COSMOS

Carl Sagan and I spent the weekend together.

I was afraid I was coming down with the flu, so I took the whole weekend to rest and recover. I didn't want to get my girlfriend sick, so I didn't see her, either.

It was just me and Carl.

Cosmos was a show made in the early '80s by Carl Sagan. I have vague memories of it on TV, although I'm fairly sure our TV wouldn't pick up the channel it was on. I probably watched it at my grandmother's house.

A few years ago, the Science channel began re-running the show on Tuesday nights. That's really when it caught my attention, again. Problem was, it came on at 9 or 10PM. The music on the show is pastoral, anyway, so it almost puts you to sleep even when it's not late at night. Shortly after the opening credits, I was usually fast asleep.

When I got Netflix, it was one of the first things I looked for. I haven't really had the chance to watch it, yet. So, in need of rest, and something to keep me company, it seemed like a good time to bust out the COSMOS.

Carl didn't disappoint. I can't say that I always agree with his take on every subject, but it is entertaining. For a man who passed away well over a decade ago, he was a good companion for the weekend.

OLD SCHOOL FILMS!

http://www.avgeeks.com/our-films-online/
Ah, yes, the good old days of falling asleep in the dimly lit classroom to the whirring, chattering sound of a film projector.

Sometimes I purposely find these on Netflix or the free documentary sites just to help me take a nap on the couch.

Freedom to Fascism and Endgame

The above video is a documentary made by a man named Alex Jones. Although he is somewhat of a sensationalist, his movie makes very compelling accusations. It is rife with conjecture, hyperbole and theories, but the facts are there to back an alarming amount of them up. Honestly, if only one percent of his allegations are true, there should be unstoppable movements by the American people calling for our government officials to be investigated for treason. And that's not to speak of the foreign governments who should be held accountable to their people for complicity, as well.

Jones lays out the history of despotism in a somewhat bombastic, yet informative way. Truthfully, it wasn't all that fun to watch... it was more disturbing and frightening than it was entertaining. If you look past the obvious fear tactics he employs, he accurately shows the veins of eugenics and fascism (also called corporatism) that have travelled up throught the halls of history into our lives, outlining the goals of despots.

Whether you believe the 'Bilderberg' group is benign or a tyrannical group of elitists bent on global domination, you will have to admit the secrecy is suspicious. Our politicians violating the Logan Act by attending secret global policy meetings every year, attempting to keep the meetings a 'black op' type affair is just plain scary. Whether or not you believe they want to depopulate the Earth, and control it's monetary system, there's no debating the fact that this type of illegal behavior is creepy and un-American.

A slightly less exhibitionist film to watch, which makes me just as frightened, if not more, is 'America: Freedom to Fascism' by Aaron Russo. I screened it at my house at the Primary Party Tuesday night. It points up the flaws with the IRS and Federal Reserve. It also makes you wonder who the REAL terrorists are.

You should NOT watch these films if you are the paranoid type. You will begin looking over your shoulder, if not literally, at least figuratively. I also don't really advocate using these films as fear tactics to sway voters. They are informational and educational horror movies, only based in reality and politics. These movies inspire less of a run on the ballot box than the cartridge box.

Also, the skeptic might turn these films off before their completion. I am skeptical of a lot of the claims Jones makes, and can see the anger in Russo's face, leading me to believe their personal opinions drive the hyperbole in some instances. GET PAST THAT. You have to be willing to be skeptical of your own skeptisism. Writing the whole film off, without taking notes, simply because one part of it seems too far-fetched is the same as taking the whole thing at face value.

Love them, hate them or take them out of the DVD player and burn them, you will at least be asking questions and doing some independent research after watching these films. If you're not, I question your sanity.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

I have been wanting to go participate in some sign-making activities for the Ron Paul grassroots effort for a while. Not being able to do so, due to work, school, and the distance to the nearest meetup group, was beginning to bug me. My girlfriend, Amy, suggested that we would make our own sign. Now, a big sheet of plywood, adorned with the Ron Paul R3volUTION logo and Ron Paul's heavenward gazing head graces my front yard, facing Highway 80 west of Selma.

Below are some pics from the process...

Merry Christmas!

I love this. I saw the Bush Christmas video the other day... Dr. Paul's looks so much more genuine.

ビタゴラスイッチ

Pythagoras Switch is a children's show in Japan. I like watching the youtube videos of Rube Goldbergian type devices, and the little jingle, "Pitagora Suichi," which is basically just a Japanese person saying, "Pythagoras Switch."

Vincent Price on Cricket

Vincent Price describes how cricket is played, using skeleton keys, a necklace and some apothecary-type bottles.

Freedom Radio

I know I was trying to keep politics off the Various Curiosities blog, but this is a media-related post. I believe Ron Paul Radio is the beginning of a new media network. People who support freedom are supporting Ron Paul. When the elections of 2008 have ended, this network could very well become as popular, if not more popular, than the networks supporting the neo-con and liberal agendas.

It's the bottom-up approach that made so many media outlets huge that I believe will launch the RP Radio phenomenon. It will probably evolve after the elections into a Liberty and Freedom network. Once the tracks are laid, as they are being now, something like this can grow into a huge force in the disemination of ideas and information.

Currently an internet outlet, I look forward to RP Radio's migration into the broadcast and print mediums. We could be on the verge of seeing a whole new crop of media personalities. These are exciting times.

Thunks Right in my Head Bone

I was simmering with righteous indignation towards O'reilly after Monday night's Ron Paul segment, when I switched the channel over to The Colbert Report. Just as I did, I saw that he was playing a clip of Dr. Paul's exchange with Huckabee. He said, "What Dr. Paul says thunks right in my head bone." He then went on to lampoon Huckabee by playing all the times he said the word 'honor', following it up with a Klingon from Star Trek, and Nixon talking about honor. It made me laugh, and I wasn't quite as p-o'd anymore. Colbert is cool.

TV Tags

Remember these? This brings back fond childhood memories, but a sort of melancholy, too, because when you saw some of these it was usually at the end, and it meant your show was over...






And Friday nights used to be awesome...



...Saturday nights...

...and some Wednesday nights...

El Laberinto del Fauno

We watched Pan's Labyrinth Saturday night. We kept seeing the commercial on TV, and my girl mentioned that it looked good to her. "I wanna see that!" she would exclaim, after every time the commercial for it came on. It looked interesting to me, too.

When I picked it up from Blockbuster, the girl at the counter told me it wasn't in English, but was subtitled. That was the first I heard of that. The previews on TV made it sound like it was some sort of fantasy movie, but not that it was foreign.

It wasn't quite what I expected, but it wound up being interesting in a different way. It was set in WWII Spain, under the hard line rule of Franco. It was a pretty cool movie, that, in spite of the subtitles being poorly rendered, I would recommend. Also, watch out for the intense and graphic depictions of violence. They caught me off guard, and I'm accustomed to that type of thing in my movies.

Hibachi Burn Out

Went to the Shogun last night and was very disappointed. Our Hibachi Chef was a newbie, or something, because he didn't do much of anything when he cooked our food. Oh, he clanged his utensils and everything, but I like the stunts and tricks. Even when they mess up, it's entertaining. I like the flames and fire tricks. FIRE! lol.

BUT... I had a large bottle of sake, so by the end of the meal, I was pretty happy, anyway. That's all I drank for the whole meal. Just sake. Japanese food and sake go well together.

I got Matt to drink a shot of sake, and it made him lose his mind. It was funny. I remember him saying, "Tony, that picture on the wall is moving", as he strained to look at a painting.

Afterwards, we went to his brother Max's house and had a great time watching a movie and generally cutting up. It more than made up for the bad Hibachi dude. Didn't get home until after midnight, but it was worth it. ...Good old fashioned guy's night out.

I hear Crickets! Or is it wickets?

It's time for CRICKET FEVER! The World Cup starts this month, and there are 16 national teams vying for the title!

Wait, what? You didn't know that? lol. I didn't either, until I was scanning channels at my girlfriend's house last night. I watched 2 hours of the Bermuda v. England match. It was the beginning of the second innings when I left.

And, no, there is no US national Cricket team competing.

Blast Off TV

Since rogue astronauts have been popular lately, here's 'Heat Vision and Jack', a faux-TV series starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, among others, and was produced by Ben Stiller. Jack Black plays an astronaut biker who solves crime. It made me laugh.

Museum of Lost Wonder

The Museum of Lost Wonder is a cross between the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose, and the Schwa/ Scanwave/ Eldritch Corp. website of the late '90s.

Lights, Camera, AKTIONISTS!

If you're into weird, sick movies, check out the Vienna Aktionists. The 1960s were a messed up time.

The American Family

Ever wonder who first got the idea to do a reality show, or why? The answer is below:


Subterranean Cinema has this description:

"For seven months, from May 30, 1971, to January 1, 1972,
the family was filmed as they went about their daily routine.
Over 300 hours of film were shot; there is no question the
presence of the camera crews and their equipment had an
effect on the Louds, one which is impossible to evaluate."

There are clips from episodes on Myspace, as well.

Night Flight!!!

I FINALLY found 'Night Flight'! NOBODY ever remembers this show! It came on Channel 12 late at night back in the mid-eighties. I spent many nights watching this weirdness. At long last, I can finally prove that I didn't imagine the whole thing.

Top 5

Here's another installment of the top 5 things I'm hearing whispered or shouted:

5. Celebrities Dying. Bobby Hamilton, President Ford, James Brown, YVONNE DE CARLO (The Munsters), and Scooby Doo creator, Iwao Takamoto.

4. Snow. Haven't seen any myself, but Texas is seeing a lot. And California.

3. World of Warcraft. Never played it. I played the old 'Warcraft' game that came out in the '90s. It was fun.

2. Sports Money. Alabama gets a new coach, Nick Saban. He's the highest paid NCAA coach ever. Also, soccer now has the highest paid athlete. 250 million for 5 years in LA.

1. Stomp Dancing? WTF? I grew up going to all black schools, and I never thought I'd see the day when 'Lord of the Dance' and clogging was the inspiration for a black dance craze.