Questions for the Cosmos (or Anyone Who Would Care to Comment)

1.   What would it be like to have a giant, mutant amoeba as a pet?

2.   Why does watching NASCAR races on TV make me sleepy? Am I missing something?

3.   Why do foods that are horrendously fattening taste so good? I'm convinced that macaroni and cheese will eventually be proven healthy as well as promote world peace.

4.   When you were a kid, did you have to walk to school? If so, was it really up hill both ways? Prove it.

5.   The last time you were abducted by space aliens, what kind of brain extractor did they use? Mine was powered by astro-squirrels.

Movie Reviews of the Old, Odd, and Obscure (Part 4)

Dogora starts out as a space cell

A nice shot of Dogora lifting a bridge

This photo exemplifies the gorgeous colors used in the film for these shots

The DVD cover

Dogora, the Space Monster (1964) Toho


The movie begins and occasionally reverts back to a silly plot about Japanese diamond thieves trying to figure out who or what is taking their stash of gems. Well, you guessed it. Large floating cellular creatures are eating these gems and as they continue to consume they eventually mutate into giant jellyfish looking creatures from space. They are ultimately revealed hovering in the upper atmosphere and are then shown sucking up carbon based material from the earth. At first we see a jewel thief, vehicles, and then eventually scenes of whole piles of coal being pulled up into the clouds. After a while, the creatures use more and more power and eventually trains, bridges, and other structures are shown breaking apart and then flying up into the sky.

Dogora is fascinating to me for no other reasons than it's weird and kind of cool. Although the movie is not exactly a thrill ride and the characters are rather dull and wooden (not to mention the atrocious dubbing of American actors voices in place of the original Japanese - worse than usual anyway), the movie contains some absolutely beautiful special effects shots. Once the goofy plot gets out of the way and the creatures are finally revealed floating in the atmosphere, the viewer is treated to some really nifty shots of destruction. The scenes of coal, trains, and bridges flying into the air are probably the best effects work ever created by Eiji Tsuburaya (Toho special effects master behind most of the original Godzilla movies as well as other Toho creations). The movie was also directed by Ishiro Honda who helmed most of those same movies.

The DVD showcases a nice clean print with vivid colors and very few blemishes from the original film source. If you're not a rabid fan of these kinds of movies like I am, it's probably best to just skip ahead to all the monster sequences and ignore the dull and annoying dialog scenes.

The "Heart" of the Republican Party?

Midterm elections are fast approaching. The average poll is showing that Republicans will probably be taking back a number of seats (based on the mood of the country). As a liberal leaning guy, I find that news unfortunate but certainly not surprising being that the country’s economy is not recovering very fast. Historically, whichever party is in charge during tough economic times is typically punished on election day. Assuming this is what happens in November, Republicans will likely take control of Congress. (and with fear being shoved down the throats of so many people getting most of their information from Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, Democrats could lose big).

Now, I’m a reasonable guy. I’m perfectly fine with another political party coming into power as long as it has the best interest of America at heart. What worries me, though, is that I’ve yet to hear any alternate solutions to our economic troubles from the Republican party - other than helping the rich with continued tax breaks and continued deregulation of the financial industry - the latter helping us into this mess to begin with. There also continues to be a flourishing lobbying industry happily giving millions of dollars to our politicians. It seems obvious to me that our politicians care more about helping the companies who give them money than helping lower and middle class Americans. This has been going on for many years with no end in sight. Nothing like stating the obvious…duh. Yet here we sit with this problem.

Worse still and even more problematic in my opinion are certain elements on the extreme right-wing fringe of the Republican party. An element that has become louder and getting a lot of media attention during the past year - brought to the forefront during last summer’s town hall meetings. Right-wing media continues to fuel these people’s fears of an evil socialist government that was hell bent on taking away their guns, forcing them to believe in science, and starting some kind of socialist health care system that would likely kill their grandma. No Muslim president who was really born in Kenya was going to take away their right to have expensive insurance that refuses to cover them when they have a pre-existing condition.

Now, if more Republicans would speak out against these fringe elements, I might be able to respect them a bit more. So far, though, most of them seem to encourage the behavior. Why? Is it really so important to have the votes of these dumb-ass rednecks? It probably is. Here are a couple of examples of Republicans who actually spoke out against this behavior and the backlash it caused:

http://www.professorbainbridge.com/professorbainbridgecom/2010/08/its-getting-to-be-embarrassing-to-be-a-conservative.html

http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/08/bob-inglis-tea-party-casualty

Classic Godzilla - Silly but Fun!

A fun shot taken during a break in filming the first Godzilla, "Gojira"

I don't know what it is about Godzilla for me. I was around 8 or 9 when I first saw Godzilla on the big screen. My mother took me to an odd little movie imported from Japan entitled "Godzilla vs the Smog Monster" and I was never the same again. I sat transfixed, fingers clenched tightly to the armrests while I watched Godzilla save Japan from a bizarre creature born of pollution. I stared in complete awe as the Smog Monster changed shape and grew larger as it consumed toxic fumes from smoke stacks and then flew around Tokyo spewing sulfuric acid mist in it's wake. Eventually with the help of Japan's armed forces, Godzilla destroys the Smog Monster by drying it out with massive amounts of electricity (the science in the old Japanese monster movies never made a lot of sense, but they were fun to watch).

Viewed today, the movie can come across as very odd. Made in 1971, it is filled with early seventies psychedelic touches, fast editing, bizarre music, corny dialog, but one of the most endearing performances by the man in the Godzilla suit of all the many movies he was in. Despite the low budget "suit-mation" effects, Godzilla seems to express actual emotions by employing slight head tilts while close ups of his face make him appear to be thinking, or in pain, upset, etc. You don't see this in any other Godzilla movie of that era. For me, those added touches made the movie that much more enjoyable. That's me, though. I never claimed to be normal.

Added note: The photo in the title of my blog "Quetzmusings" is from this movie.

Health Care Reform Debate Rages On

The silliness and game playing in the political arena continues even after Health Care Reform finally passed. We got to see congressmen being called derogatory names, being spit on, and being threatened with violence both directly and indirectly. Some folks on the right tried to deny it until videotaped proof was shown on TV. 


Violent threats leading to arrests. I'm so glad this guy has a permit to carry a concealed weapon: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35455.html


Despite Joe Wilson's idiotic "You Lie" shout out, illegal immigrants really are not going to be covered. However, this does cause other issues:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9017409


"Pulling the plug on Grandma"? Nope. That's not going to happen either. 


As a civilized society, we have a MORAL obligation to provide access to AT LEAST basic health care services for everyone. Unlike some folks on the right, I am happy to pay taxes to help provide these and other services for those in need. No one should have to go bankrupt trying to pay for needed medical care - despite any of those insane and inane arguments that call such a system "socialism", "communism" and various other terms meant to scare the Republican base into frothing at the mouth until they spout vile racist remarks or shake in their boots, afraid that their precious guns will be taken away, etc.

Is the health care reform law perfect? Not in the least. The insurance companies had way too much influence on it (among other lobbyists) as proven by the rise in their stocks. Still, we will eventually NEED to join the rest of the industrialized nations and at least attempt to make this work. As an admittedly liberal leaning guy, I feel that this law does not go nearly far enough (as I wanted true universal health care), but it's a start.

The Art of Dreaming (Part III) Childhood Nightmares

I can remember bits and pieces of my life as far back as age 3 or 4 (as most people can). Some of the most vivid memories I've had over all those years are of some really silly, bizarre dreams and nightmares - some of which I would classify as recurring. One memorable dream of the silly variety occurred when I was in my early teens. In the dream I was outdoors late at night (as there was no traffic) being pulled in a little red wagon on the sidewalk. I could see that I was on Sarnia Street about a block west of Mankato Avenue (near Grandma Shirley's of course). With me in the red wagon was a bag of empty aluminum cans. At first I couldn't see who was pulling me in the wagon. Finally the person turned toward me and I could plainly see that it was Mr Spock (of the show Star Trek). He didn't speak. He just kept silently pulling me west on the sidewalk. Soon after, he turned again and he had somehow changed into Mick Jagger (lead singer of The Rolling Stones). Right then I woke up.

Another memorable dream I had around that same time also took place near Grandma Shirley's (as many of them did). I was outside in Grandma's back yard. As it really was years ago, the entire back yard was flooded. The weather was bright and sunny and the flood of water appeared crystal clear. From the edge, I could see to the bottom of the shallow water. At the bottom, I could see a strange pattern of mud. For as far out as I could see, the mud was patterned in light and dark stripes. Each stripe was about a foot wide. I then was somehow aware that the lighter colored stripes of mud would suck a person in like quicksand if stepped on. I then noticed my uncle Bob running around out in the water. For some reason he was wearing an old-fashioned looking Tarzan outfit. I immediately tried calling out to him to be careful not to step on the light colored mud. Of course, he didn't listen to me. He just kept laughing and running around. Fortunately he never stepped in the "bad" mud. I hope Bob listens better in real life.

The most memorable recurring nightmare I ever had (memorable for my family as well) took place when I was really young - maybe in the age range of 3, 4, or 5 years old. Apparently I had this particular dream quite a bit, but I can only remember two occurrences. The scariest part of both dreams was the fact that I had them while I was awake - as kind of a hallucination of sorts. The first one happened at - you guessed it - Grandma Shirley's house. It was late at night and I was apparently awake, got up and walked over to the kitchen and turned the light on. My uncle Jerry (who was - and still is - younger than I) woke up and joined me. As soon as my eyes focused, I stood transfixed on an object standing in front of the stove - a brightly colored yellow chair (which I later named "The Blue Chair" for some reason) with an even brighter red, multi-pointed star on it's back rest. As I stared at the chair, I somehow sensed that it was alive and it was watching me. I knew if I ran away that it would chase me. I began to cry. Jerry, seeing me panic and sob - but not seeing any kind of living chair - began to cry as well. Soon after, my older uncle Bob (who must have been in his early teens at the time) walked in to see what the fuss was about. The chair was gone. Bob, then, picked up both of us and rocked us back to sleep (pretty nice for a young teenage kid, I think). The second time this waking dream occurred was during one of my trips to California with both my mom and dad. I don't know if we were in a hotel or a small temporary apartment, but I recall being put into a large bed with orange covers in a dark bedroom that I was not familiar with. My mom tucked me in, turned out the light, and walked into the living room area (leaving the bedroom door open a hair). Within minutes of laying in bed, I recall turning my head to the right and seeing that dreaded bright yellow chair right next to the bed. It was turned toward me. I remember it looking just as real as the rest of the objects in the dimly lit room. Frightened, I quickly put the covers over my head and yelled out for my mom. While I waited for a response, I carefully turned my head to the right again and could still see that thing right through the thin covers - looking just like any other object in the room as it would look filtered through thin orange fabric! As soon as my mom entered the room, the chair was gone.

A lot of things can happen with dreams, making them fun to talk about. In my opinion, they are the result of the resting brain trying to contemplate one's feelings and worries. As interesting and varied as the human personalities that have them, dreams can open up wonderfully creative discussions. Let me hear about your childhood and/or most memorable dreams.......

The Art of Dreaming (Part II) "Strange Connections"

Once in a while, a dreaming experience is so strange, so memorable, I remember it for years after. One such dream took place many years ago when I was in my early twenties and living in Grandma Shirley's basement. I recall dreaming that I was on an ice filled planet. The landscape was simply flat, smooth ice for as far as I could see in every direction. Close inspection of the ice showed that it was made up of multiple swirling colors - colors in patterns not unlike the colors viewed in a water puddle with oil floating on the top (only brighter). I then recalled in the dream that I had ice skates on and spent a good portion of the dream trying to skate to the end of the ice - to no avail. At that point of the dream, a hole opened up in the ice right under my feet. The hole did not lead to water underneath. I simply started sliding backward down the gently sloped edge and because it was pure ice, I could not stop myself from sliding further and further into the hole. At the point that I could no longer see out of the hole, I suddenly found myself in Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Artie's garage - still falling into a hole, but now the hole was in the floor of the garage. The hole appeared to be right where the hoist would normally be located (on the right side of the garage). As I clawed at the edges of the hole in a frightened panic, I woke up.

Later in the morning as I sleepily walked upstairs, I immediately encountered Grandma Shirley talking to another family member (I don't remember who). She was describing a dream she had the previous night in which she found herself falling into a hole in the floor of the garage! The only difference in our dreams (other than my dream starting out on another planet) is that the hole was located in a different spot. The hole that Grandma Shirley fell into was on the left side.

Cue Twilight Zone music...........