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Showing posts from April, 2021

Hot Traxx: Liz Phair - Spanish Doors

I have to admit that Liz Phair has been one of my rock and roll crushes since the 90s when her song Supernova blew my mind. I was happy to discover that Phair was still making music and was still a looker. Here is the video for her latest song Spanish Doors: Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter.   Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was adopted at birth and raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, California, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly Sound. The tapes led to a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records.   Her 1993 debut studio album, Exile in Guyville, was released to critical acclaim; it has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Phair followed this with her second album, Whip-Smar...

The Cold War Never Really Ended ... And Our Enemies Are Winning

Over the past few months I have been really getting into podcasts. I have been listening to all different kinds of stuff from sports and history to national politics. From these programs I have learned a lot of interesting information. On the flip side of that I have learned a lot of things that truly scare the crap out of me. Today's episode of The Truth with Lisa Boothe was one of those eye opening and bone chilling podcasts. Today Lisa interviewed Maximo Alvarez, a Cuban refugee who migrated to USA during the early days of Fidel Castro's communist takeover of Cuba. During the interview Alvarez details how the Soviets were able to influence the Cuban people into accepting the ideas that would pave the way for the Castro regime to gain power. The scary part is that Alvarez sees the same tactics playing out here in America today. I would take time to outline the points that Alvarez talked about but I believe that his own words have a more powerful punch than anything I could ty...

Dejah Thoris & John Carter Reunited!

From Dynamite Entertainment One of the oldest and most iconic couples in genre fiction reunite once more this summer in Dejah Thoris vs. John Carter of Mars by sci-fi superstar Dan Abnett! Kicking off this July from Dynamite, Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy, Aquaman) opens a new chapter in the storied history of Barsoom and its charismatic couple. Serving as a perfect jumping-on point for new and returning fans, while also continuing threads from Abnett's previous tales, the love of Dejah Thoris and John Carter will be tested by a grave new threat and cataclysmic planet-wide war. "Now that John Carter has returned, is he still the legendary hero they all respect?," said writer Dan Abnett. "And are he and his beloved Dejah still working to the same ends? It's a tale of swords, sorcery, space gods and true love, an interplanetary romance in the true sense of both those words." Barsoom has been in crisis, wracked by freak weather seemingly signifying a coming i...

IDW and Toho International, Inc. Sign Multi-Year GODZILLA Publishing & Gaming Licensing Deal

I'm surprised that I missed this ... From IDW Publishing I DW and Toho International, Inc. are proud to announce a multi-year publishing program that will bring Godzilla and dozens of monsters from the Godzilla live action films to a wide selection of publications and merchandise. Beginning in spring 2021, Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and dozens of kaiju will stomp their way across IDW’s line of comic books, graphic novels, trade collections, art books, coloring books, journals, tabletop games, and puzzles. Furthering IDW’s company-wide mission to expand the most beloved story worlds across all mediums, the publishing program — available in print and digitally — will represent a comprehensive range of content, delivering city-stomping entertainment to young readers and adult audiences. “We’re very excited to work with Toho to build a comprehensive array of stories and products that Godzilla fans everywhere can enjoy,” says Nachie Marsham, IDW’s publisher. “Their library...

Long Lost 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' Spoof

I think that it is safe to say that every horror and monster movie fan has heard of the Universal classic 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' and it's two sequels 'Revenge of the Creature' and 'The Creature Walks Among Us'. Yet how many of you have ever heard of the 1955 horror classic 'Return of the Creature?' Anyone? ... Anyone? ... Anyone at all? Well that's actually not too surprising considering that it was only seen once and then was subsequently forgotten for over fifty years. Let me explain, way back in 1955 while Jack Arnold and his crew were slaving away making 'Revenge of the Creature' at Florida's Marine Studios. Several of the crew members thought it would be a hoot to film their own creature spoof on their days off. The result of their amateur movie making was entitled 'Return of the Creature' a twenty minute parody of the Gill-Man's cinematic exploits which was shown at the wrap party for 'Revenge' to t...

Tulsi Gabbard: Please, let us stop the racialization of everyone and everything

 I have been interested in former Hawaii Representative and 2020 Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard ever since the moment that she took now Vice President Kamala Harris to school during a debate. I feel that she is one of a very small list of politicians I can trust. She has shown over and over her willingness to deviate from partisan politics to work with conservatives to construct legislation that would actually benefit our country. Most of all she is brave enough to speak the truth in a world where doing so comes with both political and social consequences. Yesterday on Twitter Tulsi spoke out about the racialization of our country and how we all should stop such dangerous and morally wrong behavior in favor of unity.    Please, let us stop the RACIALIZATION of everyone and everything. We are all children of God, and therefore family in the truest sense, no matter our race or ethnicity. This is aloha - love & respect for others. This is what our country ...

Discover New Mexico: Bandelier National Monument

 The state of New Mexico is literally covered in well preserved dwelling places that were once inhabited by ancient cultures. Last week we featured the amazing Gila Cliff Dwellings, this week we are spotlighting a possibly even more spectacular site, the Bandelier National Monument.    The Low-Down:   Bandelier National Monument is a 33,677-acre (13,629 ha) United States National Monument near Los Alamos in Sandoval and Los Alamos counties, New Mexico. The monument preserves the homes and territory of the Ancestral Puebloans of a later era in the Southwest. Most of the pueblo structures date to two eras, dating between 1150 and 1600 AD.   The monument is 50 square miles (130 km2) of the Pajarito Plateau, on the slopes of the Jemez volcanic field in the Jemez Mountains. Over 70% of the monument is wilderness, with over one mile of elevation change, from about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) along the Rio Grande to over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) at the peak of Cerro ...

Journey Church Provides Online Resources For Outreach Ministry

Sometimes We Need Help Putting Out The Fires In Our Lives - A Helicopter Tries To Put Out A Forest Fire Near Wrightwood, CA - Photo By Ken Hulsey  Recently our church (Journey Church in Pineville, LA) launched a new outreach ministry tapping one hundred members to go out into the community and provide one on one help to those in need. To provide resources to aide in this outreach the church launched a new website help4hurts.com . The site provides scriptural insight on these topics: Abortion Abuse Addiction Adultery Adversity Anger Anxiety Body Image Bullying Conflict Resolution Crisis Cutting Dating Depression Discouragement Divorce Eating Disorder Failure Fear Finances Forgiveness Grief Life Change Living Together Loneliness Making Godly Decisions Marriage Parenting Pornography Problems Rejection Salvation Stress Suicide Worry Here is a message from Pastor James Greer: In addition Pastor Greer writes: Practical Application for Everyday Life W...

The Artic Giant (1942) The Time Superman Fought Godzilla

 Way back in 1942 cinema audiences were treated to 10 minute Superman cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios. One of the best of these animated features entitled The Artic Giant in which the Man of Steel fought a prehistoric creature the looked an awful lot like Godzilla.  The titanic Tyrannosaurus is discovered by scientists frozen in Siberia and is transported back to civilization. The creature is being kept frozen by a giant refrigerator unit, which of course short circuits unleashing the monster to step on a bunch of people before Superman can subdue it. If the writers of the cartoon obviously drew inspiration from King Kong (1933) and The Lost World (1925). In that film a captured Brontosaurus is brought back to London where it escapes and again does a lot of property damage.  I found it uncanny how the scenes of the Tyrannosaurus stomping through Metropolis resembled similar scenes in the movies The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) and Gojira (Godzilla, 195...

Friday Night Videos: Go West - Call Me

 Since I began this musical journey back and time about a year ago I have realized just how bad a lot of old music videos really are. Everyone back in the day used to laugh at the video for the Journey song Separate Ways because it was so unimaginative. Just the band and the pier watching a pretty walk by. It was a great song with a horrible video.  Well Journey didn't have a monopoly on great songs with bad promotional videos as todays entry from Go West called Call Me will prove. There is a log of jerky dancing, people flipping through the air, people on the ceiling and yellow paint falling from the ceiling. In fact there is a lot of kooky stuff going on up there.  The only redeeming thing about this clip in the whole Attack of the 50ft Woman reference, which unfortunately is way to brief and underexplored. Go West was possibly the greatest 80s group that you have never heard of. Their self titled debut album was one of the best collection of songs produced that decad...