The family known for the chewing gum and the namesake of the Chicago Cubs home Wrigley Field - and the family formerly owned the north side MLB franchise until the early 80s also has a namesake home which has recently been sold. It's strange to me to say that this mansion on the north side - specifically 2466 North Lakeview Avenue - was a foreclosure. And looking at the selling price $4.65 million it's still very much out of my reach.
Regardless I'll say when I'm finally ready to build my own house I have found the model. Perhaps scale it down and hopefully resembling a style of mid-century architecture. Just think perhaps as close to a Pill Hill style home as one could get built in the 21st century.
[VIDEO] If you've been following me on this blog, I have talked about wrestling from time to time. Pro-wrestling has been something of a past-time of my and is different from some of my other favorite fare such as Star Trek or even watching FOX News.
If I'm watching science fiction or cable news then where does wrestling fit? Wrestling is entertainment and has been described as a ballet of violence - yes I heard that somewhere. When I started watching it, my young mind was filled with this idea of men fighting to settle scores. That's essentially what wrestling is, a good guy settling a score with a bad guy.
Why are they settling scores? Well basically the bad guy did something the good guy doesn't like. Perhaps a bad guy cheating during a championship match. Perhaps a good guy has something the bag guy covets. My imagination couldn't run anymore wild than the imagination of pro-wrestling writers!
Well why am I writing about pro-wrestling? Monday Night Raw will celebrate 25 years on the air next Monday. And to be fair Raw is over due for another edition of old school Raw. And to reminisce it seems pro-wrestling has evolved to a high spot display of flash. Since maybe the WWF's Attitude Era wrestling has been a lot more fast-paced than it has been when I started watching wrestling.
Perhaps it's just a sign of how that art or that business has to adjust to new times. And while I wasn't there for Raw's first broadcast - as it replace another WWF program on the USA Network in 1993 Prime Time Wrestling - we see the changes to wrestling over the course of 25 years. Just got to sign up for the WWE Network and you can see archive footage of WWF programming over the years.
I can't believe we've arrived to the point where Raw is at 25 years. My favorite era of that show as the Monday night wars/Attitude era. We had two choices on Monday nights from 1995 to 2001 and we could see two different styles of wrestling from southern style wrestling to sports entertainment. And then it ended when the WWF bought their Monday night competition World Championship Wrestling. What an interesting end to a very contentious fight for dominance not just on Monday nights but in North American pro-wrestling.
This coming Monday we will reminisce. Long time fans and newer fans will think about their favorite moments. And I must say we're overdue for an episode of old-school Raw anyway..
BTW, I tend to use WWE interchangeably with WWF or World Wrestling Federation. I'm of the school of as opposed to the name change from earlier in the century which is "take the F out", my saying would be "take the E out". WWE will always be the World Wrestling Federation to me.
[VIDEO] Recently I watched a YouTube video with regards to the starship Enterprise. In passing the video noted an effort with a link - which was inactive - to a website that provided more information of a project to build a real live USS Enterprise. Then it gives me an idea.
Man I wish I had come up with this idea in time for Star Trek's 50th anniversary in 2016.
Anyway, my idea is for a real life Starfleet. The Enterprise - well all ships named Enterprise on Star Trek - serves an organization known as Starfleet. It is the diplomatic, exploratory, scientific and defense service of the galactic power know as the United Federation of Planets. Starfleet is not considered a military organization, but the service itself is built along military lines with a naval tradition.
Now a real life Starfleet - which wouldn't be a mere fan organization - would basically be a private organization dedicated to scientific & technological research & development in addition to exploration. From what I've casually observed with what's going on in space these days is there is a trend towards privatizing space. Who says government has to do all the work to send people and probes into space?
Perhaps this Starfleet could be the organization that is able to send people to the "red planet". Perhaps they also send people back to the moon. In both cases establish settlements or at the very least actual bases for scientific purposes. Of course this Starfleet could send astronauts around the solar system all the while developing better technologies - such as warp drive - to get our people exploring in shorter periods of time.
Of course to bring this back full circle, what about building the real starship Enterprise? Well the proposal I've heard involves using the design of a Constitution class starship - not clear if it's either the original series version or the movie refit version or even the one redesigned in 2009 - with nuclear reactors to power the ship, an ion engine for propulsion, & a gravity wheel in the saucer section. This proposed ship would get astronauts to the moon in three days - the same amount of time as the Apollo astronauts - and astronauts to Mars in 90 days. Mars in 90 days? OK worth a shot!
Of course using the Constitution class design seems like over kill. I always though a more practical design for today's spacecraft engineers is to use a design similar to the USS Defiant from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine or the NX-01 Enterprise from Star Trek Enterprise. While I recognize conventional wisdom is no need to built a space crusier - hence no Constitution based design - I think a practical design for a real live spacecraft based on a design from Star Trek should start with the compact or submarine based designs of the Defiant & Enterprise.
In my mine Enterprise would be what I wish we could start building for that mission to Mars. I'm not an engineer, however, this design could incorporate that gravity wheel. As far as the nuclear reactors or ion propulsion the real engineers of the world can figure this out.
So here's the NX-01 Enterprise as portrayed in the prequel eponymous Star Trek series in action. [VIDEO] Meanwhile if it takes a few years to design, plan and build this advanced spaceship, what I will say now is let's get started!
BTW, this has got to be the geekiest post written here!
[VIDEO] It allowed me to come to some conclusions especially with the term "fake news" flying around since Trump ran for President in 2016 and during the administration of President Trump currently. It depicts a battle - mainly legal battle - between the press and the government.
Basically some documents were smuggled from the Pentagon analyzing the war in Vietnam and those papers which have been publicly released shows a history of deception by the government as far as their Vietnam policy. The papers apparently start well before America became involved with the Vietnam War and it's escalation. There was a court case NY Times vs. U.S. which allowed the Times and the Washington Post to publish government documents without an reprisal by the government. In other words, the gov't can't censor you because they don't like the fact that you published some documents they didn't want you to see!
Allow me to share the big picture of the movie. We have a free press in this country, and resultantly free speech. With that said and I tweeted this out during the course of the movie - not during the movie of course.
There is no issue with me if President Trump pushed back against the press - or least the press he refers to as Fake News. Among conservatives I've seen that they believe the press has a bias against them. They believe the press or mainstream media trends liberal and in their coverage of Republicans or conservatives is colored with a liberal slant. Thus perhaps for many on the right - or perhaps "alt-right" - it's refreshing that the President isn't going along with that and is effectively punching back.
Our nation is supposed to have checks and balances between the President, Congress and judiciary. Who checks the press? We do need a strong press to check the government and it's three branches. A strong press is worthless if it's unwilling to check the government. As addressed in the movie, there were occasions - and perhaps they still ocurr - that newspaper publishers & editors or producers, reporters, journalists, etc. can be chummy with politicians on occasion. Thus it's possible to think that perhaps the press would cover for the politicians that they are chummy with when things are found out about them.
With that said when Trump takes on CNN or MSNBC or the NY Times it's entirely OK with me if her refers to those outlets as "fake news". We should consume news or information, we need not think that everything they say doesn't have a bias. We need not believe they don't have an agenda and perhaps it doesn't always benefit the people who consume the news & information they publish.
So it's OK with me if Trump calls the mainstream media "fake news". It's also OK with me if the media pushes back against Trump. What we're seeing is healthy. Who says the politicians shouldn't challenge the press - of course without suppressing them legally? Also who says the press shouldn't challenge the politicians?
BTW, if you check hashtag #ThePost on twitter you may see mostly negative views of The Post. Many have opted not to even watch the movie thanks to the liberal politics of Tom Hanks and Merryl Streep. Indeed another tweet I saw connected this movie with the Harvey Weinstein scandal. And I've learned that the film has only earned a half-million dollars when it was released New Year's weekend. Although when I saw the movie it was almost a full-house in my theater.
It's still a great movie and yes I can separate the politics or even complicity in some social context i.e. Weinstein from the work of art. Then again that's the beauty of America, we have the right to support or not support whatever we want for whatever reasons we have. Besides, I gave that dreadful Al Gore global warming sequel a chance even though I'm not likely to ever want to see it again!
As I reflect on another birthday for me, I reflect on the train rides. I like riding the trains especially on a vacation. To reflect on the number of places I've arrived on trains allow me to offer some destinations.
By Amtrak, I've been to Washington, Memphis, Detroit, Dallas, & Los Angeles. With the exception of Detroit all of those have been multiple trips and often to visit family in all of those places. Without a doubt Los Angeles have been the most interesting of these trips as I don't go out west often enough. And sometimes I wonder why with the issues they seem to have out there with immigration and wildfires.
All the same it's exciting to see the parts of America that I don't always see. It's cool to go out east and see those sites that I normally won't see. Which reminds me, I would like to go back to DC in the future. It's such a great place to see historical sites of great political importance. I'm not done with that town yet!
Also it's cool to head out west and see the landscape of this country go from midwestern farmlands, to grazing lands, to mountains, and deserts. To look at dry riverbeds, buttes, sands, bushes, etc. Doesn't matter where my train passes through it's a treat to see some of these small towns and stop in them to see how much simpler it can be outside of our major metropolitan areas.
As you probably can tell of all the years I've taken the train the highlights of them have been going out west to Los Angeles. I've only done so twice in the first two decades of this century and had been waiting to do so for years. And at that one time doing so with a sleeper car berth which is recommended by me if you do at least two overnights on a train.
This comes to mind because I've been watching a lot of train videos lately. Especially those that involve the Southwest Chief. Look forward to a few more train rides as long as I remain in good health and finding places to go in the meanwhile.
As an extra treat, here's one my favorite pics from my trip in 2016 taken in Mendota, IL from the train. Had a nice rainstorm as we were leaving the state on the way to the Mississippi River to cross into Iowa.
Mendota, Illinois
Also, this is the shortest and best video I could find about taking the Southwest Chief. It's under 10 mins although find any video you want about any train. These are only for if you want to educate yourself. [VIDEO]
Man this movie might actually get me excited although the idea of an rated R Trek is an odd one. I can only imagine the violence, language or nudity. Although I hate to bring up Tarantino's foot fetish, it has come up in a few of his movies.
To me Tarantino has a strong affinity for those old style 1970s motif (I hope I used that correctly). Pulp Fiction was full of that 1970s style with hatchbacks. Often he also seems to go for those old school "blaxploitation" style which we may see in Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown or even Django Unchained. Also think about the Kill Bill movies which I certainly loved especially the first one, he seems to be a fan of B-movie action and portrays them very violently.
And now Star Trek. Will he give Star Trek a retro feel? Would this new Trek be far more violent than most Trekkies are used too? Will the sex be turned up on high in a new movie?
BTW, I didn't know this Star Trek Beyond didn't make money last year. The 50th anniversary movie lost money and to be fair I liked it but was it a great memorable movie not as much as the 2009 Stark Trek. Which reminds me...
[VIDEO] John Campea was debating a Tarantino Trek. Perhaps Paramount who owns this franchise might want to shake things up and find a new direction. Think prior to 2009 it was considered unthinkable not only to recast the original characters with new actors as they had in the JJ Abrams Trek. It was also unthinkable to even tweak the design of the original USS Enterprise.
It would be quite interesting to see Tarantino's take on Gene Roddenberry's universe. Will it be faithful? Or will it simply be a Tarantino story set in Roddenberry's universe telling his own story? All we can do now is wait...
I also want to note the new Trek series Discovery. My initial take on it is that the show started off interesting with the pilot that aired on CBS. It ended with the Captain asserting her authority against her first officer who essentially wanted to contradict her C/O in handling the newly revamped Klingons. I have no idea about this f-bomb Campea said occurred in the series and he also claims Trekkies took issue with the insertion of that.
[VIDEO] I'm going to let John Campea do more talking about this movie. If I had seen the above video before seeing the 6 PM show I'd know what he was mostly talking about.
Since the start of the DC extended universe in 2013 with Man of Steel it seems the new series of films had starts in fits and starts. Man of Steel was OK there were some parts of the movie that threw me and basically they killed off Zod from Kryton so early.
Now I liked Batman vs. Superman though the whole film wasn't that good. Batman to me stole the show though in reading other reviews many had a serious issue with Batman as a cold killer. The Dark Knight or Caped Crusader showed he was a bad man in facing down the hoodlums of Gotham and Superman. It was a bit goofy how using Martha - the name of both Clark's mother & Bruce Wayne's - stopped the epic fight between DC Comics two most iconic superheroes.
I also liked Suicide Squad also problem is they threw in the Joker. I recognize that they threw in the Joker because Harley Quinn was in it - because she's been introduced to the main DC universe and is no longer exclusive to the DC animated universe. The first part seemed to have been humming along, the second half well I didn't get it. And again we get a glimpse of Batman & The Flash with a special appearance by Bruce Wayne near the end seeking to provide Amanda Waller cover.
The next movie changed the direction of the DC extended universe, Wonder Woman. Using the Great War (The first World War) was a nice touch that worked and contrasted with the canonical second World War origins of the superheroine. She fought the German Empire as easily as she fought the Nazi's Third Reich. It was quite an introduction especially if her introduction into Batman v. Superman wasn't as satisfying.
Finally we have the long awaited Justice League. Ah the Easter eggs I want to talk about we seem some hints of other DC super heroes in this one though nothing from them yet - and yes there will be other movies about these other characters. It was great to see Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg interact with each other. At first there was some hostility, then eventually they came together to fight a common antagonist. We even see a certain superhero who died in Batman vs. Superman return to finish the fight.Yeah I know a bit of a spoiler but if you've been paying attention to the trailers you already know Superman is coming back.
Just like Wonder Woman, the audience applauded and I missed the scene after the credits. There was a mid-credits scene that I saw, however, since I was at the movies far later than usual it was time for me to go. I may go see this film one more time to see this final scene. Although they could've ended this with the mid-credits scene which was very satisfying...and the audience also applauded that!
BTW, DC extended universe films aren't known for these end credits scene are they stealing a trick out of the page of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I could like without it though only provided if they advance the story of the DC universe.
Also, I've never caught a midnight show, however, I've noticed over the years that they have slowly fallen out of favor. Basically if a blockbuster is expected to come out on Friday - in general - you can be amongst the first to catch it starting at 6 PM on Thursday. Of course this depends upon the venue where you seek to watch the movie. All the same I enjoyed this experience although a long way from saying this is something to do again. Perhaps for the right movie - the right geeky movie!
Go see Justice League, it gets a thumbs up from me!
