Deep Something

What Do You Think I Fought For at Omaha Beach?

June 2, 2010August 10, 2015 B. John 1333 Views 1 Comment Maine, Iowa All State Orchestra and Chorus, marriage equality, Phillip Spooner, Melissa Dunphy

This entry is in the series Gay Marriage

Last Fall, during the unfortunately successful campaign to repeal Marriage Equality in Maine, 86 year old WWII Veteran Phillip Spooner stood before a packed hall and delivered a stirring call for equality to a Senate Committee. When asked by a woman at his polling place if he supported equal rights for gay and lesbian people. He tells how surprised he was to even be asked, and said his response was, “What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?” His statement was subsequently set to music by Melissa Dunphy, and was selected as the winning work for the 2010 Simon Carrington Chamber Singers Composition Competition.

Fun Stuff Politics Culture Entertainment

Don't Drunk Dial Freedom Works

May 19, 2010September 29, 2018 B. John 493 Views 1 Comment FreedomWorks, Freedom Works, D. C. Douglas, Geico, Teabaggers, Tea Party, Dick Army, Koch

D. C. Douglas lost his gig as the voice-over announcer for Geico commercials after leaving a rather nasty message on the voice mail for the Teabagger group known as FreedomWorks. This is a hilarious satirical video about their reaction to his message, and calls out the Teabagger for what it actually is…an astro-turf, Koch Industry’s funded front group which has managed to get people to vote against their own best interests in support of big corporations.

Featured Culture Movies

Robin Hood – A Movie Review

May 17, 2010 B. John 504 Views 0 Comments William Hurt, William Marshall, Mark Strong, Mark Addy, Oscar Isaac, Danny Huston, Action, Eileen Atkins, Adventure, Kevin Durand, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe

“Robin Hood” chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion, a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Robin Hood delivers what it promises. Solid action, good narrative, and the inclusion of a bit of history with action between England and France gives the movie an added meat and almost realistic feel to it. The dialog is a bit ropey at times, and Robin’s “merry men” could have had a bit more screen time, but otherwise i see no major fault with this movie.

Culture Movies Music

Pirate Radio – A Movie Review

May 16, 2010 B. John 442 Views 0 Comments Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh, Comedy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Music, Rock and Roll, Bill Nighy, Richard Curtis, Rhys Ifans

n the 1960s a group of 8 rogue DJs on a boat in the middle of the Northern Atlantic, played rock records and broke the law all for the love of music. The songs they played united and defined an entire generation and drove the British government crazy. By playing rock ‘n roll they were standing up against the British government who did everything in their power to shut them down.

Culture Movies

Clash of The Titans – A Movie Review

May 5, 2010August 10, 2015 378 Views 0 Comments Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Action, Adventure, Liam Neeson

Let me direct. Skip this movie and watch the 1981 Harry Hausen version of the movie. It’s much better. Remakes tend to be very good, or be epic failures, and this was an epic failure. This film tears to shreds the “Perseus vs. Medusa” myth and replaces it with mindless power chord progressions, endless action sequences, and a trivialized view of the Greek gods.

Culture Society Gay Issues

The Gay Agenda-Finally Revealed

April 13, 2010 B. John 340 Views 0 Comments Gay Agenda, Betty Bowers, Wikipedia, Conservapedia

I’ve been trying to get a copy for some years now. Sean Chapin has finally put it in a video, and now the secret is out. While Betty Bowers disclosed a version of the Gay Agenda a while back, I think this video version is a more accurate portrayal of what those nasty boys are up to.

Culture Entertainment Featured Fun Stuff Humor

Pixels by Patrick Jean

April 12, 2010September 29, 2018 528 Views 1 Comment Tetris, Pacman, Space Invaders, Places, New York, Pixels, Donkey Kong

If you’ve ever played any of the old school video games, Tetris, Pacman, Donkey Kong and others, you’ll love this video. The effects are amazing. It’s what would happen if the Pixels took over New York City. Look for characters from Space Invaders, Pacman, Tetris, Arkanoid, Donkey Kong, and Frogger.

Culture Southern Television

Goodbye Ms. Sugarbaker

April 11, 2010August 10, 2015 434 Views 0 Comments Sugarbaker, Julia Sugarbaker, Hal Holbrook, Designing Women

I woke yesterday listening to NPR as always, only to hear the sad news that Dixie Carter had died. She was 70 years old and is survived by her husband, Hal Holbrook, and two children. I guess most people know her as that steel magnolia, Julia Sugarbaker, from the TV Series Designing Women. I certainly remember that, as it was always one of my favorite shows. Besides some fine comedy, and a great cast, they were very progressive for their time, and that was usually expressed through one of Julia’s soliloquies. I’ve included one of the more famous, “The Nights The Lights Went Out in Georgia.”

Culture Featured Religion

Scaring People to Christianity

April 7, 2010August 10, 2015 633 Views 0 Comments christian, right wing, Christianity, Easter, Bible, Micah, Revelation, Theology

Easter Sunday afternoon me and Lay went to his parent’s farm down in Ruskin to hide Easter eggs and eat. At one point, I was running to a nearby Walgreens to pickup a couple of items. I was stopped at the traffic waiting to turn in and noticed a young man on the corner holding a large sign and his Bible. I felt sorry for him, because the picture was one of an angry God, and I have trouble with that image, but it’s an image held by too many on the religious right.

Culture Movies

Green Zone – A Movie Review

March 22, 2010 B. John 522 Views 0 Comments Adaptaion, Thriller, War, Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Paul Greengrass, Amy Ryan, Antoni Corone, Nicoye Banks

Rocketing from one bobby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that inverts the purpose of their mission. Spun by operatives with intersection agendas, Miller must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil for answers that will either clear a rogue regime or escalate a war in an unstable region. All-in-all, a pretty good movie with an authentic feel.

Culture Movies

Precious – A Movie Review

March 15, 2010August 10, 2015 660 Views 0 Comments Drama, prisoner abuse, Oscar, Adaptation, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Gabourey Sidibe, Lee Daniels, Geoffrey Fletcher

Clareece “Precious” Jones is an overweight, illiterate African-American teen in Harlem. Just as she’s about to give birth to her second child, Jones is accepted into an alternative school where a teacher helps her find a new path in her life. It’s still not a fun film to watch, but it’s worth watching to see real struggles protrayed in such an authentic story by excellent actors who nail their parts.