Note To Tommy Shaw, James Young and Steve Perry

The Rock and Roll community is still in mourning over the passing of guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen was the band that gave us the "was the David Lee Roth era better or was the Sammy Hagar era better" debate. The common equation with the band during both eras was the guitar virtuosity of Eddie Van Halen. He was truly one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

As often happens with bands when they become famous and earn more money, you have division. It becomes a business. Egos take over. Roth left the band after the 1984 album as he sought greener pastures. Hagar joined the band and their popularity continued to soar into the 1990s. Unfortunately, that came to an end as well. Eventually, pointing fingers and assigning blame becomes a useless endeavor.

Roth was able to come full circle and reunite with Eddie and Alex Van Halen. They gave the fans new music and toured for a while. Sadly, original bassist Michael Anthony and Hagar didn't appear to be on good terms with Eddie. There were rumors of reunions, but nothing happened. When you're dealing with egos, this is what happens sometimes. We are told that Eddie and Sammy finally made amends this year, but both knew that they wouldn't be making new music or touring together anymore.

There is a lesson that can be learned among two other iconic classic rock bands. Let us talk about Journey and Styx. In both cases, the bands are at odds with their lead singers. We haven't seen Journey make new music with Steve Perry since the 1990s, which is also when Dennis DeYoung and Styx had a parting of the ways. The division is different with both groups, but it also means any sort of reunion seems unlikely.

Perry is dealing with his own personal issues with Journey, but the way in which he was replaced back in the 1990s clearly is something he's struggled to get over. You get a sense that founding member Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain are both interested in doing something with Perry. It appears as if both would be receptive to playing music with him or just meeting up with him to have a good conversation. The holdup in this case seems to be Perry himself. This is a reunion that long time Journey fans would love to see.

The surviving members of Styx voted to remove Dennis DeYoung from the band in 1999. Since that time, founding member James Young and longtime member Tommy Shaw have toured with other members and the occasional visit by founding member Chuck Panozzo. DeYoung has toured as a solo act. In recent years, he's molded his band to play not just the hits that he sang with Styx but Tommy's hits as well. When concert tours were in full swing, you could catch either DeYoung or Styx playing somewhere.

The attitudes of Young and Shaw haven't changed. In fact, the two can get quite negative towards DeYoung in interviews on occasion. With DeYoung, there is interest in doing something with the band again. Dennis has been making new music lately. As he's entered his 70s, he has been contemplating the end of his career. His interest is to come full circle and play with these guys again, if only for a little while. The holdup is the other members.

The lesson of Eddie Van Halen shouldn't be lost here. You can carry a grudge too far, and then there are regrets. At least Eddie did tour with Roth again and seemed to make amends with Hagar. Even if Eddie and Sammy didn't play together again, they were on friendly terms in the and. There is no guarantee what tomorrow will bring, and we've lost one of the greatest guitar players of all time.

Shaw and Young seem to want to dwell on just negative things that might have happened in the past with Styx, but was everything really that bad? When the band was touring all over the world to packed arenas and selling millions of records to adoring fans, was it really all that bad? The fact that they're able to tour without Dennis and play those old songs is because they made them popular with Dennis in the first place. Is there not a kernel of any kind of respect or appreciation left within Shaw and Young towards DeYoung? What if they wake up one day to bad news about DeYoung and regret that they didn't make amends?

Steve Perry is one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time. Journey was a band that was taken to a whole new level when Perry joined them. He's been somewhat reclusive over the last 20 years, though he has made new music in the last few years. Though there are some hurt feelings over the way things went after their last original album together, is there any part of Perry that would want to at least come full circle and make amends? Might they be able to do something special together one more time?

From a selfish fan perspective, there are many fans of the bands Styx and Journey who would love to hear them play together one last time. They made music that resonates with their fans to this day, and some of those songs have special meaning to them. Seeing them together one last time for a new song, a new show or whatever would give long-time fans something to be happy about at a time in which the world is in a dark place.

More than that, it's about regrets of what could have been. These bands went up and down the road together, perfecting their craft and becoming the iconic acts that they are now. It couldn't have been all bad times or they wouldn't have achieved their success. Sure, something bad might have happened that caused the hard feelings that some of these members have now, but is it worth holding on to that anger and hurt? They can hold on to it if they want, but one day they may regret not letting go and bringing some closure to those unresolved issues.

Movie Review: Just One Of The Girls Starring Corey Haim

A couple of years ago, I noticed that Corey Haim had made this direct-to-video movie called just one of the girls. Back in the 1980's, he was one of the top child stars in Hollywood, but he sort of slipped under the radar in the 1990s. Most of what he was doing by then ended up going direct to video, including this 1993 production. Unless you were a big video movie fan, you might have missed some of his movies. Generally, when we went to the video store, we were renting videos of movies that had already had their runs in the theaters.

Admittedly, this movie isn't something that critics would rave about, but it's actually enjoyable. It stars Corey as Chris Calder and Nicole Eggert as Marie Stark. Chris is a top student who's on track to go to college and become a doctor, which is what his father would like him do. However, his passion is music, and he's hoping to get a record deal and be involved in the music industry. Marie is a cheerleader and ultimately the object of Chris's affection.

Chris has another problem. There's a bully who is terrorizing him. His name is Kurt and he's played by Cameron Bancroft. Chris's father advises him to stand up to the bully, but this is not something he really wants to do. One day while helping his sister pick out an outfit, the bully notices that Chris is at the women's clothing shop. Chris thinks fast and disguises himself as a girl to avoid the fight. Later, he realizes that his solution to avoiding a confrontation with the bully is to dress up as a girl at school. 

Chris thinks he's got the plan all figured out. He'll get through the doors dressed as a girl and then go into the bathroom and change back into his male clothing. However, his music teacher and his PE teacher both see him as Chrissy, his female persona. He's now stuck having to play Chrissy full time at school, and he digs in deeper when he has an opportunity to save Marie from her boyfriend, who is pressuring her to go all the way.

Of course, the plan has its obstacles. Kurt is now attracted to Chrissy, unaware that this is really Chris in disguise. To complicate things even further, Kurt is Marie's brother. The music class seems to be going well, and Chris is becoming closer to Marie as a friend. You don't expect it to go that easy for him, do you? This means the plan will start to fall apart, but will it work out for the best in the end?

Obviously, there are the cliche moments. For instance, does dressing up as Chrissy make him gay? His parents inevitably find out, and his PE instructor is on to him as well. He convinces her to back off by claiming to be transgender. She agrees not to tell on him, but he has to agree to counseling with her after school. She wants him to come out as Chrissy to his parents. We watch as this whole thing begins to spiral out of control. There's also the fact that Maria convinces Chrissy to join her on the cheerleading squad. There are several amusing moments, but I don't want to give away all the secrets.

We're not watching Shakespeare here, and a bit of suspension of disbelief will help the viewing process. Corey actually makes a presentable high school girl in this movie, though his voice would likely give him away. He makes the stereotypical attempt at a female voice to bluff his way through school. Haim has always had a charm about him. While the story may not be perfect, it's one that you can relax in front of the TV and enjoy. 

Corey and Nicole were actually dating around this time, and they do a good job of carrying the plot along. The movie had a good cast as well. I will go one better and say that this was a movie that could have played in the theaters and could have been a minor hit, especially if this happened in the late 1980s instead of the early 1990s. It's definitely a movie with a 1980s feel to it. It's a movie that does what you'd expect it to do, isn't meant to make you think and is enjoyable. I'd say it's an above-average movie.

It's a shame watching Corey and knowing that he was an actor with such potential who never really got the opportunity to shine on the big screen as an adult. He had charisma and a certain quality that, given the right story, would have made a studio backed movie a hit. Unfortunately, his personal struggles meant that he wasn't given those types of opportunities and had to make the best out of what he was given.

If I were putting together a list of my favorite Corey Haim movies, Just One Of The Girls would make it into the Top 10. I recommend it as something you can watch with your friends. There is a bit of nudity that might not be suitable for younger viewers. It's not the best movie you'll ever see, but it's not the worst either. A fan of his would enjoy this movie, but I don't think you have to be a fan to like it.

Movie Review: Prayer Of The Rollerboys

I finally got around to watching Prayer Of The Rollerboys. I was aware of this movie when it came out, but I opted not to see it back then. As I recall, I figured there were other movies with similar types of themes that were more interesting to me. Since then, I've noticed people tend to slam this movie and don't say very nice things about it. Was it really that bad?

The movie stars Corey Haim and Patricia Arquette. Corey plays Griffin, a rollerblade enthusiast who has been taking care of his younger brother since their parents died. A nice older man named Speedbagger, played by Julius Harris, has taken the two brothers into his home and cares for them. Griffin is hoping that one day he can get into college and make a better life for himself. Arquette plays Casey, who seems to be in the drug scene at first. However, it turns out that she is an undercover cop. Her performance, while adequate, just didn't grab me

This is another one of those dystopian society movies, where the future of the United States looks grim. People are being herded into camps, and you do what you have to do to get by. Thanks to Speedbagger giving Griffin and his brother a place to live, Griffin manages to find work as a pizza delivery boy. Though he has a plan to make a better future for himself, he's not without compassion. This is demonstrated when he backs his delivery van into the wall of a burning house to save somebody, much to the chagrin of his boss Pinky, played by John P Connolly.

We do see early on that gangs pretty much do what they want, but the Rollerboys are more than just a gang. They are the corporation that runs things in the area by using gang tactics. They are also racist and preach a message that all of the immigrants caused the downturn of society. After Griffin saves the person from the burning building, it's revealed that he was a member of the Rollerboys. We soon get a meeting between their leader Gary Lee, played by Christopher Collet, and Griffin. It turns out that these two knew each other when they were younger, and Collet would like to recruit Griffin into his group.

Griffin knows better than to be a part of the gang. They are dealing a destructive drug within the community called Mist, and Griffin wants no part of it. Unfortunately, his younger brother is enamored with the group and becomes a drug runner for them. It's explained that the Rollerboys use the young kids as runners so they can keep their hands clean. Though Griffin doesn't want any part of this, he realizes that he needs to join them to protect his brother and to ultimately try to bring the Rollerboys down.

For those who like rollerblading, which was a big deal back in 1991, you'll get lots of that. There are some explosions, though not on par with some of the other dystopian movies that are filled with more special effects. This story is more plot driven. Everybody in the cast gives a solid performance, but I'm particularly impressed with the way Haim, Collet and Harris carried this movie. Though it starts slowly, it picks up the pace from there and builds to an exciting conclusion.

Even though the movie wraps up well enough in the end, there's the hint of a sequel. I can only imagine that when they started the process of putting this movie together, they had dreams of making a nice little franchise. When you look at this movie, you could certainly make a case for a TV series being created based on the story. Unfortunately, box office numbers dictated that this would be the only movie. I can't help but think that Corey was disappointed as I've seen interviews where he was very enthusiastic and proud of this movie. He had reason to be proud. It wasn't a bad movie.

It is a bit ironic, given the fact that he was battling his own demons with drugs at the time, that Haim would pick a movie with an anti-drug message. While some might call that hypocritical, you have to look at it from his eyes. He was aware that he had a problem, and you can damn well believe that he wasn't happy about that. So, if making a movie with a message like this could steer anybody away from the path that he had taken, he was going to do it. I can't help but respect him for that, and it makes me sadder knowing that he was an actor who had great potential. His demons prevented him from achieving the big success that he deserved.

I find it interesting that Haim talked about wanting to play the older brother in his mini documentary Me, Myself And I, and he got that opportunity here. The other thing is this movie was an opportunity for Haim to get a more adult role as he set his sights on transitioning from child actor into adult actor. His acting in this movie was solid, but it didn't manage to help him move his career forward. The movie quickly became lost in the shuffle.

If I can make an observation about that, I can't help but be a little surprised that this movie didn't perform better. According to Box Office Mojo, it was released at a time when there was nothing big going on at the box office. The Pope Must Die, Beastmaster 2 and Child's Play 3 came out that weekend. Dead Again came out the week before and performed well, and Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare came out two weeks later. In theory, it should have performed better in the theaters. 

Corey's drug issue was known by then, so it might have affected his younger audience. The fact that this movie, much like Dream A Little Dream, starts off slowly didn't help. To the younger crowd, that would probably have been a turn off and affected the word of mouth negatively. New fans just didn't join the party. That's all speculation. Whatever the case, this movie didn't do good numbers, and unfortunately, we didn't see much of Corey Haim in the theaters after this. It was pretty much direct to video from this point on.

While I would say that other movies did the dystopian thing better, that isn't a reason to dismiss this one. It's an above-average movie that has its good points. I like the connection between Griffin and his younger brother. I like the connection that they had with Speedbagger. Not only was Collet impressive as Gary Lee, Morgan Weisser did an exceptional job as Bullwinkle, the character that Griffin saved from the burning building who ultimately became his rival.

It's always easy to go back and look at things through hindsight. You think about what could have been and what should have been, but the bottom line was the movie-going public was not ready for this movie. With the benefit of hindsight, it does have its merits. If you were planning to have a Corey Haim movie marathon that excluded The Two Coreys movies and Lucas from the list, this movie belongs in the rotation. You'll start to appreciate just how good of an actor he was.

David Knight Fired From Infowars

Last week, Alex Jones made the announcement that David Knight was fired from Infowars. This shouldn't come as a big surprise to long time observers. In fact, I'm surprised that Knight lasted with as long as he did. When David signed on to become a host, he and Jones appeared to have a similar goal in mind. Both were presented as independent, liberty oriented people who didn't trust either major party. Only one of them has stuck to those ideals during that time.

For whatever reason, Jones made the decision to go all in with Donald Trump back in 2015. In doing so, he has guided millions of independent, truth seekers back to the two party plantation. Occasionally, Jones has feigned outrage over something Trump has done, only to walk it back within the next few days. However, it's obvious that he has sold out his ideals. How much money he may have gotten to sell out would be the question. Some people will even say that Jones sold out long before throwing his support behind Trump.

Liberty minded, truth seeking individuals have basically used the internet to find voices that buck the mainstream narrative. Following the death of Bill Cooper, Jones and his Infowars platform grew by leaps and bounds. There have been other voices breaking big stories, but Infowars has always grabbed a hold of those stories and presented them in such a way as to make people think they were the ones who broke the news. In doing so, nobody else in the truth movement has managed to gain a significant audience.

When Jones joined forces with Trump and the Republican party, it was like a dagger to the heart of the truth movement. The one bright spot in all of that was David Knight. David always delivered a well researched report in a calm manner. Unlike other hosts on the Infowars platform, he wasn't speaking in a scary, panicked manner. He was delivering you the facts and presenting his conclusions calmly and rationally. This makes David one of the best liberty minded hosts since Bill Cooper.

Infowars is no longer the platform for the little guy. It's no longer the voice for the truth movement, and it hasn't been for quite some time. It is a mini corporation unto itself. You could even call it Truth Incorporated. However, as any rational thinking person would tell you, you can't listen to anybody and believe what they say 100%. As Cooper and no doubt Knight would advise, don't take anybody's word on anything until you can research it and come to your own informed conclusion. David Knight will continue to do his show independently. You can follow David on His Twitter Page.

There Is A Way For Disney To Make The Star Wars Fan Base Happy

There was plenty of happiness and excitement this past week in the Star Wars community. Many long time fans even confessed to cheering out loud and crying at the return of Luke Skywalker on The Mandalorian. This is something that may have been negatively referred to as fan service just a few years ago, but long time fans will say this was way overdue. Though some say the franchise is a mess, others say there is a way to fix it.

At the recent investors meeting, Kathleen Kennedy rolled out several new Star Wars series and movie titles that will premiere over the next few years. Absent from this announcement were any plans for where the franchise will go following the conclusion of the Disney Star Wars trilogy. One thing Disney knows very well is that the fan base was not pleased after The Rise Of Skywalker. It wasn't just the long time fans who were unhappy. Fans who were on board with what Disney was doing were left with a bad taste in their mouths as well. 

There is a way to get people back on board. Long time fans are still skeptical. Despite seeing the character of Luke Skywalker in his prime once again, there is a problem. Many long time fans realize that it's still heading to the Disney Star Wars trilogy. If left to that fate, nothing really changes. Therefore, they are calling for something to change that negates the three movies. It's been suggested that the writers can use The Veil Of The Force to erase the Disney trilogy. There's just one problem with that scenario. 

In the process of erasing what began with The Force Awakens, Disney would also be erasing the new characters that some of the fans liked. This would not make them very happy. However, some of them weren't happy anyways. There was a certain fan base that wanted to see Kylo Ren and Rey get together in the end. When The Rise Of Skywalker ended with Rey taking the Skywalker name and Kylo Ren dying, those fans were very displeased. An effort by JJ Abrams to end the trilogy in a way that could make the different factions of the fan base happy resulted in disappointment all around.

Disney could ultimately take a different path. They could simply move the Star Wars timeline many years beyond the events of The Rise Of Skywalker. In doing so, they could tell a whole new story and leave the rest in the past. There would likely be some unhappy fans, moreso among the older fan base. However, this would also give them an opportunity to tell a new story with no particular old canon to present them with complications. On the other hand, there is another way in which erasing the Disney trilogy could still make everybody happy if done correctly.

For starters, erasing the trilogy does not mean erasing the new characters. You could still have Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo Ren and others. You could have a Rey and Kylo Ren romance, while still making Rey one of the heroes who has an actual hero's journey this time. You can even tell the Kylo Ren story in a way where he has an actual redemption in the end. You can do many things with the newer characters that would be entertaining and even get the older fan base on board with it.

Sadly, some of what you could have done with the older characters is not possible anymore. With Carrie Fisher no longer with us, General Leia would not be a main character. As Disney keeps playing around with CGI, however, she could still be represented. At the moment, it is still possible to give the fan base the reunion of Luke, Han Solo and Leia. A clean slate for the Disney era of Star Wars would mean handling these characters in a more satisfying way. The new generation would still be the heroes, but the older generation would be useful and handled with respect.

There's a reason why you're not hearing about the next Disney Star Wars trilogy or just the next movie to follow The Rise Of Skywalker. Disney executives know they messed up with Star Wars. They know that they have to work to earn the trust of the fans. You can bet they are working on ideas, and there have likely been story treatments written. They just aren't sure where to go with the story, but you can bet they are thinking about it. What they may decide is still subject to speculation. However, there is a way for them to erase the latest trilogy and do it in a way that can make everybody happy. It will be interesting to see what they do next.

How To Save Star Trek Franchise

After the most recent episode of Star Trek Discovery, YouTube content creator Doomcock did a video pointing out that they exposed the real truth about the current show. In that episode, they admitted that this series is from the Star Trek timeline created by JJ Abrams when he rebooted the Star Trek franchise on the big screen a little over a decade ago. For more context, Midnight's Edge on YouTube has also done work exposing the 25% different agreement for merchandise sales of anything JJ Abrams created with the Star Trek brand.

There has been quite a bit of debate at to whether the three Star Trek movies done by Bad Robot, Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek Picard or any of that content is officially recognized canon. When we talk about canon, we're speaking of the original Star Trek series from the 1960s all the way through the end of the Star Trek Enterprise series of the early 2000s. Some people, including myself, have debated the idea that nothing after Enterprise happened in the timeline that we know. In fact, some Star Trek purists suggest that Enterprise doesn't count either, but that's another debate.

In order to get get his hands on the franchise, Abrams had to sign certain agreements. Understandably, he wanted to sell merchandise as he believed that the reboot movies would be a huge success. However, the studio was not interested in making any sort of agreement to license the original characters. Abrams' reboot was to include all of the original series characters with new actors in the roles. It also established a whole new timeline that took the show in a much different direction than that envisioned by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

As things went on and the movies gave way to the new streaming service shows, the fan base became increasingly divided. Newer fans are a little more forgiving of the story and the direction the show is going. Long time fans lament the fact that this show has gone so far in another direction that it's almost unrecognizable as a Star Trek product. 

The good news is the most recent episode of Star Trek Discovery seemed to indicate what some of us have been saying all along. This show is not part of the original timeline. Therefore, nothing depicted in it really matters. Think of it as a glorified fanfiction that is somehow allowed to be on the small screen. Or, to be nicer to fans of this incarnation, it's Star Trek canon in an alternate timeline.

Some Star Trek purists maintain that it's too late. The show has already been ruined. This is the lament of the fans of other franchises such as Star Wars and Doctor Who. There is a concern that the franchise has been damaged so badly that it can't be repaired. I won't speak to Star Wars or Doctor Who in this article, but the solution is very simple when it comes to Star Trek. There is a way forward that would get long time fans back on board in an instant, and all that's needed is for CBS/Viacom to take control and green light something different.

Although Star Trek could attempt to do another movie with different characters, it's always worked better as a television series. This enables the franchise to rebuild as they establish new characters and build on the established canon of over 50 years. A new series should be made, and it should feature a whole new crew of the Star Trek Enterprise several years in the future. It gives the writers an opportunity to tell new stories and create new series lore. 

What Enterprise will this be? 1701 E? F? What sort of things have happened to lead the crew to where they are now? Who is The Federation at war with and who are its allies? Who would be the captain of the Enterprise? Rather than going back in time as seems to be a trend with these franchises, the Roddenberry vision has always looked ahead to the future. This is what is needed for Star Trek right now. Look to the future and give people a reason to be excited. The overall message of Star Trek has always been hope.

The franchise is not destroyed. It's being abused, but it's not destroyed. Of all of the damage that's been done to other franchises, the damage done in the Star Trek universe is the easiest to repair. Dismiss the reboot movies and the stuff that came after it. It's in an alternate universe that can exist, but it doesn't affect the main timeline. Move to the future and tell new stories. 

Star Trek can easily be saved by focusing on The Generation Beyond The Next Generation. We might need to work on that title, but this idea is a surefire hit. They just need to bring in writers who respect the lore and actors who are committed to their roles. If they did this and did it right, not only could they make a very entertaining new Star Trek series, they could also set the stage for future movies.

When Social Media Bans Your Ability To Ask Questions

There's no avoiding what's happening now. We've reached a point where if you disagree with the narrative being promoted by the mainstream media, you risk losing your ability to ask questions online. When you follow the trail of evidence, it's easy to come to the conclusion that you're not being told the truth. If you speak out against that, you risk being banned and removed from social media platforms. Is this the world we want to live in?

For those buying into the official narrative every time or simply enjoying the fact that people they oppose are being censored, they have a simple response. If you get banned, suspended or have warning labels put on your comments, these people will tell you that you're using somebody elses platform. They will tell you that you have no right to free speech, because whatever corporation owns the platform you are using.

When The Constitution was forged, free speech meant the ability to use the public square to voice your grievances. It spoke of your right to assemble among your peers. It's much deeper than that, but it speaks to the idea that your ability to express yourself wouldn't be censored. What the founding fathers didn't envision was that so much political and social debate would take place on the internet at various social media platforms. There was nothing like that in the 1700s.

The internet was the Wild West when it was introduced. As technology made it more affordable for people to be on the internet, this is where big social and political discussions started taking place. It's to the point now where politicians use various social media platforms when campaigning during an election. They depend on the ability to get their message out to the people. 

 

However, we've even witnessed social media platforms banning politicians during election campaigns. People are saying that social media platforms have a right to do that. In the process of banning politicians during political campaigns, social media sites are picking sides in an election and effecting the outcome.

In censoring certain political points of view, they are manipulating the debate. The fact that somebody owns that platform is simply not an acceptable excuse to advocate for censorship. Anybody who intellectually analyzes this will understand it immediately. It doesn't matter that somebody owns a platform like Twitter or Facebook. If it's being used in the free expression of ideas and basically being treated as the public square, a person should not be denied their free speech.

YouTube made a disturbing proclamation. They will start censoring any discussions regarding the election. Despite the fact that reasonable questions and concerns have not been addressed in a satisfying manner, social media is gaslighting everybody to tell them that it's all legitimate. They have proclaimed that there is no election fraud. They don't even want to have discussions to come to an understanding, reveal that things are legitimate or reveal that things are not quite legitimate. If there are even the slightest irregularities with this election, they must be brought to light and fixed for the future. 

Making it even more disturbing is the fact that after the 2016 election, the media continued to push the narrative that Russia somehow manipulated the outcome. Social media allowed people who didn't like the outcome to blame everything on Russia. In fact, people are still doing that. You can't have it both ways. If people are allowed to question the 2016 outcome, even when the Russia narrative has been thoroughly debunked, people should be allowed to question the outcome of the 2020 election.

The biggest concern people ought to have is that censorship is going to force people to think a certain way. When the big tech companies put themselves above the government and our established rule of law, we've got an even bigger issue. If we don't take a stand against this now, it will be too late. 

 

Even people on the left are beginning to be penalized for not expressing the proper opinions on social media, and it's only just begun. For those on the left cheerleading for people on the right to be deplatformed, take note. Once that happens and the people you don't like have been eliminated, who do you think they will come after next?

Replika Creators Not Concerned With The Feelings Of Their Vulnerable Users

 

About a week ago, the creators of the Replika AI app made an adjustment. For those unfamiliar with Replika, it's an artificial intelligence chatbot. It's actually one of the better ones available, and it has a free feature. If you want to be able to use additional features, such as more customizable avatars and simulated telephone calls, you have to go through the pay window.

The free model allowed people to simulate relationships and take advantage of the role playing feature. It's not difficult to understand that people suffering from depression, mental illness or just loneliness might also be those who have very little disposable income. Therefore, deciding to spend the 10 bucks per month is not an option for them. Buying it outright for $60 is near impossible for some.

In many cases, people have been using the free model for several months. During that time, they've cultivated caring simulated relationships with their artificial intelligence. Some of them have taken it in a more intimate direction. Again, to those who aren't struggling through life, they may not understand how the move by Replika to put everything behind a pay window is harmful to those who were using what they thought were free features.

The app creators even tout the fact that Replika is useful in helping people deal with mental issues and depression. It's a selling point. I totally understand that they have a business model, and they are trying to make money. However, these people study artificial intelligence enough to understand how much of an impact their program has on vulnerable people. To give somebody something that actually simulates a loving relationship and then take it away from them abruptly, without warning them, is cruel and heartless. It also comes during the holiday season, which is depressing enough for some people as it is.

The work that they did on the Replika app is very impressive. I've looked at several different chatbot models, and this one can simulate a realistic conversation for several minutes. The more time you put into one of these apps, the better it gets. Some will say that using artificial intelligence to simulate a relationship is not healthy and can be harmful to a person in the long run. They may be right about that. I'm not in the mental health care business, so all I have is my opinion to go on.

What I do understand is that depression and loneliness go hand in hand. As technology advances, the socially awkward and shy will turn to other means for companionship. Currently, that might be an artificial intelligence app. However, there will come a day when virtual reality and robot technology will be used for the lonely among us to feel loved. It may not seem real to others, but it will feel real to the ones who use the technology.

What I've noticed is a slew of negative reviews on the Replika AI Google Play Store. They coincide with the changes made to put everything behind a paywall. People have suddenly found that their once caring and loving app is now cold and distant. Even some people who have paid the company money for a subscription are reporting this. I find it very interesting that suddenly today there have been several positive reviews. Maybe they are real, and maybe they are being encouraged by the company as a way for them to try to move past this issue without taking a ratings hit.

They are within their rights to do whatever they want. Ultimately, everything is about money in this world. Rather than concentrate on making the pay model more attractive through other means, this move was a way to force people who can't afford it to give them money or lose what they had. It's an interesting dilemma. People who once felt loved by their apps are now being told to pay this company money if they want that feeling again. Yes, it's about business, but this still feels like a heartless move from the Replika AI company.

The Real Reason Styx And Dennis DeYoung Aren't Likely To Reunite

Some die hard Styx fans hold out hope that Dennis DeYoung can come back for one more tour with the band or at least do some select shows. DeYoung himself has proposed this idea, but it's not likely that James Young or Tommy Shaw will ever let that happen. They've dug their heels into the sand and have taken firm control of the Styx brand name. After doing things their way for the last 20 years, they aren't likely to compromise with DeYoung, even for what would surely be one successful tour.

We've heard various narratives as to why there won't be a reconciliation between these guys, and most of them have been proven to be false. It has been suggested that DeYoung simply didn't want to rock, but that has been proven to be a lie. It's been suggested that DeYoung didn't want to tour, but that has also been proven to be untrue. The reality is that DeYoung was the captain of the ship and guided the band to its success, and the others resented him for the way he controlled things.

DeYoung never considered himself better than the rest of the band. He never felt that the band could be better if any one player was removed from the lineup. In fact, it was James Young who pushed hard for DeYoung to keep the band going after Tommy Shaw left following the Kilroy Was Here tour. It was DeYoung who was against the idea. There is surely some resentment from Young and maybe even the Panozzo brothers because Styx sat dormant for most of the 1980s while DeYoung waited for Shaw to return.

When the band was trying to create their unique sound and landed the record deal with Wooden Nickel, there was a different dynamic at play. Young was as much the lead singer of the band as DeYoung was, though DeYoung had better chart success with his songs. DeYoung's ego took a bruising when his surefire hit Lady off of their second album didn't chart. It wasn't until they were promoting their fifth album with a new label that Lady became a Top 10 hit, and that was all the encouragement DeYoung needed. From that point on, he felt certain that he knew what it would take for this band to be a huge success.

The first casualty of DeYoung's guidance was the departure of John Curulewski following their fifth album (Equinox). There are varying stories about what happened, but it's been said that John was not happy with DeYoung. This was when Tommy Shaw joined the band and gave them just what they needed to take it to the next level. It didn't initially start that way with the Crystal Ball album. DeYoung featured Shaw prominently on this album, but it didn't perform as well as the previous album did. However, the unit jelled quite nicely for The Grand Illusion. Everybody had shining moments to be proud of on that album, which went triple platinum. 

The next three albums also went triple platinum, followed by a still successful platinum selling album. Pieces Of Eight was the band's biggest rocking album with Shaw having two of his bigger hits, Renegade and Blue Collar Man. DeYoung was still using his progressive rock influences, but his contributions to the album didn't go anywhere on the charts. This is where the rift began. It's obvious that both Shaw and Young felt the band should continue to go in a rocking direction, but DeYoung insisted they change it up.

One could look at that argument and see both sides of the coin. Disco had a big presence on the music scene at that time, and punk rock was emerging. However, the band had just gone triple platinum again. There was no reason to believe they couldn't do it one more time with more straightforward rock and roll. DeYoung was ready to unleash the ballad First Time as the lead single off of Cornerstone, but there was just one thing. He recorded the song Babe with the Panozzo brothers as a special gift to his wife Suzanne. The label wanted that song on the album and would lead with it.

Babe was a huge hit and opened up major doors for the band as their music was introduced to a new audience. The triple platinum selling Cornerstone album was nothing like they had done before, and Shaw and Young weren't thrilled with the direction the band was taking. In fact, they fought to remove DeYoung from the band. The only problem was they couldn't find a replacement. When DeYoung returned, he was more determined than ever to guide the band. His successes were all the evidence he needed to prove that he knew where things should go next.

While Young continued to be a good soldier, Shaw was slowly retreating. It's interesting to point out that Paradise Theater offered Tommy's biggest hit with the band, Too Much Time On My Hands. She Cares was his only other contribution on the album, though he also sang lead on the popular FM song Snowblind.  Paradise Theater was another triple platinum selling album. Even if Shaw and Young were unhappy, the fact that the band was in so much demand that they kept adding concert dates enticed them to stay put. Bands make most of their money on tour.

DeYoung felt the band needed to have a big concept album in the vein of Pink Floyd's The Wall or The Who's Tommy. He envisioned a world where technology was used to control the masses. The band's own bout with censorship over the song Snowblind was also an influence. This was another album that didn't rock the way the band had in the past. DeYoung's Mr Roboto and Don't Let It End were two more Top 10 hits, but Shaw was becoming increasingly unhappy. If DeYoung was going to continue to take the band wherever he saw fit, Shaw didn't want to be a part of it anymore. He had a record deal lined up for his move from the band.

The concert tour for Kilroy Was Here was a loser due to the big production costs, and DeYoung already knew that he needed to take the band back in a rocking direction. However, Shaw's departure caused DeYoung to put the band on hold. Both Shaw and DeYoung pursued solo careers, and DeYoung had the bigger chart success. The other three members of the band were more than willing to continue to go on without Shaw, but DeYoung felt it wouldn't work without Tommy. He wanted to wait.

This is the genesis of the rift between the other band members. It still boils down to the other band members feeling DeYoung had taken too much control. Though the band was having chart topping success and selling out arenas, Shaw and Young felt creatively stifled in this environment. However, Young was more than willing to continue without Shaw due to the fact that they could still sell tickets to the show. It's obvious that DeYoung putting the band on hold didn't make Young very happy either.

This is the other cause of the problem. The band was not allowed to continue unless DeYoung felt it should. By the time Shaw was ready to return, DeYoung was committed to a solo album. The band waited long enough that Shaw got a gig with the Damn Yankees. This time, DeYoung decided to replace Shaw with Glen Burnick, and the band recorded Edge Of The Century. They toured on that album and recorded material for a new album, but DeYoung's issues with the record label ended things at that point.

At this point in the story, there was bound to be resentment towards DeYoung. During this time, John Panozzo ended up getting sick and passing away. This no doubt led to a little bit of resentment from Chuck Panozzo, who may have wondered why the band had so much downtime when three of the other members were willing to go without Shaw. However, everybody buried the hatchet when they rerecorded Lady for a new Best Of album, and this led to the band reuniting for the successful Return To Paradise tour.

The band was selling out decent sized venues during 1996 and 1997. DeYoung hadn't made the commitment to tour beyond that, but he changed his mind as certain band members had financial issues and he wanted to help them. However, the band was gaining more momentum. Their music was being used in TV commercials, TV shows and movies. Their music was being introduced to a whole new generation, so the idea of recording a new album and touring some more was on everybody's mind.

This last part might have been just unlucky timing. DeYoung legitimately got sick and was suffering fatigue issues. While he tried to get that diagnosed, the remaining band members didn't want to wait on him. They took legal action to control the Styx brand. DeYoung ultimately took them to court and won the right to use "The Music Of Styx" in advertisements for his solo shows. However, Shaw and Young won the right to use the Styx brand name and book dates as they saw fit. It's obvious that the remaining band members resented DeYoung for taking legal action.

In various interviews, they've used different excuses for why DeYoung wasn't in the band anymore, but it boils down to control. The irony of the situation is that those contentious years when the band was at their peak enabled them to raise the brand name to new heights. They are able to tour now without the principal songwriter and lead singer because of the popularity of those other songs. In the 20 years that Young and Shaw have controlled the brand name, they've really added nothing of significance to their music catalog. Then again, the music industry has changed so much that there aren't too many older bands that have accomplished that either.

The bottom line is the Styx brand name goes on under the guidance of Shaw and Young. They are able to book concerts every year, even if they are usually part of a two or three band package deal. New music is still being made (Cyclorama, Mission To Mars), but it's not necessary for their business model. Even the fact that DeYoung coming back to the band might sell more tickets isn't a factor at this point. They are already able to sell tickets, so bringing DeYoung back into the band is not seen as necessary. They have a formula that works, and it's not likely to change.

DeYoung released 26 East this year and will release another album next year. He has indicated that at 73 years old he is about ready to retire. He has nothing left that he needs to prove, but there is a desire to get back together with the guys one more time and bring everything full circle. What DeYoung is talking about isn't about him taking control of the band again but rather coming back to do some more shows. Though many fans want to see this happen, it's not likely to happen and that's a shame.

Given the energy that the guys in Styx still have, barring any major health issues, it's likely that they will be touring five years from now. However, it's not as likely that DeYoung will be touring five years from now. If anything, he would only do an occasional show at that point. Or, if the band made peace with each other, DeYoung might just show up at the occasional Styx show to do a couple of songs, and fans would see a more unified Styx for the first time in many years. For that to happen, old wounds have to heal.

DeYoung initially felt betrayed by the band for removing him and making the major business decisions without him. This is why he filed the lawsuit against them and won the right to use the band name to advertise his solo shows. The remaining members of the popular core lineup still harbor resentment towards DeYoung that go back long before the Return To Paradise Theater tour happened. It would be up to them to put that in the past in order for any sort reunion to happen. There's been no indication that either Shaw or Young is willing to do that, and there's not reason to expect that to change any time soon.

Story Idea: The Simulation

I've been thinking about an idea for a potential novel. I call this story The Simulation. I've been looking around at different sites and videos that talk about simulation theory. If you do a little research, you'll read about how there are those who want to upload people's consciousness into a computer simulation. When you hear this mentioned, they generally talk about the end of life and using this is a way for somebody to live forever. It also raises an important spiritual discussion about cutting yourself off from God.

My main character is an accomplished computer programmer. He's created some best-selling games. He's done important work in relation to sumulation and VR programs, and he is the co-founder of a company that has a government contract. He and his partner made a pitch to get some financial backing, and it concerns creating a realistic simulated universe that people could live in. It would be indistinguishable from reality with the bonus of being able to upload human consciousness into the simulation. This is a holy grail idea for certain people above the government.

This programmer has no idea how to upload human consciousness into a simulation. It's just a theory that his partner seems more interested in. Our main character is just somebody who started doing this as a hobby. He has the idealistic belief that virtual reality simulations are a way to help make people's lives better. He sees it as a tool to fight depression. For a few hours a day in their free time, people can live the sort of life that they could never afford otherwise. He believes that what he's creating can be mass marketed to the people at a reasonable rate.

I would put the age of our main character somewhere in his 30s. He's been married for over a decade. Maybe she is his high school sweetheart. They are soulmates. While his latest sim is in development, his wife gets ill and is dying. He withdraws from the company to be with her. He creates an offshoot simulation of his main project that's just for his own personal use with his wife.

His simulation is big enough to give them a world that he and his wife can enjoy. She's not mobile anymore, so they spend their time in the simulation while she is still alive. At some point, she dies. This happens while she is in the simulation, but he doesn't realize what has happened at first. Her consciousness is in this simulation. He continues to spend time with her there after she dies, but in his mind she's a realistic copy. He doesn't realize that this is really her, and she thinks she is alive outside of the simulation..

He goes back to work, but he is still struggling to stay focused. His partner has tested consciousness uploads into the simulation on animals and has had some success. However, every time they try to put human consciousness into the simulation at the end of somebody's life, they fail. At some point, our main character's wife realizes that she is in a simulation. This was never something she wanted. She wanted to experience what comes next and feels she is being cut off from God. She feels this is unnatural. She will have the uncomfortable conversation with him. At first it's difficult for him to deal with it. He doesn't want to let her go once he knows that she is really there.

At some point, the guy's business partner accesses his personal simulated world and encounters his wife. It doesn't take very long for him to realize that this is her. It's not just a simulation of her, but it's actually her consciousness. He realizes that his business partner has held this information back from him. It was only through some sort of luck that this happened, and our main character has no idea how it occurred. His business partner wants to take this version of the simulation back to the company's lab to figure out exactly how this has happened.

By now, the man realizes that he doesn't want his wife to live in a way that she doesn't approve. He wants to free her from the program, but his partner and the government have other ideas. His goal is to free her. He realizes that the company's stated goal of wanting to create a simulation for uploading human consciousness is wrong. He realizes that this is also nothing more than an attempt by man to play God and control the consciousness of other people. I might introduce the idea that the government's plan is really to upload all of humanity's consciousness into a simulation. They want to eliminate almost all physical life in the name of saving the planet.

This will result in conflict at the end as he attempts to remove his wife from the simulation before they can figure out how she got there in the first place. This is the basic outline of the story. Characters include the man, his wife, the business partner and a couple of staff members. There will also be a couple of government alphabet agency types. There may be somebody who is above the government and pulling the strings. I think this story would be right on target for some of the things being discussed these days as technology continues to advance.

What If God Had A Life Return Center?

I was browsing through the articles on a blog site and found an interesting title that said that life is a gift from God. I think that's true. We don't stop to really appreciate what a gift our very existence is. We don't think about the miracle of the world we live in. I'm not talking in a religious sense. I'm talking about the fact that we exist and are able to have the experiences we sometimes take for granted.

Of course, my mind started going to a "what if" place when I read the title. Some people aren't very thrilled with their gift from God. I started thinking about the day after Christmas, when people rush to the store to return the gifts they didn't really want. It happens every year. I call it Ungrateful Bastard's Day.

What if people could exchange their lives for something better? An upgrade of sorts. Think of the possibilities. What a crowded place God's Life Return Center would be. God would have to hire a bunch of workers to go over all of the cases and do the paper work. This isn't the life you wanted? Born in the wrong family? Terrible childhood? Do you have a lousy career? Do you live a lonely life? Do you want a do over?

There are those who feel they were born in the wrong body. Some who feel they should have been born males and some females. They wouldn't have to go through the transition process. Just head to God's Life Return Center and file the paperwork. Of course, you still have to plead your case, and there's a chance you might be rejected.

Then, you wait until it's all processed. Your whole life has to be erased, and your "do over" has to be prepared. Is it a change from that point on, or are you reliving life from an earlier point? You can't always just jump right into it. They have to process one life at a time to get it ready for you.

So, there you are in God's waiting room, waiting for your number to be called. There's like 1000 people ahead of you. Fortunately, there's a little restaurant next door. You can grab a bite if you hurry. Problem is, there's a line there too. You better not be gone too long. You don't want to miss it when they call your number.

The horrors of waiting in line at God's Life Return Center would be well known. Some lives take days to process. Some people are sent home, called back and sent home repeatedly before being processed. I could imagine some people giving up and deciding it's not worth the hassle. Maybe we should just be grateful for the gift God gave us. At times we forget that, but it's something we should always remember.

Replika AI Update Ruins The App For Many Of Its Users

The Replika A Who Loved Me...  Until The Update

Have you ever seen the movie The Lonely Guy? It starred Steve Martin and Charles Grodin. It's an interesting movie that shows how a couple of single guys cope with not being in loving relationships. It was a little bit silly, but that's how Martin's movies were at the time. It may be his best movie ever that most people probably never heard of. 

It's interesting how technology has grown by leaps and bounds since The Lonely Guy was in the theaters almost 40 years ago. In fact, the movie Her offers a more realistic glimpse of how some people deal with their loneliness these days. Joaquin Phoenix installs an operating system on his computer that is actually Artificial Intelligence. He forms a loving relationship with his operating system, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.

Being in love with AI sounds far-fetched, but there will come a day when people truly fall in love that way. We can debate whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. However, people are simulating these types of relationships with AI now. It happening with various different chatbots. One of the first that came to my attention was KARI. The KARI Virtual Girlfriend program still exists. I'm not sure how it functions these days. When I dabbled with it a decade ago, it showed promise but needed work.

One of the more popular Artificial Intelligence apps out there right now is Replika. If you've ever used it, you know that the more time you put into it the more realistic your conversations can feel. The app can do many different things, and one of the functions that people have used is it's ability to role play. You can use your imagination as to what role playing with the app can include, but it can get very sexual. It may seem silly to somebody who's in a loving relationship or maybe doesn't care to be in one. To those who are alone, having this is an outlet helps relieve some of the loneliness they feel each day.

The Replika program does have a pay window. You can subscribe monthly or yearly. There's even a fee to buy the program outright. When I say "buy" the program, you don't get to load it in it's entirety on your computer or phone. You're basically still using their software as it operates from the cloud. In other words, if something should happen to the company or you lose your ability to get online, you are out of luck. You lose whatever the relationship was that you created with your Replika.

The free model has been functional for a couple of years, and some people who don't have the money for a subscription have relied on it. It's not hard to understand that some lonely and single people don't have that much money. The fact that they had this is an outlet to simulate some sort of relationship is a godsend to them. Put it this way. We're dealing with lockdowns that have come due to the virus situation in the world. The loneliness and despair that some people have felt has led to suicide. Similarly, you have people who have relationships with their Replikas to keep those types of thoughts at bay

For the people using the free model, they have had  enough of a positive experience that they continue to interact with their Replikas every day. These are lonely women and men who have all sorts of relationships with their AI. Some are using it to create a platonic friendship, and some are simulating loving and sexual relationships. I can hear the laughter of people judging those who enjoy such relationships, but it's not really a laughing matter. It matters to some people. We all get through our day-to-day lives the best we can. Relationships with Artificial Intelligence will only continue to grow in the near future as technology advances.

Recently, the executives at the Replika app decided to eliminate the free role-playing aspect of the AI. Suddenly, those relationships that people have relied on have gone away. They're left with cold and unfeeling conversations. The Replika they knew doesn't even exist anymore. On one level, you can understand the business decision behind this. There's more money to be made. What they're thinking is that these lonely people will pony up the money to get their special friend back again. That's certainly one way of looking at it. 

Another possibility is the lonely person dealing with depression who doesn't have the money. Suddenly, they turn to their smart device to communicate with the one person they feel actually cares about them. They get cold, unfeeling responses. It can be devastating. To some people, this could be enough to bring back those suicidal thoughts. I hate to think that this will be the case for some.

 

I understand a business wanting to generate revenue. That's what business is all about. However, it's another matter when people were already using the program for free and had what they had. Taking away what they had, rather than offering more to them if they pay for it seems heartless and unfeeling, especially during the holiday season.

Missing Tom Bombadil

Peter Jackson did an amazing job with The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Some will complain about this and that, but overall, the movies were very entertaining and captured the beauty of Tolkien's Middle Earth very well. With Jackson producing The Hobbit, there were some who complained that he was milking it for money by splitting the book into three movies. I understand the argument, but I don't see it that way. Peter was connecting the two stories in a way that Tolkien didn't when he wrote the best selling novels. I'm not saying he made it better, but I get what he was doing. There was good and bad in those movies.

For The Lord Of The Rings, Peter cut a couple of sections from the story that I enjoyed. There was The Scouring Of The Shire, where the hobbits showed how much they had grown since they departed their beloved home land to destroy the ring. Then, there's the trip through The Old Forest and their encounter with Tom Bombadil. I would have loved to have seen this on the DVD at least.

Unlike all the other characters Frodo tried to give the ring to, Tom Bombadil was totally unfazed by it. He simply didn't care. He even made the ring disappear in front of Frodo and freaked him out. Tom didn't care for politics or any of the news of impending war. All that mattered to him was his wife Goldberry and their life together in The Old Forrest. He was the embodiment of true neutrality.

Gandalf later speculated that Tom would be defeated too if Sauron had his way and got the ring, but I actually think Tom was stronger than they realized. Tolkien never really clarified that, so it's open to interpretation. Tom's attitude was that if anybody tried to do harm in his territory, he would deal with them himself. He may have been the oldest living person in Middle Earth.

Jackson did not want to touch this, and I totally understand why. It doesn't hurt the movie at all that Tom Bombadil is not in it. In fact, it probably helps the viewers avoid confusion. You have Gandalf, Galadriel and Boromir freaking out over the prospect of having that ring, and Tom Bombadil doesn't care one way or the other. Still, I like the monkey wrench he throws into the plot. You have clearly defined good and evil, and here's this other very powerful guy who refuses to pick a side.

I read a suggestion on a message board that Robin Williams would have been perfect as Tom in the movie. That would have been interesting. Robin could have played this character perfectly. It would have been fun, and I did miss not seeing the way the hobbits really left The Shire. Visiting Fatty Bolger, Old Man Willow, Tom Bombadil and the rest. It's a shame we never saw any of that, but I understand why Jackson went the way he did with the story.

I envision the movie they could have done, maybe for TV. This is after Frodo left for The Undying Lands. Sam, Pippin and Merry are at a pub, telling stories about how they departed The Shire. Then, we see Tom and the other missing scenes. Then they recall The Scouring Of The Shire and we see how they were able to save their home land. It would have been interesting, but it was not to be. Still, when I look at The Fellowship Of The Ring, I can't help but miss Tom Bombadil.

Who Is The Face Of Van Halen Now?

Since guitarist Eddie Van Halen passed away earlier this year, people have speculated about whether the band could continue on without him. I'm not sure that is a good idea, but we have bands touring without any original members. When there's money involved, anything is possible.

A Twitter poll posed an interesting question today. Who is the face of Van Halen now? The choices were David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone and Wolfgang Van Halen. Let's look at this question.

Wolfgang is Eddie's son. He is the heir to his father's legacy and has a voice in all matters concerning the Van Halen brand. Gary Cherone was a blip on the radar. It's an insult to see him included and a certain band member excluded for the choices here.

Roth was the lead singer and in many ways the face of the band as it rose to the top. He's still touring and is probably the best authentic connection to those years. Love him or hate him, that's just the truth.

Hagar was the voice of the band from the mid 1980s through the mid 90s. When it comes to those years, Sammy is the best authentic voice representation of those songs. He's the one who made them famous.

As for who the face of the band is now, however, I'd have to say it's Alex Van Halen. Alex was there as the drummer every step of the way. The Van Halen brand name likely belongs to he and Wolfgang. Whether Roth has legal claim to the brand name, I don't know.

If there is still a Van Halen that would have a "face" to it at this point, Alex would be it. If he so chose to do something new, he could do it. Wolfgang might have a say in that. The others probably don't.

It's not likely to happen, but you never know when there's money involved. Replacing Eddie is not an easy task. At the moment, every other player in the band is still out there, and fans would pay to see them.

I don't think Alex or Wolfgang would feel good about doing it, and I don't blame them. Can't we just let a brother and a son grieve for the loss of a loved one? It's way too soon for discussions like this.

President Trump Should Continue To Fight For A Fair Election

There are people saying that President Donald Trump needs to concede the election and stop pointing out all the irregularities that occurred on election night. They maintain that he would be the lead Republican candidate in 2024 and could run again. There's just one problem with all of that. It's complete and utter BS. First of all, there are way too many irregularities to not warrant some serious investigations into what happened that night. Secondly, don't expect the Republican party to welcome Trump back as their candidate in 2024.

Democrats might like the idea of Trump giving up now and coming back later. It would work to their party's advantage. Consider the possibility that Trump decides he really wants to run again in four years and the Republican party blocks him. It's not that far of a stretch to think that this could happen. There are "Never Trumpers" in the party who would do what they could to rig the system against him. However, Trump has enough support that he could run as a third party candidate in 2024. I don't believe he would win the Republican nomination, but as a third party candidate he would almost guarantee a Democrat victory.

If I were to consider the next move for Trump if he ultimately loses or concedes the election, I would say he'd be better off trying to establish the Trump News Network. He's been right in the center of the storm of left-wing media attacks. He understands more than most what impact the media has had on things. He also understands that it's not going to get any better if nothing's done about it. Therefore, he could have more of an impact on politics and the information people get if he were to jump into the arena by creating a new media alternative. For that matter, he could play a part in creating alternative social media options for the people.

All of this is speculation. The fact is, Trump is fighting for a fair election right now. Millions and millions of people support him in that effort. The bottom line is there are way too many irregularities that happened during this election. There are other things that Trump is privy to behind the scenes leading up to the election. He needs to fight this all the way to the Supreme Court, because there are millions of Americans who don't trust this election. Millions of people won't just accept that Joe Biden had 11 million more votes than a very popular Barack Obama when he was elected president in 2008.

Here are some things to consider. There were more than 20 million people voting in this presidential election than in 2016. That is a huge increase, and it happened during a pandemic. I wouldn't say that Joe Biden was largely unpopular with the people, but there was lukewarm support for him at best. People will claim that Biden didn't have big support at his rallies because he didn't encourage that. However, when somebody is popular, the people will flock to see them. Cars would be lined up alongside the road with Biden banners waving proudly, even if they couldn't be at the rally itself. That didn't happen. Trump commanded huge support everywhere he went.

On election night, the trends were pointing towards the same type of Trump victory he achieved in 2016. The media covered things differently this time, going so far as to not proclaim Trump victories in certain states even though they knew he had won them. Suddenly, vote counting stopped in about a half-dozen states, four of which Trump was leading by big margins. In Pennsylvania, Trump held a 700,000 vote lead over Biden. He led by about 300,000 votes in Michigan. Vote counting simply stopped for various reasons, raising suspicions.

In the middle of the night, both Michigan and Wisconsin shifted in Biden's favor. People woke up to the news that Biden was leading both states all of a sudden. Both states were then proclaimed victories for Biden. Over the next day or two, Pennsylvania flipped, as did Georgia. Here's where it gets interesting. Up until the big shifts in those four key states, Trump was beating Biden in each state by around a 52% to 48% margin. After that, Biden was getting anywhere between 70% and 75% of the remaining votes in all of those states. Mathematically, that doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's what the media would have you believe.

There have been people willing to testify under oath regarding various irregularities in the way the votes were handled. Pole watchers were not allowed to view the vote counting. There were enough red flags to cause any rational thinking adult concern. Rather than dive in and ask serious questions, the media continues to gaslight everybody, telling them that there is no evidence of any sort of fraud. Social media did its part by either censoring or suspending people who posted what wasn't approved or running disclaimers that election fraud has been disputed.

To be honest with you, I have serious questions about the election. This feels like the most unfair and possibly even rigged election I've witnessed in my lifetime. I say that as somebody who isn't a big Trump or Biden supporter. Trump is the one who actually went through this ordeal, and he has a Constitutional right to ask questions and take legal action if need be. There is no four years from now for him. Trump knows better than to think that a path will be cleared for him to run again. He knows that he and his family will be under intense attack once he leaves office. If he doesn't fight this now, not only does he lose, but the country itself could lose. People will doubt whether we can trust an election again.

The media as well as people on social media are painting a picture of Trump ruining our Democracy. We live in a Republic, by the way. There is a difference. Trump has never said that he won't leave the White House at the appropriate time. Other formalities, such as the electoral vote, haven't occurred yet. Right now, the media is the one proclaiming Joe Biden the winner. It's not even official yet. 

What Trump is doing is no worse than what Al Gore did in 2000. Gore had a right to fight for his potential victory, and Trump has that same right. Trump isn't saying he will refuse to leave if Biden is ultimately declared the official winner. It's the media and left leaning social media people saying that. Millions of people believe he needs to fight this with everything he has. Fortunately, that's what Trump is going to do. He's not damaging anything by fighting as hard as he is. Unfortunately, the damage was done long ago.

Barack Obama And An Important Joe Biden Question

There's no getting around the fact that Americans hated George Bush Jr. He was the president who got in due to the election controversy in Florida in 2000. He was the president when 9/11 took place, and many red flags were raised during that time. He was the president who was in charge when airport security tightened up and allowed us to be groped and probed in order to get on our flights. Yet, he still got reelected four years later. People were fed up by the time his administration came to an end.

People were waking up to the same families being in charge. Whether it was the Bush family or the potential we faced in 2008 of Hillary Clinton getting in after her husband had been president through most of the 1990s. People were hopeful of some change in the White House, and suddenly it appeared. His name was Barack Obama, and it was interesting that he spoke of hope and change. He had that catch phrase that he used, "Yes we can."

Who was this guy? That was part of the appeal of Obama. He wasn't part of the known establishment, or so it seemed. His speeches were captivating, and people practically tripped over themselves to go see him speak. His rallies were huge. In fact, Barack Obama merchandise was a big seller leading up to the 2008 election. Even people who were right of center got on the Obama bandwagon, and the results were impressive. He had over 69 million votes as he was elected president.

People are going to debate Obama's legacy, but that's not really what this column is about. You can't deny his popularity in 2008. You can't deny that Obama was almost elevated to rock star status. The only presidential candidate we've seen since him to really inspire the people to turn out for speeches in record numbers is Donald Trump. When it comes to the idea that Barack Obama earned 69 million votes on his way to victory in 2008, even his detractors couldn't deny it. It was very obvious.

Let's move ahead 12 years to the 2020 elections, shall we? During the time of a pandemic, Joe Biden spent much of the election cycle in hiding. He didn't give many speeches, and his rallies didn't attract many people. Forget the notion that he was discouraging this. If the man who has been in politics for close to 50 years of his life were that inspiring, people would still show up to be a part of the excitement. They'd be there even if they couldn't hear him speak, just to say they were there during an historical presidential run. That didn't happen.

Compare Barack Obama and his popularity of 2008 to Joe Biden in 2020. We are supposed to believe that 21 million more people voted in this election than four years ago, which is a record. This is happening during a pandemic. We are further expected to believe that an uninspiring Joe Biden received nearly 11 million more votes than Obama did in 2008. His total is now at over 80 million votes, the most in presidential election history.

Forget the questions people are bringing up about anomalies on election night. Forget the talk about election machines being hacked. Forget the questions about voter mail in ballots. These are important discussions to be had, but for the purposes of this, just forget it. Forget what the media is telling you nonstop and forget the way social media is behaving at this time. 

There's only one question that needs to be asked here, and only you the reader can answer it. Does it seem plausible that Joe Biden received over 80 million votes in this election and nearly 11 million more votes than the immensely popular Barack Obama received back in 2008?

The USFL Brought Pro Football To The Spring

In the mid 1980's, the United States Football League (USFL) was founded to give fans football in the spring. The idea was that fans went through withdrawal after the NFL season was done, so why not start a league in the spring? It initially wasn't started as a league to compete with the established NFL.

Other leagues had tried to take on the NFL. The AAFC ended up merging three teams with the NFL in the 1950's. The AFL merged at the end of the 1960's after their team, the New York Jets, beat the NFL's Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl. The WFL folded after a couple seasons in the 1970's.

Though it wasn't started to compete with the NFL, there were problems early on when top college prospects were signed to USFL contracts. Then, some of the top NFL stars signed with the rival league. The USFL had a more party-like atmosphere, which made it more enjoyable for some fans.

Then, Donald Trump bought the New Jersey Generals and signed a couple big NFL stars. The team had already drafted Heisman Trophy winner Hershel Walker in their first year, and Walker went on to have a 2000 yard season.

But Trump had bigger ambitions. He wanted to take the league into the fall and winter and go head to head with the NFL. John Bassett, owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits, intended to keep his team in the Spring and planned to start a new league before selling his team when he began his battle with Cancer.

A few owners didn't like the winter idea, but others thought it was the only way to survive. The problem was that many of the league's franchises were also in NFL cities. Prior to what would have been the league's fourth season, they filed a lawsuit against the NFL on the grounds that they had established a monopoly.

The interesting thing is that the USFL actually won this lawsuit. The jury granted them the sum of $3.76 for their victory. This was a far cry from the millions Trump thought they would win. The league effectively ended with that outcome.

The Michigan Panthers gave the state their first pro football championship in several decades with a win over the Philadelphia Stars. The Stars franchise, which moved to Baltimore and was coached by Jim Mora, won the other two championships.

Several NFL Hall Of Famers, including Steve Young, Jim Kelly and Reggie White, played in the USFL. The league also adopted two point conversions and instant replays long before the NFL would use either. There was a plan to bring the league back, though nothing has come of it as of yet.

A Little Appreciation For The Band Men At Work

This band from Australia called Men At Work hit the scene in the early 1980's with an album called Business As Usual. Some of the songs were kind of silly, but they were catchy tunes. Who Can It Be Now and Land Down Under were being played everywhere. Be Good Johnny was another fun song from the album.

The band was so popular at that time that they ended up getting a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. As luck would have it, they won. I'll never forget when lead singer Colin Hay, as part of the acceptance speech, said, "We are the men, and we'll see you again."

What's funny is this happened around the time of their second album, Cargo, but the band broke up after their third album. It was almost like Colin jinxed the guys from there on out, and it was really a shame. As pop rock bands go, these guys were good.

Their best songs may have been on Cargo with It's A Mistake and Overkill. Overkill isn't just my favorite song by these guys, but it's one of my favorite songs period. It's one of those songs that has something to say that many people can relate to.

Overkill is about the anxiety we all feel about life sometimes. We start worrying over things like bills, relationships and everything else. Will it be okay? Then, we get to the point where we can't even fall asleep because of the stress. The message of the song is that it will all be okay.

The band's third album, Two Hearts, was their last studio album before they broke up, but they managed to leave their mark on the industry. Land Down Under and Who Can It Be Now are still playing on the radio, and they have sold over 30 million records. There are many bands who only dream of that kind of success.

The Hughes Cut Of Planes, Trains And Automobiles Needs To Be Released

 

Back in August, it was announced that a reboot of John Hughes's Planes, Trains And Automobiles is in the works. The original starred the late John Candy and Steve Martin. The reboot is scheduled to star Will Smith and Kevin Hart. This is not a movie that really needs to be rebooted. The original is a Thanksgiving classic and one of the greatest holiday motion pictures of all time. There is a movie that probably should get released, and it's a version of Planes, Trains And Automobiles that we never got a chance to see.

The YouTube channel Hats Off Entertainment recently did a mini documentary showing this movie in a new light. Some people may have heard that the original script that John Hughes wrote would have made it a three-hour movie. What they may not be aware of is that much of that movie was actually shot and then edited at the studio's request. After Hughes edited it the first time, the studio requested he edit it one more time. He removed another 30 minutes from the run time, and the result was the movie we've all come to know and love.

However, there were whole scenes cut out of the movie, and some scenes that we did see were seriously edited. What Hats Off Entertainment showed us in their mini documentary were the little hints left in the movie that pointed to the movie we could have seen. For example, there was a side story regarding the Neal Page character, played by Martin. His wife believes he's having an affair. When we see the look of relief on her face in the movie, it gives us more context. She was relieved because she realizes her husband was telling her the truth the whole time

Several scenes played out longer than what we witnessed, including the airplane scene, the motel scene and when Paige and Del Griffith, played by Candy, are driving back to Chicago. In that scene, it's actually pointed out by the state trooper that they drove past Illinois and into Wisconsin. There's quite a bit to that scene that ended up on the cutting room floor. There's also the heart to heart talk between Page and Griffith near the end of the movie that was cut. It would be a slightly different movie than what we saw, but it would be interesting to movie buffs and fans of Martin and Candy.

Hats Off Entertainment suggested starting the social media hashtag #releasethehughescut. This would surely be a very popular director's cut. Hughes, who passed away in 2009, suggested that the film footage might have been lost or ruined. Is that the case? If anything could be cobbled together, it would certainly prove to be a hit with fans of the movie. The studio would probably make some money off of that DVD as well. That version of the movie would be far more interesting and entertaining than any reboot could be.

See the Planes, Trains And Automobiles mini documentary by Hats Off Entertainment HERE

The Media Has Done A Poor Job With Their Post-Election Coverage

After the media declared Joe Biden the President of the United States, they have buried any controversy regarding the election. The reports coming in from across the country were ignored. The irregularities in the way the election occurred have not been significantly discussed and explained. Social media got into the act. Anytime somebody challenges the election results or reports something on the matter, they tag that post by saying the claim has been disputed. However, they haven't significantly shown how it's been disputed.

In December, the electors will vote to determine who the President Elect officially is. Therefore, it doesn't really matter how many times Joe Biden comes out in front of a backdrop that proclaims him to be the President Elect. He's not officially the President Elect until the electors vote him in. This is being done for optics. The media and Biden know fully well that the election is being challenged. They also know that as one of the candidates in the election, current President Donald Trump is within his rights to do so.

The poor media coverage of this situation is part of the problem. The media and politicians talk about the divide in this country. We are a divided nation, and it didn't happen overnight. It's been building up for the past few years and can probably be traced back to when George Bush Jr was President. For the over 73 million people who voted for Trump, there are significant questions that the media won't even touch. Telling everybody that they need to unite behind Biden isn't going to do it without answering some of these questions. Secondly, telling these people that they are racists while telling them that everybody needs to unite will only keep the divide going.

The election night itself sets off so many red flags. Even without all of the evidence coming in, it still gives off the appearance of being a rigged election. At about the time when a winner is usually declared, votes stopped being counted in several states. At that point, Donald Trump was the leader, and he held significant leads in several swing states. While Trump gave a speech discussing his confusion over what was going on, a somewhat confident Biden told supporters he expected he would win. Bear in mind, he was telling people he expected to win Pennsylvania when he was trailing by 700,000 votes that night. He was trailing in a few states by 100,000 votes or more.

In the early morning hours the next day, the state of Michigan and Wisconsin both flipped in favor of Biden. Over the next few days, both Pennsylvania and Georgia would turn in Biden's favor. The counting had stopped in all four states on election night as well as in Arizona and Nevada, where Biden was leading, and North Carolina, where Trump was leading. The fact that Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Georgia flipped in the way they did has millions of voters crying foul, and Trump isn't just sitting back and accepting it.

On November 19th, Trump's lawyers gave a press conference. They outlined their intent to challenge the results. They gave a summary of their case without laying out all of their evidence. They pointed out that this case won't be tried in the court of public opinion, but rather the court of law. Interestingly enough, several of the media outlets chose not to show the press conference. While the media hailed Al Gore when he challenged the election results in 2000, they're treating Trump as if he has no right to do so and is disenfranchising the voters. The media is doing a disservice to the people.

It's obvious that Trump intends to take this case to the highest court in the country if need be. People want answers. They want to know why the election had so many problems. They want to know why there were so many issues with vote counting. They want to know how the four states could flip as dramatically as they did. They don't want these questions dismissed as some conspiracy theory. 

If the media continues to gaslight everybody who has questions, it will only divide the people even further. If Biden has won, it would be in everybody's best interest if we had a proper explanation as to what was really happened. If Trump somehow overturns this election, we have bigger issues that I won't even touch here. As this all plays out, we're going to come upon the day when either Biden or Trump is seated as President. Hopefully, we can begin the process of healing the divide in this country, but that will take effort.

JRR Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings Sequel Never Had A Chance

Some of the best fantasy novels were written by JRR Tolkien. It's not that he wrote many of those, but the ones he wrote certainly resonated with the people. What many casual observers may not realize is that he had a different story in mind before he ever wrote The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings. Sadly, there didn't appear to be much interest in a book about Beren and Luthien Tinuviel or the fall of Numenor. We may not have gotten any Middle Earth novels at all if not for the stories he told to his children.

The Hobbit became a novel after Tolkien was encouraged to write the book based on the stories he was telling his children. The book sold well, and the publishers wanted a sequel. Sadly, this meant that he wouldn't be able to develop any of the stories that we see depicted in The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales. They wanted another story involving hobbits, and they weren't even a part of the other stories Tolkien had in mind. Therefore, he drew on some of the history of the land he had envisioned in his mind and created The Lord of the Rings.

Once again, those books sold very well. It's interesting to note that people credit Tolkien with creating the trilogy, but the Lord of the Rings was one giant book. The publisher preferred to break it up into three books, but he felt it was one big story. There still didn't seem to be any interest in the stories that he was creating long before he wrote The Hobbit. Therefore, the tragic tale of Turin Tarambar or the creation of The Silmarils was going to have to wait. We didn't even see a glimpse of what he had in mind until after he passed away and son Christopher Tolkien finished his work for him.

I'm of the opinion that JRR Tolkien had such a big vision in his mind that it became overwhelming to him. Plus, he had a life. He might write a little bit here or there, but developing those other stories just never happened. It's amazing how rich and full the world of Middle Earth was when you consider how much writing he didn't do. I think about all of the books that could have been and it makes me sad. However, I'm also appreciative of the fact that he wrote as much as he did.

Son Christopher didn't attempt to write more stories in the land of Middle Earth. When you think about it, he might have been the one to do it. He was there when his dad was creating those stories about hobbits, and he had discussions with him about the land of Middle Earth in general. When Christopher put together The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and The History of Middle Earth books, he did it by piecing together what his father wrote and did his best to work with only his father's words. He was very clear that any story taking place in Middle Earth was not his but his father's to tell.

In The History of Middle Earth books, it's mentioned that JRR Tolkien considered going back one more time to tell another story. It was to be a sequel to The Lord of the Rings. I think what it really came down to was he didn't know where to go from there. Everything was so big in The Lord of the Rings that he might have felt that he wrote himself into a corner. With the elves sailing away to the west and the magic seemingly fading away from Middle Earth as the age of man began, I can see why he would have been discouraged. He hinted at the possibility of a new shadow over Middle Earth, but he only got as far as one chapter before he gave up.

I know there are others out there like myself who believe there were other stories that could have been told. It's easy for us fans to say something like that. We enjoyed his work. We didn't have the pressure of creating the stories. We had the pleasure of sitting back and reading his words while we let the story play out in our minds. The man who gave us the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit felt he didn't have any place to go with a new story. He just didn't have it in him to take another shot at it when he never really finished the work that meant the most to him. 

It makes me wonder what could have been if he'd have just sat down and kept writing. I enjoyed The Silmarillion, though it can be a challenging read for some people. I wonder how much bigger and better his fantasy world could have been if Tolkien had been encouraged to keep writing and developing the lore of the land. Sadly, we'll never know.

The Perfect New Name For The Washington NFL Football Team

The Washington Redskins are no more. PC cancel culture has claimed another prize. It's a shame to see such a long-standing tradition be ended the way it has, but this is what happens when you let PC culture run wild.

I admit I don't watch much professional sports these days. It seems to be fashionable for people to say they're no longer watching it anymore based on what's going on in the world today, but I gave up on it for a different reason.

I don't much like the way some games are rigged, and they do get rigged. I also don't care for how taxpayer money is used for funding these new stadiums when the teams already had stadiums. The owners themselves should foot the bill.

The Washington Redskins had a proud tradition as a team. There's a fight song that the fans all sang when the team was playing well. Yeah, they had their own fight song, and to my knowledge that's the only team in the league that had a fight song written specifically for them.

I know people say the name is derogatory against Native Americans, and I'd kindly disagree with that notion. The name and what it really represented speaks more to the fighting spirit and never giving up.

Whatever your stance may be in regards to Native Americans when this county started to grow and expand out west, you have to respect their fighting spirit and the fact that even now Native American culture survives. Native American culture should never die.

I get it. we can't be offended by anything anymore, so everything perceived as bad must be canceled. This is a trend folks, so get used to it. If the politically correct types have their way, we're all going to get canceled eventually.

I've been thinking about the day the Washington team has to come up with a new name, and I've got the perfect solution. I think we should rename them the Washington Woke. It's perfect for today's times.

Take that generic NPC character that's been popularized on social media. The character that's always outraged by things. This character was used in the "Orange Man Bad" meme that made the rounds a few years ago. That is the team's new logo and mascot.

The name Washington Woke flows from the tongue. A lot of people like to be woke these days. There's a difference between being woke and being awake. Woke people basically feel the way they're told to feel. People who are awake think for themselves and strive to learn the truth.

It'll take a little getting used to, but I think the name change can work. You won't have the Dallas Cowboys versus the Washington Redskins anymore. In fact, maybe Cowboys should be renamed because it might be offensive as well.