Completely lost in space!

Mars rover, Mars rover, send irrational projects right over!

I'm not the fan of NASA that I once was.

NASA used to mean so much more, today it seems to be more like the geeky science kid in class that nobody wants to hang with, ever.

NASA once stood for great men & women who risked their lives to explore, they were/are true American heroes, in all the classic sense.  But in the last 15+ years, NASA has been watered down and become incredibly boring.  After the disaster of 2003, their spaceballs fell off.

We spend hundreds of millions on Mars rovers to run around a dead planet when we haven't even explored our entire world yet, that doesn't seem to make any sense.

Yes, space exploration is cool, sounds cool and can look cool but we've still got over 85% of our oceans to explore.

Pressure, we still do have the problem of pressure, the deeper we go, the more we have of it, but in space, we don't worry so much about it, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be putting a lot more effort into it.

Bottom line, we've got the $$$ to do BOTH, easily!
Look at the money we WASTE sending to nations that hate us, or a "united" nations that does nothing but tell others how bad we are.  STOP sending that money and use if for exploration.

"For beneath the surface, lies the future..."
-- SeaQuest DSV (television show)

Femme Fatale Friday - Elizabeth Hurley

Femme-Fatale Friday

💖Elizabeth Hurley💖

At 53 she is still one of the classiest, most beautiful and sexiest women on the planet.

She turned heads in the remake for, Bedazzled, in her devilishly sexy outfits.

Showed her comedic side in, Austin Powers International Man of Mystery.

The 5'8" former Super Model (do any of them really ever stop being super?  Not so far as I've seen) was married from 2007 to 2011 and has a 16 year old son.

From the pictures she's shared in 2018 on social media, it looks as if the British born beauty is enjoying life more than ever!💖 

Theory Thursday - Grease, the dying dream

Theory Thursday

Grease
The dying dream.

Several years ago this thing started, producers have since denied the theory but I think they were wrong to do so, and I think the wrong person was picked for the dream.

The theory said that it was Sandy dying after Danny rescued her from the ocean, but how would Sandy know who Danny's classmates were?  This is why the story should have this as Danny's dying dream.

To me, embracing this theory would make the movie/story even more meaningful, as in the end, all of Danny's friends live, happily ever after and Danny flies off to heaven with the girl of his dreams.

This also allows the "magic moments" in the film to make perfect sense, like Frenchy's visit from an angelic Frankie Avalon, or how the garage turns into a clean white studio for the, Greased Lightning dance and song scene.

Turning this into somewhat of a fairy tale romance film would probably put it up a few notches and place it with films like, The Princess Bride and/or Willy Wonka.

They should embrace the magic.

Throwback Thursday - Admiral Nimitz & Silver Linings

Throwback Thursday

Admiral Chester Nimitz

He was portrayed by Henry Fonda in the film, Midway, one of the most respected and decorated Naval Officers in the history of the US Navy.

Thanks to my friend, Mark West for sharing this story on Facebook.

On Christmas Day, 1941, Adm. Nimitz was given a boat tour of the destruction wrought on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Big sunken battleships and navy vessels cluttered the waters every where you looked. As the tour boat returned to dock, the young helmsman of the boat asked, "Well Admiral, what do you think after seeing all this destruction?" Admiral Nimitz's reply shocked everyone within the sound of his voice. Admiral Nimitz said, "The Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could ever make or God was taking care of America. Which do you think it was?" Shocked and surprised, the young helmsman asked, "What do mean by saying the Japanese made the three biggest mistakes an attack force ever made?"
Nimitz explained.

Mistake number one: the Japanese attacked on Sunday morning. Nine out of every ten crewmen of those ships were ashore on leave. If those same ships had been lured to sea and been sunk--we would have lost 38,000 men instead of 3,800.

Mistake number two: when the Japanese saw all those battleships lined in a row, they got so carried away sinking those battleships, they never once bombed our dry docks opposite those ships. If they had destroyed our dry docks, we would have had to tow everyone of those ships to America to be repaired. As it is now, the ships are in shallow water and can be raised. One tug can pull them over to the dry docks, and we can have them repaired and at sea by the time we could have towed them to America. And I already have crews ashore anxious to man those ships.

Mistake number three: every drop of fuel in the Pacific theater of war is in top of the ground storage tanks five miles away over that hill. One attack plane could have strafed those tanks and destroyed our fuel supply. That's why I say the Japanese made three of the biggest mistakes an attack force could make or God was taking care of America.

I've never forgotten what I read in that little book. It is still an inspiration as I reflect upon it. In jest, I might suggest that because Admiral Nimitz was a Texan, born and raised in Fredricksburg, Texas--he was a born optimist. But anyway you look at it--Admiral Nimitz was able to see a silver lining in a situation and circumstance where everyone else saw only despair and defeatism. President Roosevelt had chosen the right man for the right job.

We desperately needed a leader that could see silver linings in the midst of the clouds of dejection, despair and defeat.

Moon Knight, Marvel's missed opportunity

MOON KNIGHT

This is a missed opportunity by Marvel Comics and a potential smash hit for Marvel Studios in the MCU.

I'll be one of the first to admit that Moon Knight is a ripoff of, The Batman.  Millionaire playboy by day and vigilante at night, there I've said it, but he's still around after all these years, time to use the character right ....

With the craze over supernatural films about vampires, werewolves and other such things that go bump in the night, have Moon Knight be strictly a hunter of those things that, go bump in the night. Stop mixing him up with drug lords, cartels and terrorists, and go another route but use the classic look.

The character is due for a more specific reboot!  The "mental illness" bit just does not seem right, at all, but having one voice in his head he can't shake, one that takes him years to figure out, and turns out to be the voice of Khonshu trying to guide him.

One franchise from outside the Marvel Universe they should pick up, Carl Kolchak : The Night Stalker, it would be a great tie-in with this hero’s adventures and any of them who had run ins with monsters.

Marc Spectre is one of Carl’s two nephews, the other is Dr Cyle Kolchak a mutant with a computer like memory, the ability to “read between the lines” of historical texts to see what really happened in that era and has a sensory perception to historical artifacts.  

Cyle’s partner in adventures is the incredible, Gorilla Man, both are part of the, Agents of Atlas, a group of world adventurers whose organization was founded by Allen Quartermane himself.

Cyle is also been used as a consultant by Dr Strange, Professor Xavier, Tony Stark and many others on historical matters and aid in identifying historical artifacts and their meaning.

They need to stick with him as, The Fist Of Khonshu but tweak it so that he hunts down the creatures of the night.  His powers rise and fall with the lunar calendar, like most of what he hunts, his powers would be at their peak when the moon is fullest.  He's got some good allies and I like the idea of the aliases, perhaps a history with some secret spy agency could be developed, to explain all of his back alley connections around the world.  Unlike Bruce Wayne, who mostly trained himself, Marc Specter could have had formal training, but only hint to it, leave the overall a mystery.

A team up with Dr Strange is a given, but also team up with Spider Man, believing that The Man Wolf was one of his prey only to find that it's something else, this also allows The Man Wolf to be introduced to the MCU for later use, he's another missed opportunity character.  A team of Moon Knight, Man Wolf & Blade could make for an awesome film, he's really got a ton of potential and possibilities.

This also opens the potential for, The Midnight Sons, led by Dr. Strange and teams him up with, Ghost Rider, Blade, Manwolf, Whistlers Daughter (3rd Blade movie, one of the very few good things about it), among other darker heroes of the MCU.

Television Tuesday - Sammy kisses Archie

Television Tuesday

Say cheese, for Sammy's big kiss!

In its day, this was an incredibly controversial and hysterical moment in television history.

The photo was actually a photo being taken, as part of the story in the episode, both were smiling until just before the flash went off, Sammy turned and kissed Archie Bunker and the audience lost it with laughter, as did all of us at home watching.

To this day some people will still claim that, All In The Family and actor Carroll O'Connor are racist, and nothing could be further from the truth.  This show was producer, Norman Lear's greatest work, and one of my personal favorites.

All In The Family, was controversial, there is no question there, but it was real, it was a real look at many average American households, and it wasn't in the south.  The Archie Bunker character is still famous to this day for ruffling feathers of the masses.  It won many awards, broke down many barriers and gave us some of the most memorable moments in TV history.

As for O'Connor, in life, he and Sammy Davis Jr were great friends and thought the world of each other, it's we fans who

were stifled at not getting to see them perform more together, this odd couple would have made an awesome movie.

It's rumored that O'Connor was looked at as a possible antagonist law enforcement character for the Cannonball Run films but it never worked out, too bad.

O'Connor was one of the "outer rim" members of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack (as was Judy Garland and "Police Woman" Angie Dickinson), one of the ones that is rarely associated with the group but it was a very tight nit bunch, although O'Connor rarely appeared with the group at public celebrations.

No matter what, these two entertainers were true legends and still incredibly respected, as they should be, they and their talent are greatly missed in today's entertainment world.

Movie Monday - Donovan's Reef

Movie Monday

Donovan's Reef

My personal favorite in the John Wayne library.

I chose this movie first for several reasons, mainly because it was made back when movies were made for the right reason, to make great movies.  Almost all movies in the last 30+ years have been made for other reasons, be it ego or action figures or cut to certain times so that it would be picked up in syndication, those aren't reasons to make films.

Like Cecil B DeMille, John Ford was a truly great filmmaker and this one is a load of fun.  It's got fights, a very lovely leading lady, excellent comedy, penguins ... I mean Nuns, and three adorable & talented kids, not to mention it takes place at Christmas time.

Set in the beautiful Hawaiian islands, John Wayne (Mike Donovan) & Lee Marvin (Gilhooley) lead a great cast in a story about a Navy doctor (Jack Warden as Dr William Dedham) who gets a visit from his estranged daughter (Elizabeth Allen as Amelia Dedham) from Boston, about 15 years after the end of WWII.

Wayne portrays a saloon & marine shipping owner with Marvin, his old Navy mate, who just happens to share a birthday.  Each year they get together but always end up in a brawl and Marvin has come to the island to celebrate again.

Legendary sex symbol, Dorothy Lamour (Miss Lefleur) adds some spice while legendary wrestler, Mike Muzurki (Monk) helps Marcel Dalio (Father Chuzeot) toss in some humor, as well as Cesar Romero (sans the Joker makeup) as the slippery, Marquis Andre de Lage.

The story revolves around the three children, Lelani, Luke & Sarah that Dr Dedham has had since living on the island, their mother lost in childbirth.  Dr Dedham's Boston dotter (Gilhooley's spelling, not mine) comes to the island to confront her father over a family will, and doesn't know about her three siblings.  Donovan & Gilhooley try to pass the three kids off as Donovan's until their former commander returns from the low islands where he is treating his patients.

The basic here is, it's just a great movie, one that the whole family can watch, and enjoy, made for the sake of making a good movie, and this one delivers a, one-two punch of fun!

Which snowpocolypse is coming ... a legal one

It’s going to snow 14 inches ... or maybe 1-3 inches ... or 10 inches ... or just a heavy dusting ... RUN FOR LIVES, not from the snow but from the wild guessing stooges ... 

It’s going to be the snowfall of a lifetime .... wanna bet?!?

If you want to know what the real problem is with weather forecasters, look no further than lawyers, yes, lawyers.  It seems that some have switched from being ambulance chasers to being storm chasers, but not the cool kind.  When a storm hits, they swoop in to further victimize families who have lost loved ones or homes and try to blame the local weather man.

We will now have to endure meteorologists giving us one, the sky is falling story after another, just so they and their station don't get sued.  Another area that two-bit schiesters have polluted to the point that people can't just do their jobs.

More proof that Shakespeare had a great idea .... 😆😆😆 

The Doolittle Raid : Throwback Thursday

 Throwback Thursday

The Doolittle Raid

This is one of the turning points in the Pacific theater during World War II.  It turned the morale around here in the states completely.

If you've ever seen the classic Charlton Heston film, Midway, then you've seen some footage of the planes heading off to the raid, in the opening credits of the movie.  They made brief mention of the raid in the first conversation between the Heston character and the Hal Holbrook character.

The raid was one of the biggest risks taken in the entire conflict, it was an all volunteer mission, the volunteers were trained without knowing what their mission was at all and it was considered a one way trip by some.

The planes left off the USS Hornet and flew in very low, tree top level and didn't find a lot of

airborne resistance as Japan thought that their homeland was safe from such an attack, with Admiral Yamamoto being one of the few voices to warn of the possible attack.

This is one of the parts of the war that has been brought to film but really needs to be done justice, it's a truly amazing story.  Of all the planes used, only ONE made a safe and secure landing as planned, just a little more north than intended, it landed in Russia, with most of the survivors going down in or near China, the intended landing area.

What some of them went through in China is just as monumental as the raid itself and it can be experienced in the book by Captain Ted Lawson, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, which I couldn't recommend more highly.  This memoir of the events that Lawson himself experienced as one of the pilots, as his crew endured incredible hardships and obstacles to make their way back home.

It's a story that you'll be challenged to put down.

Today, knowledge is a curse!

While knowledge will always be power, in today's society, it's also a curse, constantly having to deal with people who refuse to explore knowledge and accurate history.

There is another problem, that we have to identify a difference between accurate history and much of the history that is taught in schools and riddling the internet.  Revisionist nonsense that's constantly being tweaked and twisted to fit a political agenda.

We're not even going to bring up religion, it's altered and tossed around from Sunday to Sunday, depending on the whims of the con-man pushing it.

Today we have a large number of people who refuse to believe any information unless it's been filtered through a cable "news" channel, anything else, even first hand experience, is dismissed as if it were scribbling on a cocktail napkin.

We not only have the rejection of knowledge but the bitter vitriol in a backlash to anything that doesn't go along with what they believe, it's truly a terrifying day when people are rejecting anything that disagrees with them.

Worst of all, we have a large group of people who seem to be rejoicing and glorifying ignorance, praising it as their religion.  On top of that, they mock intelligence, they belittle those who speak the truth and try any way they can to silence anyone with an opposing opinion.

Knowledge is power, knowledge needs to be praised and glorified, not ignorance and obedience.

Gather as much knowledge as you can, from as many aspects and sources as possible, compile knowledge, store it, build on it, it is the only thing that will save civilized society.

Flight of the Question Mark

 Have you ever heard of, The Question Mark, a flight that made aviation history?

This was the flight that proved that midair refueling of an aircraft could work.

One of my favorite channels on satellite radio is, Radio Spirits, which showcases classic radio dramas and comedies from the golden age of radio.

To help with national morale, a series of shows was created under the title of, Inheritance, these were historically accurate (although often condensed) to let people know about the great accomplishments of our troops, and their experiences.

One of them was, The Flight of the Question Mark, and it was a really phenomenal story.

Here is some more information about the historic flight...

https://www.amc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/147247/flight-of-the-question-mark/

Thank you to these brave crews for their incredible accomplishments and daring will do attempt such a feat.

The people need to know more about these parts of our nations history. 

#AmericaRocks 

Yippee Ki Yay, Santa!

Time for some CHRISTMAS FUN

 Earlier today I realized that I all of my blogs lately have been very serious and I want to try to keep this page as fun as I can when I can!  So let’s go after one of the great unanswered questions in the history of mankind .... is Die Hard a Christmas movie?!?

To me, it's always been a Christmas movie and always will be.  Christmas music throughout, "Now I have a machine gun.  HO HO HO" 😆😆😆 The wrapping paper tape to put his gun on his back.  And, those creepy Christmas bells.

No matter what, it will live as one of the greatest action films ever made and is still incredible to watch!

Someone tell Hans I said, Merry Christma..... oh yeah, never mind... 

Fight For It!

One of the biggest tragedies of today, in the United States, is the number of people not willing to fight for their dreams!

To fight isn't necessarily meaning that you physically attack someone, it has more to the meaning than that.  It can also mean that you mentally fight against that voice inside that says, "you can't do it".  It can also mean that you fight in effort to improve who you are today from who you were yesterday.

Fight against doubt, no matter the source, if you want your dream bad enough, you find a way to get it, as long as it doesn't harm others on the way.

Look around for different tools and people that can help you, you'd be amazed at all the different ways things/people can teach you, if you're willing to let them.

Don't put it off, start making a plan today, start thinking about ways to go after your dream, you might be blazing a trail for someone else to follow.

Plow down stupidity!

http://musclecarsclub.com/new-bill-allow-drivers-hit-protesters-standing-streets/

It's about damn time!!!

If you can't articulate your argument better, if you "think" that you have to block traffic to make your point, then more than likely, you're not smart enough to even be in the discussion.

Settled somewhere in the level of stupidity between taking knee during the anthem or burning the flag of a sovereign nation, blocking traffic is just a sign that you want more exposure for yourself rather than your cause.

Write a letter to your editor of the local paper, organize a proper protest, not one the takes away from others.  If you do it right, people will want to know what you're protesting and might join your cause.

Don't know about you but this is what I think of when someone mentions, protesters in the streets..... and nobody wants to be compared with a whining loser like this guy!  Problem is, we live in a society that coddles people like this.

Always be open to change .....

Not sure if this is true but it should be for more people.  No matter the subject, if confronted with a strong enough argument (aka proof, facts), one should be willing to alter their stance on the issue, or at least be willing to question their stance.

Recently I've had some of my stances challenged, not necessarily with facts but with human behavior.

It's a remarkable experience when you see one of your own walls torn down, especially when you weren't even aware it was there, it's a growth experience.

One of my biggest dislikes is when people "throw blankets", and I was doing it myself, I was wrong.

Throwing Blankets is when you take one group of people and you "throw a blanket" on them.  One of the most obvious ones, how the psychological community tries to handle depression, and it's one of the main reasons we've seen a rise in suicides because people aren't being diagnosed and/or treated properly.

We are all individuals, and in many cases, we need to be treated that way.  Not everyone is going to handle this treatment or that treatment the same, it all changes from one person to the next.  Today's psychological community is very lazy and cowardly, but that's for another blog sometime.

I had thrown a blanket over a group of people, when I need to look at them as individuals, take the time to see what an individuals life led them to where they are, and not to condemn them but try to find a way to help them from where they are at now, not just based on the decisions they made to get them there, but with all parts factored in.

Bottom line is, we have too many people who are not, open to change, and FAR too many who aren't even open to the possibility that they are wrong, irrationality has taken over.  Nowhere is this more well seen than in modern religion and in the modern liberalism movement.

We need to keep our minds open, active and aware, even if it means we're the one that's full of shit on the subject that we think we're "right" about.

Be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, ya turkeys!

This is one holiday that's simply about, being together, time with family/loved ones, cherish it while it's happening.

Take this day to let people who are a blessing to your life know about it, give them thanks with your time.

Put the cell phone down, shut off the video game, don't lock yourself away with a football game, do things together, but not shopping, even if you have to stagger it out, watch the big game with those who like football, then get with the rest and enjoy.

Each year, my family gets together for a big meal at lunch and spends the afternoon watching games, parade re-runs, board games or movies.

Take it from someone who has buried far too many family and friends, appreciate the time you have with them while they are here, be thankful for them being in your life.

Meet Beer Monkey

Folks, this is my friend, Beer Monkey and he's going to be helping me through some of the blogs I post, you'll like him .... unless you're one of the people he/we think are a dumbass.  😆😆😆

Each week, me & Beer Monkey are going to choose a, Dumbass of the Week, no plaque, no ceremony (except y'all's laughter at our choice), be happy to let us know if you agree or disagree and why.

We're, Equal Opportunity Offenders, we really don't follow trends, we're not into parties/groups/kliq's, we just pick out someone who decided to act like a dumbass that week, or perhaps something we get reminded of from that past who just deserves to be expos..... awarded, this prestigious honor.

Let's be honest, a beer swiggin' chimp calling someone a dumbass, is almost as cool as an orangutan who likes to take a crap in police cars .... (hope everyone got the Clint Eastwood & Clyde reference).  We'll announce the flaming bag of primate awesomeness every Friday.  

#DumbassOfTheWeek #BeerMonkey #dumbass #award #beer #Clyde #RightTurnClyde #AllInFun #BackTheBlue 

We don't monkey around!

Let's lose depression instead of Family & Friends

From my own experience I can tell you how real this statement is. This is also how we lost Robin Williams. We didn't lose him to suicide, that's just what he used to leave us, we lost Williams to a broken heart. I believe that, for several reasons, he genuinely believed that he was and would always be alone, even when in the company of family and friends. Depression, compiled upon medical issues that affect ones memory can cause that depression to grow much faster and in harsh waves.

For how many people around the world that loved Williams, it's sad that he didn't know how loved he really was, and still is. As a fan since the beginning I can attest to how many times his performances and humor had a major impact on me.

 None quite like the film, Dead Poets Society, ironic that this film also had the issue of suicide and depression in it's core, and how depression can kill a heart far more severely than any gun.

Yet another of his films, Bicentennial Man, dealt with a character that desperately wanted to find his home, his place in the world and discover what was the meaning of his existence. We would even see a measure of depression in his character, Andrew, in spite of him being a machine.

Even in the biographical film, Patch Adams, we see it again, as his character contemplates suicide, if even for a moment, then shifting his own self away from the abyss and taking charge of his life, using his loss to motivate him to his goals, with even more determination than before.

Depression is very real, it takes people from this world every day, and there is no "one size fits all" cure, and never will be, each person needs to be cared for individually, by family, friends and medical persons, when needed. This is why we should never throw blankets, we should never put all those suffering from depression into a herd and claim that the same treatment is needed for all, it just doesn't work. We all have different personalities, we all react in different ways, so we can't all be "cured" the same way when it comes to Psychological issues.

Don't let people continue to be alone, be there for them, let them know you'll do anything you can to help them, do little things that might only have meaning to them, subtle or loud, whatever it takes to help them, even if sometimes it does mean giving them some space.

I'll say it, loud & proud, WE LOVE YOU & MISS YOU ROBIN!!!

#depression #suicide #AskForHelp #alone #RobinWilliams #DontLetTheLaughterDie #psychology #ThrowingBlankets #PatchAdams #BrokenHeart #DearlyMissed