dimland radio 6-25-16 show notes

Movie Recommendation: Dirty Pretty Things (2002) & In This World (2002)

Finally! I made certain to get to a movie recommendation, because I opened the show with TWO movies for you to check out.

Both movies have immigrants' struggles in common. First up was Dirty Pretty Things, which focuses on the struggles of immigrants (legal and illegal) living in London. It shows what lengths people desperate for a password will go to.

In This World shows what risks and hardships plague two Afghan brothers as they attempt to flee a refugee camp in Pakistan to get to London.

Both films are eye-openers. 

Another Meme Caught My Eye

Suppose the machine count had Sanders won, would the maker of this meme find that acceptable? Suppose the hand count showed that Clinton was winning. What if both the machine and hand count showed Clinton to be the winner? Would there still be "exitpollgate"? If Sanders had won both? What then?

 

Somehow, I think that the only results that will be accepted without question are those that favor the candidate such meme-makers support. In this case, that would be Sanders.
 

Good Times!

 

 

I decided to do a album review. I talked about The Monkees' new album Good Times! It really was a pleasant surprise to when I heard it. I blogged about it for Warehouse Find, the official blog of Nostalgia Zone. Click here for my take. 

 

Tony Robbins: Platitudes, Firewalks, Burnt Feet And Empty Wallets

Tony Robbins has been motivating people to become winners in life for decades now. In part he does this by giving three day seminars filled with platitudes, platitudes, platitudes, and a firewalk. And people line up to empty their wallets to attend. They leave feeling energized and ready to be winners! Then reality sets back in and they regress to the mean.

 

Recently, a few firewalkers felt the burn when they either didn't do the walk properly, or the path of fire wasn't prepared correctly. No matter. They still believe the pain and depleted bank accounts were worth it. They invested too much to think otherwise. That's sad, because these motivational seminars are just scams.

For an up-coming seminar in San Jose the top tier "level of commitment" is $2995. People ought to realize that if they can afford to plunk down three grand for three days of this bullshit, they don't need this bullshit. And if they can't afford it and don't go, they ought to be thankful for not going in debt for bullshit.

Robbins is laughing and clapping his hands (he does that a lot) all the way to the bank.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Rock N Roll Is King' by ELO & 'Eliminator Jr' by Sonic Youth

Second ad break bumpers: 'We Got The Beat' by The Go-Gos & 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' by Eurythmics

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com
 
You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 6-18-16 show notes

DNA And Travel Agency Follow-up

If you read last week's show notes, you'll see that I addressed another problem with those "DNA Journey" videos: The fact they are sponsored by a travel agency. That explains why each video I shared last week ends with one of the presenters asking, " So, would you like to travel to all of these places?"

 

Just another series of crummy commercials.

Another Mass Shooting

This time it took place in Orlando, FL. An insane person went into the nightclub and killed 49 club-goers and wounded 53 others. Law enforcement killed the alleged assailant.

 

The country reels again and, again, sends thoughts and prayers, but chances are our government will get all gridlocked and not end up doing much. However, even well-known conservatives, namely Bill O'Reilly and Gretchen Carlson, are calling for a ban on assault rifles. Liberals are stunned and think the world is coming to an end.

And, of course, the conspiracy theorists are in their heaven claiming the whole thing is a false flag operation so Obama can take yer guuuuns. What color is the sky in their world? Fortunately, Caitlyn Dewey of the Washington Post has rounded up some answers from the reporters on the scene.

 

Just as was the case in the last four or five mass shootings that occurred while Dimland Radio was a thing, I wish I had the magic answer. I don't...

 

Like everyone else, I just hope there isn't a next time. And, like everyone else, I just know there's going to be a next time.
 

Facebook Memes Round-Up

A plethora of memes have been showing up on the social media that are related to this latest shooting. I gave my take on the four you see below...

 

Does this mean the 1st Amendment doesn't cover television, movies, the internet, cell phones, etc.?

Replace "right to own a gun" with "right to free speech" or "right to due process". Seems less profound, doesn't it?

Cameron Esposito assumes correctly, the Constitution occasionally does need updates. Those updates are called amendments and there are 27 of them.

 

Islam is not a country. You dumbass.

Boy. You make One Comment On A Grossly Over-priced Jacket...

Call me naive, but I thought I was on pretty safe ground when I posted a comment on Facebook about the Armani designer jacket recently worn by Hillary Clinton. She wore it to the rally after she won the New York Democrat primary. The jacket either cost $7,500 or $12,500 dollars and it looked like shit.

 

Not even Halle Berry or George Clooney could make this jacket look good.

I disparaged the jacket, not Ms Clinton. Any jacket costing that much money ought to make the wearer look like a million bucks. But, NO ONE could have worn that grade school art teacher's smock and look good. NO ONE!

 

I thought I hadn't made a terribly controversial observation. I was wrong. There were a few commenters who seemed to accuse me of sexism because I didn't realize how tough it is for women to decide on attire for such important events. I didn't realize how scrutinized women are in what they wear by the public. I also didn't provide balance by commenting on Trump's attire.

 

Well, men wear suits. A suit is a suit is a suit. None the male candidates were dressing like Doc Severinsen or Paul Schaffer, both known for their flamboyant suits. If any were, then I might comment. But the suits are bland. Trump's ties are OK, but his major fashion problem is that insane comb-over. I suggested he shave his head and rock the Lex Luthor look.

 

And if women are more heavily scrutinized for their sartorial choices, or rather their handlers' choices, I would agree that isn't fair. But that doesn't mean that wasn't one grossly over-priced, ugly jacket. I had to reiterate that my original comment was about the jacket and its price, not about Ms Clinton.

I wonder how those who were taking me to the woodshed for commenting on Hillary's clothes would have reacted had Donald Trump worn something equally extravagant and equally hideous. Hmmm. I wonder...

 

But, before the implied sexism in the comments, came a lengthy discussion on the veracity of Snopes.com. A fellow skeptic and Facebook friend posted a link to a Snopes article on the jacket. That prompted a less skeptical friend to claim, "Snopes is fake." Well, my skeptical friend wasn't going to let that slip by, so he challenged the Snopes is fake claimant to back up his claim.

 

That's when my not very skeptical friend turned into a troll. He wasn't going to back up his claim. He was too busy and the information is out there. He essentially said we "big S" skeptics were knee-jerk naysayers who would only say, "Prove it!" to the people making claims.

 

Well, yeah. You made a claim, buddy. The person making the claim has the burden of proof, not those skeptical of the claim.

 

My skeptical FB friend and I both provided sources that supported the fact the Snopes is a good source for solid information. They cite their sources in their articles. They make updates and corrections. They do their research.

 

That's when my troll friend backed down a bit from claiming Snopes was fake to claiming the site was liberally biased. So what? Are the facts the facts?

 

My friend was being a troll and I told him so. I also told him I expected better from him.

Movie Recommendation: None

I didn't have time, so you are on your own again. I promise to suggest a movie next week.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Insect Mother' by Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians & 'For A Moment We're Strangers' by The Church

Second ad break bumpers: 'Since Your Gone' by The Cars & 'Night Time' by Killing Joke

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com
 
You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 6-11-16 show notes

A Bit Bummed

I dropped my favorite app the other day. I figured out that my MLB.TV app was costing 25 bucks a month, not a year. Even though I am quite a baseball fan, that is just way too much to be spending.

 

There is an option to pay for the whole season up front for a hundred bucks. Perhaps I'll do that next season.

 

Until then I'll just have to catch ballgames whenever I can and be a little bummed.

Pedantic Moment: Enbridge Energy Ad

Oh, it's supposed to be cute and it is, but someone was unclear on the concept. Watch this ad:

 

 

The ad tells viewers that this kid had spent two weeks trying to master a trick, in this case a variation of the Cups & Balls trick. However, the ad shows us a kid who seems to think all he has to do is wave his magic wand and the ball will disappear. That's not how the trick works.

 

Where'd he get his magic books? Flourish and Blotts?
 

DNA Testing People's Ancestry

There is something very appealing about having my DNA tested to see where I come from. To see my ancestral background. Watch this video by Momondo:

 

I was surprised by the xenophobic attitude prevalent in the first part of this video. My suspicion is that the people were encouraged to make such statements. In fact, there is the question, "Think about other countries and other nationalities in the world. Are there any that you don't feel you get on with, you won't like, particularly?"

 

Objection! Leading the witness!

 

It feels as though the viewers are being manipulated. And, of course, they are. By the end, the participants are nervous and find out they are related to those same nationalities they thought they wouldn't get on with. Interesting. Could the participants be actors?

 

I would have answered no to the question asked about not getting on with people from different countries. And, being an American, I guess I'm more accustomed to the idea that I'm a mutt, if you will, made up of all sorts of ancestors from other countries and nationalities. So, I would be excited for the results, not nervous.

 

After all, we are all Africans. Follow human development far enough back and we arrive at Africa.

 

Watch these two Momondo videos. Please make note of the last question asked in these two as well as the video linked above:

 

 

One thing I didn't mention on the show, but I will next week in a follow up. I noticed that  it's the same question. And mean the exact same question. As in, the presenter asks the question once and that same question in edited in to each video. The question is, "So, would you like to travel to all of these places?"

 

I wonder why that question would be at the end of each of these inspirational videos. Hmm. Could it have anything to do with the fact that Momondo is an online travel agency?!

 

Remember what Ralphie said when he discovered the truth about the secret messages from the Little Orphan Annie radio show...

 

 

As I stated up top, there is something very appealing to having my DNA tested to determine my ancestry. However, that's not how DNA really works.

Click here to read what science has to say about this whole fad.
 

Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling Or Whatever

There's a group at my son's school. It's a sanctioned by the school group sort of like the chess club or AV club, you know what I mean. This group is called GLOW.

 

"The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling?" I asked incredulously.

 

"No. It's Gay Lesbian Or Whatever."

 

"Or whatever? Well, that's everybody, isn't it? That's not a very exclusive club."

 

"DaaAAaad!"

Speaking Of Dad And The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling

I told a couple stories that were related to each other in that there were depictions of nasty injuries. One was from that women's wrestling program in which there was an incident of a wrestler having her elbow dislocated and the multiple replays of the injury.

 

The other was of Joe Theismann, quarterback for the Washington Redskins, breaking his leg in a game. It was a nasty break and the video of it also got replayed very many times. My dad to advantage of that to tease me and my somewhat squeamish nature.

 

DaaAAaad!

 

Movie Recommendation: None

I didn't have time, so you are on your own again. I will try harder to get to one next time.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Astronomy' by Red Guitars & 'Let's Get Married' by The Celibate Rifles

Second ad break bumpers: 'Knight Moves' by Suzanne Vega & 'C'est Comme Ca' by Les Rita Mitsouko

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com
 
You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 6-4-16 show notes

Just A Little Rewrite

A little rewrite was all it would have taken for me to be able to accept part of the background of the main character of the 1962 Western classic, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Jimmy Stewart played Ransom Stoddard. The film is Stoddard telling a newspaper editor of the events from 25 years previous that had made him famous. 

That's where my problem lies. You see, Stoddard tells us he was "just a youngster, fresh out of law school." Only problem is Jimmy Stewart was in his 50s when he made the movie.

A "youngster" getting a shooting lesson from the Duke.

I enjoy the film, but I just can't buy it that he's a "youngster". 

A rewrite to change it from him being "fresh out of law school" to having struggled as a lawyer back East and wanting to take a chance in the West, would have been all the movie needed to get this pedant fully on board.

Prime Cut Almost Put Me Off Beef, Almost

I also talked about the movie Prime Cut from 1972. It's a gangster film of sorts with Lee Marvin, out of Chicago, sent to Texas to get the 500 grand owed to the Chicago mob by a Texas gangster. That gangster is played by Gene Hackman.

It's the title sequence that nearly put me off beef. It shows cattle going through the process of becoming prime cut beef. It's not graphic, but it's still disturbing. This link will show you the process.

However, a very young and very naked Sissy Spacek may not have been needed to put my back on beef, but she didn't hurt.

 

Dimland Radio ARGH!

If you've listened to my show long enough over the years, you would have heard me rant about how much I hate it when people take video in the portrait (vertical) format, instead of using landscape (horizontal). Movies are in landscape. Television is in landscape. That's how we see. But so many people are too lazy or ignorant to turn their smart devices 90 degrees, so that we can see more pertinent information.

I ran across another great example. At this link (I hope the link works) is a video of a woman getting too close to an elk in the wild. The elk charges her and knocks her on her butt. However, we don't see the impact because the fellow taking the video doesn't know how to hold a camera, so the elk charges off-screen and we miss the impact.

I, again, make my plea to the manufacturers of these devices to set the video camera to default to landscape. Please! For the love of sanity!

Another Bear Walking Upright

And bigfoot couldn't be a bear. Noooo. Nope. No way. Uh uh.

I'm Done With The Adam Carolla Podcast

I talked about this briefly on the show, but I wrote about it at length here.

Movie Recommendation: None

I didn't have time, but you could check out the two films I mention at the top.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Wolves, Lower' by REM & 'This Wheel's On Fire' by Siouxsie & the Banshees

Second ad break bumpers: 'Escape From The Planet Earth' by The Alleycats & 'Ronnie's Song' by Urban Guerrillas

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com
 
You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.