Do you Remember???

Do  you remember when you could tune into any radio station any time of day and find love songs on the air?

It didn't matter if it was Country and Western, Rock and Roll, Easy Listening or Jazz you could find love songs.  Let's not forget R & B and Soul as well.

If you remember this here are some You Tube vidoes of some of my favorite Love songs.  Hope you enjoy this special Do You Remember.

Let's start off wirh the Fab Four and All you need is love.

This second piece is by Merle Haggard and it is one of my favorite love songs of all time.

Now we have Lionel Richie and The Commodores 

Next Mr Don McLean

So here is my tribute to love songs.  

What love songs do you remember?

It's that Time again. WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Hurrah!

I managed to replace my camera that broke down two weeks ago, so I am back with new pics for Wordless Wednesday.

We had Snow here in Aurora, last night and today was just a perfect day to take pictures.  These were taken near, and outside The Aurora Public Library, the Municipal Building and Court House.  All of which are near one and other.

No more words, just pictures.

Tuesdays' Favorites... Who is it, it's the Doctor,,, DOCTOR WHO???

As you can tell by my title this is my tribute to one of the longest running shows on all of television.  I am of course talking about STAR TREK... Not.

This is my look at a series I discovered when I was in my early 20's, the series is of course the Classic BBC series DOCTOR WHO.

So sit back, relax and enjoy this look at the Doctor who has had 11 incarnations and will be premiering with the latest season in March of this year, check your local listings for time and date.

Til next Tuesday, fare well.  

Monday Music Moves Me, the Elements of life

So this weeks theme is music reflecting the four elements of Earth Air Fire and Water.

Here are my selections, I think you will find them interesting and enjoyable to say the least.

First is the element of Earth, the world that gives us life.  This song is from the 1972 film "Silent Running"  It is titled  Silent Running sung by Joan Baez its' lead words are "Earth between my toes, and a flower in my hair"
.

Air is a song made famous by the Fifth Dimension called Up up and away.

Next we have Pat Benatar who is All Fired Up

Last is Water, and it's the Beatles taking us on a voyage in their Yellow Submarine

So here you have it.  The four elements in music.  Until next Monday, see you then.

Call Me Java The Hunt for Harmon Rabb Jr.

"There are times you have to wonder how the universe works, take the events that I was involved in just a day ago I was in a police station in Los-Angles, with some of the most powerful people in law enforcement.  Here I am a Private detective and I occasionally work with H.P.D., but I have never worked with Five-O and I haven't been near either a JAG officer or NCIS agent since I left the Navy."

"So when I got back to the estate, I had to work this through, of course I thought of contacting Rick and T.C. first, but they might not have believed me... And Higgins.  Well the more I thought about what had happened, I wasn't sure I believed it."

So here I was in the middle of an investigation to find a former JAG officer that had fallen off the map, and FLAG, The Foundation for Law and Government along with NCIS, and possibly one of the sharpest lawyers of all time, by the name of Perry Mason, were all involved."

"Why was I involved in this?  This was way above anything I had handled since becoming a Private Eye.  I needed to talk with someone, but who?  Who would believe me?"

"So I decided I needed to stop at the estate, clean up and look at this from a fresh perspective."

As the Jimmy approached the gates of Robins Nest, Thomas Magnum began to relax, he felt some of the stress of this unusual case melt away, because he was home.  Well the closest thing he had to a home.  He pressed the remote and nothing.  He pressed the remote again, still nothing.

"Higgins. open the gate."

There was a long stretch of silence then...

"Oh, Magnum, I did not know you had returned.  Please wait."

Magnum could tell something was up, it always was when Higgins responded as he had.  Who was it this time, the Queen of England, a former head of British Security, knowing Higgins it could even be the President.  No if it were a major Political official Magnum knew things would even be tighter.  Before he could reason this out the gates opened and he saw Higgins waiting at the driveway with the lads.

Magnum pulled the Jimmy in and parked alongside the Ferrari.  He began to wonder if he had over reacted, it didn't seem anyone else was on the grounds, and it didn't look like any additional security was in place.  

"How was your stay in California?"

Now Magnum knew something was wrong, Higgins was being civil,

"It was fine until I was called into one of the local Precincts."

"Ah then you were briefed about the disappearance of Mr. Rabb Jr then, good.  Come along, we need to talk."

"Higgins, how... Why were you... Why do we need to talk?"

"Come along Magnum, you know I was part of MI-6, I was informed immediately of the situation.  For some reason they feel you will be of value too in this investigation."

"They?  Who are they...?"

As Thomas Magnum asked this he saw his answer walking toward him, both Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Steve McGarrett were approaching across the lawn from the main estate.

Magnum shook his head, he could not believe what he saw, he was not surprised to see Leroy Gibbs here, he had seen him in Los Angeles, but to be in the presence of Steve McGarrett was one thing he had never expected.  Not involving a case at least.

It was Steve McGarrett who spoke up, his deep baritone voice cutting through the cool air, both rough and gentle in tone.

"Mr. Magnum, I know you are already familiar with the basic aspects of this case, you were in Los Angeles Precinct when this whole case exploded upon us.  As head of Five-0 I am deputizing you to assist in this matter.  This will be on a need to know basis, and you being a former Navy Seal know what that means."

I understand, but I am not sure what I can do.  I mean both Five-O and NCIS have resources I don't.  I am just a private detective."

Now it was Gibbs who spoke.

"Actually, we have resources that can help in certain areas, however Mr. Magnum, you have contacts we don't and we don't have time to establish those contacts.  We need you to talk the people you know, find out what we can't."

"You want me to talk with Ice Pick, and see if he knows anything?"

Now it was McGarret who responded, his brown seemed to look into Magnums' very soul, as if they were kindred spirits.

"Yes, you have contacts with the local crime bosses that we can not manage to have because of our positions.  You need to find out what they know about Rabb, if anything.  As a former Naval Officer I trust you Mr. Magnum, but we need your help quickly, time is our enemy here."

Magnum froze, he looked at McGarrett and Gibbs and then at Higgins.

"What's happened?  You have heard something since we left Los Angles."

Gibbs walked over and smacked Magnum on the head.

"What did you do that for?"

"I felt you needed it.  Yes we heard something, but we have no way to know if this is true or not.  You need to find out for us.  We need this as of yesterday."

Gibbs turned to look at McGarrett, his tone less abrasive.

"I need to join my team, we have a possible lead, I will tell you the details on the way."

Magnum's voice cut through the air.

"Leaving me out of the loop Agent Gibbs?"

"That's Special Agent, and as Mr. McGarrett said this is all on a need to know basis.  You will be informed after Mr. McGarrett and I discuss the matter, we will determine your need to know."

Thomas Magnum was a patriot, he had helped the Navy several times since leaving the service, but he always had been given information, well almost always.

"It goes both ways, Special Agent Gibbs.  I could find something and determine N.C.I.S. didn't need to know."

McGarrett smiled wryly and Gibbs hated it when he dealt with ex service people who knew the protocol too well.  He looked at McGarret and spoke quietly, then turned back to face Magnum.

"Not out here, too many chances to be overheard, ears could be anywhere."

"If you gentlemen will follow me, we can use the main facilities of Robins Nest, which is extremely secure."

Gibbs looked at his watch, then at both McGarrett, Higgins and Magnum.

"Very well, but I will need to make a call, your phone lines are secured correct?"

"Of course they are.  This way gentlemen, Magnum."

Thomas Magnum wondered what had been discovered, he wondered more what Ice Pick would want for the information he needed, and he wondered how did he explain the need to talk with Ice Pick to Rick, without bringing him and T.C. into this case?  He knew the answer, he couldn't.  They would be involved and he knew they wouldn't believe him, then again he wasn't sure he believed any of this himself.

TO BE CONTINUED...

When a program is ruined

Usually I do not write about Television on Saturday, this is a day I usually write a story or do something unrelated to the rest of the week.

However I felt I needed to get this out of my system, at least for now.

I mentioned a great network a few weeks ago, called MeTV or Memorable Entertainment Television.  The network runs classic programs from comedies like Bewitched to Dramas like 12 O-clock High.

Usually the episodes are aired as they were originally filmed, all scenes intact with no modifications, usually this is the case.

However about four years ago Paramount Studios in order to repackage the original STAR TREK franchise brought in a couple to revamp the special affects, make the series look as contemporary as the movies, so they could repackage and resell TREK to a new audience.

Now, when I heard about this, I wasn't upset at first, I thought okay, this could be cool, because the web episodes of TREK had more modern effects; however these effects did not alter the feel of the series.

When Paramount had the effects redone they looked so out of place with the rest of the series that they broke the dramatic tension.  Worst of all, by adding the new effects key lines of dialogue were cut from the episodes, in some cases to be politically correct, but mostly to add more effects time.

One line that was cut was from Space Seed, the episode that introduced the character of Khan Noonian Sing, played by Ricardo Montalban  Luckily the scene still exists as it did in 1967 until 4 years ago.  Thanks to some Trekker who posted it on You Tube, this is what was cut.

In the reedited version McCoys' line about cutting the Choratic Artery is edited out as is Khans' line about McCoy being a Brave man.  McCoy responds to Captain Kirk's message on the intercom that he has a man with many questions.  All for special affects that add nothing to the story.

Time and again this was the trade off dialogue for the new affects of Michael and Denise Okuda.  The trade off is unfair, and honestly, it the dialogue had not been edited, my reaction to the effects may have been different.

But time and again key lines were removed so new effects could replace what had stood the test of time.

This sequence leads up to a scene again where dialogue was chopped.  The scene has the original affects of the Constellation with damage.  In the Okuda version, it simply looks like parts of the saucer section were painted with black paint to simulate damage.

Why does it matter?  Because the actors who worked on this series, several who have passed on in the last several years, deserve to be heard the way generations have heard them.  Giving their full dialogue to emphasize the dramatic moment, not be replaced by some computer generated image that adds nothing to the episode, and in many cases detracts from the dramatic impact.

You do not edit Macbeth, or Gone With the wind to add in contemporary affects in a movie of the story.  Although some will say STAR TREK was just a television series from the 1960's it spoke about issues to several generations

Unfortunately the damage is done, and it is unlikely Paramount saved any of the original edits of the series.  It is sad, an entire generation will only see the revised Okuda versions of Trek and perhaps not understand the impact the series had for so long.

This is my opinion.  What do you think?  Let me know...

Poetry from the Soul of Me Chasing the Sun

Today,  I am doing things a bit differently, yes this is one of my new poems, however I wrote it as I put together this video.

I hope you enjoy this mix of Video and poetry.

Do You remember???

Do you remember when people would reach out and help a neighbor, even when you didn't know them.  You still would help any way you could?

Well if you remember that world, and are one who still reaches out to help those in need, then this is something you can participate in.  

George Takei

A favor, friends. My dear friend Peter David, a renowned Sci Fi / Fantasy writer, suffered a stroke. His family is facing heavy medical bills, but doesn't want handouts. Instead, if you'd like to help, check out his work and pick up a copy of one of his books. I wish him a full and speedy recovery. http://goo.gl/mnF7g

Amazon.com: Peter David: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

goo.gl

Visit Amazon.com's Peter David Page and shop for all Peter David books and other Peter David related products (DVD, 

CDs, Apparel). Check out pictures, bibl

So, whether you know Peter David as a writer, or George Takei, Sulu from STAR TREK, or just feel compelled to help someone because you can, then act.  Get a book and help a person.

Wordless Wednesday A Look Back

For the past several weeks I have posted photos from my recent stay in Sedona, Arizona.

I decided to go back to April of last year before I moved back to Colorado.  

These photos were taken at Shaws Botanical Garden,  

The Chinese theme is due to the celebration Oing Ming, a celebration of family members who had passed on.

So enjoy these photos from Shaws Botanical Gardens.

Tuesdays' Favorite.

It's time again for Tuesdays' Favorites.  This week it is a look at perhaps one of the funniest movies of this last year, that being Hotel Transylvania.

I hope you enjoy my video review and a surprise.

Until next Tuesday, enjoy.

Mondays' Music Moves Me. Country and Western tribure. From the 60's to the 90's

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, I am serious.

For the longest time I have loved Country and Western music, This page is a tribute to some of my favorite Country and Western singers and my favorite songs.

We start off with a song by Merle Haggard.  I got this song on his 1975 album "Movin' On" which featured his main title theme for the really bad T.V. series of the same name.  I fell in love with "Life's like Poetry" long before I had ever fallen in love.  This is still one of my favorite romantic songs of all time.

Next up is another favorite, Mr. Glenn Campbell, doing a song thtat I sang at a tryout for a school show once.  The song parodied by Johnny Carson and is still a favorite song Rhine Stone Cowboy.

Next up is Kenny Rogers, I remember hearing him on the radio late at night   I heard him sing Lucille and had to have the album and I got if my birthday.  I still think that Kenny Rogers is a great singer and actor as well.

Johnny Cash had been one of my all time favorite singers, when he was alive.  His music was featured in one of last seasons episodes of Dallas.  Here is that piece and a man who was one of the most amazing Country singers of all time.  Mr. Johnny Cash and When the man comes around.

One of my favorite women country singers is Linda Ronstadt. she is a rockabilly singer who mixed the best of Rock, Country and Latin.

Next up is Crystal Gayle, her voice was so gentle and yet she was one of those Country singers whom a young man had a huge crush on.

Next is Dolly Parton, a singer actress who set a new standard for years to come.    This is her singing her first big song Jolene.

Hope you enjoy this look back at Country music, I may do further ones on Country music.

A Positive Statement

Last night, my wife and I attended a movie at the Aurora Century Theater at the Aurora Mall, aka Centerpoint Plaza Mall.

This was a significant event, not just because it was the first movie we had seen together, since before I left Missouri in May of last year.  The other reason this was significant, was that The Aurora Century theater had closed in July 20th of last year, and there had been a huge question if it would ever reopen.

When the Aurora Century closed in July, there was the distinct possibility  that it would never open again.  

Yet Thursday of this week the Aurora Century theater did reopen, revamped and improved.  To get the community to come back the General Manager and staff, made it a full weekend of free movies and a small free popcorn and small soda.

By four thirty this afternoon the theater was packed and people were enjoying movies and everything from the free popcorn to Rocky Road Ice Cream cones.

There is one question that remains to be answered, will the community still support the theater after the free weekend?  I personally believe so, and I will be going back to the theater in the next few weeks to see how well things continue.

I will tell you this, the film my wife and I saw was "Hotel Transylvania  and I will be discussing this in Tuesdays' Favorites, so tune in then to find out how great this movie is.

Poetry from the Soul of Me

Beauty in the Sunrise

I watched the sunrise the other day,
the colors were stunning to see.

Orange and gold, red and yellow filling the sky,
yet this ended too soon, all in the blink of an eye.

Yet the magic of Gods paint brush makes one feel that all things are possible.

This is the beauty of a sunrise,
always warming the spirit and full of so many surprises.

Tamirisc Mimar Richards

Friday, January 18th, 2013.

Do You Remember

When commercials actually had jingles that were memorable.

In the 1970's and early 1980's commercials not only had great jingles, but in many cases were more entertaining than many of the programs on the air.  Here are few to trigger some memories.

It was the real thing when these young people sang that they would like to buy the world a Coke.

Remember "Ir's not nice to fool mother nature."

Who knew Barry Manilow wrote this jingle???

Then there was the place that allowed you to Have it your way.

No jingle here, but do you recognize the young man who is selling this VW?  He was a graduate and real tootsie too.

So I hope this brought back some memories for everyone this week.  Until next Thursday... Do You Remember???

Wordless Wednesday

These four photos I took on January 9th 2013.  They were taken on one of two walk abouts I have done since I got back to Aurora.  The photos are from my walk to the Adams County Social Services Department on Peoria and 35 Street.

Hope you enjoy.

Some Breaking News, concerning my Tuesday's Favorite this week

I have some breaking news concerning my Tuesdays' Favorite for this week.  If you have not seen my Tuesday Favorite video 

http://creativeminds-tamirisc.blogspot.com/2013/01/Tuesdays-favorites.html

I talked about the exciting books in The Nancy Drew series, which were written by Carol Keene.  

Well actually they weren't.  That's right Carol Keene was a synonym for a series of Ghost Writers who worked for a Edward Stratemeyer, a man who came up with the idea for Nancy Drew, but had so many ideas brewing he did not have time to write the series.

So he created a synonym for a series of ghost writers to create the Nancy Drew series under, that being Carol Keene.

The first of these ghost writers was a lady by the name of Mildred Writ Benson.  Benson was a tom boy herself, she played sports and was also the first woman to graduate from the University of Iowa.  

Benson wrote the first 3 books in the Nancy Drew series, and would write 30 more of the series.

She went on and wrote her own series of books, which included pirate and aviation themes.  To see a complete list of books written under her own name, click here.

http://www.nancydrewsleuth.com/mwbbks.html

From 1944 until 2002 Mildred A Benson was a journalist as well as a pilot, archaeologist and adventurer.

The woman who began the Nancy Drew legacy, which continues to this day and now has over 500 books in the series was some one who lived the life she wrote.

A true adventurer ahead of her day.

So when you read that next Nancy Drew story, remember that a very enterprising woman was one of the first to write the adventures, then went on to live the life in reality.

Here's to Mildred Writ Benson and to Edward Stratemeyer

 two people who created one of the most enduring characters around and who opened more doors for young women than 

many other writers of the day.

To find out more about Mildred Writ Benson, click on this link and it will take you to a page dedicated to her and give you access to resources on her life and writings.

Tuesdays Favorites

Welcome to a new page, this is a place where every Tuesday, you will see a video presentation that will be about a favorite book, movie or perhaps television series.

Without anything else being said, here is my first presentation.

Mondays Music Moves Me No 100 more...

Exercise, the final frontier... I am sorry, I could not help myself, but for many people exercise is as evil as the Oakland Raiders are to a loyal Denver Broncos' fan.

We do everything to get out of exercising, because it ... well it is exercise.  So here is some music to get the blood flowing and get you to groove too.

Let's start with something calm and peaceful for our beginning stretches, nothing too rapid just peaceful and energetic too.

I fell in love with this song back in the 1990's when I got the C.D., it is from Robbie Robertson and the Red Paint People, and it is a wonderful song for stretching or meditation.  It is the Cherokee Morning Song.

Okay its' time to do sit ups and tighten those tummy muscles.

This is the Celtic Folk group Clannad with one of their hits, this is No Matter where you go I will Find you, from last of the Mohicans soundtrack, this is still a slow piece but perfect for both sit ups and starting out on the treadmill. 




To get the blood a flowing lets' get out there with Mr. Bill Joel and Big Shot!

Now lets' slow down the pace just a little while we lift some weights, and tone the body.

This is one of my all time favorite pieces by Pat Benatar, it was one of her first songs where she began to break away from being the tough girl with steel cold soul.  This came out in 1985 and was her Tropico album, remember record albums?  

So lets pump some weights as We Belong.

Time to cool down and stretch, you worked hard, those extra 100 leg lifts really got to you, I bet.

So lets take some time and cool down and stretch and relax.  

Bet you were not expecting to hear PINK FLOYD, Shine on you Crazy Diamond to cool down too.  It is one of their longest pieces, yet it is also one of their slower ballads too.  Perfect to untense those muscles from the work out you have just done, and you can meditate and get ready for tomorrow.

When you do this all over again, with Jillian Michaels as your personal trainer.  Til then, Shine on you Crazy Diamond.

Hope you enjoyed working out with me today, we'll do this again tomorrow at the same time.

Memorable Entertainment Television

In Colorado, through Comcast cable, we have a channel called Memorable Entertainment Television.  This is what TV Land once was, a network dedicated to airing some of the best of classic television, both dramatic and comedic.

Two shows that they just added to the nightly line up, are Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie.  Now I grew up watching these on a local channel here in Denver, or I should say, I grew up watching maybe 25 to 50 of the episodes,  That was all that were aired here, usually the same 25 to 50 over again, with maybe one or two additional episodes scattered in for variety.

But with M.E.TV you see the whole series, from the pilot to last episode.

What has amazed me about these two shows, is how clever they were.  Both dealt with unique relationships, which if you were to analize them you could say they were dealing with inter-racial marriages or mixed religous marriages, yet doing it in a way that did not offend or preach

You had a witch and her family dealing with a mortal, there was Uncle Arthur played by comedic great Paul Lynde, Aunt Esmerelda who was always a bit slow on the uptake, and of course Endora, Samanthas mother who was a  mother who felt her daughter had made a terrible mistake marrying a mere mortal.

Then you had I Dream of Jeanie about a Jeanie who only wished to be loyal and devoted to Larry Hagman.
Captain, later Major Anthony Nelson.

With Jeanie you also had three seperate introductions.  They were

Which was used in the first two episodes of the series.

Version two used in the first season was a shortened animated version with the original theme, but without the voice over set up,

This is the most famous version of the opening in color with the animated Captain Nelson and Jeannie.
Introduced andin 1966 and used until series end in 1970

In closing, what is special about both Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, is that I actually find myself laughing as I watch these shows, yes I will pause and think about the context of the story, but I will laigh sincerely because these shows were funny.

If you love old television and have ME TV available, watch it, you will enjoy the memories and maybe just mayble laugh out loud, because something is just plain fun.

A Special blog, for a special day

Normally, today is the day I post my Saturday Cereal, the weekly adventure I am writing currently.

However today is a very special day.for 45 years ago a very special person was born.  No, it wasn't Mark Harmon of NCIS, and it wasn't either.

No 45 years ago the most wonderful person in my life was born, that being my wife.  

It was a cold winter day in Nashville Tennessee, the year was    1968 Lyndon Baines Johnson was President of the United States, a new television series called Laugh In premiered on NBC and the U.S. was getting drawn deeper into a war in Vietnam.   In the midst of this crazyness a child was born who would have impact on may peoples' lives, although she had no idea of this when she was born.
Eventually she would be raised in two communities in Missouri, a place called Farmington for the first part of her life,

 then she would eventually end up in an other small town called Festus.

Music was always part on her life, and when she was born this was some of the music that was popular.

She would live in Missouri the majority of her life, and would have two children a Daughter Natasha, who recently turned 25 and a son Joshua 23.

In 2008 this amazing woman, came to Colorado because she had fallen in love with me, because of my writing and photography.  In four months we were married by her daughter,

I  am thankful for Naila Moon being part of my life, we have grown as a couple and traveled to visit her family in Missouri and Arizona.

My wife is an amazing woman, and no matter where we end up living , whether it be Denver, Aurora, Las Vegas or Sedona she will continue to amaze me, and be a purfect person that will have the spirit of an adventurer and artist who can make people see the potential that hides with in.