Month: March 2015

SOS to NINJA TURTLES toy collectors (written only halfway in a joking manner)

Attention parents of Ninja Turtles fans or adults who collect children’s toys: Some disconcerting developments have been taking place at stores across Pennsylvania–stores that regardless of size or location seemingly have become wastelands in the hunt for new Ninja Turtles action figures.. Is anyone else having the same problems finding new action figures that are not yet in the family collection? I myself have witnessed broken hearts with children staring at empty racks at Walmarts, Toys r Us, and other related locations. Even more, the figures displayed are already the ones purchased..

However, miracles can happen–one day my son found TIGER CLAW in a rather ghastly dollar store in a purposely unnamed hole in the wall town in Western Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania..

A few possibilities..
1) Viacom and Nickelodean are trying to create an artificial scarcity
2) Chinese factories can’t stop workers from committing suicide as good as APPLE does, therefore the scarcity is real
3) Parents buy up the new actions figures immediately when a truck delivers..

And that is why I am asking for help: Any store workers, delivery drivers, or people with insider information, I need to know the day that trucks delivers new action figures. I need to also know the day–and time–that workers restock shelves..

We need Rat King, Razhar, and Neutralizer. Nick also created new action figures.. probably ones I’ll just buy online..
SOS
xx
-30-

Return to Flight 370: The expired battery theory

The oddities and strange activity surrounding the vanishing Malaysian flight 370 only got weirder–again–today.. This breaking news report was carried by CNN but global sources also report:

The battery for the locator beacon of the flight data recorder of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 expired more than a year before the plane’s disappearance, an interim report on the investigation said Sunday, citing maintenance records.

The report said that there was no evidence to suggest the battery was replaced and that while such a battery can operate past its expiry date, “it is not guaranteed that it will work or that it would meet the 30-day minimum requirement.”

The battery on the plane’s other so-called black box, the cockpit voice recorder, was replaced as scheduled and remained within its expiry date, the report said.

A riddle solved? The reason we can’t find a plane? Or a black box signified a reason for treason and a mass conspiracy that started a year prior?

Theories will rage on this one..

Another historical site being destroyed in Iraq

The Associated Press reports in Saturday night runs:

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials in the northern city of Mosul said Saturday that militants with the Islamic State group have begun demolishing the ancient archaeological site of Hatra in northern Iraq in a push to rid its territory of symbols it says promote idolatry.

The 2000 year old city began being destroyed hours ago with an explosion and the sights and sounds of bulldozers leveling the history that existed there..

THE SHADOWY FIGURE ON A COLD NIGHT

I love quiet walks after sunset–cold kills but sometimes it’s worth it just to breathe in some fresh and clean air..Tonight, while undertaking one of these daily mind clearing excursions, my eyes were focused in on a distant shadow that seemed to be walking towards me.. My dog didn’t notice, he was busy locating the spots every other neighborhood dog found before him..

The silhouette was large, looked tall.. I squinted my eyes extra-hard to see if I could see a dog with him or her. If that was case, I’d have to quickly think up a new route because, for some reason, my dog Mutley doesn’t do very well during encounters with his fellow canines..

It did not look like my fellow night walker was alone, no evidence of a dog with him in his travails.. nothing which indicated that Mutley would face competition..

This true story–I swear to you–got weirder as the time went on.. I stopped briefly and allowed Mutley to take care of his business, and my eyes were closely fixated on this large hulking character.. I looked away for a moment and when my eyes went back to the road, the shadowy man was gone. Without a trace..

I picked up in speed because I wanted to get as close as I could to the scene of his existence before he would be gone, running perhaps behind someone’s house or lurking around shrubbery..

I found no evidence.. Heard no sound.. And even after using the flashlight on my phone, didn’t see even one footstep in the snow–new fallen snow today as a shower covered up some of the melting that had occurred previously today.

I was left wondering if what I had just seen was a figment of imagination, a shadow person in real life, or just some quick kid wearing a large overcoat, darting as fast as I he could away once he saw me look at him.

If you go down a paranormal road, it is a little freaky.. If you keep it logical, it’s alarming. Why would someone want to hide from another approaching human..?

The ABCS of insanity

ADAM ROCKOFF in the DAILY BEAST wrote about the ABCS OF DEATH case, and the jail time for Sheila Kearns for showing the movie to a class..

He wrote, in part:

Substitute teacher Sheila Kearns did a very stupid thing when she showed a horror movie to a Columbus, Ohio high school class. But she doesn’t deserve to go to jail.

And this:

Kearns showed abysmal judgment—although she maintained throughout her trial she was unaware of the film’s content. She should never be allowed near a classroom again. But jail? These were high schoolers. Not kindergarteners.

I am in full agreement and have written countless stories on my website concerning this case, and the bizarre chastisement of this woman as some sort of modern day witch. I wonder if her race had something to do with it..

There is a point of ridiculousness too. Chances are most of the students in the class already saw the ABCS OF DEATH–and if they did they would realize it wasn’t even that great of a movie, even the lower forms of people who live and breathe snuff films were not overly excited about this or even the sequel..

Rockoff writes more,

More disturbing than the draconian sentence is the law under which Kearns was prosecuted. Her crime falls under an umbrella of moral codes known colloquially as “obscenity laws.” And while they might seem like a relic from a time when rock and roll was the devil’s music, they’re still on the books in almost every state in the Union.

I am glad, truly glad, that someone besides me is 1) paying attention to this story and 2) upset by the insanity of putting a woman in prison for something that, under all scenarios, isn’t a crime..

MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT, COMING THIS SUMMER

ART BELL PICKS A NAME

# # #

The anticipation continues to build for the return of Art Bell to the world of radio–podcasting seems to be the clear intention, along with a ‘big player’ yet to be named making a deal with the talk show legend..

Bell, who left Sirius Radio in 2013, is announcing that ‘MIDNIGHT IN THE DESERT’ is going to be the name of his new radio show. Even more interesting is how Bell picked it: For days he has been in constant communications with the users of BELLGAB.COM asking them what they think a good name should be.. the common consensus–and poll result–was the name Bell announced today would be the new title of the program.

Bell wrote on Facebook:

Midnight in the Desert

That will be the name of my new show! Hi everybody here is a update for you. It is looking like the deal will close and the show will start to air in late July but we still have not signed on the dotted line.

The show will be truly International. I will not be using regular media to promo it, instead I will be asking all of you to plaster info about it everywhere, we will demonstrate the power of Social Media, but not yet, it is still to early. I truly will be depending on my Friends. This is truly going to be fun.

Art

The social media world is ready.

During Bell’s post-Sirius days, the #FreeArtBell campaign raged across the Sirius XM Facebook page with enraged users demanding the satellite radio company end their non compete with Art Bell. They did not, but now two years later the Bell tolls again in a new form.

It seems more likely that Bell is going to be a show of and for the people–he is upgrading his typical ‘mysterious and reassuring’ stance online to become fully engaged with the fans that follow him.

Bell has also said that the Crystal Gayle song written for him, also titled Midnight in the Desert, will close the nightly show..

The newest name will be a delight, especially to the users of BELLGAB who picked it..

 

CAPITALIZING ON A MEME

The DRESS went viral last week. Is it black? Blue? Yellow? Or white..

So many debates took place in living rooms across America. While President Obama was mum on NET NEUTRALITY, and the real for the new Internet still had yet to be revealed (AND STILL HAS YET TO BE REVEALED), the debate over a dress color went viral and cruel. It even divided my family..

No better time like now to capitalize on the event..
Which is exactly what The SALVATION ARMY is doing with a new advertising featuring a battered woman wearing the very dress that caused so much pointless division among the millions debating it..

The ad says this: “Is it so hard 2 see black & blue? 1 in 6 women are victims’ … Along with those words: An image of a woman, clearly with the makeup of abuse on her body, in the dress–clearly this time a dress that is gold and white.

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The campaign showcases how marketing is now done: Cheap and efficient. And effective all around.

At one time, the question was: Does art imitate life or does life imitate art?
Now the real mystery may be: Is life a meme or are memes just life? And amazing fodder for viral marketing techniques..

The overall response from Facebook and Twitter users seeing the marketing campaign has been positive–the dress is ad is powerful and now puts important colors into perspective–things that really matter..

 

THE SO-CALLED JOKER

The next JOKER of this new generation, Jared Leto, shared an image of himself on INSTAGRAM showcasing what is either blonde or green-tinted hair..

LETO’s newest photo added some more logs on the fire of controversy about his pick to play the CLOWN PRINCE OF CRIME in the next BATMAN flick..

David Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD will feature the star, for better or for worse..

Debate had raged with Leto’s initial cast as the JOKER in the film.. And now these new images may either cause applause or cue a laugh track.

Love that Joker?
No one may be Heath.. But LETO may try.

ISIS destroys history

NIMRUD DESTROYED BY ISIS

ISIS ATTACKS A MAJOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN IRAQ »

Anne Barnard in the NEW YORK TIMES has the best report online tonight regarding what ISIS has just to the ancient site of NIMRUD in Northern Iraq..

Barnard writes,

It was the latest in a series of attacks on ancient structures and artifacts in Syria and Iraq that the group has destroyed in the name of its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Last week, Islamic State militants videotaped themselves destroying statues and artifacts in the Mosul Museum and at the Nergal Gate entryway to ancient Nineveh. The militants captured the city during its offensive blitz through much of Iraq last June. “The terrorist gangs of ISIS are continuing to defy the will of the world and the feelings of humanity after they committed a new crime that belongs to its idiotic series,” the ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page, referring to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh.

And more:

Nimrud is the sprawling site of a city founded by the Assyrian King Shalamansar I, who died in 1245 B.C. Among the most impressive objects at Nimrud are the colossal statues known as “lamassu,” mythological creatures that depict either lions or winged bulls with bearded human heads. Pairs of the 17-ton statues are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum.

More on the breaking news today from NBC NEWS dispatches:

A statement from Iraq’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities didn’t elaborate on the extent of the damage, saying only that the group continues to “defy the will of the world and the feelings of humanity” with this latest act.

Nimrud was the site of what has been called one of the greatest archaeological sites ever discovered in history..