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 Last night Terri and I were passing through Baton Rouge and we decided to stop off at Schlitz & Giggles for dinner. This quirky little restaurant is one of our favorite places to get pizza here in Louisiana.  We honestly love everything about Schlitz & Giggles from having to park under the 10 freeway, the awesome ambiance, to the great food. Honestly the whole experience at Schlitz & Giggles is exactly what my wife and I really love. There are classic Schlitz Beer advertisements all over the walls, there is classic rock playing, and oddly enough the sounds of cars and trucks roaring over the freeway above add to the overall experience. 

 Photos From The Raptor Ranch Website : While browsing the internet this morning, I came across an excellent article in Route Magazine (The Official Route 66 Magazine) about the history of Bedrock City in Arizona. Built in 1971 by Woody and Francis Speckels, the park was originally an amusement park based on the famous Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Flintstones . Over the decades, Bedrock City has been a popular stop for families traveling between the town of Williams and the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

 While driving to work last week I was forced to pull over by some of the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen. If you are a fan of photography you have undoubtedly seen my numerous images taken around this location, which was once the town of Meeker, that is just down the old Jefferson Highway from the town of Lecompte. It is one of my favorite places here in Louisiana and I am always inspired by its natural beauty year round. I find the scenery along the old highway and the adjacent bayou with its majestic old trees so peaceful and I always travel through the area when I need to clear my mind.

 Welcome to Pastor James Greer's latest sermon, "Embracing Humility: Finding Joy and Fulfillment in Living a Selfless Life". In this session, we explore the transformative power of humility and selflessness and how these virtues lead to more fulfilling lives. He dives into the teachings of the Bible, exploring how God guides us to lead lives driven by love, peace, and generosity. Pastor James also talks about how pride can act as a barrier to true happiness and spiritual growth. Join us as we journey towards finding genuine joy in a humble and selfless life.

  Bigfoot in Canada? Multiple reports from the Houston region describe encounters with these legendary beasts. A cluster of recent Bigfoot sightings suggests a sizable group may inhabit the remote forests near this British Columbian locale. Over the past several decades, there have been hundreds of reported Bigfoot sightings across Canada. Recent encounters near Houston, British Columbia have led experts to believe a significant population of the hairy hominids may inhabit the area. In just the last month, three sightings of the upright-walking creature have been reported on the Moricetown Reservation.

Legendary horror hostess, Elvira, posses with a statue of The Werewolf of London at the Witch's Dungeon museum in Plainville, Connecticut. Photo courtesy of museum curator Cortlant Hull. As most of you know, I used to run the horror and sci fi themed blog Monster Island News from 2008 to 2020. During that time I amassed a gigantic collection of photos that were sent to me from all kinds of publicity outlets to use in articles about all sorts of horror and monster movies both past and present. Many of these images are rare, some are hard to find, and yet others are simply from obscure independent films that have been lost in the minutia of a movie industry that just keeps producing and endless amount of  product year after year.

Over her illustrious five-decade career, Joan Collins has become a legendary and iconic international superstar known for her star quality. The Golden Globe winner and Emmy-nominated actor, author, producer, humanitarian and entrepreneur has built an unrivaled body of work that cements her status as a living legend. In recognition of her lifetime of artistic, cultural and charitable contributions, Joan Collins was honored as an Officer of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1997.

Four years ago, I discovered the alternative pop group Yumi Zouma from New Zealand and have been a huge fan of their music ever since. In December, the band released their latest album, EP IV, which offers more of their signature soothing blend of synth- and guitar-driven alternative pop paired with Christie Simpson's angelic vocals.

  Lights in the sky, lost time, and an encounter that will change everything. Parker's terrifying alien abduction story. Taken against his will, Parker recalls every detail of the horrifying alien abduction that altered his life.

 While exploring Metairie yesterday, I used Google Maps to find the old Southern Pacific steam locomotive that I knew was stored nearby. The twisting maze of narrow streets and parking lots led me to the Louisiana Steam Train Association, wedged between two hospital parking lots. This organization's vintage railroad equipment was housed on old railroad sidings.

The People That Time Forgot, the sequel to The Land That Time Forgot, is one of several Edgar Rice Burroughs novels adapted into successive films by Kevin Conner between 1975 and 1978; the other two films were the less popular At the Earth's Core and Warlords of Atlantis. Like its predecessor, this film featured both an exciting adventure story and excellent miniature special effects. However, I couldn't overlook the similarities between the story and that of the Planet of the Apes sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, which raises the question of whether The People That Time Forgot was altered to resemble the "Apes" sequel or if Beneath the Planet of the Apes was inspired by Burroughs's novel. The two films have too many parallels to list here, which fans who have seen both will notice easily, but it may simply be a coincidence.

  Experience almost heaven. Request a free guide to plan your West Virginia vacation. From the Department of West Virginia Tourism Gov. Jim Justice today unveiled the 2024 West Virginia Vacation Guide, the state’s official travel magazine. Travelers can view the 112-page guide online or get a free copy mailed to them directly. Last year, the West Virginia Department of Tourism distributed over a quarter of a million printed guides to travelers across the nation and around the world.

  Grow closer to Jesus by reading His words in the Bible. Let Scripture nourish your spirit each day. Connecting with God the Father, as in Christian beliefs, is special and can be done in different ways. One important way is through prayer. Prayer is like talking to God. Jesus taught a special prayer in the Bible, called the Lord's Prayer (found in Matthew 6:9-13), which shows us how to pray by asking for God's help and thanking Him for all He does. Reading the Bible is another great way to feel close to God. The Bible tells us about who God is and what He wants for us. It's like a map that guides us in life. There's a verse, John 1:1, which says the Bible is a way to understand God better. Finally, Jesus said that loving and helping others is very important. In John 13:34-35, He tells us to love others just as He loves us. When we are kind and help people, it's like we are showing God's love to them. This makes our connection with God stronger because we are d...

Take a trip back in time to a galaxy far, far away. No, not that one - we're talking about the cult sci-fi cheesefest, 1978's Starcrash. Starcrash is an unapologetic pastiche of popular sci-fi and fantasy films, borrowing heavily from Star Wars, Jason and the Argonauts, Barbarella, and other genre classics. This 1978 film could be considered the king of copycats, as its creators transparently attempted to capitalize on the massive success of Star Wars by cloning its style and story beats. Practically every element in Starcrash seems lifted from another, more original property. While thoroughly derivative, the film offers an amusing sampler platter of genre tropes and special effects to sci-fi fans amenable to blatant imitation. In a galaxy of neon stars, two aspiring space pirates, Stella Star and Arkton, embark on a quest to find a secret weapon capable of destroying the ruling galactic empire. Count Zarth Arn, an evil villain, deploys his forces to thwart the duo's search...

Talented beyond her years, Tabitha Swanson is a name you'll be hearing a lot more of. Her star is on the rise in Hollywood. With her captivating on-screen presence, Tabitha Swanson lights up the big screen. This talented actress in her mid-20s has already made her mark in Hollywood. Swanson's breakout role as the lead in the hit indie film "City Lights" earned her rave reviews. She went on to land major parts in two blockbuster movie franchises, showing off her versatility. Whether playing the heroine in an action-packed adventure or the main love interest in a romantic comedy, Swanson brings depth and nuance to every character. Her emotional performance in "Secrets" earned her a Best Actress nomination at the prestigious film awards. At the top of her game and the peak of her blossoming career, the future shines bright for this rising star. Expect to see much more from the gifted Tabitha Swanson.  

 The Struts crank out some good old fashioned rock n roll with their latest album, Pretty Vicious. The Derby (UK) rock band, The Struts, are comprised of Luke Spiller, Adam Slack, Jed Elliott and Gethin Davies. Pretty Vicious is the band's fourth release via The Big Machine label. Following on from 2020’s ‘Strange Days’, the forthcoming record was co-produced by The Struts alongside Julian Raymond (Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick). It was executive produced by Big Machine Label Group CEO Scott Borchetta.

A bullet-ridden rusted out old car body, a statue of Buddha, an old stove and an old lawn mower, to the casual observer this image looks like just some old junk that someone left in desert, simply some old garbage. The truth is is far more complex to that, because in the eyes of an artist, this random collection of objects has a more spiritual meaning, even if we observers may not quite get it.

From Toho: 70 years after instilling fear in global audiences 1954's black and white Godzilla, the King of the Monsters will once again menace moviegoers in monochrome as Godzilla Minus One is re-released for one week only as Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color. Playing in theaters everywhere January 26 through February 1, the Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color run marks every North American's fan's final chance to catch either version of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning, record-breaking global hit during its original theatrical run. The special release of Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color gives fans a way to commemorate the global phenomenon they helped propel to the forefront of pop culture with an intentional creative choice by its director. "I was very happy that the North American audience embraced 'Godzilla Minus One' and gave us such positive feedback as 'It was incredible,' 'It was scary," and 'It made me cry," said Director, Scree...

From Skybound Entertainment: One of the most beloved monsters in horror film history rises from the murky depths once more this year with Universal Monsters : Creature from The Black Lagoon Lives. Even MORE exciting, the book is crafted by three of the most celebrated comic creators working today — writers Dan Watters and Ram V, along with artist Matthew Roberts. And comic book fans are sure to salivate over the lineup of artists illustrating the book’s variant covers, including Joshua Middleton, Joëlle Jones , and Alex Ross! Check out an advance look at all this goodness after these official deets from Skybound HQ… Skybound Entertainment, in partnership with Universal Products & Experiences, has announced Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives!, a new four-issue limited comic book series from acclaimed writers Dan Watters (Home Sick Pilots, Lucifer) and Ram V (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Batman: Detective Comics), along with artist Matthew Roberts (Manifest ...

 Warrant Publications just shot me an email about their upcoming issue of  Vampiress Carmilla, which should hit store shelves in April. This marks the 21st issue of the horror comic magazine and will feature the work of original Warren artists, writers and editors.

A special thanks to Avery Guerra for turning me on to this! Hot on the heals of the world-wide success of the Japanese monster movie, Godzilla Minus One, the Taiwanese film maker Lien-Che Lai is currently working on his own giant monster film entitled Volcanodon.  The short film is being produced by the Creator Union of Tokusatsu, which is a collection of Taiwanese film makers who have a passion for producing both superhero and monster movies. The company has produced such films as Black Sun (A Japanese Kamen Rider Homage) and other Ultraman homage themed projects. Volcanodon, as his name would imply, is a huge creature formed from molten lava. Director Lien-Che Lai, has been really impressed with the positive messages he has received from fans as of late stating on Facebook, "Received messages from monsters special fans around the world these two days, giving the special team up to the start of 2024 (?). In order to live up to everyone's expectations, we will continue t...

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The remains of Crowell & Spencer Lumber Company Locomotive #400 sit in the woods just outside the old Red River & Gulf Railroad facilities in Long Leaf, Louisiana. - Photo by Ken Hulsey  The Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf, Louisiana has announced that they will be looking for volunteers this weekend to work on the restoration of the long abandoned Red River and Gulf Railroad facilities. It is their hope to one day return several pieces of vintage railroad equipment to working order, including a recently acquired Heisler Logging Locomotive and former RR&G 4-6-0 number 106. Are you looking for a unique railroading experience here in Louisiana this weekend? Come and get in touch with some real railroad history!

 I just got a message from Iconic Releasing about their release of the iconic anime classic Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) in select theaters around the country next weekend (January 21-23). This is great news for anime fans, but unfortunately for me, the local Grand Theatre here in Alexandria won't be showing it. Old Woman: He called you a cowboy. What did he mean? What are you? Spike : Just a humble bounty hunter, ma'am.

Stop being so goal-oriented and be more growth-oriented. If you keep growing you will reach your goal, but if you set goals and don’t grow you will not reach them. If you hit your goal that you set without growing, you will not keep it.

For some time now, I have been looking for a way to use the talents that God has blessed with to further His kingdom. Since my natural talent is photography I wanted to find a way to use my images in a meaningful way alongside faith based content.  Tonight I decided to delve deep into my photo archives and feature some photos that I took way back in 2011 when I lived in Orange County in Southern California. These images feature the monolithic sculpture known as Connector that was created in 2006 by the artist Richard Serra. You can find it on the grounds of the Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. Since I wanted to focus on Biblical knowledge and Wisdom, I thought that Connector was an excellent visual to correspond with the text. The angles of the giant metal sculpture are indeed thought inspiring, and to be honest, staring at it like I once did used to spawn many profound ideas about life in my sentimental little mind. The cool thing about Connector, is the fact that it is...

 The Los Angeles based indie pop trio Cannons have released an album that is the perfect soundtrack for the 21st century.  From Sony Music: The 12-song project follows CANNONS’ 2022 album Fever Dream and marks their first collaborations with co-writers and producers in Jason Evigan, Tyler Spry, Mike Elizondo, Mikky Ekko, and Jenn Decilveo on select tracks. Featuring lead singles “Crush,” “Desire,” “Bad Tattoo,” and “Loving You,” which is nearing top 10 at Alternative radio, Heartbeat Highway takes listeners on a ride through the heart’s ups and downs.

 For those of you out there that want $15 an hour to work in fast food, it looks like the industry has found a more cost effective way to replace you entirely - Food Service Robots powered by AI.

 From Regional Media: Thanks to bad actors using A.I., you may have been convinced that Taylor Swift was personally endorsing a high-end line of cookware in a series of Facebook ads.

The future of The Mandalorian has gone from a movie, to a fourth season on Disney +, and now back to a movie again.

 This is the camera I use to take all the photos you see here on this website and I recommend the Canon EOS T7 Rebel for anyone who wants to take their photography to the next level. - Ken Perfect for beginners, this camera bundle offers the essential tools needed to take your SLR skills to new heights, all in one convenient package. No matter where your next adventure takes you, count on the EOS Rebel t7's impressive 24.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor and wide ISO range of 100-6400 (H: 12800) to capture high-quality images, even in low-light situations. $479.00 @ Amazon.com - Order Here

Many of my friends here in Louisiana have inquired about what it was like to live in the California desert. Well, today I was home sick so I decided to back through some of my photo files in search of some images to post about our time out west. As I went from file to file I clicked and saved the images that spoke to me. After I was finished I went back a reviewed them only to notice that the majority of my photos all looked very similar. It appears that subconsciously I must be missing the wide open spaces and big skies of the west.

 We must have faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Our faith must active, and it should grow. Don't allow your faith to be dormant. Faith is active.

 After taking a year off, I decided that it was time to resurrect one of my most popular features entitled Retro Saturday Morning, As you can probably guess, this series features many of the classic cartoons that were once shown almost exclusively on network television between 6 and 12 in the morning on Saturdays. Most of us from that generation woke up with eager anticipation knowing that we were about to enjoy several hours of programing aimed solely for kids. For many these are some of our most treasured memories.

 Photo By: Ken Hulsey Tonight I decided to scroll to the very bottom of my Google Photos and discovered that my oldest photograph stored in The Cloud is this image of the restored Santa Fe steam locomotive 3751 arriving in San Bernardino (California). Though Google says this photo is much older, I believe that I took it sometime around 2009, as I believe that was the first time I attended the San Bernardino Railroad Days.  It was always a thrill to see a gigantic 4-8-4 steam locomotive moving under its own power. It was also an amazing experience to be able to interact with an actual, operating, steam locomotive. 

 I have been a huge fan of the Australian alternative/pop/jazz fusion band The Bamboos for a little over a decade now. I really love their upbeat music and their mixture of different composition styles always seems to keep their sound fresh. A lot of their stuff leans heavily on both jazz and funk, which always makes me think of the great bands of the seventies. 

 From Trulia: Beautiful Sierra Blanca view, pool view, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, mostly furnished, beautiful rock fireplace, mini-splits for cool air, almost move-in ready! Enjoy it with family and friends and/or use it as an investment property. It already has a nice rental history! Only a couple of blocks from midtown, super easy access, and central to everything you want to do in the year 'round playground of the Southwest! HOA dues cover water, sewer, garbage, cable, Wi-Fi, exterior maintenance, (except for back side of condo), snow removal, pool maintenance.

 The quest for some great Mexican Food in the South continues! Being a transplant from the Southwest now living in Louisiana I embarked on an epic quest to find a great plate of south of the border food in a vast region populated with more crawfish and jambalaya restaurants than you can shake an alligator tail at.  

 【Retro Record Player】There is a removable cover on the top to protect vinyl and turntable plat. You can shut the cover shields and keep the dust out. And the beautiful textured exterior are a perfect fit for any environment. $34.99 @ Amazon.com - Order Here

From Warner Bros. AMBER HEARD (Mera) is an internationally celebrated actress and activist. Heard first emerged onscreen in 2004 with “Friday Night Lights,” and has since made dozens of genre-traversing movies from comedies (“Pineapple Express,” “Zombieland”), to horror (“The Ward,” “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane”), to action thrillers (“Drive Angry,” “Machete Kills”) and dramas (“Alpha Dog,” “The Danish Girl”). Her most recent independent movie, released September 2023, “In the Fire,” was also her latest as an executive producer. Amber became a truly global superstar upon acquiring her role as Mera in Zach Snyder’s “Justice League.” She continued in her role as Mera in “Aquaman,” which grossed over $1B at the global box office.