Throwawayblog

Kate Bush - "Cosmic Kate" vs the Robot Battle Troopers

2012-01-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

I found I had a copy of "Homeground" (Kate Bush fan magazine) from Christmas 1986. It contained this really interesting illustration of Kate Bush vs robot troopers and clone commandos. It is by someone named "Steve the Duck". Steve comes up 0 in a Google search, otherwise I would love to let him know about this blog posting.

This detailed drawing must have taken forever to make. It's a sort of Where's Waldo of robots and armored science fiction characters, with a Cylon, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Stormtroopers found among the 'bots. Others to look for include Judge Dredd, Iron Man, and Gort. You will find them there. I am sure Doctor Who's pooch K-9 has to be in there somewhere, but I have nto found him yet. Are Darth Vader or Baron Karza illustrated? If not they should be. Alas, this illustration was made way too early for Bender to have been included.

Steve the Duck even had a contest to name all the "guest stars". Warning: If you click to see the larger image, it is very large and very detailed. What all can you identify?

Click here for the larger image.

Kate Bush vs the robot troopers and clone commandos

And click here to visit another Blogspot blog about Kate Bush.

The '96 Sleestak-Dole Debates (Sleestak Sunday)

2012-01-29T08:09:00.002-05:00

Warning: The following post is a mixture of of real politics and science-fiction tomfoolery. Or are the two really not so different?

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you an historic record of the Sleestak-Dole Debates of 1996

"One Man, One Prehistoric Walking Lizard*. Both seeking the top office in the United States. What happens when man meets lizard?

(* the prehistoric walking lizard is the one on the left)""

In one of the debates, Bob Dole utters this prophetic statement:

"It is as if we went to sleep in one America and woke up in quite another land which happens to be lost. It is as though our government, and our institutions and our culture have been hijacked by lizards and are careening dangerously off course."

Probably a majority would agree with this at this time.

And here is a quoted exchange between Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich mentioned at the Sleestak political blog "Enik Rising":

Gingrich: "Why do so many people take an instant dislike to me?"
Dole: "It saves time."

How many have been following the debates and other parts of the campaign closely? I admit I have not watched one debate yet, but I have been tempted. I mostly rely for information on these after the fact from radio news, newspapers, and internet sites (including blogs).

Byaaaaahhh!!!

So I know very well about Rick Perry's campaign-killing memory failure. And if someone decides to scream like pterodactyl during a primary-related speech, I will be sure to find out about it. Am I really missing out from not watching the debates "live" ?

To the right is a picture of the pterodactyl-headed mutant Sauron., a minor 'X-Men" villain. Ever since he went public, he has faced mounting debt from the lawsuits from the J.R.R. Tolkien estate. In 2008, he decided to supplement his income by writing Howard Dean campaign speeches.

Has anyone been watching the debates and the speeches on C-SPAN and other channels? And at this point in the Republican race, with people still having major misgivings about Romney and Gingrich (an uneasy mix of what I see as lack of great enthusiasm from anyone for Romney, and a strong animosity toward Gingrich from some), should a Sleestak enter the race to make it interesting? Or can see say that Ron Paul was close enough, and we don't need to try that again.

And yes, I have some animosity toward Ron Paul and his supporters dating back from a time a group of them attached campaign flyers to cars in my church parking lot, and threw a lot more than they attached to the cars on the ground. I guess the libertarian respect for property rights does not extend to automobile owners, nor does it prohibit trashing privately-owned parking lots.

Postcard - Dayton Duck Derby

2012-01-28T19:42:00.001-05:00

"Go Quackie! Ducks head into the quackstretch"
I found this postcard in a book in a box today.

Dayton Duck Derby (Ohio)

The back says
"Dayton Duck Derby
An annual favorite at the Dayton County fair, ducks race for prestige and prizes. Produce and pie judging are other events at "Ohio's Week of Fun", which runs August 2nd through the 8th.:"

Apparently, the duck derby is no longer held. The only thing I can find on it in Google are references to other copies of this postcard.

I guess in a world where animal rights activists have actually tried to ban rubber duck regattas, a derby of live ducks would not fly at all.

Swinging in Tennessee- Postcard Friendship Friday

2012-01-26T13:30:00.000-05:00

There used to be a feature called Postcard Friendship Friday. I don't know what happened to it, but I participated several times. Today's entry is of the Swinging Bridge at Rock City Gardens near Chattanooga, Tennessee

The pencil handwritten caption on the back reads:

Hi,
Didn't like yesterdaybut today sure makes up for it hot and sunny. Have my windows down. It's 1:30 Sat. Hope they let me drink in Ga tomorrow. On Sunday they don't in some states. If I can't, I'll play golf. I'm only 120 miles from Atlanta. Easy from here.
- H___

Seriously, I can make out every word except for the writer's name.

It was postmarked at 6:30 PM on Sunday, December 24, from Chattanooga. Looks like H. didn't make it to Georgia the next day after all.

Some years after this postcard was mailed, I ran across this bridge. I did not golf or drink in Georgia on a Sunday afterwards. I was 2 years old at the time.

Family Photos

2012-01-25T19:13:00.001-05:00

I found this family photo just now, from about 100 years ago. I am pretty sure my grandfather snapped it.

Rather startling, isn't it?

What comes to mind? Inexplicably, I think of the old TV show "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea". Seems like way to many episodes involved a crew member going crazy and knocking someone out with a wrench. At least when the episodes didn't involve the sub being entangled in the tentacles of a rubber octopus prop.

It's Pie Day

2012-01-23T09:03:00.002-05:00

Last week had Pooh Day. This week has National Pie Day. And it's today..

So eat some pie!
Where to get some? You can try pies from these "Grand" locations and other bakeries from around the US and the world. And please write to tell me who has the best pie.

The Grand Traverse Pie Company, Traverse City, Michigan. Featured on "Good Morning, America". The "American Pie" movie called "American Wedding" took place in Grand Traverse County, but I don't think it had anything to do with these pies.
Barbara's Cake and Cookie Boutique, Grand Prairie, Texas From a review: "I've fallen in love. .... I never knew that my heart's desire has been waiting in this one-time burger joint during bakery for 15 years, just waiting for me to find it. Only ten short miles from my doorstep. O cruel fate!"
Our Place restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas "Fabulous home cooking. Great place for all ages. Warm and friendly. Super homemade pies. A must eat!"
Mom's Pies and Goodies in Fresno, California
Smiling Pelican Bakery, Maiden Rock, Wisconsin. I love the name
The Great American Pie Extravaganza in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Appears to be an annual pie event.
"Four and Twenty Blackbirds" in New York City "Keep your fork. There's pie!"
Big Ben's Pies in Singapore
Susan's of Bolton Pie Shop in Marmaris, Turkey: "apple crumble and custard for pudding is a must.".
The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. They make a "great apple pie in a bag"
Arroyo Grand Bakery, Arroyo Grande, California. Also here on Facebook. "Did you know that all of our pies are homemade on the premises? All the way down to the pie shells, which are hand pressed..."
Sweet Cakes Casper, Casper, Wyoming. Lots of cupcakes as well as pies.
Southern Pecan Pie recipe postcard

Just don't go to the Key Lime Pie Salon in Atlanta, Georgia. They won't serve you pie.

And speaking of pie, here is Don McLean singing the classic music-apocalypse song "American Pie" live. at times he sounds like Don Pardo.

A Presidential Sleestak Sunday

2012-01-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

And here is another political Sleestak Sunday. Featuring a book cover that shows what President Obama would look like if he were a Sleestak. I am one of those who did read (or listen to on audio-book) The Audacity of Hope. It wasn't bad. The President read it himself, and he is pretty good at the audiobook thing. I could not escape the suspicion that this was not a deeply personal memoir as much as it was part of his campaign... a slick piece of work written very carefully to help promote Barack Obama for his future high office. The last book by a President (a past President, instead of a future one) I read was the one by Jimmy Carter on his experiences in the outdoors hunting and fishing. Former President Jimmy Carter probably has no big future ambitions so he was probably felt more free to write about any old thing he wanted.

The Audacity of Hope could have used more funny/interesting personal anecdotes. The one where he recalls meeting George W. Bush (in which Obama imitates Bush's voice in the reading of it) was pretty good and was a highlight of the book.

As for the current candidates, I am not aware of a third book for adults by President Obama. Newt Gingrich has written a bunch of books, including a science fiction novel. Seems like just about anyone for President has someone ghost-write a book. I don't find anything by Mitt Romney yet, other than a campaign document for Kindle authored by "Romney for President". Rick Santorum doesn't have anything yet other than something from 2005 which is really a connection of speeches.

Have any of my readers read books by Presidents?

Sleestak Obama book cover

The City of R'lyeh

2012-01-19T21:47:00.000-05:00

The sunken city of R'lyeh. Yes, I think I know how to pronounce it. Going through old books I ran across a copy of The Adventures of Samurai Cat by Mark E. Rogers, from 1984. It is a sort of science fiction/fantasy pastiche novel, with some very nice illustrations. The character, a cat in samurai armor (think of a Japanese "Puss in Boots"), visits the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft, Middle Earth, Conan's Hyboria, and other fantasy and science fiction realms. His name is Miawara Tomokato. It was successful enough to spawn some sequels and a comic book series.

The illustration below is from the satirical version of the sunken city of R'lyeh, risen above the waves. However, there's nothing satirical about this illustration, which recalls Lovecraft's original writing from 1928:

"The nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh…was built in measureless eons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars. There lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults."

Looking at the images of the city in Google images (and there are many many)e, this is actually the best image of R'lyeh that I have see One of the best at the others can be found in a blog entry on Anne Rice. Click here to see this other artwork.

City of R'lyeh by Mark E. Rogers from Samurai Cat, 1984

R'lyeh, is of course fictional. But there is an actual lost city in the middle of the Pacific. The city of Nan Madol, which is a sort of ancient ruined Venice of the pacific, with canals. Have you ever heard of this city? Probably not. I had not until recently.

Pooh Day

2012-01-18T13:26:00.000-05:00

I heard on the radio today that today is Pooh Day, the birthday of A. A. Milne, the author and creator of the Winnie the Pooh characters.

Click here to see some of the original artwork for the Pooh characters. Rather understated. The image to the right shows Piglet and Pooh in the snow. Well, there is a lot of snow outside here now.

It is also UFO Day. Maybe a good day to go outside and look for flying saucers as well as pooh bears. Have any of my readers seen flying saucers?

Sleestak Sunday - "Team Enik" Logoware

2012-01-15T14:12:00.001-05:00

Over at Gothridge Manor, Tim's "Sleestak Sunday" entry features your Sunday best in Sleestak wear. He got some pretty good ones, but he missed a few. Such as my own "Team Enik" logowear.

And these

Zanz Kant Danz

2012-01-13T13:47:00.000-05:00

Back during the 1980s, back before it was the channel of 48 hour "Road Rules" marathons, MTV had music videos. Some of them were quite good. One I remember quite well was "Vanz Kant Danz", the mid 1980s. It was by John Fogerty, the frontman from Creedence Clearwater Revival, off his landmark solo album Centerfield. Yes, that Centerfield, the one with the now ubiquitous title track baseball anthem ("Put me in coach...").

Mr Spock Pig

I remembered the video, featuring Will Vinton's "Claymation" work. Vinton is now probably best remembered for his California Raisins commercials. When videos started appearing on the web in Youtube and other sites, this was one I sought out. I never found it, perhaps because it was "rare", censored by someone, or I was searching under the wrong name.

It turns out that "Vanz Kant Danz" was really "Zanz Kant Danz", and a song about a pickpocketing pig was really a jav at a greedy record company executive.

From a comment on Youtube:"The song "Zanz Kant Danz" was altered and re-titled "Vanz Kant Danz" a few months after the release of the album in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a defamation lawsuit from Saul Zaentz, owner of Fantasy Records. The altered "Vanz Kant Danz" version of this song appears on all post-1985 pressings of the album." Zaentz had filed a lawsuit againt Fogerty claiming that one of the songs on "Centerfield" sounded like another Fogerty song. Fogerty won the defense.Want it while you can, before someone censors it again. Mr Spockappears around 2:50:

Primarily Sleestak Sunday

2012-01-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

sleestak campaign poster

To the right is a campaign poster from a few years ago for the Sleestak political party.

The primary season is well underway, now that the Iowa Caucuses are over. Before the caucuses there was too much in the news about them, and now after... where I've heard too much mention in the news about how the caucuses were mentioned too much.

I heard one Iowa citizen on the radio complain how sick he was of Mitt Romney, because Romney was robo-calling him 5 times a day. Yes, 5 times a day. I doubt the guy voted for Romney.

During the last primary here, I remember a bunch of Romney robo-calls. They sure turned me off too. While politicians are not required to follow the fedral "Do Not Call List", they should as a common courtesy. Can you think of anyone who would sign up for that list and NOT wish it included politicians as well?

Robots for Mitt Romney

Want my vote? Don't robo-call me!And below is a video of a funky song played by four robots and a Sleestak. I have no idea if this is the Romney campaign song.

Iron Lantern - Best Comic Ever

2012-01-02T23:21:00.000-05:00

The comic companies, DC and Marvel, are like superpowers. Cold war superpowers. Think US and USSR. Like the US and USSR, they occasionally have had "detente". This in the form of characters from each company appearing together. This has included Superman meets Spiderman, Batman meets Hulk, and other efforts.

Far and away the most interesting of these examples of comic book detente were the Amalgam comics. Instead of having characters from two different companies meet each other, they merged the characters into one.

My favorite comic book characters have long been Marvel's Iron Man and DC's Green Lantern. When Amalgan was made in 1997. they combined the two into one character, Iron Lantern.

The Iron Lantern name appears elsewhere, particularly in this restaurant in Vermont. No posrcards of this exist, but there is a postcard of a Green Lantern Restaurant.
.... ..

Banished Words 2012

2012-01-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

A group at Lake Superior State University calling themsleves the Unicorn Hunter has come out with their list of banned words for 2012.

No Ginormicas

On this is list "Ginormous". I'd never heard this word, or variations of it, before the digital animated movie "Monsters vs Aliens" came out in 2009. This movie featured a character named Ginormica. She was a take-off on the "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" voiced
by Reese Witherspoon. I guess the Unicorn Hunters have taken aim at her. Well, big as Ginormica is, she's an easy target.

Also on the list is "Occupy". As I commented here, I think that this word choice by the left-wing protest movement isn't the best. At worst, "occupy" has many negative connotations, especially in a military manner. At best, it is just sitting there doing nothing (occupying a chair, occupying a sofa while watching sitcoms).

"Man cave" is on the list as well. I have a sort of a cave like that in my house now, but it is too small to do anything with.

One on the list I'd never seen before is "Trickeration". It's a football term, actually, related to trickery. But at first glance to me it seemed to be one of those variations on "vacation", such as "staycation", "playcation", or "trickeration" (or "playstation playcation', a holiday one can spend while occupying the couch).. A trickeration is vacation with a lot of tricks in it. Not many people might go on a trickeration, but it seems well suited to Loki, Coyote the Native American trickster, and a few Batman villains.

Overheard in the Batman's lair, which is really a swell man cave:

Batman: "Things have been quiet this week. We've not had any crimes from The Joker lately"
Robin:"Don't you remember, Batman? The Joker went on a trickeration to Mallorca this week. He won't be back until Tuesday".

Any suggestions from anyone? Know what I think belongs on the list? Gift as a verb, and forms of it such as Gifting or Gifted. Whatever happened to the word "give"? It seems to be being phased out. Pretty soon people will respond to requests for charitable donations by saying "No thanks, I gifted at the office". I'm sure others have words and terms that they hate also. Please add them here!

Happy New Year! (Velvet Sleestak Sunday)

2011-12-31T20:09:00.000-05:00

From the Velvet Fog to a velvet Sleestak.

Sleestak art branches out in strange directions. Below is a painting I found of the recently deceased North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Il with a Sleestak next to him. This velvet painting was apparently at a New York City art gallery at one point. It's not often that you find Sleestak art to go with current events, but here it is. It is a diptych rendered on black velvet. Yes, an art form usually reserved for Elvis Presley.

Sleestak with Kim Jong Il

North Korea postcard

To the right is a postcard, probably from the Soviet bloc heyday of the 1950s and 1960s, of members of the Worker and Peasants Association in North Korea. Like Kim above, they are smiling, but from all I know of North Korean history, these people likely didn't have much ti smile about.

The Sleestak below is sad to see the old year go. Have a Happy New Year!

And yes, there is an entry over at Gothridge Manor.

Crying Sleestak Holding Chaka

Sleestak Sunday with Velvet Fog

2011-12-25T07:55:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! And happy Sleestak Sunday. And yes, I received the Sleestak (or Altrusian, as it were) seen to the right as a gift.

Tne best gift of all I received was that a lost family member showed up two days before Christmas. Sorry, Enik. That beats a Sleestak any day.

Sleestak live in the Lost City, which is sometimes foggy with special-effects dry ice. Here's some Christmas music from another Fog, the famous "Velvet Fog" Mel Torme:Also, I noticed that this morning's "Grand Rapids Press" has a front-page feature on Michigan home-town hero Bob Seger. I first discovered his version of "Little Drummer Boy" last year, and love it:Remember, this is the first of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Did anyone get a partridge in a pear tree?

Holiday purchases

2011-12-23T13:25:00.000-05:00

I've been reading about people going into stores, especially bookstores, armed with a smart phone so they can peruse the shelves and look at the books, and if they find any they want to buy, they order the books or other items from an online leviathan.

Well, it works the other way too. For my largest purchase yet of the holiday season, I researched it online, looking at the reviews that are part of an online leviathan sales site.... and then I went and bought it locally.

Is everyone done with their Christmas shopping? I think I am done with mine.

Sleestak Lightning ...and BBQ

2011-12-18T08:03:00.003-05:00

Today's "Sleestak Sundays" entry might be mouthwatering to you. Yes. mouthwatering.

Sleestak Lightning

I last blogged about Northwestern Michigan's legendary Dogman, who is sort of a like a werewolfy aggressive version of Bigfoot. Of course, Oregon has the actual Bigfoot. Lake Pepin has Peppy. Lake Champlain has its own monster. The song lyrics further down in this post mention others.

And it looks like the American South has Sleestak running in the back woods. This song "Sleestak Lightning" by the band Clutch documents someone who is being menaced by it: It's one of two actual pop/rock songs about Sleestak. Well, two that I know of.

I send pictures through the mail
Well documented and very detailed
To politicians and big celebrities,
But none of them are believing in me
And I await their response
Some send none, most send cops
But man it’s a dire situation
And I will risk the public humiliation

Sleestak lightning on my trail
It’s a dire situation, they are on my trail

West Virginia has its Moth Man,
Pan handlers’ got their Skunk Ape.
But I have a tazer and night vision goggles,
Costco rolls of black duct tape.
It’s got red eyes, it’s got razor claws,
It’s got green skin, no it ain’t a meth-head.
And after studying its behavior, objectively and critically,
I believe I have a reliable method.

Clutch is from Germantown, Maryland.

"Sleestak Lightning" reminds me of "Smokestack Lightning', which is a fine book on barbecue which I have in my library. Click here for a link to a review at the "Full Custom Gospel BBQ" Blogspot blog.

From the review: of "Smokestack Lightning".

"This may be the single finest book written about barbeque. By combining the essence of the great American road trip with the medium of smoked meat, it makes for great, mouthwatering prose"

I don't recall ever having any authentic Southern BBQ other than at a place in downtown, Henderson, Texas, in the very western edge of a large area of the country I've never been to. An area of the country filled with BBQ stands. The Henderson BBQ joint is not showing up in Google, but you can check out Bob's Barbecue in the same town, which looks to be similar.I've had lots of BBQ, but not really authentic Southern, in the deep south. Maybe a barbecue roadtrip might be a good idea someday.

The phrase "Smokestack Lightning" goes back to a blues song by Howlin' Wolf from 1956.

Sleestak might like barbecue. While they eat moths, they do also like pork.As for the moths. if the Sleestak in the back woods meet the Mothman, there might be trouble.

Does anyone want to chime in on their favorite barbecue place? Or if you hate BBQ you can mention that too.

Below is a music video for "Sleestak Lightning"

"Dogman; The Motion Picture" - Michigan Dogman Movie Premeire Tonight.

2011-12-14T11:38:00.000-05:00

Movie poster for "Dogman"

The first movie about Northwestern Lower Michigan's "Dogman" premiers tonight at Michael Moore's State Theatre in Traverse City, Michigan. Documentary, or fiction? The film is made by Rich Brauer, a filmmaker who has made several recent movies starring Ernest Borgnine (yes, Ernie is not only doing Spongebob as "Mermaidman"). The official Dogman blog has a page about this movie. No word on whether the Dogman in the movie morphs into a Quilleute Indian, or if a wan young woman has to choose between the Dogman and a vampire. The legend of the Dogman was first documented by radioman and word guy Steve Cook.

Benzie Dogman sighted in Benzonia, Michigan

older Dogman movie poster

The movie poster to the right is from the Lost Plumber at Deviantart, as his idea how an eventual Dogman poster might look.

And here is the Dogman song, to the tune of "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon or (sort of) "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock.

"I saw a dogman clutching today's mail in his hand
Walking through the streets of Benzonia in the sleet
He was looking for a place called Roadhouse Mexican Grill
Going to get himself a big bowl of taco meat.

(It was summer-time in northern Michigan...)

Ahooo, dogman of Benzie..... Ahoooo.....
Ahooo, dogman of Benzie..... Ahoooo.....

He's the hairy-handed man, prowling round Lake Ann
Lately he's been seen far south as Joyfield.

If you see him, run away!
He'll tear your spleen out, Jay!
I'd like to meet his tax man.
Ahooo, dogman of Benzie..... Ahoooo.....
Ahooo, dogman of Benzie..... Ahoooo.....

Well, I saw Steve Cook walking by the bay
Rappin' the dogman of Benzie
I saw Frank Holes Jr. walking by the bay
Writing the dogman of Benzie
I saw a dogman drinking a soda at the L.A. Cafe
His hair was perfect...."

There are no Amazon links for this, nor is there a mention

of an independent bookstore.

But here is a link to the web site

of Dogman author Frank Holes Jr.

Are there any werewolf, weredog, dogman, mandog, or pigman sightings anywhere around where you live, dear readers?

Sleestak Sunday: Stained Glass-Style Art

2011-12-11T07:34:00.001-05:00

Sleestak and Chaka stained glass/tattoo art

Isn't it amazing what topics can be gleaned from the Sleestak, and the variety of art and images that have been inspired by these 1970s Saturday-morning lizardmen? Today, Sleestak Sundays goes to church. Or at least to church windows. And don't miss the newest Sleestak Sunday entry at Gorthridge Manner (the blog that started this idea).

This gorgeous example of Sleestak-related artwork is from Dave Warshaw. He's selling prints of this. He has entitled it "Our Lady o Slee" This art is actually tattoo-related, and is in the style of the classic Madonna and Child image. There are actually several examples where people have been tattooed with Sleestak

[http://davewarshaw.com/artwork/55908_our_lady_o_slee.html]

I grew up in a town with lots of great stained glass in the church windows, both classical (similar to the image seen to the right, but without Sleestak or Chaka) and the more modern abstract style. Some houses in the neighborhood even had actual stained glass windows. That's because there were stained glass producing companies in town.

Tiffany stained glass postcard

Winona "Sugar Loaf" Stained Glass at Watkins HQ

I don't know of many pop-culture uses of stained glass art. The cover art from the famous Alan Parsons Project album "The Turn of a Friendly Card" appears below as an example.

The modern postcard to the left depicts a very recent installation of Tiffany stained glass at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, Minnesota. Museum of Maritime Art in Winona, Minnesota.modern stained glass install by Reinarts Stained Glass Studios.

The stained glass image below is of Sugar Loaf Bluff and can be found in the Watkins Inc world heardquarters. This image and many other stunning photos of church stained glass and other stained glass in Winona can be found at the Mass CommuniMania blog entry. I strongly recommend visiting this link [http://masscommunimania.blogspot.com/2011/02/stained-glass-capitol-of-world.html] You won't find any Sleestaks, but you will find many great images. Make sure to scroll down to the bottom to see a stained glass depiction of the Native American "Princess Winona' of the lover's leap legend.

Are there any great stained glass examples in your church, or your community?

The Decolonizing Diet Project

2011-12-09T09:45:00.001-05:00

Postcard:Indian Maiden,corn, turkey

I've heard for years about diets where you only eat food produced very close to home. On the radio yesterday, I heard of something similar called the Decolonizing Diet Project.

This mainly involves eating indigenous (Native American) foods. Yes, this doesn't particularly mean frybread or casino buffets. The blog 'A Week of Eating Indigenous Foods' covers this also, with some recipes which include wild turkey, corn, and peppers.

I love turkey, corn, and peppers. I've never had wild turkey, and am not sure to get it without hunting for it.

The first postcard image to the right is of a stereotypical Indian agricultural maiden figure (similar to what is still seen on a "Land of Lakes" butter box), and the one below is of more historic interest, likely from the 1920s, showing Pueblo women in Aguna, New Mexico grinding corn.

This project includes a mini-challenge: to eat only pre-contact foods during the first week of November. Well, it's a month late for that, but I only heard of this for the first time yesterday. A Thanksgiving dinner doing this might have been interesting, actually using the foods likely eaten in the early 1600s in barely-colonized Massachusetts.

Is this something any of my readers have tried? Or has anyone tried anything like this?

Postcard: Pueblo Indian women with corn, Aguna nm

Flush twice its a long way to Amazon.com corporate HQ

2011-12-05T11:36:00.001-05:00

Here's another bookstore related post, with a humorous take on the ongoing battle between brick-and-mortar bookstores and Amazon/e-readers. The battle between small bookstores and the big chains takes a back seat for the moment.

The recent issue of Consumer Reports has arrived in mailboxes. Like many magazines, they have a funny page in the back. Most often it is bizarre labellng on packages.

The current issue has this photo of a sign on the bathroom door at the now-defunct Borders bookstore in Traverse City, Michigan:

"Sorry, No Public Restroom.
Try Amazon.com"

The Borders has long since closed, and has been replaced with a similar large diverse (books, greeting cards, music, electronics. movies) bookstore called Books-a-Million, or "BAM!"

The big sign over the door says "BAM!". No word whether or not Books-a-Million got permission from Emeril Lagasse. And I don't know yet if they refer would-be bathroom goers to Amazon.com still.

Those who are thinking of going into a bookstore bathroom and taking a book with them had best view this video on the perils of the toilet book:

Hiss Kringle (Sleestak Sunday)

2011-12-04T11:44:00.001-05:00

Sleestak Santa Claus

Sleestak Christmas hat

It's Sleestak Sunday, and Christmas is coming. and the Sleestak Santa Claus wishes you a merry Christmas, and wants you to drink more Coca-Cola.

Addendum; Funco has a Sleestak Santa Claus too. And a Google search shows this strange Sleestak Christmas tradition. I won't ask and won't tell.

Sleestak Rock (Sleestak Sundays)

2011-11-27T12:34:00.001-05:00

Today's Sleestak Sunday entry is some unknown rock formation out west that resembles a reclining Sleestak.

Sleestak Rock Formation

Enik at Rest: Always Watchful

Resting Enik looks tired. Perhaps he ate too much turkey for Thanksgiving, or is sad that the Lions lost the game on Thursday afternoon. Are the rest of you still choked with Thanksgiving leftovers?

Black Friday: National "Buy More Day"

2011-11-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

Occupy Best Buy, front

Today is "Black Friday". Yesterday, I saw the front of the New York Times showing a line in front of a Best Buy, so I went by the local Best Buy, about 4:00 PM Thanksgiving afternoon (no, I was out already, and did not make a special trip there). I found a line already around the building, with tents. Someone even had a generator tied to their car with a cable leading to a tent.

Occupy Best Buy, side

With the tents, it reminded me of the campouts I see in news coverage of Occupy Wall Street (OWS). I thought.... yeah, it's "Occupy Best Buy", Not for the 99%, but for the $99 doorbuster. I see I wasn't the only one to make this comparison: click here [http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20111124/NEWS01/311240006/Occupy-Best-Buy-No-just-line-TVs?odyssey=nav|head]

I did end up going out last night, but was home within 40 minutes. I wanted to go to a Target, but its line was halfway around the mall. Toys R US had Pinkertons carefully controlling entry. I figured that what I wanted would be gone 50 people into the 500 person long Target line, and I was able to get into Toys R Us to find out that what I wanted was long gone.

Some want to protest Black Friday with a "Buy Nothing Day". It's supposedly anti-corporate, but I think such efforts end up hitting Main Street the most, and if it were successful, there'd be untold countless casualties of retail jobs, many of which the workers need desparately. So I'd rather try to undo the efforts of those who want to kick the economy in the throat and damage the retail sector by treating it as "Buy More Day". Thing is, I've bought nothing yet so far today.

Downtown is quiet

I did go downtown to check out an interesting new independent bookstore I'd heard of and not been able to get to yet. The big-box stores had already been open for hours by this point. This bookstore wasn't open yet, and probably would not open for a couple more hours. I've long held that the success of Walmart and other such retailers is that they are open longer: a mode of customer service that goes a lot further than presenting customers with a locked door.

The photo to the right shows sleepy Black Friday morning downtown. Michael Moore's State Theatre is on the right. There's some construction going on, and only a few places are open..

Sleestak Sunday - The Hissing of Summer Lawns

2011-11-20T01:24:00.003-05:00

Sleestak Hissing of Summer Lawns

Today's Sleestak Sundays entry is a takeoff on Joni Mitchell's album cover "The Hissing of Summer Lawns"I don't know much about Joni Mitchell, but I have some friends who are really into her music. I do off the top of my head remember such songs as "Help Me" and "Big Yellow Taxi".

Here is a youtube video of her song "River":

"I wish I had a river I could skate away on...."

The postcard view below is of ice skating on a frozen river in Japan.

Japan ice skating on frozen river

Darth Vader Rocks (Vaderday Saturday)

2011-11-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

Darth Vader rock formation

It's Vaderday Saturday, and its time to find out if Darth Vader rocks.

The picture from the right is from Star Ferry Musings, entry #80. The blog author says this entry (to the right) reminded him of Darth Vader. I am not so sure about that, but it did remind me a lot of a foot. Or better yet, it is the face of Kilowog (below), the member of the Green Lantern Corps who likes to call people "poozers"

Kilowog: large and in charge

The Star Ferry link has a lot of very interesting stone giant, rock formation photos, and is worth checking out.

Fountain City, Wisconsin - Indian Head

Over at the "Books in Northport" blog, BB-Idaho mentioned growing up in Wisconsin's "Indian Head Country". I'd never heard of that designation, and had to look it up. I found this page, http://www.wisconsinindianhead.org/, which has a map of the Indian Head country, which is really much of western Wisconsin. In the southern area of Indian Head Country, you will indeed find a stone face resembling an Indian Head. I blogged about it earlier (click here). The postcard image to the right is from the first part of the 20th century. This Indian head is 44 feet tall, and only looks like an Indian head from a certain angle (the approach from the south)

If you want to check out many many more anthropomorphic natural wonders, check out the Minnesota Museum of the Mississippi: Stone Faces Gazetteer pages. You might well be surprised to find out there's a giant stone face staring over a valley somewhere near you.

Books in Nashville

2011-11-18T11:22:00.001-05:00

On NPR the other day I heard a feature about author Ann Patchett opening a bookstore in Nashville. One article is found here. The bookstore is called Parnassus Books, and their actual site is here.

(and oh yes, it is Christine Baranski Friday. And entirely unrelated to the subject, here's a picture of her in Obama Icon style to the right)

Christine Baranski Obama icon

In the radio feature, Patchett said why bookstores tend to locate the children's section in the back. She said it is in case the children try to make a break for it, it is harder for them to get out. Whatever the reason, any bookstore I can think of does indeed have the children's section in the back.

I've never read any Ann Patchett books, but I have read several by Anne Tyler. The titles of books by the two authors actually look similar.

Andrew Jackson Hotel- Nashville

I've never been to Nashville, actually. I don't count driving to the airport from the south and skirting the city. I'm not a big country music fan, so Nashville is one of those big cities I have not been to, and don't have a great desire to go to. Elsewhere in Tennessee, I've been to Memphis, though, and I like it a lot and want to go back.

Country singer Tom T Hall wrote of Nashville:

My plane set down in Nashville at a quarter after 2
A little while and I’d be on my way back home to you
While I was waitin’ for my flight, got out and looked around
Nashville is a groovy little town

I met some entertainers and they had an extra girl
I told them I was just a tourist out to see the world
From one place to another, yes we really made the rounds
Nashville is a groovy little town

The postcard view to the right is a mid-20th century linen postcard of the Andrew Jackson Hotel in downtown Nashville. Acccording to this page, it was "...Opened in August of 1925 on the east side of Memorial Plaza on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Deaderick Street. The massive brick structure boasted 400 guest rooms. In 1971 the hotel was demolished to make room for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the James K. Polk State Office Building., I did not bother to look for pictures of the replacing buildings, but I doubt they looked as nice as this stately skyscraper.

And here are some Amazon links for some Ann Pratchett books, and some Ann Tyler books. If you don't have time to get to Nashville and get them at Parnassus...

The Return of Killer Rants

2011-11-14T11:38:00.001-05:00

I noticed today that the Killer Rants blog was back after a two-year hiatus. Two years. But it looks like he was back in July, and never returned after that. "Just a Girl"once did a similar post. Killer Rants was (is?) a funny blog about a deadly nurse who bore a facial resemblance to the MCP from "Tron".

So, I figured I look up to see what the blog neighborhood was like more than 4 years ago (April 2007)

Playtah hasn't posted for a couple of years. Nor has her sidekick. Laughing at the Slut is still posting her Insidious Truths. Diva T is still around, as is David in DC. I can't remember what "Almost Interesting Musings" were or Les Quinn. Or Mini Jon B? I think "Live Life Love Life Part 2" changed its name completely, but I am not sure which one it is now. Random Crap is gone, but there is another entirely different Random Crap by someone else. And Tara's "Electric Spaghetti" is still around.

I'm surprised there's still as many of us around. Things change, people find better things to do, and I am guessing that so many who did blogs are now doing all that on Facebook now.

Sleestak Sunday - Mount Rushmore

2011-11-13T03:16:00.000-05:00

Sleestak on Mt Rushmore

Today's Sleestak Sunday entry has a Sleestak head added to Mt. Rushmore.So, whom do you think should be added to Mt. Rushmore? If anyone? Some think maybe Ronald Reagan. Or how about JFK?. This link shows several more. And what about Millard Fillmore, Pat... er James Buchanan? Benjamin Franklin Pierce? And all those other "I can't believe that's a President" Presidents?Any suggestions? Or should this monument just be left alone.

Touched by Herman Cain

2011-11-11T13:48:00.008-05:00

Herman Cain came to town last night. When some sort of political bigwig or candidate shows up, I try to go. I've seen a few, and missed a few.

SilverFiddle, a conservative, has an interesting comment. He made it in a blog post about Silvio Berlusconi:

"I think Herman Cain is done...

This is a "he said, she said," with no way to verify what really happened. A little less so for the two incidents where the women received settlements, since the association could publish a redacted copy of the reports and allow us to judge for ourselves.

The incident involving the woman that just came forward can never be verified. We are left to rely on character witnesses for both sides and examining other parts of their lives for a history of unsavoriness or other similar incidents.

I question Mr. Cain's judgment if he indeed placed himself in a position where he was with a woman alone. A powerful person who is prudent never does that. According to Mr. Cain and others, the two incidents that resulted in the settlements happened in public, not private.

I also question why this woman didn't go to the police. This was not some caddish behavior; she is alleging an assault. Not fighting evil is to countenance and nurture it. Leaving a predator free makes you complicit in his subsequent attacks."

Another person said to me that maybe he did some stuff that was nothing to him, but it mattered a lot to the women he did it to.

Myself, I do usually suspect it is true when sexual harassment/rape allegations come out against someone. Be it Bill Clinton, Clarence Thomas, Kobe Bryant, the Kennedy rapist, Mike Tyson, Andrew Weiner, or commentator Juan Williams. It's just that these allegations tend to pan out to be true a lot more of the time than they pan out to be false.

Western hero Silverfiddle's blog post is entitled "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words". Well, this is one of the photos I got of Cain. In this photo, he looks kind of guarded. And yes, he was wearing a pink shirt. I sat about 12 feet away from him. Cain did speak a thousand words or more. it is probably a typical campaign stump speech. He fired up the crowd, criticized President Obama, and told some about what he would do. He only obliquely referred to the sex scandal once.

And yes, he did shake my hand. If he becomes elected, it will the first President who's hand I've shaken since 1976.

Seeing the name of Silverfiddle's blog "Western Hero" put the tune to the fine Neil Young of the same name song in my head. A song that involves the Old West and militarism. It makes me think at the same time of Ronald Reagan, and Roland of Gilead, the gunslinger from Stephen King's meta-western "Dark Tower" series. I'm not sure what cowboys have to do with Herman Cain, but there is this article, and I'm sure Cain wants to be the next Reagan.

Sleestak Sunday

2011-11-06T07:47:00.008-05:00

This is in the tradition of the "Sleestak Sunday" feature started at Gothridge Manor:
This one looks like it came from the blogger Sleestak at "That's My Skull", but it is found elsewhere now.

If we can elect a peanut farmer from Georgia or a community organizer from Chicago, or a pizza magnate can run for President (why not have a little Caesar for President?), why can't we have a Sleestak in the White House? A Sleestak who harvests moths by the light of the triple moons for his living?

But seriously, and non-seriously, how many other pop culture/ joke candidates can we think of who have run for President?

General Zod, who ran in 2008. He claimed "In 2008 I shall restore your dignity and make you servants worthy of my rule." The honesty of a man who demands that the world kneel before him is refreshing when you consider that so many politicians have this sort of arrogance but just won't admit it.
Newaygo Newt for President
Richard Nixon, still tanned, still rested, still ready.
Pat Paulsen. "He's back, and still better than the rest."
Prez Rickard, the first teen president.Howard the Duck from 1976. Hard to believe he was cool and edgy.... back before his name was associated with one of the worst movies of all time.. Cleveland's own duck with an attitude.
Spock 2012. The only logical choice.

Darth Vader Jack-o-Lantern (Vaderday Saturday)

2011-11-05T10:28:00.004-04:00

"Jack-o-the-Sith".

Hallowe'en is long over, as is November 1st (National Smashed Pumpkins on the Streets Day). But here is a photo of a pumpkin carved with a Darth Vader picture. No national celebration is immune from the power of the dark side, it seems. It is found in this Epic Pumpkins page.

Newaygo Newt (Michigan Hometown Heroes)

2011-11-04T09:52:00.017-04:00

It is in the news recently that the plans to repeal Michigan's motorcycle helmet law are making great headway. They hope that this time the governor will repeal it. This legislation has been pushed by State Representative Jon Bumstead (R-Newaygo)

Of course, I wonder sometimes if the existing helmet laws are really being obeyed. I see many riders wearing helmets that look like cereal-bowl sized Sgt Schultz helmets, which I can't imagine are much protection at all.

But I am not a motorcycle rider, so I really can't have a strong opinion on this. Are any of my other readers motorcycle riders who would like to weigh in on this one?

Jon Bumstead is from Newaygo. I have no idea if he can make a mean 2 foot tall sandwich, though, or if his wife is blonde.

But he is not the only political figure from Newaygo County. There's also Newaygo Newt, who ran for President on the Pizzle Ticket (see the above postcard)

Newt Gingrich, who likely has no idea what or where Newaygo is, and might venture that it is the name of a new Segway ripoff if you asked him, might like Candidate Newaygo Newt's slogan:

"A Vote for Newt is Bound to Suit".

Addendum: "Books in Northport" has a post on the recent passing of another West Michigan politician, Howard Wolpe. Whatever your political pursuasion, check into his work he did with Africa.

"Ernest Jack Sharpsteen was born on July 8, 1888. He later became known as Ernest Jack Sharp or his pen name of "Newaygo Newt"... Sharpsteen thought it would be nice to write down some of the traditional stories of the backwoods that he had heard from the old-timers. He started sending postcard views of his resort to friends and an editor friend, with four-line verses pertaining to nature under the heading of "Newaygo Newt Sez". The postcard were also placed in newspapers. The verses connected with the public, and soon people were asking for longer verses, so the verses became longer, and the title was changed to 'Tall Tales of Newaygo Newt" (from Newaygo County 1850-1920 by the Newayo County Society of History and Genealogy'.

If Pennsylvania can have a Senator Joe Sleestak, why can't Michigan have a Representative Dagwood Bumstead?

The book Tall Tales of Newaygo Newt is available from some libraries. And Newaygo Newt is today's entry in the infrequent but occasional "Michigan Hometown Heroes" series of posts.

Here are a couple of Newaygo blogs to visit:

Newaygo Newt is just one of several odd figures from Michigan history that show up on postcards and elsewhere. These include Rock the Suttons Bay Hermit, Raymond W. Overholzer and his "Shrine of the Pines", Angus MacHigan, honorary Polish Indian named Stanley Smolak, and Spikehorn Meyers (the bear guy of Harrison)

I am not aware of any bookstores at all in Newaygo County to direct you to. But there is the Book Nook and Java Shop in nearby Montague, Michigan. I've never been there, but it sounds like a good place.

Amazon.com Widgets

Blind Ernie Harwell - Statuesday

2011-11-01T04:40:00.000-04:00

Today's "Statuesday" entry is the life-sized statue found just inside the entry of the new Tiger Stadium.... er "Comerica Park" in downtown Detroit. This one features the announcer Ernie Harwell. I took these photos during the summer during my first and only (so far) visit to the Detroit Tigers ballpark. It was a good season for the Tigers.

There are many statues around the ballpark, actually. I featured another one in a previous post.

I saw Ernie Harwell speak a few years ago, and he was truly a great man. He passed away since. Now this statue is one of the memories of him.

Detroit is known for the Lions and Tigers and cars. Unfortunately, it was also known for its crime. Several months ago, perhaps shortly before I took these photos, someone stole the glasses off Ernie. Now the statue is blind, as you can see in the photo.

Manuel is also back now after a blogging hiatus. Click here to see his latest entry, with a similar photo of a statue of Walt Disney that guards Disneyland.

Covenant Rising (Magritte Monday)

2011-10-31T08:56:00.004-04:00

Today's "Magritte Monday" entry is, like most of these, based on the surrealist painter's famous "Le Château des Pyrénées" floating rock painting.

To the right is the cover art for The Covenant Rising: Book One of The Dreamtime by Stan Nicholls. The art itself is by Matthew Stawicki. Looking at it, I wonder if it is somewhat computer-generated. In this age when computer books encroach inevitably on paper-books, computer graphics are found in more and more book covers that uses to be designed using real paint.

I do own this book, and yes, I bought it for its cover. But I love epic fantasy anyway. I've not read it yet. It is on my "to be read" stack.

"Covenant" is found in the title of other fantasy books: the "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" by Stephen R. Donaldson. In these books, the covenant is not a concept of an agreement, but is instead the surname of the main character, who is a rather dislikable fellow. I like these books, despite the hero, and feel that the latest one I read is the best yet.

Today's independent bookstore is the Book Peddler in West Yellowstone, Montana. When I was there years ago, they were trying to get me to buy books by a a local writer, a kid, who was going to be a very famous author. His name was Christopher Paolini, and he did become very famous, as the writer of the "Eragon" young adult fantasy novels about dragons and dragon riders. The postcard below is a "Large Letter" postcard from the mid 20th century:

And below is a set of relevant Amazon.com links:

Amazon.com Widgets

Happy Birthday, Princess Leia and Kim Cardassian

2011-10-21T09:39:00.004-04:00

I heard on the radio this morning that today is the birthday of Carrie Fisher ("Princess Leia") and Kim Kardashian.

I've seen 5 Carrie Fisher movies that I can recall. The first three "Star Wars" movies, "The Blues Brothers", and one called "Postcards from the Edge". This last one did not actually star Carrie Fisher, but was based on a book she wrote.

Kim Kardashian, according to the radio announcement, is the biggest "Reality Show" TV star. I've never watched her show. I guess I leave it up to others to keep up with the Kardashians.

"Kardashians don't keep up with themselves. Someone's gotta do it"

Reality shows I have watched include a few seasons of the Trump show, the Richard Branson "Rebel Billionaire" show, and a little bit of the first season of "Survivor". Oh, I also watched Stan Lee's "Superhero" show. I would have watched the planned astronaut reality show that would have put the winner on MIR, but that never panned out.

Yes, the Kardashian ethnic Armenian name is very close to the Star Trek Alien race "Cardassians". The best of the many "Star Trek" novels I have ever read was "A Stitch in Time" by Andrew J. Robinson, a great story of a boy growing up in a harsh society that trancends "Star Trek".

Below you will find the list of relevant Amazon sales links that I sometimes provide. However, to provide some balance, I will from now on present an independent bookstore (or perhaps a music store) every time I present the Amazon links.

Today's independent bookstore is Dog Ears Books. Run by fellow blogger P.J. Grath. It is in Northport, Michigan, and is a very well run independent bookstore featuring books on Art and Architecture, Foreign Languages, Michigan Adventure Fiction, Michigan & the Great Lakes and other subjects. And yes, there is a dog there.

Amazon.com Widgets

Columbus Day

2011-10-10T08:01:00.004-04:00

It's Columbus Day. What better way to celebrate than with postcards of Columbus, Ohio? Next week, I will say yes to Magritte Monday.

I've never been to Columbus, and actually only know it from old postcards.

The view below is from the 1940s. The Neil House, a hotel, was demolished in the 1970s, but the tower (now known as just the La Veque Tower) still survives.

This view from the early 1970s shows the Lazarus Department Store in downtown Columbus. It makes me think of the Winfred-Louder department store from downtown Cleveland (as per the Drew Carey Show). While Winfred-Louder died and was replaced with "The Never Ending Store", Lazarus abandoned this downtown store and was absorbed by Macy's.
Below is Ohio's famous unfinished capitol building, in a postcard from 1908. Oh wait, it is actually not unfinished. Architect Isaiah Rogers insisted that the expected capitol dome not be part of the design.

DALLAS 2012

2011-10-05T11:31:00.005-04:00

I'm not a fan of night time soap operas. Or soap operas in general. But I admit there are two night time soap operas that I have enjoyed in the past. One of them is "Dallas". I'm not saying what the other one is. No, it's not "Dark Shadows", but if I ever saw that one I assume I'd like it too.

"DALLAS" is coming back next year. As a fan of the old show, I think this revival seems to be hitting the right notes:

I've been in Dallas once. I did not see the Southfork ranch, but it is nearby. It is a tourist attraction, and a place for weddings and other gatherings. But for the life of me I can't imagine why a new bride and groom would want their married life to start out with associations with the cheating and conniving married couples from "DALLAS":

I did however get a nice picture of the Dallas skyline. The sky at the time was Gary Indiana gunmetal gray, which made for a gloomy photo. So I put in a better sky:

Three Songs - Bonnie Tyler (and Magritte Monday)

2011-10-03T08:53:00.004-04:00

Today's "Three Songs" features Bonnie Tyler. The cover art for an album that features one or two of her songs appears to the right. Calling this Magritte-like is probably a stretch, but it is surreal, and the sky contained inside a cube is similar to Magritte's sky contained inside a bird.

I always thought Bonnie Tyler sounded like a female Rod Stewart. One blogger commented: "When a singer has throat problems severe enough to require surgery, the procedure can often be career threatening. In the case of Bonnie Tyler, however, the nodules that she developed singing in nightclubs in her native Wales turned out to be career making. After her 1976 operation, Tyler's voice carried a distinctive rasp somewhat reminiscent of Rod Stewart's".

She's best well known for "It's A Heartache" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart"

The first one, below, is rather country-tinged and actually sounds like something Rod Stewart would have sung:

Probably many of you know the ambitious power balled "Total Eclipse of the Heart". I rememeber well the video, with its army of Fonzies, blowing cloth, and glowing-eyed kids. The video below is a "literal video" version, with a Tyler imitator commenting on the many odd things in the video. This version has a cat frame around it in order to get around Sony's attempts to censor the video. My favorite line is "It started out as Hogwarts now it's Lord of the Flies". Watch it while you can before Sony censors this one;

This last one is from Mike Oldfield's album "Islands". Mike Oldfield achieved immense fame in the US as a one-hit wonder in the 1970s with his theme from "The Exorcist", which has since become the de-facto theme song for Halloween. One song from the album, "Magic Touch" was a top 10 rock hit in the US in 1988, but no-one remembers it and it gets zero oldies station airplay. The title track "Islands" was a big hit in Europe.

The video version below is a live one with "Bonnie Taylor" (sic):

If you like "Islands", you might like an alternate version called "When The Night's On Fire".

Like most artists, Tyler has not burned out in a flame of "VH1 Behind the Music" glory, nor is she a modern superstar. She has kept on with a busy career in relative obscurity (at least compared to her 1980s work).

Amazon.com Widgets

Vaderday Saturday - Steampunk Darth Vader

2011-08-27T03:00:00.001-04:00

Today's "Vaderday Saturday" is a steampunk entry:

It was sold on eBay at one time by someone named "pogo*the*clown"

He described it thusly: "I modified the helmet by carving out detail to make it look like brass plate and adding several tacks to simulate rivets. This process was tedious and took forever. I finished it off with a WWI style helmet spike, which is actually a ceiling fan pull chain and an antique paint job. The chest plate was made from a shadow box frame (8 inches tall x 6 inches wide x 3 inches deep) and a bunch of cannibalized clock, and other device parts. I wired a green LED to a switch in the back that runs on two AA batteries. The steam tank was made from a piece of PVC pipe with a vintage pressure valve inserted into it."

Boxey and Buck

2011-08-18T19:20:00.003-04:00

"Say, Boxey!" From the Chicago comic con last Saturday. Noah Hathaway (left) and Gil Gerard (right).Noah was Boxey on the original "Battlestar Galactica". He was the kid who hung around with the robot ape/dog. Gil Gerard was in the "Buck Rogers" TV show. Both were signing autographs. The new "Battlestar Galactica" only had a Boxey character in one episode, and later had boxing instead. The woman from "Buck Rogers", Erin Gray (who played Wilma Deering) was at the convention too, but in a different row far away from Buck.

Marvel in black and white

2011-08-18T10:01:00.003-04:00

This is the first of what might be a few posts about last weekend's Wizardworld Chicago comic-con (comic book convention).

I am really out of it when it comes to Marvel comics. What is with the monochrome costumes? They appear to have chemical diagrams or Tron-suit lines on them.For non-comic book fans, the man covered in what looks like busted flower-pot shards is The Thing. Wolverine is in the front. Captain America is he one with the mighty shield. Wolvie's got pretty good claws. He'd have been good to take to a night on the town at a great Chicago steak house. There were so many great costumes, and everyone wearing them was always happy to stop so I could take a picture, like this one.

Magritte Monday: Tubular Bells

2011-08-08T09:15:00.003-04:00

The "Magritte Monday" feature is pretty much about art, photos, and literature inspired by the surrealist paintings of Rene Magritte (1898 - 1967), especially "Le Château des Pyrénées " (1959), which features a castle on top of a rock which floats above the seashore. Today's entry is the album cover art for the 1973 record album "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield. A bent pipe floats above the seashore instead of a rock with a castle on it.

Fine print on the cover contains this ominous warning: "This stereo record cannot be played on old tin boxes no matter what they are fitted with. If you are in possession of such equipment please hand it into the nearest police station."

The cover art was by Trevor Key, and originally came from the idea of a bell which had been destroyed. The bent-bell emblem ended up appearing on several more albums, and Oldfield ended up using it as his logo-symbol. I've been unable to find out which ocean shore this photo was taken at. Other album art by Trevor Key included Peter Gabriel's "So".

The iconic 'Tubular Bells' cover is from the golden years of record album cover at. This whole field took a blow with CDs replaced LP records. And now... well, you just don't have cover art for MP3's do you? And this is what passes for cover art now.

Also see this link

Does anyone have any favorite old record covers they'd like to mention? Or even modern CD covers?

Borders

2011-07-22T08:04:00.010-04:00

After years of struggling, the Borders book chain is finally going under. The liquidation sales at the last stores, including our local one, start today. Here is the quiet before the storm; the store a couple of hours before the sale starts. It's closed at this time of day (as it has been other times I tried to go there before the bankruptcy troubles), and I can't help but wonder if the limited store hours (which present a locked door to would-be customers for too much of the day) contributed to the problems. Does it really make sense to have a coffee place that only opens at 9 in the morning?

This bookstore, Horizon Books, survives. They open at 7 AM each day, willing to serve customers a full two hours earlier than Borders did.

The main thing I miss about Borders is the book clubs. Well, I miss them for a long time ago, actually. When they first opened, they had a lot of book clubs. As years went by, they shut them down. I read several great books in their science fiction reading club, and discovered some great new authors. First and foremost is Dan Simmons and his "Hyperion Cantos" , one of the two best science fiction series I have ever read.

Borders started in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I've always considered that place to be like a hole in the state. It's like a city from out east transplanted to the Detroit area.

Two of my favorite smaller (non-superstore) bookstores are Dog Ears Books in Northport, Michigan, and Book Cliffs in Wabasha, Minnesota. One is rather out of the way for me, and the other is extremely out of the way, so I haven't been to either for a while, unfortunately.

Here are a couple of fine Borders-related songs. First is "The Border" by Tony Banks, from Bankstatement, which is one of the best rock albums ever made. Both this and the Al Stewart song that follow are about war. The Stewart song is about the Spanish Civil War. The Banks song is a lot more vague:

...But now there is a border
A line of blood
Now men patrol the border
But they're dead...

And here "The Border" by Al Stewart. This is probably my favorite song by him:

It includes these lyrics:

"In the village where I grew up
Nothing seems the same
Still you never see the change from day to day
And no-one notices the customs slip away"

There are many other border-related songs, including "Borderline" by Madonna, and "On the Border" by The Eagles:

"...I’m out on the border, I’m walkin’ the line
Don’t you tell me ’bout your law and order
I’m try’n’ to change this water to wine..."

which is similar to the Billy Idol lyric "Hanging out by the state line Turning holy water into wine"

Which brings me to the subject of the fine but obscure novel Arcady by Michael Williams, in which the distant future area of Louisville, Kentucky is ravaged by magical anomalies called The Borders. There's an alcoholic character in the book who has a tiny city in the bottom of his bottle.... a reflection of the very interesting idea of the Bottle City of Kandor. Arcady is one of those books I would have never known about if not for the book club at the Borders bookstore.

Will, bookstores slip away? Well, not for the time being anyway. I think they will last the longest for high quality and locally produced books, but perhaps not for throwaway mass-produced books by authors such as James Patterson; which are bought in huge quantities but perhaps not really loved as other books are.

No Christine Baranski Friday today. She will be back next week.

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Gas War!

2011-07-14T18:29:00.003-04:00

Today I found out about a gas war, Meijer vs Walmart:

So I went and got pictures. I can't recall any gas wars in my area, but I did hear of one a while back where the two stations in the war had no limit, and eventually the price passed below zero, and the stations were paying people to take gasoline, until the cops stopped it.

Alas, I had just filled my gas tank before I heard of the gas war...

Mt Teidi

2011-07-07T21:49:00.002-04:00

Nothing new in this post. But I will link to a spectacular photo and post I found in another blog.

Click here for Tom's post about Mt. Teidi.

I will have something new tomorrow.

Halloween in July (Christine Baranksi Friday)

2011-07-01T08:39:00.005-04:00

Isn't it a little too early?

I saw these Halloween decorations yesterday. Odd time. In front of a church. Odd place. I've known churches to have Halloween parties in the past, but these seem to be getting phased out in favor of Judgement House-like efforts. It's Vacation Bible school season. Maybe someone is doing a Halloween-theme Vacation Bible School? Nahhhh.

I do have two friends who love Halloween. Maybe this might be the sort of thing they'd do. Just maybe

I've heard of Christmas in July before (mostly to do with shady appliance dealer sales?), but never Halloween in July. But it does exist: click here, and check out the cool Jack-o-Melon. How long before we get Judgment House in July also?

There's something to be said for Halloween in July, I guess. You get to make good use of those Halloween decorations. And we do have four major candy holidays (Christmas, Valentine's, Easter, and Halloween), but none in the summer. So why not? But costumes? Nah, probably not in 90-degree weather. And since it's Christine Baranski Friday, how about this photo of Christine Baranski all ready for Halloween in July by being a vampire (from the Celebrity Vampire page).

Statuesday - "In Soviet Russia...."

2011-06-28T21:09:00.002-04:00

From the January 1933 issue of "Popular Mechanics"

"Soviet Russia calls the attention of its people to organizations or doctrines considered antagonistic to the country by caricatures and effigies. The Park of Culture and Rest in Moscow today is decorated with a number of such effigies intended to represent three "enemies' of the workers -- the church, the militarists, and the fascists."

Yes. What child of the 1930s would have failed to learn the lessons on fascism by gazing at the visage of Nazi Duckman on the right? Or the cycloptic proto-Cylon soldier in the middle? And not one, but two Bunsen Honeydew's on the left?

According to Google, the Park of Culture and Rest is the famous Gorky Park.

Green Lantern Restaurant

2011-06-22T22:20:00.002-04:00

In brightest day, in blackest night...

A postcard from the 1950s of the Green Lantern Restaurant in Fayetteville, NC. Just one of many establishments across the nation bearing the name of the popular DC Comics superhero.

Magritte Monday: Wayne D. Barlowe

2011-06-13T01:13:00.001-04:00

Cover art from an issue of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine depicting the short story "The Loom of Thessaily" by Wayne D. Barlowe. It is in the style of the artist René Magritte, in particular this painting.

Barlowe is the author of Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. I discovered one of my favorite science fiction authors from reading Barlowe's entries on Piers Anthony's aliens.

"The Loom of Thessaly" was by David Brin. His name is not known to many. But I did read his excellent story "The Postman" in the pages of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. Is the name of it familiar? It should be. It was adapted into the poorly-received Kevin Costner movie "The Postman". Regardless of the movie, the original story was very very good (I love post-apocalyptic tales), and David Brin happens to be one of the best science-fiction authors around.

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Dairy Festlval

2011-06-12T13:53:00.006-04:00

Today was the second annual "Traverse Colantha Walker Dairy Festival".

It's on the grounds of a former asylum that has happened to have a gravestone for a cow since the 1930s. Have you ever heard of a gravestone for a cow? Nope, nor have I, other than this one.

There looked to be hundreds of people there. There were many tends selling such things as cow logowear, strangely flavored marshmallows, red hot cayenne pepper vinegar (not just flavored: but vinegar with giant intact peppers in the jars), gelato, sorbet, and ice cream.

. The ice cream vendors included Moomers, which was chosen to be the best ice cream in American on the "Good Morning America" TV show a few years ago. The main Moomers and the place where they make the ice cream is located a few miles to the west.

There was an antique fire engine giving ride, and also at least one wagon towed by a farm tractor. These went between the main festival area and the cow's grave site, which were actually a long walk apart. One of the main events was a kazoo parade to the site of the cow's grave, which appeared to have fresh flowers at it.

Lord Vader Your Car is Ready (Vaderday Saturday)

2011-06-11T10:41:00.003-04:00

No literary pretentions on this one; no elaborate wanderings through different subjects. Just a picture of a car that has some resemblance to Darth Vader.

Is this a little too ominous for a weekend morning? Then let the jolly face of this Mazda3 cheer you up:

Zoom zoom.

Shuffle Off to Buffalo (Christine Baranski Friday)

2011-06-10T08:54:00.006-04:00

Christine Baranksi's birthday was last month. And this blog feature missed it this time. Anyway, she was born in Buffalo, New York on May 2, 1952. And here are some live buffalo. I snapped this photo last night. It's on digital zoom, so it is a little blurry.May is a good month for buffalo. I usually eat buffalo at an annual picnic that takes place in May.

Back to the actual city:
Picking at random a historic view of the great city of western New York State, this hundred-year-old postcard view below is of the Temple of Music. It's Buffalo's version of Washington DC's "Ford's Theatre". It is where President McKinley was shot on September 6, 1901. This interesting building was built for a world's fair, and did not outlast the fair.
The title in this blog post refers to the old song "Shuffle Off to Buffalo", from the musical "42nd Street.

The song. mostly about a honeymoon train ride, includes the lyrics

To Niag'ra in a sleeper
There's no honeymoon that's cheaper
And the train goes slow
Ooh-ooh- ooh
Off, we're gonna shuffle
Shuffle off to Buffalo

So yes, Buffalo is one of those cities that has its own song. Gary, Indiana also has its own song from a musical ("Gary, Indiana" from "The Music Man"). Of course Chicago and New York have their famous songs. Dallas has a TV show theme, and Cleveland has its song which became famous as one of the theme songs from "The Drew Carey Show".

Does your city have its own song? Do you wish it did?

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" - a really serious "Jumanji" ?

2011-06-04T07:32:00.006-04:00

I admit I was a Planet of the Apes fan back in the day. In those years after the first "Star Trek" was cancelled, and before "Star Wars" and the return of "Star Trek".

The franchise still lives. The last movie was underwhelming. Marky-Mark seems to have the opposite level of charisma that Charlton Heston did. The real saving grace of that movie was Paul Giamatti as an orangutan slave trader... played as a drunken Jimmy Stewart.

There's a new one out later this summer. I first heard of it a few years ago billed as a remake of the 4th film, "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes"

There is a longer trailer, and there is one embedded below:

.

Someone told me that the CGI was really good in this, but first seeing these trailers today, it doesn't seem so to me. It looks like a version of Jumanji or something. Starting with the baby chimp in the box, it clearly looked fake. The face close ups of Ceasar look a lot more real than the distant shots. So how real do these apes look to you?

For those more literary-minded, check out Pierre Boulle's original Monkey Planet novel which began the whole franchise.

Rock me, Dr. Zaius.

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Christine Baranski Friday - Camping with Pugsley

2011-06-03T09:36:00.005-04:00

In the 1993 film Addams Family Values, Christine Baranksi (shown here with Peter McNichol) plays Becky Martin-Granger, a counselor at a summer camp the Addams Family children were sent to.I was reminded of this when I drove by Camp Pugsley the other day. Yes, Camp Pugsley. No, it is not a place where they send bratty little boys like Pugsley Addams. Well. maybe it is, depending on how Pugsley Addams would grow up. It's actually a prison.

It's a little out of the way, but near by on the highway there's a sign with an ominous warning not to pick up hitchhikers.

No, I haven't picked up any there. Not that I am likely to pick up hitchhikers anyway. Sorry, Michael and Lincoln Scofield, you'll have to walk,

Below is a photo I got of the inmates at Camp Pugsley playing baseball and running.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T08:13:00.004-04:00

Here are a few Memorial Day related newspaper editorial cartoons (and a photo) which I recently received in a mailing list I belong to. This national holiday is about more than hot dogs on the grill.

In Bed with Christine Baranski Friday.

2011-05-27T11:21:00.002-04:00

Here's Christine Baranski, in bed. Yes, it's a still from from the 2002 movie The Guru. She's reading a book.

So, what are my readers reading before they go to bed these days? On their Kindles or those big heavy compressed pulp book-content delivery devices?

I've started to re-read Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin.

A boy and his dog.

2011-05-25T18:50:00.005-04:00

The January 1936 issue of "Popular Mechanics" magazine has this interesting photo which I entitle "A Boy and His Dog".

It is from an article called "Fighting Crime with Masks". From the title, it would have been a reasonable guess that it was about superheroes. But no, it was about how everyone would be wearing gas masks in the future.

This was really there era before superheroes. Before Superman and shortly after. Batman: the most famous mask-wearing superhero of all. But there were some masked heroes around prior to the arrival of the Last Son of Krypton in comic book pages, such as Zorro (himself a major forerunner of Batman) and the Sandman. The Sandman, seen to the left, actually wore a gas mask.

Sleestak Sandwich

2011-05-23T22:40:00.002-04:00

Just a strange link this time:

http://www.grit.com/Feed-Me-Farms/Shutterbug-Fun-With-Double-Yolks.aspx

Hope you read this just before breakfast!

Vaderday Saturday - The Brothers Hildebrandt

2011-05-21T19:51:00.008-04:00

Today's "Vaderday Saturday" is the main movie poster art for the first "Star Wars" movie from 1977.
This was probably not the first poster. It was by the Brothers Hildebrandt, most famous for their wonderful JRR Tolkien calendars of the early 1970s, and the artwork for The Sword of Shannara and Ushurak. This is one of my favorite movie posters ever. I love the blue radiance of the space details, which of course include the giant Vader head.

To the left is one of the brothers' best calendar images, Smaug the Dragon from The Hobbit. This is from the January 1977 Tolkien calendar. There are many other great calendar images, including these Orcs in the Battle of Minas Tirith, Cirith Ungol in Mordor, and the Wedding of Aragorn and Arwen.

The Brothers Hildebrandt still make art, but separately. One example is this retro girly pinup-style poster called "The Yellow Rose of Texas", by Greg Hildebrandt, seen to the left.

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Christine Baranski Friday

2011-05-20T09:41:00.006-04:00

Yes, it has been a while. And here she is as Beverly Hofstadter in "The Big Bang Theory", looking at brain scans with Sheldon.

I wonder if she is good at this?
And no, "Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock" was not invented for "Big Bang Theory", but by Samuel John Kass in the mid 1990s.

Gone since 1954

2011-05-18T05:32:00.000-04:00

Found this issue of Popular Science from February, 1954. There were 7 automobile marques on the cover, and I figured to check to see which ones survived?

Nash became part of AMC, which was bought out by Chrysler and renamed to Eagle. Eagle fluttered its wings for a while and did not remain after 1998.

Buick is still going strong. They are actually rather popular in China. Though Buick's home town of Flint, Michigan hasn't fared so well at all.

Oldsmobile was old. It lasted a total of 106 years, and was finally phased out in 2004, perhaps as the start of the big GM collapse. In ways GE's Saturn was a replacement for Oldsmobile, but it didn't survive either. Remember your father's Oldsmobile? It's getting easier than remembering your own.

Have you driven a Ford lately? That was a good slogan. I'm not even sure what they have now, but it is forgettable. Anyway, there's a good chance you have driven a Ford lately as this automaker is still going strong.

Cadillac. Still around, but it seems like they've been playing catch-up with Lexus for ages now.

Packard has been gone since 1958, just four years after this magazine was published. The factory in Detroit still remains, one of that city's fabulous ruins. A postcard image is to the left.

Ah yes, Chevrolet. Or is it Chevy? There was an official memo recently on efforts to try to quash the "Chevy" name. They are still around and going strong, with an array of cars with confusing names. Cruze? Equinox? Traverse (pronounced traVERSE)? At least the name of the Volt names sense.

On the back of this issue is a photo of William Holden. I wonder if he walked too many miles for too many Camels and that did him in eventually. But no, it wasn't Joe Camel. He got drunk and bonked his head and died in 1981.

"Statuesday" - Statue of Tigerty ?

2011-05-17T12:04:00.002-04:00

It's Statuesday...

I saw this Detroit Tigers Statue of Liberty last weekend at Tiger Stadium... er Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.

Blogger is destroying post and comments

2011-05-13T13:45:00.001-04:00

Seems Blogger is destroying days' worth of comments and blog posts now. I'd kind of like to put a new post in here, but I don't want to if they will obliterate it again. Has anyone else noticed this?

Michigan Hometown Heroes - Batman in Petoskey

2011-05-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

The people in my irregalur Michigan Hometown Heroes feature are not necessarily heroes. But sometimes they are. Today it's Batman. Yes, the Caped Crusader made an appearance in northwest lower Michigan. Read on.

"This is one caped crusader in need of a serious workout.

In a bizarre bust, police in the small Michigan town of Petoskey found 31-year-old comic book enthusiast Mark Williams dangling from a roof top - dressed in full Batman costume.

'Batman' was hauled to safety and arrested for trespassing and carrying dangerous weapons, which included lead lined gloves, a baton and some kind of chemical irritant spray.

Read more.

Yes, this is my neck of the woods, sorry to say. And he's an embarassment to comic-book guys everywhere. What next, will Green Lantern try to sneak into the State Theatre without paying? Spider-man try to knock off a 7-11?

This is all the big news around town today. But the above story came from the London Daily Mail, so it is already famous. Just like that Darth Vader bandit we had downstate.

Addendum: The Breaking News headline in the Petoskey News Review describes his crimes: "Mark Wayne Williams faces one count of carrying a concealed weapon, for allegedly carrying Freeze Plus P, a felony offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison or a $2,500 fine; one count of carrying a concealed weapon, for allegedly carrying a folding steel baton or bludgeon, a felony offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison or a $2,500 fine; one count of carrying a concealed weapon, for allegedly carrying weighted Sap (sand filled) gloves, a felony offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison or a $2,500 fine; one count of dangerous weapon -- gas ejective device, a felony offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and, or a $2,500 fine; one count of dangerous weapon -- miscellaneous, for allegedly possessing a bludgeon, a felony offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and, or a $2,500 fine; one count of dangerous weapon -- miscellaneous, for allegedly possessing a sand bag, a felony offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and, or a $2,500 fine; and one count of disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor offense with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and, or a $500 fine."

And this guy was an amateur. Imagine what Commissioner Gordon could do to Batman if he chose to enforce Gotham City's concealed weapon laws.

And it turns out that before this, Williams was "The Crow'

bin Laden's dead

2011-05-08T14:37:00.008-04:00

Bin Laden's dead. This is hardly news now is it?

Sorry, there are no pictures of bin Laden. I'm sure you've all seen way too many of those lately. But here's one of his cartoon cousin, Jafar of Disney's "Alladin".

Where were you when you found out about it? For me, it was the morning after (like most people). I first heard about it from a cable news channel while in Pittsburgh. I had only been in front of the White House two days before. It would have been interesting if this had happened two days before when I was in front of the White House.

On the political blogs, there's a big completely-partisan divide on whether or not George W. Bush as the former President is entirely responsible, or Barack H. Obama as the current President is entirely responsible. Whichever one is chosen depends on whether you are aligned with Republicans or Democrats.

True, the information leading to getting bin Laden was made possible by the Guantanamo Bay detention system set up by George W. Bush. Yes, Obama opposed "Gitmo". But when he got in office, he changed his mind. Guantanamo Bay has been Obama's policy for more than 2 years. If you are one of those who is going to give Bush all the credit, what about the Navy SEALS? They carried out this mission, and Presidents before Bush were responsible for the creation and nurturing of these effective military agents.

But Obama has been president for two years. "Gitmo" is one of his policies, as are the Navy SEALS. Add to this his new management style and new policies in the war on terror. As former President Truman might have said, the buck stops with President Obama, for getting the main Presidential credit.

Here is a pretty good column on the immediate aftermath of Bin Laden's death in Washington DC, by Eugene Robinson. It begins

"The flag-waving, horn-honking crowd that converged at the White House Sunday night was brimming with unrestrained joy, unmitigated patriotism and a sense of unlimited possibility — which meant Osama bin Laden had suffered not only death but defeat as well."

Paris, Tennessee (A Fishingest Friday Postcard Fish Fry)

2011-04-22T07:41:00.006-04:00

The back of this postcard from the 1960s is printed with: "Greetings from Paris, Tenn. Home of the world's biggest fish fry. Paris School Band traditionally leads the colorful parade of this most interesting spring festival of "The Fishingest City" on Kentucky Lake. Crowds of some 25,000 tourists and "home folk" enjoy this gala occasion yearly. Fresh fish from Tennessee River (Kentucky Lake) is prepared by Community Clubs of Henry County and served to guests in truly southern style."

.

Yes, this fish fry still occurs, and it is this weekend (April 23rd). Click here for the web site. The fish fry tradition lives on, but I don't think the word "fishingest" ever really caught on, did it? Though Florida does have a Fishingest Bridge. Paris is in northwestern Tennessee.

This next postcard in Winona, Minnesota shows a little bridge made just for fishing:

A Calvin sticker you will never see....

2011-04-20T05:00:00.000-04:00

No, this is not an April Fools joke

2011-04-19T18:41:00.004-04:00

Well, maybe this is the last winter storm of winter. And spring is almost one third over.

I took this photo a couple of hours ago. It's an unused fruit orchard of some kind; cherries or apples.

Recognizer over Detroit (Improbable Postcards #1)

2011-04-19T03:40:00.003-04:00

Postcards from way beyond the edge....
This 1987 postcard view shows downtown Detroit, Michigan. Seen in the sky is a rare view of one of Detroit's police recognizers on patrol. The administration of Coleman A. Young pushed hard to get a whole fleet of recognizers to add to the city's police fleet. They contracted with the Chrysler Corporation, which ended up constructing only three "Dodge Overlord" brand recognizers to provide to the Detroit Police Department. The recognizers turned out to be difficult to pilot, and were subject to frequent breakdowns, and the program was discontinued in 1989. The three recognizers were acquired by Omni Consumer Products. Eventually, two of the recognizers were broken up for scrap, and the remaining one was donated to the Henry Ford Museum in Greenfield Village, where it stands as a gateway at one of the entrances.
(Delayed from intended April 1 posting date)

Macy Sky #2

2011-04-18T09:12:00.004-04:00

I return again to Macy's, which can be picturesque at times. It's at the "Far end of the mall", which seems to have a lot less activity, and the parking lot near Macy's is often near empty. Here on Sunday night, Macy's was all closed, so there was no one at all.

It was pretty close to sunset, and the sky was a gorgeous blue. The place looks more tomb-like than ever, like vast mausoleum or something. And you'd almost expect to see tumbleweeds blow by in the second photo.

"Press Rewind" - Alan Parsons

2011-04-16T14:26:00.005-04:00

This song came to mind after reading Tara's comment at "What Fresh Hell Is This?"

So, I figured I'd find it on Youtube. One of the two presentations of the song is to Doctor Who clips, so of course that is the one I chose:

This song is by the Alan Parsons "solo" act, not the famous Alan Parsons Project. Well, it's not really solo. The solo act included a lot of other musicians, but not Eric Woolfson. It's from the album "The Time Machine" which has cool CD cover art including photos of those famous time machines, the Delorean, the Enterprise NCC-1701-D.... and yes, of course, the TARDIS from "Doctor Who". The cover artist should have included a pylon, but you can't have everything.

The song is about the idea of going back and doing things all over again:

...If you could press rewind and do it all again
Would you change your mind, would you change a thing
Would you make it easy, would you make it hard
Would you play the game under another name
Or ask the dealer for one more card...

Sounds like this might be a good idea. Does anyone have a pylon I could use?

Vaderday Saturday - Darth Vader Clown

2011-04-16T10:45:00.001-04:00

Villains are supposed to be scary ans un-admirable in general, but often it seems sci-fi and comic-book villains get a reputation as being really cool.

Well, a lot of people really really hate clowns. Clowns give them nightmares. So what better way to make Darth Vader really scary again than to depict him has a clown? I ran across this photo searching Google, and here it is.

Friday Postcard Fish Fry - Ozarks

2011-04-15T10:29:00.005-04:00

Well, I won't Lent pass by without at least one Friday Postcard Fish Fry. The above postcard is a Curt Teich (Curteich) postcard from the mid 20th century.

I don't celebrate Lent more than any other non-Catholic Christian, but I have always lived where there are a lot of Catholics around, and I hear them talking about Friday fish fries (fish fry's?) and I see them advertised a lot.

I spent a memorable day once, almost 20 years ago, at Bull Shoals in the Ozarks in Missouri. Bull Shoals is a fake lake, created by a dam; a reservoir impoundment. I have some pictures of it, somewhere. Maybe you've not heard of the Ozarks? But you have probably heard of Branson, Missouri, which is in the area, and also the comic strip Snuffy Smith, about an Ozark hillbilly. Snuffy, as you recall, was a dirt-poor cousin of Barney Google. I don't recall off the top of my head why Barney Google was rich... but all I know he was a visionary who made his 1920's fortune off of internet search engine futures, beating out rival tycoon Hyram Altavista. But I digress...

While we are in the subject of Lent, don't forget to check out this old blog post of mine from four years ago.

And make sure to check out the Blog of the Ozarks, which has a real fish photo in it.

Geraldine Ferraro Dies

2011-03-26T13:03:00.008-04:00

I saw in the news today that Geraldine Ferraro died.

She's one of the few politicians I have seen in person. She came to a rally at Michigan State University, where she was campaigning for Mondale-Ferraro.

She was recently part of the Hilary campaign, and got in trouble (rightly so I think) for making racial statements about candidate Barack Obama.

The differences political views aside, she did pave the way for Sarah Palin.

Other politicians I've seen include Gerald Ford (I shook his hand), independent candidate John Anderson, and Dan Quayle.

I might have seen George W. Bush as a dot in the distance at a rally. If that counts, then I've seen the Pope too.

Somewhere I have a photo I took of her at the campaign rally. But I can't find it. Instead, here is a 1934 picture of MSU, showing Beaumont Tower. Beaumont Tower is in a parklike area at the center of the campus. Geraldine Ferraro had her rally close to it.

Pure Michigan

2011-03-23T11:58:00.007-04:00

Has anyone outside of Michigan seen the Pure Michigan ad campaign? Anyone in Texas, California, Iowa, or any other state? The taxpayers are spending another $25 million on it. With the state budget the way it is, I wonder why the Chambers of Commerce or other voluntary-membership business and tourist-promotion organizations can't just get the money together and fund it themselves. There's better things to do with $25 million. Such money could be used to send more than 3,000 Detroit schoolchildren to a good private school. Or serve twelve MILLION meals at a soup kitchen. Or more than 160,000 dental checkups and cleanings for kids in impoverished families.

Well, at least the government isn't spending tens of millions to build new private sports stadiums.

Anyway, are you seeing these ads anywhere? How do they look to you? What impression do they give you of the state?

Addendum: What about other ad campaigns that make it into Michigan? I've seen many. But the first ones that come to mind are the ones for San Antonio, Texas. They sort of did make me want to go there. And it's a city I never hear of otherwise. The others are the ads for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama. A sort of high-faluting thing that even for someone who does not golf, does dispel Alabama's backward image ("Banjos playing through the broken glass") somewhat.

Also, here is the top link for Atwood the Adorable. Way to go Torch Lake Views!

Politics

2011-03-21T09:12:00.003-04:00

I decided to take a poll on the political views of my readers. You will see it on the right. Sorry for that placement decision, all you leftists. It's how the blog layout is.

I think I have pretty much covered it for everyone. I hope so, anyway. Go ahead and vote!

I'm back.

2011-03-12T19:42:00.001-05:00

I had a little blog "hiatus". But it's back, and all there! I hope someone is still around to read it!

Robocop Statue in Detroit

2011-02-21T10:11:00.004-05:00

It's been all over the news around here. Someone proposed that Detroit erect a statue of Robocop. I mentioned Robocop's Michigan connection last fall in this post about associating states with movies. It got to be a big enough deal that Detroit's Mayor Bing shot down the idea. Then the fundraising happened, and sure enough they met the goal. The official fundraising site can be found here.

Interestingly enough, the proposed site for the statue is on the grounds of the derelict Michigan Central Station, which I also blogged about before:

"Specifically, the Imagination Station is offering a piece of its property on Roosevelt Park facing Michigan Central Station as Robocop's new home. If this is were Robo goes, this is approximately what his view will be:".

Detroit already has some statues, as any big city would be. Notable ones include the giant fist of Joe Louis, and the Atlas-like statue seen to the right in this postcard from 1997. He's wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey.

So, it looks like Detroit will remain the number one city for robocopness. It all sounds pretty silly, but it looks like this fundraising effort, and how quickly it worked, will be turned toward more charitable interests to address real human needs.

What other fictional characters can get statues in places (and yes, Robocop is fictional). There are already several existing examples: Mary Tyler Moore in Minneapolis, Rocky in Philadelphia, and Superman in Metropolis. I don't know if Captain Kirk has a statue in his home town in Iowa yet, but I would not be surprised.

Here are some ideas

A statue of Rose Tyler from "Doctor Who" holding a rose, erected in Tyler, Texas... a city known for roses.
A statue of J R Ewing in Dallas
A statue of Mr. Spock in Vulcan, Michigan
A statue of grumpy old men in Wabasha, Minnesota. It might be cheaper, though, to pay a couple of local grouchy guys with a lot of time on their hands to stand there and grump at passing tourists.
Statues of Cullen vampires in Forks, Washington: painted so they sparkle in the sun, of course.
A statue of Drew Carey in Cleveland. Sure he's real, but the fictional Cleveland department store worker he played in his TV show was also named Drew Carey.

Any more suggestions?

Libya - Uprising in Benghazi

2011-02-20T12:22:00.005-05:00

To the right is a 1970s postcard of Benghazi, Libya's "second city". I wonder if it is from before, or after Muhammar Khadaffy took power?

Not long after the revolution/ouster/rebellion in Egypt, there was talk of whether or not it would happen in Libya. I kind of doubted it, since Libya had seemed so quiet lately.

Khadaffy is a scary individual. His "Green" ideology is a combinination of the worst aspects of theocratic Islam and socialism. He seems to have patterned himself after Mao, the worst mass murderer in history, even borrowing one of the terms Mao used for a genocidal program, "cultural revolution". He fancies himself as sort of a demi-god, having written his own sort of Bible which he forces people to read, and putting giant pictures of himself everywhere (always a very bad sign). Still, he has been quiet lately, backing away from terrorist activities.

Then "Colonel" Khadaddy stepped into the fray, urging Arabs to rise up against Jews. Nothing happened, though Israel was on the alert for this.

Instead, the the "talk" was right, the and uprising happened in Libya instead.

I have a friend from Libya. When the news came out of riots in Benghazi, I immediately thought of him and his family. He happens to be in the US right now, but he has friends and family in that city.

Now, the uprising has claimed hundreds of lives. When my friend communicated with me from Libya, there was no mention of the dictator. You have to be careful in a totalitarian country. Now that he is outside of Libya, he has strong words about Khadaffy.

I hope and pray that the carnage there ends now, and that none of my friend's family and friends were hurt. And that the deaths so far as not been in vain, and that something happens to improve Libya's situation. 40 years under a tyrant's boot is 40 years too long.

Addendum: In the latest news today, the rebellion (or revolution?) has hit Tripoli, with a report that Khadaffy has fled, and many hundreds of civilians have been executed.

The Dreadful Spiller

2011-01-09T17:11:00.003-05:00

You don't often get a chance to use a name of an obscure "Borrowers" character, but here it is. The Dreadful Spiller, named after a little (and I do mean little) boy, perhaps the last hope of the Borrowers species, which seemingly dwindled away to nothing as a result of cats, pet ferrets, and being stuck behind drywall during renovation efforts. I was hoping to find an original illustration of him from the Borrowers books (probably by Beth and Joe Krush), but will settle for the DVD illustration to the right.

I don't remember the Dreadful Spiller doing a lot of spilling in the books, but I always liked his name, and wanted to use it somewhere.

Long ago a guy named Evil-E had an excellent blog. One running series he had had to do with generic office types. The types of people you sometimes end up working with. So this is in the spirit of Evil-E's blog post series.

The specific guy I am thinking of could probably get other nicknames. He has the aspect of an evil wizard. He had a wizardly name; perfect for a Harry Potter movie. He'd be perfect in dark blue robes and a tall pointed hat with stars and planets on it. He had a habit of covering all fingers with those rubber finger covers for moving lots of paper. Which made him look like a wizard arming himself for spell combat. Of course, the fingers were for moving papers, not casting spells. He would wear these sometimes instead of licking his fingers to shuffle and count papers. Or that was the way it was supposed to work: sometimes I caught him licking the rubber fingers in between turning pages.

Enough about his wizardly abilities. That's not typical. There's no such thing as an office-wizard archetype, is there? But this guy was also a Dreadful Spiller.

The office I worked at ran on coffee. We drained many pots a day. The wizard guy always had a large silver travel-tankard of coffee, filled from home, gas stations, and the office. Or perhaps filled from the carafes of the Orthanc Tower. The first day he worked with us, he set his tankard next to a stack of files, which got bumped. The tankard fell over. This time, the lid held and did not leak. He got warned.

Later on, I was working with him, and I heard a steady trickle. His tankard had fallen over, and this time had leaked. A large puddle had already formed.

Another time, the tankard took a header in a carpetted room. The wizard spent hours trying to mop the coffee out of the carpet.I think he had a veritable keg of coffee with him that day. No, it never did come out of the carpet.

Has anyone ever worked with a dreadful spiller? Or been one?

Amazon.com Widgets

Gerry Rafferty - "Baker Street"

2011-01-05T12:57:00.002-05:00

I heard yesterday on NPR that singer Gerry Raffery died yesterday. Most will know his music: he's a three-hit wonder on just about all of the classic rock stations, with "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line" and, with his earlier band, "Stuck in the Middle With You".

It's "Baker Street" I mainly know him for. I remember the FM rock radio stations playing the hell out of this song in the late 1970s. This, and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". I can't recall two other songs that were played as much during that time.

I'm not sure what the song is about, but it makes me think of Sherlock Holmes, the famous fictional resident of Baker Street in London.. I might very well be on Baker Street soon; a trip might take me there. I'm sure I'll have this song, with is screaming sax lines, in my head at the time.

If anyone remembers FM rock radio, do you remember other songs that were played in extremely high rotation other than the two that I mentioned? Other comments are welcome also.

Shop at Best Buy

2010-12-24T12:46:00.002-05:00

This post was planned before I hit "publish" on the previous one.

I just read a couple of days ago that Best Buy has canceled its restocking fee policy. For a long time, they have had high restocking fees on things. Walmart and Meijer haven't. So when I've talked to someone thinking of buying something like a laptop and they are considering Best Buy, I've told them to beware, because of the high restocking fee. Things like, yeah the selection is a lot better than Walmart, but if it's a bad laptop, it's a lot easier to take it back to Walmart, because they won't charge you for bringing it back.

But now I won't do that. I won't say that. Best Buy is to be commended for getting rid of this unfriendly sales-discouraging policy. I'll be giving them more consideration again (at least on items that don't cost 1/30th as much from online retailers).

Which actually ties into P.J. Grath's comment on my previous post. One way the "brick and Mortar" stores always have online retailers beat is what to do if you have to return things. Returning things and shipping again with online is such a hassle that many people are probably discouraged from doing so.

Don't shop at Best Buy.

2010-12-23T20:52:00.002-05:00

Just a word of advice to those thinking of buying mobile/cell phone accessories at Best Buy. If you are thinking of buying something like that there, make sure to check online, such as eBay.

I wanted a nice case for my new Android phone, and decided to see what they had at Best Buy. I found what I was looking for for $25.00.

Then I went home and searched for the same thing on eBay, and found it for about $5.65, including shipping. I saw it going for a lot less, too. I ordered it and got it, and am very happy with it.

So you might save a lot of money on things like this checking on eBay.

There's something similar for USB wall plugs, that let you plug USB devices into the wall for charging. I see these at Walmarts and such places for $10.00 to $20.00. But I ordered one online for $1, which actually included shipping.

Census Results: Michigan moves to Texas.

2010-12-22T06:17:00.003-05:00

The news came out yesterday of the initial 2010 US Census results. Congratulations to the Census Bureau on a job well done, doing the hard work of getting out there and "counting noses" (as opposed to sitting in offices and making up imaginary citizens using "sampling" as some want them to do).

Well, the results show Michigan as the only state to actually lose population. We'll be losing a congressional seat, too. Texas had a big gain in population, and will likely gain 4 congressional seats. Let the gerrymandering season begin!

I guess Michigan's loss is Texas' gain.

Here's what they have to look forward to in Texas with the new demographics, and the continued influx of Michigan residents:

* New Texas residents who grew up thinking "south of the border" means Canada.

* Trading in the Dogman for El Chupacabra

* More new people in Texas drinking Michigan's most famous soda pop, Vernor's Ginger Ale. Oh wait, that stuff actually comes from Plano north of Dallas.

* Michael Moore

* Lots of horribly rusty cars now on Texas streets, driven by new residents who actually know how to drive if the roads ever get covered in ice.

* Old English D, meet Big D. Leelanau, meet Llano. Pinconning, meet the Panhandle. Midland, meet... well, Midland. Grand Rapids, meet Grand Prairie. Ann Arbor, meet Amarillo. Wixom, meet Waco. Frankfort, meet Fort Worth. Ludington, meet Lubbock. Washtenaw County, meet Wichita Falls. Elk Rapids, meet El Paso. Kalamazoo, meet... well, nothing comes close to that one!

* People who trade in the stocking cap for a cowboy hat.

* Classified ads in Texas newspapers for really cheap snowmobiles being sold by those dumb enough to move south with them.

* Michiganders having to get used to to a football team that has pretty much the same colors as the Detroit Lions, but is actually expected to win games.

* New Texas residents who will run the air conditioner and stay indoors any time it gets over 70 degrees, which in Texas is about 352 days a year.

* An influx of Euchre players into Texas. Anyone outside of Michigan play Euchre? Thought not.

* New Texas residents trying to hold up their hand as a diagram to show where they live and giving up after a while.

Anyone think of anything else?

Harry Potter and the Galaxie of 500

2010-12-13T12:48:00.004-05:00

Harry Potter returns in another old family photo. Looks like here he is getting ready to go to Hogwarts. The photo is blurry, but doesn't that tie look awful? Filch might not let him in wearing that thing. Looks like one of the Weasley boys is standing in front of him. And that is indeed a Ford Galaxie 500 (year 1971 maybe?) in the garage to the left.

In another photo, it appears that that Weasley kid, in his unbelievable red getup , has made it to Hogwarts, and is standing on the steps at one of the entrances. (Actually a church)

Harry Potter and the Island of No Cars

2010-12-13T09:40:00.000-05:00

Another family photo slide, this one from 1975. I'm rather sure it is in Mackinac Island, in front of the Grand Hotel.

I really do not know who it is. It's rather blurred, and starts to look like Harry Potter with some sort of disappearing spell starting up. And Harry has pink pants. I really do not know who it is or was... But I'm pretty sure it wasn't me.

A good example of how problems with a photo (either badly taken, or light making it fade) makes it a lot more mysterious.

It gets snowy in the great white north.

2010-12-12T14:21:00.005-05:00

I just read that the Metrodome fell in. The huge stadium in downtown Minneapolis. I remember when it wasn't there: there was an ugly rusty stadium the Vikings played in, instead. Then they built the new dome downtown, and the Mall of America replaced the rusty stadium. Now the dome has fallen in. It's one of those things, like when the face fell of in New Hampshire.

Do you think they can go back and play football in the Mall of America now?

Southland Center, Dallas, 1960

2010-12-12T04:40:00.001-05:00

I found this slide among the family photos. It's the Southland Center in Dallas, Texas, from 1960. My dad (the photographer in the family) did not take this one: it is printed on the margins as a commercial slide. I keep finding more stuff.

The Southland Center is now a Sheraton hotel. It appears to be from that ugly building era that reigned in the 1950s, and it was built in 1955. It has hosted conventions, including one for anime fans, and another for Twihards. The photo in the Wikipedia page shows that they actually have managed to make the building look better. I've not been to this place. but I've probably seen it on the skyline. It's a substantial building. I like Sharaton's, so it is probably a nice place to stay at.

Christmas in Iowa, 1959

2010-12-11T10:50:00.003-05:00

Another family photo:
The Christmas tree from 1959. The Iowa years. The tree sure is short and squat. And I doubt Santa's going to be coming down the chimney now that the chimney is in the living room with a tree stuck on top of it.

Don and Shirley, 1959

2010-12-10T21:10:00.003-05:00

Going through old family photos and slides, I find this one labelled "Don and Shirley" 1959.

Thing is, I have no idea who Don and Shirley are. Some friend of the family, I am sure. I have no way of finding out who they are (or were) either. Looks rather Ward and June Cleaverish, and there are interesting details such as the copper jello molds on the wall.

Phil Collins and Taylor Lautner walk into a bar...

2010-12-08T20:45:00.003-05:00

Well, it sounds like a joke. But it was pretty close to reality a few days ago, when Phil Collins and Taylor Lautner showed up at the Ruby Tuesday's in town , and at least one other location [read here]. It would have been cool to have been there, because I've been a major Genesis fan for so long. Phil's daughter was there too. I kind of doubt I would have asked for his autograph, because I am generally of the idea that it is rude to bother celebrities when they are just living life.

Here's Phil Collins with "In The Air Tonight":

Genesis in Cadillac. Nothing happens in Cadillac, really. But the place was KISS'ed 35 years ago, when KISS came to town.

2010-11-30T19:47:00.000-05:00

This beautiful "Popular Mechanics" cover is from October 1932. It is of an old sailing ship called the "Sovereign of the Seas". Its inclusion on the cover pointed to a tiny article that said it was possible to make a model of it. I wonder if the point really was to get this great painting on the cover of the magazine, regardless of content.

Home Kinks

2010-11-29T19:37:00.000-05:00

I came across this one again, Popular Mechanics "Home Kinks" from 1945. It's really like a "Hints from Heliose" type of thing, even though the title has produced snickers.

The only way to fly - The Spruce Goose

2010-11-27T19:25:00.000-05:00

This December 1936 "Popular Mechanics" shows a proposed designed that is a predecessor to Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose". It's a type of flying boat airplane, a real behemoth.

In this age of 3 hour waits, bad or no food, no room on the plane, and not to mention the TSA, it is interesting to see these happy well-dressed passengers milling about below the plane.

Home Helicopters

2010-11-26T19:16:00.005-05:00

Going through things, I find this old magazine.

I always thought the concept of this Feb 1951 "Popular Mechanics" cover was ridiculous. The home helicopter. One in every garage. This was the "Hiller Hornet", version of which were actually used by the military.

What is so wrong with this idea? The first thing that comes to mind is drunken pilots. Right now, if you are sitting at home, you are reasonably safe from drunk driver. Not any more in the "helicopter in every garage" era. Might as well hide in a storm shelter late Saturday night, when the drunks fly out of the bar heliport and careen and wobble through the sky, smashing into each other, and your house.

What experience do you have with helicopters? Or second hand experience? Mine is not the best. A sightseeing chopper I once rode in (which was piloted kind of wrecklessly) crashed and burned, killing everyone aboard a few years after I rode it. My brother relates how a rich buddy had a helicopter, and he was always playing Airwolf with it. Hot dogging, flying under powerlines, lighting on top edges of billboards like a dragonfly, not safe.

Cupcakes

2010-11-19T09:43:00.002-05:00

Sorry, no new exciting post today, or even old Spock. But here's a link to Anali's cupcake post. Looks delicious.

Slide of Mr. Spock

2010-11-13T21:42:00.002-05:00

Going through some old slides, looking to convert them to digital images. I happen to have a bunch of old Star Trek clips, which were leftover from the making of the original series. Supposedly, these were actual clips from the filming of extra takes.

Mr. Spock does not look too happy here.

Zombie Run and Walk for Autism (Vaderday Saturday)

2010-10-30T23:13:00.000-04:00

Earlier today there were some fun-looking events in town. I did not go to them, but some friends went to both. First is the !st Annual "Walk for Autism", with its cool Darth Vader artwork. Vader is flanked by a bat, a ballerina, a generic ghost, Harry Potter, and a cowboy. Troy DeShano created this top-notch poster design. This event benefited the Autism Resource Network.
Yesterday morning, there was also the 5k Zombie Run. Some friends participated in this, and there are lots of photos going around of large numbers of people all made out to be zombies. Wish I could have gone to this one to get my own photos. This one also had impressive poster art (by Dale Crawford). I think these events will be around again next year.