We had a Job to do a review

Recently I read a book on World War Two, this is nothing unusual for me since I have had a fascination with this period of history since I was six years old,

I have read many books, from biographies to books that covered events and battles of the war.  

So I  was looking forward to reading We Had A Job To Do,  Especially because the description on the cover states that this is a basic history of world war two as seen through the eyes of those who served,

When I  read that this would be through the eyes of those who served, I was excited, I expected a lot of first-hand eyewitness  accounts from the men who fought the war.

Instead I got a lot of  cut and paste quotes from the brass in most cases, a lot of history of those who went to war, what they had done before going to war and very brief and descriptions of the battles themselves.

There are errors in dates such as the Potsdam conference pre-D-Day when this conference was in 1945.  The book is written in broken segments and is extremely dry.

There is nothing that makes this a must-read book, if anything it is bland and boring,  Save your money this is not the book that you are looking for on World War Two.

***

Mondays's Music Moves Me Some of the best of Broadway 1976

Since the 1970's I have been a huge fan of Hal Linden, not just as the actor who played Barney Miller for 7 seasons, but for his talent as a singer as well.

I remember seeing him on Merve Griffin, and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, to name a few, where he would sing as well as use his comedic wit.

Here is a special I found by accident last week, I hope you take the time to enjoy it.  

From the 1976 Tony Awards not just Hal Linden but Leslie Uggams and a few other surprising singers.  This is only part 1 of the program, perhaps I will be able to find the rest.
Enjoy this musical spectacular.

For those interested, here are the complete tony awards for 1976 not just the segment from the awards.  Enjoy and just remember the sweat, perseverance and dedication it takes to work to be a success on broadway.

This is for everyone who had that dream and found a way to make it happen.

Mondays Music Moves Me Musical Memories

When I was in high school I had the chance to be in the Chorus of a rather amazing musical called THE ME NOBODY KNOWS.  The music was written and originally performed by students in New Yorks' public school system.  It went onto to be an off Broadway hit.  The 5th Dimension did the following piece from THE ME NOBODY KNOWS in 1971

One of my favorite songs from a favorite musical, is What I did for Love from a Chorus Line, this is a very good arrangement done by a surprising individual.

Last a song made famous n=by one of Andrew Lloyd Webers  longest running plays, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Hope you enjoy this musical journey

What were the Salem Witch Trials

This is a well written and researched book, that works to explain why the Salem Witch Trials came to be, and why they ended so rapidly. Joan Holub does a remarkable job of taking the reader back to 1692 and the farming community of Salem.  Each page takes the reader deeper into this time so long ago and so strange to us today.  One of the first things we come to understand is how people were so concerned about their spiritual path, people lived in fear of any one who was not of their way of believing and the people of Salem were very tightly knit to their belief in God and Christ.

Holub explains the world of the Puritans, every father was supposed to be able to heal his family from illness, if not then the local minister of the faith, when this could not happen it was obviously the work of the Devil and his kind, Witches.

It is in this setting that the story of the Witch Hunts begin, because of two young girls who suddenly begin to have fits and speak of strange things and speak strangely;  Fear takes over and rational and logical thought go out the window.

The girls are asked to name who the witches are, and after a period of time, they name three people.
This is just the beginning.

Famous ministers of the day, Increase and Cotton Mather are mentioned, how are they involved and what leads to the final end of the Trials?

The answer to these questions can be found in this fast paced book, that will provide new insight no matter your age.

The book has great illustrations done by  Dede  Putra and also has reproductions of illustrations from the time at the back of the book.  There is also a complete timeline showing the events as they happened between January 1692 to October 1693.

Overall this is a great book and is another success for Joan Holub,  ****

Cotton Mather Puritan Minister and strong believer that Witches existed and need not live.

Title page of Cotton Mather's Book.

From the heart

Night has come, the secadas make their chirping that slices through the silence.

Stars and the moon, the only immediate light, the apartments near by are dark, do people live here really or is it abandoned?

Music plays on the stereo and the air conditioner hums keeping our apartment cool as an ice cube.

Only our trustworthy watch cat sits atop a crate with mysteries to be revealed.

Night has come to our humble abode here in Branson and tomorrow will bring another sunrise another day

A Cats life

Meow mew merew meeow 

these are the words my cat says, I am not sure what she means.  She sits looking at me,, sometimes she purrs and sometimes she just curls up and falls asleep.  What a life she has.

A Cats life, from the  Cat

Why don't you pay attemtion to me?

I want  food... Now!

Oh that feels good, but I still need food.  Oh okay you are off the hook.  That feels so good.

I think I will go over here and sleep for 20 hours.  Or at least until you feed me,..

Mondays' Music Moves Me Memories

This is a combination of favorite songs an artists.  Enjoy.

We start with a young woman who keeps coming up with amazing music  Evanessence, with one of her latest songs Lithium.

Next a very powerful sonf by The Moody Blues, Melancholy man

Last up The Beatles, with Nowhere man

A Fantastic, actually it is Incredible place to eat... In Springfield Missouri

Perhaps one of the most entertaining places that I have been to, since coming back to Missouri is America's Incredible Pizza.

America's Incredible Pizza is a theme restaurant tied to 1954 to 1959.  There are pictures from Springfield High School in they Gymnasium one of three eating areas inside the restaurant, along with the Diner and Starlite Theater where you can eat Pizza, Pasta or Tacos and watch a movie.  Such classics as "Toy Story" and "The Sound of Music" have been featured.  They run uninterrupted and repeat, so if you miss part of a favorite movie, you can see it all the way through.

Besides Pasta and Tacos, there is a wide selection of Pizza's from traditional Pepperoni to BBQ and a Greek Pizza with Feta Cheese and Spinach.

All food is cooked on site and fresh from the kitchen.  Other food fare includes Hot dogs, A Salad Bar and a Desert Bar. 

The great thing about the Desert Bar is that it features not just classics, like Ice Cream and Peach Cobbler, but Strawberry Peach Cobbler, which has to be tried, The strawberries are just tart enough to cut the sweetness of the Peach.  It is amazing and Bread Pudding, something I had never tried and fell in love with.

Strawberry Peach Cobbler.  Yummy in the tummy

Bread Pudding, something I fell in love with,

Prices are very reasonable and you can even have birthday celebrations at America's Incredible Pizza.

One last feature that I have waited to share, is A game room, that is to die for.  Again there is a great variety of games, everything from Skeet Ball to bumper cars, to video games like Jurasic Park.  You can take a chance with the claw and see if you can win a Minion.  

Overall America's Incredible Pizza, lives up to its' name.  It is incredible and a fun place for the whole family or just couples, looking for great food a movie and games all under one roof.

America's Incredible Pizza is located at 2522 South Campbell Avenue located in Springfield Missouri.
For information or details on specials or arranging an Incredible birthday party you can call 417-890-1408.


Disclosure  I received a gift card for my open and honest review.  The views expressed here are 100% my own and may not reflect your opinion or experience.  Tamirisc M Dagda 

Mondays Music Moves Me to Missouri in the Sunnmertime

Well it is that time, when I actually present some music.  I love music of the Summertime, so here are some of my favorite pieces of Summer themed music,  Starting with Mungo Jerry and In the Summertime from 1970.

Next up is a classic piece from Porgy and Bess, simply called Summertime.

Next it it Lawrence Welk and his Champagne music makers with "In the good old Summertime" from June 4rh 1960,  I month and 22 days before I was born.

Well as good as this song is, sometimes you should never redo somethiing from the past.  Olivia Newton John and John Travolta with the cast from Greene doing Summer Nights.

So there you have it it,,  My Summer music fest,  Hope you all enjoy this,

GIBBS! What have they done to thee?

Just recently, I watched the final 2 episodes of NCIS for this season.  Now at first the next to last episode did not seem so off, until I began to think about it. and how it was handled.  

The Lost Boys, the next to last episode had a major mistake in the dramatic storyline, in that Gibbs went onto the bus and remained there after the passengers had been successfully evacuated.  Now yes Gibbs would do all he could to talk the young man out of killing himself, but when it became apparent that the young man was going to kill himself, Gibbs needed to get to safety, also he was hardly injured or so it seemed because he was back in action immediately, no rest or recovery.

Neverland, the final episode of the season Gibbs might as well not have been in the story, because for all intensive purposes he was not.

Mark Harmon walked through this episiode with hardly a single line of dialogue, his reactions were plastic.

Every major scene in the spisode Mimi Rogers,CIA officerJoanna Teague was the lead character, she had all the significant dialogue and left Mark Harmon just standing there looking like a frustrated character.

Gibbs had nothing to say or do until near the very end of the episode where he was again confronted by a teenage twerrorist and put in harms way.

The other major problem I had with Mimi Rogers character, for a woman whose son had just died, she was static.  There were no emotions, she was aloof and unemotional, even when looking at her son in Duckys' lab.

Granted she was a high ranking CIA official, but in all honesty, she had just lost her son, besides anger at wanting revenge, there were no other emotions expressed.  She might as well have been a Vulcan.

Also one of the worst scenes involved Abby Schuto.

Abby has always been calm, and in control, she has let her emotions fly when need be, but she has never pulled back and been a shrinking violet.  I a key scene with Gibbs and her in her lab, she sounded like a scared little girl and held a stuffed giraffe as if she were five years old.

I can not remember the last time I have watched an episode of NCIS and been so disappointed by the episode.  This is two this season that seem to be poorly executed.  Maybe, this is a sign that Season 13 should be the last season of the series.  Maybe it is time to walk away before the episodes get worse than this and make fans feel totally alienated.

What were your thoughts?

Instacandi a world of instant pleasure

A while back I was introduced to the scrumptious deliciousness of Instacandi.  My wife surprised me with this package of delights and I quickly devoured them.

Instacandi, for those who have never heard of the company, is an online business that has several oooh so delicious combinations of candy treats from our past and a few from today to round it out.

They mix such classics as SEE Below

  Hershey minis Reese's Pieces Nerds, KitKat Twizzlers among others.  

You can custom order for someones birthday,  a Halloween treat or your favorites among the selections.

The prices are reasonable ($9.99) and include shipping.For slightly more you can get 2 day shipping, check their site for details.

Right now they have a Bogo special on Mothers day candy
Buy One Get One.

If you are terrible thinking of gifts then INSTACANDI is the solution to your problem.

Check them out and feed that sweet tooth, just remember to order more than one bag, because the minute your friends, family, wife or kids see those treats they will try and steal them right from under you.

Here is there link.

www.instacandi.com

Order today and get a bag of fun.

THE DARK WORLD OF BLAKES' 7 and how it coming to be today.

Back in 1978 a television series premiered in England, the series was a dark and brooding series with a group of criminals and a man falsely accused of pedophilia as the heroes, who fought against a tyrannical government that used drugs and technology to imprison their population.

The Series was called BLAKES 7 and it ran for four years.

In the series people were constantly under observation, they were fed false broadcasts of events of fake messages from family members long since killed, they had no civil rights and the police were every where and could arrest you and detain you without any warrant or cause.

Also in the second season there were two shocking episodes that ring truer moreso now than back then.

The first was an episode titled SHADOW.  This episode dealt with a drug that was very addictive and was able to get past earth security and into the population.  At the end it was discovered that the government on earth controlled the drug and its dispersal.

Wouldn't it be surprising if this explains why the cartels can infiltrate our nation and sell their drugs with only limited interdiction by our law enforcement.

The one that really struck a nerve though was WEAPON.  The FEDERATION, The earth government had developed a weapon that on one setting it marks a person so they can be tracked and located, the second setting can kill them.

Just recently a new piece of technology was released by accident to the news services.  The device can spray a fine mist on a person that allows them to be located and tracked without them knowing.

Sounds like Blake technology.  

Other aspects of Blakes' world that have crept into our daily life.

No matter where you go, you are under observation.  Security cameras on busses, in banks, stores restaurants schools.  Cameras mounted at stop lights that photograph you if you break the law or record vehicles as they travel through certain areas of a city.  

People conditioned to this monitoring by television shows like Big Brother and to a lesser degree Survivor.

Profiling of people who are of certain ethnic or racial lines. 

People being content to not be involved as long as they have their laptops and cell phones.

Slowly we are moving more and more into the world of 1984 of Blakes 7 a world of darkness and no freedom.

We can stop this, we have the ability to do so.  But it means becoming involved and taking stands and not allowing more and more invasions in our lives to protect us from it.  What ever it is.

Act for freedom or sit by and be passive and be a prisoner of the government.  It is up to you.

A Second look at the new HAWAII FIVE O

When I am board I tend to do strange things: Read an entire Sherlock Holmes story, and I am talking full length novel in one sitting, try to learn Russian or some other language I will never need to speak or watch a marathon of episodes of television shows I have not watched in a while, this after my studies and chat time and writing time, or is it before then?

Anyhow,I had seen the previews for both Hawaii Five O and Blue bloods last week, and both looked good.

I have not watched FIVE O since the first season, I had watched almost the whole season and gave up, because I did not like the direction the series was going and I did not like the way they cut the opening credits.

But last night I watched two of the most recent episodes, since only three have aired so far, I am only one episode behind.

I watched the episodes out of order and watched the most recent first.  Three business men come to Hawaii to deal with their mid life crisis, they awaken to find ones' hair partly burned off  one looking like they were inducted into the Corps with the trim they got and I can't  remember what happened to him.  They had no idea what had gone on and there was a dead girl in their bath tub.

It only gets stranged a Dark haired man who seemed to be abducting a woman is found dead in a car by a food delivery person.

Are the two cases connected and can MacGarret and his team find the answers?  Of course they do, and in a fashion much like the original FIVE O.

The other episode was as well written and had me on the edge of my seat.  And it is one I have not seen the conclusion of, because it is a two part story.

I will have to go back to seasons two and three to see where this revision and return to the classic FIVE O began.

Jack Lord is no longer spinning in his grave nor James McArthur for that matter.  This is FIVE O the way I remember it, with tight dramatic writing with just a little humor to off set the intensity.

Aloha til next time,

Cast as of 2015 Clark, Kono, Steve Dano and Chin Ho

 Above Picture Steve MacGarrett, Clark and Danno Williams

The two MacGarrets'

A To Z Challenge Z is for ZORRO

Zorro is one of those series which keeps coming back,  Most recently it came back in the 1990s.  What more can be said about a classic series.

A To Z Challenge Y is for Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

In the mid 1990s George Lucas brought us The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.  The series was a look at Indis' life before he became the heroic archaeologist and some of his adventures where he met people like Doctor Livingston.  The series only lasted a season unfortunately.

A To Z Challenge X is for Xena Warrior Princess

Before Ron Moore ruined BATTLE STAR Galactica and brought Lucy Lawless back as a Cylon, she was Xena Warrior Princess, who began as a character on the Kevin Sorbo series Hercules The Legendary Journey.  

A To Z Challenge W is for WEST WING

In the 1990s' there was a fictional President of the United States many wished were our actual president and we was on the weekly series THE WEST WING.  

A To Z Challenge V is for V and Victory at sea

In the mid 1980s' was a Sci Fi series that started as two mini series.  It was V.  It starred Jane Badler and Robert England and was way ahead of its time.

The second V is the main theme from the 1950 documentary titled VICTORY AT SEA  The series was a look at the naval war during world was two and featured the music of Richard Rogers.

A to Z Challenge U is for Underdog and The Man from Uncle

Back in the 1960s' there was something called Saturday Morning Cartoons, this featured a variety of shows including The Rocky and Bullwinkle show and a superhero known as UNDERDOG, voiced by Wally Cox.

This was a classic cartoon with morals and fun.  For those who remember here is the original intro.

A favorite spy show from the 1960s' starred Robert Vaughn and Ducky er David McCullam.  The series THE MAN FROM UNCLE.  They had cool gadgets and great stories that kept you on the edge of your seat.

A to Z Challenge T is for TAXI

One of my favorite sit coms of the 1980s' was TAXI.

This show had one of the most diverse casts and some of the most interesting guest stars.

Geoff Conaway later known for his appearance on Babylon 5 made his breakout appearance on TAXI and Christopher Lloyd and Danny Devito both began their careers on this series.

So sit back and remember when a Taxi ride in New York could be fun with a myriad of drivers.

A To Z Challenge S is for STAR TREK and SEAQUEST

Two sci fi series hit in my S section.

This video is from the final episode of STAR TREK Enterprise, which has been the last of the Trek franchise.  This video sums it up better than mere words could.

STAR TREK is the first, the original series from 1966 to 1970 was the first time science fiction had been done with a continuing cast and complex stories on social issues of the day.  It launched a franchise of four network spin offs, 12 motion pictures and countless on line continuations of the original series itself.


SeaQuest was Steven Spielbergs take on the classic 1960s' sci fi series Voyage to the Bottom of the sea.  Unfortunately NBC meddled with the series and it suffered terribly after the first season.  It still had some good episodes and it introduced Roy Schieder to a new generation.

A To Z Challenge R is for Remington Steele

For me this was one of my favorite detective series, the first three years were well written and the budding chemestry between Laura Holt and Remington Steele was fun to watch.  Also looking back it is hard to believe how young Pierce Brosnan was then.  

Although Bing has the actual opening from the series for all five years of its run, their videos for some reason I can not cross post to blogger.  So there is this instead.

A To Z Challenge Q is for QUARK

Back in the 1970s' was a half hour sit com that was set in space and starred Richard Benjimin.  The series was Quark and it was definitely a show that you either saw or missed.  For me it was a fun romp that in many ways was the SPACE BALLS of its day.

A To Z Challenge P is for Perry Mason

This used to air week nights at 10:P.M. locally here in Denver.  I used to stay up and watch these old black and white dramas with Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale.

I would sit spell bound wondering could Perry do it again, could he get to the truth and save an innocent person from doing time?  I would watch as Paul Drake would call in or meet with Perry with what was usually information that was not what Perry hoped for. yet somehow in the end he would berate the killer into admitting the truth,

A To Z Challenge O is for Odd Couple

This has been the most redone series of all times.  However I only ever saw the original take with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, I just never got into all the redos of this series that followed.  I thought when I first watched The Odd Couple how silly and how funny the show was.

A To Z Challenge N is for NCIS et al and The NEWSROOM

I remember when I saw the first episode of NCIS I hated it, they were out to convict Harmon Raabb Jr of Murder and I did not want to watch any show that had characters out to get other characters.  Does that tell you how invested I was in JAG.

Over time I have become a full fledged fan of NCIS and NCIS L.A.  Because of the great acting and use of older actors in lead roles and because especially with the original NCIS it has such rich stories that keep you on the edge of your seaat like a great mystery novel, and it is so cool to see David McCullem as Ducky, he is one remarkable actor.

There is one other N which I am able to see maybe twice a year, mainly because it is a production of HBO and I only have access when Comcast does their one week watch-a-thon week.

The show is The NEWSROOM, an outstanding series set in the newsroom of a network T.V. station.  Each episode is based on a recent event that did take place and being told from the perspective of, is this event "big" enough to be covered, or the consequences of calling a political party, "The Tea Party" the American Taliban.

The cast is outstanding the writing pulls you in and for an hour you forget you are watching a television series.  

So if you have not seen this series catch it on Watch-a-thon week or rent the boxed sets.  Hell for that matter buy the boxed sets they are that good.

I do not know if these videos will be view-able here on blogger,  If not go to Youtube and look for THE NEWSROOM Opening season 1 and 2 and "The Tea Party The American Taliban.  

I find it interesting if these videos are not available it is about what the the network in THE NEWSROOM deals with censorship.  Strange world.

A To Z Challenge M is for Magnum P.I MASH MacGyver and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

One of my favorite Action Adventure series was Magnum PI.  This series never took itself all serious, there were many times this series was humorous, and yet it could be very dramatic.  Best thing was it in its own way paid positive tribute to the Vietnam vets, a group who until Magnum PI had not really had any positive images about themselves.  Great cast and to think John Hillerman, an American actor played a British character so well; or was he a British actor who played an American so well?  We may never know.

Perhaps one of the most heart felt episodes of MASH was one where Hawkeye was trying to reach his father because of a letter he had received.  This episode gave Charles a chance to really shine and be more than the boorish Bostonian he had been in most of the episodes prior.  So here's a treat 1/2 an episode with some of the best dialogue and acting in the series.  Do you have a Father or a Dad?

In 1973 A movie came out that no one knew ar the time would lead to a television series that would last 12 years, far longer than the war that the series was set in.  The movie and T.V. series of course were M*A*S*H*  It had a rotating cast of remarkable actors, perhaps one of the best was David Ogden Steirs who played Boston Blue Blood Charles Emerson Winchester.  Here is the opening theme and a surprise

My favorite spy series for many years was one, where the principal character was not always a spy.  That being MacGyver.  What is amazing is that the Myth Busters tried to bust several MacGyver innovations and failed, also this series created the term a MacGyver or MacGyverism to show you had created something out of what you had available and succeeded.  Still love seeing this in syndication.

                                   
Two T.V. series and 5 movies proves how successful this franchise has been.  Although as a T.V. Series it had only one good season and that was the first with Steven Hill as Dan Briggs as team leader.  When Peter Graves came on board it tanked until the Tom Cruise movies.

A To Z Challenge L is for LOVE BOAT

I will admit, as a young adult I watched The Love Boat every Saturday, I loved the beautiful women of all ages who would be on the show.  I also loved seeing some familiar faces again, Gavin McCloud from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Bernie KopellSigfried from Get Smart.  Plus you never knew who the guest stars would be, who would show up that you would say Wow or oh my Gods.

A to Z Challenge K is for KNIGHT RIDER

Let's be honest, we all watched this because KITT the talking car was the cool thing, we all wanted a car like KITT and Patricia McPherson wasn't bad eye candy either.

For two years Knight Rider was fun, then it went into a tail spin and never recovered, and when it came back a few years ago, luckily it did not last past two episodes.

Here are three different versions of the opening titles, see which ones you remember.

One of these themes is not like the others, one of these themes does not belong, can you tell which before I finish this song?

A to Z Challenge J is for JEOPARDY for 200 Alex

I grew up watching as many game shows as I did dramas and comedies.  One game show I still watch is Jeopardy.  I have always loved this show and one day hope to be a champion on it.

A To Z Challenge I is for IRONSIDE

After Raymond Burr retired as Perry Mason, he found himself in a wheelchair as Chief Robert Ironside as a Police chief put in a wheel chair by an assassin.  Ironside was way ahead of its time in story telling with a bit of an edge.  Still a favorite of my old shows.

A to Z Challenge H is for HAWAII FIVE O

There is only one HAWAII FIVE O and it starred Jack Lord and James MacArthur and ran from 1967 to 1980 on CBS.  What else is there to say.

A To Z Challenge G is for GOTHAM

I have been a follower of anything to do with BATMAN, since the camp series from the 1960s, with Adam West.  I have seen every Bat movie and followed the Animated series religiously.  

Gotham is the most recent Batman themed series, except this takes place right after the murder of Bruce Waynes' parents and setting up all the principle characters and adding a new one by the name of Fish Mooney.  

It is a dark and moody series and well worth viewing.  Can hardly wait for season 2 next fall, but will have to.

A To Z Challenge F is for FLINTSTONES

I grew up watching two cartoons based off of one half hour comedy from the end of the 1950's early 1960s'  That series was Jackie Gleasons' The Honeymooners.

The two cartoons that came from this series were The Flintstones and The Jetsons.

I followed the Flintstones from their early animated cartoons, to two live action films and a recent animated movie from just the past few years.

I still think this is one of the most clever cartoons ever created and at times down right funny.

And the movie intro.  Notice that Barney and Betty as well as Pebbles and Bambam are missing from this intro.

A to Z Challenge E is for ENTERPRISE

I have been a fan of STAR TREK, since the series originally premiered back in 1966 and have followed almost every incarnation of the series from first to last season.  

The last version of the TREK universe was simply titled Enterprise and starred Scott Bakula as Captain Johnathon Archer, the captain of the prototype of the Enterprise.  The series was at times much darker but still had the foundations of TREK.

Here is the title sequence, the only TREK ever not to use an orchestral theme and the familiar "Space the final frontier..." set up for a ship named Enterprise.

A to Z Challenge D is for DALLAS

This was always one of my favorite night time soap operas and I watched it to find out who Shot JR when Bobbie Died and didn't and when Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman fought it out in the final original season.

I began to follow it again a few years ago, until Larry Hagman passed at which point it was over for me, you can not have DALLAS without JR and especially the original JR.

A to Z Challenge C is for Cheers

I watched Cheers off and on during its' run on NBC.  I was never a huge fan but I did find it to have its moments, especially when the couch was part of the series.  It also proved that Kirsti Allie (Lieutenant Saavak) in Wrath of Khan could do comedy.

International Childrens Bookday giveaway

It is International Children's Book Day. You can read more about the day HERE. 


Carole P. Roman wrote a non-fiction series, "If You Were Me and Lived in..." this combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. 


The debut book in the series, "If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico" has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children's Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca's Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in...Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and lived in ...France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in...France for best in children's non fiction literature 2013.


This series has followed up with several other countries with many more to come. The series is designed to show children that each respective country has different celebrations and ideas unique to their own countries but there are also many things that are the same too.


To celebrate International Children's Book Day, Carole P. Roman is giving away the entire set of her cultural series along with a choice of $25 Paypal or Amazon. Simply enter in the Rafflecopter below.


Disclosure: Chronicles From The Man Cave has been asked to promote this giveaway, received no compensation, and is not responsible for prize distribution.

The giveaway is open to US only. You must be 18+ to enter. You must respond to an email sent to you within 48 hours or forfeit your prize. Giveaway begins April 2, 2015 and ends April 17, 2015 at Midnight MST.. The winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter.org and all entries will be verified.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

A to Z Challenge B is for BLAKES 7

In 1978 a television series premiered in England that set the standard for all Science Fiction series that followed, not just in England but in the United States as well.

The series was titled BLAKES 7 and it was about a group of criminals fighting against a tyrannical government that used mind control and death squads to control the population.

It was dark, gritty and did not end up a happy note, but has to this day a cult following larger than even Doctor Who.

Here is a series of clips from the series to give an idea of the whit and witticism in the writing especially by one central character of Avon.

 

A to Z Challenge. April 1st A is for ADAM 12

This is my first post in the April A to Z Challenge.

For me, my life has most strongly revolved around three things since I was young, they were: Music, Television shows and Movies.

I have read, but not as much as I have been drawn into these other aspects.

So A is for 

ADAM 12.

Before there was Hill Street Blues, or CSI or NCIS there was Adam 12.  This was a half hour drama produced by Jack Webb and R.A. Cinder which paired veteran actor Martin Milner as the senior officer Pete Maloy and new actor Kent McCord as rookie officer Jim Reed.  

The series ran 7 years and showed growth and change especially in Reeds character during the run.  It left the ending open if there had been an 8th year it would have had new directions it could have followed.

Adam 12 is still considered one of the best Police dramaas' of all time by many and many have had a chance to see it again or for the first time on M.E. T.V.

This is the opening credits from either the 6th  season of the series.

Leonard Nimoy A tribute

I remember the first time I saw this scene, I was 22 years old, my own father had died only eight years before and I was still dealing with the sense of loss.

It is hard to believe now when I am nearly 55 that Leonard Nimoy has left this world.

As a young adult and even as I grew older, I had a strong sense of identity with Spock, I always felt to be an outcast to some degree. and like Spock, I did everything to avoid becoming the Captain of my life.

Yet, Leonard Nimoy was so much more than this one character, he had done a wide array of work, before and after STAR TREK.

One of the most interesting moments of his early career was guest starring with Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink) David McCallum and William Shatner in The Man From Uncle.  It was interesting seeing Nimoy playing a villain and opposite  Shatner.

It was interesting seeing Nimoy play a lackey in part and Werner Klemperer play a straight dramatic part in this episode of Man From Uncle which came out in 1964.

Nimoy also did comedy, or would you believe...

Nimoy played it straight as a Kaos agent, proving his ability to stay in character when Don Adams was making wise.  Nimoy's character was almost Asian in his appearance with the dark glasses in this episode, as a matter of fact you never see him without the sunglasses.

Leonard Nimoy was an actor who did so much in film and television I could go on forever with references.

I will remember him and miss his ability to make me think and occasionally laugh.

What were some of your favorite Leonard Nimoy moments, what characters do you remember him as?

No better ending than these words spoken by Leonard Nimoy himself. 

MOndays' Music Moves You. The Music of Ingrid Mickelson.

For the past several weeks, or has it been longer I have been hearing a song at work that had me very upset.

In part because I could only hear part of it, and what I heard annoyed me,  Well this morning, I was able to see the words of this song and it blew me away.

So much so, I decided to see what other music this person had done.  So without any further delay here is the music of Ingrid Mickelson, starting with Afterlife.

This next song, her official video is dedicated to the recovery of cancer, this is another lyrics video so you can appreciate the song in its entirety.

Perception is everything

A fun song to end with

Hope you enjoyed these samples of the music of Ingrid Mickelson.  By the way I dedicate this page to my wife, my step daughter and my mother in law.