Monthly Archives: March 2016

The Magic Bubble

When I was a kid, I wrote a story called The Magic Bubble.  It was a short tale of a kid named Al who ate Cocoa Krispies for weeks on end so he could mail away for a promotional prize: the titular magic bubble.  This bubble, costing 5 Cocoa Krispies proof of purchases, would take the owner anywhere in the world–as long as it wasn’t too hot for the bubble to handle.

Al pumped up his magic bubble and then chose his destination: Egypt, because he didn’t know anything about Egypt (and also likely because I was interested in pyramids and mummies at the time).

Unfortunately for Al, Egypt was a bit hotter than he expected and his bubble popped shortly after arriving, leaving him lost in the desert.  He met a “South Egyptian” who spoke with Yoda-like backwards grammar, a cloud-like figure Mr. Cairo, the capital man of Egypt, and a young Egyptian boy who helped him get on a Navy ship that would take him home.

Now let’s just say that I wanted to expand on this story in the form of a feature film.  I’m going to add a political spin, bring in a big conspiracy, and top it off with real-life emotional intrigue–the failing health of poor young Al.  And I’m not just going to write, produce, and act in the film, but I’m going to pitch it as a true story.

Much like this:

You might not believe in Al and my story, and that’s ok, you have every right to question it.  But bad things happen when people believe in his.  This is not about having a discussion or even free speech, it’s about harming children.  Andrew Wakefield should be personally accountable for every child he has harmed because of his lies.  He’s already  been held professionally accountable, but that doesn’t seem to slow him or his supporters.   In fact, he’s apparently used it to turn himself into some sort of martyr in this “documentary”.

Good for you Robert de Niro and Tribeca for not allowing this libelous garbage to cloud your film festival.  Now if we could just find some way to use Wakefield’s own hot air to burst the bubbles that have befuddled all his supporters, we’d really be on to something.

What’s with all the mumps?

Mumps_virusChances are you’ve been hearing a lot about mumps lately.  If you live in the greater Boston area, The Boston Globe reports that Harvard has been hit the hardest with 13 confirmed cases.  The grand total for Massachusetts so far in 2016 stands at 26 cases (and all of the U.S. at 250 cases).  As we barrel towards peak season for mumps, these numbers are alarming.  So what’s with all the mumps? Continue reading What’s with all the mumps?

The Truth Squad with Cloudy Media Blog

Logo_X-Files_2_-_I_want_to_believe14 years after we’ve last been fascinated by Mulder and Scully’s investigations of paranormal activities on prime time, the duo went back to work at the FBI’s X-Files in a 6-episode mini-season.  This season was just enough to whet fans’ appetites with fond memories of their favorite stories (Eve, anyone?) and infuriate us with a cliffhanger ending.  But it was the bookended storyline linking episodes 1 and 6, that made my scientist blood boil (FYI–just a saying, tissues would be incinerated long before blood could boil).

Continue reading The Truth Squad with Cloudy Media Blog