Posts Tagged ‘Emergency Situations’

Episode Review: Fausta The German Wonder Woman

September 14th, 2022

The below blog post is a slightly dramatized episode review of an episode from the 1970’s television series Wonder Woman, Season 1, Episode 2: Fausta The Nazi Wonder Woman.
 
 

During WWII, in Germany, Fausta, a powerless, yet very strong German Wonder Woman, also a former German Olympian, met with a high ranking German commander to discuss the capture of the American Wonder Woman, a capture potentially resulting with the balance of the war shifting in favor of the German’s.

The two comrades viewed video footage of Wonder Woman using her superpowers, evaluating her superpowers, looking for weaknesses.

During the video session, German intel spoke of Wonder Woman’s Magic Lasso. Disagreements occurred between Fausta and the commander as to the legitimacy of the Magic Lasso’s powers. Fausta believed the Lasso of Truth did possess the power to make others tell the truth. The commander expressed doubts.

Regardless, German officials formulated a plan to send Fausta to America to capture the American Wonder Woman. Soon thereafter, Fausta secretly flew to the United States in a two seater single wing German fighter plane.

After arriving in the U.S. Fausta wanted to see Wonder Woman using her strength in person, she wanted to personally witness the powers of the Lasso of Truth.

Knowing Wonder Woman worked for Steve at the IADC, Fausta took Steve as her hostage, then used him to lure the American superheroine to a warehouse.

When Wonder Woman entered the warehouse German soldiers attacked her. Wonder Woman easily defeated them, subsequently, successfully rescued Steve.

However, Fausta was hiding, watching the superheroine use her superpowers to battle the soldiers. Being a former German Olympian Fausta wasn’t impressed with Wonder Woman’s strength or speed, expressing to German officials sometime thereafter, Wonder Woman didn’t do anything I can’t do.

After Wonder Woman defeated the soldiers, she used her Lasso of Truth to force them to tell her where Steve was hidden. The German soldiers immediately gave her his location. Fausta was very impressed with the Magic Lasso’s.

From there, Fausta decided the best way to capture Wonder Woman was to impersonate her, then challenge her to a strength competition. To do so, Fausta needed American citizens to believe she was the American Wonder Woman.

Fausta set up a press conference to display her strength on stage in front of an audience of locals and reporters to raise money for a charity where Fausta would pretend to be the American Wonder Woman, dressing and looking just like the American superheroine.

Knowing she was a fake Wonder Woman, she knew the real Wonder Woman would show up at the press conference to confront an imposter in front of the reporters .

At the beginning of the press conference, looking just like Wonder Woman, Fausta stood on stage with a set of very heavy weights speaking to the crowd.

The real Wonder Woman stood within the crowd of reporters, interrupting Fausta as she spoke to the crowd, saying she was an imposter, challenging Fausta to see who could lift the heaviest weights to prove to these in attendance she was the real Wonder Woman.

Fausta agreed to the challenge. Wonder Woman went up on stage. The two Wonder Woman looked very similar, now standing next to each other, about to see who’s the stronger woman, who’s the real Wonder Woman. The American Wonder Woman motioned to Fausta to lift the weights first.

Fausta walked over to the weights. The crowd oohs and aahs. The barbell was long. Heavy weights were positioned on both sides. Fausta grabbed the weights with two hands, slowly, lifting them from the platform, lifting them above her head.

The crowd let out loud cheers, impressed with the feat of Wonder Woman, now thinking Fausta, the German Wonder Woman is the real Wonder Woman.

The American Wonder Woman shook her head, seemingly in disbelief of the strength of her foe, disappointed as the crowd cheered an imposter Wonder Woman for her accomplishment.

The American Wonder Woman walked over to the weights.

Wanting to look much stronger than her foe, Wonder Woman decided to show off her superstrength, wrapping only one hand around the center of the barbell, trying to lift the very large, heavy weights with only one arm.

The crowd quieted, thinking, lifting the weights with one arm was impossible.

A few seconds later, Wonder Woman lifted with all her strength. The weights didn’t budge.

The crowd let out loud gasps, ooh’s and aah’s, as the superheroine struggled, now thinking she’s the fake Wonder Woman.

Seconds later, while still trying to lift the weights, a trapdoor built into the floor of the stage beneath Wonder Woman opened. Wonder Woman fell through the floor, disappearing from the crowd, landing under the stage having failed to lift the weights. A German soldier was waiting below.

At the same time, above the stage, Fausta stepped forward. The crowd cheered, now believing Fausta was the real Wonder Woman.

When Wonder Woman landed beneath the stage she felt to the ground. The German soldier immediately grabbed the unsuspecting, somewhat disoriented, superheroine’s Magic Lasso, wrapping the Lasso of Truth around Wonder Woman, placing a chloroform soaked handkerchief over her mouth at the same time.

Seconds later, he removed the handkerchief. Wonder Woman was severely weakened, her body resting in the grasps of the German soldier, needing all her strength just to keep her eyes open, wrapped within her own Lasso of Truth.

The German soldier began interrogating the superheroine, asking if the chloroform will keep her knocked out, render her superpowers useless. Weekly, wearily, Wonder Woman answered, yes. The soldier asked Wonder Woman if she got her superpowers from her belt. Wonder Woman tried to resist telling him the truth. She couldn’t, answering, yes, without my belt I don’t have any superpowers.

When the German Soldier was satisfied, he placed the chloroform handkerchief back over Wonder Woman’s face. Immediately thereafter, the superheroine passed out.

After the press conference ended, Fausta took custody of Wonder Woman, taking her to the secret location where she had her plane hidden. With the help of German soldiers, Fausta loaded the unconscious superheroine in the plane before taking off to Germany with Wonder Woman as her prisoner of war.

When Fausta’s landed in Germany Wonder Woman awoke. Her hair was a mess, she wasn’t sturdy on her feet, dazed, wrapped, trapped, in her own Magic Lasso without her belt, without her superpowers.

Fausta escorted the superheroine towards the German barracks, meeting The German commander who helped plan Wonder Woman’s capture just outside the entrance.

Proud of her capture, having witnessed the Magic Lasso’s powers, Fausta told the commander of her accomplishments.

During WWII, females weren’t treated at as equals, regardless of their ranking or accomplishments. The German commander didn’t believe a woman could obtain better intel about the American superheroine than the higher ranking male officials.

Dispite Fausta’s verification of the powers of the Lasso of Truth, the German commander showed little regard to the powers of the superheroine, seeming offended by Fausta, still in disbelief of the legitimacy of a Magic Lasso capable of making anyone tell the truth.

Nevertheless, the two comrades took Wonder Woman into the barracks to question her, arguing with each other as they questioned her. Wonder Woman was tied up with her Magic Lasso. The superheroine had to answer all her questions honestly, saying the Magic Lasso forces her to tell the truth, saying she is powerless without her belt.

The German commander only grew more disgruntled as Wonder Woman spoke, accusing Wonder Woman of lying about the Lasso of Truth, lying about her belt.

The commander decided to take Wonder Woman to a German torture chamber to force her to tell the truth.

In the torture chamber, German soldiers bound Wonder Woman to a rotating plank with thick leather belts. The commander took Wonder Woman’s Magic Lasso and Belt from Fausta, holding both in front of the bound superheroine, yelling at Wonder Woman, demanding she tell him the truth about her superpowers.

Wonder Woman’s answers were the same, causing the Commander to become even more frustrated, throwing Wonder Woman’s belt in anger. The belt landed within superheroine’s reach, allowing her to, regain her superstrength, almost instantly breaking free from the thick leather straps.

Wonder Woman quickly grabbed her Magic Lasso, fended off a few German soldiers before escaping the German barracks, confiscating a German fighter plane to fly back to the United States.

While Wonder Woman was a prisoner of war, Steve learnt of her capture. While the superheroine was held captive, Steve flew to Germany in an attempt to rescue Wonder Woman from the German prison. During his attempt, German soldiers captured Steve.

When Wonder Woman arrived in the United States, she learnt of Steve’s capture, learning Steve was now held at the same prison she was held.

In an attempt to rescue Steve, Wonder Woman flew to Germany in her invisible jet. After arriving, infiltrating the German barracks where Steve was held.

Knowing Wonder Woman was going to return, Fausta used Steve to capture the superheroine a second time.

Wonder Woman found Steve within the German prison. While attempting to rescue him, Fausta trapped both Wonder Woman and Steve.

The two American’s, now at the German’s mercy, standing in a room filled with a foot of water. Power cables attached to a power lever dangled into the water. If the lever is pulled, electricity runs through the cables, electrocuting the two American’s.

The German commander and Fausta stood above the room with the commander’s hand atop the lever, threating to pull the lever if Wonder Woman didn’t answer his questions.

Wonder Woman refused to speak to the commander, previously having formed a repour with Fausta. Wonder Woman said she’ll only speak to Fausta, the woman who captured me.

The superheroine’s response irritated the commander. Though true he vehemently denied the accusation. Fausta defended herself, saying if I hadn’t trapped Wonder Woman they would have escaped.

Fausta’s response irritated the commander even further. He belittled Fausta accomplishment due to his insecurities, commanding German Soldiers to put Fausta into the water trap with Wonder Woman and Steve.

Seeing how the German commander was treating her, knowing rescuing Wonder Woman was her only chance to save herself, Fausta quickly threw Wonder Woman a rope, allowing her and Steve to escape the water trap.

Fausta, now an enemy of the German’s escaped the barracks with the Americans.

After escaping, Wonder Woman tried to convince Fausta to accompany them to America. Fausta didn’t want to leave her homeland. She knew of a lady within the German underground, knew of a place where she’ll be safe from the German Soldiers. Soon thereafter, Wonder Woman and Steve arrived in America.

Additional Thoughts:

With a storyline of significant importance to Woman’s Equal Rights and World War II, Fausta, The Nazi Wonder Woman was the second episode of the 1970’s television show Wonder Woman, and possibly the most memorable, influential episode of all the episodes,

The episode exposes some of Wonder Woman’s vulnerabilities. Fausta tricked, outwitted the superheroine numerous times throughout the episode, showing Wonder Woman’s human side, showing her weaknesses, just like all humans have.

Even though Fausta was portrayed as the villain, Wonder Woman and Fausta possessed many things in common. Both women were held in high regard within their countries, both held high ranking positions during a time when women weren’t treated as equals. Fausta was a female soldier fighting for her country, as was Wonder Woman, fighting for her country, thought in a different way. As a result, each seemed to show an admiration towards the other at times throughout the episode.

Fausta was one of Wonder Woman’s toughest foes, having successfully impersonated Wonder Woman, defeating her in front of the American Press and citizens. Then, transporting her to Germany as a Prisoner of War. Due to a lack of diligence by higher ranking male German Officials, Wonder Woman escaped. Nevertheless, Fausta captured Wonder Woman a second time before deciding to free the American superheroine.

Written by George Farina, www.GeorgeFarina.net

Written by George Farina: GeorgeFarina.net

Episode Review: Wonder Woman Meets Baroness von Gunther

September 14th, 2022

The below blog post is a slightly dramatized episode review of an episode from the 1970’s television series Wonder Woman, Season 1, Episode 1: Wonder Woman Meets Baroness von Gunther.
 
 

Wonder Woman Meets Baroness von Gunther: Diana and Steve suspect Baroness von Gunther of criminal activity. However, she’s currently imprisoned.

The two IADC agents decide to visit the prison to question The Baroness.

While questioning her, Diana looks out the window of the prison. The Warden’s son, Tommy, is playing in an unoccupied open area of the prison yard where a fire escape ladder is attached to the building. Tommy decided to climb the ladder. As he neared the top of the building, the ladder jars loose.

Seeing Tommy in danger of falling from the side of the building, Diana immediately excuses herself from the conversation. Seconds after exiting the prison cell, raising her arms to shoulder height, turning rapidly, spinning, spinning into Wonder Woman. Then, running to the other side of the prison yard to rescue Tommy.

After rescuing Tommy, the superheroine and Tommy begin chatting. He’s an avid Wonder Woman fan, the two quickly gain an admiration for each other.

When their conversation ends, Wonder Woman asks Tommy to take her Magic Lasso, hide it somewhere safe until she could get it at a later date.

However, unbeknownst to Wonder Woman, when she gave Tommy her Lasso, The Baroness was looking out the prison’s window, watching her give the youngster The Lasso of Truth.

Knowing the value of Wonder Woman’s Lasso, The Baroness sent a member of her crew to follow Tommy.

Tommy led Wonder Woman’s foe to the secret location where he hid Wonder Woman’s Magic Lasso, allowing the Baroness’s crew member to confiscate The Lasso of Truth.

Soon thereafter, Wonder Woman learnt her Lasso was missing.
The Baroness escaped her prison cell as well, capturing Steve soon thereafter.

Now a free woman, now yielding the power of Wonder Woman’s Magic Lasso, hiding out at a secret location with Steve as her prisoner.
Yet, all was not said and done. With the help of Tommy’s investigative work, Wonder Woman learnt the location of The Baroness’s hideout.

In an attempt to recover her lasso, rescue Steve, and capture the Baroness, Wonder Woman snuck into The Baroness ‘s hideout.
The superheroine quietly snuck through the backyard, cautiously, quietly opening the back door, making sure the coast was clear as she entered.

None the less, regardless of Wonder Woman’s caution, she wasn’t cautious enough, The Baroness was prepared for the superheroine’s invasion.

Knowing Wonder Woman was entering, The Baroness hid behind the door as it opened, shielding herself from Wonder Woman’s view.

As the superheroine entered, she gently closed the door behind her, leaving herself vulnerable to anyone hiding behind the door. That’s when The Baroness sprayed her with a knock-out potion. Wonder Woman instantly passed out, fell to the floor, laying unconscious at the feet of her foe.

The Baroness chained the unconscious superheroine to a chair with thick chains. Chains with the look and strength, even a superheroine such as Wonder Woman couldn’t break.

Hours later, dazed, captured, Wonder Woman regains consciousness. The Baroness and Wonder Woman engage in a conversation. As the conversation continues, Wonder Woman begins to regain her superstrength, eventually gaining enough strength to break the chains.

Despite Wonder Woman’s superpowers, due the thickness of the chains, escaping them isn’t immediate, the captured superheroine struggles, slowly breaking free of the chains with the use of all her superstrength. As Wonder Woman free’s herself, The Baroness makes her escape attempt, running out the back door, running through a yard with a somewhat steep downhill slope.

Wonder Woman is slowed even further, having to fend off a few of the Baroness’s thugs after she breaks free of the chains. Nevertheless, after defeating them, she gives chase to The Baroness, catching up to her before she reaches the end of the yard, tackling The Baroness from behind.

The two foes fall to the ground, begin tumbling down the hill, fighting as they tumble, with each getting the best of the other at times during the battle.

As the two foes reach the bottom of the hill, The Baroness’s fighting skills exceed that of the superheroine, knocking Wonder Woman onto her keister at the bottom of the hill.

Now freed from the superheroine, The Baroness quickly continues to make her escape, continuing to run across the yard.

Wonder Woman recovers, standing seconds later. Regardless, The Baroness put quite a distance between herself and the superheroine.
Wonder Woman quickly grabs her Magic Lasso from the side of her belt, twirls it above her head.

The Baroness keeps running. She’s almost out of the superheroines range, almost across the yard to freedom, running near a pool located towards the end of the yard.

Wonder Woman releases her Magic Lasso, seconds later, landing the loop around the Baroness’s upper body and arms, capturing the villain, fling her foe into the pool at the same time.
Minutes later, Wonder Woman reals in the drenched villain from the pool, into her grasps.

Written by George Farina, www.GeorgeFarina.net

Written by George Farina at GeorgeFarina.net

Surviving The Apocalypse

October 15th, 2018

Being prepared for emergencies is often a necessary part of life, even if the likelihood of a thousand zombies attacking us is slim. Regardless, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for unknown emergencies.

I’m not an expert in this field. Though, I do try to stay prepared. I figure, at the very least this post might inspire others to ensure they are prepared for emergency situations.

With that said, there are certain items I feel are important to have in case of an emergency. Others are a bit more luxurious. And a few of the items mentioned in this post are geared towards long term off grid survival as well.

I wanted to be thorough. We’re all different and have different needs. Below I listed all the things I could think of that might be useful in case of an emergency. If I missed any items necessary for survival, don’t hesitate to post them in the comments section below.

Water
The most important item for survival is water. I’ve read about plenty of different approaches to insuring fresh water is available if needed. Given the importance of water, this is probably an area where additional research should be done.

I choose to store glass containers of water in a safe and cool area. These are the glass bottles / containers of water that can be purchased at most local supermarkets. My theory is that the glass bottles won’t leak if stored for an extended period of time. Plus, their caps seem to have the tightest seals.

If earthquakes are a potential hazard, additional measures should be taken to ensure the glass bottles don’t break if jarred.

Adding a Brita type water filter to the emergency supplies should provide additional options for water consumption. If worst comes to worst, they could be used to filter river water or harvested rain water.

Food
Next would be food. Many types of canned foods can last years. Canned beans, soup, veggies and even canned pasta might be beneficial. Both Peanut Putter and Oodles and Noodles are inexpensive food items that can easily be stored.

Another great food item to store for emergencies is rice. A large bag of rice could last years in storage. Rice is inexpensive, tastes good and is filling.

MRE’s (Military Ready To Eat Meals) are designed for survival situations. They don’t need to be refrigerated. Plus, a verity of different types of meals are available for purchase. MRE’s are complete meals and they can pack on the calories. A single MRE meal could provide me with enough food for the entire day. Not to mention, the cool factor that comes with eating a meal designed for the Military.

The simple emergency preparations for food and water detailed above could keep a person alive for months. Given their importance, keeping food and water in an air tight / water proof storage bin might be a good idea. Don’t forget to check the supplies every once in a while to ensure expiration dates are still valid.

Cooking
Having the proper tools to prepare meals in emergency situations is often overlooked. Chances are even with the most basic emergency situation, the kitchen stove won’t be available.

Keeping a grill with a few propane canisters would probably be the best alternative to an actual stove. For the most part they are fairly common and usually can be kept on a patio or in a garage.

Bio Fuel Cans are another great option for cooking. Bio fuel cans are inexpensive. They can cook multiple meals and are very small, making them easy to store and / or transport. They’ll fit in the glove compartment of most cars. They are simple to use and do a good job heating food. Each Bio Fuel can cook up to ten different meals.

Additionally, it might be a good idea to keep a small tabletop electric burner. Many are reasonably priced and would probably work with a medium sized generator or solar panel system. They’re also small and easy to store.

Most food items can be cooked over a campfire. A few pieces of wood, starter fluid / WD40 and matches would provide the least expensive and most adventuress cooking option.

Cooking Utensils and Supplies
It wouldn’t hurt to keep a small pot in with the emergency supplies. In situations where space is an issue, a smaller pot would be ideal.

Paper Towels: Paper towels are one of those items that are always good to have around. In emergency situations, cleanliness is often extremely important.

Additional Emergency Supplies (these are not in any particular order)
First Aid Kit: A first aid kit is something everyone should have available at all times. However, during an emergency they are especially valuable.

Swiss Army Knife: The Swiss Army Knife is probably my favorite of all the survival items listed. I’ve owned a Swiss Army Knife since I was a kid. I can’t even begin to name the hundreds of different ways I’ve used my knife over the years. Though, for starters it will open cans of food. That’s fairly important. Most Swiss Army Knives can be used for scaling fish, as a screw driver, as scissors and of course as a knife. They’re compact, light and easy to carry.

Matches / Lighter: Both matches and a lighter are great to keep with the emergency supplies. I’d throw them in a couple ziploc bags to ensure they stay dry.

Fishing Pole: The thing about emergencies is they are unpredictable and usually present different situations and scenarios. Being able to fish for food at no cost is a good option to have available. A compact travel fishing pole is probably best for worst case emergencies. It can be thrown in a duffel bag, car, and even carried via bicycle without issue. A few fishing lures would be good supplementary items.

Tent: A tent is one of those things that makes me feel much better knowing I have it around. They’re relatively inexpensive and can be thrown in the trunk of a car if required. A tent is a roof. A roof over a persons head is always a good thing. Like the saying goes, prepare for the worst case scenario and hope for the best. Best case scenario is the tent isn’t needed for an emergency, but used for an enjoyable weekend of camping.

ZipLoc Bags: There is only one sure way to keep food safe and that is inside a zip lock bag. Large zip lock bags are great for small bits of trash as well. They’ll prevent odor and keep ants away. If I’m gonna be out in a storm, I’ll throw my phone inside a zip lock bag to ensure it stays dry.

Duck Tape: This is another one of my favorite items on the list. I’d imagine an entire post could be written just on the different uses for duck tape in an emergency situation.

Extra socks and undies: If careful, a person can go many days wearing only a couple pairs of jeans and shirts without having to wash them. Undies and socks, not so much. That’s why its always nice to have extra clean undies and socks around.

A To Go Bag: A small / light duffel bag filled with only the most important essential items. Toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, and shampoo might be a few good items to keep in the bag. Something that could be grabbed in a hurry if needed.

Tarps: Tarps are great to have available. Like many of the items listed, they have a seemingly endless amount of uses. However, I’d imagine the most valuable use for a tarp would be as a shelter. Combined with rope, (listed below) they can be made into a temporary shelter.

Zip Ties: Over the years I’ve realized the value of zip ties. They are inexpensive and often the solution to unexpected problems.

Poncho / Umbrella: During emergencies a change of cloths isn’t always available. In those types of situations, staying dry becomes an important element to staying healthy. Staying healthy is important to survival.

Purell: Purell is a valuable weapon in the fight against germs. It’s inexpensive and has the potential to save water.

Solar Panel System: Keeping a complete solar panel system for emergency situations might be a bit much. However, it’s not a bad idea. Many places offer solar panel kits that are small enough to keep in storage, but still have the ability to provide decent power. Fridges, stove tops, lights, rechargeable batteries and phones are items that many solar panel kits are able to power.

Generator: A generator is another option for electricity in emergency situations. Keeping a generator for basic power outages might be a little much. However, I’d imagine a generator would be quite cool to have around during hurricanes and extended emergencies.

Rechargeable batteries: In general rechargeable batteries are always good to keep at home. They save money and preserve the environment. Much like many of the items listed, its not difficult to find a use for batteries in dire circumstances. Batteries can be used in everything from flash lights to small appliances.

Lighting: Flashlights and candles are both great options for lighting. Flashlights are especially valuable when combined with rechargeable batteries.

Rope: Rope can be used with a tarp to create a temporary shelter. That should be reason enough to keep about 50ft of rope in with the emergency supplies. Additionally, during hurricanes rope can be used to secure outdoor items from being blown away.

Jacket / Coat: Depending on a persons location, a jacket or coat might not be necessary. Although, in the event where relocating to a different climate is an absolute necessity, a jacket or coat might be the difference between life and death for those needing to relocate to a colder climate.

Cooler: A cooler can serve many different purposes. With a bit of ice, they’ll keep food fresh for a couple days. They can also be used for storage and as a table. I’ve even seen coolers turned into air conditioners with the addition of a battery operated fan and Ice.

Large Garbage Bags: Multi purpose items like large garbage bags are always good to keep with the supplies. If a storm causes a leak in the roof, garbage bags can be used to keep medium sized belongings dry.

Books: Boredom can be an issue during extended emergency situations. Having a few unread books available probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. A book titled Far From Perfect was featured in a previous Green Tea Break post. Far From Perfect may be the perfect remedy during an emergency situation.

*As noted in the “About” section, a few posts might contain affiliate links. I only post links to items I feel are either of substantial quality, use, or provide great value. These are items I have either used myself or would use myself. However, I’ve noticed after adding links to posts, a few Amazon items increased dramatically in price. I do try to make adjustments as needed. Though, I don’t continually check each link. Please be sure to use diligence before making any purchase.