Sherlock Holmes.

I’ve been a fan of Guy Richie’s films since I saw Snatch, one of my favorites of all time. Sherlock Holmes lived up to my expectations in spades. While the effects were extremely well done, it was the dialog, as usual in a Richie film, that carried it along. Coupled with a better than average story line, it made for an excellent afternoon of fantasy enjoyment. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the genre, and to those who just like a few hours away from reality. I give it four out of four stars. And I expect there will be a sequel

WATER!

There is only so much usable fresh drinking water on this planet. It’s fine water has been discovered on the moon, but it’s not going to do us any good. We waste water like it’s never going to run out, but it will, unless we start treating it like we do oil. California’s Imperial Valley grows more food, due to the canal system that brings water from the north, than anywhere else in the nation. It has a longer growing season, less changes in climate, and a usually abundant source of water. Not any more. There are thousands of acres lying fallow because of a water shortage.

The main problem is the drought affecting much of the north. That, plus the fact much of the supply has been reduced due to the federal requirement of maintaining water levels to ensure endangered species can survive. I’m not going to get into the endangered species act and how it affects water, but it’s there, and a big problem. There is also the fact much of the levee system in California is literally falling apart. It is what holds back the sea water from the fresh water. Should the system collapse, salt water will mix with fresh, and the entire drinking water supply for cities like Los Angeles will be undrinkable. It is estimated that if the system should fail, Los Angeles could be without drinking water for as long as three months or more.

And that is only one state. the Ogallala Aquifer, which spans seven mid continent states, is running dry. It is estimated that if all water drawn from it were to stop, it would take over two hundred years to refill it. It’s use is essential for crop production in those states. When Ethanol came along, corn farmers rejoiced; but the water and energy necessary to grow the corn, and  manufacture Ethanol, make it a devastating loss to the aquifer. T Boone Pickens would like nothing more than to buy up all water right of way from the aquifer so he could pipe it to Texas. And if his plans for windmill farms succeeds, that just may happen.

Many southern states are also feeling the results of water waste in the form of having to buy water from areas that have it, and those areas refusing to do so. Georgia, Alabama and Florida in particular are fighting over water in the Chattahoochee River basin that feeds all three states. It would not be surprising to hear of physical battles over fresh water. And again, the endangered species act comes into play there.

The Colorado river, once a magnificent symbol of the power of this country, is now but a shadow of it’s former self.  By the time it reaches the Sea of Cortez, it is basically non-existent. It is being filled with silt that used to wash all the way to the sea, and the damns along it are outdated and becoming a hazard to populations living downstream from them.

Water is something I’ve been keenly interested in for many years, and see it as the one thing that could bring this country down. We can learn to live without oil, but we cannot, under any circumstances, live without water. So the next time you plan on planting a lawn that will become the envy of the neighborhood, think: that water you will be using to make it green could be used for drinking and growing food. And which is more important to life on this planet?

John Hiatt, an American Music Icon

I was introduced to John Hiatt’s music back in 1994. Since then, I’ve become a major fan. Once heard, his voice is as distinctive as any out there. While not commercially successful when compared to main stream musicians, if you were to ask any major labeled musician who John  was, you’d  hear nothing but praises. His songs have been covered by more people than you can count. His main claim to fame is the song, Perfectly Good Guitar. I think I have every album he’s ever recorded, and always look forward to his new ones. I’m including some of his songs off youtube for your enjoyment:

FOOTBALL!!!!! GO CHARGERS!!!

After a 2&3 start, the Chargers went on a tear, winning every game. They blew out Denver, who had a 3 1/2 game lead on them after 5 games. And in their last game, against the Titans, who were favored to win, and who the pundits said nobody wanted to play, the Chargers had their bench warmers playing in the fourth quarter. They’ve got the Colts number, having beaten them three times straight, and intercepting Payton something like nine times during those three meetings. I expect the same if they meet this season during the playoffs.

Anybody got a different team to beat?

2009 Recap

Some black dude was nominated for President. Some white dude, also nominated for president, selected some white chick from a state with less people than the city the black dude was from to be his VP running mate. The black dude won. The white chick quit her day job, and had some other white chick write a book for her, which became the number one best seller after some white dude, who owns a phony news station, bought a whole bunch of the books and sold em for way under the list price, making it the cheapest number one book in history. The white chick, who had the other white chick write the book, then went on a book signing tour in a bus, which she didn’t ride in sometimes, but took a plane instead. The white chick, who quit her day job, then told all the other news people she wouldn’t talk to them because they made fun of her. A bunch of other white people said, “We love you, white chick!”

Then some white dude governor from some state said he went to walk on some trail in some mountains someplace, but really went to some other country because he was horny. He got caught and all the news people shouted, ” O Boy,” because they could write about sex and stuff, which they like to do.

Then some black guy who plays golf ran into a fire hydrant and a tree and his wife beat the shit out of the car with a golf club, which makes perfect sense because the guy was a golfer. She was mad at him for playing eighteen holes, but not on a golf course. Personally, I’d like to have the golf club because it’d be worth big bucks on ebay. The black guy quit golf for awhile, and plans on playing another eighteen holes at a location/s to be decided later. His wife went to another country and will have a whole bunch of money really soon. I think I’ll email her and ask for some of it.

Everybody in the world lost a whole bunch of money, except those who lost the most, because they had the governments to give them their money back. After they got their money back, they gave themselves some fine times at resorts and golf courses to show the world how happy they were for getting their money back. They didn’t report on whether they played eighteen holes on the golf course. So a whole bunch of other people donated their houses to the guys who got their money back because they felt sorry for them.

Then the government started to wheel and deal with the insurance industry guys and finally decided to make sure they got a whole bunch of money too. After the insurance people stopped crying and figured out they would get a whole bunch more money, they told all the sick people to drop dead, which was really nice of them because who wants to be sick anyway?

So, as you can plainly see, 2009 was a wonderful year if you had a whole bunch of money, or owned a whole bunch of politicians. If you didn’t have a whole bunch of money, or own a whole bunch of politicians, well, the year kinda sucked, but as the Republicans party of really old white guys and two fat chicks in congress and at the tea parties, which I won’t get into because I don’t drink tea, said during the year, get a job, except there aint no jobs., so I guess we’re shit out of luck.

Maybe 2010 will have some jobs, or a couple of politicians I can buy really cheap.

Capitalism and health care in America.

I could insert pictures of sick people; people in dire need of medical help, but can’t get it, other than through emergency wards. I could insert tales of people dying because of lack of proper medical help because they’ve been priced out of the health care loop. I could give examples of the dead and dying right here in America because they can’t afford treatment, but I won’t. Instead, I’m going to write about the effect capitalism has had on the health care industry. And believe me, it’s all tied together.

Prior to the sixties, most hospitals were non-profit. You paid actual costs of procedures, doctors made good wages, nurses made acceptable wages, and hospitals were a credit to the community and the health and well being of the people they served. After that, something happened. Hospitals were bought up by individuals and groups with the thought they could be made profitable.  Out of that was born the idea health insurance could be a profitable side of many insurance companies. And the cost of health care started to rise, as profits on the sick and dying were seen as a good thing by capitalistic system of America. Business started supplying its employees with health insurance packages in various forms, with some asking the employee to pay part of the cost, others not so much. But all insurance cost the employee in the form of lower wages, etc.. The bottom line was both business and the employee prospered under the system.

But the cost of health care continued to rise to the point both business and the employee started to be hurt by it. Business had the choice of making the employee pay more and more of the cost, or drop it altogether. The employee had the choice of paying the added cost, dropping the insurance if their wages couldn’t cover the cost, or looking for work at a business with better benefits. And that’s basically where we are today. And the driving force behind this maze is profits. When capitalism reared its ugly head in the health industry, it was inevitable this would happen. I’m not against capitalism when applied to most industries, but I am against it when it is applied to health care.

We are the only industrialized nation without universal health care, and one of the very few that allows the industry to profit from health care. In my opinion, the health care industry should not be allowed to profit off the backs of the sick and dying. It is my opinion the health care industry should be allowed a basic rate, paid to keep it in the black, and no more. If the profit motive were removed from the industry, costs would drop, and more people could afford insurance. If the profit motive were subtracted from the equation, pre-existing conditions would not matter to the bottom line. The so-called death panels the Republicans are freaking out over, and which the insurance industry already has in place, would be non-existent. The hired guns of the insurance industry, whose only job is to find reasons not to pay for the insureds procedures, would not be needed.

And my basic problem with the insurance industry, making profits off the sick and dying humans of this great nation, would be solved.

The current bill, passed by the Senate, addresses none of this. In my opinion, it is a sham of a bill that will do nothing to lower costs, and will, in the long run, increase costs to the consumer. And the bottom line there is money talks, and the money is flowing to elected officials by the train load. It’s a sad day for Americans when private industry buys politicians, and the American people lose, and make no mistake about it: with this bill, we lost. The only winners are the usual: insurance, pharmaceuticals, and politicians.  Main street America is, again, left holding the empty bag.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY!!!

JAMMER5

Creature from the Haunted Sea!!!

Roger Corman, the God of drive in movies, made The Creature from the Haunted Sea in 1961. It was classic Corman, with fascinating lines like, “It’s dusk; I can tell because the suns going down.” And the unforgettable, “Renzo loved Mary-Belle, but he was the skipper and decided to go down ahead of his ship.”

The movie was about, and this is pure speculation on my part, stolen gold, Cuban soldiers, secret agents, a couple of cuban hookers and the monster you see on the left. One memorable scene consisted of Cubans climbing in a boat. The scene of the Cuban military officers saluting as the little boat they are floating in sinks was not planned; it actually began sinking as they were completing the shot. Roger Corman told the actors to stand and salute as the boat sank and filmed every moment, later stating that it “wasn’t very deep’ there.”

The picture on the left depicts Mary-Belle Monahan, played by Betty Jones Moreland, telling Renzo Capetto, played by Anthony Carbone, she would love him till the day she died, after which the monster killed her. It really is one funny, bad movie, and an excellent example of the typical drive in fare of the sixties. You can find it in any one dollar DVD bin. It comes with the Giant Gila Monster, which really socks. And why am I posting this? Cold and bored

Next: Wild Women From Wango!

Blank!

Ever have a blank day? You know, you wake up, go about the usual morning routine and . . . blank? Santa could drop down the chimney, the kids could stand there in awe, and you wouldn’t notice a thing. Flat tire? Okay. Burned the roast? Okay. Watch the news? Words . . . words . . . words . . .Feels like the brain took a holiday.

I had my stitches taken out today.  It took two hours and I didn’t notice a thing. Got home, laid down for fifteen minutes, and woke up four hours later. Fixed a pb&dill pickle samich, turned on the news and saw . . . nothing. Changed channels to watch MNF and promptly fell asleep again. Felt like a completely wasted day. I’m blaming it on the weather.

So, am I alone in this, or does it happen to other people? Or am I just weird? Answering that last remark is not obligatory.

The greatest ‘B’ grade horror movie hero that ever lived, sorta!

Yes, that’s right folks, Bruce Campbell. Who can forget the terror and frightful weird stuff that went on in movies like, “Army Of Darkness”, “Evil Dead 1 and 2″, “Alien Apocalypse”, “Bubba Ho-Tep”, and that never to be forgotten classic, “The Screaming Brain.” And Bruce was a true hero in each and every one of them. Who in their right mind can forget the amazing scene in Army of Darkness, where he straps on a chain saw  to replace his missing hand, destroys the evil army and saves the beautiful girl? I’m telling ya, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Yep, I’m here to tell you, when it comes to B grade horror/comedy classics, Bruce is God. He started his acting career making super 8 movies, along with Sam Raimi, prior to attemding college. Their first super 8 movie, a precursor to Evil Dead entitled, “Within the Woods,” was shot in the hopes of drawing investors in so they could make “Evil Dead.” It took a long time for the movie to catch on, but after a nod from Stephen King, it became the numero uno movie in England. Four years later, it was distributed in the states and spawned two sequels: “Evil dead 2″ and “Army of Darkness.” All three have attained cult status. Not bad for first time movies.

Since then, he has made many in the comedy/horror genre, and have been seen as drive-in staples. Bubba Ho-tep, made in 2002, is one of my favorites. In it, he plays Elvis Presley – now a resident in a nursing home. It also stars Ossie Davis as Jack, a black man who claims to be John F. Kennedy. Both end up battleling a resurrected Egyptian mummy named Bubba Ho-Tep. I wont reveal the rest of the exciting and intricate plot, as why ruin a perfectly good night at the drive-in? Tell me it’s possible to get better than that, and I’ll buy that bridge.

So, any of you out there in the void got a favorite B grade horror actor/actress? Bring it on!!!