On the Edge of Time and Sin-V3.0

8/2/2019 On the Edge of Time and Sin-V3.0

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TIME DISPLACED ON THE EDGE OF SIN

V3.0

Written by

David M. Sherr

95 Dublin Drive Pleasant Hill, CA [email protected]

(c) Copyright 2011, David M. Sherr 6/13/2011



VOICE OVERAt the speed of lightThe faithful departed goFar from sin to be(Ryan Bagnulo, 5/10/11)

EXT. GENEVA SOLAR ECLIPSE SUNRISE

GRAPHICJanuary 4, 2011 7:51AM Central European Time

Appearing is an eclipse just before completion.

NICK (O.C.)This is Nicholas Jude, The TechnoDude streaming time displaced OnThe Edge exploring the emerging

trends in technology and business.

We are about to witness an historicexperiment in time shifting. FamedBerkeley Futurist, PaulosLesbonopolos, is at the LargeHadron Collider in CERNSwitzerland.

Hello, Paulos!

INT. CERN, GENEVA SWITZERLAND SUNRISE

GRAPHICPanorama of Alps and Lake Geneva are in the background,switches to the Large Hadron Collider.

PAULOSHello, Nick. Thanks for having me.

Hold on, I am just about toinitiate the Time ShiftingExperiment.

INSET

NICK in his On The Edge studio in a split window to the rightof Paulos’ window.

PAULOS (CONT'D)Counting down on my watch.

Follow on your watch that wesynchronized with mine before Ileft you last week.

Time Displaced On The Edge of Sin 1.

(c) Copyright 2011 David M. Sherr v3.0 6/13/2011



PAULOS is standing by the CONTROL PANEL/BETA PARTICLE MONITOR within inset screen next to NICK On The Edge Show. PAULOS islooking at his POCKET WATCH reading 7:51 as his hand is onthe control dial. NICK is also holding and looking at hisPOCKET WATCH which reads 10:51 and is a twin of PAULOS’.

PAULOS (CONT’D)10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..0

On cue from the second hand on “XII” PAULOS turns the ENERGYDIAL counterclockwise and a low-pitched hum grows in volumeas he dials.

EXT. GENEVA SOLAR ECLIPSE 7:52AM CET SUNRISE

The Sun goes into total eclipse.

INT. CERN, GENEVA SWITZERLAND LARGE HADRON COLLIDER SUNRISE

At the moment of the total eclipse, the hum crescendoes, theBETA PARTICLE MONITOR pins to the maximum level. A huge“POP!” A particle vapor trail shoots from Collider into hisPOCKET WATCH. All goes black except for PAULOS’ astonishedface with palms on his cheeks (The Scream) surrounded by aviolet aura disappearing into a fading swirling ochre vortexof a time warp within the face of his WATCH.

EXT. HILLSIDE FRONT OF MOUNT OLYMPOS, A FIELD WITH HERD OF

GOATS SUNRISE

GOATHERD is watching eclipse of Sun. Suddenly, PAULOS appearsin front of him, surrounded by the aura of the time warp andholding the POCKET WATCH.

Looking astonished, GOATHERD drops his STAFF and falls downin a prone worshipping pose, thinking him divine.

As the aura dissipates, PAULOS looks puzzled, then he looksaround and espies Mt. Olympos.

Turning with a knowing smile, reading 7:52, he puts his

POCKET WATCH back in his vest pocket and then reassuringlyhelps the trembling GOATHERD to his feet.

PAULOS(Muttering to himself)

Mt. Olympos, isle of Lesbos!

Now I know where I am. Just needto know when I am.





GOATHERD(in Greek)

What did you say?

PAULOS(Answering in Greek)

Who is Emperor?

GOATHERDThat wanton beast of Rome, Nero.

PAULOSAha! Thank you.

(Adjusting his clothing)Which way to a the harbor ofMytilene?

The GOATHERD points to the rising sun coming out of eclipse.

PAULOS removes his WATCH from his vest pocket and noticesthat it is 7:53. He winds it.

Looking around, he nervously begins to depress the stem andis surprised to hear it make a click as he does it.

PAULOS (CONT’D)(Thinking)

Hmmm. Never noticed that before.

Now, off to Rome on a ship!

PAULOS places the WATCH in his VEST POCKET and waves goodbye.

He turns and sets off into the Sun now coming out of totaleclipse. He removes the WATCH from his POCKET as he walksand begins to click the stem once again.

Squinting and watching him leave, the GOATHERD scratches andshakes his head.

CUT TO:

INT. ON THE EDGE SHOW STUDIO NIGHT

GRAPHICJanuary 3, 2011, 22:52 Pacific Standard Time

NICK stares in wonder at the screen, a dissipating swirlingviolet inside an ochre mist where PAULOS has disappeared intothe time warp.





NICK(Agitated)

Folks, the experiment has goneawry.

(almost crying)Paulos is gone!!

NICK (CONT’D)(Turns to side camera,voice cracking a bit)

That’s all for now until wediscover, if ever, what hashappened here tonight.

This is Nicholas Jude, the TechnoDude, streaming time displaced from On The Edge exploring the emergingtrends in technology and business.

NICK stands up shaking, but falls back into his chair quietlysobbing. He resists consolation from a SHOW ASSISTANT whorushes in to assist him.

NICK (CONT’D)(Head in hands, quietlysobbing)

We were so connected! Sooosympatico! I will miss him dearly.

Suddenly he hears a clicking in his VEST POCKET. He pullsout his POCKET WATCH and the clicking gets louder.

Wiping his eyes, he looks intensely at the WATCH which reads10:53. The clicking stops.

He continues to stare at the WATCH trying to divine what hashappened and the meaning of the clicking WATCH as it startsup again.

FADE TO BLACK.

INT. ON THE EDGE SHOW STUDIO NIGHT

GRAPHICJanuary 3, 2011, 22:30 Pacific Standard Time

A TELEPROMPTER streams the text for Nicholas Jude, The TechnoDude under the On The Edge Logo, backed by the Large HadronCollider, CERN)





NICKThis is Nicholas Jude, The TechnoDude streaming time displaced OnThe Edge exploring the emergingtrends in technology and business.

NICK (CONT’D)(Turning to Front camera)

Today, we welcome viaTeleconference Berkeley FuturistPaulos Lesbonopolos.

Paulos is at our favorite spot,(points to the BackgroundLogo)

the Large Halon Collider in CERN,outside Geneva Switzerland.

PAULOS(Appearing in insetscreen)

Good morning, Nick. Or should Isay good evening? It is Jan 47:30AM Central European Time herein Geneva. That makes it 10:30PM,Jan 3 there in San Francisco. TheWorld Wide Web may displace clocks,but it doesn’t alter Time.

NICKBut then, won’t the Time experiment

at the Large Hadron Collider alterTime today?

Both laugh.

NICK (CONT’D)And you are there now.

PAULOSSo right you are, Nick. They havegenerously chosen me to dial up theCollider energy field to destroy

part of a quantum particle pairoscillating between the past andthe future around the present.

GRAPHIC

Diagram overlaying PAULOS’ statement depicts a pendulum swinging between the past and the future.





PAULOS (CONT’D)The predicted effect is to reversetime for 133 nanoseconds.

The future quantum part isdestroyed as it swings through thepresent.

GRAPHICPresent to future segment disappears and the past to presentsegment shifts moving the past to the present.

NICKNice little touch there, Paulos.You, a Futurist, will reverse time.But seriously, isn’t thatdangerous?

GRAPHIC

A zoom-in of a Google Earth Map of the Large Hadron Colliderat CERN.

PAULOSWell, these scientists at CERNdon’t think so. We add and removeleap seconds to the NavalObservatory Clock in the Rockies without harm. The effect will becontained inside the Collider ring which is 8 kilometers in diameter.

In 133 ...

NICK(Interrupting)

Five miles for those metric system challenged.

PAULOS(Laughing)

Yeah.

(Picking up where he leftoff)

In 133 nanoseconds, light wouldonly travel 40 meters, almost 45yards in the English System.

NICKWhat does light have to do with it?

GRAPHIC“Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared, E=MC^2” within a thought bubble over picture of Einstein





PAULOSAs you know, Einstein’s famousequation Energy equals Mass timesthe Speed of Light squared. So if mass is destroyed it will beconverted into energy which theCollider will absorb. The energyhalo will be within the 40 meterradius from the location of theevent.

NICKOh, I get it.

INT. CATACOMBS CHAMBER DAY

GRAPHIC

MARY MAGDELENE, PETER, PAUL AND THOMAS’ CHAMBER, ROME, 64 AD

MARY MAGDELENE, PETER, PAUL and THOMAS are listening to thePAULOS, who is standing before them.

MARY MAGDELENESo you, Paulos of Lesbos, claim tobe a seer of the future?

What is your Vision for now, hereRome, in the 4th year of EmperorNero.

PAULOSGive me a short time and I willpredict something for today anddemonstrate it.

PETERPaulos, sorry we cannot have theother Council Apostles here with ustoday. They are in the other nineProvinces recruiting the Faithfulto our God.

But Mary Magdelene, Paul, Thomasand I are ready to hear yourproposal.

PAULOSEsteemed Mother, Holy Fathers, theWorld IS ready for a New God!





PETERMuch as it pleases us to hear this, what makes you say that?

PAULOSThe chaos! The madness anddebauchery of that wanton beastNero! A great death is reducing theWorld population!

Pompeii will be destroyed in thenext generation, just as Sodom andGomorrah were with fire andbrimstone.

Rome will burn will burn very, verysoon!

PAULHah! What makes you think that?

PAULOS(smiling broadly)

Wait for it. Wait for it. Wait...

All of a sudden a messenger bursts into the Chamber.

MESSENGEREsteemed Mother, Holy Fathers, Rome

is aflame. And Mad Nero fiddles!

MARY MAGDELENE, PETER, PAUL and THOMAS stare at PAULOS indisbelief and then in awe.

MARY MAGDELENE(slightly suspicious)

Did you see the smoke before youentered the catacombs here? Or didyou set the fire??

PETER(Excitedly)

No time for questions now. Let’squickly quit this place.

THOMASFollow me! I know a grotto outsidethe City.

Gathering SCROLLS and a PLAIN CLAY CHALICE, the woman andfive men quickly exit the Catacombs Chamber, coughingslightly as they exit.





INT. ON THE EDGE SHOW STUDIO, A WEEK EARLIER DECEMBER 2010EVENING

GRAPHIC

Berkeley, December 28, 2010, 19:30 Pacific Standard Time

A TELEPROMPTER streams the text for NICK. In the backgroundis a picture of the Large Hadron Collider.

NICKThis is Nicholas Jude, The TechnoDude streaming time displaced OnThe Edge exploring the emergingtrends in technology and business.

NICK (CONT’D)(Turning to Front camera)

Today, we welcome viaTeleconference Berkeley FuturistPaulos Lesbonopolos. Paulos willhelp us understand the latest memegone viral in Social Media: TimeFor A New God.

GRAPHIC www.Time4aNewGod.org appears across a bottom banner onscreen.

A montage plays of 9/11, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes in the US, Housing Bubble Burstheadlines, Earthquake in Haiti, Japan and uprising inTunisia, Egypt and Libya.

NICK (CONT’D)(Looking at inset screen with PAULOS)

So, tell us Paulos, what is behindthis idea floated recently by PaulSaffo in the Nov 26th issue of TheEconomist: In times like these of

massive social discontent andeconomic upheaval, a new godappears, in short, is it Time for aNew God?

PAULOS(Appears full screen)

Thank you for having me, Nick. Itis amazing that this idea seems tohave simultaneously popped up.



(MORE)



That very thought occurred to merecently while looking at a chartof the World population from 1,000BCE to 2000 AD recently.

NICKA mind sync between you at Berkeleyand Saffo at Stanford!!

GRAPHIC

Population chart with information PAULOS is speaking of.

PAULOS(nodding in agreement)

After a steady increase, around400 BCE there was a huge dip, asSparta consolidated its control of

Greece.

NICKYour interest in Hellenic historyand culture is understandable.

GRAPHICMap of Eastern Mediterranean with Lesbos and Mt. Olymposhighlighted.

PAULOSYes, Nick. Before emigrated toBrooklyn, my grandfather hailed

from the Greek Island of Lesbos,just off the coast of Turkey.Mount Olympos is on this island.Not to be confused with MountOlympus that was home to the Greekgods.

This is why, perhaps, the conceptof A New God resonates so strongly with me. “OlymPUS” “OlymPOS” But we digress.

PAULOS (CONT’D)(Clearing throat)

The ancient world population ofEurope and Western Asia wasseriously being depleted bycontinuous wars.

In the 5th Century BCE, there wereconstant war in the EasternMediterranean to Persia.



PAULOS (CONT'D)

(MORE)



Remember, the recent movie of thegraphic novel, The 300? AboutThermopylae in 480 BCE. 300Spartans held off the Great PersianArmy, until they were betrayed bylocal hunchbacked goatherd, Thegoatherd sought revenge for beingcast out of Sparta as a child.

Although the Greeks lost, this gaverise to Macedonia and Phillip, thegoatherd King, father to AlexanderThe Great. Alexander drove his armyto Persia defeating the army ofPersian Emperor, Darius III.After that victory, he was stoppedin Afghanistan and Kashmir in 325

BCE. Alexander then ruled inPersia where it is believed he wasassassinated by a trustedlieutenant.

NICKHey, for a Futurist, you sure knowa lot about the Past, whichincidentally has many of thefamiliar Middle Eastern countriesexperiencing strife today.

PAULOS

Yeah, Nick. The Past is prelude tothe Future as Shakespeare oncesaid. But as Paul Saffo likes tosay, “The Future is here only it isnot evenly distributed.”

I maintain the reverse idea holdstoo: The Past is here and is notevenly distributed either.

So the Future and the Past coexist!Only question is how big is theoverlap??

NICKThat’s a mind bender. What yousmokin’ there in Berkeley?

PAULOSHah! But getting to our point,Time for A New God, deeplyturbulent times have alwayspresented a new God in the Past.



PAULOS (CONT’D)

(MORE)





PAULOSYes, Nick. “Follow the money” seemsto be a timeless historicalimperative, secular or religious.

(Chuckles for a bit andbreaks into a guffaw)

NICKShow me the Money!

(Laughs heartily and thencatches his breath andpauses)

But let’s turn our attention now tothe hottest technology news. Iunderstand you are participating inan interesting experiment next week--a testing the possibility of Time

shifting at the CERN Large HadronCollider.

PAULOSI will be flying to Geneva tomorrowto observe the separation ofquantum particles at the Collider.The quantum mechanical engineersclaim they can reverse time 133nanoseconds by separating a quantum pair into two parts and destroyingone of them when it oscillates intothe Future.

NICKSounds awesome.

This is truly Time Displaced On TheEdge.

PAULOSAs they say in my hometown,Brooklyn, Nick, “Fuckin’ A.”

(Laughs uncontrollably)

NICK

(Joins him till they bothfinish with tears intheir eyes)

But this is Berkeley!

PAULOSHey, how many East Coasttransplants are there here?





NICKBoth of us, at least!!

Thank you Paulos. Safe Journey toGeneva!

PAULOSYou are certainly welcome, Nick.And thank you for having me On TheEdge tonight!

NICK(Turning to side camera)

Well, that is all for now. Join usnext week On The Edge when westream Paulos live from CERNoutside Geneva, Switzerland at theLarge Hadron Collider Time

Experiment.

NICK (CONT’D)This is Nicholas Jude, The TechnoDude streaming time displaced OnThe Edge exploring the emergingtrends in technology and business.

(Turns to front camera)So long for now.

INT. GROTTO DAY

MARY MAGDELENE, PETER, PAUL, THOMAS and PAULOS enter grottocoughing and puffing. They sit down surrounded by WINEBARRELS. Water drips in the background. Cramped, the fourApostles are seated on WOODED BENCHES around a SMALL TABLE with SCROLLS and a PLAIN CLAY CHALICE on the TABLE. PAULOSstands before them.

MARY MAGDELENE(aside to Peter)

I don’t trust him He feelsinsincere.

PETER(Nodding to MM)

Okay! Okay!

Let’s continue. Paulos, you appearto know something of soothsaying.

What are we to do? It has been 31years since our beloved Lord andMaster Jesus died on the cross.



(MORE)



We are barely more now than we werethen.

PAULYeah, the Romans have beenregularly reducing our numbers!They throw one or two of TheFaithful to the lions every otherday.

THOMASAnd they threaten to crucify ourdevoted Peter here.

PAULOS(Assertively)

And SO they shall.

The Four look at each other and gasp in unison, “WHEN!!”

PAULOS (CONT’D)(Pausing)

I cannot say exactly, but withinfive years.

MARY MAGDELENE, PAUL and THOMAS slump in dejection.

PETER(Pulling himself upstraight)

Then we need to get this Church

established. No time to waste.

PAUL and THOMAS look at PETER with great admiration.

MARY MAGDELENE looks askance and shakes her head.

MARY MAGDELENEThomas, why don’t you record thisfor posterity.

(Turning to Peter)

Just continue. This Paulos of

Lesbos still needs to convince ushe has something really offer.

THOMAS picks up a BLANK SCROLL and removes a POT OF INK andSTYLUS from his tucker bag. He begins to record the sessionin Greek.



PETER (CONT'D)



PETERHow do we stem the tide of Romandepletion of our Faithful?

PAULOSYou don’t! You need to increase itfaster than they can reduce it.

PAULEasier said than done.

PAULOSYou need a better marketingstrategy. Love and Brotherhood isall well and good, but you needsomething everyone does, Sin, andhas for doing it, Guilt!

THOMAS(Scribbling furiously andlooking up)

But how does that help??

MARY MAGDELENEThomas makes a good point.

PAULOSSell dispensation and forgivenessfor those acts.

Think inside the box. The

confessional box.

And the collection box.

Paulos pauses as the three men look at each other withpuzzlement that turns into smiles of growing awareness. MMhas a wry smile and remains aloof.

PAULOS (CONT’D)(Scanning the Four)

You let people transfer their guiltto your minions, the priests, for aconsideration, of course: “You are

forgiven my son/daughter. Say threeHail Mary’s, two Our Father’s anddrop a drachma or a ducat in thecollection box on your way out.”Call it Alms for the Poor.

MARY MAGDELENEHmmm. That might work.





PETERBrilliant business model! Everyonesins repeatedly. Recurringrevenue. And they get to shirkindividual responsibility. We arethe ultimate feel good faith. Whydidn’t I think of that?!

PAULAnd it differentiates us from thosedamn recalcitrant Jews, The ChosenPeople, who treat individualresponsibility as a core belief.

THOMAS(Underlining what he just wrote)

And we can offer them eternal

salvation only if all their sinshave been forgiven at death.

Totally awesome, Paulos! We getendowments and capital funds tobuild churches and chapels. Many will even donate while living tocurry favor.

The Four ponder what has just transpired.

MARY MAGDELENEBut Sin and Guilt are too generic.

We need to make Sin more specificand Guilt more consequential to beconvincing.

Why don’t the Ten Commandments andLeviticus work to provide the bigand small rules for living.

PAULOSI knew you would ask that question.

MARY MAGDELENEHAH!!

PAULOS looks away from MM and focuses on eye contact with thethree men.

PAULOSSegment the Faithful market intoseven parts, one for each majorcategory of Sin.



(MORE)



Call it The Seven Deadly Sins:Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed,Gluttony and Lust--a sort ofordering from least to worst level.You can charge differing amountsfor the dispensations.

PAULOh yes!! That way we can collect multiply for transgressions thatinvolve several. Again,brilliant!!

THOMAS(Underlining and starring)

I think we have a plan.

Growth Strategy: Seven Deadly Sins.

Monetization: Confessionals.

PAULOS smiles, very self satisfied.

PETERSo, Paulos, how would you like tobe rewarded.

PAULOSJust shelter, bread and anoccasional cup of wine.

PAUL(To Paul)

We can use the wine and bread inour eternal connection to Jesus.You are just full of great ideas.

THOMASDU-UH! Jesus said that at the LastSupper!

PAUL(Sheepishly)

Oh yeah. Right.

Thomas put the STYLUS down, blots the SCROLL with the edge ofhis ROBE SLEEVE. He rolls up SCROLL and tucks it under hisarm.

THOMASLady and Gentlemen, think we’redone here.



PAULOS (CONT'D)



The Four stand. MM takes the SCROLL from THOMAS whoreluctantly parts with it.

PAULOS bows, nods farewell. They move to leave,

As PAULOS watches them, he hears some muffled clickingsounds.

PAULOS pulls his POCKET WATCH from his vest pocket. The handsare moving wildly forward and back. The WATCH hands stop moving and it begins clicking again in a pattern vaguelyfamiliar to him.

PAULOS(Out loud to himself)

Got it!! Morse code!

PAULOS picks up a BLANK SCROLL. He finds a PIECE OF CHARCOAL

in a fire pit behind the BARRELS. He begins to record the message.

PAULOS (CONT’D)It’s Nick! Back in the Future!!

This is way better than I couldhave imagined.

PAULOS uses his WATCH to answer in code, “Am safe. In Rome.64 AD.”

Halfway out, The Four Apostles confer amongst themselves as

they exit the grotto. MM turns and looks menacingly atPAULOS while he us fuddling with the WATCH.

MARY MAGDELENE(Quietly in an aside toPeter, Paul and Thomas asthey exit)

He is much too modest for aprophet. That will make him popular amongst The Faithful. We will have to dis’pense of him eventually.

The Four disappear out the Grotto entrance.

PAULOS is now smiling broadly as concentrates on his WATCHclicking with dits and dashes. He answers with a newfounddexterity.

PAULOS(To self)

This is retro texting through Time!



(MORE)



Have to blog this if I ever getback to my original Present.

AHA! I’ll let Nick do it now.

PAULOS begins to click feverishly.

FADE TO BLACK.


PAULOS (CONT'D)

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On the Edge of Time and Sin-V3.0