explain that the definition of "Survivalist" changes fromcountry to country. In the USA "a Survivalist" is often somewhat of agun-toting fanatic, who'll likely own over 100 high powered firearms andenough ammunition to supply a war-torn African country. InBritain, where private gun ownership is virtually outlawed (so it's only theoutlaws that have guns.....sorry stealing a quote from the NRA) "ASurvivalist" is someone with awardrobe full of wet weather and cold climate clothing and waterproof hikingboots.<br /><br />InAustralia and New Zealand, it's likely to be somewhat of a compromisebetween these 2 extremes, although in Australia especially, drinking waterstorage is likely a major factor. Really though, in the Western World, themost likely threats to one's survival are most likely to be somewhatmundane, Fire, car crash while driving as-drunk-as-a-skunk, driving at over160 kmh on a wet road while texting on your mobile etc.<br /><br />(Y'know, I did a back-of-the-envelope calculation awhile back, and, y'know,even counting the terrible tragedies of the past few years, Sept 11 andthe London and Bali bombings etc, it still seems to me that over an averageof say the last 100 years, even just in the Western World, a person ismore likely to die by being shot in the head by the police, or killed byother deliberate acts of the legitimate democratic government, than they areto die by an act of terrorist attack.<br /><br />The USA government, revels in the joyof killing as many of it's citizens as it can, their total of executionsbeing beaten only by communist China's puppet court system, and recentlyEngland's police have taken over from America's, in their "shoot first, askquestions later" policy. I am still appalled by that case exactly a yearago of theBrazilian born electrician who while already being restrained by one policeofficer, was shot in the head 7 times by another, using his high poweredsemi-automatic pistol. Not surprisingly the poor bloke died. Hisoffence.....jumping on board an "Underground" (subway) train without havinga valid ticket. At first the official Govt line was "we thought he was asuicide bomber" but when information and photos were leaked to thenews-media, which proved beyond any doubt, that there was NEVER a good faithbelief that he was, the police internal investigation then centred on howthose photos were released (I'd be more interested to know, why the UK Govtare shooting un-armed civilians in the head !) . Needless to say thecoppers that killed the bloke, got away scot free, without even gettingdemoted or anything. Sorry this turned into a bit of a rant, but this casestill really haunts me)<br /><br />Anyway, as a Survivalist, and as I hadn't stayed at that hotel beforemyself, I took a moment to read theFire and Emergency notice which is fixed to every Western Australianhotelroom door. I noticedit had a 2 stage fire-alarm. The first bell's meaning was "Be Alert, butnot Alarmed"and the second stage siren meaning "Evacuate NOW !" I opened the door andglanceddown the corridor, to see exactly where the nearest Fire Exits stairs were.Beingsilly you think ? This actually turned out to be quite a sensible idea<br /><br />!After I got my stuff sorted I had a quick shower then went downstairs. It'sworth noting that the hotel has just under 100 accomodation rooms andSwancon attendees had booked all of them (some Perth people just come duringthe daytime or for just certain days, and therefore don't stay overnight).The hotel's convention function rooms are split between the ground floor(also with hotel reception and the bar-restaurant-dining area) and with somefunction rooms also on the first and second accomodation floors above (thehotel is only 3 stories high.<br /><br />Downstairs had the main big room which was used for the guest-of-honourspeeches, the opening and closing ceremonies, specific main events and theMasquerade-Costumefunction. However apart from those times it was split with a folding wallgiving a two-thirds to one third split (being one large room, and one, evenlarger room).Another downstairs area was set aside for merchants. Now this was a muchsmaller affair than you'd get with a major American 'Con or a WorldConobviously.One day was nominated as a marketday and there were about 8 sellers thatday, but three stayed open throughout the entire convention. So thanks toNext Generation Toys, DVDs + Memorabilia, Fantastic Planet Bookshop andWhite Dwarf Books, as their table-fees go towards SwanCon, so I sure hopethey got enough sales to make their presence worthwhile.<br /><br />On the marketdaywas also a table from ASIM (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine) and thatlady who's name I don't know but she does the custom made Corsets andspecialised costume clothing pieces. (plus some others, sorry I cannotrecall the details and didn't make written notes on this aspect)Even one of the guests of honour, David Gerrold, was often to be seensitting at a table typing away on his laptop. I worry the poor fellamust've come to Australia with hardly any clothes as his suitcase was packedwith books and reprints of tv show scripts.....more on this later.Oh, I nearly forgot the important part, on a table in the corner of themarket room, was set up a free tea-coffee-Milo help yourself servery. Thiswas available throughout the entire convention, for "almost" 24 hours a day.Turns out I didn't use the kettle in our room much after all, I'd just keeprefilling my thermal mug from downstairs.<br /><br />On the floor above, which could be reached by a convenient staircase oreither of the 2 lifts, was a room set aside for Gaming, available 24 hours aday, and another room for panel presentation segments, plus another area ofcomfy chairs (plus approx 50 of the accomodation rooms) Several times Inoticed the Gaming room full nearly to capacity with something close to 50people present around the 6 large tables.<br /><br />On the floor above that, which could ONLY be accessed via the lifts, was aroom the hotel called the "Cocktail Lounge" and the other 50 or soaccomodation rooms. (Our room was up there)No Cocktails were to be had, but for the first third or so of theconvention, this room was set aside for the ART SHOW.<br /><br />Some items weredisplay only while others were later put up for sale by auction. I regretI never got to see this display, but previous SwanCon Art entries haveincluded fabric Quilts and huge life size Monsters as well as the more to beexpected, paintings, drawings, small models and jewellery creations.<br /><br />After the Art Show had concluded, the Cocktail Lounge was re-configured andbecame the VIDEO-ROOM for the remaining 2/3 of the Convention (more on thislater) and for a short while, the videos took an intermission as theroom was also used for the annual WASFF Inc AGM business meeting (more onthis later too).<br /><br />I did a couple of head-counts during that first evening (Thursday) and therewas well over 100 people present already, throughout the panel and gamingrooms, not counting many more milling around socialising in the various"comfy-chair" areas.With 3 panel streams running concurrently there was plenty of choice. Istuck my head inside the door of "Investigating The Ring" thinking it wassomething about "The Lord Of The Rings" book and film trilogy, but stayedengrossed for the whole presentation. Fronted by Swancon regulars GrantWatson, assisted by Damien Magee and Martin Livings this chronicled theevolution over time of what started out as a Japanese Manga comic. Laterfilmadaptations, English adaptations, prequels, sequels etc. The whiteboardcould barely cope ! A fascinating insight into how one story in one mediumcan mutate and evolve.<br /><br />I got a fairly early night, and awoke early the next morning. Well the freebuffet breakfast as included in our room-rate was excellent. Available from7 am thru to 11 am. Folks who know me, yeah, I's there shortly after 7.Unlike some greedy folks who pile their plates high, I only take a small"polite"serving (although I admit, I then return to the servery area, and get asecond, and sometimes third, course.......well I wanted t' get my money'sworth !) I don't usually eat any meat at all, or even a large breakfast,but they had bacon. Ooh I do so lo-ove bacon. I know it's not exactlykosher, but then I'm not exactly Jewish, and it is only a couple of times ayear......<br /><br />After filling up on enough vit'ls to keep me goin' for most of the day, itwas time for attending some of the panels.One I attended was "Feminist Military SF" and this was fronted by ELIZABETHMOON one of the 2 international guests of honour, ably assisted by HeatherMagee and Stephanie Bateman-Graham.Now I must admit I'd never heard of Elizabeth Moon before this convention(but then I don't read much SF/F as books anymore, mostly into TV and DVDs).But I tell you what, she's not to be messed with ! Mother of an autisticchild, and author of many books, she's also an officer in the US MARINES(now retired). It's worth noting that she DOES NOT support the current USGovernment's policy in Iraq. Oh, and she seems to be a lovely person too !<br /><br />After this panel, I started feeling a bit off. I'm susceptible to episodesof Migraine headache which include stomach upsets (NO it was not, just toomuch breakfast ! ) Rooms which are too brightly lit with artificial lightcan be one cause. (my one complaint with The Emerald Hotel, is that theirfunction rooms are FIERCLY brightly lit, and only sometimes do panelpresenters turn the lighting down).I went upstairs to my room to have an aspirin and a nap during thedesignated "lunch" hour break in panel programming. However I got worserather than better and missed all that afternoon's panels.<br /><br />I's lying on the bed half-asleep when I heard the sound of a bell ringingsoftly in the distance. Now at this time Michael and Wendy were both alsoin the room. Wendy had her Playstation 2 rigged upto the hotel's telly, andMichael had his computer set-up. Although they were both furiously battlingarmies of aliens or zombies or something, in consideration of my malaise,they had their sound volumes turned down low. The quiet bell continued,apparently NOT part of the computer-games. I roused from the bed just asWendy went and opened the door. The bell was much louder then. A fewmoments later it changed to the "Evacuate NOW" siren so we did. See, it wasworth checking out where the fire exit stairs were !<br /><br />You might sometimes notice a sign by the lift advising NOT to use the liftin case of fire. Actually this sign is there mostly so people don't standaround waiting for a lift that'll never come, you *can't* use the lift incase of fire. Did you know it's a standard of lift design to have an"interlock" between the lift machinery and the fire alarm ? Once the firealarm is triggered the lift follows a preset procedure. As soon as thedoors next close (or immediately if they are closed already) the lift runs"express" to the default evacuation level (usually the ground floor) wherethe doors open and remain open, and further use of the lift is locked out.Firemen have a special key that allows them to use the lift, if they feel itis safe.<br /><br />Well The All Seasons hotel is only 3 stories total. Wendy, Michael and I,took just moments to exit via the fire stairs, and joined the rest of thecrowd outside the front of the hotel (oh dear, bright sun, migraine...).The last few stragglerswere just evacuating when hotel staff came out and gave us the all clear toreturn inside.<br /><br />I went and collapsed back on the bed. I was still in a badway and spent all of the rest of that day and evening in bed, with theexception of Elizabeth Moon's guest of honour speech. I'm glad I's able torouse myself for this, as she's a most entertaining speaker, and includedtelling us of her life (she lives in Texas, on a country property withhorses) and has previously spent time in England as a guest rider on afox-hunt, and in Ireland living with the famous author Anne McCaffrey wherethey co-authored some books in collaboration. Two hours had been allocatedfor her speech, in the main downstairs area, and even with the partitionwall opened, the room was almost full up. There was time for somequestions from the audience toward the end, but I was still quite unwell andleft atthat point.<br /><br />I had a difficult night, but awoke the Saturday morning 90 % recovered. Iwas well enough to have a small serve of breakfast at least (oh yummy, morebacon ! )Now I must mention one special event that occured that Saturday morning.Called "Blade attraction zero - back to basics" golly not much of a cluethere as to what the segment's about.It was fronted by "KANEDA", who is a regular at SwanCon, GenghisCon etc. Ithink that Kaneda is from Japanese heritage but he speaks perfect AustralianEnglish. As well as being a skilled barista (professional coffee maker)he's very involved in the Martial Arts.For this segment the folding wall was opened again to make the one hugeroom.Padded Judo mats were laid out filling one corner of the room. Kaneda thengave adisplay of some real and fake martial arts weapons. Some comic-bookdepictions of weapons might look pretty cool, but in reality they'd betotally unfeasable. He had had constructed several such weapons, asdepicted in a famous Manga (comic). One was a Samurai type sword of largerdimensions. You might think that adding another foot or two to the lengthof a standard Samurai sword would give you an advantage. Far from it, itwas demonstrated how this puts you at very much of a DIS-advantage. I guesswith the benefit of many hundreds of years trials, those Japanese Samuraiwarriors had a design for sword length that was spot-on.<br /><br />Thanks also go to Kaneda's team of assistants. This totalled close to 15persons altogether. This segment included a demonstration of theBrazilio-African Capoeira dance-martial art, as well as several comicalsegments with Ninja suited adverseries. Some stage furniture constructed ofstyrofoam and cardboard bore the brunt of these antics.<br /><br />There was also one demonstration segment involving real, sharp, knives.Prior to this segment they requested that cameras have their flashes turnedoff, and small children be restrained well back from the Judo-mat area (yesthere were some small children and suckling babes at SwanCon....the nextgeneration of Science Fiction fans hopefully). SwanCon does have liabilityinsurance coverage, and it's good to see that even in these everincreasingly litigious times, presentations using sharp knives and realswords can still be held.<br /><br />Thanks to all who took part in that segment.<br /><br />I guess it was around about this time that first one lift, then the other aswell, broke down. Apparently the electric motors overheated because theywere running almost constantly. The hotel staff locked off use of the liftsto allow them to cool off, and put up signs asking people to use the firestairs instead. These usually have one-way door handles, but they wedgedopen the doors. This system worked well actually (I don't think that thedoors were mandated as must-stay-closed smoke-stop doors, as those werelocated elsewhere). Actually I made a sorta boo-boo myself. I thought Icould use EITHER of the 2 fire-escape stairs, and on one occasion used theother stairway. Well as the one-way door closed behind me I found myselfunable to exit THAT stairway, except at the ground floor fireexit......which opened out BEHIND the hotel on the far side of theblock......ggrr, there were a few naughty words emitting from my mouth as Iwalked around 3 sides of that city block to get back in the hotel's mainentrance !<br /><br />After the lifts had cooled off, they were available for use again, but aprinted sign asked people not to use them un-necessarily. I only noticedone person in a wheelchair who would have HAD to use a lift. Karen Babcock(?), a published author of some renown, who's been to SwanCons before, ridesaround in a special electric powered wheelchair.Oh well at this 'con I guess I burnt off the extra calories of the bigbreakfasts I had, by using the stairs about a hundred times a day.<br /><br />That day also had the panel segments "A Guide To Preparing And PresentingManuscripts" fronted by Elizabeth again, aided by the Eastern StatesAustralian Guest of Honour MATTHEW REILLY, along with the afore mentionedKaren and WA's own Russell B Farr.Matthew Reilly you might recall was the teenage boy who a few years agoself-published his first book through one of those "vanity" publishinghouses, while living at home with his mum and dad.<br /><br />Vanity Publishing isalmost always a bad idea, as the company doesn't give two hoots whether yourbook sells or not, hell they don't even care if it's unfit for publishing,because they get you to meet 100% of the costs up front...they ALWAYS end uplaughing all the way to the bank, and the aspiring author OFTEN goes broke.Matthew's is one of the rare success stories though, and it gave him aspringboard from which he launched his, now full time professional, writingcareer. I regret I missed his National Guest of Honour speech, but I didattend several of the panels on which he was a member and later caught upwith him for a casual chat. He seems to be a great character, plus hedrives a DeLorean ! (that's the Gull-wing-door car like from theBack-to-the-Future films)<br /><br />Just after lunch was The Writer's Workshop segment apparently also. Dunno,I'm not a writer and don't claim to be, so wasn't there. However aspiringnew authors could certainly gain many valuable insights attending atSwanCons.Later that afternoon was the other International Guest of Honour speech, byDAVID GERROLD.Now before this SwanCon I'd never heard of the bloke, but he has beenwriting tv scripts and books for many years now, decades in fact.<br /><br />He started in the late 1960's as a fan sending in a script for the originalSTAR TREK. (Yes, in those days, they really did solicit scripts from thepublic). His first script was rejected but later he wrote the script for"The Trouble With Tribbles" one of the most memorable Star Trek classicepisodes. In the early 1970's he then went onto do a Tribbles story scriptfor the single season run of the animated Star Trek. He was also involvedin the very beginning with Star Trek, The Next Generation, but left due to"creative differences" as they'd say.<br /><br />David explained to us in quite somedetail how Gene Roddenberry's original vision, was being strangled by onepower-crazed lawyer, who was personally modifying scripts, even againstCalifornia studio law.After leaving Next Gen, David raised many tens of thousands of dollars forLos Angeles AIDS charities, selling copies of a rejected Next Gen episodescript and has had a very successful career with writing many books and afair bit of work on tv and film scripts. He also has an adopted son (whomight or might-not, be a Martian ! ok, bit of an inside joke there.)<br /><br />Ohsomething I did buy at the'con, was a script from David. On one of the several times he was sittingquietly at a table, typing on his laptop, and with his suitcase full ofbooks for sale around him. He'd also worked on the short lived tv seriesspin-off to the LOGAN'S RUN film. So I have a copy of his script from that.<br /><br />Well I thought Elizabeth's GOH speech was about the most entertaining eventso far, but David's GOH speech surpassed even that height.After that item finished I had a short time to refill my thermal mug withtea, grab some vit'ls from m' room and went to the VIDEO-ROOM which was setup in the so-called "Cocktail Lounge" a none-to-big room up on the topfloor......ie just a few metres walk down the corridor from my hotel-room.Now I must explain the set-up. The room had about 40 chairs set out (and afew more folks could have squeezed in if necessary by sitting on the floorup the front) Note that a projectionist or AV operator was *NEVER* to beseen. As a sign on the entrance door said "DON'T TOUCH THE EQUIPMENT,EVERYTHING IS AUTOMATIC"Everything was automatic too, and it all worked without fault. Some kind ofcomputer memory system had been pre-loaded with all the items to bescreened, and this was sent to the table-top projection system and soundsystem.Fortunately we're an honest bunch at SwanCons and nobody stole the projectoror computer from where it sat on a central table. There would have beenoccasions when the room was empty I guess, although I attended quite a fewscreenings and sometimes the numbers in that room got upto about 20 people.Not a huge audience I grant, but still worthwhile, and I'd recommend allSwanCons and mini-cons have at least a part-time VideoRoom, it would be agreat loss to attend a convention without one.<br /><br />The projector system, well I'm not sure what it was, except to say it wasEXCELLENT. Whether during the day, when some stray sunlight leaked in pastthe window-blinds, or at night, with some light from the corridor, thepicture on-screen was fantastic. Other projection systems I've experienced,even in a totally darkened room, I have trouble getting a clear view of thescreen.The sound level was set moderately, and it's true that on some certain itemsthe volume was just a tad lower than it might've been.I cannot commend highly enough those that put together this years videostream, including the setting up of the room and the AV gear. Oftentimes itcan be a somewhat onerous task, scheduling to have someone on duty therecontinuously to change videotapes and dvds at intervals throughout the dayand night, but this fullyautomatic system with such high quality picture clarity, deservessubstantial praise.<br /><br />Shortly after David's GOH speech finished, I's in the VideoRoom with a smallreserveof foodstuffs to keep me nourished as I watched the classic STAR TREKepisode "The Trouble With Tribbles" yeah it's been awhile since I last sawit. I also got to see the new DR WHO episode 3;01 where we get to meet hisnew companion for the first time. Later I saw "The Eleventh Hour" a Britishmystical horror thriller sorta thing. Later throughout the 'con I returnedto the videoroom to see assorted items including ep 3;02 of the new Dr Who,the pilot ep for the DRESDEN FILES tv series let's see, that was about a guyin an occult shop who can communicate with ghosts, PRIMEVIL about a weakpoint in the spacetime continuum which can link prehistoric times to modernday Britain, and also the pilot eps for DEXTER and RAINES. Now I might haveremembered these the wrong way around but iirc Dexter was about a guy whoworks for the police, in the forensic labs division, he's a blood specialistfor murder enquires.....oh yes, and during his time off, he's also a serialkiller, and he *doesn't* leave forensic evidence behind to incriminatehimself.And Raines, iirc, is a police detective who barely survived a shootout andhas just returned to duty. Helping him to solve the crimes is that he canspeak to the ghosts of murder victims......or is this as it seems ? Maybeit's nothing more than his over-active imagination, it's upto you to decide.I wholeheartedly recommend all of these series to folks. I hope they getpicked up by Australian stations and broadcast here, or for those with highspeed broadband internet connections, there's always "Channel BT"(BitTorrent).<br /><br />In my area WIN has recently been advertising Primevil as"coming soon" (which could mean bloomin' Christmas ! ), so I'm guess that inAust capital cities it'll be coming soon to channel 9 or 10 network.<br /><br />Saturday evening that folding wall got folded away again, as the downstairsroom area was setup for the Masquerade Ball and Costume show event. I saw afew costumes around the place but didn't attend, however there were plentyof folks around with digital cameras, so google around a bit and you mightbe lucky to find a website with some photos posted there.<br /><br />I attended briefly at the session "Change and Decay, the 18th season of DrWho". The room was fairly brightly lit (nowhere near as bad as the functionrooms at The Emerald though) and I was just a touch headache-y. Fronted bymany of SwanCon's well known Dr Who fans, Simon Oxwell, Damian Magee, GrantWatson, Danny Oz and Colin Sharpe, this was a discussion of classic Dr Whopeppered with short film clips of that season, played on an AV system at thefront of the room. Mention was made "shall we dim the lights?" to whichsome wally called back "No, it'll be alright". Mmm, and with the lightswitches so conveniently located at the end of the room too, oh well. Ididn't need to add any to my suntan, and the ceiling lamps were just a bittoo bright for me that evening, so I left.<br /><br />Put this in your memory bank, all ye who run items with an AV component,whether your display is a tv screen, or projector, "powerpoint" oroverhead-projector *PLEASE* dim the ceiling lights !<br /><br />Sunday morning I's up at 7 am again, and consumed my fair share of Bacon andother products from the hotel's restaurant-dining area. Y'know I onlythought about it later, but during the whole SwanCon, I never had a reallunch or a real dinner......it was those big breakfasts that kept me going(plus I had a supply of my own hardboiled organic eggs I'd brought from hometo snack on).Looking now back over the Sunday morning timetable, I see several panelitems that sound really interesting and wonder how I could've missed them.Oh, that's how, I's at the WASFF AGM.<br /><br />WASFF is a not-for-profit incorporation duly registered under state law. Itis the sorta "umbrella" under which the SwanCons (and some of the minicons)operate. Each annual SwanCon is a separate entity, WASFF provides them withsome "seed" funding and general oversight , but otherwise they haveautomony.The AGM is where we elect the people who'll represent WASFF for the nextyear, plus other items of "housekeeping" such as vote on changes that mightbe necessary to the constitution and other business matters. Also it'swhere we vote on which bid to accept to organise the next Swancon ("next"meaning in 2 years), or if only one bid is presented, we get to decidewhether to endorse that bid or not. Often there are 2 or 3 bids andsometimes even 4, but often also there is just one bid presented.<br /><br />I ALWAYSattend the AGM, and I'm not afraid to voice my opinion or ask relaventquestions. (Obviously I missed last years AGM because I missed thatSwanCon).Now I have heard that the "bid" process for some American conventions canget quite bitter. SwanCon bids may sometimes be somewhat competitive, butgenerally the attitude is one of good natured co-operation.We had 2 bids presented this time. About 35 people were present for themeeting (yes this is, just a small percentage of those attending at SwanConwho are entitled to attend, and vote).<br /><br />The first to speak was "PRK" (sorry I dunno his name, Paul something maybe ?just around fandom he's known as PRK). He represented a younger crowd ofmore like thirties-es, year-olds, including Elaine K, Ju, Jess and Maya.PRKspoke well and they had a clear plan already. They had already had had someflyers posted around downstairs earlier for their "bid-party" the nightbefore. The idea of a "bid party" is you throw your hotel-room open to allandsundry, plying them with cheap drink, while talking up the merits of YOUR'con bid. However you have to be careful not to get folks TOO drunk orthey'll still be in bed the next morning sleeping it off, when you want toensure as many as possible arrive at the AGM in time to vote for your bid.Their idea was for the convention to be subtitled "Contact" and with thetheme as in, "first contact" with alien species. He also indicated thatthey WOULD NOT be seeking to be the designated NatCon (ie Australia'sofficial National SciFi Convention). They would use the Easter very longweekend,if the designated Natcon didn't want it. Otherwise they would hold theconvention on a shorter, 3 day, WA state holiday, long weekend, in March orJune.<br /><br />I'll just explain here that by gentleman's agreement of many years standing,Conventions choosedifferent weekends, and Easter is offerred first to the designated NatCon.Keep in mind Australia is a huge continent sized country with just 20million population and just 5 major capital cities with enough populationbase to hold a substantial convention.Swancon is probably the designated Natcon about 1 year in three, andsometimes the Eastern states conventions don't want to use Easter, even ifthey're the Natcon.Oh well, I prefer Easter Swancons because they're a whole extra day andnight longer !<br /><br />The second bid presentation was from "Jay" representing a somewhat oldergroup of fans. He also said that Easter was preferred and that they WOULDbebidding for their SwanCon to be that year's NatCon.<br /><br />I must say that PRK gave the better bid speech, however both partiesincluded many well experienced convention organisers from past Swancons, andI'm sure either group could have organised a successful Swancon. Note: I hadnot attended PRK's bid party, and AFAIK, the Jay group, did not have a bidparty at all.<br /><br />A secret ballot was held and the winning bid was from the group led by PRK.Congratulations to them. Remember this bid is for the 2009 Swancon. The bidfor the 2008 'con was determined at last year's AGM. This gives Swanconorganising committees 2 full years to organise a convention.<br /><br />The WASFF committee chairing the meeting asked for a representative of thecurrentconvention committee to give a brief interim report. Approx 200full-weekend memberships had been sold in advance, plus another 50 fullmemberships had been sold at-the-door. Another 35 or so one-day membershipshad been purchased at-the-door on either the Friday or the Saturday morning(remember the AGM was being held on Sunday morning). The committee expectedto return to the WASFF Inc the original "seed" money they'd been advanced,plus something close to $7,000. A fantastic result and financially thebest outcome I can recall. Usually Swancons cover costs and return a fewhundred extra to WASFF, sometimes 1 or 2 thousand.<br /><br />Keep in mind that otherfundraising happens all throughout the year for the convention, sales ofchocolate and wine, movie screenings and quiz-night fundraisers.If one allows for a few more day memberships to be sold throughout thatSunday and the Monday, I think it's fair to say that this year we would havecracked the 300 mark.<br /><br />The WASFF committee then asked for a progress report from a representativeof next year's Swancon organising committee. Remember this 'con bid wasgiven the go ahead at last year's Swancon, in March 2006Anna Hepworth spoke for them. Folks may recall she's the barefoot contessawho's sometimes had altercations with hotel staff, regarding her lack offootwear.<br /><br />Again some measure of "cultural translation" may be useful fortheAmericans and English who read this. Throughout Australia it is far moreculturallyacceptable to be barefoot in public than in some other countries, or to wearjust thongs (aka flipflops aka jandals).<br /><br />Some hotels quote "healthregulations" as requiring convention attendees to wear, thongs/jandals atleast,while in the function rooms or diningroom areas. Other hotels are a bitmore laissez-faire on the matter.<br /><br />Personally I wear jandals or simple sandals 98% of the time. Amongst mytrolley load of junk, I did actually bring with me to Swancon a nice pair of 'heels and a matching (US=) "purse" and a nice dress, in case I got invited out anywhere one evening with anybody... never happened anyway. (The"Northbridge" area where thehotel is located is Perth's main cafe/restaurant/nightclub area.... not thatI'm a nightclubby type o' person). So maybe I wear "nice" shoes about 1% of the time, and about 1% of the time I'd wear workboots, but only really if I'm using a chainsaw or welding say. (mmm, not much of that at Swancons though)<br /><br />Anyway Anna is one of those university types, with more degrees than mostthermometers (how she's found the time to breed up 3 new future sciencefiction fans, I dunno).Anna reported a number of issues. One thing is that they *still* DO NOThave a venue booked for next year's Swancon.<br /><br />This is unheard of, this latein the proceedings ! The international Guests of Honour are booked andconfirmed, flying in from England and America in time for next Easter longweekend (it falls in March of 2008)So *NO* hotel convention space booked and obviously, subsequently, fanscan't start reserving accomodation rooms, as we don't know what hotelthey'll be using !<br /><br />This is of very great concern to me. Sounds like a right bloody cock-up ify'ask me.<br /><br />However I'm not tooooooo concerned, because.........Anna has previously beeninvolved as one of the "gang-of-three" (including Grant Watson and SimonOxwell)organising 2 previous Swancons and 3 previous mini-cons. She's highlyintelligent and resourceful, and she knows her shit inside out and upsidedown.<br /><br />Well why don't they just book the Acacia/All Seasons hotel ? ( I can hearyou saying that from here ) Last year's, and this year's Swancon haveproved it to be a very suitable venue, aside from minor annoyance issues,like lack of extra room key-cards, and the lifts overheating.....Well this year with some 300 attending and something over 200 stayingovernights, this reasonably priced hotel is bursting at the seams.<br /><br />Next year, 2008, the Swancon *IS* the Nationally designated NatCon, and assuch, a total attendance of some 350 to 400 people could be expected, withmany more blow ins (well fly-ins) from Australia's eastern states.It's true that some fans could simply book accomodation rooms at otherlocations nearby (I understand that this is common practice in the USA,where only a limited number of attendees can be accomodated at theconvention site itself, the rest stay over at nearby designated "overflow"hotels)<br /><br />However doing this would severely impact Swancon's 24 hour nature....well okso that's mostly a few hardline gamers and late night video-room-goers.But the problem is ALSO that the function-room space available at theAcacia/All Seasons, simply couldn't cope with another 50 or 100 people.Some of the hotelrooms could be stripped of furniture and have chairsinstalled to make them suitable for the smaller panel segments (this wasdone previously, at the one Swancon some years back, which used the EmeraldHotel, where the attendance was pegged to a 250 person maximum) but this isan imperfect solution, partly because then even fewer fans can beaccomodated overnight on site.<br /><br />The situation isn't all Anna, and the 2008 organising committee's fault.It's actually a situation that's been brewing for some years, and has beenraised often at previous WASFF AGMs.Perth has plenty of suitable venues for conventions of 200 people or less,and also for conventions of say 600 people or more. But it lacks suitablevenues in the middle of the range....right where Swancon is.<br /><br />There's also the issue of the pricing of the function-room areas. There aremany 4 and 5 star hotels with plenty of accomodation rooms, but they want$45,000 to $100,000 for their function room space for the duration of aSwancon.I think part of the problem lies with those hotels "Wedding" mentality.Weddings maybe book function-room space for say 10 hours. 3 hours setup, 5hours dinner-and-dance, 2 hours clear-away.<br /><br />Swancon wants function-roomspace from say (Easter) Thursday evening to Monday afternoon, so the hoteljust multiplies the hours at their normal wedding rental rate. Obviously atSwancons, (with the exception of some Gaming and Videoroom areas) thefunctionroom space is only utilised between about 9 am to 11 pm daily. Theluxury hotels still want to charge full hourly rates for those hours therooms sit empty and we're all sleeping.<br /><br />Another issue is the accomodation-room pricing. (although this is only asecondary issue, for the organising committee). Although it's true thatPerth's SciFi fandom includes many highly paid folks, university academics,and computer technical geeks etc, many attendees are just strugglinguniversity students getting by on study allowances and part-time jobs, plusa cross section of the rest of society including those on low paying jobs.<br /><br />Some years back Swancon was held at Perth's "RYDGES" hotel, a 4 and a halfstar establishment. Oh the 'con itself was fine, but I was disgusted by thehotel's treatment of us. The room rate was double what we'd been used to,yet we got nothing extra or better for it. (now, being careful how I wordthis, for all the lawyers out there) let me say that "I personally, wouldn'tstay in a RYDGES hotel, ever again, anywhere in the world, even if you paidme !"<br /><br />I understand that in the past, Swancon committees have often had to pay,something in the region of $15,000 for the function room spaces. TheAcacia/All Seasons charges more like $5,000. This is one contributingreason why this year's "Con, has been able to bring about a larger thanusual surplus. Even though, The hotel still benefits by having 100%accomodation room occupancy, virtually guaranteed, plus extra sales at theirlicenced bar or restaurant.I spoke up, hey I'm never afraid to get my oar in, at these AGMs, and Iasked if Anna had considered "pencilling in" the A/AS hotel as a "fallbackposition" incase nothing else better was able to be found, as time ticks on.She indicated that her committee was in the process of doing just that.<br /><br />Unfortunately in that area of northern Northbridge, I don't think there areany other hotels nearby. Certainly none within a"comfortable-at-11o'clock-at-night" walking distance. There's a lot ofbackpacker lodges in that area, but generally even the poorer Swanconattendees would find that type of share-accomodation unsuitable.<br /><br />Another aspect of Anna's report was *troubling* to me. ("troubling" likebeing hit in the face with a sledgehammer is)Next year's Swancon there WILL NOT be any video-room AT ALL ! (althoughsome panels may have AV segments, as part of the presentation).<br /><br />Looking back, 20 years ago and 10 years ago, and even to an extent 5 yearsago, one of the main reason fans went to SciFi conventions was to goto thevideoroom. The reason to goto the videoroom was to see episodes of tv showsand films well in advance of what was on local tv/cinema. Indeed many itemswould never end up being shown locally. Countries like Australia and NewZealand especially, are at the end of a very long "supply chain", and it'soften taken 2 to 3 years for programs to show up here......if we get them atall.<br /><br />Now there has been a gradual shift happening, and that has accelerated inthe last 5 years. SciFi fans are disproportionately "techno-geeks" and withever increasing availablity of Broadband computer access, "channel BT" (thedownloading of tv and films via the Bit Torrent and other similar systems).Look I'm the world's biggest fan of videorooms at conventions and even Iadmit that attendance has been falling of. From my recollections of 10years ago, the Swancon videoroom would get like 60 folks or maybe more forsome feature items. Recently 30 attending would be considered a highfigure.<br /><br />One point Anna mentioned, was the concern over copyright and intellectualproperty laws. Videorooms as found at most conventions might well beconsidered "illegal" depending on your interpretation of such laws.Now I'm sorry , but I must have a say here (and it will be a long 'say' asthis subject really gets-my-goat).<br /><br />Firstly I am 100% in support of anauthor or inventor recieving fair payment for a work of their own originalcreation (whether it be a scifi story-book, a tv show or a new type ofcarburettor design that does200 miles per gallon). However I beleive that the pendulum has swung fartoo much that way lately, and the situation has been made even worse by some"crazy" decisions which have been handed down recently by the US courts.Other countries, eg Australia, still get affected by US court rulings.<br /><br />OK, lets say for argument's sake that we just cancelled ALL copyright,patent and intellectual property laws. The standard catch-cry I hear,repeated over and over, is "oh then, nobody would bother funding any newresearch, inventions and innovations"Alright that's your *THEORY* we have no way of knowing whether or not it's avalid theory.<br /><br />Certainly technological advances have happened throughout,what, some 5,000 years of human history, with one invention and developmentbuilding on what went before (better ploughs, programmable weaving-loomsand spinningwheels, improved archery bows thencrossbows etc). There was never any form of patent or copyright"protection" for almost all of those thousands of years. Only during thelast 200 or so years has such "intellectual property protection" beenavailable.<br /><br />During the 1960's etc, the world was brought to the brink of World War 3, onthe basis of one man's "Domino theory". A totally untried, untested andunproven theory, originally espoused by just one man, then repeated over andover by others. It turned out to be utterly false, and the fall of Vietnamto the Communists DID NOT lead to a domino effect of Communist takeoverssweeping throughout SouthEast Asia. (and don't even get me started on themore recent Iraq "weapons-of-mass-destruction" theory, later proven to befalse, and indeed, likely a deliberate fabrication).<br /><br />In the news we are hearing more and more lately how "IP" patent andcopyright laws are actually being used to STIFLE research and development,and academic debate.A few years ago, an American based company called OVONICS developed a newsuperior battery, suitable for fully electric cars (NOT "hybrids" these carsburn no petrol at all). The newly developed manufacturing technique forwhat is called "large format, nickel metal hydride" batteries solved severalproblems that had been holding back the success of electric cars until then.The new batteries have an expected lifespan of some 20 plus years (versusthe 3 to 5 year lifespan of existing batteries) plus the electric car couldgo twice as far in between recharges.<br /><br />GM bought a controlling, 60% interestin the Ovonics technology batteries and used them for the last few models itreleased of its EV-1 car. Shortly afterwards GM recalled all the cars andsent them to the crusher and sold control of the battery technology to theTexaco-Chevron oil companies. Ever since then, they have been using US IPprotection laws to prevent this new type of battery being installed inelectric cars.<br /><br />OK well how's about we goto court and get a just outcome that way ?Well a few years ago DEKA a US based company bought one of the many smallAustralian companies manufacturing "ugg" boots. They then claimed they hadexclusive use of the term "ugg" throughout the world. Some poor Aussiebattlers stood up to this and fought them in a US court. Even though theyproved that it was a word in common use and with decades of inclusions indictionaries as such, the judge of course, decided in the US company'sfavour<br /><br />.mmm, I wonder if he was the same judge who presided on the following 2cases. One farmer in midwest America was accused of breaching a writtencontract he'd signed. His defence team came up with proof that he'd nevereven seen the contract papers or signed them. The judge DID NOT ALLOW thatto be told to the court. Not surpisingly, missing that vital piece ofevidence, the jury decided against him.<br /><br />Then there was that bloke in California, arrested under Federal "drug"charges for growing Cannabis. The judge refused to allow the Jury to hear,that he was a duly certified state Ranger and had the necessary statelicence and was growing it under controlled conditions as part of a stategovernment program. (similar to how in Tasmania, opium poppies are grown tosupply morphine for medical use) The juryfound him guilty and the judge sentenced him to a long jail sentence (30 to99 years ?). When the jury exited the cloistered confines on that courtroomand realised what they'd done, many were physically sick.<br /><br />Here's another example of a court decision gone wild. Remember a few yearsback when some woman bought coffee at a McDonald's drive-thru Then insteadof placing the hot beverage in the car's installed cup-holder (or some other*safe* place if the car was not so equipped), she placed the piping hotdrinkbetween her legs and drove off. Subsequently she drove over a bump andsuffered terrible scalding burns to a very sensitive part of her anatomy.Unfortunate, yes, but her own stupid fault for sure.<br /><br />Enter one of thoseshister ambulance-chasing lawyers and a court case ensued. Now McDonald'sas we all know, is a major international corporation and can afford toemploy the best legal team money can buy, but that didn't stop some crazyjudge deciding McDonald's was "at fault" and now that woman'slaughing......all the way to the bank.<br /><br />I'll stop my speil there, as you can see, I think that IP and copyright lawscan be taken too far (and that recent court decisions from the USespecially, have been making things even worse.As it is, many books already include on the copyright page "...no part maybe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, byany means..."Well let me assure you, all it takes is one shister lawyer, and one crazyAmerican judge to decide that the human brain is "an information storage,retreival and transportation system" (which it clearly *IS*, albeit organicand imperfect) and then suddenly we'll find ourselves in a world where it'sactually illegal to read the books we've bought !<br /><br />So "yes" I agree that, strictly speaking, under an interpretation of thecurrent laws, video-rooms at conventions *might* be breaking copyright laws.But I say that consider this, even just reading those books you've bought atthe local bookshop, or convention, *might* well be considered illegal too !Stupid you think ? McDonald's. Hot Coffee. Need I say more.Every now and then, some Hollywood types cry out stuff like "DVD piracy iscosting us 40 squillion dollars a year in lost sales". The simple fact isthat they have no firm idea, and the numbers they come up with, aren't even"an estimate" they're simply a wild guess. Perhaps they are accurate. Orperhaps they are so in-accurate that DVD-piracy is actually EARNING themimproved sales<br /><br />.Consider an Aussie tourist who goes for a cheap Asian holiday, to Bali say.While there they might buy some of those "pirate" dvds for about $2 each.Lets say for argument sake the recent Superman movie filmed in Australia, afilm they would never have considered buying or even renting at the usualfull price. Later home in Australia they watch the movie and like it somuch they want to own a better quality copy of it, with all the extras andcommentaries included and without the intrusive sounds of an audiencein the background of the soundtrack. So they go down the road to theirlocal store and pay $39.95 full price for the double-disc collectors editionwith all the extras. In this, fictional, example I have given, "dvd piracy"far from costing Hollywood any money, has actually been a form of freeadvertising for them, at no cost to them, and they have garnered anothersale that they otherwise would never have got.<br /><br />I feel it would be a great loss for a convention like Swancon to be entirelywithout a videoroom. It won't stop me from attending at Swancons, but Iwould be majorly disappointed. I realise that times are a-changing, andthat with less demand, perhaps only a part-time video-room is the way to go.Even for smaller conventions like GenghisCon and those held annually at TheEmerald Hotel (the next one "NightsEdge" is planned for 10 and 11 Nov 2007)I'd recommend that the organisers run a part-time video program at least.Swancon's have traditionally run a 24 hours video stream throughout theentire convention. This last 'con the video stream ran for only about 2/3of the time. But I cannot commend highly enough whoever organised this(sorry I have no idea of who it was). Running automatically with minimalsupervision it was not an onerous task for busy committee members. Theaudio and video quality of the material presented was almost alwaysexcellent, and there was an assortment of items, old and new, to suit mosttastes.I'd implore the organising committee of the 2008 SwanCon to reconsider theirdecision not to have any videoroom, and ask that they do operate a videoroomstream, for, at the very least one third of the convention run-time.<br /><br />To those who say "well just download it yourself, and watch it on channelBT" I'd like to remind them that Broadband is only available in certainareas.<br /><br />Hopefully Anna and her crew will soon have a suitable venue locked in, andsomewhere where the rooms are affordable for all of us to stay in. I'ddread another Swancon being held at a 4 to 5 star hotel, with room ratesdouble that of a 3 and a half star establishment, for basically, nodifference that I can see.The AGM finished up in just under 2 hours, almost a record. Often they'vedragged on for nearly 3 hours, and given that this time we needed to vote onsome constitutional changes also.... we got a lot covered in a reasonabletime I thought.<br /><br />Next I went onto the AUCTION. Now sometimes I attend this but often I don't.But I remember a few years back I did get a good deal on some Babylon 5videotapes. Yeah someone had obviously upgraded to newer DVD sets and wasflogging off their old videotape sets of seasons one and two, plus therelated movies. They were offered as 3 separate lots. I won the first lot,then the second, and when the third lot was held up for show some callshad gone out from the audience to just hand them straight over to me. YeahI know that folks prefer dvds nowadays, hell even I do. But one fan owner,as new, videotapes can still be a good buy.<br /><br />I'm not sure exactly on the payments system, whether it's commission only orwhat, but after the fan has been paid for, whatever it is, the remaininggoes to Swancon.Certain items are auctioned as fundraisers for special funds like NAFF andDUFF. These funds help a fan to attend a convention in another state orcountry. Some of those items did go for more than "their true worth" butthe fans realise that these are fundraising for the fan-funds.<br /><br />Now the auction was held in the panel room upstairs ("Oshanesii" room). Ithad chairs set out offering seating for 50 people, and although some folkcame and went throughout that time, there was almost always another 10people standing at the rear of the room and another 10 people sitting inplaces on the floor.The auction was fronted by three characters who I'm afraid I cannot recalltheir names for sure, possible John Robertson, with Grant W and Simon O.Essential secretarial support was from some lass with a laptop, and therewere two "runners" (to transport goods, cash-payment, and the change,throughout the room). Despite the two "runners' there was not a Sandman tobe seen (and no Ankhs either).<br /><br />Y'know this auction was the, third equal, most entertaining item I attendedall SwanCon long. Equalled only by Elizabeth and David's GOH speeches.John R's antics and banter had the audience laughing and with applause, andI think the odd tear in there too occasionally. With some items there wassome quite frenzied, competitive bidding. Other times there was co-operationbetween bidders (some lots offered were bunches of books where differentpeople wanted different books from the bunch).<br /><br />On at least one occasion,several bidders joined together to purchase an item, only to give it away.This happened when Ruth and Rachel Turner (no relation, oh hang on yes theyare related, identical twins !) teamed up with Grant Watson to purchase anoriginal artwork from a famous Manga artist, and donated it to Ju Whitehead(Ju's been on several convention organising committees, a boundless bundleof energy !) Remember that Swancon, as well as the other smallerconventions, are all fan run, not-for-profit events, and the folks doing allthe organising are volunteers putting in their own time and effort. See Ju,the folks at Swancon really do love you !<br /><br />(the co-auctioneers themselves were allowed to bid on items on their ownpersonal behalf, so long as they made that clear)<br /><br />Yeah we're a great friendly bunch in WA fandom, well *mostly* that is.<br /><br />I'd arrived just before the auction started and got a seat. But after beingthere about 2 hours I's gettin' to need to go. Y'know. To the "little NewZealander's room" so to speak.I left the auction and returned a few minutes later. Someone had taken mychair, oh well fair enough. With folks still standing at the back andsitting on the floor around the place, it'd have been silly and a stupidwaste of available resources to have left it standing empty.<br /><br />I spied an empty chair. It bore no "marker" (cardigan, book, waterbottle,whatever) indicating it was already occupied. I sat down. Immediately theguy next to me said something like "I'm saving that for my fiance' ".Curiously, given that the room was approx mid 20's Celcius in temperature,hewas wearing a thick World War 2 army style overcoat. To me it would seem tohave been a sensible idea to remove the overcoat and use it as a "marker"on the seat (although, when a room's full to standing-room-only there's thegreater issue of whether it's a fair use of available resources if ANYchairs are left empty and un-used.)Without interupting the ongoing auction, I whispered politely "I'll leaveas soon as she comes"He hissed back, in a voice that positively spat venom "You'd better !" Ihave never before encountered such a tone of bitter jealous hatred. SorryI'm no wordsmith, I can't describe it better than that. I was almost reducedinto a state of shock.<br /><br />During the, say 2 minutes, that I occupied that chair, the door at the backof the room opened and closed several times as people entered or left theauction-room. Now that door isn't noisy by any means, but it does make aslight clicking noise as it opens and closes.<br /><br />Every time that door faintly clicked, the guy spun his head around to seewho it was, his head turnedwith a vigour that I'm surprised he didn't give himself a neck injury. Longbefore his beloved "fiance" arrived, another chair had become vacatedelsewhere, so I promptly moved to it. (I'm guessin' she was away in thebathroom cleaning herself up, from the last beating he gave her. I can'timagine this guy's anything other than a sadistic jealous control freak)<br /><br />I don't recall seeing that guy, or his fiance at any convention before. NowI'm one of the most generous, forgiving and compassionate persons that Iknow, but let me say that I hope that they're first timers and that theydidn't like it, and will never darken the doorway again. We can do withoutsourpusses like that, bringing down the whole tone of the place. I'd reallyenjoyed the auction up until then, and he really ruined the whole afternoonfor me.<br /><br />Now I must thank all those present who bought things at the auction andhelped support Swancon and the fan-funds. Special mention must go to PeterKelly (a Swancon regular) and his partner (err, "Mrs Kelly"?).Peter bought, well it must've been nearly one quarter of all the lotsauctioned. Maybe he's recently won lotto or been doin' blags on banks ? ormaybe he just saved his pennies for a whole year and this was his specialannual treat. I dunno. He must've spent hundreds of dollars, by the end ofthe auction, a massive pile of stuff was heaped on the floor in front ofhim.<br /><br />Thanks for supporting Swancon's auction Peter.But hey, he didn't leave hardly nothin' for all the rest of us t' buy, nextyear can a couple of big strong dudes please grab him and tie 'im up, andlock 'im in a storage cupboard somewhere until the auction's over !<br /><br />Really though, pretty much everything went for realistic prices. I thinkthe most expensive single lot was a full seven season set of DVD box sets ofStar Trek (sorry I'm not sure if it was Next Gen, DS 9 or Voyager). Thereserve had been like $70 but the set ultimately sold for some $250(although this would still have been good value given what the full retailprice is)<br /><br />After the auction finished it was off downstairs again, and the folding wallgot exercised again.The big main room filled for the "Launch" presentation for next year'sSwancon. They had a Powerpoint type AV presentation as they talked usthrough who the major international guests etc were for next year'sconvention. Unfortunately they hadn't read my earlier paragraph, about howsensible it is to dim the ceiling lamps when doing a visual presentation.The bright light was getting to me, so I left early. I'd've been curious toknow, how the audience present reacted, when told that no venue had yet beenorganised.<br /><br />The dinner break was next, which gave my eyes more of a chance to recover.After dinnerbreak the large room was transformed yet again. Subduedlighting and potted plants, this event was subtitled "The After Dark GardenParty". It was introduced by Anna Hepworth, who looked most elegant in anoff-the-shoulder long red gown. Several of the others involved, had also hada bit of a spruce-up.<br /><br />This was of course the presentation ceremony for the TIN DUCK Awards.The Tin Ducks are WA state's own awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy.They cover Artworks, short and long fiction, and other creative works suchas websites. in both amateur and professional categories.I can't be sure but believe the name came about because when the firstaward trophies were made up many years ago, is was commented that theyresembled a "tin duck" more than the thelocal native "Black Swan" they were supposed to.I can't be sure, but I believe that only WA state has it's own state basedawards. The National Awards, administered at annual NatCons, are known asthe "Ditmars". I do not know where that name comes from, as there are nowaterfowl I know of, called "ditmars".<br /><br />Monday morning, well it had to be lashings of bacon and other stuff at 7 amdownstairs in the hotel restaurant area.Part of the morning I's in the videoroom watching one of the previouslymentioned items, then it was onto the BUFFY panel.Yes it says something that even 4 years after the TV series "Buffy TheVampire Slayer" concluded, you can still fill a large room by anouncing apanel that was "anything" Buffy related. This panel focused on the recentlyreleased Buffy comic. Oh yeah there've been heaps in the past, many prettylow quality, but this edition is set as a "series 8" following on from theshows seventh season..<br /><br />Following on from that in the same room was "Socialism in Science Fictionand Fantasy". The audience were so enthusiastic as to remain for half anhour after the panel finished and kept discussing amongst themselves.....noworries as this was the lunch period so the room would've been empty anyway.<br /><br />After lunch I attended "Getting the physics Right, or Wrong, in Spacebattles" The panel was the 2 overseas GOH, Elizabeth and David, assisted byAndrew Williams. The whiteboard got a bit of a hidign and there wasenergetic participation from the audience.After that, I attended a Battlestar Galactica panel by Dave Cake, Stevo andStephen Griffiths. Most discussion centred around the second season of there-envisioned series (recently finished airing on Australian tv). The was afair bit of audience paricipation throughout.<br /><br />That was the final timeslot for panels. The next item scheduled being theclosing cermony. (Open the folding wall again...)<br /><br />My trip back to me friends house would involve taking 3 separate buses andwith a walk towing my trolley at each end, and with no CAT buses runningthat day, I's forced to walk even further from the hotel to a regular busstop.<br /><br />So I legged it outa there a bit early, leaving a few minutes after 4 pm .Iarrived back at my friends house just after 6 o'clock on the edge ofdarkness.<br /><br />I don't think I missed too much, going by past experience, The closingceremony thanks all the guests and volunteers, and often as a Swanconconvention (small "c") gives out the address for the "Dead Dog" party.<br /><br />Yep, if you're still not as tired out as a dead dog and want some more evenafter the Convention's over, there's usually a house-party that evening,happening somewhere.<br /><br />Here endeth my report<br /><br />Catherine Jemma (Cate)<br />Outback Western Australia<br />Wednesday 18 April 2007F<br /><br />ind me at <a href="http://myspace.com/catherinejemma">http://myspace.com/catherinejemma</a><br />check my weBlog <a href="http://catherinejemma.blogspot.com/">http://catherinejemma.blogspot.com/</a>!Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1169519922908400922007-01-23T10:34:00.000+08:002007-01-23T10:42:03.443+08:00Review of GENGHISCON 19 to 21 January 2007This review is being sent to several folks by email, and also to my 'blog.<br /><br />I hereby consent to this review being reproduced in any relavent media which<br />is not primarily intended for profit. Such might include webpages, fanzines,<br />small print-run books or club newsletters. It may be edited provided such<br />editing is reasonable. (eg correction of accidental errors. Deliberate<br />errors should be left intact ! )<br /><br />GENGHISCON 19 to 21 Jan 2007<br /><br />Note this is not intended to be an exhaustive review, simply an overview, of<br />some of what happened there, and some of those present.<br /><br />Recemtly I attended the annual Genghiscon Convention, it was the 4th<br />Genghiscon I'd attended (I missed the first 1 or 2 years).<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.genghiscon.org/">www.genghiscon.org</a> <br /><br />Genghiscon runs annually about this time of year. It is not intended to be a<br />competitor to Perth/WA's main annual Science Fiction and Fantasy convention<br />"SwanCon", instead Genghis is intended to be a smaller and cheaper affair.<br />For the last several years Genghis has been held at the TRINITY<br />accomodation and convention centre in<br />Crawley-Nedlands. This is usually student accomodation being right across<br />the road from the UWA campus. As such overnight accomodation is available<br />onsite quite<br />cheaply, and free breakfast is included. At this time of year it is almost<br />deserted, being in between one school year and the next.<br /><br />The convention facilities at Trinity are perfectly suited to holding Genghis<br />conventions. The inner quadrangle being an open grassed lawn area of approx<br />2 acres. There is only one shortcoming of the Trinity centre, it would not<br />be very wheelchair-friendly. Attendees need to be able to climb at least<br />one flight of stairs to access several areas. The weekend of the convention<br />the weather was perfect, not a hint of rain, and mild Summer temperatures<br />with daytime maximums in<br />the high 20s and low 30s*C<br /><br />I arrived almost an hour before the official start-time of 4 pm, on Friday<br />afternoon. The organisers were, well, still organising, things, so I had to<br />wait for awhile before I could get issued with a room-key. After unloading<br />my stuff from the car into my room, which I was pleasantly surprised had a<br />bar fridge (most of the mid-priced rooms, do not), although the installed<br />air conditioner was cactus. I decided NOT to ask the organisers to switch<br />me to a spare room with a working air conditioner as the temperature was<br />moderate and there were 2 openable windows. (I had overheard some committee<br />members talking earlier, while I's waiting, and they had quite sensibly<br />arranged for a number of extra rooms to be available of all 3 types, basic<br />$40 per night, with ensuite bathroom for $55 a night, and $95 a night for a<br />double room with tv and fridge. Note that share bathrooms and kitchens are<br />located dotted around the upper 2 floors of the 3 storey accomodation<br />blocks.<br /><br /> I checked out the timetable and also the<br />video-room timetable. Also, yay, same as last few year, the organisers<br />had arranged for a table to be set up, for free self service tea, coffee and<br />milo<br />for the duration of the 'con. Note that Genghiscon also has cold drinks<br />and chocolates of various kinds available in the fridge with an honesty-tin<br />for payment (and the sales of these items helps with fundraising)<br /><br />Yes even though Genghis is only a small convention (approx 100 to 125<br />members) it has actually run a videoroom, pretty much "full-time" for the<br />duration of the convention.Thanks to Greg Tyrie. (remember that as a fan<br />run, not-for-profit convention, all organisers are just volunteers<br />themselves) Some had to arrange leave from their work to organise things in<br />advance and attend<br /><br />Some years the video co-ordinator might be more a fan of Anime' or perhaps<br />Zombies so the program tends to vary from year to year.<br /><br />This year there was perhaps less Anime' than in the past, but there was<br />quite a number of fan made films. Although "Knighthood" (a high quality<br />Perth made, Star Wars themed fan film, was not ready for inclusion in the<br />programme, some clips from it were included in a film detailing it's making,<br />and this dovetailed well with two separate panel items fronted by several<br />of the key<br />cast and crew. (.....and yes, they really did get people highly skilled in<br />martial arts and swords for use in this film, and the overlaid computer<br />effects for the light-sabres is nothing short of full cinema quality special<br />effects)<br /><br />Several other fan-made films featured, some also from Perth. "Return Of The<br />Killer Bikini Vampire Girls" was followed by the second film in the series<br />"Killer Bikini Vampire Girls Strike Back" and made worthwhile watching. I<br />understand a third installment is currently under way.<br /><br />There were a number of classic "episode ones" shown as part of the video<br />programme. I missed the first episode of the Swiss Army pocketknife<br />classic "MacGyver", but I did get to see ep One of Sesame Street from 1969<br />(we gotta teach those American kids to grow up to be good little consumers,<br />eh)<br /><br />A documentary I hadn't seen before that turned up was Al Gore's "An<br />Inconvenient Truth" from last year. This was followed by a newer update<br />piece. Later several panels followed on related subjects. "An Inconvenient<br />Panel" and "Future Landscapes...How do we get to a future without the use of<br />fossil fuels and without having an Apocalypse ?". Both of these panels<br />included academic Chris Creagh (who also presented the audience<br />participation interactive "Fiziksy Stuff" where we<br />learnt about air pressure and water vortexes ("vortexi"?) and all sorts of<br />other stuff.<br /><br />Saturday morning was busy......after having all-one-could-eat in the student<br />dining-room (until we'd ate all-they-bloody-well-had, and there was no more)<br />, I made my<br />way to the "Arthur Dent's Breakfast" talk in the panel room. Wearing a<br />bathrobe was optional but bringing a towel was recommended. As any good<br />galaxy ranging<br />hitchhiker knows, "you should always know where your towel is". It was also<br />suggested that people could bring "a pint" but I myself brought along a<br />teapot and some hot beverage for myself, that was "almost, but not entirely,<br />un-like tea". (Ken McCaw<br />was ably assisted by his companion Mel and Jen Hindley was s'posed to be<br />there fronting it as well. Sorry I can't recall for sure. Note that I<br />couldn't be everywhere at once and so even though I made a few notes as I<br />went, my record of this convention is not intended to be complete. Please<br />don't be offended by names being left out of people or events)<br /><br />This Panel item finished just as the "Morning Tea with Grant Stone" was<br />getting under way. Grant is a long time friend to Perth fandom, and of the<br />WA Science<br />Fiction and Fantasy community and he's a respected academic on staff at<br />Murdoch University who also works part-time presenting for local ABC TV<br />productions. Plus free scones with jam and cream......and held right next<br />to the free tea-and-coffee area. Golly attendance at this item was almost<br />compulsory ! Grant kept the crowd around him amused with various anecdotes<br />of Murdoch University's early days.<br /><br />One advantage of Trinity's inner quadrangle grassed lawn area, is it gives<br />plenty<br />of space for various activities and demonstrations. Previous years have<br />included archery for example, and when it's dark there's juggling and<br />swirling of "Funky Twirly Glowy things".<br /><br />Although there was no archery this year, special mention must be made of a<br />certain Mr "Wombat" (sorry I don't know of him by any other name). He works<br />for DARKZONE Lazergames and he kindly brought along a large chest containing<br />more than $10,000 worth of handheld "Laser" guns. These I understand were<br />brand new and we got to use them first. Usually Laser type shooting games<br />require to wear a vest with sensors on the chest and back, but these were an<br />all-in-gun unit. They used Infrared techniques, similar to a tv remote<br />control (so safe for the eyes). Because participants were limited by the<br />numbers of guns available, a sign-up sheet with 20 spaces, and 10 reserves<br />rapidly filled early on Saturday. Plus, when the time for the event rolled<br />around (being 8 pm Saturday evening) a few extra stragglers turned up<br />awaiting any vacancies. In dim light, the range of the infrared was close to<br />40 metres. Note that by this time on Saturday evening the grassed lawn area<br />was<br />littered with a number of castle-structures constructed of large old<br />cardboard boxes. These "castles" had been constructed as part of an earlier<br />event, although according to a report I heard, one had been damaged<br />slightly because "K-9" (noticed roaming around throughout the convention)<br />had apparently<br />pee-peed up against it earlier.<br /><br />I'd put my name down in time to be one of the 20, so I got to have a go.<br />Initially was just a free-for-all practice game set to run for 12 minutes.<br />However<br />even cowering in the shade of a "castle" I got hit some 20 times, going by<br />the gun's inbuilt digital hit counter.<br /><br />That was enough for me so I handed my gun back in so some of the others on<br />the reserve list could have a go. Participants were then split into teams<br />and a game area was designated. Play continued over a series of several<br />games for something like 3 hours. Genghis conventions relies on the<br />goodwill of various sponsors.<br />Many thanks to DARKZONE for providing the loan of equipment for this event.<br />They have 2 locations within the Perth metro area, so please support them.<br />They also hire out equipment for parties etc<br /><br />Genghis usually has one room dedicated for Panel talk-presentations and<br />several rooms for various Gaming activities, with other gaming activities<br />taking place elsewhere, such as on the lawn areas etc<br /><br />One room had been set up permanently for use as "The Armoury" where at<br />various times construction workshops took place, under expert instruction.<br />Some of these activities could only cater for limited numbers due to the<br />provision of raw materials, so sign-up sheets were available upstairs in<br />advance. Note that even these "sign-up" type activities are all provided<br />free by convention organisers (although they appreciate if participants can<br />make a coin donation towards the cost of materials)<br /><br />Deadly weapons made of foam rubber and cardboard which could later be used<br />to batter an opponent to death on the quadrangle lawn, but other<br />constructions went on also. There was a session for the construction of<br />fantastic alien<br />"Bead-y Critters". One workshop made foam missiles, projected from<br />cardboard<br />tubes by compressed air.<br /><br />I'd actually signed up in advance for the session "Knotty Knots" which<br />started with a brief presentation on different types of rope construction<br />before moving onto various plaitting techniques and other stuff.....which<br />unfortunately I missed, as I had a spell of not being well, so I had to<br />leave<br />early. After an aspirin and a quick nap in my room I came right.<br /><br />There must have been a session on "Trebuchet" which I missed but I later saw<br />one being used out on the lawn. These are the Roman type swinging catapult.<br />The one I saw was quite impressive, being constructed of wood and something<br />like one and a half<br />metres tall. (actually I noticed a slight design flaw......it sat flat on<br />the ground. Didn't they see the same tv documentary I did, awhile ago, that<br />the<br />latest research and recontructions have shown that ancient Trebuchet had<br />wheels on the bottom ? and that with the wheels on the bottom and the<br />catapult as it rolled first forwards then backwards during the firing swing<br />actually increased it's power and range.<br /><br />Now here I would like to declare that I am not a Gamer and nor have I ever<br />been a member of the Communist Party (McCarthy-ist era reference). But<br />there was of course many of the Games SwanCon-ers would be familiar with.<br />Towards the end of the 'con, many games progressed to a knockout tournament<br />status<br />and prizes were later awarded for certain events. "Settlers of Catan" had so<br />many players there were several sets going simultaneously, and also I saw<br />"Terraform Battlecruiser"<br /> as I visited the Gaming rooms. "Not Tonight<br />Josephine" was s'posed to be running and later there was some Poker, the<br />prize "pot" being a substantial supply of chocolate bars (although I wasn't<br />around at the right times to see either of these events).<br /><br />Thanks to Rob Masters and Alicia who brought along on their bicycle-trailers<br /> huge plastic crates being their supply of games. As usual they'd sourced<br />some brand new ones too. One, a<br />boardgame called "BOOTLEGGERS" set in the US Depression Era obviously about<br />illegal whiskey distilleries and drinking clubs.<br /><br />Another they brought along featured real LASER beams ! Yes isn't technology<br />just running ahead in leaps and bounds. The playing board resembled a space<br />age looking chess set, but with a border wall around it about one inch high.<br />Some of the pieces featured small mirrors (angled in such a way that nobody<br />got their eyes burnt out). Each player had one preset<br />Laserbeam. The aim being to move your peices in such a way that your<br />Laserbeam would reflect off the mirrors and strike opponents pieces. Both<br />this game, known variously as KHET or DEFLEXION and the Bootleggers<br />boardgame garnered much interest amongst those present. There was also a<br />presence of several of the "Looney Labs" card based gaming systems, as well<br />as various diced based games I did not recognise.<br /><br />Although "I am not a Gamer" in enjoy experiencing a range of activities at<br />'cons. I signed up for the Beginners "D+D" (they had arranged for 2 groups<br />of upto 5 players each) plus we had an experienced "DM" (Dungeon Master) who<br />used<br />one of the basic Dungeons and Dragon texts. Before we knew it 3 hours had<br />elapsed and several of us were too tired to continue as by then it was 1 am.<br />Remember gotta get up early for that free breakfast on Sunday morning too.<br /><br />There was a handful of late night panels and activities which were rated for<br />"18+" only, although I myself didn't attend any of these. The VideoRoom ran<br />until 4 am, before taking a break and resuming at 8 am. Even though the<br />numbers attending in the video room fluctuated, I'd recommend future<br />Genghiscons and other mini-conventions do still run a videoroom, even if<br />only part-time. The Minions had set up some 48 chairs but the most people I<br />ever saw, when I went in there to watch something screening, was about a<br />dozen.<br /><br />"Minions" are of course the volunteer helpers. Just other convention goers<br />who help out the organising committee and do some basic chores like running<br />messages, setting up chairs and re-stocking the various snackfoods, cold<br />drinks and chocolates for sale in the fridge. They get paid Millions of<br />dollars, well no, but almost. They get paid for giving up some of their<br />convention time in "minion" dollars which can be exchanged for cold drinks<br />and snacks etc (some other conventions may have other names for their<br />volunteer helpers, such as "stewards")<br /><br />Note that one reason why Genghis Conventions Inc. are able to run such a<br />cheap convention every January is because the organisers and Minions work<br />tirelessly throughout the year on various fundraising activities, such as<br />Quiz Nights and organised movie screenings. Thanks folks. A 3 day<br />convention for just $25 is such excellent value (extra charge applies for<br />those wanting the onsite overnight student accomodation)<br /><br />Thanks also must go to others who helped support the convention in one way<br />or another. "FANTASTIC PLANET" had a stall set up all day Saturday and<br />Sunday. Their normal location being a shop located in SHAFTO Lane, just a<br />short walk westwards of Perth's central city Hay St Mall, so please give<br />them your support when you're looking to buy Science Fiction and Fantasy<br />books. At the convention their stall was ably staffed by Elaine Kemp (an<br />experienced editor in her own right) and internationally published horror<br />author Stephen Dedman. The shop has a website, sorry I don't have their<br />exact url handy, but they'd be easy enough to find<br /><br />Saturday evening was the, now a tradition for Genghiscons, free Barbecue (as<br />Trinity has a suitable BBQ area.) Last year just one of the picnic table<br />and chair units was available for use, being mounted correctly into the<br />ground, the other 3 units in that BBQ courtyard area lying upside down and<br />useless, and a danger to skin your shins on as you try to navigate past<br />them. Well obviously TRINTY building management set a fire under their<br />maintenance-handyman, as this year, a whole *two* table and chair sets were<br />available for use, with just 2 left lying wasted and useless, upside down,<br />as obstacles on the ground. If Trinity is again used for next year's<br />Genghiscon, then at this rate, I look forward to one more set being<br />available by then ! (Hey note my correct spelling of "barbecue" quite a<br />rarity nowadays. People don't seem to know that you only use a "Q" if the<br />word is abbreviated into letters)<br /><br />Note that ANIME, the Japanese style of cartooning, is quite popular and this<br />overlaps into COS-PLAY. Some fans dress up as their favourite characters.<br />There were a number of panel presentations relating to Anime and CosPlay,<br />and some Anime items did turn up in the videoroom. Note that at the AGM<br />meeting, held on Sunday, a new committee of volunteer organisers was voted<br />in for next year, and with more Ainme and CosPlay fans on next year's<br />committee, these areas will probably be even more catered for in future. A<br />number of people were circulating throughout the 'con in full costume and I<br />understand there was to be a display of some kind at some stage, although I<br />missed that. There was an official photographer, so photos were taken where<br />people consented and those are likely to end up perhaps on the Genghiscon<br />official site ( www.genghiscon.org ) I understand that we have Jen<br />McCutcheon and Sarah O'Keefe to thank for a number of CosPlay related items.<br />Sorry I don't know these folks personally. Nor do I know Lily Evans who may<br />have run a Military CosPlay event, but unfortunately I managed to miss this<br />too. For a small convention there really is just so much going on all the<br />time, one's bound to miss stuff.<br /><br />I's hoping to attend at the ORIGAMI audience participation interactive panel<br />item, fronted by Wez Lamont. Unfortunately by the time I got there from,<br />somewhere else, I was very very late and didn't want to interupt the others,<br />so I just watched quietly for awhile at a discreet distance. Later I saw<br />intricate little paper animal creations dotted around the place, so they'd<br />obviously all had a successful fun time.<br /><br />One room had a video Game system connected upto a family sized tv screen<br />and various folks rotated through that room almost constantly. Sorry I'm not<br />into those kinds of games so can't be more specific. Genghiscon also ran<br />some competitions. Their, now regular, colouring in and Logo-art drawing<br />competitons and this year also they had a "Marching Song" competition.<br />where folks were supposed to come up with something that would inspire<br />Hordes of Invaders to follow Genghis wherever he went.<br /><br />Mmm, you were allowed to draw on exisitng material. I didn't enter but<br />thought about the mercenary warrior chant from the DORSAI trilogy of books<br />(by some big author, I forget, maybe PJ Farmer ?), it's been some 25+ years<br />since I read it, but from memory it goes.....<br /><br />Dorsai, ask not, now or ever<br />Where, to war your banners go,<br />Anarch's Legions all surround us<br />Strike, and do not count the blow<br /><br />For a tune, it fits perfectly with the old movie theme from "Exodus"<br /><br />Note I do not know who ultimately won the marching song, or any of the other<br />competitions or tournaments. I left a little before the very end of the<br />convention on Sunday (as I wanted to get home before dark, and did not want<br />to stay over in Perth another night). So I missed the auction and prize<br />presentation small ceremony at the end of the 'con. (again thanks to<br />sponsors like EMPIRE TOYS and QUALITY COMICS who provided prizes) The<br />winners names will likely also be posted up on the Genghis website, when<br />their volunteer "web-monkey" (yep that's what they call 'em) gets around to<br />updating the site.<br /><br />Yeah, right lucky too, just as I was entering my sideroad, about 3 km from<br />home, just as darkness was falling, 2 big kangaroos hopped right across the<br />road in front of me. I keep my speed down to about 60 kmh on this piece of<br />road as the road is narrow and the native bush comes right upto the edge in<br />places. I've only crashed into a kangaroo once and that was enough, they<br />can do almost as much damage to your car as those darned Deer that keep<br />running in front of Yanks in country areas !<br /><br />Well that's all folks, Genghiscon is over for another year, and a great time<br />was had by all I'm sure. Thanks to all who helped organise it. See you again<br />sometime in late January in 2008<br /><br />Catherine Jemma<br />Central Wheatbelt<br />Western Australia<br /><br />catherinejemma@myway.comREMOVEthis<br /><br />"Save the Cheerleader, Save the World"<br />.....HEROES ep 5 Oct 2006<br /><br />this email brought to you by Rubbish-Dump computer-power !<br /><br />Find me at http://myspace.com/catherinejemma<br />check my weBlog http://catherinejemma.blogspot.comCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1160297048801062892006-10-08T16:41:00.000+08:002006-10-23T15:10:47.083+08:00Review FANDOMEDIA 2006 Hunger. Perth Sept 30 + Oct 1This is being sent by personal email to several friends, and to my 'Blogs.<br />I hereby consent to this review being reproduced in other publications<br />which are not primarily intended for profit. Such is likely to include club<br />newsletters, websites 'blogs and newsgroups, and small print run fanzines or<br />books.<br /><br />FANDOMEDIA 2006 "Hunger"<br /><br />Recently I attended the second Fandomedia mini-convention, held at the same<br />venue as last year's, being The Emerald Hotel in Perth (a most excellent<br />venue for<br />such conventions)<br /><br />Not to be confused with Perth/WA's main annual Science Fiction and Fantasy<br />convention ("Swancon") this was intended only as a much smaller affair.<br />For 5 years running a mini-convention has been run, at about this time of<br />year, at The Emerald. This year, a first, the 'Con actually started Friday<br />evening. I was unable to attend then (as I's staying at Rockingham where<br />only a<br />skeleton bus service operates), however I did get to ask "Ju" (the un-ending<br />bundle of energy who is the Convener of this 'con) on the<br />Saturday what sorta turnout they had had for the Friday evening and she<br />said<br />they'd gotten off to a terrific start with somewhere between 40 and 50<br />attending then (sorry I missed it).<br /><br />I arrived Saturday morning well before the 10 am start time of programming.<br />Quite a number of fans had arrived already, Rob Masters and Alicia Smith<br />were already at a table gaming with several others (and yes they had even<br />more new games, including "Not Tonight Josephine").<br /><br />Someone had brought along a THERIMEN and I had a brief play with it. This<br />had been assembled from a Dick Smith electronics shop kitset, although they<br />have existed for over 70 years (originally they ran on valves aka vacuum<br />tubes and were the size of a large valve radio, nowadays they're little<br />bigger than a 500 gram block of butter.<br /><br />A THERIMEN is of course the only musical instrument you play, without<br />touching it at all. It's actually a kind of electronic sythesizer, with 2<br />small radiowave antennae. By moving your hands and fingers closer and<br />further away, from the antennae, you affect the sound output. Not commonly<br />used in commercial music, the Beach Boys used one in their 1960's hit song<br />"Good Vibrations".<br /><br />As a mini-convention Fandomedia ran 2 full time panel-room streams, plus a<br />part time video-room, so there was always plenty going on. Plus there was a<br />lounge area with several tables setup, for Gamers or folks with stuff for<br />sale. I bought a couple of Grant Watson's latest comic creations, but also<br />present over the weekend was Sally B. and other cohorts representing ASIM<br />(Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine), Russell Farr and his wife .. (er<br />"Mrs<br />Farr" ?) with some specialist clothing items and a large presence by<br />Fantastic Planet bookshop (thanks for supporting this event guys). Sorry I<br />don't have url links for the above already imbedded in this review, I might<br />try to get them sorted later. But they're located at Shop 8 Shafto Lane<br />just a short walk Westwards from Perth's central mall. Also available in<br />Shafto Lane are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.crumpler.com.au">CRUMPLER BAGS</a> ( www.crumpler.com.au ) who were also present<br />supporting the convention<br /><br /><br />I wasn't very well for much of Saturday so when the hotel had a room ready<br />for me about noon, I crept upstairs for an aspirin and a nap.<br /><br />However I did attend part at least of each panel stream, ducking next door<br />to just do a head-count on the panels I unavoidably missed.<br /><br />The numbers attending hovered around the 50 count, adding all rooms together<br />and including those Gaming or just socialising around. There were still<br />some 53 folks around for the brief wrap-up and thanks ceremony at the end,<br />Sunday evening. Some people could only attend on one day or the other due to<br />work commitments, and I know of other fans who because of commitments were<br />unable to attend at all. Hopefully the numbers worked out and the<br />convention broke even with costs, any small surplus returning to WASFF<br />funds.<br /><br />The main guest from Interstate was MARIANNE DE PIERRES. She's originally a<br />sandgroper but now resides in Brisbane, Queensland. She's written a fair<br />bunch of stuff in the past.<br /><br />Local guests were Lyn Battersby and Elaine Kemp, both well known in<br />Perth/WA SciFi fandom circles.<br /><br />So for those of you who didn't make it along, I'll tell you a few things<br />that went on. Note that this list is not intended to be a complete rundown<br />of what happened, just to give you anoverall impression of what went on.<br /><br />"The Way The Biological Clock Ticks" was one item Saturday morning, the<br />panel upfront hosted by Sarah Xu (with a suckling babe-in-arms at the time)<br />the, well known in WA fandom "almost doctor" Cathy Cupitt (....but wait,<br />there's more, she now *IS* THE Doctor Cathy Cupitt PHd, congratulations<br />Cath) Elaine Kemp and Shay. Shay, (who's surname I fear escapes me) gave<br />the panel some male perspective. The audience at this item got to learn more<br />about IVF and embryoes and cancer and more.<br /><br />After lunchbreak "Escaping The 2 Headed Monster" was fronted by Elaine Kemp<br />(longtime partner of reknowned author Stephen Dedman) and Lyn Battersby<br />(married to Lee Battersby at a past Swancon, some 2 years back, also held at<br />The Emerald Hotel). Both Elaine and Lyn (previously Lyn Triffitt) are<br />accomplished authors in their own right, but have partner authors of higher<br />public profile. Unfortunately I missed this item as I's not well and had to<br />retreat upstairs for more aspirin and another nap.<br /><br />An "Erotica Writing Workshop" took place and I arrived at one panel room<br />just as "Breaking News On Computer Games" was wrapping up, so missed that,<br />however it was well attended and I'm sure that Grant (Watson?) and Greg (?)<br />did a great job. Anna H. was wandering around barefoot as usual. Her<br />offspring had shoes on at one stage, but clearly it's a genetic thing, as<br />that state of affairs didn't last long. A fluctuating number of toddlers and<br />young children were around, it's good to see that SciFi fans are helping to<br />breed up a new generation of SF/F fans.<br /><br />Just before the dinner (tea) break on Saturday arvo/evening was scheduled<br />the one item that was clearly indicated as unsuitable for children. It was<br />Elaine K reading some excerpts from her recently web published erotic work<br />"Bad Case Of Loving You". The small but fluctuating number of children and<br />toddlers present were catered for by an excellent piece of<br />programming, a very much child-friendly event was scheduled opposite<br />Elaine's reading, in the other panel-room. There were more adults than<br />children present there, but I commend the 'con organisers/programmers, for<br />this alternative being available.<br /><br />The part-time video stream was poorly attended, there's simply no denying<br />it, but<br />it was well organised and run, and the programming itself was perfect. A<br />few old classics, a few brand new items some just days from<br />their first USA screenings, and with some short "filler items" of cartoons<br />and musicvideos.<br /><br />Several times as I passed by I stuck my head in the door (of the small room<br />used for the video screenings) to do a headcount and the count was zero,<br />yep, no-one present at all. However the guy running the video-stream (sorry<br />I don't know his name) was only ever in a room next-door, and would check<br />back regularly and always kept items<br />running on schedule, so a really big thanks to him. Sorry I don't know his<br />name but he's a top dude and is often seen at 'cons helping out.<br /><br />I actually watched several items on the video program, sometimes I was alone<br />in the room, sometimes there was upto 5 others present. Perhaps more people<br />would have attended if a video timetable had been part of the<br />panel-room-timetable given out as conventioneers arrived, so hopefully 'con<br />organisers will consider that in future. However I think it was simply the<br />fact that there was plenty of other interesting stuff going on. Nobody can<br />be everywhere at once, so you've gotta miss something to attend something<br />else. The room could have seated more than a dozen fans, and another<br />half-dozen could have sat on the floor upfront, if needed. I would<br />recommend that the next mini-convention (<a target="_blank" href="http://nightsedge.blogspot.com">NIGHTS EDGE</a> 10 and 11 November<br />2007, http://nightsedge.blogspot.com) does also run a video program, even<br />just if only part-time.<br /><br />On Saturday I watched both NEAR DARK an almost classic Vampire movie set in<br />the US MidWest Farmbelt area and later HOMECOMING (a new film, dead US<br />military personal killed in Iraq, return to life as zombies to vote Prez<br />Bush out of office)<br /><br />Later on Saturday night I's invited upto someones hotelroom where we watched<br />the pilot double episode of <a target="_blank" href="http://epguides.com/Eureka/">EUREKA</a>. Yep someone had brought a DiVX disc<br />along, and a $49 cheapie Woolworths miniature dvd player which worked fine<br />connected to their in room hotel telly. Golly I want one of them dvd<br />players....unfortunately they were only available for a limited time.<br />Looked a bit like a giant butterfly trying to take-off, fantastic, I've<br />never seen a home dvd player before that looked like anything, other than, a<br />rectangular box.<br /><br />Sunday morning I returned my room key-card and the first panel item I<br />attended was absolutely engrossing without actually being gross-out. Titled<br />"Blood Lust, a presentation of Parasites and Invertebrates" the presenter,<br />who I know only as "Dr Hoz" gave a factual but throughly entertaining talk,<br />accompanied with various slides on a big screen. There were Rabbits,<br />"Zombie" crabs, domestic cats that infect human brains with deadly virus and<br />a whole lot more. I was humming and har-ring about attending this item as I<br />thought it would be all yucky and gory, maggots and worms and things, but it<br />was not ! Swancon is well known for having a serious "academic stream" as<br />part of it's programming and even mini-cons like Fandomedia and Genghiscon<br />(www.genghiscon.org) often have some factual items in amongst their<br />programming.<br /><br />Later "Cooking With Coffee" was fronted by professional Barrista "Kaneda"<br />ably assisted by Sarah P. I's there for awhile but a head count proved<br />difficult. as more and more people continually trickled into the room,<br />obviously they smelt the free sample tasters !<br /><br />After lunchtime on Sunday I unfortunately missed the panel item "Soylents Of<br />The Lambs, You Are Who You Eat", but I had a good excuse.....I's in the<br />video-room watching the very first ep of the brand new show <a target="_blank" href="http://epguides.com/Heroes/">HEROES</a>. Yep<br />just literally a few days after airing in the USA, here it was. It's hard to<br />say from seeing just one episode, but this is certainly a series worth<br />looking out for (especially to my friends LAS +CMW +SB)<br /><br />All good things must come to an end. I think maybe Ju was hiding somewhere<br />as this final item started some 20 minutes later than timetabled.<br />(naughty-naughty, score one<br />demerit for that ! ) Thanks were given to the guests and sponsors and the<br />raffle was drawn. Gamers from the other room (still engrossed in conquering<br />the Universe, or something) seemed to win enough of the prizes and Lee<br />Battersby managed to win 4 items (3 were going to his kids and the 4th he<br />gave away)<br /><br />Mention was made of next year's mini-con, also to be held at The Emerald<br />Hotel, to be called <a target="_blank" href="http://nightsedge.blogspot.com">NIGHTS EDGE</a> the underlying theme to be Cyberpunk, so<br />pencil that into your diaries folks.<br /><br />I'm not exactly sure what the definition of "Cyberpunk" is, but I think its<br />sexy Japanese robots with big space-blaster guns, fighting each other, I<br />guess I'll just have to, go along to find out. Ju's not organising that<br />one, she's tuckered out, poor thing, so Sarah Parker will be holding the<br />reins.<br /><br /> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.genghiscon.org">GENGHISCON</a> should be happening again<br />for the 5th (?) time in January 2007 and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swancon.com/">SWANCON</a> next in April 2007. Fans<br />should support these events if possible. Come along and expect to have a<br />darn good time.<br /><br />Catherine Jemma<br />8 October 2006 (minor revision 23 Oct)<br />Outback Western Australia<br /><br />this email brought to you by Rubbish-Dump computer-power !<br /><br />Find me at http://myspace.com/catherinejemma<br />check my weBlog http://catherinejemma.blogspot.com<br /><br />Patsy....."So is killing NOT wrong anymore ?"<br />Trudy....."We don't have to worry about Right and Wrong anymore, ZOOT<br />decides for us"<br />................The Tribe episode 2:49Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1157424495886988552006-09-05T10:38:00.000+08:002006-10-19T11:04:42.136+08:00Major Prizes NOT Awarded (REVISED 19 OCT) to the Winners...research projectHi there<br /><br />I'm trying to do some research, just for my personal interest, on major competitions where the prizes WERE NOT awarded, as promised.<br /><br />Now usually "Mr google" is my friend, but on this occasion he hasn't been much help.<br /><br />One of these 2 items featured on prime time Australian telly at the time, so I thought it appropriate to post here.<br />Please post any info you may have under this same thread and/or send onto me personally at<br /><a href="mailto:catherinejemma@myway.comREMOVEthisBIT">catherinejemma@myway.comREMOVEthisBIT</a> remove the obvious bit.<br /><br />In the latter half of 1986 some fellow went through over several days and won the main prize on Channel Nein's "Sale Of The Century" (sic)<br /><br />During the show the guy, a retired doctor had given the answer "aphasia".The answer they had intended to be correct was "Dyslexia". However medically there is some area of overlap in these terms.<br /><br />After a telephone break.....one moment please......yes our judges have decided that we will accept that as the correct answer<br /><br />Only right up towards the end of the episode, did the shows "producer" (in tv terms =accountant) OVER-RIDE the judges and cancel the points for that question. Therefore he did not have enough credits to win the full prize and would have had to risk it all, again, and come back the next day, and win again, in order to win the whole lot. Not surprisingly he decided to leave then and there, with everything except the cash jackpot 9the final and largest part of the prize) <br /><br />Now because these eps are filmed in advance of airings, it was widely publicised when this ep was to air, which from memory was a Thursday night, in the latter half of 1986<br /><br />Now I begged a friend of mine who had 2 videos if he would please record this ep for me, I couldn't do it myself because I was busy doing something for him, at that time.<br /><br />He couldn't be bothered recording it for me, but did speak to his dad who spoke to some other bloke, who had watched the ep, and what he saidwas......(mmm, not really the same as me having it on videotape to this day....is it ?)<br /><br />Anyway apparently in a cunning stunt, yes Channel Nein were Stunning Cunts, re-edited the footage to make it look like the competitor volunteerily gave up the cash jackpot, because, as a retired doctor, he was already amillionaire and didn't need the money<br /><br />I'm guessing I'm the only private individual in Australia who intended to record this ep for my permanent archives, and as, because of circumstancesbeyond my control I ended up NOT getting, no-one else did either.....<br /><br />There's another case, not televised as such<br /><br />This second case happened in New Zealand before I left in the first half of1986 (how much before, I cannot remember). Now in NZ at the time there was NO Lotto. However there was a regular raffle ticket style lottery, sold at corner stores and newsagents etc, called the "Golden Kiwi" (although old people often referred to it as the Art Union)<br /><br />Similar to local neighbourhood and community raffles, you could fill in your name and address details on the numbered stubb (optional but recommended), which later gets returned to headquarters, and you keep the tear-off part of the ticket (which also bears the same serial number as the stubb)<br /><br />It was a clear condition of this raffle style lottery that you *HAD* to present the ticket in order to recieve the prize money (Not sure but I think that by then the prize was $200,000 which would buy you 4 family homes then.)<br /><br />After one raffle draw someone claimed the prize but DID NOT have the ticket.The independant NZ lotteries commission or whatever they called themselves at that time, did of course pay out the total first prize to this claimant, even that it absolutely broke their own, absolute rules.<br /><br />Soon thereafter a person bearing the actual ticket turned up wanting their first prize claim honoured.<br />The lotteries commission refuised to pay them saying "sorry the money is gone" (yeah mate like it's the same $1 notes and the like that buy thetickets that pay for that month's prize)<br /><br />Further the lotteries commission hinted that the 2 women involved were in conspracy with each other, I remember they made these claims in such a carefully worded way that they'd never be legally actionable, but that was their clear meaning<br /><br />The last I heard, the actual ticket bearer still had not recieved one penny of the prize money<br />Does anyone have anymore detailed or exact information on the above listed 2 events, Sale of the Century or Golden Kiwi lottery ?<br /><br />Note that if you think "it couldn't happen to me" just read the rules for any major competition. Somewhere it'll say "the judges decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into" which unfortunately, legally means, that you can win the prize and yet have no legal claim on them in any civil court. Only if the Crown/State Prosecutor wants to, could a criminal charge for fraud be initiated. (Well that's how I'd understand it)<br /><br />REVISED 19 OCT 2006<br />Oh hey I's just remembering an even more recent incident, this one in Australia (one of the Eastern States I think) Here in Australia, for just a few dollars a year, a Lotto player can REGISTER with the Lotteries commission. They then issue you with an electronic swipecard which you get swiped whenever you make a Lotto entry, if you win and forget to take your paper ticket back to the agency to claim your prize, a cheque is mailed out to your address automatically a few weeks later. Registrations can be in the names of individuals or a SYNDICATE (eg a workplace syndicate with colleagues)<br /><br />Just a year or 2 back someone won a large Lotto prize and even though they had that ticket registered under their own personal swipecard some colleague from his workplace lodged a protest and claimed they should have a syndicate share of the prize (even though it was NOT the ticket registered under the workplace syndicate's swipecard)<br /><br />So the Lotteries commission have refused to make any pay out in this case and have said that they'll only pay the winner if he runs a case through court and wins it. The legal costs will be huge and last I heard he was unable to fund a court case in advance of recieving any winnings....a catch 22 situation. <br /><br />This was another case where the relavent lotteries commission simply refused to pay out a valid prize. Look the ticket was registered to this guy's own name using his own personal lottery swipecard. The Lotteries commission *SHOULD* pay him by default *UNLESS* some other party has gone to the required court and got a court order to stop payment in advance of it being made. There is a 14 day automatic hold on all major lottery payments in Australia. If there is NO interim court order within that 14 days PAY THE BLOKE, gggrrr it makes ME ANGRY thinkin' about it, I wonder what it makes HIM feel like.<br /><br />The item was featured on either channel 7's Today Tonight show, or possibly and less likely, ch 9's A current Affair (I've only had access to that channel's show since March of 2005, so if it was before that date it would almost have had to be Today Tonight). Yes I know that neither of those programs could be called anything other than "low quality television journalism" but they aren't normally "outright lies" (with the exception of Channel 7's DAVE "SLUGGO" RICHARDSON (why they keep employing this bloke when time after time he keeps getting caught committing journalistic fraud, I dunno). This ends the later added revision. <br /><br />cheerio<br />CateCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1158218467382497872006-09-14T15:08:00.000+08:002006-09-14T16:51:49.886+08:00ELECTRIC CARS and GM deliberate vandalism and liesRecently I was asked to record an upcoming "Dateline" program from the SBS ,yesterday Wednesday night.<br /><br />My friend's J+M have a solar electric system on their property, low voltage from solar panels is stored in giant oversize (like, car) batteries, then an electronic gizmo called an inverter makes normal mains 240 volts when required to operate lights, a conventional fridge or tv etc<br /><br />However the gizmo turns itself off most of the time to save power and as such, they cannot using the timer function on their old video deck<br /><br />Last night as well as recording an EP copy for myself I recorded an SP tape for J+M to borrow. (as they are away and unable to record it for themselves)<br /><br />This morning I took a dubb from that SP tape, and put it on the video that I intend to send to the UK in early October after I get a Bill Bryson segment for a longtime tape swapping contact<br /><br />This afternoon at the end of lunch, I noticed that Dateline is due to repeat, so I have rewound that UK tape and am re-recording the segment, this time in pristine form from the digital tuner-box, including teletext subtitles.The segment on electric vehicles runs for some 22 mins<br /><br />Just a few points and this won't make much sense unless you've already seenthis item (if not, SAVE this email and wait until then)<br /><br />Several full electric vehicles were featured, including a Toyota RAV 4EV, several home-made jobs, including the fastest fully street legal electricdrag-car, and the GM EV 1 which was funded by GM under California laws, and zipped around California roads from 1996 to 2004. Here are several thoughts, in no particular order, as they come to mind.<br /><br />That GM guy the official "PR" spokesman......mate almost every word that came from his mouth was a bald-faced lie ! Shit he's got a good job, paid 50 or 100 thousand dollars a year to tell lies !<br /><br />It would seem that not one single example of the EV 1 from GM was available to be filmed, all their footage came from old recordings, made between 1996 and 2004. In an utterly cunning stunt (and yes, GM obviously are) they didn't actually "sell" a single EV 1 and ONLY made them available on short-term leases........then simply destroyed them all at the end of the lease periods.<br /><br />What he said about spare parts, what a load of shizzunhausen, they could have cancelled the regoes, then sold them "as is where is" to enthusiasts with no guarantees. Look at how vintage cars are kept going byfolks who will individually hand make or modify parts as required. Manyparts like wheelbearings, steering, brakes etc were almost certainly standard from within the GM stable.<br /><br />Honda and Toyota have made full electric versions of some of their models.Honda has been deliberately crushing brand new electric cars in the USA,claiming it was necessary for "insurance" reasons. I understand that Nissan have also been crushing electric cars. <br /><br />Note that in my opinion "hybrid" vehicles, which were not mentioned in this article at all, are rubbish and a dead duck of an idea. The hybrid vehicles around at the moment do no more miles per gallon than a slightly smaller petrol or diesel engined car. So you might as well buy a slightly smaller car for tens of thousands of dollars less and you will still be better off financially and using no more fuel. A recent official study in Australia found that the higher price of a "hybrid" car IS NEVER recouped by the fuel savings.<br /><br />Yes it is true that you can drive a large hybrid car and get medium car fuel economy, or a medium sized hybrid car and get small car economy, and for people that often need to carry 4 or 5 adults in a car at the same time, this would likely be an issue. The vast majority of car use is short trips carrying one or 2 adults and sometimes one or 2 children, so for most purposes a smaller car will suffice.<br /><br />As the GM PR liar guy said, the EV-1 car would only do about "100 miles" ona charge then took 6 to 8 hours to recharge.<br />As the pro-electric car guy (Chris Payne ?) said, the average daily commuter drive is lessthan 30 miles total (and one could guess that with a work-day in between,time for a full recharge anyway) He also pointed out that govt tax incentives for businesses to buy large petroleum powered vehicles amounted to 25 times the tax incentives for electric cars<br /><br />I was first introduced to the idea of electric vehicles some 30 years ago when I helped a friend on a project to add an electric motor to an old bicycle. That project never came to fruition, for a number of reasons, however similar bikes are available for purchase in Perth at some $598 nowadays<br /><br />Having seen the home converted Datsun 120 Y sedan on this tv docu I am now determined to have a go at electrifying a car. WA laws are kinder than NZ in this respect, and I certainly have old cars around here which can act as mobile test-beds if need be, although I'd rather put effort and expense into a vehicle ready for normal use. (they say the price of petrol has dropped lately, yeah mate it was down to $1.43.9 cents a litre last time I bought some locally).<br /><br />The best vehicle to use would be a little panel-van body, like the 550 ccSuzuki van my friend (L.W.) had many years ago (prior to that I'd had asimilar but even older, Honda model with just a 360 cc 2 cylinder engine)Vans of a similar size and shape were also made by Daihatsu until quiterecently, by which time engine size had increased to 1000 cc<br /><br />A 2nd best choice for a backyard conversion to electric, would be a tiny Suzuki car, like the model known for years as the "Alto". Obviously the original petrol motor is not needed, but it would be easiest, for road-going purposes if the registration was still valid.<br /><br />The van would allow a false floor to be made and the batteries spread outover the original floor area. I substantial area of load or passenger carrying ability would still be available, on top of the false floor<br /><br />Using the like of an Alto would be not quite as good, as batteries wouldhave to be fitted into the boot and bonnet areas only. If extra room wasrequired then the back seat area would have to be given over for batteries.The Alto is front wheel drive AFAIK while all those little van things arerear drive.<br /><br />All of the electric vehicles featured on the tv docu were very spritely, however I've long been a fan of the gutless wonder of economy vehicles. Now considering that an old English economy car of the early 1950's like the Standard or Morris 8's had 26 BHP then that equals about 20 kW electric motor power required. Those old English cars could cruise at 80 kmh/50 mph at least and weighed about 700 kgs, about the same as a more modern Suzuki Alto<br /><br />Personally I'm a fan of using the existing 4 or 5 speed manual gearbox whicha vehicle might have, partly because this gives a convenient reverse, andyes I know the guy said that with real high horsepower electric cars, thetorque was sufficient without a gearbox.<br /><br />I have done a bit of figuring just to get some "ball-park" figures and Ireckon that a 20 kW economy car/van would need about 1,700 Ampere-Hours of storage capacity which amounts to about 100 of those little golfcart batteries you might know (approx 3x6x8 inches), or 19 medium 4 cylinder carbatteries or 14 large "Landcruiser" 4wd/truck batteries<br /><br />Note this is just a rough figuring to give me an idea of weights and sizerequired etc. I guesstimated range of 80 kms minimum, probably double thatif you drained the batteries power entirely<br /><br />Now obviously you cannot use normal car/4WD batteries for an electric car,as they are not designed to be what is called "deep cycle" (normal carbatteries are only supposed to be discharged 10% at most then fullyrecharged)<br /><br />Nor can you use normal solar cell house storage batteries, although theseare designed for deep cycle use, they are not made to be vibration resistantfor use in a vehicle. (sometimes referred to as "traction" batteries)<br /><br />So I'd be needing a source of batteries which are both designed for deepcycle and traction purposes. That type of battery is less common but does exist, and is used in such items as electric wheelchairs, forklifts,milkfloats (in England, but not here unfortunately) and golfcarts.<br /><br />With the massive increase in those "mobility scooter" type electric wheelchairs lately, there should be more of these sorts of batteries more easily and cheaply available<br /><br />I know that even 20 plus years ago the University of Canterbury in Chch NZ was doing world leading research into electric cars.....their particularspecialty was in using an Alternating Current motor, which they said wasmore efficient and easily controllable, but did require sophisticated electronics to convert the battery power to AC from the storage batteries DC<br /><br />Personally I favour I much simpler approach and think that this would workbetter, especially with a low powered home converted electric vehicle<br /><br />Several converted cars featured in the recent tv item (including the White Zombie Drag-race car) had installed a "Ziller" brand speed control device which undoubtedly costs a fortune and is hard to get in Australia, a design without need of a Ziller would seem to have advantages, even if power management wasn't so scientifically superb.<br /><br />Let me know if you hear of a still fully road-registered but perhaps dead motor, Suzuka Alto or tiny van for sale cheaply or free to tow-away in the Perth area !<br /><br />Note that if you chase up the Australian SBS tv website and check for the Transcript for Wed 13 Sept 2006 Dateline, there are numerous web links there, although some don't seem to be working for me today. <br /><br />cheerio<br />CateCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1158116554384751152006-09-13T10:54:00.000+08:002006-09-13T11:07:00.603+08:00JANE AND THE DRAGON cgi animation from WETA studios NZOK I've been watching this cartoon series, from the "WETA" studios in NZ, who've previously worked on projects such as Lord Of The Rings movies. Conveniently during breakfast time on weekday mornings and it seems ok, it looks like they have tried to be more realistic to medievil times than most other cartoons and kids shows to date.<br /><br />The characters don't wear obvious trousers, which as I understand it from my SwanCon education are a recent invention, so the guys wear 3/4 length type smocks (special name ?). Women and girls are depicted in near ankle length dress.The main character "jane" wears a mini skirt (perhaps in order to flash a bit more leg at the audience I guess ! ) ok I'll let them away with that one, as "poetic licence".<br /><br />I don't like the characters stupidly thin arms though. They seem to be going for the anorexic look there.<br /><br />When Dragon takes off he doesn't lift smoothly but in short bursts and I must say this is realistic. Although I can't claim to have seen a lot of dragons taking-off in my time, I used to have large Embden geese, which could fly....to a degree. Plus remembering what I've seen on wildlife docu's of the largest birds, eagles and condors etc<br /><br />(Dragon's wings are of course impossibly small for such a large body-mass. However we can forgive that aspect on the basis that he is "a magical creature",)<br /><br />So congrats go to the animators for researching flight characteristics of larger animals. My only amendment might have been to have the dragon springup some, initially using his leg muscles. Although perhaps I'm over-thinking this. . Chickens etc certainly spring up substantially, even unfledged few-day-old chicks can spring upto several times their own body height, the effect is possibly lesser, the greater the mass of the animal.<br /><br />I remember seeing one of my geese doing a vertical take-off from a standing start, and it didn't 'spring' up, not that I noticed, but the way it gained altitude.........was EXACTLY like the Dragon as depicted in the cartoon.<br /><br />However I'm going to have to knock off a few points for one minor error in historical facts.Their gardener (named "rake") grows the vegetables for the castle's residents. Recently he mentioned "Runner Beans".<br /><br />The only bean native to Europe and the Mediterranean and neighbouring Asia.......as far as I know.......was the Broad Bean (Vicia faba). It certainly spread throughout the Roman Empire.<br /><br />AFAIK, *ALL* other vegetable beans are native to Central and South America.The Runner Bean specifically, is native to southern South America somewherearound coastal Chile iirc. So unlikely to have been in Medievil Europe until well after 1492...... the Greenlander-Vikings might well have gotten to North-Eastern Canada, but I don't reckon they ever got as far as Chile !<br /><br />cheerio<br />CateCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1156988407209364552006-08-31T09:35:00.000+08:002006-08-31T09:40:07.223+08:00Citrus bushes need organic spraying againYeah I thought a morning session on the computer today. The showers will likely be sporadic. If it fines up in the arvo I'll go outside anad do chores.<br /><br />I have need to spray a little more with "white-oil" (aka Winter or Summer oil) the organic gardener's friend<br />I just make up my own, 1 % canola cooking oil whizzed up in an old blender reserved for the purpose with 99 % water, and one drip of dishwash liquid......used within 5 minutes on the various citrus variety trees.....they get scale insects during the cooler months, ants actually "farm" the scale insects by finding them throughout the garden and carrying them off onto susceptible plants, like my citrus ("Mandarix" and Tangelo etc). <br /><br />The ants stroke the back off the scale insects and eat the sugary-sappy residue they exude. Obviously one or 2 scale insects don't mind but numbers can build up and they sap the trees energy by sucking the sap.<br />A second problem is the scale insects secretions, which allow a "sooty mould" black discolouration on the leaves, doesn't matter that it LOOKS unsightly but it obscures the green leaf from doing photosynthesis in the sun, and feeding the plant energy<br /><br />Normally I spray 2 or 3 times per Autumn-Winter-early Spring season. Obviously this year my plants did not get the Autumn or Winter sprays because I was a few thousand kms away in NZ at the time. <br /><br />No fancy equipment necessary I just have one of those one dollar finger trigger spray bottles available in supermarkets, holds 500 ml and a few days ago I sprayed a couple of plants. I'll need to do another one spraybottle's worth on some other plants and touch up the Tangelo shrub and things should then be 100 % ok until next Autumn (the scale insects pretty much all cark it during the hot dry weather)Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1153020117394974612006-07-16T11:21:00.000+08:002006-07-16T11:21:57.406+08:00Israel vs Lebanon air-raids mid July 2006This item I saw on a newsgroup. It maybe a bit one-eyed but it does seem to raise some valid points and is worth a read. Note that I haven't tried to independantly verify any of the claims within it.<br />Cate 16 July 2006<br /><br /> The Independent UK July 14, 2006<br /> From my home, I saw what the 'war on terror' meant By Robert Fisk<br /><br />All night I heard the jets, whispering high above the Mediterranean.It lasted for hours, little fireflies that were watching Beirut,waiting for dawn perhaps, because it was then that they descended. They came first to the little village of Dweir near Nabatiya insouthern Lebanon where an Israeli plane dropped a bomb on to the homeof a Shia Muslim cleric. He was killed. So was his wife.So were eight of his children. One was decapitated. All they could find of a baby was its head and torsowhich a young villager brandished in fury in front of the cameras.Then the planes visited another home in Dweir and disposed of a familyof seven.AND 1,500,000,000 MUSLIMS SAW THIS IN FULL COLOUR ON TV , MOST NIGHTSFOR YEARS It was a brisk start to Day Two of Israel's latest "war on terror", aconflict that uses some of the same language - and a few of the samelies - as George Bush's larger "war on terror". For just as we"degraded" Iraq - in 1991 as well as 2003 - so yesterday it wasLebanon's turn to be "degraded". That means not only physical death but economic death and it arrivedat Beirut's gleaming new £300 million international airport justbefore 6 a.m. as passengers prepared to board flights to London andParis.>> From my home, I heard the F-16 which suddenly appeared over the newest runway and fired a spread of rockets into it, ripping up 20 meters of tarmac and blasting tons of concrete into the air in a massive explosion before a Hetz-class Israeli gunboat fired on to the other runways.>> Two of Middle East Airlines' new Airbuses were left untouched but, within minutes, the airport was deserted as passengers fled back to their homes and hotels.>> The flight indicators told the whole story: Paris no flight, London, no flight, Cairo, no flight, Dubai, no flight, Baghdad - from the cauldron into the fire if anyone had chosen to take it - no flight. Someone was playing "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" over the public address system.>> Then the Israelis went for the Hezbollah television station, Al-Manar, clipping off its antenna with a missile but failing to put the station off air. That might be a more understandable target - "Manar", after all, broadcasts Hezbollah propaganda. But was it really designed to find or recover the two Israeli soldiers captured on Wednesday? Or to take revenge for the nine Israelis killed in the same incident, one of the blackest days in recent Israeli Army history although not as black as it was for the 36 Lebanese civilians killed in the previous 24 hours.>> An Israeli woman was also killed by a Hezbollah rocket fired into Israel. So, in the grim exchange rate of these wretched conflicts, one Israeli death equals just over three Lebanese; it's a fair bet the exchange rate will grow more murderous.>> And by afternoon, the threats had grown worse. Israel would not "sit idly by". It ordered the entire population of the southern suburbs - home to Hezbollah's headquarters - to flee their homes by 3pm.>> Save for a few hundred families, they stubbornly refused to leave. Everywhere in Lebanon could now be a target, the Israelis announced. If Israel bombed the suburbs, the Hezbollah roared, it would fire its long-range Katyushas at the Israeli city of Haifa. One of them had apparently already damaged an Israeli air base at Miron, a fact concealed at the time by Israeli censors.>> It certainly frightened Lebanon's tourists who packed the roads from Bhamdoun in their 4x4s, fleeing for the safety of Syria and flights home from Damascus. Another little economic death for Lebanon.>> But what did all this mean, this ranting and threatening? I sat at home in the early afternoon, going through my files of Israeli statements. It turned out that Israel had threatened not to "sit idly by" (or occasionally "stand idly by") in Lebanon on at least six occasions in the past 26 years, most famously when the late Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin promised that he would not "stand idly by" while Christians were threatened here in 1980 - only to withdraw his soldiers and leave the Christians to their bloody fate three years later.>> The Lebanese are always left to their fate. Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, says he holds the Lebanese government responsible for the attacks on the border that breached the international frontier on Wednesday.>> But Olmert and everyone knows that the weak and fractious government of the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora isn't capable of controlling a single militiaman, let alone the Hezbollah.>> Yet wasn't this the same set of Lebanese political leaders congratulated by the United States last year for its democratic elections and its freedom from Syria? Indeed, a man who sees Bush as a friend - perhaps "saw" is a better word - is Saad Hariri, son of the ex-Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri who built much of the infrastructure that Israel is now destroying and whose murder last year - by Syrian agents? - supposedly outraged Mr Bush.>> Yesterday morning, Saad Hariri, the son, was flying into Beirut when America's Israeli allies arrived to bomb the airport. He had to turn round as his aircraft skulked off to Cyprus for refuge.>> But it was the undercurrent of terror-speak that was particularly frightening yesterday.>> Lebanon was an "axis of terror", Israel was "fighting terror on all fronts". During the morning, I had to cut across an interview with an Australian radio station when an Israeli reporter stated - totally untruthfully - that there were Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon and that not all Syria's troops had left.>> And the reason why the Israelis had attacked Beirut's infinitely secure and carefully monitored airport, used by diplomats and European leaders, a facility as safe as any in Europe? Because, so said the Israelis, it was "a central hub for the transfer of weapons and supplies to the Hezbollah terrorist organization". If the Israelis really want to know where that hub is, they should be looking at Damascus airport. But they do know that, don't they?>> And so it is terror, terror, terror again and Lebanon is once more to be depicted as the mythic terror centre of the Middle East along, I suppose with Gaza. And the West Bank. And Syria. And, of course, Iraq. And Iran. And Afghanistan. And who knows where nextCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1141782454920201482006-03-08T09:47:00.000+08:002006-03-08T09:47:34.976+08:00Yikes ! Major power outageYep well here I am in Kiwi-land been here less than 3 weeks of a 20 weeks stay, and with 5 videomachines set up at home in WA on the timer function<br /><br />I've just now had an email from my house-sitter that a rainstorm caused a 13 hour electricity blackout. Bloody lovely mate, yeah it sounds like all my video-setup efforts have been in vain and I'll be missing the most important items of all.......well if not *important* as such, most of the items that I really-really-really wanted gggrrr oh well, C'est la Vie !<br /><br />cheerio for nowCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138971916432878302006-02-03T21:05:00.000+08:002006-02-03T21:05:16.450+08:00ANGEL reviews eps 1.17 thru 1.22Angel ep 1.17 "Eternity"<br /><br />Trapped with no chance of escape, Wesley and Angel just have to<br />"tough-it-out" where they are. They live through the experience and join<br />up with Cordelia on the footpath outside.<br /><br />Ever watchful, Angel notices a car down the road acting suspicious-like.<br />As the car accelerates and attempts to run down a young woman, Angel runs<br />across the road and snatches her from the jaws of death. Her name's Rebecca<br />Lowell. The young but rapidly fading tv action series heroine star,<br />"Raven", immediately goes all googly-eyed over Angel. Cordy's going gaga<br />over meeting a real Hollywood celebrity.<br /><br />The next morning Rebecca stops by Angel's office. She wants him to find<br />out who's been stalking and threatening her. Angel refuses to take the<br />case though, and tells her to go through police channels.<br /><br />That evening Rebecca hosts a soire' at her place. Shortly after the last<br />of the guests have filtered away, Angel runs in through a closed window and<br />nabs a big bloke in a black balaclava mask. Tussle ensues and big bloke<br />legs it. As Rebecca helps Angel out from under a stack of toppled<br />furniture, she notices he has no reflection in the large wall-mirror.<br />Angel slips out of sight before the LAPD get there. After the cops are<br />gone, Angel shows his face again. He doesn't actually tell Rebecca much,<br />she's already guessed much of his story. She's not frightened of him at<br />all, just fascinated and intrigued.<br /><br />After hearing that Angel spent the night at Rebecca's, Cordelia goes over<br />there in the morning, and at first, stands outside on the sunny patio, not<br />knowing whether Angel or Angelus would be in.<br /><br />Deciding on the option, that does not involve going outside and bursting<br />into flames, Angel hangs 'round Rebecca's all day. That evening she<br />furnishes him with a suit and he accompanies her to a premiere. Sneaking<br />out of the showing early, via a back exit, they're shot at by some dude in<br />an alleyway. Angel slaps the guy 'round a bit. Rebecca though has<br />recognised this stalker. He's a stuntman.. Apparently he's been employed<br />by her publicity manager in a bid to boost her flagging career.<br /><br />The next day Rebecca calls Cordelia and invites her out to do lunch. 'Bec<br />spends all day pumping Cordy for information on Angel.<br /><br />That evening, Rebecca shows up at Angel's apartment with a bottle of wine.<br />Unbeknownst to Angel, she slips something in his drink.<br /><br />Meanwhile Cordelia's realised the implications of detailing to Rebecca the<br />exact specific details on how somebody becomes turned into a vampire.<br />Frantic she calls in Wesley.<br /><br />Under a mixture of wine and drugs, Angel's feeling pretty cruise-y.<br />'Becca's beggin' to be brought across. Angel refuses and roughs her up a<br />bit instead, to teach her a lesson. Then Angelus shows his face. Angelus<br />knocks her 'round a lot and terrorises her for awhile, before Rebecca<br />manages to make it upstairs and into the arms of Cordy and Wes.<br /><br />A fight ensues (of course !), but it's Cordelia's acting skills that<br />ultimately help save the day.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 19 June y2k<br /><br />Here 't is boss !<br /><br />Angel ep 1.18 "Five by Five"<br /><br />Bunch o' demons burning surplus bodyparts in an old drum, under a freeway<br />overpass.. They give chase to some unsuspecting human who happens by..<br />Said human's about to become demon-tucker when Angel and Wesley zoom to the<br />rescue.<br /><br />Faith's been "Ridin' the Dog". She gets off in LA with not much more than<br />a tee shirt/jeans and a small bag. Some sleazebag guy approaches her, just<br />outside the Greyhound bus depot (he's obviously pimping new arrivals and<br />runaway girls) Said guy starts giving Faith his usual spiel. She gives<br />him, well a bit of what Faith usually gives.. He takes a nap in an<br />alleyway while giving her his wallet (stuffed with cash) his warm jacket<br />and the keys to his apartment. (Oh ya gotta love 'er, eh ?)<br /><br />Flashback scene: Angelus' dame (=sire), has brought him a wee present.<br />It's a young peasant girl, all tied up and helpless like, awaiting his<br />advances. The dame watches on with glee as Angelus engages in a session of<br />cunnifangus.<br /><br />Back at Angel's office, he's trying to talk the guy into doing the right<br />thing (he's s'posed to be testifying in a courtcase involving our good ol'<br />buddies down there at Wolfram and Hart). Faith's dancing up a storm, er<br />well fighting up one, in a nightclub. Later the guys at W and H oh<br />dear,are right pissed about Angel's intervention and decide to hire Faith,<br />to do a bit of vampire slaying on their behalf.<br /><br />Flashback scene: Dame arrives home to find Angelus going cuckoo. She<br />twigs he's now got a soul and chucks him out onto the street. (So begins<br />his 100 years as a homeless beggar, feeding mainly on rats)..<br /><br />Faith scores a ride in a limo, to the offices of W and H. There she's<br />offerred the contract for a hit.. The dude she's to whack ? Angel of<br />course. She accepts the job with relish. Her first attempt fails when<br />Angel's able to catch the crossbow bolt in mid-flight. Later she stops by<br />Angel's office just to shoot him and stir the pot a bit.<br /><br />Angel suits up and sneaks into W+H's office building. He's just started to<br />rifle through some drawers in an office when he's discovered.<br />Unpleasantries are exchanged and Angel beats a hasty retreat before more<br />security arrives.<br /><br />Cordelia arrives home but they (her and Wes) have trouble entering because<br />phantom-Dennis keeps slamming the front door shut in her face. Eventually<br />getting inside, Cordy gets a spanking and Wesley gets knocked out cold, by<br />Faith, who'd been hiding within.<br /><br />Angel arrives and helps Cordy up off the floor, but Wesley's gone. Faith's<br />carried him off to "her" apartment where she's torturing the tripe out of<br />him.<br /><br />Cordy and Angel suss out where Faith might be. Angel smashes the door into<br />kindling and bursts into the apartment (un-invited ! How ? Uh-oh,<br />scriptwriters error maybe).<br /><br />After trashing the apartment, Angel takes the fight outside by running them<br />both through a large window, several stories up. In the street outside the<br />apartment, the fight sort of weirds out, like totally.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 11 June y2k<br /><br /><br />Angel ep 1.19 "Sanctuary"<br /><br />After the big fight with Angel, Faith's like a walking zombie. Angel takes<br />her back to his place and puts her in his bed.<br /><br />The next morning, upstairs in the office, Wesley and Cordelia are spittin'<br />chips that Faith's downstairs being pampered by Angel and plied with<br />pastries. Harsh words are exchanged and both Wes and Cordy bugger off.<br /><br />'Apartment being smashed up, has attracted the attention of the local<br />constabulary. (Detective) Kate (Lockley) cruises by to scope out the<br />scene.<br /><br />The guys 'n' dolls at Wolfram and Hart are right crinkly-mouthed that their<br />paid assassin is now rooming with the target. Wesley's enjoying a quiet<br />ale, down at 'is local, when he's approached by three toughguys from The<br />Watcher's Council's elite Special Unit.<br /><br />Faith's now well enough to walk. So she's well enough to do a runner (from<br />Angel's). He talks her into staying for a bit longer, and commences<br />counselling her.<br /><br />W + H Uh-Oh have hired the biggest baddest demon around to waste Faith.<br />Meanwhile The Watcher's Council approach is to get Wesley to slip Faith a<br />sedative, before they bust in and collect her.<br /><br />Demon fellow drops in. Fight ensues. Faith guts him with a kitchen knife<br />but then freaks out bigtime when she sees her hands covered in blood.<br />Angel's comforting her when Buffy walks in on them (apparently, from her<br />point of view, locked in a passionate embrace).<br /><br />Harsh words are exchanged. Buffy and AAngel smack each other 'round the<br />chops. Faith runs upstairs but is intercepted by Wesley who's just coming<br />in the front door, with his trusty syringe.<br /><br />The lawyers are thoroughly jacked off that their demon fell over dead so<br />bloomin' quickly, and without even killing anyone first. They decide on a<br />completely different plan of attack.<br /><br />Wesley though has been only pretending to go along with The Watcher's<br />Council plan. He and ngel go to check if the sewers are clear for an<br />escape. Faith meanwhile has legged it to the rooftop. Buffy chases after<br />her.<br /><br />Sleazebag lawyer stops by the copshop and drops Angel in it with Kate, re:<br />his harbouring of Faith.<br /><br />On the rooftop, Faith and B are having a bitchfest when they're interupted<br />by a Watcher's Council guy. "Now He Has A Machine Gun". The<br />fertiliser finds the fan when a helicoptor pops up and starts making a<br />nuisance of itself. Downstairs things ain't much better, as another<br />Watcher's Council dude has got Angel and Wesley bailed up. Angel makes it<br />to the rooftop and tackles the helicoptor (probably not a good move,<br />really). By then, Faith's done a runner anyway, and is nowhere to be seen.<br /><br /><br />The 'coptor lands right in front of 40 billion police cars and Kate drags<br />Angel off into custody. Kate's spewin', and she's all set to place Angel<br />in a cell with a nice bright sunny outlook. Then she notices, they all<br />notice, Faith sitting at a detective's desk. She's come in of her own<br />volition and offers to make a confession.<br /><br />Later, Angel and Buffy have a monster bitchfest. "L.A.'s my town. Get out<br />and stay out" sorta thing. Buffy then storms out.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 14 June y2k<br /><br />With this review, the only one you're short is Buffy 4.17 Superstar, which<br />will come in the next few days.<br /><br />My USA source has advised me that my, earlier delayed, video of Buff/Angel<br />4.21, 4.22, 1.21, 1.22 is currently winging it's way to me<br /><br />Angel ep 1.20 "War Zone"<br /><br />A trio of The Fanged Ones chase some streetsister, and have just got her<br />bailed up in a dead end alley when her blood bro's show up with sharpened<br />stakes at the ready.<br /><br />The Angel Team are at some Hollywood party being hosted by a billionaire<br />computer nerd. David's being blackmailed. He'd used the services of a<br />brothel, staffed by exotic demon beauties. He needs Angel to get the<br />photo's they've got of him getting it on big-time, with some non-human<br />females.<br /><br />Meanwhile the streetgang, backed-up by their customised-for-vampire-slaying<br />pick-up truck, have rescued their girl (Alana) but taken some casualties<br />and returned to their ghetto hide-out.<br /><br />Angel's followed a lead he's got from the brothel. He tracks down the guy<br />with the photo's and hassles him in a dark street. The bloke, reluctantly<br />agrees to return to the same spot in 24 hours with the photo's. What<br />neither of them see is they're being spied upon by the streetgang. Seeing<br />Angel all fangy and apparently ready to bite, they of course peg him as the<br />bad guy in the equation.<br /><br />The next night Angel meets the guy back at the same spot. But Mr Badguy<br />has brought with him a big strong demon dude as his muscle-bound back-up.<br />Angel has only just bested the demon (as the man ran off) when he takes a<br />harpoon-stake through the chest. Our friendly neighbourhood streetgang<br />have just turned up on the scene and Angel's taking heavy fire from them in<br />their "Technical".<br /><br />Angel gets chased into an old warehouse. It's been pre-rigged with all<br />sorts of booby-traps specifically designed to dust vamps. During the fight<br />Angel grabs streetsis Alana and is holding her hostage-like. Outnumbered<br />ten to one, Angel releases her unharmed, but a second later, a crossbow<br />bolt is accidentally fired off. The girl'd be dead if not for Angel<br />deliberately taking the bolt. Angel says some nice things. The gang<br />leader says some nasty things, but then lets Angel go, anyway.<br /><br />After getting Cordy to patch up his extra holes, Angel goes in search of<br />the nearby vampire nest. Wes is given the task of locating the<br />streetgang's hide-out.<br /><br />(In broad daylight) a co-ordinated attack by the vampires, on the<br />streetgang, sees them capture several of the young humans. The gang leader<br />gets to see a pair of vamps chow down on his own sister, Alana.<br /><br />Angel finds out where the streetgang are living and offers to help them in<br />their efforts to clear the vampire nest. But they don't want his help and<br />imprison him in an old meatlocker. Despite his best efforts he's stuck<br />there until Wes and Cordy find him and let him out.<br /><br />The gang leader's found his sister. However Alana's been turned. He dusts<br />her as they embrace. Angel's arrived by then, and the rest of the vampire<br />nest too. Angel makes with the menacing get-outta-Dodge speech to the<br />vampires. The crowd breaks up. The vamps to clear out of L.A. and the<br />streetgang to return to their ghetto hideout.<br /><br />Later Angel meets up with the gangleader for a talk. They agree to keep<br />each others details on file, sort of.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 19 June y2k<br /><br /><br />Angel ep 1.21 "Blind Date"<br /><br />Angel's 'round the back of a warehouse dusting the vamps. Afterwards,<br />rounding a corner to investigate a noise, he finds a dying man. Suddenly<br />Angel's set upon by a blind woman. She fair boxes his ears and then throws<br />him through a wall. By the time Angel's recovered his senses, she's long<br />gone.<br /><br />It turns out that the blind woman's well known to the legal system. The<br />next day, in court, Angel pulls a bit of a stunt, that proves that although<br />she's totally blind, she can actually see very well (somehow). Her legal<br />representatives (from Wolfram and Hart) ARE NOT happy little coconuts with<br />Angel's interference ('though they still succeed in getting her off on all<br />the outstanding charges anyway).<br /><br />Angel's left spitting the dummy that 'blind-assassin-lady' has once again<br />walked free from a court trial.<br /><br />Lindsey, (the sleazebag young male lawyer from Wolf-n-Heartless)visits<br />Angel's office. He says he wants 'out' of W+H. He's there to spill the<br />beans on Vanessa Brewer's (the blind assassin) next job. A hit on several<br />children. Before he leaves, Lindsey provides drawings of the Wolfram and<br />Hart office block complex's, basement vault area. (There, Angel will be<br />able to get computer discs with more specific info on the assassins next<br />assignment.)<br /><br />Angel's being all subterranean-like, meanwhile Lindsey distracts the<br />security chief for a moment and it's all synchronised with Angel's friendly<br />streetgang causing a right ruckus in the groundfloor entrance foyer.<br /><br />Angel slips into the high security vault un-detected and pockets a right<br />handful of computer discs. He's on the way out when his eye is drawn to a<br />collection of ancient artifacts. He picks up a scroll, and every alarm in<br />the place goes off. Angel just barely makes it out, and away, back down<br />through the sewers.<br /><br />Lindsey was all set to do a runner from the office building, when the whole<br />place gets locked down and a security sweep using mind-readers takes place.<br /> Lindsey's laying square eggs but he seems to pass their tests. However<br />the management know what he's been upto. He's given a severe talking-to by<br />his boss (but is otherwise un-harmed) and a few days off work to decide<br />which team he wants to be on.<br /><br />Cordelia's got information about Vanessa Brewer's next job from the<br />computer discs. The hit is to be on three, blind see-er children. Lindsey<br />has turned up back at Angel's office. He and Angel go to where the<br />children are staying, arriving there just moments after<br />psycho-assassin-chick does.<br /><br />Angel figures out how to remain invisible to her de-facto sight, and<br />eventually he bests her in a bitter battle, while Lindsey helps rescue the<br />children.<br /><br />Later back at Angel's office, Wesley's translated a part of the scroll that<br />Angel had also snatched from the vault. It contains prophecy regarding the<br />three see-er children, and an (un-named) vampire with a soul.<br /><br />Lindsey returns to the W+H offices, ostensibly to return the computer discs<br />Angel nicked earlier. His supervisor again gives him a severe talking to,<br />before offering him a huge promotion and a big step up the corporate<br />ladder.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 3 July y2k<br /><br />Angel ep 1.22 "To Shanshu in L.A."<br /><br />Wesley's still working on translating the scroll. Cordy's checkin' out the<br />morning paper and notices a write-up about Lindsey's big promotion. Angel<br />senses someone sneaking into his offices. He investigates, but it's just<br />David the billionaire computer nerd. Nothing's wrong, he's just dropped<br />'round for a bit to hang out with them. Meanwhile over at Wolfram and<br />Hart, the guys and ghouls have been busy summoning up some ancient<br />Underworld Warrior demonic dude.<br /><br />Cordelia has a vision and Angel goes off to check things out. Underworld<br />Warrior dude is most dis-pleased that the scroll is now in Angel's<br />possession. He and a couple of his yobbo mates go off to retrieve it.<br /><br />Angel's killed the Slime Demon and rescued the Damsel in Distress, just as<br />(Detective) Kate (Lockley) arrives on-scene. Angel barely gets a chance to<br />say nice things. Kate spits out mouthfuls of venom, before turning her<br />back on him and walking off.<br /><br />Wesley's study of the scroll so far, does not bode well for The Vampire<br />with a Soul. He goes off to scout the rare bookshops for texts to help in<br />the translation. Cordy kicks Angel out of the house and sends him down the<br />road for oranges, sorry that should be, to see The Oracles.<br /><br />Underworld Warrior guy has somehow managed to cross The Thresh-hold and<br />confronts The Oracles right in their temple. They are NOT happy to see him<br />and give him his marching orders.<br /><br />Cordelia's gone out to a street market seeking a gift for Angel. She buys<br />for him, a complete set of art supplies. Nasty Warrior guy walks past her<br />and brushes against her hand. Moments later she crumples to the ground in<br />a screaming heap, as she enters a state of being continuously experiencing<br />visions, non-stop.<br /><br />Angel locks the scroll in his weapons cupboard and rushes off to check on<br />Cordelia at the hospital. Once there though, there's nothing useful he can<br />do for her. Nasty warrior guy busts the cupboard and nicks the scroll.<br />Wesley gets back from the bookshop, he immediately notices that Angel's<br />weapons cupboard has been broken into, and investigates just as Angel's<br />parking up outside. Angel's office building suffers from a nasty attack<br />of "bomb exploding", Angel searches the wreckage and drags out Wes'<br />unconscious form. Kate swings by just to spit a bit more venom at Angel.<br /><br />Angel's right pissed. His two assistants now both lie comatose in hospital<br />beds. Seeking guidance, he goes to The Temple of The Oracles, but finds<br />their butchered bodies lying slain upon the floor.<br /><br />A convoy of vehicles, including a large truck, leaves W+H office tower<br />complex. Angel sneaks along on their tail. At a secret location the<br />Underworld Warrior's reading from the scroll when Angel bursts in and<br />interupts proceedings. Angel and the Warrior slug it out, while Lindsey<br />continues on with the reading.<br /><br />Some swirly magic sorta thing starts happening to the big wooden crate in<br />the middle of the floor, the five vampires chained around it becoming<br />dusted in the process. Heavines from W+H spirit the crate away as Angel<br />and the warrior continue their battle. After defeating the warrior, Angel<br />forces Lindsey to un-hand the scroll.<br /><br />A rapidly recovering Wesley, recites a resuscitation spell from the scroll<br />which cures Cordy, and returns her to consciousness.<br /><br />Sometime later, The Good Guys are having a pow-wow. Wesley's got a bit<br />more out of his translation of the scroll. There's some good news for<br />Angel prophesised, although not due until some far off future date. They<br />are very concerned though, still having absolutely no idea what denizen of<br />hell was raised by the W+H magic-show and spirited off in the large wooden<br />crate.<br /><br />The crate in question, is safely esconced within the high security<br />underground vault at the Wolfram and Hart office complex. They've gone to<br />a lot of work and a lot of aggravation to achieve this. To bring a dead<br />entity back from hell itself.<br /><br />Within the crate, Angel's sire slowly recovers strength.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 11 July y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138971819468832942006-02-03T21:03:00.000+08:002006-02-03T21:03:39.483+08:00BUFFY reviews eps 4.17 thru 4.22I provided your website url to my contact in USA from whence I source my<br />videos. I was interested in some other opinion on my reviews.<br /><br />He thought my reviews were ok, also he was very much impresseed by your<br />website<br /><br />Buffy ep 4.17 "Superstar"<br /><br />Buffy and the scoobys come across a whole nest of vampires engaged in a<br />feeding frenzy. Clearly for this job they need some specialist back-up.<br />They visit a huge luxury manor-house to speak to the big guy there.<br /><br />Johnathon Levinson (hey wasn't he the 3 feet tall woos who Buffy saved from<br />suiciding in the school belltower in ep 3.18 "Earshot" ?) helps plan the<br />attack on the crypt where the vampires are chowing down. Wonder Johnathon<br />(assisted by his Fluffy Battle Kittens) slays all the vamps, before he<br />poses for a brief photo opp, outside the crypt.<br /><br />Buff's in need of a pep-talk. Sitting at a small table in a cafe', she's<br />tending on Johnathon as he has a bowl of coffee. They're constantly<br />interrupted by young women wanting Johnathon's autograph.<br /><br />There's a new colonel in charge of The Initiative. Johnathon's on staff<br />too, as a "technical consultant".<br /><br />A young woman, (Karen) is doing the peeping-tom thing outside Johnathon's<br />manor-house. A monster jumps out and menaces her, but she manages to<br />escape its clutches and run away.<br /><br />Johnathon gives Riley some pointers on his sex-life, (before doing some<br />target shooting blindfolded and then going onto The Bronze to do a stint as<br />lead singer).<br /><br />Karen seeks out Johnathon's help. From her description, he says he<br />recognises its type as comparatively harmless.<br /><br />Adam's in his lair plunking away at his computer keyboard. His assistant<br />is a vampire, to whom all seems ok. However Adam says that some unstable<br />magic is present and that he can feel inside that the world is just plain<br />"wrong".<br /><br />Tara's attacked by the "harmless" monster. She survives by locking herself<br />in a storage cupboard, but is severely traumatised.<br /><br />Buffy's getting suspicious about Johnathon. She quizzes Anya on the<br />possibility of spells creating all pervasive alternative universes. Buff<br />tells the scooby's about her concerns.<br /><br />Johnathon arrives at the scooby meeting and reluctantly agrees to lead<br />Buffy on a patrol seeking the monster. In the cemetary they run across<br />Spike. He makes with creepy small-talk, but eventually gives them some<br />information when Buffy threatens to sic Johnathon on him.<br /><br />At Giles', the rest of the scoobygang are researching books. They discover<br />that Johnathon has performed an augmentation spell (the monster being a<br />negative side-effect).<br /><br />Checking out a cave, Buffy and Johnathon are attacked by the monster.<br />Johnathon risks his own life, helping Buffy to defeat the monster.<br /><br />With the death of the monster, the spell is broken and the world returns to<br />normal. People have only fading memories of the alternative universe,<br />Johnathon's spell had created.<br /><br />Buffy gives Johnathon a severe talking-to. (I think the nett result being<br />that they're both the better for it).<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 23 June y2k<br /><br /><br />Here is the first of two reviews, done in time for you to webpage them<br />before the eps air.<br /><br />For the time being I have skipped over eps 4.17 and 1.17, I'll catch up on<br />those later. Over the next week I'll also send the reviews for eps 4.19<br />and 4.20 and 1.19 and 1...20. I'll do the 17 eps reviews then.<br /><br />Note that compared to season one and two eps, Buffy has slowly become "more<br />adult" oriented including more sexually open. I have tried to keep my<br />reviews "decent" without losing the effect of the episodes. I trust that<br />given the context they're in, you won't feel it necessary to change<br />anything before uploading them. However you have my permission to<br />reasonably edit these reviews, if you feel you absolutely have to.<br /><br />Buffy ep 4.18 "Where the wild things are"<br /><br />After a heavy night's slaying, Buffy and Riley are left feeling downright<br />frisky Afterwards they head on back to Riley's room at his frat-house.<br />The relationship between Xander and Anya is turning icy. Demons and<br />vampires have been working together lately and the scooby gang reckon it's<br />probably Adam's influence.<br /><br />The frat-house is ice-cold, even though the heating plant's on and the<br />fireplace is roaring. Buffy and Riley are upstairs, flat-out, generating<br />some excess heat of their own.<br /><br />Spike way-lays Anya in a dark street, he tries to scare/mug her. She's not<br />intimidated (but they do end up out on a date together).<br /><br />Things are getting a bit weird at the frat-house.. Some kind of sexual<br />energy is impregnating the place. Anya turns up at the frat-house party<br />with Spike in tow. Xander takes part in a game of 'spin-the-bottle', which<br />rapidly spins out of control. While in the bathroom, Willow rescues a<br />drowning boy from the bath-tub, but he disappears in her arms as she grabs<br />hold of him..<br /><br />Willow/Tara/Xander seek out Buffy, but Rileys room door is suddenly<br />overgrown with ivy and roots. An 'earthquake' scares the partygoers<br />(including the scoobygang) outside. The scooby's seek out Giles' counsel..<br /><br />Willow's research turns up that the house was formerly used as an orphanage<br />for disadvantaged kids. They seek out the (now retired) house-mistress.<br />Apparently a harmless old lady, it transpires her hard-line religious zeal<br />and rein of sexual repression is at the root of the problems at the<br />frat-house.<br /><br />The scoobygang splits into two teams. Willow/Tara/Giles use witchcraft<br />while Xander and Anya go the brute force way. Eventually their combined<br />efforts prevail, much to Buff and Rile's consternation.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 12 June y2k<br /><br />I have done 2 reviews but'll only have time to type one in today<br /><br />Buffy ep 4.19 "New Moon Rising"<br /><br />The scoobygang (including Tara) have all met at Giles'. There's not much<br />to report though. As the meeting's breaking up Oz arrives He says "Hi !"<br />Makes arrangements to meet Willow later that night, and leaves.<br /><br />Later, while Buffy and Riley are out patrolling together, it comes up in<br />conversation that Oz is a werewolf Oz stops by Willow's dorm-room and they<br />go outside for an evening walk. The light of a full moon shines down upon<br />them. Now that he's got "The Wolf" under control, Oz wants to re-establish<br />his relationship with Willow. They return to Willow's room, "just to<br />talk". No, really. They just sit and talk right through the night until<br />morning comes. Just then Tara stops by. As shy as ever, she does a runner<br />when she sees Oz in the room.<br /><br />Buffy and Riley are just getting up (arguing with each other about what<br />constitutes "evil") when Forrester enters Riley's room with an urgent<br />message. During the night things went pear-shaped for one of the teams.<br />One of Riley's soldierboy buddies was killed and another was seriously<br />wounded. Riley rushes off to help nab whatever monster may've been<br />responsible.<br /><br />Buffy returns to her dorm-room. Willow tells her about the all night<br />talk-fest with non-wolfy-Oz. She hints that things with Oz might not work<br />out "because of Tara, it's complicated". The penny finally drops with<br />Buffy, as to why Willow and Tara have been hanging out together so much<br />lately. Buff's right freaked out at first, but after a few moments, she's<br />ok with it.<br /><br />Adam visits Spike in his crypt. A deal is struck between them Willow<br />visits Tara in her dorm-room. Comforting words become a hug that......<br /><br />Later in the corridor Oz smells out Willow. He calls out to her, but it's<br />actually Tara. During the conversation that ensues, he twigs as to why<br />Tara smells like Willow Losing his mental control he gives a warning to<br />Tara just as he starts to wolf out. Tara's rescued when a bunch of<br />Initiative-ates bag and tag wolfy and drag him away. The scooby's<br />rendezvous at Giles' to try to work out a plan to rescue Oz.<br /><br />Meanwhile Oz-wolf is in a cage at the Initiative's underground complex.<br />Riley's about to put a bullet in his head, when he human's-out just in<br />time. This isn't all good news though, as the sickos in lab-coats chain Oz<br />to an examination table and experiment with torturing him.<br /><br />Spike turns up at Giles', offering to lead the scoobys into the lab via a<br />secret back entrance. Meanwhile Riley's helping Oz to escape when they're<br />both caught. Riley's chucked in the brig by the new base commander.. A<br />real hardline 'career' soldier. While Giles and Anya sabotage the<br />electricity supply to the college campus area (including The Initiative),<br />Buffy takes the new base commander hostage. The scooby's, Spike, Riley and<br />Oz escape The Initiative's underground complex. Riley punching his boss'<br />lights out, just as he leaves.<br /><br />The group splits up. Riley and Buffy and a bunch of camping gear are<br />esconced in the burnt out remains of the old Sunnydale High school.<br /><br />Oz and Willow have a heart to heart talk, and a long hug, before he drives<br />off in his van (again !). Willow goes on to Tara's room. The electric's<br />still out, and Tara's sitting in the dark. Willow offers her candle.. Tara<br />though reckons the light it provides is surplus to their requirements and<br />gently blows it out.<br /><br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 13 June y2k<br /><br />Buffy ep 4.20 The Yoko Factor<br /><br />The soldierman Head Honcho at The Initiative is on videophone with<br />white-hairedold fogey type in Washington. They want their missing<br />"prototype" back, and Riley as well.<br /><br />Spike's at Adam's place. They're having a heart(less) to heart(less) talk.<br /> The plan they hatch is to seperate the slayer from her support. Or more<br />exactly, Spike's plan is that they'll seperate themselves from each other.<br /><br />Xander stops by the old Sunnydale High School and drops off some supplies<br />to Riley. While there he lets slip some info on Angel that Buffy had<br />"forgotten" to tell Riley, when they had their big honesty chat earlier.<br /><br />Spike turns up at Giles' again. He claims he wants to make a deal<br />regarding some of Professor Maggie Walsh's research info, that Spike claims<br />he can steal from The Initiative. But Giles' word isn't good enough for<br />him, the deal's got to be directly with The Slayer.<br /><br />Riley visits Buffy in her room. She's just got back from visiting Angel in<br />L.A. (Refer to ep A 1.19) After exchanging just a few words each way, he<br />leaves.<br /><br />Xander and Anya deliver some army style clothes to Spike. Spike sows the<br />seeds of discontent between them by dropping a mention of Xander's plans to<br />leave Anya and sign up for the army. It's all lies of course, but Anya<br />doesn't know that.<br /><br />On daytine patrol, Buffy runs across Forrester (the black soldierguy from<br />Rileys team). They're checking out a cave in the woods together when<br />they're surprised by Adam. Their electrical blaster guns are totally<br />in-effective against him. He dis-arms them both and kills Forrester.<br />Buffy barely escapes from the cave with her live, running away through the<br />woods, she slips and hits her head on a rock, knocking her out cold for<br />several hours.<br /><br />Spike turns up at Giles' and hands over some computer discs, supposedly<br />Prof Walsh's research data, he's stolen from The Initiative. While there,<br />Spike slips in a few carefully contrived comments. More seeds of<br />dis-content. This time between Willow/Tara and the rest of the scoobygang.<br /><br /><br />Riley's been monitoring Initiative radio-traffic, from his hidey-hole in<br />the ruins of Sunnydale High. He rushes off to help, when he hears a couple<br />of his old mates calling a "May-Day". In an alleyway Riley runs across<br />Angel and testosterone goes bigtime for a bit. They break off their fight<br />and run off (seperately) into the night, as a truckload of Initiative-ates<br />turn up.<br /><br />After regaining consciousness in the woods, Buffy's just got back to her<br />dorm-room, after her run-in with Adam. (And she's looking a wee bit<br />second-hand, too). Angel turns up, followed a few moments later by Riley.<br />Angel apologises to Buffy for the way he treated her in L.A. and leaves.<br /><br />The scoobygang's all at Giles'. Willow's laptop's having no luck reading<br />the encrypted computer discs Spike supplied. Giles meanwhile is as drunk<br />as a skunk. Tempers flare and harsh words are said all 'round. A huge<br />argument erupts and Buffy walks out.<br /><br />Spike's plan has worked a treat. The lies/seeds of discontent he's sown<br />have blossomed. The scoobygang's splintered and Buffy's on her own with no<br />support or back-up.<br /><br />Meanwhile Riley visits Adam in his secret hide-out (How ? Why ?)<br /><br />........."TO BE CONTINUED"<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 13 June y2k<br /><br />Golly aren't you just the cleverest little cookie. Doing it all the hard<br />old fashioned HTML way.<br /><br />Usually I prefer older more manual ways of doing things, eg I far far<br />prefer manual gearbox to automatic. I do love these auto breadmakers<br />though. I've had one since 1991. I'm on my third, I have worn out the two<br />before. When I make bread the old fashioned way it takes me half the day<br />and comes out fit for chookfood ! Thank goodness for some automatic<br />things.<br /><br />Buffy ep 4.21 "Primevil"<br /><br />Buffy checks out the old SHS, but Riley's no longer in his abode of post<br />apocalypse splendour. He's in Adam's batcave and Adam's giving him the<br />"We're both Maggie's children" peptalk.<br /><br />Spike drops by begging for his promised chipectomy, but is sent away by<br />Adam to put the finishing touches to his plan. He has to ensure that Buffy<br />actually gains entry into The Initiative.<br /><br />Will' and Tara call at Giles' to collect Willow's computer and the<br />encrypted discs. The girls are like perky little bunnies. Giles is not.<br /><br />Anya calls on Xander. He's lazing the day away in bed. He reckons he's<br />just a stupid and useless un-employed bum. Anya comforts him. "Yeah you<br />are, but I love you anyway".<br /><br />Buffy, while patrolling some caves alone, discovers Adam's computerised<br />batcave. But it's deserted. Adam's taken Riley and moved on to a hidden<br />lab. (Atttached to The Initiative's main base, but with access via its own<br />secret entrance). On her way out of the caves Buff runs across Spike. He<br />drops hints that she should chase up Willow re information on the<br />en-crypted computer discs.<br /><br />Meanwhile at Tara's, the computer discs are now de-crypted. The scoobys<br />(excluding Tara and Anya) arrange to meet on campus. A somewhat clumsy<br />reconciliation ensues. Willow passes on the info she's gained from the<br />computer discs.<br /><br />Back at Giles', the 4 core scoobys hatch a plan. After tooling upto the<br />max, they enter the frat-house by walking in the front-door, and The<br />Initiative by abseiling down the elevator shaft. At the bottom of the<br />elevator shaft, they're greeted by gun-toting soldierboys and invited to<br />become prisoners.<br /><br />Adam's tapped into The Initiative's security cameras and is not a happy<br />chappy to see The Slayer asssisted by her band of Slayerettes. Spike's in<br />danger of losing his head, but manages to escape from Adam and Forrester.<br /><br />Buffy warns the colonel that Adam's pulling a Trojan Horse job on The<br />Initiative. The colonel doesn't believe her. Then the main power goes<br />down, all the security cameras go off-line and the demon containment cells<br />all open their doors (courtesy of Adam over-riding the system using a<br />master control computer in the secret lab).<br /><br />Soldierboys run off to have a shoot-em-up-fest with the escaped demons,<br />leaving the scoobygang to worm their way through the ensuing carnage.<br />Buffy discovers a secret panel in the backwall of section 314, and enters<br />the hidden lab alone. The 3 scoobys remain in the main lab area of 314 and<br />prepare the magic spell.<br /><br />Buffy finds Riley paralysed in a chair. He's unable to help her because of<br />a mirochip wired into his chest. Forrester and Maggie have got Buffy on a<br />slab and are about to do some un-necessary surgery, but Riley does a<br />self-chipectomy and staggers to her rescue.<br /><br />Riley and Forrester go one on one, while next door Adam's bashin' the<br />bulldust outa Buff. She makes a good start by breaking off his left-hand<br />bone skewer, but moments later her eyes pop open as wide as saucers when<br />she's faced with his upgrade, a heavy calibre machine gun and RPG (rocket<br />propelled grenade) launcher.<br /><br />The magic spell that Giles/Xander/Willow have been working on kicks in just<br />in the nick of time. Adam is not happy that the tide seems to be turning<br />against him. Buffy gives him a wee bit of a spanking before activating an<br />improvised emergency-power-Adam-down-procedure.<br /><br />Demon's about to have 3 scoobys for dinner when they're saved by Spike's<br />timely arrival at the 314 outer lab. Buffy and Riley help out with<br />mopping-up operations, while the others head for the exits.<br /><br />Bigwigs at the Pentagon have a talkfest and reckon that the 314 project<br />wasn't really worth all the aggro involved and decide to call it a day.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 28 June y2k<br /><br />I have just got back from a few days in Perth.<br /><br />OK yeah I know it means you'll have to do extra work. But....<br /><br />After making several postings on ngs, and a personal email to a contact, I<br />have now substantially changed the final paragraph of the review for the<br />season finale ep of Buffy<br /><br />As this might well be consiidered a milestone ep, I would ask you, if it's<br />not t-o-o much trouble to replace the review submitted earlier with this<br />one.<br /><br />I also put in a bit extra about the writing on Tara's back. The segment in<br />brackets is the new bit<br /><br />This morning I also did the review for Angel 1.21 which will be sent as a<br />seperate email<br /><br />The original review is below this. My computer has put little arrows at<br />the start of the original lines. I dunno if this is going to be an extra<br />hassle for you<br /><br />Blessed be<br /><br /><br /><br />----------<br />> From: Catherine Jemma <br />> To: Endorwitch/Melpomene <br />> Subject: Review Buffy ep 4.22 Restless<br />> Date: Thursday, June 29, 2000 1:12<br />><br />> Well this has been the absolute most difficult review to date.<br />Difficult,<br />> time consuming and with the largest amount of handwritten notes.<br />><br />> Note that you can edit out the final paragraph if you think it is not<br />> appropriate.<br />><br />> I also welcome your opinions on this episode , when you have been able to<br />> watch a good copy of it<br />><br />> Buffy ep 4.22 "Restless"<br />><br />> The action's all over and now it's time to park one's butt and be putting<br />> the feet up. At # 1630 Revello, Joyce retires early leaving Giles,<br />Buffy,<br />> Willow and Xander to settle in for an all night video and popcorn session<br />> (to calm their shattered nerves).<br />><br />> After running on andrenalin alone for hours, they flake out within<br />minutes,<br />> and are all fast asleep.<br />><br />> WILLOW........is in a room, Tara is lying top-less on the bed (on her<br />> belly). Willow's painting archaic symbols all over Tara's back (it's<br />actually Sappho's love hymn to Aphrodite). Muttering<br />> and murmering to each other, Willow says something like "Are you going to<br />> tell me your real name?" to which Tara replies "You already know".<br />><br />> Willow leaves the room and in the corridor outside, has a few words with<br />> Xander and Oz. The schoolbell rings and Willow hurries away to the new<br />> drama class she's just enrolled in. Backstage however she gets confused<br />> and flustered as the final preparations are under way. The curtain's due<br />> to rise any moment on a full house. Harmony Kendall's there (human) in a<br />> mini-skirted milk-maid's costume. Buffy's there in 1920's party garb and<br />> with ultra short black hair (I didn't recognise her at first !). Riley's<br />> there in a cowboy outfit. Giles is there as director and during his<br />final<br />> peptalk Harmony vamps up and keeps making annoying pretend attempts to<br />bite<br />> him. Willow catches occasional glimpses of something dark scurrying<br />around<br />> in the background but always just beyond the limits of her vision.<br />><br />> Later as the play begins on stage, Willow's wandering around backstage<br />> amongst the folds of the heavy velvet drapes, when she again comes across<br />> Tara. They exchange a few words. Moments later Tara is gone and some<br />huge<br />> claws rip through the curtain right next to Willow. Buffy's there<br />(blonde<br />> haired and normal again now) and drags Willow through the drapes to<br />safety.<br />> They come out into a regular classroom which is deserted. As they reach<br />> the front of the room, it suddenly becomes filled with students. The<br />> 'gang's all there including Anya and Harmony too. Tara and Oz are<br />(almost)<br />> making out. Willows about to give a book report when something attacks<br />> her, throws her to the ground, and seems to cut her heart out using a<br />> primitive knive. The entire class watches on, totally non-plussed.<br />><br />> XANDER.....leaves off watching the video to go upstairs and pee. Joyce<br />> intercepts him on the landing and tries to steer him toward her bedroom.<br />> Xander makes his excuses and goes onto the bathroom. He's about to have<br />> his wizz, when he notices the room full of Initiatives sorts, observing<br />him<br />> and taking notes.On leaving the bathroom he finds himself firstly in his<br />> basement apartment and then moments later outside in a childrens<br />playground<br />> on a bright sunny day. Giles, Buffy and Spike are all there. Buffy's<br />> playing in the sandpit while Giles and Spike are on the swings.<br />><br />> Xander's driving the ice-cream van talking to Anya (who's sitting beside<br />> him). Their conversation is interrupted, he turns around to see Willow<br />and<br />> Tara in the back of the van (dressed and made up very nicely) making out<br />> They invite him to join it. Anya takes over the steering. When Xander<br />> gets to the back of the van though, it opens up into his apartment. He<br />> leaves his apartment via a lower door which opens out into a school<br />> corridor.<br />><br />> Xander catches a glimpse of something that seems to be after him, but<br />it's<br />> always just at the edge of his vision, and he never gets a clear view of<br />it<br />> He runs across Giles and Anya. They have important information for him<br />> which will help save his life. But suddenly whatever they say, he hears<br />> only as very rapidly spoken French. In Vietnam Xander runs across<br />> Principal Snyder. After a moment in Giles' place (and who is that<br />> bare-backed person with the exposed spine we get a glimpse of ??) Xander<br />> exits to be first in a school corridor then in Buffy's dorm-room. He's<br />> getting more and more glimpses of something chasing him and retreats into<br />> Willow's closet. It opens out into his basement apartment. The upstairs<br />> door bursts open and his dad's there His dad suddenly turns into some<br />kind<br />> of warrior and rips Xander's heart clean out of his chest.<br />><br />> GILES...... is escorting his wife (Olivia) and his daughter (a young<br />Buffy)<br />> through the sideshow alley of an amusement park. After stepping into<br />> Spike's crypt for awhile, he exits it and enters The Bronze Xander's<br />> sitting, heart-less, on a couch, next to Willow who's warning of dire<br />> consequences.. Anya's up on stage making a hit as a stand-up comedienne<br />> Giles gets up on stage and sings for a bit until the sound system goes<br />u/s<br />> Giles follows the wiring backstage looking for the fault. There he gets<br />> accosted by the warrior entity and scalped.<br />><br />> BUFFY.......is almost attacked by the warrior hanging above her dorm-room<br />> bed. Then she awakens in her own bedroom at home. A moment later she's<br />> standing by the foot of the bed, (like just after she and Faith made it<br />> earlier, refer ep 4.15). Tara's there. She offers Buffy a Tarot card<br />and<br />> mutters a few mysterious words Buffy leaves the room.<br />><br />> Buffy's in the school corridor when she comes across her mum, trapped,<br />but<br />> living happily in the wall. She comes across Riley and a (fully human)<br />> Adam. The two guys go off to fight escaped demons. Buffy offers them<br />> weapons but when she opens her hold-all it's full only with mud, which<br />she<br />> then proceeds to smear all over her face.<br />><br />> The room opens onto an open desert landscape.. Tara's there. (There<br />seems<br />> to be some theme happening here). Tara stands off a little to one side<br />and<br />> speaks for the warrior, who is slowly circling Buffy, just a metre or two<br />> away.. The warrior and Buffy fight it out across the desert sands. The<br />> fight becomes into Joyce's loungeroom, before fizzling out.<br />><br />> All four scoobys awake, un-injured. Sitting around the dining table with<br />> hot chocolate a-comin' they talk over their experiences. It seems that<br />the<br />> spirit of The First Slayer had come intending to kill them in their<br />dreams.<br />> Apparently a consequence of the spell done earlier to invoke The Power<br />of<br />> The Slayer.<br />><br />> As Buffy retires upstairs afterwards, Tara's words come back to<br />> her..........<br />> "You think you know what's to come.. What you are. You haven't even<br />> begun".<br />><br />> Review, extra notes.........<br />> This is the most dificult review I have yet done.. I have heard this<br />> episode referred to as "One of (if not 'THE') best crafted Buffy<br />episode to date" I don't doubt it. Many fans will find this ep hard to<br />understand and confusing. However there's a whole load of allusions to<br />literary classics hidden in there somewhere. Some more subtle than others.<br /> (Maybe props or people in the background and just barely visible). An<br />English Literature Professor (retired) listed the following literary<br />classics as relavent....Heart Of Darkness, The Lion The Witch And The<br />Wardrobe, The Elder Edda, Mabinogion, Tor Flores, Don Quixote, and<br />Dante's Inferno. Unfortunately for me. the only one I'm familiar with is<br />TLTWaTW. If anyone would like to chip in, their sixpence worth, on which<br />books relate to which scenes in this episode, then feel free. Come on over<br />to the newsgroup aus.tv.buffy And if you reckon you FULLY UNDERSTAND<br />this episode, then WE ALL want to hear from you. (Remember to head up your<br />posting "Spoiler Warning ep B 4.22 Restless") And hey, what's<br />> with the guy with the cheese ? Or is that just a red herring thrown in<br />for<br />> good measure !<br />><br />> Review by Catherine Jemma 29 June y2k<br />><br />>Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138971713391896542006-02-03T21:01:00.000+08:002006-02-03T21:01:53.403+08:00ANGEL reviews eps 1.09 thru 1.16Please verify you get this, because I haven't heard from you about the<br />others yet.<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.09 HERO<br /><br />Cordelia wants to film a tv advert, to boost their customer numbers (and<br />income) up from the current zero.<br /><br />Angel's in Super-Sad mode (yeah even more than the usual). Cordy and Doyle<br />can't understand why, I mean hey he only saw Buffy for 5 minutes eh.<br />Eventually Angel spills the beans to Doyle about the day that never was.<br /><br />Doyle has another one of his favourite headsplitting mindnumbing visions.<br />It concerns some frightened demons, hiding out in fear of their lives.<br />Angel and Doyle investigate and find a bunch of demons huddled in a cellar<br />like scaredy little rabbits.<br /><br />They are in fear of "The Scourge" a bunch of pure breed demons out to kill<br />all the half-breeds. Angel decides an evacuation is in order and sorts out<br />some surrepticious shipping for the human half-breeds. Doyle goes out to<br />round up a youngster who's strayed. He finds the young bloke but they get<br />caught out in the street by the "SS" style demon army, who are out havin' a<br />grand ol' time killin' all the half-breeds they come across.<br /><br />Angel turns up and fakes killing Doyle, this gives Angel an "in" into the<br />demon army. At the pre killing-spree pep-talk, Angel sees the trial of a<br />new weapon that kills humans and half-breeds alike.<br /><br />Doyle and the straggler make it to the pier where Cordy gives Doyle a right<br />big serve for keeping secret from her, his half demon parentage.<br /><br />Angel arrives seconds later with the SS demon-army guys hot on his tail.<br />The old freighter ship does it's best at a high-speed getaway, but it's no<br />Little Red Corvette. The badguys use a crane to lower the weapon into the<br />freight-hold where the half-breeds as well as Angel, Cordelia and Doyle are<br />trapped.<br /><br />Angel intends to pull the plug on the weapon gizmo, before it's completed<br />it's booting up sequence, but Doyle reckons he wants all the limelight for<br />himself, for a change. So he knocks Angel down with one punch and gives<br />Cordy the best kiss she's ever had, before he jumps onto the weapon gizmo,<br />which is gradually building up power, and starts pulling on the electrical<br />cables. He manages to disconnect the electricity before the weapon builds<br />up sufficient power to kill all those in the hold.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 10 April y2k<br /><br />Here's the next review, I'll try to do the next 2 before I go away for<br />Easter, but might not be able to, yes I know that in ES Buffy/Angel screens<br />one day earlier each than in WA<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.10 "Parting Gifts"<br /><br />After Doyle's demise, Cordelia's in sob city. A diminuitive demon runs<br />into Angel's office terrified. He's scared of some dude who's been chasing<br />after him. Cordelia's a wreck and fluffs bigtime her audition for a tv<br />advert. Upon her return to the office, Cordelia has a face sucking session<br />with both Angel and the demonguy.<br /><br />Angel goes to check out the demonguy's apartment, there he bumps into<br />Wesley. Big nasty demonguy jumps them from out of nowhere and a huge fight<br />ensues. But the demon gets away from Angel and Wesley by jumping out the<br />window. After a briefing back at the office, Angel heads off to Chinatown.<br /> Angel catches up with the big demon, but he's already at death's door.<br />He's been mutilated and had his Attack-horn cut off.<br /><br />Meanwhile the diminuitive demonguy, has proven himself to be not so<br />harmless and helpless after all. He attacks Cordy, beats her unconscious,<br />ties her up and kidnaps her (delivering her to an auction of slightly-used<br />body-parts).<br /><br />Angel and Wesley arrive back at the office, to find the place a wreck and<br />Cordy missing. Taken to a hotel/complex, she's trying to drag out the<br />auction process for as long as possible. Cordelia helps bid the price on<br />herself up, eventually she gets it up so high that only our friends at<br />Wolfram and Hart can afford to buy her.<br /><br />Angel and Weslay arrive at the hotel complex just after the auction has<br />ended. Cordy's about to have her eyes cut out, but after a monster fight,<br />the good guys (and gal) prevail.<br /><br />After a debriefing session back at the office, Wesley's about to hit the<br />road again, but ends up hangin' road for a spot of brekky.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 18 April y2k<br /><br />Hi I have also done the next review, but won't get 'round to typing it up<br />until tomorrow<br /><br />Anyway here's a review, one day late for WA or 2 days late for ES. Note<br />that some of the wording, in the second paragraph , is almost exactly<br />Buffy's wording, from the ORIGINAL (unaired in Australia) concept pilot<br />episode. Many fans who've seen it will pick up on that "in" joke<br /><br />Blessed be<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.11 "Somnambulist"<br /><br />Episode opens with a young woman running frantically down a dark alley.<br />The vampire giving chase catches her, carves a cross sign in her cheek and<br />then sucks her dry. The vampire is revealed to the camera, it's Angel.<br />Then Angel awakes. It seems it was all just a dream.<br /><br />Detective Kate Lockley's called to a murder scene. In a dark alley the<br />body of a young woman's been found. She has a cross sign carved in her<br />cheek. And ain't it the darndest thing. She's got two itty bitty holes in<br />her neck, and all her blood's been drained. Aren't you just going "ooh,<br />argh" ?<br /><br />Angel's at the copshop on other business, when he happens to see a file<br />containing details of three similar attacks. Wesley's research shows that<br />the modus operandi is the old favourite of old Angelus. That night Angel<br />gets chained to his bed by Cordelia and Wesley.<br /><br />The next morning there's good news, overnight another young woman's had her<br />throat ripped out. Angel's still chained to his bed, so he's apparently<br />not to blame. Angel tells Cordy and Wes that he reckons that the killer is<br />an offspring he sired some 200 odd years ago. This vampire bloke is a real<br />sick puppy. He's an absolute bloody homicidal nutcase (and that'd be the<br />best thing you could say about him).<br /><br />Angel swings by Kate's office and gives her a sketch of the bloke she<br />should be lookin' out for. The bad guy is tracked to a large abandoned<br />building. Kate puts a few slugs in his chest (that's 9 mm rounds I mean,<br />NOT yeerks). But hey, it don't even give him heartburn. Angel drops by<br />and goes vamp in full view of Kate. The two guys do their best to beat<br />the stuffing out of each other for awhile, before the bad guy does a<br />runner, leaving Kate and Ange' behind to exchange a few terse words with<br />each other.<br /><br />Bad dude fronts up at Angel Investigations office, pretending to be a new<br />client. He gets some info out of Cordy before she twigs. He's just about<br />to have lunch with Cordy, with Cordy for lunch, when Angel and Wes show up.<br /><br /><br />Angel goes to Kate's apartment, not much good comes of it though. (1)<br />Kate's in a bad mood. (2) She won't invite him in. (3) She says that the<br />next time they meet, she'll ram a wooden stake right through his heart.<br /><br />Later Kate's at the copshop briefing her officers on a plan to track down<br />the badguy, when said badguy (who'd already snuck in earlier) kicks the<br />kakka out o' the coppers and steals Kate away. Angel catches up with them<br />in a sewer underneath the police station. The vamps are busy going<br />mano-a-mano, when Kate stakes them both (the badguy getting the worst of<br />it).<br /><br />That night while overlooking the city from a rooftop balcony, Cordelia and<br />Angel have a deep and meaningful '. Cordy assures him he's got a good<br />friend in her, and she'll happily dust him anytime.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 27 April y2k<br /><br />I did another review this morning, however I'll prob only get 'round to<br />typing one in at this session.<br /><br />Oh by the way, in my last review I did especially refer to our resident<br />good vampire as " ANGE' ", I didn't forget the "L". Especially if read<br />aloud, I just preferred the flow of it that way, OK ?<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.12 "Expecting"<br /><br />Couple o' girlfriends stop by the office and pick up Cordy, they're off for<br />a night on the town. At an exclusive club, the girls are hanging 'round a<br />clique of apparently rich guys. The guy Cordelia's chatting to at the bar,<br />seems nice. He sees her safely home to her door, her bedroom door that is.<br /><br /><br />After a night of passion, Cordelia awakes very late the next morning, to<br />find her lover's side of the bed empty, but her belly full. Angel and<br />Wesley, concerned that Cordy's neither turned up for work, nor answering<br />her phone, go to her apartment to check on her. Doing a good impression of<br />a beached whale, she's flat out on her bed, 8 1/2 months pregnant.<br /><br />Wesley helps Cordelia to a doctor's for a check-up, while Angel tries to<br />trace the guy who shoots loads of demon-seed. The doc's scan goes ok,<br />although showing multiple offspring, but an amnio test weirds out when the<br />fluid does "an Alien" (blood trick). Cordelia meanwhile is coming over all<br />protective like for her rapidly ripening demon hatchlings.<br /><br />Angel's tracked down another one of the girls from the bar. She's also got<br />an 8 1/2 months Club membership , since yesterday. After finally tracking<br />down the clique of rich young playboys, Angel talks them into spilling the<br />beans on bad-demon-father-guy. Meanwhile Cordy's bashed the bulldust out<br />of Wesley, legged it from Angel's office, and rendezvoused at a warehouse<br />with umpteen other heavily pregnant maidens. The demon-father cuts a fine<br />figure, some two stories high that is. Angel and Wesley get the guy to<br />chill-out somewhat, which breaks the spell over Cordy. She then proceeds<br />to bash him to bits.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 28 April y2k<br /><br />Hi another review, actually done yesterday. If you happen to know of a<br />more accurate spelling for "Zhe-ra" , as I have just guessed, then feel<br />free to correct those<br /><br />Hey whenever you receive a review from me, I'd appreciate a brief email<br />back, so's I know it got through to you alright<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.13 "She"<br /><br />There's a fine party going on in Cordelia's apartment. Wesley's a reeal<br />party animal, though Angel's mood is even more sombre than usual.<br />Meanwhile, "back at the ever present warehouse" some guy opens up a sealed<br />wooden crate, that he shouldn't.<br /><br />The next day, while at work, Cordelia gets a vision. A worker in an Ice<br />Factory (well hey it looks like a warehouse) has just burst into flames and<br />burnt to death. Cordy remains at the office with a cold drink and an<br />aspirin, while Angel and Wesley go off to investigate.<br /><br />Angel finds a being at the Iceworks/warehouse. He's a bit short on words<br />but seems to indicate he's some kind of inter-dimenshional policeman on the<br />trail of some super-deadly something.<br /><br />Later Angel goes to the dead guy's office (he was in private security).<br />While there he's surprised by some female 'demon'. She boxes his ears a<br />bit and zooms away. Angel speeds after her, but he's having some trouble<br />working with 20th century technology. He manages though, to tail her into<br />an art gallery. In a backroom he witnesses her catching a girlfriend as<br />she drops in through an instant mini wormhole. Right then a bunch of<br />heavies burst in (led by the dude Angel saw earlier at the Iceworks). A<br />fight ensues and the new arrival is dragged away by the heavy mob, kicking<br />and screaming.<br /><br />Reckoning that the female-demon-leader-person (Zhe-ra) (sp?) is really a<br />bit of a good sort, he takes her back to his office. Wes and Cordy do a<br />midnight raid on a garden centre and overhear the heavy mob making plans.<br /><br />Later, together with Angel, they zoom over to Zhe-ra's villa, to help<br />protect the burning beauties. As the bad guys are bursting in through the<br />front door of the villa, Cordy and Wes are helping to usher the girls out<br />the back-door, into a waiting ice-filled truck. Said truck then rattles<br />off in a most un-impressive 'low speed getaway', however Angel runs<br />interference with the heavy mob, giviing the girls time to escape.<br /><br />A few days later, Zhe-ra shows up in Angel's office. They're obviously<br />never going to be friends, but a truce, or perhaps more accurately, a<br />stand-off, is negotiated.<br /><br />Reviw by Catherine Jemma 29 April y2k<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.14 "I've got you under my skin"<br /><br />At a quaint little house in the suburbs, a young couple are putting their<br />children (son and daughter) to bed. Tucking them in and padlocking their<br />bedroom doors shut that is.<br /><br />Angel and Cordelia are having a heart-to-heart about Doyle's demise, when<br />she gets another one of her favourite headaches. Wesley and Angel pull<br />obbo detail, and are parked outside the suburban house, when they notice a<br />wee boy sleepwalking out of the house and onto the road. After saving the<br />boy from being run-over, Angel cops an invite to dinner for the following<br />night.<br /><br />The next evening, he show's up at the house for dinner, bearing a plate of<br />Cordy's special recipe brownies. They contain a secret ingredient. A<br />demon-revealer. Dinner seems to be going off fine, until the young boy,<br />Ryan, goes off his face. The boy's whisked away to Angel HQ in preparation<br />for an exorcism.<br /><br />Wes and Ange' go off in search of a priest but are unable to scare up a<br />live one. They return empty handed, but determined to try doing the<br />exorcism themselves. Just as the guys are arriving back at Angel's<br />office/apartment, things are going to hell in a handbasket real fast. They<br />manage to stabilise the situation.<br /><br />Cordelia's sent out shopping for an "Ethros box" but must accept a<br />substitute. A little later Angel manages to exorcise the boy successfully,<br />but the containment system they had organised.......Well Cordy sums it up<br />best. "Uh-oh".<br /><br />The Ethros demon is tracked down in some caves, he's got a lot to say, and<br />Angel and Wesley don't like what they hear. Angel leaves the demon fella<br />feeling a bit cut-up about it all. He then races off with Wes to the<br />family's home. The young boy, Ryan, seems to have gone from bad to worse.<br />He torches the family home, although Angel arrives in time to help those<br />inside escape the flames.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 1 May y2k<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.15 "Prodigal"<br /><br />Detective Kate Lockley races to a hostage situation in a subway tunnel.<br />Angel's already there though, he's taken care of the demon with the<br />attitude problem.<br /><br />Back at Angel HQ, Wesley's identified the type of demon as a very peaceful,<br />non aggressive type, that (supposedly) couldn't fight it's way out of a wet<br />paper bag if it wanted to.<br /><br />Angel swings by the copshop, but Kate's not in the mood to help him<br />investigate the demon further. Meanwhile Wes and Cordy are on carcass<br />clean-up detail.<br /><br />Angel tails a suss looking delivery van driver. The guy stops by an<br />apartment and collects a package. The apartment belongs to retired police<br />officer Trevor Lockley (Kate's dad). A few none-to-friendly words are<br />exchanged before Mr Lockley slams the door shut in Angel's face.<br /><br />Kate and her dad do lunch, but really he's pumping her for info on Angel.<br />Wesley's autopsy on the demon has shown that it was as high as a kite on<br />some kind of steroid-drug concoction.<br /><br />Mr Lockley stops by an exotic car warehouse and tells the dudes inside that<br />Angel P.I.'s on their tail and they should take a holiday for a bit. He<br />leaves with a large envelope stuffed full of cash. After he's gone, the<br />bad tempered demon running the operation, appears from a backroom. He<br />orders Angel and Mr Lockley to be killed.<br /><br />Cordy and Wes are still trying to work out how to use the flash new<br />security system they've had installed. Kate enters, she's got some info<br />for Ange'.<br /><br />After Kate's gone, Angel heads out for a reccy on the exotic car warehouse.<br /> He's no sooner out the door than a pair of demons burst in and start<br />making a nuisance of themselves. Cordy and Wes aren't doin' to good, until<br />Angel pops back in moments later and starts kickin' some demon butt. Angel<br />beats some information out of one of the demons. He phones a warning<br />through to Kate, but can only leave a message on her service.<br /><br />He speeds off to Mr Lockley's apartment, who by now has been tricked into<br />inviting in, two of the dudes from the exotic car place. Angel arrives at<br />the apartment just after the two dudes have gone inside, but un-invited<br />he's forced too stand on the thresh-hold and watch helplessly as they vamp<br />up and drain the blood from Kate's dad.<br /><br />As soon as My Lockley's dead, Angel enters the apartment and dusts one of<br />the vamps, the other escapes, running past Kate who's just arriving. She<br />turns into a blubbering mess (not surprisingly really, her dad lying dead<br />on the floor with his throat ripped out and all).<br /><br />Angel returns to base and tools up for a real bad attitude session. Kate<br />shows up at the exotic car warehouse. She squeezes off a few rounds from<br />her service weapon and stakes one vamp. But she's in danger of getting out<br />of her depth what with the big ugly demon leader bloke as well.<br /><br />Angel turns up, and together they off all the badguys.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 9 May y2k<br />ANGEL ep 1.16 "The Ring"<br /><br />Cordelia and Wesley are slugging it out, verbally at least, in Angel's<br />office. Middle aged bloke staggers in saying his brother was kidnapped the<br />day before.<br /><br />Angel chases up a bookie who the missing guy owed money to. He follows<br />several leads that eventually leads to the basement of a nightclub. A<br />subterranean pit contains two demons in a prize fight to the death. The<br />senseless brutality and killing displayed sickens even Angel.<br /><br />While sneaking around backstage, Angel's accosted by the middle-aged bloke<br />(who'd pretended to be a client). Yep. It's a set-up, and Angels shocked<br />into unconsciousness with electrical cattleprods. He awakes in a barred<br />cell, with a bracelet on his wrist. The cell's unlocked and he's allowed<br />the limited freedom of a larger area, but told not to cross a red painted<br />line, or else a type of force field will disintegrate him.<br /><br />Angel's missing, it's morning, and Cordy and Wes are frantic. Wesley<br />(who's enthusiasm so often exceeds his abilities) goes out on Angel's<br />trail. The bookie eventually, reluctantly, gives Wesley a hand with his<br />enquiries.<br /><br />In the caged area, a ragtag bunch of assorted demons (including Angel) are<br />warming up for that night's fights. They're told if they survive to make<br />21 kills, the bracelets will be removed and they'll be released. Angel<br />however says he won't kill anyone.<br /><br />The crowd watching from above the fight ring pit, are howling "boo's" as<br />Angel ducks and dives from his demon opponent but doesn't actually strike<br />back much. Just to make things a wee bit more interesting and push things<br />along a bit, a large knife is thrown down to the demon.<br /><br />Outside Cordelia does a snow job on a couple arriving at the nightclub's<br />streetside entrance, she and Wesley then gain entry using the purloined<br />passes. They arrive ringside just in time to see Angel (reluctantly) kill<br />his opponent. Cordy and Wes slip away, Cordy having managed to pocket a<br />spare enchanted bracelet that she found left lying around.<br /><br />After an abortive escape attempt, Angel is again electrically zapped into<br />unconsciousness. When he comes to, he's in the office of a spunky young<br />lawyer from Wolfram and Hart. They have bought him off of the prize fight<br />organisers. She offers him a deal, but her turns her down and is taken<br />back to the cells in the basement arena.<br /><br />Experimenting with the stolen one, Wesley eventually figures out how to<br />unlock the bracelet. That evening he and Cordy attend at the fight ring<br />again. Angel's in a fight to the death with a really motivated demon, he's<br />already done 20 kills. They beat the stuffing out of each other but are<br />both still alive. The fight organisers are getting right jacked off.<br />About then the entire cageload of demons escapes (having used the key<br />furnished by Wesley). They go ballistic and beat the crappola out of the<br />cattleprod armed guards and the fight organisers. The demons then make<br />good their escape. Angel's a right mess but is helped to stagger off by<br />Cordy and Wes.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 15 May y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138971652040833392006-02-03T21:00:00.000+08:002006-02-03T21:00:52.053+08:00ANGEL reviews eps 1.09 thru 1.16Please verify you get this, because I haven't heard from you about the<br />others yet.<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.09 HERO<br /><br />Cordelia wants to film a tv advert, to boost their customer numbers (and<br />income) up from the current zero.<br /><br />Angel's in Super-Sad mode (yeah even more than the usual). Cordy and Doyle<br />can't understand why, I mean hey he only saw Buffy for 5 minutes eh.<br />Eventually Angel spills the beans to Doyle about the day that never was.<br /><br />Doyle has another one of his favourite headsplitting mindnumbing visions.<br />It concerns some frightened demons, hiding out in fear of their lives.<br />Angel and Doyle investigate and find a bunch of demons huddled in a cellar<br />like scaredy little rabbits.<br /><br />They are in fear of "The Scourge" a bunch of pure breed demons out to kill<br />all the half-breeds. Angel decides an evacuation is in order and sorts out<br />some surrepticious shipping for the human half-breeds. Doyle goes out to<br />round up a youngster who's strayed. He finds the young bloke but they get<br />caught out in the street by the "SS" style demon army, who are out havin' a<br />grand ol' time killin' all the half-breeds they come across.<br /><br />Angel turns up and fakes killing Doyle, this gives Angel an "in" into the<br />demon army. At the pre killing-spree pep-talk, Angel sees the trial of a<br />new weapon that kills humans and half-breeds alike.<br /><br />Doyle and the straggler make it to the pier where Cordy gives Doyle a right<br />big serve for keeping secret from her, his half demon parentage.<br /><br />Angel arrives seconds later with the SS demon-army guys hot on his tail.<br />The old freighter ship does it's best at a high-speed getaway, but it's no<br />Little Red Corvette. The badguys use a crane to lower the weapon into the<br />freight-hold where the half-breeds as well as Angel, Cordelia and Doyle are<br />trapped.<br /><br />Angel intends to pull the plug on the weapon gizmo, before it's completed<br />it's booting up sequence, but Doyle reckons he wants all the limelight for<br />himself, for a change. So he knocks Angel down with one punch and gives<br />Cordy the best kiss she's ever had, before he jumps onto the weapon gizmo,<br />which is gradually building up power, and starts pulling on the electrical<br />cables. He manages to disconnect the electricity before the weapon builds<br />up sufficient power to kill all those in the hold.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 10 April y2k<br /><br />Here's the next review, I'll try to do the next 2 before I go away for<br />Easter, but might not be able to, yes I know that in ES Buffy/Angel screens<br />one day earlier each than in WA<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.10 "Parting Gifts"<br /><br />After Doyle's demise, Cordelia's in sob city. A diminuitive demon runs<br />into Angel's office terrified. He's scared of some dude who's been chasing<br />after him. Cordelia's a wreck and fluffs bigtime her audition for a tv<br />advert. Upon her return to the office, Cordelia has a face sucking session<br />with both Angel and the demonguy.<br /><br />Angel goes to check out the demonguy's apartment, there he bumps into<br />Wesley. Big nasty demonguy jumps them from out of nowhere and a huge fight<br />ensues. But the demon gets away from Angel and Wesley by jumping out the<br />window. After a briefing back at the office, Angel heads off to Chinatown.<br /> Angel catches up with the big demon, but he's already at death's door.<br />He's been mutilated and had his Attack-horn cut off.<br /><br />Meanwhile the diminuitive demonguy, has proven himself to be not so<br />harmless and helpless after all. He attacks Cordy, beats her unconscious,<br />ties her up and kidnaps her (delivering her to an auction of slightly-used<br />body-parts).<br /><br />Angel and Wesley arrive back at the office, to find the place a wreck and<br />Cordy missing. Taken to a hotel/complex, she's trying to drag out the<br />auction process for as long as possible. Cordelia helps bid the price on<br />herself up, eventually she gets it up so high that only our friends at<br />Wolfram and Hart can afford to buy her.<br /><br />Angel and Weslay arrive at the hotel complex just after the auction has<br />ended. Cordy's about to have her eyes cut out, but after a monster fight,<br />the good guys (and gal) prevail.<br /><br />After a debriefing session back at the office, Wesley's about to hit the<br />road again, but ends up hangin' road for a spot of brekky.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 18 April y2k<br /><br />Hi I have also done the next review, but won't get 'round to typing it up<br />until tomorrow<br /><br />Anyway here's a review, one day late for WA or 2 days late for ES. Note<br />that some of the wording, in the second paragraph , is almost exactly<br />Buffy's wording, from the ORIGINAL (unaired in Australia) concept pilot<br />episode. Many fans who've seen it will pick up on that "in" joke<br /><br />Blessed be<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.11 "Somnambulist"<br /><br />Episode opens with a young woman running frantically down a dark alley.<br />The vampire giving chase catches her, carves a cross sign in her cheek and<br />then sucks her dry. The vampire is revealed to the camera, it's Angel.<br />Then Angel awakes. It seems it was all just a dream.<br /><br />Detective Kate Lockley's called to a murder scene. In a dark alley the<br />body of a young woman's been found. She has a cross sign carved in her<br />cheek. And ain't it the darndest thing. She's got two itty bitty holes in<br />her neck, and all her blood's been drained. Aren't you just going "ooh,<br />argh" ?<br /><br />Angel's at the copshop on other business, when he happens to see a file<br />containing details of three similar attacks. Wesley's research shows that<br />the modus operandi is the old favourite of old Angelus. That night Angel<br />gets chained to his bed by Cordelia and Wesley.<br /><br />The next morning there's good news, overnight another young woman's had her<br />throat ripped out. Angel's still chained to his bed, so he's apparently<br />not to blame. Angel tells Cordy and Wes that he reckons that the killer is<br />an offspring he sired some 200 odd years ago. This vampire bloke is a real<br />sick puppy. He's an absolute bloody homicidal nutcase (and that'd be the<br />best thing you could say about him).<br /><br />Angel swings by Kate's office and gives her a sketch of the bloke she<br />should be lookin' out for. The bad guy is tracked to a large abandoned<br />building. Kate puts a few slugs in his chest (that's 9 mm rounds I mean,<br />NOT yeerks). But hey, it don't even give him heartburn. Angel drops by<br />and goes vamp in full view of Kate. The two guys do their best to beat<br />the stuffing out of each other for awhile, before the bad guy does a<br />runner, leaving Kate and Ange' behind to exchange a few terse words with<br />each other.<br /><br />Bad dude fronts up at Angel Investigations office, pretending to be a new<br />client. He gets some info out of Cordy before she twigs. He's just about<br />to have lunch with Cordy, with Cordy for lunch, when Angel and Wes show up.<br /><br /><br />Angel goes to Kate's apartment, not much good comes of it though. (1)<br />Kate's in a bad mood. (2) She won't invite him in. (3) She says that the<br />next time they meet, she'll ram a wooden stake right through his heart.<br /><br />Later Kate's at the copshop briefing her officers on a plan to track down<br />the badguy, when said badguy (who'd already snuck in earlier) kicks the<br />kakka out o' the coppers and steals Kate away. Angel catches up with them<br />in a sewer underneath the police station. The vamps are busy going<br />mano-a-mano, when Kate stakes them both (the badguy getting the worst of<br />it).<br /><br />That night while overlooking the city from a rooftop balcony, Cordelia and<br />Angel have a deep and meaningful '. Cordy assures him he's got a good<br />friend in her, and she'll happily dust him anytime.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 27 April y2k<br /><br />I did another review this morning, however I'll prob only get 'round to<br />typing one in at this session.<br /><br />Oh by the way, in my last review I did especially refer to our resident<br />good vampire as <<Ange'>>, I didn't forget the "L". Especially if read<br />aloud, I just preferred the flow of it that way, OK ?<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.12 "Expecting"<br /><br />Couple o' girlfriends stop by the office and pick up Cordy, they're off for<br />a night on the town. At an exclusive club, the girls are hanging 'round a<br />clique of apparently rich guys. The guy Cordelia's chatting to at the bar,<br />seems nice. He sees her safely home to her door, her bedroom door that is.<br /><br /><br />After a night of passion, Cordelia awakes very late the next morning, to<br />find her lover's side of the bed empty, but her belly full. Angel and<br />Wesley, concerned that Cordy's neither turned up for work, nor answering<br />her phone, go to her apartment to check on her. Doing a good impression of<br />a beached whale, she's flat out on her bed, 8 1/2 months pregnant.<br /><br />Wesley helps Cordelia to a doctor's for a check-up, while Angel tries to<br />trace the guy who shoots loads of demon-seed. The doc's scan goes ok,<br />although showing multiple offspring, but an amnio test weirds out when the<br />fluid does "an Alien" (blood trick). Cordelia meanwhile is coming over all<br />protective like for her rapidly ripening demon hatchlings.<br /><br />Angel's tracked down another one of the girls from the bar. She's also got<br />an 8 1/2 months Club membership , since yesterday. After finally tracking<br />down the clique of rich young playboys, Angel talks them into spilling the<br />beans on bad-demon-father-guy. Meanwhile Cordy's bashed the bulldust out<br />of Wesley, legged it from Angel's office, and rendezvoused at a warehouse<br />with umpteen other heavily pregnant maidens. The demon-father cuts a fine<br />figure, some two stories high that is. Angel and Wesley get the guy to<br />chill-out somewhat, which breaks the spell over Cordy. She then proceeds<br />to bash him to bits.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 28 April y2k<br /><br />Hi another review, actually done yesterday. If you happen to know of a<br />more accurate spelling for "Zhe-ra" , as I have just guessed, then feel<br />free to correct those<br /><br />Hey whenever you receive a review from me, I'd appreciate a brief email<br />back, so's I know it got through to you alright<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.13 "She"<br /><br />There's a fine party going on in Cordelia's apartment. Wesley's a reeal<br />party animal, though Angel's mood is even more sombre than usual.<br />Meanwhile, "back at the ever present warehouse" some guy opens up a sealed<br />wooden crate, that he shouldn't.<br /><br />The next day, while at work, Cordelia gets a vision. A worker in an Ice<br />Factory (well hey it looks like a warehouse) has just burst into flames and<br />burnt to death. Cordy remains at the office with a cold drink and an<br />aspirin, while Angel and Wesley go off to investigate.<br /><br />Angel finds a being at the Iceworks/warehouse. He's a bit short on words<br />but seems to indicate he's some kind of inter-dimenshional policeman on the<br />trail of some super-deadly something.<br /><br />Later Angel goes to the dead guy's office (he was in private security).<br />While there he's surprised by some female 'demon'. She boxes his ears a<br />bit and zooms away. Angel speeds after her, but he's having some trouble<br />working with 20th century technology. He manages though, to tail her into<br />an art gallery. In a backroom he witnesses her catching a girlfriend as<br />she drops in through an instant mini wormhole. Right then a bunch of<br />heavies burst in (led by the dude Angel saw earlier at the Iceworks). A<br />fight ensues and the new arrival is dragged away by the heavy mob, kicking<br />and screaming.<br /><br />Reckoning that the female-demon-leader-person (Zhe-ra) (sp?) is really a<br />bit of a good sort, he takes her back to his office. Wes and Cordy do a<br />midnight raid on a garden centre and overhear the heavy mob making plans.<br /><br />Later, together with Angel, they zoom over to Zhe-ra's villa, to help<br />protect the burning beauties. As the bad guys are bursting in through the<br />front door of the villa, Cordy and Wes are helping to usher the girls out<br />the back-door, into a waiting ice-filled truck. Said truck then rattles<br />off in a most un-impressive 'low speed getaway', however Angel runs<br />interference with the heavy mob, giviing the girls time to escape.<br /><br />A few days later, Zhe-ra shows up in Angel's office. They're obviously<br />never going to be friends, but a truce, or perhaps more accurately, a<br />stand-off, is negotiated.<br /><br />Reviw by Catherine Jemma 29 April y2k<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.14 "I've got you under my skin"<br /><br />At a quaint little house in the suburbs, a young couple are putting their<br />children (son and daughter) to bed. Tucking them in and padlocking their<br />bedroom doors shut that is.<br /><br />Angel and Cordelia are having a heart-to-heart about Doyle's demise, when<br />she gets another one of her favourite headaches. Wesley and Angel pull<br />obbo detail, and are parked outside the suburban house, when they notice a<br />wee boy sleepwalking out of the house and onto the road. After saving the<br />boy from being run-over, Angel cops an invite to dinner for the following<br />night.<br /><br />The next evening, he show's up at the house for dinner, bearing a plate of<br />Cordy's special recipe brownies. They contain a secret ingredient. A<br />demon-revealer. Dinner seems to be going off fine, until the young boy,<br />Ryan, goes off his face. The boy's whisked away to Angel HQ in preparation<br />for an exorcism.<br /><br />Wes and Ange' go off in search of a priest but are unable to scare up a<br />live one. They return empty handed, but determined to try doing the<br />exorcism themselves. Just as the guys are arriving back at Angel's<br />office/apartment, things are going to hell in a handbasket real fast. They<br />manage to stabilise the situation.<br /><br />Cordelia's sent out shopping for an "Ethros box" but must accept a<br />substitute. A little later Angel manages to exorcise the boy successfully,<br />but the containment system they had organised.......Well Cordy sums it up<br />best. "Uh-oh".<br /><br />The Ethros demon is tracked down in some caves, he's got a lot to say, and<br />Angel and Wesley don't like what they hear. Angel leaves the demon fella<br />feeling a bit cut-up about it all. He then races off with Wes to the<br />family's home. The young boy, Ryan, seems to have gone from bad to worse.<br />He torches the family home, although Angel arrives in time to help those<br />inside escape the flames.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 1 May y2k<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.15 "Prodigal"<br /><br />Detective Kate Lockley races to a hostage situation in a subway tunnel.<br />Angel's already there though, he's taken care of the demon with the<br />attitude problem.<br /><br />Back at Angel HQ, Wesley's identified the type of demon as a very peaceful,<br />non aggressive type, that (supposedly) couldn't fight it's way out of a wet<br />paper bag if it wanted to.<br /><br />Angel swings by the copshop, but Kate's not in the mood to help him<br />investigate the demon further. Meanwhile Wes and Cordy are on carcass<br />clean-up detail.<br /><br />Angel tails a suss looking delivery van driver. The guy stops by an<br />apartment and collects a package. The apartment belongs to retired police<br />officer Trevor Lockley (Kate's dad). A few none-to-friendly words are<br />exchanged before Mr Lockley slams the door shut in Angel's face.<br /><br />Kate and her dad do lunch, but really he's pumping her for info on Angel.<br />Wesley's autopsy on the demon has shown that it was as high as a kite on<br />some kind of steroid-drug concoction.<br /><br />Mr Lockley stops by an exotic car warehouse and tells the dudes inside that<br />Angel P.I.'s on their tail and they should take a holiday for a bit. He<br />leaves with a large envelope stuffed full of cash. After he's gone, the<br />bad tempered demon running the operation, appears from a backroom. He<br />orders Angel and Mr Lockley to be killed.<br /><br />Cordy and Wes are still trying to work out how to use the flash new<br />security system they've had installed. Kate enters, she's got some info<br />for Ange'.<br /><br />After Kate's gone, Angel heads out for a reccy on the exotic car warehouse.<br /> He's no sooner out the door than a pair of demons burst in and start<br />making a nuisance of themselves. Cordy and Wes aren't doin' to good, until<br />Angel pops back in moments later and starts kickin' some demon butt. Angel<br />beats some information out of one of the demons. He phones a warning<br />through to Kate, but can only leave a message on her service.<br /><br />He speeds off to Mr Lockley's apartment, who by now has been tricked into<br />inviting in, two of the dudes from the exotic car place. Angel arrives at<br />the apartment just after the two dudes have gone inside, but un-invited<br />he's forced too stand on the thresh-hold and watch helplessly as they vamp<br />up and drain the blood from Kate's dad.<br /><br />As soon as My Lockley's dead, Angel enters the apartment and dusts one of<br />the vamps, the other escapes, running past Kate who's just arriving. She<br />turns into a blubbering mess (not surprisingly really, her dad lying dead<br />on the floor with his throat ripped out and all).<br /><br />Angel returns to base and tools up for a real bad attitude session. Kate<br />shows up at the exotic car warehouse. She squeezes off a few rounds from<br />her service weapon and stakes one vamp. But she's in danger of getting out<br />of her depth what with the big ugly demon leader bloke as well.<br /><br />Angel turns up, and together they off all the badguys.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 9 May y2k<br />ANGEL ep 1.16 "The Ring"<br /><br />Cordelia and Wesley are slugging it out, verbally at least, in Angel's<br />office. Middle aged bloke staggers in saying his brother was kidnapped the<br />day before.<br /><br />Angel chases up a bookie who the missing guy owed money to. He follows<br />several leads that eventually leads to the basement of a nightclub. A<br />subterranean pit contains two demons in a prize fight to the death. The<br />senseless brutality and killing displayed sickens even Angel.<br /><br />While sneaking around backstage, Angel's accosted by the middle-aged bloke<br />(who'd pretended to be a client). Yep. It's a set-up, and Angels shocked<br />into unconsciousness with electrical cattleprods. He awakes in a barred<br />cell, with a bracelet on his wrist. The cell's unlocked and he's allowed<br />the limited freedom of a larger area, but told not to cross a red painted<br />line, or else a type of force field will disintegrate him.<br /><br />Angel's missing, it's morning, and Cordy and Wes are frantic. Wesley<br />(who's enthusiasm so often exceeds his abilities) goes out on Angel's<br />trail. The bookie eventually, reluctantly, gives Wesley a hand with his<br />enquiries.<br /><br />In the caged area, a ragtag bunch of assorted demons (including Angel) are<br />warming up for that night's fights. They're told if they survive to make<br />21 kills, the bracelets will be removed and they'll be released. Angel<br />however says he won't kill anyone.<br /><br />The crowd watching from above the fight ring pit, are howling "boo's" as<br />Angel ducks and dives from his demon opponent but doesn't actually strike<br />back much. Just to make things a wee bit more interesting and push things<br />along a bit, a large knife is thrown down to the demon.<br /><br />Outside Cordelia does a snow job on a couple arriving at the nightclub's<br />streetside entrance, she and Wesley then gain entry using the purloined<br />passes. They arrive ringside just in time to see Angel (reluctantly) kill<br />his opponent. Cordy and Wes slip away, Cordy having managed to pocket a<br />spare enchanted bracelet that she found left lying around.<br /><br />After an abortive escape attempt, Angel is again electrically zapped into<br />unconsciousness. When he comes to, he's in the office of a spunky young<br />lawyer from Wolfram and Hart. They have bought him off of the prize fight<br />organisers. She offers him a deal, but her turns her down and is taken<br />back to the cells in the basement arena.<br /><br />Experimenting with the stolen one, Wesley eventually figures out how to<br />unlock the bracelet. That evening he and Cordy attend at the fight ring<br />again. Angel's in a fight to the death with a really motivated demon, he's<br />already done 20 kills. They beat the stuffing out of each other but are<br />both still alive. The fight organisers are getting right jacked off.<br />About then the entire cageload of demons escapes (having used the key<br />furnished by Wesley). They go ballistic and beat the crappola out of the<br />cattleprod armed guards and the fight organisers. The demons then make<br />good their escape. Angel's a right mess but is helped to stagger off by<br />Cordy and Wes.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 15 May y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138971540995301442006-02-03T20:59:00.000+08:002006-02-03T20:59:01.073+08:00BUFFY reviews 4.09 thru 4.16BUFFY ep 4.09 Something Blue<br /><br />As the episode opens, Willow's sniffing Oz's clothes, and Riley admits to<br />being a Lesbian in the same breath as inviting Buffy to share a meal of<br />ants with him.<br /><br />Spike's still chained in Giles' bathroom. Spike and Buff are going at it<br />hammer-and-tongs, well verbally at least. Spike has picked up on Willow's<br />extreme emotional torment, even though Buffy hasn't. On a later prowl-by,<br />Willow finds Oz's room totally cleaned out.<br /><br />Extreme withdrawal symptoms are being suffered by Spike. Oh yeah they've<br />been feeding him some pig's blood alright, but what he really needs is<br />television. Willow's a mental basketcase, in desperation she tries a spell<br />that she hopes will help heal her broken heart. However the spell doesn't<br />seem to work. The young witchgirl, Amy (last seen in season 3) re-appears,<br />albeit briefly.<br /><br />Spike manages to escape Giles' place, Buffy finds him and ties him up.<br />Then he says stuff that really jacks her off. This is the last straw ! On<br />returning to Giles', she reports she's "accidentally" killed Spike. Willow<br />goes around to Xander's to have a bitch about Buffy. Meanwhile Spike and<br />Buffy have decided to get married. In between talking over wedding plans,<br />Buff and Spike are heavily involved in a face-sucking session..<br /><br />Buffy makes a run to the Magic Shop, seeking supplies for a "reversal<br />spell" to hopefully correct the weirdness that's been going on lately. In<br />town, B. runs across Riley and invites him to her upcoming wedding with<br />Spike.<br /><br />Xander and Anya are just commencing their roll around the bed when a bunch<br />of demons burst in and spoil the romantic mood somewhat. They do a runner<br />from his demonfilled basement apartment, they make it to Giles' and after<br />Xander finds his brain, they suss out what's happened.<br /><br />Willow's been taken into the Netherworld by T'Hoffrin (sp?). He makes<br />Willow a powerful offer. It's the chance of a (lot more than) lifetime.<br />Will' says, thanks but no thanks.<br /><br />Meanwhile the scoobygang are holed up in a crypt in the graveyard, under<br />attack from a veritable horde of demons. Willow pops in and undoes her<br />earlier spell, this also causes all the demons to instantly dissappear.<br />Buffy and Spike decide to put a hold on their wedding plans.<br /><br />Willow's remorse is displayed by the baking of mega amounts of<br />chocolatechip cookies, which she forces upon everyone. Buff then rushes<br />off to tell Riley he's still in with a chance.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 6 April y2k<br /><br />Well here's another one of my alltime favourite Buffy eps (being 4.09,<br />4.10, 4.15, 4.16)<br /><br />BUFFY ep 4.10 Hush<br /><br />This is a rather weird episode, and in some places at least, one of the<br />funniest. (Later Note added, this ep was nominated for and won ? <br />an Emmy award for the scripting iirc) It starts off during one of Prof Maggie Walsh's lectures.<br />Buff's on teachers desk, up at the front of the class, having a sex session<br />with Riley. But hey, it's all a dream. But the dream did also have some<br />weird mystical elements, including an archaic nursery rhyme being sung.<br /><br />Willow attends at "The Daughters of Gaia" Wicca group. The group's a<br />fizzer though, they're mainly concerned about the female empowerment they'd<br />get from a cake-bake-sale fundraiser.<br /><br />Spike's spending a few days at Xander's basement apartment, so that Giles<br />can have his Afro-American bit-o-fluff over to stay for a few nights.<br /><br />The next morning everyone is speechless. Everyone throughout all of<br />SunnyDale that is. It's hard for me to put into words what things are<br />like, at The Initiative, in the college dorms, and in the town centre,<br />except to say that things are weirding out. The full scooby gang assemble<br />in dribs and drabs at Giles'. He's been researching through his private<br />collection of old books, but to no avail.<br /><br />The next night some ghostly (or should that be ghastly ?) "Gentlemen" float<br />cruisily (or cruise floatily ?) around the town, accompanied by their<br />lackeys. Giles' girl, Olivia, catches a glimpse of them through the<br />window, when she creeps out of bed for a drink of water in the middle of<br />the night.<br /><br />Entering the college dorms, the lackeys hold down some poor guy, while 'the<br />Gentlemen' cut his still beating heart out from his living body Later<br />Buffy sneaks in to look at the corpse. Meanwhile Olivia's done a detailed<br />drawing of the ghastly face she saw outside the window during the night.<br />Giles then twigs as to what's going on.<br /><br />He assembles the gang in a lecture theatre and with the aid of an overhead<br />projector he gives his briefing and outlines the plan they're to follow.<br />(Yeah he could have done it all in his room with just pen and paper, but<br />that wouldn't be half as funny as his crude cartoon show)<br /><br />Buff's on patrol that night, so's The Initiative. Tara, a quiet meek<br />little thing , who caught Willow's eye at the Gaia group, decides to visit<br />Willow. But in between dormhouses, she runs across The Gentlemen and their<br />lackeys and they give chase. She eventually meets up with Willow and they<br />do a runner with the bad dudes hot on their heels.<br /><br />Riley and Buffy, both, independantly, notice goings on in the atticroom of<br />a clocktower. Riley's in first kicking some badguy butt, when The Slayer<br />smashers in and sinks her slipper into the situation too.<br /><br />Back at Giles', Spike's just had some pigsblood out of the fridge and is<br />looking all fangy. Xander walks in to see Anya prostrate on the sofa and<br />Spike standing over her, all fanged up. Enraged at the killing of his<br />love, Xander starts thumping the crapola out of Spike, who can't defend<br />himself because of his implant. Meanwhile Anya's woken from her nap by the<br />sound of Xander's fist repeating hitting Spike in the face. She's trying<br />to signal to Xander she's alright, but he's in a wild frenzy. Eventually<br />he stops beating on Spike, and Anya whisks him away for a sex session<br />instead.<br /><br />Willow and Tara are holed up in a laundryroom and by combining the witchy<br />talents are able to keep the bad guys at bay. There's a monster battle<br />going on in the clocktower attic, but together Riley and Buffy are able to<br />prevail.<br /><br />In closing, Willow and Tara have a deep and meaningful, as do Giles and<br />Olivia. Later, Riley seeks out Buffy and they have a heart-to-heart<br />(non-talk) too.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 7 April y2k<br />I will be away for awhile over Easter, and the days before and after busy<br />with the necessary chores, but here's the next review, a little shorter<br />than others. I will try to do another review(s) over the next couple of<br />days, if possible.<br /><br />BUFFY ep 4.11 "Doomed"<br /><br />The episode opens onto the conversation that Buffy and Riley were(n't)<br />having at the end of ep B 4.10 'Hush'. Riley's about to leave when Calif.<br />gets another case of the litters.<br /><br />Buffy keeps the schtum about Riley being involved in the government<br />anti-monster squad. Willow goes to a post-quake dorm party, but it's a<br />right downer. She's bored titless and gets called a nerd to boot. Will'<br />goes for a liedown but finds herself rubbing shoulders with a deadguy.<br /><br />The Scoobygang meet at Giles' and Willow shows them a sketch of a symbol<br />she saw etched on the dead guys chest. Giles' reckons it's the end of the<br />world. While Buff's falling over herself trying to run interference for<br />Riley's benefit (Giles has been doing some profiling on the soldierboys and<br />is closing in).<br /><br />Buffy cruises the cemetary, she meets with a demon and makes with the<br />pummelling but it gets away. Riley turns up and he and B. have a heart to<br />heart. Buff tells Riley that it's a big 'No-Go' between them.<br /><br />Later, seperately but simultaneously, Buffy and The Scoobygang, and Riley<br />and his Initiative-ates, formulate actionplans, each to their own style.<br />Meanwhile Spike has tried to poof himself but succeeds only in messing up<br />Xander's basement apartment even more. Willow and Xander arrive in time to<br />rescue Spike, and Willow insists on taking him under her protective wing.<br /><br />Patrolling in town, Riley happens across Buff, but she's weighed down with<br />a heavy load of emotional baggage from her days with Angel, and isn't<br />interested in a repeat relationship. Giles has found an old talisman that<br />some nasty demon types are chasing, but he gets the crappola beaten out of<br />him, by The Demonguys Three. They now have all the bits and bobs they've<br />been seeking. This could be bad news for, well all life on Earth really.<br /><br />The Scoobygang go the remains of the old High School, and get involved in a<br />monster fight at the entrance to The Hellmouth. Riley turns up and helps<br />Buff save the day (well save the world actually)<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 17 April y2k<br />Hi, this will be my last review, until after my return, after Easter.<br />Therefore you will prob not recieve an Angel review in time, for next week,<br />but that's unavaoidable in this case.<br /><br />I'll continue with the reviews, catching up with that Angel one first, upon<br />my return<br /><br />Blessed be<br /><br />Review BUFFY ep 4.12 "A New Man"<br /><br />Riley and Buffy are on her bed, just starting a sex session, when Willow<br />bursts in through the door and warns about a fire breathing something<br />jumping in through a window into the dorm common-room and causing mayhem.<br />They all race off, to find that the information from Willow, isn't entirely<br />accurate.<br /><br />Spike's getting kicked out of Xander's place. Riley and Buffy meet up with<br />Prof Maggie Walsh and talk shop. Later, while looking for Buffy, Giles<br />bumps into the Professor. They instantly get off on the wrong foot with<br />each other.<br /><br />Giles, Willow and Xander go chasing a forecast demon thing that's<br />supposedly happening in a crypt at the graveyard, but they find nothing.<br />The two young 'uns head off home while Giles hangs around. Giles runs into<br />an old buddy of his and after a bit of a scuffle, the old boys head off and<br />sink a few pots of ale together.<br /><br />Willow and Tara try a joint witchcraft exercise, it starts ok, but then<br />goes wonky towards the end. They reckon that someone strong in the 'arts,<br />is doin' some pretty dark mojo stuff, and upsetting the force in their<br />local area. After a night of heavy drinking, the next morning, Giles isn't<br />feeling his usual self.<br /><br />Giles goes to Xanders basement apartment for help, but none is forthcoming<br />there. Giles runs into Spike at the graveyard and an alliance is<br />negotiated. A low speed car chase ensues with an ancient Citroen DS trying<br />to outrun a bunch of Initiative-ates in Hummer military vehicles.<br /><br />Buffy and Riley catch up with bad sorcerer dude and big strong ugly<br />demonguy at a cheap motel room. Buffy kicks some demon butt. Riley's<br />mates whisk the human (?) sorcerer dude away to Chateau solitary<br />confinement cell at the Area 51 Country Club (or as good as).<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 19 April y2k<br /><br /><br />ok I have two reviews for you today, if I have time to type them both in<br /><br />I'm away to Perth Fri-Sun. Buffy eps 4.15 and 4.16 are a to-be-continued<br />story so I won't review those tomorrow, unless, I have time to watch them<br />both at the same time. They are the most suspensefull eps I can remember.<br />They are really good eps, but unpleasant very much too.<br /><br />As I posted to the ng after first watching them, I couldn't sit in a chair,<br />I just crouched squatting on the floor in front of the tv. I chewed my<br />fingernails until they were stumps and pulled all my hair out. After it<br />finished I just wandered around the house screaming my head off. I guess<br />you could say, in Pommie-speak, "Joss Whedon, you're doin' my head in !"<br /><br />BUFFY ep 4.13 "The 'I' in team"<br /><br />The Slayerettes-three (Willow, Xander and Anya) are having a poker-night<br />in, while Buffy's out kicking commando-guy butt in a training exercise.<br /><br />Giles visits Spike in his crypt, where cash and un-pleasantries are<br />exchanged. Meanwhile Riley takes Buffy into his frat-house basement, where<br />Prof Maggie Walsh shows her around and issues her with a pager and a<br />swipecard.<br /><br />In the superduper ultra top secret room 314, at the initiative we see<br />Maggie checking on her work. It's some kind of superdemon that she's in<br />the process of constructing.<br /><br />The scoobygang were all s'posed to meet at The Bronze that night. (Willow<br />even blew off a proposed meet with Tara in order to make it) however the<br />night is getting old and Buffy still hasn't shown up. Eventually Buff<br />turns up, but with Riley and half the Initiative-ates in tow. Soon though,<br />the music at The Bronze is drowned out by the sound of pagers going off,<br />and Buffy and the soldierboys bug out.<br /><br />Willow seeks out Tara, in her dorm-room (which incidentally has no number<br />on the door).<br /><br />The Initiative's Beta team is out demon hunting when they happen across<br />Spike, returning home to crypt with a load of groceries. They shoot him<br />with some sort of gun but he manages to run off. Meanwhile the Alpha team<br />(including Buffy and Riley) have collared the demon, that was their primary<br />target.<br /><br />The two lovebirds let of steam after the mission by getting all hot and<br />sweaty back at Riley's boudoir. While they're wrapped up in each other,<br />Professor purloins a perve of the passion via surrepticious supine<br />surviellance cam. (If y'ask me, Maggie's showing her true colours as a<br />right sicko).<br /><br />Spike turns up at Giles' apartment, begging for help to stay ahead of the<br />soldierboys, and to treat the gunshot wound on his back.<br /><br />After having spent the night at Riley's, Buff returns to her dorm-room.<br />Willow's not there, her bed also has not been slept in.<br /><br />"Beeped away by her new budds", Buffy's given a solo mission by Maggie.<br />Chasing errant sensor reading through the sewers, 'cause the soldierboys<br />are all out on a mission (chasing down Spike actually). Supposed "racoon"<br />turns out to be two well armed heavy duty demon types, and the gun issued<br />to Buffy 'malfunctions'. Iron grates drop into place blocking any chance<br />of her escape. Magg's back at the lab, gettin' her jollies watching the<br />video monitor showing Buff getting killed. The video feed goes u/s for a<br />bit, and so the professor fails to see Buffy turn the tables and toast the<br />badguys. Riley arrives back at The Initiative, to be told by Maggie that<br />Buffy has died while chasing after 2 escaped demons. The videolink comes<br />online again, and in full view of Riley, Buff tells the nutty professor<br />that her plan to get The Slayer slain; failed.<br /><br />Riley walks out on the Initiative, Maggie shouts after him, but her pleas<br />fall on deaf ears.<br /><br />The Professor retires to her beloved, in room 314. However her endeavours<br />in there too, could only be described as "an incomplete success" (that's<br />Queensland-Police-speak for an absolute cock-up).<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 3 May y2k<br /><br />Here's the second review. Also a ripper episode and therefore a fairly<br />long review<br /><br />BUFFY ep 4.14 "Goodbye, Iowa"<br /><br />The entire scoobygang are at Giles'. Buffy's relating the details of<br />Maggies murderous treachery. Meanwhile Professor Frankenstein's monster<br />is legging it from the Initiative's lab complex, into the nearby woods. At<br />Giles' apartment, revolving front door: Riley arrives. Spike leaves.<br />Riley leaves.<br /><br />The scoobygang hide-out/have a sleepover at Xander's basement apartment.<br />They see a tv news report about a child's body found horrifically<br />mutilated. Maggie's body's been discovered and a bunch of the<br />Initiative-ates run a gun totin' 'round town, looking for the demon they<br />suspect killed her.<br /><br />Some soldierboys check out a crypt (it's actually Spike's new home) they<br />smash the place up a bit but don't find any demons (or him). While spying<br />on the scene of the wee boys killing, Riley and Buffy happen across each<br />other. He gives her the news re Maggies well deserved demise and the hunt<br />for the demon suspected.<br /><br />Willow seeks out Tara. Will' wants to do a spell, that will pinpoint<br />sources of evil in the local area. However Tara is clearly not at-ease<br />with this idea at all. Buff's chasing up info at a sleazy underground bar<br />known to be a demon/vampire hangout. Riley enters, but he's losin' it.<br />Shouting and waving a gun 'round. Buff escorts him 'home' to Xander's and<br />puts him to bed. He's a mess, shaking and sweating. (Withdrawal symptoms<br />from addictive drugs, methinks)<br /><br />Willow and Tara do the spell to seek the locations of all demons within the<br />Sunnydale area. However, unseen by Willow, Tara deliberately sabotages the<br />spell. (One of the few, if not only reasonable explanations for this act,<br />could be that Tara's a demon herself ???).<br /><br />Buff and Xand sneak into the Initiative. Riley awakens, he's still as<br />nutty as a fruitcake. He tosses Will' aside and takes off after his B.<br />Spike stops by the underground bar for a quick blood, but gets his lights<br />punched out. Buffy and Xander are busy pumping one of the labcoats for<br />information, when Frankenstein-Terminator guy drops in for a chat. A big<br />bash and crash ensues. The labcoat gets killed and Riley severely injured.<br /> Demon monster guy escapes, Soldierboys arrive on-scene and escort Buffy<br />and Xander off the premises.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 3 May y2k<br /><br />I have just had a marathon tv session, lasting all morning, and watched and<br />reviewed both of the eps in this story line. Total time taken some 3 hrs<br />plus.<br /><br />I intend to type them both in today. Note that I will be deliberately<br />mis-spelling Buffy and Faith on some occasions, this is for sa special<br />reason<br /><br />I have also incorporated a special spoiler warning inside the text of the<br />review<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Review BUFFY ep 4.15 "This Years Girl"<br /><br />Warning, (if you haven't already seen this episode) this review<br />un-avoidably contains significant spoilers.<br /><br />The scoobygang are all together at Giles', trying to formulate their next<br />plan of action. Riley's feeling better, he's only half-dead now. He wants<br />to check out of the hospital and visit Buff.<br /><br />Out on patrol one night, Buffy and Xander find a huge demon, eviscerated to<br />th 'n'th degree, hanging from a tree in the park. Obviously Adam's been<br />out and about studying biology again.<br /><br />Faith's been flat on her back (in a coma on a hospital bed) for eight<br />months now. Maybe her health plan's about to max out but anyway she does a<br />Riley from her sick-bed too. A hospital visitor gladly gave of her clothes<br />(after Faith beat her almost to death, that is). After having a quick look<br />around the remains of SunnyDale High, and the town centre, Faith spies on<br />the scoobygang who are all hanging out at Giles' still.<br /><br />The next day Willow and Buffy are wandering the college campus, when<br />they're accosted by Faith. The two slayers have a go at each other, but<br />Faith legs it just as the coppers arrive. Later, Willow ropes in Tara, to<br />help with the Faith finding mission.<br /><br />Black helicoptor lands next to the hospital. Bunch of guys in dark clothes<br />get out. Helicoptor slips away again.<br /><br />Big ugly demon guy in dark alley, seeks out Faith. He gives her a large<br />envelope. She gives him a hayride straight to hell. Said envelope<br />contains a videotape and a bracelet-gizmo. They're gifts from the mayor.<br />He'd organised for her to recieve this envelope, if ever she awoke, after<br />his death.<br /><br />Faith takes B's mum (Joyce) hostage in her own home. Faith's busy doing<br />the terrorising thing when Buffy jumps in through a window. As the slayers<br />are slamming the shiatsu out of each other, Joyce hits nine-eleven on the<br />speed-dial.<br /><br />Giles returns home to his apartment, to find the place chock-full of heavy<br />dudes, sent courtesy of The Watchers Council.<br /><br />As the boys in blue arrive outside # 1630 Revello, Faith clasps the<br />bracelet-gizmo in her hand. A magical light glows, as their hands lock<br />together. Buffy delivers a massive full-on face-punch which knocks Faith<br />out cold.<br /><br />This storyline continues in ep 4.16<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 4 May y2k<br />Here is the second review<br /><br />BUFFY ep 4.16 "Who are you?"<br /><br />Warning (if you haven't already seen the episode) this review un-avoidably<br />contains MAJOR spoilers<br /><br />The semiconscious BFaith is put in an ambulance under police guard. Joyce<br />and FBuffy go back inside the house and have a deep mother-daughter talk.<br />In the hospital BFaith regains consciousness momentarily but is immediately<br />drugged into unconsciousness again. FBuffy sneaks use of Joyce's<br />creditcard to phonebook a plane ticket.<br /><br />An armoured truck stops a police transport dead in its tracks, and the semi<br />conscious BFaith is dragged out by heavily armed representatives of The<br />Watchers Council.<br /><br />FBuffy turns up at Giles'. She promises to patrol that night in search of<br />Adam. Instead she hangs out at The Bronze, dancing and all-but-seducing<br />Spike.<br /><br />Adam's sought out some vampires in a sewer. He prattles on a bit, but the<br />upshot of it all is that he wants to become their business manager and help<br />them to improve their efficiency.<br /><br />BFaith awakes finding herself chained into the back of the armoured truck.<br />The Watchers Council heavies won't even consider her pleas to verify her<br />identity. The guys are insulting and abusive and make it clear they'd be<br />only too happy to shoot her down dead.<br /><br />Willow takes Tara to The Bronze, there they bump into FBuffy. While<br />Willow's out of earshot getting in drinks, FBuffy's slagging off bigtime.<br />She pops outside momentarily to dust a vamp that Willow pointed out. The<br />young woman (intended victim) clasps her hand and thanks her for saving her<br />life. We can see that this touches something deep within the slayer.<br /><br />Back at Tara's, she tells Willow that something's seriously screwy with<br />Buff. They decide to do a spell. A particularly difficult and intense<br />one. Meanwhile FBuffy's also left The Bronze. She turns up at Riley's<br />where a supersonic sex session ensues.<br /><br />Things are getting pretty intense and heated over at Tara's too, in a<br />witchy sort of way. FBuffy rides Riley into a stupor and then slips away<br />come first light in the morning.<br /><br />The Watchers Council headquarters have issued a "kill" order on Faith.<br />Just as the guy's about to kill her, BFaith is able to commandeer the truck<br />and make good her escape.<br /><br />FBuffy's at the airport about to board an international flight. BFaith's<br />at Giles' trying desperately to convince him that she is the real Buffy.<br />Willow and Tara arrive and back up her story. TV newsflash reports a<br />church full of hostages being held by a trio of "frighteningly disfigured"<br />men. Both BFaith and FBuffy see these reports. At the airport check-in,<br />her escape assured, FBuffy abandons her plan and heads off to church to<br />save the lives of the humans inside.<br /><br />FBuffy arrives at the church. Riley's outside. FBuffy goes inside to dust<br />the vamps. A minute later the armoured truck stops outside and BFaith and<br />the rest of the scoobygang dis-embark.<br /><br />Inside the church FBuffy's getting a right hiding from the third vamp who's<br />had the benefit of some extra tuition from Adam. BFaith dusts this<br />remaining vampire. The two slayer-gals slug it out bigtime. The magicbox<br />(furnished by Will' and Tara) does it's trick and the girls identities are<br />reset to how they should be. Faith legs it from the church.<br /><br />As the episode closes, we see Faith's sad and sorry figure making an<br />economy class escape.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 4 May y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138860701385198682006-02-02T14:11:00.000+08:002006-02-02T14:11:41.573+08:00GENGHISCON Scifi and Gaming convention ReviewI hereby consent to this review being<br />re-published in other electronic, paper or other media which is not<br />intended primarily for profit. Such is likely to include fanzines, club<br />newsletters, and websites etc. It may be edited provided such editing is<br />reasonable.<br /><br />GENGHISCON #5 January 27 to 29 2006<br /><br />Yes, another Genghiscon was held and another smashing success it was with<br />much fun had by all, thanks go to the organising committee. This being the<br />5th annual GenghisCon, and the third which I have attended. Same place<br />as last year, "Trinity College" which is a university student accommodation<br />facility, opposite UWA in the Perth suburb of Nedlands/Crawley, and with a large grassed lawn area, partly shaded by trees, and some convention-room facilities, perfectly suited to<br />GenghisCons. (Same place again next year ? Please ! )<br /><br />The accommodation is basic, but nothing else is needed at a 'Con, eh.<br />Actually as I arrived at the 'con on Friday late afternoon, things didn't<br />start off too well. After a hectic day, having driven in from the country<br />earlier that day, and spent the hottest part of the day driving around in my<br />old car getting stuff done, with NO air-conditioning in the car, but the<br />heater stuck half-on, and the windows unable to wind down properly, I was<br />REALLY lookin' forward to dumping all my paraphenalia in my room and having<br />a l-o-n-g shower.<br /><br />As I'd already prepaid my membership and accommodation by snailmail months<br />earlier, Registration was a breeze, however the door key for the room number<br />I's given, talk about "not fit the lock" it wouldn't even come close to<br />fitting in the hole. I was frantic, I headed back to the registration desk<br />and within just moments I had been allocated another room and key. Yep,<br />some smart cookies on the organising committee had planned in advance for<br />just such an emergency and several spare rooms were available and ready<br />immediately.<br /><br />It took 3 trips (2 with a trolley) to unload my car into my room, golly I<br />carry a lot of junk around with me.......oh well I had stuff like the flyers<br />for Aussiecon Worldcon bid for 2010 which I had promised to hand out, as<br />well as, well, just "stuff".<br /><br />Sometime before Mundaring Weir ran dry, I ended my shower, and feeling very<br />much refreshed, I went off around the 'con. I found the 24 hr free<br />tea/coffee/milo upstairs and after a hot beverage of my choice I was fully<br />rejuvenated. (Unfortunately I had by then missed the first 2 items "Hakki<br />Sack mayhem" and "Origami Chess") and I had also missed the "Jester's" pie<br />ordering and eating thereof. I seldom eat meat, but Jester's freshly made<br />pies I will eat when the opportunity arises.<br /><br />The official opening segment was at 7 pm by which time my quick head-count<br />amounted to some 45 persons in the room plus 5 of the organising committee<br />members. Thie segment included a briefing for those taking part in the<br />"Killer" live action assassination game which ran throughout the whole 'con.<br /><br />The student accommodation rooms do not have cooking facilities, but shared<br />kitchens exist on the second and third floors of all accommodation wings,<br />however it was not until I had searched 4 kitchens that I found one with a<br />Microwave oven. I x-rayed some potatoes, not a flash repast, but enough<br />to keep the worms from bitin' for awhile.<br /><br />According to the timetable there was Juggling (I didn't watch this close-up,<br />but saw some, from a safe distance ! ) and there should have been Vampire<br />LARP too. I didn't actually SEE that, but as with all conventions, you<br />simply can't be everywhere at once. I attended some of the "What would you<br />do if....." panel but the constant onslaught of Zombies and Aliens was a bit<br />of a worry so I also circulated somewhat and spied on what was happening<br />elsewhere during that time.<br /><br />Some chess sets had been set up in a dedicated room, I watched some, played<br />a couple of short games and circulated some more. (An "official" chess<br />tournament was organised, which I did take part in later.......until such<br />time as I was eliminated. However I blame my opponent who cheated by having<br />16 pieces on the board while I had to get by with just 16 pieces. This put<br />me at a decided disadvantage so it's no wonder I lost). Actually most<br />entertaining of all was simply being a spectator on other's chess games,<br />with one young woman in particular (sorry I don't know her name) who kept<br />up an almost constant banter of witty remarks apparently intended to put her<br />victim, err, opponent, at a psychological disadvantage. (Mmm, there's<br />something Buffy-esque about that)<br /><br />I cruised past the "Slash Crimes" panel but didn't actually stop inside,<br />even at 11 pm at night, they didn't need me to "help make up the numbers",<br />there was plenty of folks there. (I'm not quite sure what they got upto in<br />there<br />though, perhaps that's a good thing)<br /><br />I had a run-in with GenghisCon's overnight security, known as "The Brute<br />Squad", aye, and right pair of brutes they looked to be too. But I's ok, my<br />ID badge and overnight accommodation arrangements were all in order, so I<br />had no fear of being horsewhipped or sold into slavery and they went off on<br />their way.<br /><br />Overnight accommodation in the student rooms includes breakfast in the<br />diningroom area on the other side of the central lawn area. Saturday<br />morning I's waiting for the doors to open at 7 am, but the hot food didn't<br />arrive until 7.25. There wasn't as much choice as last year, but I still<br />had a good enough feed to keep me going half the day (I did hear tell<br />though, that some folks who turned up later, but still within the nominated<br />'breakfast-time' missed out some as certain items ran out early, maybe it<br />was all my fault because I ate too much ? or maybe the organisers need to<br />ask the kitchenstaff to put on more food next year ?)<br /><br />After breakfast I went straight to the videoroom to see a simply fantastic<br />fan-made film "Starwreck, In the Pirkining". This was Finnish language with<br />subtitles. It was better made than many "professional" films.<br /><br />It was a parody (satire ?) on Star Trek mostly, and Babylon 5. Often<br />people argue on text newsgroups and other forums about what would happen if<br />Satr Trek met Babylon 5, warp drive vs jumpgates etc etc. Well this film<br />dealt with exactly that, and very much more besides. I'd highly recommend<br />this film to any space/scifi fan who hasn't already seen it. I understand<br />that the film was only recently completed after many years of work from the<br />volunteers involved.<br /><br />Actually a comment, in the form of a complaint, I heard (and I only heard,<br />the one, complaint) , was that the<br />video-stream this year had very little really "new" stuff and was mostly old<br />classics, things readily available on DVD and videotape anyway. Now that's<br />certainly true to a degree, but I think that with approx 25% members of the<br />general population having Foxtel pay tv and approx 10 % having highspeed<br />Broadband Internet access and modern computers which can download tv shows<br />direct from the USA or UK only hours after they have originally aired (many<br />Scifi fans being "techno-geeks" and fitting into both groups) I think that<br />we simply *expect* more from a videoroom stream than we did in the past.<br /><br />I spoke to the video stream organiser who shall remain nameless because,<br />well sorry I dunno her name, and she explained that she did not have access<br />herself to a hightech computer and therefore web-downloaded material.<br />Personally I commend her for doing such a good job, including in the correct<br />setting-up of a videoroom (3 access aisles, including one along a wall so<br />you can safely feel your way along in the dark). I still think that<br />Genghiscon was well served by a near 24 hr suitable video stream program<br />which included a variety of items to suit a variety of tastes. However I<br />would recommend that in future, where the video organiser is highspeed<br />computer-ally challenged, that the main GenghisCon organising committee,<br />find some techno-geek type with Broadband to assist them in obtaining some<br />brand new bits and bobs. I never saw the videoroom "packed" but it seemed<br />always to have enough of an audience.<br /><br />Personally I had brought along to Genghiscon several videotapes of "new"<br />stuff incase the opportunity arose for a latenight screening somewhere. (It<br />never happened, partly because un-like last year there WAS NOT a tv/video<br />set up on a wheeled trolley available for latenight use in the upstairs<br />convention-room area) My videotapes were dubbed from DVDrs I had only just<br />recieved in the mail from USA, of items that screened in the UK only in<br />December. Even I was surprised to learn that what I had thought so rare and<br />precious, had already screened on Foxtel in Australia (yep I am one of the<br />75% of Australian's who CAN'T afford pay tv).<br /><br />The excellent fan-made film Starwreck in the Pirkining, finished and I<br />staggered out into the light. I saw the segment "Morning Tea with Grant<br />Stone" being set-up but if y'ask me. Grant's wasting away, he's merely a<br />cardboard cut-out of his former self.<br /><br />Oh, actually that WAS the cardboard cut-out, Grant in full human person form<br />turned up a little later. There was more than 20 folks enjoying tea and<br />scones with jam and cream. I grabbed a half-a-scone but went on my way.<br />Apparently there was a Martial Arts thing happening at that time, darn it, I<br />seemed to have missed that completely. For a "small" 'con, there really is<br />s-o-o much happening.<br /><br />After lunchbreak was a "Fisiks" class complete with Laser pointers, (head<br />count was 15, so a good turnout for a serious science segment). I stayed in<br />the room, for most at least, of the next 2 items too, being the "So you want<br />to run a small 'Con?" and "Constitution review" panel items. It was a<br />great idea of the committee to have the constitutional review discussed as a<br />panel room item as that saved a huge amount of time during the AGM on<br />Sunday, as we got all the gasbagging out of the way in advance. Combat LARP<br />did happen and apparently Live Action Battle Cruiser was scheduled to<br />happen, sorry I didn't get to these events so can't comment further.<br /><br />I missed the "State Of Robotics" panel darn it, but did make it to the free<br />BBQ in time to get fed for my Saturday evening meal. I commend the<br />organisers for holding this event again and ask that future Genghiscons do<br />the same again. For some reason known only to themselves, the management of<br />Trinity College and Convention centre had uprooted all but 2 of the<br />tables-and-chair units in the BBQ area and these were sitting upside-down<br />and useless dotted about the area.<br /><br />One panel we discussed whether the Internet was actually making us stoopida,<br />I's there, so missed the scheduled Dune Larp which was, well, elsewhere.<br />(I's in the videoroom actually watching "Tank Girl" this is one of those<br />movies which I have NEVER seen. The universe always seems to conspire<br />against me, to prevent me getting to ever see it ! Oh well, Now I have seen<br />it ! and very ok it was too)<br /><br />I needed "some" sleep so set an alarm and went to bed for 3/4 hr and turned<br />up after a nap full of energy and rearin' to go, to the "Anime and Sex"<br />midnight panel. It DID go ahead, well in a fashion, it was more like an<br />alcohol fuelled free-for-all, I didn't stay long but stuck my head in the<br />door a little later on to find the population in that room had more than<br />doubled. There didn't seem to be any "Anime" or "Sex" happening as such,<br />but the crowd seemed mighty jolly about something, so I guess they's all<br />enjoying themselves.<br /><br />Sunday morning, after another feed of breakfast (again, good, but not the<br />same choice of items as last year) so with a full belly I staggered off to<br />the upstairs area where the item "COFFEE !" was scheduled. This was<br />actually NOT being run by "Kaneda" (who I think is still recovering from RSI<br />he suffered during the excellent coffee panel-and-tasting session he gave<br />us during Fandomedia #1 "Comedy" Convention in November 2005). IIRC the<br />lass running Sunday's Coffee session was the same chess-player with the<br />witty-banter (sorry I dunno her name) She was doing a roaring trade<br />providing free coffee, I had a couple myself, and that helped to get us all<br />started for another big day of Genghis-Con-ing.<br /><br />The panel item "History of Flying Machines" was an excellent presentation<br />including some slides and "powerpoint" type displays, with much factual info<br />ranging from Dirigibles to the modern space-entry vehicles including the<br />X-prize thing. Mark Bivens, a highly educated type and stalwart of many<br />Swancons led the panel, ably assisted by 3 others, being Rob Masters (and<br />Ralph Smith and Tony de Groot ?) Later when the alloted time was up, some of<br />us just couldn't get enough and the panel sorta spilled over into one of the<br />spare gamingroom areas where we discussed the intricacies of (Wing-In...)<br />Ground Effect flying as well.<br /><br />I didn't stay for the Harry Potter discussion but it was certainly a<br />"vigorous and healthy exchange of ideas" going on amongst those present.<br /><br />The AGM went much smoother than last years and was simply better organised<br />and run. It was very well attended. Not quite "everyone" was there, but<br />certainly a very big proportion of GenghisCon-goers had turned up. Curously<br />the lightswitch in that room only turns on 3 lamps, the other 12 remaining<br />steadfastly off, so 3/4 of the room is in a perpetual state of deep gloom.<br />"Lollies" had been promised and several large bags of Lollipops did indeed<br />turn up and were consumed with relish by starving hordes. The incoming<br />committee for next year was selected and voted in, and they will have the<br />right to choose whether to make Genghiscon 2007 independant of WASFF or<br />sharing any surplus/loss 50/50% with WASFF in return for cheaper liability<br />insurance. Personally after having spoken to a number of attendees, and<br />some past and present committee members, I think that Genghiscon is now at a<br />point where it can stand on it's own 2 feet and be independant. Liability<br />insurance costs are more this way yes, but Genghiscon gets to keep all of<br />it's small surplus which more than makes up more this difference in<br />premiums. Nevertherless, GenghisCon organising committees should maintain<br />close friendly links with the WASFF Inc umbrella organisation, even if there<br />is no direct legal link.<br /><br />At the AGM it was announced that GenghisCon 2006 had over 80 full-time<br />memberships plus 25 single-day paid memberships (not counting some free<br />day-passes for some guest panellists) As such, and with other fundraising<br />activities taken into account (such as sale of cooldrinks and chocolates) a<br />very small surplus was expected to be made, after all costs had been<br />finalised. Excellent, just what a small 'Con should be aiming<br />for..........break-even point, with a small surplus which can be saved<br />towards a rainy day.<br /><br />There were enough positions needing filling that pretty much everyone who<br />wanted a position, got something, even if it wasn't their first or only<br />choice. Of the key positions, Mark Turnley is our El Presidente again and<br />the long suffering Colm is the Secretary. Treasurer is Wendy Mac. There were<br />plenty of volunteers for other positions including for volunteer helpers<br />(known as "Minions"). Thanks folks, I look forward to another great<br />GenghisCon being organised for next year !<br /><br />Alas I missed the entire "Geeks and their Toys" panel which I had wanted to<br />attend but I did get to attend much of the Auction. I made one sad pathetic<br />little bid at one point but left with nothing (but my wallet intact, I<br />guess) On no, not even that as I got waylaid by JU and was forced to pay<br />for "Fandomedia 2006" yeah well if y'wanna go, y'have to pay !<br /><br />There was a closing ceremony with the main panelroom packed to standingroom<br />only......I couldn't possibly get a headcount, lets just call it "lots".<br /><br />I didn't stay to help the clean-up as I had a long drive home in front of<br />me. While parked in the carpark at Trinity somebody had entered my car<br />during the Sunday afternoon and left it stuffed full of old computer-parts,<br />so I's going home with a lot more stuff than what I'd came with (Thanks ! ).<br />Leaving Trinity College just before 5 pm I arrived home just after 9 pm<br />after making 3 stops to add some 20 litres of coolant/water. Yep my car<br />engine was dying on me, at night, in the rain and on desolate country roads.<br />Still it had gotten me satisfactorily to this year's most excellent<br />"GenghisCon" and back home again safely. I dunno mate, y' pay $100 for a<br />car and use it for 9 months, then the engine packs it in on ya. Maybe I<br />should complain to Consumer Affairs of sonethin', eh.<br /><br />Note there will not be a review by me of this year's SwanCon # 30 as I will<br />be in the land of the Ki-wi for some months. I should be back in WA for<br />Fandomedia #2 "Hunger"<br /><br />Catherine Jemma<br />Outback Western Australia<br />2 February 2006Catherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138245289469064672006-01-26T11:14:00.000+08:002006-01-26T11:14:49.486+08:00ANGEL eps 1.01 thru 1.08 reviews re-discoveredThis review is a little longer, but I reckon that's ok, 'cause it's the<br />first ep of a new series<br /><br /><br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.01 "City of....."<br /><br />Angel's in a bar, drowning the sorrows of his broken heart. A pretty girl<br />leaves with some shadey looking characters, Angel tails them at a distance.<br /><br />In the alley outside the bar, the girl is about to donate blood to an<br />un-worthy cause, when Angel arrives on-scene. He wipes the floor with the<br />nasty guys, before abrubtly taking his leave. (He really did want to stay<br />and lick her wounds clean for her).<br /><br />Angel returns home to his basement apartment, to find an intruder. A bloke<br />calling himself "Doyle" claims to be a messenger for "the powers that be". <br />Doyle has a mission for them, saving lives and souls. He's had a<br />premonition. He gives Angel a scrap of paper with a firstname and the name<br />of a coffeeshop scrawled on if.<br /><br />Angel gets talking to the waitress there, Tina. He waits outside for her<br />to get off work. As she's owed some money by a girlfriend, Angel gives her<br />a ride to a Hollywood party, where she hopes to collect. At the party<br />Angel bumps into Cordelia Chase and they briefly exchange pleasantries.<br /><br />As Angel and Tina leave the party they are jumped by a couple of heavies<br />who snatch Tina. Angel chases the guys and catches up with them in the<br />basement parking garage. He gives them a bit of a spanking. Tina hops<br />into his car and they zoom off to his apartment, where he sets Tina a place<br />to sleep for the night.<br /><br />Before going off to sleep, Tina says she's been having boyfriend trouble<br />with "Russell". She's left him but he's obsessive and won't let go of her.<br /> While she sleeps, Angel does some research and finds that Russell might<br />indeed have murdered his last girlfriend who tried to leave him. <br /><br />In the morning when Tina awakes she is frightened and paranoid. She gets<br />it in her head, that Angel may be secretly working for Russell. Tina runs<br />out the upstairs door, Angel follows and as a shaft of direct sunlight<br />strikes him, he fangs up and starts to burn. He retreats quickly but<br />Tina's seen him do his monster impression. <br /><br />Returning to her pokey apartment to pack her stuff, Tina is surprised by<br />Russell. He says all the right things to sweet talk her. Oh yeah he kills<br />her right after that of course. Later Angel arrives. He enters her<br />apartment (which he can, un-invited, because: ) Tina lies dead on the<br />floor. After examining the wounds to her body, he leaves and drops-a-dime<br />to 911, for the bodybag brigade. Returning to his own apartment, he gets<br />Doyle to help him with research.<br /><br />Meanwhile Russell's shopping for a new bit of skirt, to rough up. His gaze<br />falls upon some videotape containing footage of Cordelia. <br /><br />Angel and Doyle's research has turned up some info on Russell, a wealthy<br />businessman.<br /><br />That evening a stretch limo calls for Cordelia and whisks her off to<br />Russell's mansion. Angel and Doyle arrive outside the mansion's security<br />gates a few minutes later, and Angel "talks" the guard into letting him in.<br /><br />Just as Russell is about to kill Cordy, Angel arrives. He gives Russ a wee<br />bit of a slap around, and then runs interference with Russell's<br />triggerhappy bodyguards, as he and Cordelia make their escape.<br /><br />The next day, Angel seeks out Russell in his towerblock luxury office<br />suite. Angel boots an office chair out through a 40th storey plateglass<br />window. This leaves Russell, not; a happy chap-py.<br /><br />Later back at Angel's building, Cordelia seems to have taken over the floor<br />above Angel's basement apartment. She's declared that they're now a team,<br />and elected herself secretary and chief organiser.<br /><br />Doyle, with all the sensitivity and finesse we've come to expect of him,<br />remarks to Angel, that he thinks Cordelia is "a right stiffener".<br /><br />Catherine Jemma 8 Feb y2k<br /><br />Hi there<br /><br />Just a query, are you actually re-typing my submissions in, or are you<br />using some cut-and-paste technique (I never have got the hang of that<br />myself) to grab what I wrote, as a whole.<br /><br />Personally I'd prefer you were doing the cut-and-paste style grab. Because<br />I often specifically place commas, apostrophes and hyphens. (Sorry if I<br />sound like a broken record on this). You'll also notice a handful of<br />unusual (sometimes American) terminologies used occasionally. Also, and<br />you'll appreciate this more if you've actually seen the eps yourself, I<br />have often worded certain phrases very specifically to sidestep major<br />spoilers. (Example, re Angel ep one, Russell is actually a vampire and he<br />was still sitting on the office chair when Angel booted it out through the<br />highrise plate glass window, however I especially didn't want to give<br />"everything" away, eh.<br /><br />I have to goto Perth for a few days on Friday returning Sunday and then<br />again from Wed next week to Friday. So don't expect any more reviews out<br />of me for a few days.<br /><br />I should be able to do the Angel ep 3 review on next Monday morning 14 Feb,<br />and the fourth Angel review on next Tuesday 15 Feb, OK ??<br /><br />Do let me know the web address asap, as I'd love to see my work "published"<br /><br />cheers<br /><br /><br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.02 "...Lonely Hearts"<br /><br />Hangin' around the office with nothing to do, Doyle's trying to summon the<br />courage to ask Cordelia out on a date. However suddenly Doyle has a<br />premonition regarding a nightclub called "D'Oblique". No other details<br />being forthcoming, the team from "Angel Investigations" cruise the club,<br />handing out the business cards that Cordy's had printed.<br /><br />Perhaps their technique needs some finetuning. Angel starts talking to a<br />pretty girl, but his foot seems to be in his mouth most of the time. <br />Meanwhile some creep asks Cordelia what the going rate is, if he wants her<br />for just an hour. Not surprisingly this leads to a bar room brawl. <br />Nothing else of consequence occurs that night, so the Angel team agree the<br />night's been a total washout.<br /><br />The following day, Team Angel do research on the internet and it seems that<br />a number of young women have gone missing near the D'Oblique nightclub. In<br />one case at least, "eviscerated" remains were later found.<br /><br />Angel cruises the club again that evening. Cordy and Doyle are back at<br />base camp leafing through ancient books, seeing what the world has to offer<br />in the way of eviscerating demons and other such nasties. While examining<br />an old drawing of a particularly grotesque fellow, Cordelia declares her<br />total hatred for all demons. The conversation isn't really headed in the<br />direction Doyle was hoping.<br /><br />Angel has traced a girl from the club to her apartment. He enters to find<br />her spread across the bed, in a somewhat eviscerated state. Across the<br />room, an (apparent) young man is just putting his clothes back on. Angel<br />and the demon have an un-man to un-man talk followed by a fight that near<br />wrecks the apartment. The demon escapes just as "Kate Lockley", a pretty<br />young police detective, working undercover at the club, arrives. Needless<br />to say she believes that Angel's the killer. Angel knocks her 'round just<br />enough to facilitate his escape. The Angel team meet up at Cordy's<br />apartment, to exchange the information they've come up with and form an<br />action plan. <br /><br />Angel phones Kate at the copshop and arranges to meet her at the club that<br />evening. She's tricked into going into a storeroom out back, where the<br />demon knocks the wind out of her and is about to really spoil her day,<br />when Angel strikes the demon from behind and knocks him away.<br /><br />Angel and the demon do their best to bash the stuffing out of each other. <br />The demon gets away but Angel catches up with him in an alleyway outside. <br />The ensuing fight is heated, the demon getting a little more heated than he<br />would have liked. Kate runs up and puts a few rounds into the demon with<br />her service revolver. Probably not terribly effective, but it would've<br />made her feel better.<br /><br />Detective Kate Lockley and Angel, come to a reconciliation and agreement,<br />of sorts.<br /><br />Catherine Jemma 9 Feb y2k<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.03 "In The Dark"<br /><br />The teaser opens with Angel saving yet another Damsel in distress down a<br />dark dingy alleyway, one night in downtown L.A. Some distance away, the<br />alleyway is being spied upon by Spike, muttering away to himself.<br /><br />Oz turns up at the Angel Investigations office, where Cordelia recognises<br />him instantly. As talkative as he ever is, pleasantries are exchanged and<br />The Ring (which is The Gem of Omara) is handed over. (Note that this is a<br />minor crossover episode with Buffy 4.03). <br /><br />The Damsel phones up, the police have let her violently abusive ex<br />boyfriend out of jail. Angel's about to cruise off to her in The<br />Angelmobile when Spike jumps him in his garage. They make with the<br />pummeling on each other. Spike wants The Gem of Omara, and no whimpy<br />little goody twoshoes Angel is going to come between him and the ring. <br />Cordy and Doyle enter the garage, and moments later Spike makes his escape.<br /><br />At Angel's suggestion, Cordy and Doyle hide out at Doyle's apartment.<br />Meanwhile Doyle phones around to a few of his underworld contacts, trying<br />to get a bead on where Spike may be hiding out. Following a lead Doyle has<br />come up with, Angel sets out seeking Spike's hide-y hole. Angel is<br />cornered in an alleyway, overpowered and enchained by Spike and his evil<br />assistant. Taken to an old warehouse that's been set up as a torture<br />chamber. This is NOT, going to be one of Angel's better days. Spike<br />leaves Angel alone with the torturer, a sadistic vampire bastard, who comes<br />across like a deranged "Dr Mengeler".<br /><br />Spike goes to Angel HQ and tosses the place seeking the ring, which Angel<br />didn't have on him when captured (he'd hidden it earlier). Cordelia and<br />Doyle have got worried because Angel's been out of contact for too long,<br />returning to the office they run into Spike there. He tells them to bring<br />the ring to a certain warehouse at sunset, or else he'll kill Angel.<br /><br />Cordelia and Doyle search Angel's apartment to no avail. They then check<br />out the rat infested swers underneath. Doyle surrepticiously uses his<br />enhanced senses to sniff out the ring's hiding place. Later when they meet<br />up with Spike, they throw the ring towards him and are about to collect<br />Angel when Spike renegs on his side of the bargain and is about to kill<br />Angel anyway.<br /><br />Suddenly a large van containing Oz crashes through the warehouse door. The<br />Angel team grab Angel up (who's in a severely bad way) push him into the<br />back of the van, and effect a high speed getaway. Spike searches the<br />warehouse floor looking for the ring, only to discover that his assistant,<br />that nasty torturer guy, has doublecrossed him and decamped with "his"<br />ring. Spike has a few choice words to say about this.<br /><br />Despite his substantial injuries, Angel insists on the van being turned<br />around and going to a particular seaside pier where he thinks the (now<br />nearly invincible) vampire torturer guy may have been headed to engage in<br />some casual daytime mayhem.<br /><br />Angel takes the biggest risk he's ever taken in his life, in an all out<br />fight with his torturer. Eventually Angel does prevail, and the torturer<br />guy is toast, well, ash.<br /><br />Angel has a pretty cruise-y few hours, soaking up the sun. That evening he<br />stands atop a building prattling on philosophical mumbo-jumbo to Doyle,<br />while watching his first sunset in over 200 years.<br /><br />There is a small (ok very small) amount of doubt in my mind as to what<br />happens in the final scene. At the moment when Angel's gaze is averted,<br />Doyle makes a quite specific and un-natural movement of his hand. Now I<br />don't know for sure, but '*if* Doyle was a cheat at cards in his younger<br />days, could he have been..........?<br /><br />Catherine Jemma 14 Feb y2k<br /><br />Hello again<br /><br />Actually I see on the ng a very thorough review of Angel ep 1.01 posted by<br />a Robbie Mathews I think. It's an excellent review, but also so very<br />thorough that nothing is left to the imagination. Probably not a worry if<br />you've already seen the said episode. But a total and absolute spoiler for<br />anyone who hasn't. Still it's an excellent review, I suggest you check it<br />out.<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.04 ? title ?<br /><br />Cordy and Doyle are discussing the team's lack of money due to Angel's lack<br />of wanting to charge for their services. Doyle gets another premonition,<br />and so Angel sets off.<br /><br />At her workplace, a huge bunch of flowers arrives for "Melissa". Obviously<br />another case of excessive attention from an unwanted admirer. This puts<br />poor Melissa into a bit of a state. She heads off to the bathroom and<br />gobbles down a few pills before making a run for the basement parking<br />garage. She runs across Angel down there, he manages to have a few words<br />with her and gives her one of his businesscards. But she's out of her<br />mind, like a frightened rabbit, she hops into her car and does a runner.<br /><br />Melissa stops at an ATM for some cash, but the machine doesn't seem to like<br />her today. She's still trying to get the machine to work for her when an<br />older man, "Ronald" steps up. He changed her PIN number "for her own<br />good". Apparently Ronald and Melissa went out on one date, once, and ever<br />since then he's been stalking her. <br /><br />Melissa attends at Angel's office. She seems to be a bit sparse on details<br />though. "I know he's watching me, I can feel him watching me" sort of<br />thing. The A Team though are won over, they agree to take on the case,<br />reckoning that T.P.T.B only send messages to Doyle where Angel's help is<br />essential. Doyle does duty as a bodyguard while Angel heads off to the<br />copshop to speak to Detective Kate Lockley.<br /><br />Kate pulls the paperwork, which describes how previously Melissa had indeed<br />lodged a complaint for stalking against Ronald. However because he was a<br />respected doctor and surgeon, and without any real evidence (and with legal<br />threats from the law firm of Wolfram and Hart) the case had to be dropped.<br /><br />Angel sneaks into Doc Ronald's office and is having a poke around when the<br />doctor walks in on him. Angel gives a false name and spins a yarn about<br />his wife urgently needing a near impossible operation to save her life. <br />Angel leaves after surrepticiously pocketing a 'new age' type book. <br />Cordy's in a hospital cafetaria trying to dig up some dirt on The Doc,<br />Angel chases up the author of the new age book. A reclusive type guy, who<br />some years before had got to know the doctor quite well, and was downright<br />spooked out of his mind by him. <br /><br />At night while she's in bed, Ronald breaks into Melissa's apartment (well<br />more or less). He sexually interferes with the sleeping Melissa. She<br />slowly awakes and then starts to scream her head off when she twigs as to<br />what's happening to her. A nearby black-and-white unit (assigned by<br />Detective Kate Lockley) hears the screaming and the cop goes in to<br />investigate.. He quickly searches her apartment but finds nothing. The<br />cop is then trying to calm down the hysterical Melissa, when old Doc Ronald<br />attacks the cop from behind, quickly gaining the upper hand. Melissa<br />(screaming, as per her usual state, of late) runs from her apartment<br />straight into Angel, as he arrives outside. Kate arrives with<br />re-inforcements, Ronald is nowhere to be found, although the cop lies dead<br />on Melissa's apartment floor.<br /><br />Angel arranges a meet with Ronald at his doctor's offices (ostensibly<br />regarding his wife's surgery). But as soon as Angel arrives it's obvious<br />that somehow the Ronald's onto him. Doc Ronald shoots Angel full of an<br />experimental animal tranquiliser and leaves him to die on the floor. <br />Meanwhile Melissa's been filled up on whiskey and crashed out on Angel's<br />bad, watched over by Cordelia and Doyle. <br /><br />Despite the best efforts of Cordy and Doyle, Ronald gains entry to Angel's<br />apartment. He roughs up Cordy and locks her in a closet, while slinging<br />Doyle down into the sewer tunnels. Ronald confronts Melissa in person,<br />face to face. She's not afraid anymore, she's past being afraid. Melissa<br />stares him down and gives him a severe talking to. The good doc's about to<br />cut Melissa up real bad, using a surgical scalpel he has handy, when Angel<br />arrives, much to the doctor's surprise. Angel then gets to bust Ronald up<br />a bit.<br /><br />Later he details to Cordelia and Doyle how he's sorted out the old doctor,<br />good and proper. Melissa arrives at Angel's office. She's not a sucker<br />for punishment anymore, she's got control of her life back, and she's not<br />going to swallow any more rubbish. Some minor trouble with a "Bill" is<br />quickly cleared up and Melissa departs after giving Angel a potplant. <br />Doyle wants a drink "to celebrate" and leaves with Cordy, although Angel<br />prefers to stay behind at the office that day.<br /><br />Catherine Jemma 21 Feb y2k<br /><br />Hi there, golly it's after 5 pm and I still haven't gone online today yet.<br />It's getting later and later, eh.<br /><br />Mother bantam hen has 7 chicks hatched out alive under her when I checked a<br />few mins ago, they are so cute<br /><br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.05 Room With A View<br /><br />Cordelia seems to be having trouble with trashbags, and the telephone too. <br />She does a bunk from the office leaving Doyle trying to pump Angel for info<br />on her.<br /><br />Arriving home at her apartment (which is such a dump that it'd need major<br />renovations just to get up-graded to "condemned" status) the cockroach<br />invasion gets the better of her, and she frantically dials up Doyle. He<br />can't come to the phone right now though, because he's getting the hard<br />word put upon him by a debt collector guy. He does a runner from his<br />apartment with the debt collector chasing right behind him.<br /><br />Angel's leisurely shower, to a background of classical music, is<br />interrupted by Cordy banging furiously on his door. 'Not that (Angel) was<br />her last resort, just that (she) had nowhere else to go'. In thirty<br />seconds of fast talking she's hijacked Angel's apartment/shower/and only<br />bed.<br /><br />Doyle arrives at the office to find Cordelia suffering from lack-of-mirror.<br /> When quizzed, she admits to giving out his home address over the phone to<br />someone claiming to be a relative. Angel pulls a stunt on Doyle and gets<br />him to admit he owes money. Doyle wants Angel to intercede on his behalf,<br />but Angel's got a more important issue to deal with first. They make an<br />agreement that if Doyle will help Angel with his "problem", then Angel will<br />sort things out with the debt collector.<br /><br />Cordelia's having trouble finding an apartment. All the one's she's looked<br />at seem to be unsuitable for one reason or another. Doyle reckons he<br />"knows a guy" and can get her a good deal. A respectable real estate agent<br />shows Cordelia a huge fully furnished luxury apartment. It seems perfect. <br />But what Doyle and Cordy don't see as they inspect it, is a wall looking at<br />them. The apartment is available immediately so Cordy signs the papers on<br />the spot and moves in that day.<br /><br />That night Cordelia's just gotten to sleep when the apartment starts to<br />have a go at her. At sunrise things seem to settle down, to a degree, but<br />then as Doyle and Angel arrive, the haunting revs up into high gear. The<br />guys drag Cordy out, she's still screamin' that she'll die before she gives<br />up "her" apartment. The ghost of a little old lady agrees with her.<br /><br />Back at Angel's office, Doyle's researching the building's history and<br />previous occupants. Angel slopes off to chat up his favourite policewoman.<br /> Later that day, arriving back at the, by then, deserted office, Cordy gets<br />a phone message from Angel to meet him at her apartment. Once she gets<br />there however, the apartment locks her in and the ghost of the old woman<br />turns nasty. Angel and Kate discover that a large number of the<br />apartment's former tenants have died all from apparent suicides. From the<br />copshop he phones his office, Doyle takes the call having just arrived<br />back. Doyle retrieves the earlier message off of the answering machine. <br />They twig that the message is a fake and race off to the apartment with<br />great fears for Cordelia's safety.<br /><br />Meanwhile the old lady ghost has seen to it that Cordelia is hung up to<br />die. Angel and Doyle arrrive just in time to cut her down. They then try<br />a spell, but Cordy's totally lost it, and is just a waste of space. It's<br />around this time that the debt collector bursts in, with some extra muscle<br />to back him up. While Doyle and Angel are fighting them off, the ghost<br />corners Cordy in the bedroom, and sets about 'suiciding' her again. Cordy<br />finally comes to her sense and engages "Bitch" mode (something which we<br />haven't seen since her SunnyDale days) and goes one on one with the ghost. <br />(Really mate, the ghost doesn't stand a chance, eh)<br /><br />The ghost seems to have been vanquished, and by then the 2 guys have beaten<br />the bulldust outa the debt collector blokes, when suddenly Cordelia becomes<br />possessed by something and starts to smash down an internal wall with<br />little more than brute force. We see a flashback scene which explains a<br />part of the apartments history. Ultimately the situation becomes resolved<br />to Cordelia's benefit, albeit in a somewhat atypical manner. <br /><br />Catherine Jemma 8 March y2k<br /><br />I haven't been 100 % over the last couple of days, but wanted to ensure you<br />had this review intime to allow your webpage to maintain being one week<br />ahead of tv screenings.<br /><br /><br />Angel ep 1.06 Sense and Sensitivity<br /><br />Burglarboy's doing a runner, down a dark alleyway (where else) when<br />Detective Kate Lockley tackles him and then uses her female charm, NOT, to<br />try to extract information from him.<br /><br />Octupus has been on the dinner menu lately for the team at Angel<br />Investigations. Cordelia accuses Angel of being "insensitive" (the pot<br />calling the kettle black?) and rates his apology as "lame".<br /><br />Kate needs some extra assistance on a case so asks Angel to help track down<br />a monster, er sorry that should be mobster. It takes Angel all of a<br />couple of hours to do what the whole police force can't do, and Kate soon<br />has the crimeboss esconced in the local lockup. But he's soon represented<br />by a lawyer from the firm 'Wolfram and Hart' (that in itself is almost an<br />admission of guilt). The lawyer makes trouble for the cops, and they are<br />all forced to go on a "sensitivity training course". Even from behind<br />bars, the crimeboss has big plans for Kate's downfall and his 'early<br />release' from incarceration. <br /><br />Meanwhile the sensitivity classes are turning the local constabulary into<br />emasculated pussycats. <br /><br />Kate's dad, a uniformed officer, is retiring, and as his retirement bash<br />turns first into a huge sobfest and then starts to go awry, Angel whisks<br />Kate out of there. With the crew all assembled back at his office, Angel<br />manages to get out of Kate details about the sensitivity training course,<br />and goes off to investigate the man running it. He finds the dude and a<br />fight ensues.<br /><br />Detective Dipstick Kate (she's so bad you can nearly see the high and low<br />marks) had been left at Angel's office with Cordelia and Doyle watching<br />over her, but she pulls her gun on them and flees. They follow discretely<br />and arrive outside the poliice station. Kate's gone inside, where it's<br />utter bedlam. A "sensitive" custody officer has opened the cell doors and<br />let all the crims out. All the other police officers are just as rat-arsed<br />on excess emotions and the whole area (both inside and outside the copshop)<br />is going to hell-in-a-handbasket real fast. <br /><br />Angel meets up with Cordy and Doyle outside the police station, but he's<br />been whammied too, and isn't much cop either. Cordy and Doyle have to take<br />the lead. The mobster guy's got out of the cells and siezed a pump action<br />riotgun and has it trained on Kate. C/D/A arrive in the detective's<br />squadroom and when Angel sees Kate's staring down the barrel of a 12 gauge,<br />at near pointblank range, he gets in touch with his more hostile feelings<br />in order to save her.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 20 March y2k<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.07 The Bachelor Party<br /><br />It's evening and the two blokes are hanging around the office with nothing<br />better to do. Cordelia steps in, the way she's dressed it looks like she's<br />on her way out to The Academy Awards. A slick yuppie arrives and whisks<br />her away for the evening (after that is, getting a verbal grilling by<br />Angel, who's doing an impression of an over protective father). After<br />Cordelia's left, Doyle gets a vision, so he and Angel head-off to off-head,<br />the evil. <br /><br />Cordelia's in a fancy restaurant, bored titless by the stockmarket<br />monologue issuing from her dinner-date's lips. She feigns illness and has<br />her date drop her off back by Angel's office. A vampire jumps them both,<br />on the footpath right outside the office. Yuppie-sissy-boy does a bunk,<br />leaving Cordy to take all the heat. Doyle arrives onscene. He takes a<br />hell of a pounding, but eventually bests the vamp.<br /><br />Doyle's wife Harry stops by. She wants him to sign the divorce papers she's<br />brought, so she can re-marry. A moment later, some guy wanders into<br />Angel's office too. It's her new beau, 'Richard', scopin' out his gal's<br />last hubby. <br /><br />Doyle still cares for Harry and is concerned for her. He asks Angel to do<br />a bit of an obbo on this Richard guy. Later Angel sees Richard go demon<br />and advance on Harry as they're alone together in a deserted restaurant,<br />Angel smashes his way in, and a brief fight ensues, but it turns out that<br />Harry knows all about Richard's family tree.<br /><br />Doyle agrees to sign the divorce papers, and is invited to the bachelor<br />party. Cordelia's invited to Harry's 'shower. Doyle drags Angel along<br />with him (although he wasn't actually invited) to the bachelor party. <br />Angel though remains somewhat aloof. He seems to have a bad feeling in his<br />gut.<br /><br />But hey, the bachelor party seems to be running par for the course. Lots<br />of beer, lots of obnoxious behaviour, testosterone overload and a half<br />naked strippergirl. Angel sees some of Richard's rellies doing some demon<br />ritually things in a backroom. They discover Angel and beat him into<br />unconsciousness.<br /><br />Doyle is restrained and preparations are well underway for Richard to eat<br />his brain. Doyle's mere moments away from going topless, when Angel<br />regains consciousness, fangs up, and starts kickin' the crap out of the<br />place. <br /><br />The fight ends abruptly when Cordy and Harry turn up and Harry tells her<br />prospective hubby that his prospects for being her hubby aren't so good<br />anymore. Harry and Cordy, Angel and Doyle, walk out of the bachelor party,<br />the demons let them go unchallenged. (They reckon that a wife whose knees,<br />only bend the one way, just plain isn't worth it) <br /><br />Later back at Angel's office, the trio's de-briefing is interupted by Doyle<br />having a vision. Buffy is in mortal danger. (This leads to the<br />Buffy/Angel major crossover episodes 4.08/1.08)<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 28 March y2k<br /><br />I'll be away from the comp until about Monday.<br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.08 I Will Remember You<br /><br />Angel's back, from his 3 days in SunnyDale (see ep B 4.08). He's partway<br />through sorting out his desk when Buffy walks in. Cordy and Doyle beat a<br />hasty retreat, leaving Buffy, who's right bitchy to have her whinge at<br />Angel.<br /><br />They say what they have to, to each other, and Buffy's about to leave when<br />Samurai Warrior Demon Guy smashes in through the office window. The<br />ensuing rumble wrecks the office but the demon escapes, injured and<br />bleeding.<br /><br />Buffy and Angel cruise the sewers together (following a demonblood trail)<br />having a heart to heart talk as they go. They split up, Buffy going<br />topside into the daylight while Angel stays searching below. Angel comes<br />across the demon in the sewers, he suffers a minor cut, but succeeds in<br />killing the demon, however some of the demon's blood infects his cut. <br /><br />After collapsing to the ground, and glowing for a few seconds, Angel<br />doesn't not have a heartbeat anymore.<br /><br />Cordelia and Doyle arrive back at the office to find it trashed (from the<br />fight earlier) a few seconds later Angel walks in. Within all of 15<br />seconds he's done a refridgerator raid. Angel wants to know why,<br />The-Powers-That-Be have/have allowed him to become mortal again. He gets<br />Doyle to open a gateway to "The Oracles", they say only that he's<br />"released" and is to lead a mortal life (and death) from now on. <br /><br />Angel seeks out Buffy and surprises her by meeting her outside in the full<br />sunlight. They retire to his basement apartment. Cordelia and Doyle are<br />upstairs, Cordy's got a very firm opinion on what they're doing. In the<br />basement though, they're just having afternoon tea and a chat. No Really !<br />! After a lot of talking, Buffy's about to leave, when (to take a quote<br />from The Bloodhound Gang's recent hit song The Bad Touch) "You and me baby<br />aren't nothin' but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the Discovery<br />Channel".<br /><br />Doyle and Cordy are in a bar wondering about their future. Doyle's happy<br />he won't be getting anymore "Headsplitting Mindnumbing Visions". When<br />suddenly he's floored by a headsplitting mindnumbing vision. Apparently<br />Samurai demonguy has regenerated himself and is even bigger and stronger<br />than before. Doyle tells Angel about his vision, but Angel refuese to<br />bring Buffy into the loop. Angel and Doyle go off to fight the demon.<br />Angel gets the Kakka kicked out of him, and would've been killed if it<br />wasn't for Buffy's timely arrival.<br /><br />Later Angel again seeks out The Oracles, he wants his Vampirism back. They<br />agree it can be done, but subject to some pretty heavy conditions on our<br />poor little Ange-man.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 30 March y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138245119542040322006-01-26T11:11:00.000+08:002006-01-26T11:11:59.630+08:00BUFFY eps 4.01 thru 4.08 reviews re-discoveredSome years ago I reviewed eps of BUFFY and ANGEL and emailed the reviews<br /> which were posted on a fan website.<br /><br />Unfortunately, That website has been defunct for some time now. <br />Here are the original reviews, I have not further edited them, except <br /> for the removal of some personal email content. 26-01-2006<br /><br />..... ..... ..... ..... ..... <br /><br /><br />I have been deliberately vague in places and especially not given away<br />major spoilers , but have included what I think is plenty of details to<br />make the review interesting (for example Eddie becomes turned into a<br />vampire and is killed by Buffy, as is the female vamp Sunday, howvere I<br />avoided naming them as the one's she got, in my review)<br /><br />NOTE That it is a deliberate part of my writing style to use commas and<br />hyphens more than average. I do this to make things read in a more<br />true-to-verbal style.<br /><br />Buffy The Vampire Slayer, ep 4.01 The Freshman<br /><br />The teaser opens with Buffy and Willow in a graveyard and Buffy seems to<br />have well lost her focus, Slayerwise.<br /><br />At the episode opening, over a background of lonesome and lonely music, we<br />see Buffy wandering around lost and well out of her depth, at UC*D college<br />orientation day <<<note to editor, the asterisk symbol depicts a Sun<br />logo>>><br /><br />Willow though is in her element and already has herself 100 % organised. <br />At the University bookshop Buffy has a run-in with a spunky young Tutorial<br />Assistant. Buffy is instantly attracted to him, but he seems only to have<br />eyes for the more academic Willow.<br /><br />Buffy doesn't much like her new room-mate and wishes that she and Willow<br />had been assigned a room together.<br /><br />Day one of classes doesn't start at all well, when Buffy gets booted out of<br />her lecture by a grumpy professor. Her second class is only marginally<br />better, the professor there's a hard nosed bitch, who barks her words out<br />to the class. But at least the ol' Buffmeister makes it through the class.<br /><br />Later, lost on the campus at night, Buffy has a chance encounter with a<br />nice freshman boy called Eddie. The next day he fails to show up for class.<br /> He has supposedly dropped out of school but Buffy isn't so sure.<br /><br />The next night, Buffy is attacked by a group of vampires. She takes out one<br />of them, but their leader, a female vamp named Sunday, fair whips Buffy's<br />butt. Buffy escapes with her life, barely. She is injured and thoroughly<br />humiliated.<br /><br />Buffy skips college for the day and returns home for a time-out and to<br />regain her composure. Unfortunately there's no place for her there, her<br />bedroom's already been taken over (by her mother for storage).<br /><br />Returning to her college dorm-room she finds she's been "dissappeared". ie<br />someone has nicked all her stuff, and left a "I've dropped out of college<br />and run away" note, with her name forged on the bottom.<br /><br />Buffy wanders around, she's at her lowest ebb ever, when she runs across<br />Xander. He helps her regain some of her focus. "Let's put this bitch in<br />the ground" he says and they head off together.<br /><br />They discover where the vampires might be hiding and go for a reccy. Xander<br />goes away to secure weapons leaving Buffy to keep an eye on the vampires<br />lair. She drops in on them, weapon-less, a bit earlier than planned.<br /><br />The battle starts poorly for Buffy, but she regains her focus partway<br />through the fight, killing 2 vampires while 2 others escape. Moments later<br />Xander arrives with weapons and reinforcements. But it's all over, Buffy's<br />back to her good old Slayer self and her confidence in her slayer abilities<br />has returned.<br /><br />As Buffy and the Slayerettes reclaim her belongings from the lair, and<br />return to her room, we see that one of the vampires that escaped, running<br />away through another part of the campus grounds, is stunned unconscious, by<br />an electrical "Taser" gun, and taken captive by a group of masked men.<br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 3 Feb y2k<br /><br /><br />OK I've got 2 for you. No I didn't rush them, I did one last night when<br />Parkinson was on. I only have 2 channels here, ABC and GWN (= ch 7 clone,<br />Prime), and that had sport on.<br /><br />So I did one B ep last night and one this morning<br /><br />As per the first review I tried to be vague enough in places so as not to<br />give everything away, however I recommend you web header page containing<br />some sort of spoiler warning "The following reviews contain some spoilers"<br />or etc<br /><br />As usual it is written in my regular style with the use of commas, hyphens<br />etc as I see fit.<br /><br /><br /><br />BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ep 4.02 Living Conditions<br /><br />Rooming with Cathy is bugging Buff, big time. Not quite the roomy from<br />hell, but Cathy's obsessive compulsive behaviour is driving Buffy to<br />distraction.<br /><br />Struggling to find an excuse to leave on her nightly patrolling, Buffy<br />claims she's going for a coffee, but Cathy tags along anyway. On a dark<br />campus path, a demon attacks them from behind. Buffy shoves Cathy out of<br />the way, into some shrubbery, and smacks the demon 'round a bit. The demon<br />runs off before Cathy regains her senses and climbs out from amongst the<br />bushes.<br /><br />Cathy even crowds in on Buffy's personal space in the cafetaria, when she<br />squeezes in on the Slayerettes table at lunchtime. Buffy chatted with a<br />guy at lunch, later Cathy seems to be moving in on him too.<br /><br />The Slayerettes are concerned that Buffy is losing the plot mentally and<br />going off the deep end. Cathy's irritating behaviour is in danger of<br />costing her a right pounding and maybe worse. Oz accompanies Buffy on<br />patrol that night, in order to keep an eye on her deteriorating mental<br />state.<br /><br />The next morning, Buffy having seen Cathy having a girl to girl chat with<br />Willow, tells Willow she intends to kill Cathy. Willow "drops-a-dime" and<br />dobs in Buffy's homicidal intentions to Giles. Xander, Oz and Giles<br />conspire to capture Buffy and tie her up in Giles' apartment. Giles then<br />leaves to continue his research on the original demon attacker. Buffy<br />escapes her bonds and overcomes Oz and Xander, leaving them unconscious on<br />the floor.<br /><br />Buffy returns to her room to have it out once and for all with Cathy. <br />Giles returns to his apartment, to find Buffy gone and the 2 guys nursing<br />sore heads. His research has turned up some disturbing information. Giles<br />and Willow together try an incantation. <br /><br />The catfight between Cathy and Buffy rapidly become serious and violent. <br />Cathy seems to be getting the upper hand, when the dorm-rroom door bursts<br />open and Cathy's Dad storms in. He is NOT a happy man, and insists that his<br />runaway offspring return with him to the family home where she belongs.<br /><br />Buffy gets assigned a new room-mate, but her nerves are still on a knife<br />edge. Will things be any better after all ??<br /><br />Catherine Jemma, 6 Feb y2k<br /><br />BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ep 4.03 The Harsh Light Of Day<br /><br />Buffy's been seeing a lot of a guy called Parker lately. After a night out<br />at the student bar, Buffy and Parker leave together. As Willow leaves the<br />bar, she is attacked right outside, by Melody, a girl she knew from<br />Sunnydale High last year. Oz arrives and helps fight her off. <br /><br />Just as Buffy and Parker reach her dorm-room door, Oz and Willow run up and<br />relate what's just happened. Meanwhile Harmony's returned home and begs<br />her boyfriend to kill Willow for her. But he's not interested in girlie<br />squabbles. He's got more important work on his mind. <br /><br />Anya (the vengeance demon whom Willow turned mortal by a spell, in the<br />earlier episode 3:16 Dopplegangland) re-appears on the scene and starts<br />bugging Xander. She wants Xander and she wants sex, and there ain't<br />nothin' gonna stand in her way !<br /><br />Buffy and Parker run across Spike and Melody in the student bar. Buffy<br />chases them outside and a brief fight ensues. Spike backs off and Melody<br />threatens they'll be back stronger and deadlier, when they've found the<br />magic jewel they're seeking.<br /> <br />Later, Buffy meets up with Parker again. They go back to his room, where<br />his slick talking seduces her. Meanwhile Anya has waylaid Xander in his<br />basement aprtment, and seduced him, well and truely.<br /><br />The next morning when Buffy arrives back at her dorm room, Willow and Giles<br />are already waiting for her, with worrying news. <br /><br />Melody's perpetual bimbo-headedness, has driven Spike to the edge. They<br />discover the cache of jewels they're seeking and grab a handful each. <br />Melody finally pisses off Spike to the max and he rams a stake through her,<br />in a moment of fury. <br /><br />Buffy has wondered why Parker hasn't phoned or got back to her in the last<br />couple of days. Then she sees him getting friendly with another girl on<br />the campus grounds. She accosts him and he as good as admits that he was<br />just using her for sex.<br /><br />Buffy has barely had a moment for that shattering revelation to sink in,<br />when as she turns around she is suddenly and unexpectedly attacked by<br />Spike, right there in the campus grounds. He is very strong now and even<br />staking him doesn't seem to be slowing him down much. The fight is very<br />vicious indeed but Buffy finally manages to take the protective jewel away<br />from Spike, now vulnerable, he runs away.<br /><br />Later, at a meeting of the Slayerettes, it is agreed that Oz will take the<br />gem for safekeeping.<br /><br />As the episode closes, 3 lonely women, all having just lost the men in<br />their lives, are seen wandering aiimlessly 'round the campus grounds.<br /><br />Catherine Jemma, 6 Feb y2k<br /><br />Just a sidenote re my earlier review. I might have been in error on a minor<br />point. The reference for the ep where Willow's spell converted theVengeance<br />Demon Anyanka into human form might have been ep 3.09 The Wish and not ep<br />3.16 Dopplegangland as I earlier suggested. <br /><br />You may just want to delete the bracketed reference from my earlier review.<br /><br /><br />BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ep 4.04 Fear, Itself<br /><br />As the Slayerettes are happily engaged in carving pumpkin heads for<br />Hallowe'en, Buffy is severely depressed at having been dumped by Parker. <br />She's so broken up inside that the next day when she sees Parker in the<br />cafetaria, she does a bail.<br /><br />Anya seeks out Xander in his basement apartment. "You haven't called" she<br />says, "It's been a whole week since we copulated". Xander invites Anya out<br />with him and the gang, to the Hallowe'en festivities that evening. <br /><br />Oz helps a Fraternity install a high powered sound system for their<br />Frat-house. Amongst the Hallowe'en party decorations and props, a<br />Pentagram is being drawn onto the floor. Nicking his finger while<br />installing a loudspeaker, some drops of Oz's blood fall within the<br />Pentagram.<br /><br />That evening Oz and Willow join up with Buffy and Xander and together<br />wander along towards the Frat-house party. On the way they see a group in<br />paramilitary costumes armed with realistic looking assault weapons. Upon<br />entering the Frat-house, the groundfloor seems to be deserted, although<br />frightening sounds fill the air. Anya arrives a few minutes later, but<br />can't get in because the house now has no external front door. She looks<br />around just in time to see the windows disappearing too.<br /><br />Anya leaves and seeks out Giles' help. He quickly packs a carrybag with<br />supplies. Meanwhile things in the Frat-house are getting weirder. <br /><br />The Slayerettes while exploring, become seperated. Oz commences to wolf<br />out. Willow tries to use witchcraft, to help find the others. But that<br />idea doesn't go as planned. Xander seems to have become invisible, while<br />Buffy has a run in with some bad dudes.<br /><br />Arriving outside the house, Giles selects what he needs to create a<br />doorway, from within his carrybag. He enters the house accompanied by<br />Anya, but they too become trapped as the doorway instantly disappears<br />behind them. The meet up with the other 4 Slayerettes, now back together. <br /><br /><br />Willow has found an old book, from which the Pentagram was copied. She and<br />Giles try to make sense of it's archaic language. Before they have time to<br />seek a solution their way, Buffy acts impetuously, inadvertantly summoning<br />forth the Fear Demon in full physical form.<br /><br />Prompted by Giles, and using a non-standard Slayer technique, Buffy manages<br />to overcome the demon.<br /><br />Catherine Jemma, 7 Feb y2k<br /><br />Yeah sorry I didn't do this yesterday, I wasn't well. I wasn't too good<br />this morning but came right as the day wore on. I actually did this at<br />breakfast but only now, 4 pm my time, have I got 'round to sitting down at<br />the comp. My handwritten notes take up more space than any other rreviw,<br />so I hope it's ok. <br /><br />I have fastforwarded my Buffy/Angel tape so that tomorrows review will hop<br />to angel ep 1.05, ok. Then I'll rewind and do the other 3 Buffy's in a<br />row. I thought I'd do it this way in order to more easily enable you to<br />maintian one or two eps ahead of the airing of eps. I goto Perth next in<br />six days so you should have all the Buffy's upto 4.08 and Angel's to 1.07<br />by then, ok<br /><br /><br />BUFFY ep 4.05 Beer Bad<br /><br />The episode opens with Buffy slaying numerous vampires in defence of<br />Parker, who then begs for Buffy's forgiveness. But....It's all just a<br />daydream. Buffy's really in a lecture and Parker's just a few seats away,<br />chatting up another girl. <br /><br />Xander's started attending UC Sunnydale. Well he's started working as a<br />bartender at the on-campus Pub anyway. At lunch, Willow (apparently)<br />admits to getting pregnant to her step-brother, and skulling a whole bottle<br />of Wild Turkey whiskey in order to console herself somewhat. Buffy's still<br />haunted by feelings for Parker, but Willow warns he's just plain no good. <br />That evening Buffy literally runs into Riley at the Pub, while spying<br />Parker at a table playing tonsil hockey with his latest conquest. A smart<br />alec college guy treats Xander like an idiot.<br /><br />Sitting alone at the bar, Buffy is not feeling good. Seeing Parker sucking<br />face with his next victim hasn't helped. Buff finds a friendly bartender<br />to talk too. She has an idea for a new Health Plan for Parker. No, not<br />insurance, more of a slayer-esque bad-health plan. Buffy refers to herself<br />as a slut and an idiot for falling for Parker. As she's about to leave the<br />bar, she runs into some guy who invites her back to his table with him and<br />his three buddies (one of them the smart alec who put Xander down earlier).<br /> They're buying the beers so Buffy decides to hang with them for awhile.<br /><br />Willow and Oz are at the Bronze. Willow's done Oz's schoolwork for him,<br />again. Because he skipped lectures, again. Oz seems distracted by some<br />kind of weird vibes in the air. When the band begins to play he becomes<br />entranced with the female lead singer. "Verooka" he knows of, through his<br />musician contacts. This is the girl who he's made eye contact with on<br />several occasions but never actually spoken to. <br /><br />The next morning Buffy's feeling the effects of too much beer. During<br />Maggie's lecture Buffy seems to be losing it. She snatches a sandwhich<br />right out of a neighbouring girls grasp and bolts it down. A brief<br />camerashot shows us some chemlab equipment set up in a backroom somewhere,<br />distilling something and adding it to the campus beer supply. That evening<br />Buffy's again sitting with the same 4 guys, who are knocking back the beers<br />like a gang of Aussie Miners.<br /><br />Oz's skipped class yet again, he meets up with Willow and tells her he'll<br />be at the Bronze again that evening. This time he's been invited to sit in<br />and play along with Verooka's band. They go their seperate ways.<br /><br />Xander manages to wheel Buffy out of the Pub and talk her into going home<br />to bed. Sometime later her boozebuddies discover her missing and become<br />upset. Then as Xander's trying to get the guys to leave, (now very drunk)<br />they prove themselves to be a right pack of animals. Xander gets knocked<br />to the floor and stunned temporarily but eventually gets the guys to leave.<br /> Xander has words with his boss who's sorting out stock in the storeroom,<br />he admits to spiking the beer. He's sick of college guys who think they're<br />just "s-o-o-o" smart. His beer is supposed to bring them all down to a<br />lowest common denominator level. <br /><br />Xander gets Giles and together they go to check on Buffy. She's been<br />making a right mess of her dormroom, but then does a runner in search of<br />more beer. Earlier, Willow had sought out Parker, found him in the pub,<br />and was giving him a piece of her mind when the 4 drunkards burst in,<br />behaving like a pack of wild animals they knock Willow and Parker to the<br />floor, smash the place up a bit and set it afire.<br /><br />Xander catches up with Buffy, they notice a fire has broken out in the pub<br />(yeah her brain is about half-working at this stage). Buffy goes inside to<br />help drag out survivors while Xander goes off to raise the alarm.<br /> <br />After rescuing the unconscious Willow and helping others to escape, Buffy<br />was going to leave Parker to the fire, but has second thoughts and does<br />drag him clear.<br /><br />Later, outside, during mopping up operations, Parker comes upto Buffy and<br />begs her forgiveness. Buffy gives him a piece of her mind, (which from<br />Buffy carries a bit more impact than Willows earlier attempt).<br /><br /><br />Catherine Jemma, 7 March y2k<br /><br />Hi tthere<br /><br />Well my handwritten notes for this one have exceeded all others, either my<br />writing's getting bigger or else I just felt like writing a lot.<br /><br />Personally I love this ep, it's one of my favourites, and it is a very<br />intense episode. It starts off almost like a comedy but by the end of the<br />ep is a real tissueboxrequired tearjerker<br /><br />Below this line is intended for publication on your website<br /><br />BUFFY ep 4.06 Wild At Heart<br /><br />Buff's slayin' the vamps alright, but they just don't seem to appreciate<br />her sense of humour, while getting their requisite pummelling. Unknown to<br />Buffy (who in TVBuffyland doesn't get the useful PMS that her movieland<br />incarnation did) Spike is nearby and secretly looking on. As she leaves<br />to resume her patrol, he mutters a few threats towards her. Unfortunately<br />for him he's cut short by some army looking dudes who zap him into<br />unconsciousness with an electrical TASER stungun.<br /><br />The Slayerettes are all hanging out at The Bronze, even Giles shows up. <br />Verooka's singing again tonight and Oz sits mesmerised, even Xander and<br />Giles seem to be transfixed by her "remarkable presence".<br /><br />Willow and Oz awake together, before heading off to class Will' explains<br />Oz'll have to lock himself up that night as she'll be attending an oncampus<br />Wicca thing. Buffy's done well in class, her reward is to do extra work<br />and lead a discussion group. (?? Reward ??)<br /><br />Verooka invites Oz to share her lunch table. Willow arrives but feels left<br />out of their music talk. Oz and Verooka go their seperate ways, the lone<br />Willow then joined by the newly arrived Buffy. Willow's worried about Oz's<br />seeming attraction to Verooka. Buffy assures her that Oz isn't the kind of<br />guy who'd stray from the nest. That night Oz locks himself in his cage,<br />without a Willow to keep watch over him. Professor Maggie Walsh, finishes<br />up some work late, and while walking oncampus late that night sees two wild<br />dogs engaged in a fierce fight.<br /><br />The next morning Oz awakes outside amongst the shrubbery, naked and lying<br />next to a similarly (un)-clothed Verooka. The deep scratches they both<br />bear testify to an intense night together. They raid a laundryroom for<br />some clothes. Oz wonders how he escaped from his cage. Verooka wonders<br />how someone's got Oz so "domesticated" that he'll even allow himself to be<br />caged.<br /><br />Verooka's hot ! She wants to get it on with Oz again (in human form this<br />time) right there in the laundryroom. Willow returns from her Wicca thing<br />and searches out Oz in his room. She's interested in some carnal action<br />but Oz rejects her outright, even before she can get the shirt off of him<br />(perhaps he's worried how he'd explain a back covered in claw scratch marks<br />?). Willow leaves Oz's room feeling rejected, disappointed, and sexually<br />frustrated. Buffy's heard reports of "two wild dogs" fighting and asks<br />Giles to do some checking up. <br /><br />Willow's feeling jealous and worried about the Oz/Verooka situation. She<br />heads off to the Harris household and seeks out Xander's counsel. Buffy<br />finds Oz to see if he can shed any light on the "two wild dogs" thing, she<br />finds him repairing his broken cage door. Oz claims to have ne relavent<br />info for her.<br /><br />Oz spends that day alone in his room. Willow meanwhile is alone too,<br />amongst the college crowd. As evening approaches Verooka seeks out Oz,<br />they end up locked in his cage together. This is apparently good. <br />Although things don't appear quite as good when Willow turns up the next<br />morning, having brought breakfast for Oz, to find his naked body entwined<br />with Verooka's. Willow's spittin' chips and Oz's explanation just falls on<br />deaf ears.<br /><br />Willow is utterly shattered. She's staggering 'round in a dreamlike state,<br />and Riley only just manages to save her from being runover by a car. B.<br />sees Willow safely back to their dormroom and then goes out in search of<br />Verooka.<br /><br />Come late arvo, a bad tempered Willow's working some dark Mojo on the wild<br />ones.<br /><br />Buffy and Oz are patrolling the campus grounds trying to sniff out<br />Verooka's scent. They become split up when Buffy runs smack-bang into<br />'masked commando guy'. Oz goes on ahead and arrives just as Verooka's<br />about to have some Willa for dinner. Oz and Verooka bitch at each other<br />awhile before the fisticuffs start. As the sun sets they both wolf out,<br />still locked in a lunatics deadly embrace. Oz eventually prevails and<br />chows down on some she-wolf. He's about to have a piece of<br />Jewish-Wicca-Girl dessert, when Buffy arrives onscene with a dart rifle. <br />Ozwolf has a bit of a bye-byes as Buffy comforts a rapidly disintegrating<br />Willow. <br /><br />At the Slayer and Watcher mini debriefing session, B. informs Giles about<br />'masked-commando-guy' and expresses her fears regarding Willow's fragile<br />emotional state.<br /><br />Willow visits Oz in his room, he's throwing a few things in a bag. A few<br />gentle words, a brief hug, and he's gone. Out the door, and out of<br />Willow's life. Into his van ( a moments pause for second thoughts) then<br />drives off down the road. <br /><br />Willow remains, alone in Oz's room, crying her eyes out.<br /><br /><br />Catherine Jemma 10 March y2k <br /><br />I have two reviews for you. No I didn't rush them either. I did one last<br />night when there was crap on tv and another this morning.<br /><br />It will be about a week before I send you more reviews (Angel 1.06<br />onwards). I've got lots of chores to do tomorrow before going to Perth for<br />a few days then upon my return I'll have chores to catch up on again.<br /><br />As stated earlier these are close to being my favourite episodes so far.<br />Although I think that honour is currently held by eps 4.09 Something Blue<br />and 4.10 Hush and A1.10 Parting Gifts<br /><br /><br />Buffy ep 4.07 The Initiative<br /><br />RILEY and his tablemates are scoping out the talent in the cafetaria. A<br />blonde beauty attracts their attention. But what a klutz ! Poor ol' Buffy<br />manages to break every dispenser she touches, and then spill all her food<br />before making it safely back to a table.<br /><br />SPIKE meanwhile is having an EVEN WORSE day. He regains consciousness<br />lying on the floor of a tiny all white prison cell. Measuring less than 3<br />metres square, and devoid of any internal fitments or furnishings, the<br />front face of the cell is safety-glass, and when he tries to break through,<br />Spike gets knocked for a six by an electric shock. White coated<br />technicians can be seen occasionally in the corridor outside the cell. The<br />large outer room seems to contain at least 20 (maybe more) cells, each with<br />a single vampire or demon trapped inside. <br /><br />Buffy drops 'round to Giles' place, to inform him that patrol duties will<br />fall to him and Xander that night, because Buff's taking Willow (she who is<br />the Oz-less depressed black hole of the universe) to a party. <br /><br />A trapdoor in the ceiling of the cell opens and a plastic sachet of blood<br />drops through. Spike's about to consume it when a vampire in a<br />neighbouring cell shouts a warning to him that it's drugged.<br /><br />The lecture den of she-who-roars-like-a-lion (Professor Maggie Walsh), will<br />it seems, be without Daniel (Osborne) for ever more. B. has a few choice<br />words to say on the matter. <br /><br />Giles is with Xander in his basement apartment, getting their weapons ready<br />for that night's patrol. There is some concern though, about whether or<br />not the fruit punch is upto the required standard. <br /><br />Parker the Poophead is bigmouthing (and badmouthing) his conquest of Buffy.<br /> Riley knocks him out cold with one punch. Riley seeks out Buffy in order<br />to ask her out. Willow's alone in their room, so Riley pumps her for info<br />that'll get him in good with Buff. <br /><br />Two technicians in white labcoats remove an unconscious Spike from his<br />cell. He's only faking though, and gets the better of them, stealing an<br />electronic swipecard from one of them, which enables him to escape the<br />underground prison/laboratory facility. Spike returns to his old lair. <br />Harmony seems cold at first but within moments they're engaged in the<br />horizontal tango together. Buffy and Willow attend the party going on at<br />Riley's fraternity house. Riley tries to engage Buffy in conversation but<br />he's lost for words. <br /><br />Xander, patrolling alone, comes across Harmony amongst a thicket of bushes,<br />doing the all-men-are-bastards-let's-burn-all-their-stuff trick. Xander<br />"the para-slayer" Harris takes on Harmony "Vampire-throat-ripper" Kendall<br />in a no-holds-barred fight. Stalemated at about the same stage as two 7<br />year old girls at a Sunday School picnic, they decide to call it quits and<br />mutually agree to back off and go their seperate ways. It came up in<br />conversation that Spike didn't even spend one full night back in Harmony's<br />arms, before zooming off to kill The Slayer. Xander's shocked to hear that<br />Spike is back in town, and out for Buffy's blood. <br /><br />Riley has only just started a conversation with Buffy when Xander arrives<br />and makes an excuse to drag her away. Riley and a couple of his fraternity<br />housemates later head downstairs. Downstairs of their Frat-house is a huge<br />underground prison/laboratory complex. Special Agent Riley Finn is given<br />his orders. "Hostile # 17 has escaped !" So he and a number of other men,<br />all dressed in military garb, and going about equipped accordingly, leave<br />to search. Live capture is preferable, they're told, but staking is<br />permitted if necessary. <br /><br />Buffy's patrolling in search of Spike is "compromising" the area of campus<br />that Agent Finn's troop wants to search. Riley discards his army kit and<br />"happens" across Buff. They then try to out-talk each other into making<br />the 'other' one return to their room. A scream is heard in the distance<br />and they both run off, in different directions.<br /><br />Spike meanwhile has traced which dorm-room Buffy is registered in. <br />Knocking softly at the door, he's invited in by the half-asleep Willow. <br />Spike's looking forward to having a suckfest on Willow's neck, however he<br />is unable to perform. Even when they take a break for a while, and then<br />Willow tries offering gentle words of encouragement, it's all to no avail. <br /><br /><br />Willow's despondant. Shattered even. She's not even good enough tto be<br />vampire tucker. Does he want to fang only with Buffy and won't accept a<br />second choice Willow ? NO ! Spike assures her, he'd happily drain her dry<br />in a heartbeat, if he could. Willow makes a run for the door but the<br />lights go out and the door is locked. The military type guys have tracked<br />Spike down, and activated some security over-ride that blacks out the whole<br />dorm and locks all the doors. The Military guys make their way to Willow's<br />room and bust the door in. A fight ensues in the near pitch darkness, the<br />military guys having the benefit of nightvision glasses. The fight gets<br />even more confused when Buffy arrives and discharges an incendary flare,<br />temporarily blinding the military types. Spike manages to escape as Buffy<br />gets sidetracked fighting the military guys, before they beat their hasty<br />retreat. <br /><br />The next day Riley and Buffy have a casual chat, while out walking oncampus<br />together. The previous night's action in the dormitory is put down to<br />being a fraternity stunt. <br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 12 March y2k<br /><br />Above this line for publication. OK Rebecca I'm all typed out for today<br />(It's taken over an hour to type this). So although it's already<br />handwritten you'll have to wait for tomorrow's logon for the next review,<br />ok.<br /><br />OK here's today's review. Next reviews expect in about a week, ok. <br /><br />Buffy ep 4.08 "Pangs"<br /><br />Buffy accosts a vamp one dark night, and dusts him in 30 seconds flat. But<br />something's troubling her, a vibe, a feeling in the air. What we see (but<br />B. doesn't) is Angel lurking in the shrubbery, keeping an eye on his lil<br />ol' Buff. <br /><br />Buffy, Willow and Anya are watching the groundbreaking ceremony for a new<br />university building. Xander's got a job weilding a shovel. Anya's come to<br />watch Xander's body muscles ripple and his skin gleam with beads of sweat. <br />She's imagining having sex with him "Right Now !" and isn't afraid to tell<br />everybody. The Professer making a speech waffles on about "our new<br />cultural center", "thanksgiving day" and "the melting pot", that has formed<br />modern (United States of) America. Willow's in wild disagreement though. <br />Her take on the situation is a bunch of invaders wiping out the original<br />inhabitants and taking over the land. <br /><br />Xander and the work crew have only just started to dig when the ground<br />underneath them gives way. The "X"-man falls several metres into the<br />buried remains of an old church. He's unhurt though and is soon rescued. <br />It turns out to be the old SunnyDale Mission. Lost since an earthquake in<br />the early 1800's. <br /><br />Buffy's mum's away, and Willow's mum refuses to have any part in<br />Thanksgiving Day festivities. So the girls put their heads together and<br />decide to organise their own Thanksgiving together. Willow's really keen<br />on NOT-inviting Anya (just 'cause Anyanka tried to get Willow eaten by a<br />vampire once) but Buffy says that if Xander comes then she'll be at his <br />side too. Everyone needs a home to go to.<br /><br />Spike's staggering 'round in a bad way. He hasn't fed for yonks. The<br />military types are still cruisin' lookin' to give him a bruisin'. Xander<br />fails to make it to his work on day two. Anya finds him in his basement<br />apartment as sick as a dog. She removes his clothes and puts him to bed. <br /><br />The Professor lady from the groundbreaking (who's name escapes me) is on<br />the phone, construction of the new building has been suspended while<br />investigations and study of the ruins of the old SunnyDale Mission takes<br />place. As the lady Prof hangs up the phone, her day is ruined, for the<br />rest of her life, by an "Indian" warrior bearing a stone knife and one<br />helluva bad attitude.<br /><br />Will' and Buff sneak in and investigate the room where the lady was<br />lacerated. They notice that an exhibit is missing from a glass display<br />case. A Native American artifact, a stone knife. <br /><br />Buffy's turned up at Giles' with bagloads of ingredients and tells Giles<br />what she's found out so far, about the Professor's murder. She leaves<br />Giles' place after funny vibes go through her again. After she's gone<br />Angel comes out of hiding in a backroom, he and Giles discuss what unusual<br />danger Buffy may be unwittingly about to face.<br /><br />Willow and Buffy are chasing down some last minute ingredients (because<br />Buffy wants the Thanksgiving dinner to be as authentic and complete as<br />possible). Riley happens by and Willow slopes off so's he and B. can make<br />eyes at each other. Angel grabs Willow in the coffee shop. He's big on<br />dire warnings but pretty scant on the details. Meanwhile Riley refuses<br />Buff's invitation to her thanksgiving dinner, he tells her he's got a last<br />minute flight home to Iowa ("that's one of the ones in the middle, right<br />?") to spend Thanksgiving with his family. As he says "Home's the place<br />that when you have to go there, they have to take you in". <br /><br />Unfortuunately for Spike, Harmony hasn't heard that saying. She's been<br />busy reading contempary feminist literature. Even though Spike's at<br />death's door, she doesn't want him back at hers. He halfway manages to<br />seduce her, before she comes at him with a wooden stake. He staggers away.<br /> Spike's shattered, she wouldn't even rustle him up someone to eat. <br /><br />Buffy seeks out an old Catholic priest who she hopes has information on the<br />history of the original SunnyDale Mission. The priest refuses to help her<br />though. On account of him being dead and rather cut up about the whole<br />thing. Buff takes on a Native American Warrior guy, whom she busted doin'<br />the dirty on the poor padre'. He transforms into animal incarnation and<br />wings it. <br /><br />Back at Giles' place preparations for the dinner are going on swimmingly,<br />when comes a gentle knock upon his door. It's Willow with history<br />textbooks and EVEN MORE ingredients (slaying must be hungry work). Will's<br />found out that the old mission building was used to confine 'Indians'<br />before the white settlers butchered them all. Giles and Willow have a full<br />on blue over how to deal with their Native American Spirit Warrior menace.<br /> A second knock at the door, and it's Anya there, propping up Xander The<br />Dreadfully Sick.<br /><br />Meanwhile Angry Spirit Warrior Guy steals a bunch of ancient weapons. He<br />does a spell to summon forth a bunch of his yobbo mates.<br /><br />At Giles' a huge argument regarding what to do about the Native Warrior<br />Spirit Vengeance Guy is underway, when there's a THIRD knock at the door. <br />Buffy opens the door. Aparently nobody's there. Suddenly Spike leaps into<br />the doorway, cowering from the Sun's rays under a smoking blanket. Giles<br />hands Buff a nice sharp stake. Spike's beggin' 'em for an invitation<br />inside. Willow assures them all that Spike is now thoroughly impotent. A<br />truce is undertaken whereupon Spike is invited inside and tied up, in<br />return he promises to tell them all he knows about the local soldier boys<br />that they keep running into. The slayerettes are still arguing about how<br />to deal with the spirit warrior menace. Spike sums up in a nutshell, in 30<br />seconds flat, Southern Californian history. (Well he's had a hundred years<br />to think about it).<br /><br />Willow and Anya-Xander go to warn the college Dean that he may be the next<br />one in line for the chop. While they're away a native warrior raiding<br />party has Giles' place under armed attack. The three slayerettes race back<br />to Giles'. Their best efforts don't help out the fight much though until<br />Angel arrives and takes care of a few of the bad guys. Buffy's busy<br />fighting for her life inside the house so never sees Angel outside taking<br />care of the mobs of badguys out there. Eventually Buffy manages to kill<br />the chief spirit warrior guy, using his own ceremonial knife. All the<br />other spirit warriors instantly dissappear. <br /><br />Everyone has a big feed of Thanksgiving dinner, (except of course Spike who<br />sits tied up at an empty place setting, at their table). Xander lets the<br />cat out of the bag over Angel (which ultimately becomes the cause behind<br />the crossover episode Angel 1.08). <br /><br />Review by Catherine Jemma 14 March y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138158405816274972006-01-25T11:06:00.000+08:002006-01-25T11:06:45.820+08:00ANGEL ep 1.04 reviewHello again<br /><br />Actually I see on the ng a very thorough review of Angel ep 1.01 posted by<br />a Robbie Mathews I think. It's an excellent review, but also so very<br />thorough that nothing is left to the imagination. Probably not a worry if<br />you've already seen the said episode. But a total and absolute spoiler for<br />anyone who hasn't. Still it's an excellent review, I suggest you check it<br />out.<br /><br />Here is my review for your website, below this line is intended for<br />publication.<br /><br />Cordy and Doyle are discussing the team's lack of money due to Angel's lack<br />of wanting to charge for their services. Doyle gets another premonition,<br />and so Angel sets off.<br /><br />At her workplace, a huge bunch of flowers arrives for "Melissa". Obviously<br />another case of excessive attention from an unwanted admirer. This puts<br />poor Melissa into a bit of a state. She heads off to the bathroom and<br />gobbles down a few pills before making a run for the basement parking<br />garage. She runs across Angel down there, he manages to have a few words<br />with her and gives her one of his businesscards. But she's out of her<br />mind, like a frightened rabbit, she hops into her car and does a runner.<br /><br />Melissa stops at an ATM for some cash, but the machine doesn't seem to like<br />her today. She's still trying to get the machine to work for her when an<br />older man, "Ronald" steps up. He changed her PIN number "for her own<br />good". Apparently Ronald and Melissa went out on one date, once, and ever<br />since then he's been stalking her. <br /><br />Melissa attends at Angel's office. She seems to be a bit sparse on details<br />though. "I know he's watching me, I can feel him watching me" sort of<br />thing. The A Team though are won over, they agree to take on the case,<br />reckoning that T.P.T.B only send messages to Doyle where Angel's help is<br />essential. Doyle does duty as a bodyguard while Angel heads off to the<br />copshop to speak to Detective Kate Lockley.<br /><br />Kate pulls the paperwork, which describes how previously Melissa had indeed<br />lodged a complaint for stalking against Ronald. However because he was a<br />respected doctor and surgeon, and without any real evidence (and with legal<br />threats from the law firm of Wolfram and Hart) the case had to be dropped.<br /><br />Angel sneaks into Doc Ronald's office and is having a poke around when the<br />doctor walks in on him. Angel gives a false name and spins a yarn about<br />his wife urgently needing a near impossible operation to save her life. <br />Angel leaves after surrepticiously pocketing a 'new age' type book. <br />Cordy's in a hospital cafetaria trying to dig up some dirt on The Doc,<br />Angel chases up the author of the new age book. A reclusive type guy, who<br />some years before had got to know the doctor quite well, and was downright<br />spooked out of his mind by him. <br /><br />At night while she's in bed, Ronald breaks into Melissa's apartment (well<br />more or less). He sexually interferes with the sleeping Melissa. She<br />slowly awakes and then starts to scream her head off when she twigs as to<br />what's happening to her. A nearby black-and-white unit (assigned by<br />Detective Kate Lockley) hears the screaming and the cop goes in to<br />investigate.. He quickly searches her apartment but finds nothing. The<br />cop is then trying to calm down the hysterical Melissa, when old Doc Ronald<br />attacks the cop from behind, quickly gaining the upper hand. Melissa<br />(screaming, as per her usual state, of late) runs from her apartment<br />straight into Angel, as he arrives outside. Kate arrives with<br />re-inforcements, Ronald is nowhere to be found, although the cop lies dead<br />on Melissa's apartment floor.<br /><br />Angel arranges a meet with Ronald at his doctor's offices (ostensibly<br />regarding his wife's surgery). But as soon as Angel arrives it's obvious<br />that somehow the Ronald's onto him. Doc Ronald shoots Angel full of an<br />experimental animal tranquiliser and leaves him to die on the floor. <br />Meanwhile Melissa's been filled up on whiskey and crashed out on Angel's<br />bad, watched over by Cordelia and Doyle. <br /><br />Despite the best efforts of Cordy and Doyle, Ronald gains entry to Angel's<br />apartment. He roughs up Cordy and locks her in a closet, while slinging<br />Doyle down into the sewer tunnels. Ronald confronts Melissa in person,<br />face to face. She's not afraid anymore, she's past being afraid. Melissa<br />stares him down and gives him a severe talking to. The good doc's about to<br />cut Melissa up real bad, using a surgical scalpel he has handy, when Angel<br />arrives, much to the doctor's surprise. Angel then gets to bust Ronald up<br />a bit.<br /><br />Later he details to Cordelia and Doyle how he's sorted out the old doctor,<br />good and proper. Melissa arrives at Angel's office. She's not a sucker<br />for punishment anymore, she's got control of her life back, and she's not<br />going to swallow any more rubbish. Some minor trouble with a "Bill" is<br />quickly cleared up and Melissa departs after giving Angel a potplant. <br />Doyle wants a drink "to celebrate" and leaves with Cordy, although Angel<br />prefers to stay behind at the office that day.<br /><br />Catherine Jemma 21 Feb y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138158091007223712006-01-25T11:01:00.000+08:002006-01-25T11:01:31.010+08:00ANGEL ep 1.03 "In The Dark" reviewANGEL ep 1.03 "In The Dark"<br /><br />The teaser opens with Angel saving yet another Damsel in distress down a<br />dark dingy alleyway, one night in downtown L.A. Some distance away, the<br />alleyway is being spied upon by Spike, muttering away to himself.<br /><br />Oz turns up at the Angel Investigations office, where Cordelia recognises<br />him instantly. As talkative as he ever is, pleasantries are exchanged and<br />The Ring (which is The Gem of Omara) is handed over. (Note that this is a<br />minor crossover episode with Buffy 4.03). <br /><br />The Damsel phones up, the police have let her violently abusive ex<br />boyfriend out of jail. Angel's about to cruise off to her in The<br />Angelmobile when Spike jumps him in his garage. They make with the<br />pummeling on each other. Spike wants The Gem of Omara, and no whimpy<br />little goody twoshoes Angel is going to come between him and the ring. <br />Cordy and Doyle enter the garage, and moments later Spike makes his escape.<br /><br />At Angel's suggestion, Cordy and Doyle hide out at Doyle's apartment.<br />Meanwhile Doyle phones around to a few of his underworld contacts, trying<br />to get a bead on where Spike may be hiding out. Following a lead Doyle has<br />come up with, Angel sets out seeking Spike's hide-y hole. Angel is<br />cornered in an alleyway, overpowered and enchained by Spike and his evil<br />assistant. Taken to an old warehouse that's been set up as a torture<br />chamber. This is NOT, going to be one of Angel's better days. Spike<br />leaves Angel alone with the torturer, a sadistic vampire bastard, who comes<br />across like a deranged "Dr Mengeler".<br /><br />Spike goes to Angel HQ and tosses the place seeking the ring, which Angel<br />didn't have on him when captured (he'd hidden it earlier). Cordelia and<br />Doyle have got worried because Angel's been out of contact for too long,<br />returning to the office they run into Spike there. He tells them to bring<br />the ring to a certain warehouse at sunset, or else he'll kill Angel.<br /><br />Cordelia and Doyle search Angel's apartment to no avail. They then check<br />out the rat infested swers underneath. Doyle surrepticiously uses his<br />enhanced senses to sniff out the ring's hiding place. Later when they meet<br />up with Spike, they throw the ring towards him and are about to collect<br />Angel when Spike renegs on his side of the bargain and is about to kill<br />Angel anyway.<br /><br />Suddenly a large van containing Oz crashes through the warehouse door. The<br />Angel team grab Angel up (who's in a severely bad way) push him into the<br />back of the van, and effect a high speed getaway. Spike searches the<br />warehouse floor looking for the ring, only to discover that his assistant,<br />that nasty torturer guy, has doublecrossed him and decamped with "his"<br />ring. Spike has a few choice words to say about this.<br /><br />Despite his substantial injuries, Angel insists on the van being turned<br />around and going to a particular seaside pier where he thinks the (now<br />nearly invincible) vampire torturer guy may have been headed to engage in<br />some casual daytime mayhem.<br /><br />Angel takes the biggest risk he's ever taken in his life, in an all out<br />fight with his torturer. Eventually Angel does prevail, and the torturer<br />guy is toast, well, ash.<br /><br />Angel has a pretty cruise-y few hours, soaking up the sun. That evening he<br />stands atop a building prattling on philosophical mumbo-jumbo to Doyle,<br />while watching his first sunset in over 200 years.<br /><br />There is a small (ok very small) amount of doubt in my mind as to what<br />happens in the final scene. At the moment when Angel's gaze is averted,<br />Doyle makes a quite specific and un-natural movement of his hand. Now I<br />don't know for sure, but '*if* Doyle was a cheat at cards in his younger<br />days, could he have been..........?<br /><br />Catherine Jemma 14 Feb y2kCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13127531.post-1138157951092962142006-01-25T10:59:00.000+08:002006-01-25T10:59:11.093+08:00ANGEL ep 1.02 "Lonely Hearts" reviewYou'll also notice a handful of<br />unusual (sometimes American) terminologies used occasionally. Also, and<br />you'll appreciate this more if you've actually seen the eps yourself, I<br />have often worded certain phrases very specifically to sidestep major<br />spoilers. (Example, re Angel ep one, Russell is actually a vampire and he<br />was still sitting on the office chair when Angel booted it out through the<br />highrise plate glass window, however I especially didn't want to give<br />"everything" away, eh.<br /><br /><br /><br />ANGEL ep 1.02 "...Lonely Hearts"<br /><br />Hangin' around the office with nothing to do, Doyle's trying to summon the<br />courage to ask Cordelia out on a date. However suddenly Doyle has a<br />premonition regarding a nightclub called "D'Oblique". No other details<br />being forthcoming, the team from "Angel Investigations" cruise the club,<br />handing out the business cards that Cordy's had printed.<br /><br />Perhaps their technique needs some finetuning. Angel starts talking to a<br />pretty girl, but his foot seems to be in his mouth most of the time. <br />Meanwhile some creep asks Cordelia what the going rate is, if he wants her<br />for just an hour. Not surprisingly this leads to a bar room brawl. <br />Nothing else of consequence occurs that night, so the Angel team agree the<br />night's been a total washout.<br /><br />The following day, Team Angel do research on the internet and it seems that<br />a number of young women have gone missing near the D'Oblique nightclub. In<br />one case at least, "eviscerated" remains were later found.<br /><br />Angel cruises the club again that evening. Cordy and Doyle are back at<br />base camp leafing through ancient books, seeing what the world has to offer<br />in the way of eviscerating demons and other such nasties. While examining<br />an old drawing of a particularly grotesque fellow, Cordelia declares her<br />total hatred for all demons. The conversation isn't really headed in the<br />direction Doyle was hoping.<br /><br />Angel has traced a girl from the club to her apartment. He enters to find<br />her spread across the bed, in a somewhat eviscerated state. Across the<br />room, an (apparent) young man is just putting his clothes back on. Angel<br />and the demon have an un-man to un-man talk followed by a fight that near<br />wrecks the apartment. The demon escapes just as "Kate Lockley", a pretty<br />young police detective, working undercover at the club, arrives. Needless<br />to say she believes that Angel's the killer. Angel knocks her 'round just<br />enough to facilitate his escape. The Angel team meet up at Cordy's<br />apartment, to exchange the information they've come up with and form an<br />action plan. <br /><br />Angel phones Kate at the copshop and arranges to meet her at the club that<br />evening. She's tricked into going into a storeroom out back, where the<br />demon knocks the wind out of her and is about to really spoil her day,<br />when Angel strikes the demon from behind and knocks him away.<br /><br />Angel and the demon do their best to bash the stuffing out of each other. <br />The demon gets away but Angel catches up with him in an alleyway outside. <br />The ensuing fight is heated, the demon getting a little more heated than he<br />would have liked. Kate runs up and puts a few rounds into the demon with<br />her service revolver. Probably not terribly effective, but it would've<br />made her feel better.<br /><br />Detective Kate Lockley and Angel, come to a reconciliation and agreement,<br />of sorts.<br /><br />Catherine Jemma 9 Feb y2k<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Outback Western AustraliaCatherine Jemmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10007199926444086274noreply@blogger.com0