Would You buy a Used Eschatology From This Man?



Well ..... would you?

 
                          Would You buy a Used Eschatology From This Man?

                                                                 by

                                                                    Weatherly Hardy

       How can ANYONE listen seriously to Hal Lindsey anymore? The other night I turned on George Noory's Coast to Coast AM, and there was ol' Hal, rabbiting on about Bible End-Timey-Wimey prophecies, Gog and Magog, Armageddon, and totally ignoring that he has been reliably wrong for forty-plus years.

      His NYT Bestselling book (ALWAYS a good indicator of doctrinal correctness) The Late Great Planet Earth made a number of predictions, not the least of which involved the establishing of the nation of Israel in 1948 being the "budding of the fig tree" referred to by Jesus in Matthew:
"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near — at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away." (NKJV) MATTHEW 24:32       This appears in Mark and Luke as well. A Biblical generation is generally understood to be 40 years, The idea became popularized that Jesus would therefore return within 40 years of the re-establishing of Israel (or at least Rapture the church), in other words, by 1988. Come Jan 1, 1989, this was proven to be incorrect.

      1948-1988......no RAPTURE. This alone is enough to establish Hal Lindsey as a false prophet, but there has been no word of repentance to date from Mr. Lindsey. Rather there have been several books from him updating his ideas.

      No repentance for false prophecies, no rapture, no shamefaced shutting his prophetic pie-hole.

      Why do we have an entire Christian culture addicted to this prophetic foofery? I came to Christ during the LGPE wave. I read the Bible, and listened to mature Christian teachers, and got over it.

      Why can't people figure out that language and grammar don't get all gooey just because you are reading the Bible? "This generation" means "THIS generation", the generation to whom Jesus was speaking. The Gospel according to the New York Times is another gospel.

      I have neither the time nor the inclination to examine all of a four-decades-old book. Read the Bible. Hear it.

This article originally posted on Aardvarks Plumbline.

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Godzilla/Gojira. Oh boy! Oh boy! OH BOY!

Big G on the rampage. Credit: Toho Co. Ltd.

                               
                                Godzilla/Gojira. Oh boy! Oh boy! OH BOY!

       It's been announced the original 1954 Godzilla is getting the ole Criterion treatment. This means high quality/high resolution restoration. NOT the kind where every little scratch, burn, cut, splice, hair, whistle, snap, crackle, n' poop comes in with crystal clarity on whatever old public domain print someone dug up from under an outhouse. No, it means the results from the best print obtainable will be presented as audiences saw it when it was first released.

      Not quite in this case. Due to the then gritty conditions at Toho studios back in the early 50s the original release prints had some defects. As I understand it Criterions' treatment will correct that. I am so waiting for this.

      And that's not all! Not only the original film but a second disc will have the version we older westerners grew up with: Godzilla King of the Monsters with Raymond Burr (Where Perry Mason takes the big guy on as a client. NOT!). This pairing has been done already by Classic Media, howsomever, through their contacts, Criterion has managed to obtain a "lavender" (first generation) print of the Burr version! Hopefully this is what is used in the restoration.

      Due out with extra features 1-24-12.

Websites of a couple of real G-fans here & here.

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Grass Roots,Or Rooted In Grass? You Decide.

      Activists or autivists? If they did "occupy" Wall St. would they know what to do with it? Probably not.

Con Wonking



I'd rather have one with Misato in her "beer
fairy" ensemble. Credit: Gainax



                                                          Con Wonking
                                                                
                                                                   by

                                                                     Weatherly Hardy
     
      I sparred all weekend with Wade, the squirrel-haired dealer in anime inaction figures, mostly ones featuring pronounced hemispheres in their sculpting. He sells posters, the little cell-phone charms designed to fall off and make one cry at the loss, and body pillows (the oversized pillows you lie alongside in bed, imprinted with anime babes posed languorously thereon. When you see a guy with one or two of those newly-purchased, he may as well be wearing a sandwich-board: "I will never, ever get a date.".) To be fair, they also have guys printed on some of them. I don't look at those.

      Wade is a talk-show Conservative. He makes me look like Alan Colmes.

      Selah.

      I finally learned that there is conservatism, and then there are Conservatives. The two are not necessarily congruent. Then there is the Constitutional, which is often incongruent with the other two.( I am amusing myself thinking of an SNL sketch starring Christopher Walken "The Constitutional". Just not on a body pillow.)

      Conservatives, the crowd championed by the likes of Limbaugh and the Hannitoad, have as doctrine that the YouEssofAY is the policeman of the world, that we must have tight drug laws, so that apparently it is illegal to feel good beyond what well-taxed libations can supply, and the Constitution is trumped by The Way We have Been Doing It. I suspect that this is not really what Buckley and Goldwater had in mind at all.

      "We must conserve the way we've been doing it all along!" Because we are The Right! I find far less of a Constitutional bent in Radio Conservatism than I do in the tinfoil hat brigade with the likes of Alex Jones. Even FOX News, the alleged Right-wing mouthpiece, can barely acknowledge the mere existence of a Constitutionalist like Ron Paul, at least without rolling their eyes like a twelve-year-old given a curfew.

      Wade likes Paul's fiscal policy, but "his foreign policy scares me" sez himself. We must be The World Police. Sometimes Limbaugh surrogate Roger Hedgecock was dismissing Paul in doctrinaire fashion, horrified that if there was a war in Rwanda (What? Really?) Ron Paul would not immediately dispatch our olive drab pizza delivery and security detail to the fray.

      Entangling alliances? I realise that "entangling" has four syllables, but the Jefferson's inaugural intent should not be that hard to divine. Oh, wait.

      Washington's thoughts (and they are more commercial than military) are reasoned and clear:

So likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification. It leads also to concessions to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others which is apt doubly to injure the nation making the concessions; by unnecessarily parting with what ought to have been retained, and by exciting jealousy, ill-will, and a disposition to retaliate, in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld. And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation), facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding, with the appearances of a virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation.  

      If the Alex Jones brigade have connected the dots properly, "Fast and Furious" has revealed the most egregious betrayal of the Founders' intentions by linking gun-running (our people actually making deliveries!),  cocaine importation, and our Government. Iran-Contra 2.0!

      Ron Paul may be the most dangerous man in politics, but if The Powers That Be have their ineffable way, he will become the most invisible.

      Herman Cain is the one that makes me nervous. The single Liberal bone in my body thrills at the thought of being able to vote for a black man (that he is ostensibly conservative apparently matters little to the Liberal bone. It is, after all, quite small. I think it resides in my ear, that or my left wrist.) His Fed connections worry me. His assertion that internal vulpine Fed audits are sufficient to secure the Federal Reserve henhouse appalls me. His 9-9-9 plan annoys me (though I quite liked the movies). He used to be a FairTAX man. Now he's a pragmatist with a trademark.

      Not happy with the Cain.
                                               -------------------------------------------

      Whilst away at TsubasaCon in Huntington WV (an amazingly well-run anime convention!) politics marched on, and the Babelisation of the Repuglican hopefuls continued apace. A Texas Baptist preacher with a 10, 000-member flock introduced Rick Perry as a Christian, as opposed to Romney who is a cultist. "

“Do we want a candidate who is a good, moral person — or one who is a born-again follower of the lord Jesus Christ?”

      We are not amused. I am no Romneyite. Captain Underoos (c) Vox Day holds no charms for me, but neither do the piaculative pretentions of professional politicians. My thoughts on pols who run "as Christians" are to be found elsewhere on the blog; suffice to say that EVERY time I have drunk the grape juice offered by candidates touting their faith - or allowing it to be touted by others - I have been bitten well and hard on the keister, from Jimmuh Cahter on.

      I would vote for a cannibalistic Cargo Cultist IF he swore or affirmed to adhere to the Constitution, and did it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above article was reproduced with permission from Weatherly Hardy. Mr. Hardy is the slightly (?) off center blogger of Aardvarks' Plumbline & owner/proprietor of Aardvark Tees, a company specializing in anime/pop-culture oriented T-shirts.

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Star Wars: Star Worn Out

I really shouldn't laugh. I'm into movies 'n anime after all.

                                           Star Wars: Star Worn Out

                                                              by

                                                                 Jay Agan

      When Star Wars (I refuse to call it Episode 4, A New Hope!) hit the screen in 1977, I saw it sixteen times in theaters. SIXTEEN TIMES! Usually twice at a sitting.It was fresh, new. It was the first time since 1966 (2001 A Space Odyssey) sci-fi got a "big budget" treatment (Only 9 1/2 million to make but it looked waaaay more expensive.). We owe a lot to George Lucas. This was the film that opened up a "reniasance" for sci-fi that continues to this day.

      But .....

      When The Empire Strikes Back came along, I only took it in about eight times. After that ..... meh. I figured the franchise got enough of my dough. I didn't even bother to see any of the other films except for bits 'n pieces on TV over the years.

      I got star worn out. When the franchise started to become "kool" I knew it wouldn't be long til it got mainstreamed. Then all the people who looked askance of me for digging it would be on the bandwagon too. Some, no doubt, ready to tell me they were with me all along. Even to be disappointed that I wasn't still on it with them. No. Time to get off & get off I did.

      Now it's "marginalized". And such a BIG margin it is!



Now I love a parade as much as the next guy but come on!

      
      I don't hate the franchise. I wish Mr. Lucas & co. the best of fortune. I've merely lost love for it long ago. It was fun for me while it lasted & I'm glad to have "been there".

Article copyright © 10-14-2011 Jay Agan

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Missing Goddess: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

A recovering Kyon with two sets of the cast from the differing realities. Clockwise
from Kyon: Haruhi Suzumiya, Itsuke Koizume, Mikuru Asahina, Yuki Nagato, again
Mikuru Asahina, Yuki Nagato, Itsuke Koizume, & demented deity Haruhi Suzumiya.
Credit: Kyoto Animation

                         
                       Missing Goddess: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

                                                                  by

                                                                      Jay Agan

      I swore when I started out getting anime to round out my vid collection I would never get into what I term "pedo" shows. There's a substratum in anime fandom with a bad rep & for good reason. Why anyone would be "attracted" to underaged girls (And "toons" at that!) & be so open about it is beyond me (I am not counting, of course, underaged fans. It's these "neckbeards" giving me the creeps.).

      Besides, why would I be watching ANY of these "girly" little shows? MEN! (With a capital MEN!) Are into manly things. Sci-fi, horror, action/adventure etc. What need have MEN for these "poofy" little cartoons?

      Over time I was getting & watching some of them anyway. I YouTubed some on the recommendation of others & found a few interesting.

      The Peanuts-like "straight 'n simple" approach/humor of Azumanga Daioh. The satire of Lucky Star. A sci-fi with X-Files element sendup of Stratos 4. The theological whackness of Hell Girl, Angel Beats, Serial Experiments Lain or ..... The Melancholy of  Haruhi Suzumiya.

      Which brings me to my latest aquisition: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.

      If you're familiar with the Haruhi series, you already know about the convoluted strangeness of what appears on the surface to be another of those silly schoogirl series. Interesting twists/turns & anomalies make this franchise more than fascinating. The ongoing story of an unknowingly god-like being & her four friends making sure she stays that way & the damage control following. So far, the franchise has been generally lighthearted but Disappearance takes a more noirish turn.

      Kyon, the main protagonist, wakes up one cold December day in an alternate reality. Is it the same world altered or a completely different one? He's not sure but what is sure is Haruhi (Whack goddess of all creation.) is nowhere to be found. Or is she?

      It's up to Kyon to find/figure a way out of this mess & the cause. Find them both he does. Gathering the "keys" (I'm not going to spoil it for you.) & the cause (Wish fulfillment on his part? Someone else tired/fed-up with Haruhis' chaos inducing madness?) he solves the problem only to find a new one (Caused by a "returning" menace.) which solution is delayed for a time at the conclusion of the picture. Thus opening the way for a continuation of the series/movies. I hope.

The "gang of five" back together again & some alternate protagonists sadly
exiting stage right. L-R: Haruhi Suzumiya, Mikuru Asahina, Yuki Nagato,
Itsuke Koizume, Kyon, Yuki Nagato, Itsuke Koizume, Haruhi Suzumiya.
Credit: Kyoto Animation

     
      Warning: This film is about two & a half hours long. Think of it as five back to back Haruhi eps. It helps if youv'e read the light novel of the same name (#4) beforehand. Or for that matter seen the series, eps 1-6 (Ep. 5, DVD order, in particular. Also ep. 8 "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody", 2009 order.).

      From the "fish out of water" first half to the sci-fi noir of the second, you'll find this both enjoyable & more than slightly mind bent.

Article copyright © 10-12-2011 Jay Agan

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Rapture Bunnies: Digging My Grave Deeper

                                 Rapture Bunnies: Digging My Grave Deeper

                                                                  by

                                                                      Jay Agan

      Time: 11 years ago.

       Place: A warehouse (Ahem! DISTRIBUTION CENTER!) particularly the toy & sporting goods departments. Many Clients. Where I got to know more about Pokemon than I cared to (Thankfully mostly forgotten. For a crash curse ..... uh ..... course on Pokemon, click here. Everybody Polk-a-mon!).

      The cast: 1. A "repulsive" little man with a sullen manner who I took an instant dislike to but later found to be an OK guy. Let's call him Carl.

      2. The ..... rapture bunny. Seen during lunch & breaks literally poring over a volume of the Left Behind series. Moron ..... uh more on him later.

      3. Assorted fellow workers.

      4. A mish mash of go-getters, cheerleaders, rah rah boys, self motivators, bootlickers, rats/snitches, & self appointed guardians of the hive mind (ie.: Those "amateur spies" Orwell warned about in 1984.).

      5. Yours truely.

      Atmosphere: PC to the max & beyond. Check your civil & Constitutional rights at the door. Only a list of outmoded suggestions anyway. Especially that Bill of Rights part ..... thing.

      How PC you ask? Check this out.

      I was "caught" having a conversation with the toy depts' manager & a co-worker about the toys of yesteryear. I commented on the varied uniforms of the original 1960s GI Joe line of dolls ..... oops! ..... action figures. I made a mention of the SS garb complete with swazi armbands.

      A new supervisor (Seldom seen out of his office.) was walking by & looked strangely at us. Made me wonder what the heck his problem was.

      Twenty minutes later I'm called into this guys' office. I was told to watch what I say. After all (In his words.) a "holocaust survivor" might be walking through the warehouse & be offended (Hasbro, the makers of the GI Joe line, is short for Hassenfeld Brothers. Did they ever feel offended by any of their own products?). Oh yes. Would I be so kind as to sign this paper stating my humbleness/  contrition, acknowledgement/confession of guilt/evil & acceptance of just punishment consisting of being barred from any future promotions, raises, transfers, etc. for an indefinite period of time? Uh ..... no.

      He seemed to be rather put out by that & we tangled later on other things. Seems the business had a policy of not firing anyone but rather let pressures compel one to quit. That way no question about unemployment benefits.

      And pressure there was! List is too lengthy of the games management played. Let's just say a lot of people walked, as I eventually did (In one case a dept. of eight took off all at once!). It was because of these walkoffs people were being constantly shifted around to take up slack. Wich is where the main part of this story begins.

      I'm moved with Carl & the rapture bunny (He was from another dept.) to the "outdoors" section to pick 'n pack. One order called for a couple of American flag beach towels.

      AMERICAN FLAG BEACH TOWELS!

      Ever since I became aware of this countrys' rush to suicide, & its collective determination to drag me & everyone else down with it, I have, year by year, become less & less patriotic (The country wanting to kill itself is one thing. To take me along & have me subsidize it as well is quite another.). But even today, I KNOW you don't toss the flag in the dirt in order to keep sand off your posterior! True, the colors were a bit off & there was a white anchor in the field of blue BUT .....

      I got rather vocal about it.

      So much so that within the hour the dept. supervisor had me in his office. He said to the effect that people had the right to be in a safe/secure workplace & Ihad "distressed" some of my co-workers. I stated I had threatened no one.

      Be that as it may, would I be so kind as to sign this paper stating my humbleness /contrition, acknowledgement of guilt/evil & acceptance of just punishment consisting of being barred from future promotions, raises, transfers etc. for an indefinite period of time?

     What was this? Double (not so) secret probation? (FOOD FIGHT!)

      Having read the "charges" I said no.

      We agreed I would sign if he reworded it & sent me back to work. I should NOT have agreed to anything (I needed the job & my mental state was not the greatest during this period in my life.). This did get me a breather & I was able to steel myself for what was next. In fact, I got mad. PISSED!

      There the inquisitors were. In the sporting goods section, interviewing everyone about the "incident". The rapture bunny was absent. Must have been on break. Those asked pretty much gave general answers about how ticked off I was but said I threatened no one. When they questioned Carl, his answer was "I didn't hear anything." They asked him three times. Same answer. My respect for this man jumped from negatives to right through the roof!

      Later, I'm back in the supervisors office. Four other people were there. Three of his cronies & the jerk from the GI Joe affair. That was the capper. I flat out refused to sign.

      To say they were a bit put out by it would be putting it mildly. I wasn't off balance this time & no one got anywhere. Sticking with their policy of "let 'em walk" I didn't lose my job.

      The supervisor admitted the towel looked too much like the flag & though patriotism being all well & good but ..... in so many words, business was business & guidelines were guidelines. Ja! Ja! Und befehl ist befehl! Moloch must be fed. I wonder what those fools were thinking several months later when patriotism came back in style right after 9-11.

      Well I go back & everybody was on break except for ..... the rapture bunny. Just him & I. There he was. On the phone. Talking to the supervisor .....

      "Oh no! He wasn't really trying to ..... I mean he wasn't upset about ..... What he was really upset about was ....."

      I could only stand & "marvel" at the sheer idiocy of the whole thing (If I said or did anything they'd add it to the "list".). In his eagerness to clear up a "misunderstanding" he confirmed/affirmed not only their conclusions but also was digging my grave deeper. How many people in graver situations have suffered because of the eagerness of "good citizens" to "clear things up"? How many have paid more due to the "helpfulness" of such unwanted "friends". With friends like these ..... who needs enemas?

      Maybe he was doing it out of Christian "love". Maybe he thought he was doing the "right thing". All I know is innocent people around the world have gone through much worse than I because someone was being "helpful". Dictators thrive on that sort of thing.

      About a month or two after this I walked. I took Carl aside & told him what I thought of him before & after the above incident & that I had nothing but the utmost respect for him. We shook hands & I left.

      Rapture bunnies. If in the event the "situation" gets theologically ugly (Or it being only another one of many dark pages of history.), they'll be the first to take the MARK when the gospel of Lindsey LaHaye doesn't pan out. When they see Jesus isn't going to be airlifting them out any time soon, they'll become disillusioned/disappointed & hitch their wagons to another star. They'll be the first to turn on you & rat you out. Toward the end they'll be warming themselves by fires fueled on volumes of the Left Behind series.

      In the words of the noted survivalist writer, Kurt Saxon: "The only rapture they'll feel is the taste of human flesh when they're hungry."

      Oh yes. God bless you Carl, wherever you are.

Article copyright © 10-8-2011 Jay Agan

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Another For Otakus, Know Your Enemy: Japan

Know Your Enemy: Japan. Should go
over well at any anime convention. Not!

                               Another For Otakus, Know Your Enemy: Japan

                                                                 by

                                                                     Jay Agan

      Yes, anime fans. The kind of film to watch the day before attending a convention. Wartime anti-Japanese propaganda. So why should you see this one in particular? Because in spite of what it is I have found Know Your Enemy: Japan to be an excellent little quick & (very) dirty "rough guide" /summary of pre-1945 Japanese culture/history.

      Made by Frank Capra, though not part of his "Why We Fight" series of films, it follows the same style & format, with narrations by Walter Huston, & Dana Andrews. Released just after Hiroshima/Nagasaki, it was pulled from theaters at the end of August '45.

      You get a brief, detailed summary of geography, belief, history, & outlook of pre-45 Japan. There are some mistakes: Korea is not China. Actual Bushido is not the "death cult" the militarists twisted it into (And Americans accepted at "face" value.). If you can get around these & the fact it's wartime propaganda (Warning: This film is quite racist.) you may find Know Your Enemy: Japan to be informative. If you're getting your Japanese history/culture lessons through the "Patricia Martin school of thought", this film is definitely a cut or two above.

      The best copy I could come up with would be the one previously marketed by Digiview as a dollar disc. Any others out there seem to have a distracting defect or two. Again, this film is very much on the racist side. If you can get around the derogatory "jap" (small J) being used a lot (The onscreen intro is laughable in one place.) you may find a viewing interesting.

Article copyright © 10-5-2011 Jay Agan

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Rapture Bunnies 'r Fun!

Bunnies, lemmings, woodchucks, whatever. C'mon people! Think!

                                                Rapture Bunnies 'r Fun!

                                                                by

                                                                    Jay Agan

      Now many of you may think since May 21 has come & gone, the Harold Camping fiasco is all over with. Not quite. If you recall, his original prediction was for the rapture to happen on that date followed by five months of literal hell on earth with total annihilation October 21st.

      Before having a stroke in June, he revised it saying both the rapture & total destruction would take place on 10-21-11. Really now. How silly can you get? Good question & I have an "answer".

      I was for some time wrapped up in the fundy doomsday mentality. Salvation stopped being central & a preoccupation with THE END (Roll the credits!) took over. While an interest in Biblical prophecy can be fascinating, it can lead to obsession if one is not careful. If you leave your ability of critical thinking behind, taking your focus off Christs' payment in your place, you can end up fearful & off balance.

      There's a little game rapture believers like to play. It's the "What Info Will I Leave Behind For Those LEFT BEHIND © So They Can Endure The Tribulation Game."

       I've seen it played more than once (A great place for all sorts of end times hijinks is the Raptureready web site. Take a look. They're a hoot!). This is where you make up a list of materials/info, gather 'em up, cache it & leave an envelope "addressed" to your unsaved loved ones labeled : "To be opened in the event of my disappearance/rapture." In it are instructions of where the info is at, how to read it, get saved, & resist the "anti-Christ". I even participated once while in divinity school (A failed experience. Not being a "people person" I was not cut out to be a minister. I've little patience with weaklings blaming Satan for all their troubles.)

      There we were in class. Everyone coming up with all sorts of titles, papers, tapes on how to endure the coming tribulation. All bright eyed, beaming on how they were going to see that their kith & kin were to be secure after they were gone. Yes sir, no one was going to accuse them of  not helping out.

      As the class discussed this, I couldn't help noticing the absolute DEARTH of anything of  practical physical survival value. You know, food supplies, gear, skills, etc. While spiritual fortification is of utmost importance, there is no sense in being starving & defensless.

      As they went full bore speculating on how their friends & relatives would weather the coming hell on earth, I committed what, to them could be charitably referred to as "the mother of all faux pas".

      "What you have for them infowise is all well & good but ..... ," looking about the room, "..... don't you think they might find a .38 & a box of ammo to be useful too?"

      Not meaning to take the Lords' name in vain but ..... OH ..... MY ..... GOD!

      You would have thought I commited some UNSPEAKABLE blaspemey! Oh the howling! ..... the wailing! ..... THE GNASHING OF TEETH! How dare I even suggest the possibility of the use of violence to survive! Didn't I know of the futility of resistance in the face of ultimate evil? Wasn't relying on your ability & resources an expression of a lack of faith in God? Needless to say there were also a lot of ad homonym "remarks" toward me & what a negative type I was.

      So heavenly minded & no earthly good.

      For my amusement, I actually read the Left Behind series of books. The attraction for me was, as I intially leafed through the pages, I noticed the protagonists would put up a fight of some kind. Even shooting back! This was quite a departure from end times stories in the past wherein the "good guys" would wait passively to get joyously martyred. This bunch would throw down when they had to. I liked that. There wasn't much else to like. Tim LaHayes' ramblings through misread scripture, angels doing all but co-piloting planes, badly done dystopian sci-fi ..... topped off with a very disappointing depiction of Jesus as a "mechanistic" entity spouting King James-like prose. Made me want to root for Carpathia!

      As an aside, it was during my studies at this school the Carter/Ford presidential election took place. The students seemingly voted en-masse for Carter. I took a lot of crap from them over my choice, Lester Maddox (I used to vote third party up til Bush/Dukakis.). They thought it was quite funny & pathetic & boy, did they ever let me know it! I told them they would regret their vote later. They laughed & said Carter was "one of us". Over a year later, they finally figured Carter was "one of those". In the words of Herb Philbrick: "A born again turkey is still a turkey."

Article copyright © 9-29-2011 Jay Agan

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Initial Thoughts On Initial D



Artists' rendition of Initial-Ds' protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara &
 his "panda" Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT Apex AE86 or "Eight Six".

                                   
                                          Initial Thoughts On Initial-D

                                                                by

                                                                    Jay Agan

      When I picked up a copy of the first disc of Initial-D at Half Price Books I was initially enthused. After a few more discs, I gave them to the local colleges' anime club. Not that I don't like Initial-D, I just don't love it.

      Takumi Fujiwara is an indifferent "racer" as he delivers tofu for his dads' business to customers on Mt. Akina. It's no big deal to him as he only follows his fathers orders & in so doing, unknowingly becomes the "Ghost of Mt. Akina" in his impromptu races with other drivers on the treacherous bends & turns of the mountain. In the five years he's been delivering for his dad (Without a drivers license!) he's become a superb driver with skills to match anyone. As the story progresses he makes himself known & his enthusiasm for illegal street "drift" racing grows.

      In my formative years, when I wasn't digesting horror/sci-fi, etc., I was reading any & every about cars. While stuck in military school, I latched on to Henry Gregor Felsen s' books (Hot Rod, Street Rod, Boy Gets Car, Crash Club.). Speed Racer  (Mach Go Go Go!) also fired the imagination.

      A few years back I became aware (Through the now Bigfoot 'n Bullcrap er ..... uh History Channel about the present day drag racing scene wherein a lot of Japanese cars are used. As I had lost interest since the "muscle car" era of the 70s, this was something new to me. The Fast & Furious franchise (Not to be confused with the present BATF royal screw up.) later made me aware of  "drift" racing.

      I thought Initial-D to be a Felsen-like experience & for the first few eps it was ("Boy gets car", has an enthusiastic buddy or two, gets a girlfriend, etc.). After that it turned into "opponent of the week" with lots of racing around looking grim. That's when I lost interest. At least Speed Racer had a variety of stories (Albeit "kiddy" stuff.). I understand later "stages" (seasons) to be a bit different.

      As it is, I got as much out of it as I did the parody in ep 6 of Lucky Star.

Article copyright © 9-28-2011 Jay Agan

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Queen Of Blood/Queen Of Schlock

Wish the cover art for the copy I have was this kool. Love the rocket!

                      
                                      Queen Of Blood/Queen Of Schlock

                                                                by

                                                                   Jay Agan
     
      Take ..... a smaller studio specializing in low budget coolness (American International), an aging but still well known actor (Basil "Sherlock Holmes" Rathbone), some relative unknowns to be "names" later (John Saxon, Dennis Hopper), the editor (Forrest J Ackerman) of every kids' favorite monster movie magazine (Famous Monsters of Filmland) in a semiprominent non-speaking role, SPFX & mood shots/clips from 2+ east European sci-fi films. Cobble this mess together & whaddayagot? A Roger Corman flick called Queen of Blood!

     The technocratic govt. of future Earth (1990!) recieves a message from a distant world: They're willing to share their advancements & an ambassador is on the way (Oh, goody!). The alien ship crashlands on Mars & scientist Rathbone gets a rush program going for a rescue mission.

      One of the rescue crews only finds a dead occupant, while the backup on Phobos inadvertantly runs across the ambassador (Florence Marley). Transferring her to the main ship (And leaving an astronaut behind.) the expedition heads back to Earth.

      The green being turns out to have an appetite for human blood (She chews out the wrist.). Through her powers of mesmerism, two of the crew (Dennis Hopper, Robert Boon) buy the farm. It's almost curtains for John Saxon, but is saved by the intervention of Judi Meredith.

      In the ensuing quick struggle, the alien is merely scratched & bleeds to death. Seems she may been some kind of overly inbred "royalty" thus hemophiliac.

      On arrival to Earth, it's found the ship is "infested" with "eggs". Turns out the "ambassador" was actually an "advance guard" to colonize our planet for her vampiric kind. A still ecstatic Rathbone & science team gather the eggs for study. The film ends with a smiling Forrest Ackerman looking down at a tray of pulsating ova he's holding.

"Uncle Forry" (Forrest J Ackerman) looking quite pleased with himself as
he examines a tray of alien eggs at the end of Queen of Blood. Credit: AIP

     
      Queen of Blood/Planet of Blood was a flick Channel 10 (WBNS, Wolfe Boots News n' Shoes, Columbus, OH) would trot out (Seemingly every two months.) often for Chillers' late nite double feature on Fridays. For some odd reason(s) I actually loved this bit of cheez. Maybe it was the upbeat moodiness of the first half coupled with the claustrophobic eiriness/oppressiveness of the second. I do know I always liked Basil Rathbone. Don't think I would have bothered to watch if he wasn't in it (Kind of like Battle of the Worlds.  For me, Claude Rains "made" that picture.).

Article copyright © 9-22-2011 Jay Agan

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DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.

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