The Apple: The Forgotten 1980s Musical

The Apple: The Forgotten 1980s Musical

I'm probably very much in the minority when I say this, but I'm going to say it anyway. When it comes to campy musicals, I'll take The Apple over The Rocky Horror Picture Show any day. When this movie hit the theaters, it bombed big time. There's a report about the first movie goers being given LP's of the movie soundtrack and throwing them at the screen rather than taking them home. Menahem Golan, the producer of this movie, was said to be so distraught that he contemplated suicide.

I probably saw this movie a year or two after it had been released. I want to say it was on Channel 100 or Marquee. I could tell this one was different. It was maybe a foreshadowing of the way our TV is these days. It started with a musical contest. Somewhat like a battle of the bands. Boogaloo International Music (BIM) was the big record label that ran the country. Actually, I think it was more implied in this movie that Mr Boogaloo ran the world and was The Devil.

As one of those kids who was forced to go to church when I was younger, the idea of the battle of good and evil and God and The Devil has been ingrained in my mind. The movie forwarded the idea that eventually everybody will have to take a "Mark of The Beast" in order to survive in a world that is run by The Devil. When I was old enough to say no thank you to church, I did, but several of its messages still resonate with me. I've only this year taken Jesus back into my heart and pray every day.

Mr Boogaloo's musical act was singing the their song and winning the contest when two contestants out of Moosejaw, Canada came out to perform their song. The song was called Love The Universal Melody. Bibi and Alphie were the singers, and they nearly won the contest until Mr Boogaloo ordered his people to sabotage the sound system to get the crowd to boo them in the end. This is how the movie begins. You get a sense that Mr Boogaloo is in control, and you learn through the course of the movie and the musical numbers that he is The Devil.

Seeing that Bibi and Alphie had talent, Mr Boogaloo invites them to a party at his headquarters. He's there to tempt them to join his label. We get more musical numbers as Dandi from Dandi and Pandi takes Bibi aside. Several musical numbers break out during the course of this movie. In this case, Dandi sings her the song You're Made For Me and she joins in. There's another scene in which Bibi and Alphie go to Mr Boogaloo's office to sign a deal, but Alphie sees there's something evil going on there and refuses to sign. Bibi, however, signs a deal. 

Mr Boogaloo makes Bibi a star, and she sings the musical number Speed. Yes, that song is very much about America being addicted to methamphetamine. We see a couple of numbers by Mr Boogaloo that show us that he is The Devil. If we didn't get that message in his song, Show Business, we see it in the number I Know How To Be A Master. As Bibi rises to superstardom, Alphie tries to make his way in life as he misses the woman that he loves.

We see him singing the number Where Has Love Gone. He tries to see Bibi a couple of times. One time leads to Pandi singing the song I'm Cumming. It's an interesting setup in which he shows up at a party, she gives him a drugged drink and takes him to a back room to have sex with him. This was a disco number, and I found it to be very entertaining. Alphie resists. Later, when he tries to see Bibi again, he gets beaten up. This leads to perhaps the most moving number, Cry For Me. It's a duet with Aphie and Bibi, who is shown missing him.

We see the message that it's never too late to join the side of good and do what's right when Pandi helps Bibi escape to go back to Alphie. I'm trying to remember the name of the song she sings with Bibi, but I think it's called I See The Light. Aphie had moved to a commune, which I think is symbolic of the people who don't take The Mark. They are shunned from society. Yes, there is a "Mark" in this movie. It's basically a sticker people put on their foreheads called The BIM. Bibi eventually finds the commune and is reunited with Alhie.

This leads to the confrontation as Mr Boogaloo figures out where the commune is and goes to demand Bibi return to him. This must be at least a year later as Bibi and Alphie have a child together, and Alphie has a beard. At this point, Mr Topps comes down in a Cadillac from Heaven. Yes, it's kind of silly to contemplate that the man symbolizing God comes to Earth driving a Cadillac from the sky, but so be it. Mr Topps and Mr Boogaloo have a confrontation in which Mr Topps declares that all the people from the commune are coming with him to go to another planet free of Mr Boogaloo's tyranny.

It's not difficult to figure out why this movie bombed. It wasn't very well-executed. Even the original writers of the screenplay had a disagreement with Manheim. They didn't like the direction he was taking things, and there was also a discrepancy in money. Be that as it may, the movie had good intentions. I was caught in the right mood when I first watched it as a kid. Maybe it was all the church my parents forced me to go to when I was younger, but I saw what the movie was trying to say overall.

Forget about some of the cheesy numbers and things that some people may have thought went too far. The song about drug use and the song that was all about sex might put Christians off, and therefore a segment of fans that could have helped this movie be more profitable were turned off to it. However, some of the musical numbers are catchy, and the story was enjoyable enough for me. Am I saying this was a great movie? No. It's not even a good movie by movie making standards. However, it managed to connect with me, and I will always enjoy it.

If you get a chance to watch The Apple, check it out. Know that this is a musical that, much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, doesn't have that great of a story. However, if you go into it with low expectations and the understanding that you're not watching Shakespeare, you might manage to get a glimpse of the message they were actually going for. Just be warned one or two of those songs might be a little catchy.

My Thoughts On Transgender Day Of Remembrance 2022

My Thoughts On Transgender Day Of Remembrance 2022

Being transgender myself, I don't think I go to enough of these types of events that either celebrate our identity or remember those who were taken from us in the name of violence. 

 

I was going to march in Trans March SF this year for the first time in several years, but my friend wasn't up to it. We decided not to go. 

 

The reason I would march is basically for our right to be. Not for special treatment, but against discrimination against us for being who we are.

In the case of Trans Day of Remembrance, I've known about this event for years. The first one was organized in memory of Rita Hester, who was murdered for being transgender. 

 

It's very simple. We gather together on Day of Remembrance to mourn the loss of our transgender sisters and speak their names aloud. Their lives did matter, and we must never forget them. Their deaths are not in vain.

I went to my first Trans Day of Remembrance in 2015, mere weeks after I lost the home I lived in for 30 years. I saw that they were doing one of these gatherings close to where I lived, and that meant it was a must for me to attend. 

 

I went there again to this nice community park location in my old hometown. They have other events there, such as farmer's markets, live music and so forth. When I got there, I was wondering if anybody else was coming. Nobody was there.

The Reverend Barbara showed up first. She's a trans woman who came from Pennsylvania. Originally she was born in the Bay Area, so this was coming home for her. 

 

She is getting her a degrees in religious science. I'm not exactly sure of the term, but it's more credentials for her as she has done many good things in the name of The Lord. This includes visiting those who are passing on to the next life.

She is a really sweet woman. We talked for quite a while on different aspects of the transgender experience. Eventually, a trans man showed up, wondering the same thing we were. Where was everybody? 

 

Slowly, the people from the local Rainbow Community Center showed up. They set up some chairs, the display with all of the names of the people who had been murdered and the candles that we would be lighting as the ceremony began.

There were various different speakers, and some good speeches were given. Barbara herself did a speech, which was basically a letter to her parents. She wrote this after her parents passed on. 

 

It was a letter asking them why they didn't support her when she was young and knew she was trans. Why she had to adapt to their expectations to make them happy. Telling them how her life has gone and how they would be proud of who she is today. It was beautiful and moving.

The speaking of the names doesn't last too long, and it's the speeches that make the ceremony longer. It's important that we hear these things, and in that way the community knows that they are being supported. This was their biggest attended Day Of Remembrance event yet. 

I like the fact that we have the Rainbow Community Center here, but I think establishing something further east of Concord would be nice. We could use more of a presence in support of the transgender community. We really don't have enough support.

The thing is, where do we gather to be amongst each other for moral support? Where are the support groups? I think we need more of those. Right now, there's a lot of blowback against the trans community. 

 

We were making some big gains, but fear started to set in from people on the right side of the political spectrum. I understand some of the fear, but a lot of it is misguided. They're worried about children being corrupted into some sort of "trans agenda", but here's the thing.

Trans youth know that they're trans at a very young age. That's just a fact. The family can see the way they are behaving. People assigned male at birth who are acting feminine and vice versa. 

 

Sometimes, the latter can be attributed to being a tomboy, and sometimes that is the case. Other times, there's something more going on there. 

 

In the case of the feminine boys, parents were often trying to make that boy obey. You will act like a boy, not a girl.

When the family would lash out at a child that way, it did damage. Some children just knew they were trans, and they weren't changing because their parents told them to. So, as they came of age as teens and started to express their identity, families started disowning them. 

 

These trans youth would be kicked out on the streets, and it didn't go well for a lot of them in many cases. If they didn't have somebody to lean on, some of these children ended up getting on drugs, prostitution and those sorts of things. It wasn't good.

What has happened in the last decade or so is parents have started to accept that their child might be trans. They're merely exploring this with them. If a boy is acting feminine and wants to express as a girl, they're letting it happen. "I support you as my daughter," they might say, "but you're still going to do your chores and go to school." 

 

That's love, in my opinion. That's not a parent making it all about themselves and how the child is somehow wronging them for being who they are.

To an outside observer who's scared about the transsexual child, they may look at it like the parent is corrupting their child. Or, sometimes the father and mother may differ on what should be done with the child, and one parent's decision is what's accepted. 

 

The main time you see something like that in the news is generally when the father is shut out of the decision making process, and the mother allows their child to express in the gender in which they identify. Somehow she's being painted as bad for doing that.

Now, I understand this subject is completely different from Transgender Day of Remembrance, but it has a relevance. It's something that the trans youth have to struggle with, so having accepting parents is a big thing. If not, they negotiate through a path that could lead them to a violent end. 

 

Disproportionately, it's trans women of color who end up being beaten and murdered, so those names on Day of Remembrance often tend to be reflective of that fact. 

For a long time, one way for a disowned trans woman to pay for the necessary gender affirming healthcare was through prostitution. People might not like the idea of trans women, but as a dirty little secret, some of the men who might protest the existence of trans women might also visit a trans woman prostitute. 

 

That is a bit hypocritical, but still something that happens. Some trans women end up being somebody's dirty little secret, and this even crosses lines to tarns women who don't go towards careers that include escorting.

Therefore, when a trans woman is looking for love, she might encounter guys who want to see her on the side, but they don't want to see her publicly. They're too ashamed. 

 

These are some of the things that happen, and the fact that a trans woman is seen as a dirty little secret or somehow lesser than is the same sort of thought process that leads to violence and the ultimate extinguishing of a life.

These names matter, and that's why we name them on Trans Day of Remembrance. In this case, there were even a few local names added to the list that didn't make national attention. We also don't name those who end up committing suicide because of their struggle to accept themselves as trans. 

 

I have noticed that in those cases it makes no difference whether you're the most "passable" of trans woman or one who feels you may never get there. The hurt can overcome you, and the next thing you know, suicide feels like the way out. It never is, and there is help for those who have those thoughts.

Trans Day of Remembrance doesn't include those who were beaten within an inch of their lives and have survived it either. The fact is, there's a lot of violence against trans women, and it's unnecessary. 

 

If given the chance to flourish and grow, a transgender woman is fully capable of contributing positive things to this world the same as anybody else. You just have to give them a shot at it, and they'll show you.
 

I've been fortunate enough in my life that people know what I can do and haven't shut me out simply because I have come out as transgender.

I am happy to participate in Transgender Day of Remembrance. I wish we didn't have to have events like this, but they are necessary. Days like Transgender Day of Visibility matter, because people are encouraged to be who they truly are. Events like Trans March are important, because we're all seen visibly in public en masse. 

 

We must never hide away in shame, and we need to change the culture that makes us want to. It is not bad to be transgender, and transgender lives matter. Those who have died because of violence shall not have died in vain.

Homeless People Still Matter

Homeless People Still Matter

I was having an amazing day yesterday with a friend. She brought over a Trans Pride Flag,  something I'm going to use for a broadcast elsewhere. We were driving past this spot of land where a lady had put up a tent. It was basically her home. 

She had expanded it a little bit in the six or so months that she was there. She would always go around and tidy up outside . She had a couple of doggies, but she shushed them when they were barking too much. She never stood with her hand out or asked for anything.

My friend and I were a little bit horrified to watch people with gloves on taking apart her tent. I thought for sure they were going to throw it out as she watched from the sidelines. At least ways they put her stuff to the side so that she was able to salvage something.

I get it. All these people are talking about voting and such. It's an election season, so the mayor is going to clean up the city or what have you. Depending on what their party affiliation, some of them are harder on the homeless than others. We should all say, "There but before the grace of God go I." It could be us in that spot.

We like to feel superior to other people. You're a lazy bum. You're a druggie or what have you. You're homeless because it's your fault. Some people do struggle with addictions that put them out there. Others had a bad break in life and ended up there. Some people have just chosen to live that lifestyle, but we're not better than any of them.

I'm fortunate that I didn't end up on the streets after I lost my home of 30 years. I know another person who feels very fortunate that she still has a roof over her head, despite the fact that she's not happy in that situation. We both know that if things went differently, we could be out on the streets.

I had to make some quick moves six years ago, or I had would have been on the streets. I moved to Oregon, which was better than being homeless in California. I'm grateful that I have what I have.

This year I've been very fortunate, because I returned to the state with my own little trailer. It has all of the things I need to keep me going. My little entertainment system, two beds, a bathroom, kitchenette and so on. Even more fortunate was the fact that I had a roommate for a month. God blessed me with that.

Some people would look at what I have and say it's nothing. It's above poverty. Maybe they're right, but I don't feel like I'm lacking. I do feel like I want to better my life, and where I live now helps improve my chances of making a better move. I still have to stay focused to make the right calls, because it's a tough world out there. Things can go badly .

For a homeless person, they're so far down the rung that getting that help isn't always easy. Some people don't feel they can. Some people don't feel worthy. When you have your home torn down, and it may be a tent to others, it's demoralizing. It's degrading, and I felt for that lady.

I walked over and handed her some money, which I am happy to do when I can. I'm not special. She asked me if I was sure, and I said The Lord would want me to. I told her God Bless her.

She was just happy to know somebody cared. Maybe I brightened her day a little bit. Maybe she gets a meal. She definitely knows somebody cares.

We need to keep in mind that homeless people are not lesser than. Just because we have it better, doesn't mean we are better. We show that we are good when we take our fortune and help others with it. 

I don't have much, but I had enough to help her a little bit. I'm grateful to The Lord that I was able to do it.

Getting Ghosted And Blocked Hurts

Ghosted By Somebody I Cared About 

This year has been an interesting experience for me. I wanted to be back in California. Circumstances led to me losing my home. I got depressed and didn't take action quickly enough back then. 

Somebody I loved dearly (my father) died, and I grieved too hard. I almost gave up on myself. Fortunately, I returned back to an old line of work, and it led to me moving to Oregon for six years.

While I was there, I was just focusing on work. I wasn't really living there. I was merely existing, if you know what I mean. I was almost living like a tourist, not fully embracing the fact that I was in Oregon. 

I wanted to come back to California, but I didn't think that would happen. It did. I got an offer I didn't think I'd get. There was some anxiety behind that which is another story. I struggled to accept the offer for reasons I won't get into, but they relate to my gender identity.

While that good news was coming, somebody I really cared about actually reached out to me via social media. This person is somebody I've been in orbit of for many years. 

I don't want to name names, and that makes it hard for me to write what I'm writing here. How do you describe what you're going through without really getting into why you're going through it? It's challenging, but I think I can do it.

This person reached out to me, and I didn't do my typical thing. I wasn't guarding my heart and just giving them the answers and love I could give them. I have done that a lot online. I end up helping people, but after they get what they want from me, they move on.

With this person, I was determined to dive in and take this experience wherever it went. Astrologically speaking, I knew the risks. I can't even get into that as it reveals something. 

While I was in Oregon, this person would wake me up with messages of good morning and describe their dreams to me. They'd tell me how their day was going throughout the day and then at night time wish me good night. 

We were exchanging many messages. During that time, the offer was made for me to come back to California, and I was stressing out over it. There was anxiety, but my friend was encouraging me to come back

Their own situation wasn't so good. They needed to get away from where they were. I've come to understand they've made this break a few times but they always come back to this person. 

They have a hold on my friend that is complicated. Part of it, in my opinion, is my friend still loves this person. Despite some dark things happening there, my friend still loves them.

I was determined to help get them out of the situation they were in, so I volunteered some financial support. Unfortunately, the person they were going to go to turned out to not be so good.

I had a hunch that was the case and was going to tell them, but they figured it out pretty quickly. That still left an investment in airline tickets that they couldn't get refunded, and they started talking about coming to see me.

The discussions for this move went on for probably two months, and things started getting a little bit complicated in May. I know what was going on, and I can't get into it too much. They were getting dragged down by something they've been struggling with for a long time.

Because we weren't communicating so well, I was tempted to tell them that they should go elsewhere if they didn't want to come to me and use the ticket. However, they literally contacted me a day after I made that decision. I said, "Yes, come stay with me."

The visit lasted for a month out of what was going to be four months. There were many wonderful moments that I'll cherish and treasure forever. There were other moments that were revealing and troubling, but we're all human. 

That didn't change the way I felt about my friend, and as far as they were expressing to me, it didn't change how they felt about me. They did keep telling me that they felt like they weren't helping my situation. My situation was fine, I would tell them. I was happy they were here.

They thought it would be better to go back to that person one more time. I was crushed, because I knew that wasn't a good move for them. However, that was the decision they made, and I had to respect it. I couldn't ask them to stay longer and think about it, as I wanted to. Hindsight being what it is, maybe I should have?

However, I hadn't put all the pieces to the puzzle together regarding how I could help them until the day they left. I think things over in my mind way too long, and I'm not a "decision on the spot" type of person. That's a weak point in this situation.

We expressed our feelings for each other and declared that we'd both be friends and keep in touch. That wasn't going to change. I have the things they wrote to me, and I'll always cherish them. There was no negativity expressed.

I did the only thing I could do. I let them go. I made sure they got to the airport in comfort by calling them a shuttle cab. It was a bit pricey, but their comfort was important to me considering what they were going through. 

We communicated through texts a few more times that day, and everything remained positive. After that, communications from my friend ceased completely.

I was sending a message about every day. Telling him how my day was going and asking them if they were okay. Did they need anything? Let me know and I'll do what I can. 

The text messaging got glitchy, and there were days I couldn't send something out. I started worrying, so I went to the social media site one day and sent them a message there. Same type of thing. 

The next day, the text went out okay, and a few days later, I found out I was blocked on the social media site that this person uses. I was shocked. I don't think I really processed what was going on that day. There must have been some reason that they'd explain to me, right?

There was never an explanation of what happened. There was never an explanation of if they were doing the one thing I think they were hoping to do when they got back there that would help them. There was never any communication as to why they would block me.

Did I upset them? Were they protecting me? Was it the person they were staying with? Nothing. I didn't feel like this was the way to end things, and I still don't. In my heart, I know it wasn't me. 

What I've been seeking is communication to tell me why. Just give me a reason. Or, let's communicate about whatever it was, move beyond and be friends. I thought we did have a connection that we could build on as friends for years to come.

I've been in this person's orbit for a long time, and I've always cared about them. The thing was I had an opportunity to try to make a positive difference in their life, and I wanted to do that. I invested of myself, my resources and my time to make a difference. I sort of felt like a failure in the end.

I probably would still be in their orbit on social media if I hadn't chosen to engage them in the daily conversations we were having. This is what led to them coming to my place for one amazing month. However, I wouldn't change it for the world.

I didn't think I could actually write this without revealing who this person was or the amazing things that happened. I've written this all in my diary to process it and make sense of it, but it still makes no sense to me. 

If they felt the things they were expressing to me the day before they left, why ghost me and ultimately block me? They could have at least told me, but they didn't. 

They refuse to say anything to me now despite my best efforts, and it hurts my heart everyday. I still wish them the best and pray for them, but a little piece of my heart goes with them from here on. I will always love them.

Lord of The Rings: Rings Of Power Is Off To A Good Start

Lord of The Rings: Rings Of Power Is Off To A Good Start

In all the talk about "woke" entertainment these days, I've heard people talk about why The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power was going to be bad and woke. Rather than listen to what everybody else was saying, I wanted to see this for myself. I'm a big fan of JRR Tolkien and his writings on Middle Earth, so I had an interest in seeing this part of the history being told on the screen. I simply wanted to be entertained, and I was.

Amazon Prime paid big bucks to have the rights to make this series, and the only source material they are allowed to use is The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Therefore, any history that they refer to can only be referred to from those books. 

Throughout The Lord of The Rings, the characters tell stories about ancient history, and there's also the appendices in the back of The Return of The King. That's basically what the writers had to work with. They can't touch The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales or any of The History of Middle Earth books that Christopher Tolkien created with his father's notes.

When you're working with a timeline, but not an actual story narrative, that frees you up to be creative. A good writer will understand the spirit of the work and not go overboard. While some creative liberties were taken, I don't think anything that was done in this series damages the history prior to when The Hobbit takes place. 

I think they did a really good job with this story, and they had to know they were going to get critical responses from some of the hardcore Tolkien "purists" among the viewers. Some of those people actually like it, while others refuse to give it a chance.

First of all, I'll just say that if you like it or you don't like it, you're right. Opinion is subjective, and we all have our own tastes. Therefore, if you don't like this series, you're right. If you do like this series, you're also right. However, I would take issue with people who would call this series woke and dismiss it just on that label. 

The reason for the woke label is because people claim that modern day politics and clicking off racial and sexual orientation check boxes is being done to pander to people who aren't really fans of the work. In this case, there were black characters. There were black elves and black hobbits. There were strong female characters, and I don't have a problem with any of them. The story simply had to get from Point A to Point B. 

What they're covering in this story is the discussions that led to the creation of the Rings of Power. They're also talking about the rise of Sauron as he became The Dark Lord. They also threw in the Introduction of Gandalf to Middle Earth. As I'm going to be critiquing certain things about this season, if you haven't watched this yet, you may not want to read any further. 

I will say this series tells a good story of what was going on in Numenor during that particular time. We see some of the struggle the elves are having. We get to see the dwarves, which I think was a highlight of the season. We also see hobbits, which some people are going to take issue with. They're going to claim that hobbits weren't around during this time.

Basic Thoughts On The Season

I'll address the hobbits, because some might even question why they needed to be inserted into this story. I was curious myself, but I like the way they handled it. The hobbits were basically around so that they could introduce Gandalf to Middle Earth. Some are going to say this is too early for Gandalf or the hobbits. This is the Harfoot tribe of the hobbits, and they were known to migrate back and forth during different times of the year. This is prior to the hobbits settling into The Shire.

My view on the subject is that nobody can know for sure exactly when the hobbits came into being in Middle Earth. That's the beauty of these creatures. Sauron didn't even realize they existed, and that's why they were able to keep The One Ring in The Shire for so long and ultimately send hobbits to Mount Doom to destroy it. He didn't realize what was going on until it was too late. He basically dismissed the hobbits as insignificant, but they led to his ultimate demise.

Gandalf the wizard always had an interest in the hobbits. He always kept an eye on them to make sure they were safe, and he was always looking for one or two good hobbits to go on adventures with him. It makes perfect sense that they would introduce him in this way, and I don't think it takes away from the narrative.

When he gets there, he doesn't even know who he is, and it's one of the hobbits who shows him who he is. I like this part of the story, because it's not being made out to be bigger in the sense of the big Middle Earth picture. The hobbits are basically trying to exist under the radar at this time, and that makes sense.

The elves are fighting the orcs. Tensions are rising in Numenor from the humans towards the elves. These things are happening. All the hobbits would be doing is trying to survive. The fact that Gandalf would appear as some giant who played with fire just makes it an interesting thing that the hobbits dealt with. I also have to say that I like the characters among the hobbits and their leader. Yeah, a black hobbit, but he was a wise character and I liked him.

Let's talk about Galadriel, Warrior Princess. If I have a nitpick, it's that they made her the tough warrior leader of the elves. However, I'll point out that we don't hear a lot from Galadriel in the stories prior to Lord of The Rings. She was kind of the wise maiden of her people by then, and maybe the years did that to her. 

At the time of this part of the story, maybe she had a little bit more warrior in her. Yeah, somebody is going to take issue with my view here, but I don't care. I could do without it, but it doesn't take me out of the story in the least. I accept the fact that Galadriel could be this type of character at this point in the story.

Numenor was about ready to fall, and that's something we're going to see in the future of this series. We see some of the tensions going on there between the humans and the elves. The humans, at least part of their people, are jealous of the fact that the elves get to visit Valinor, but humans are not allowed. This jealousy is going to be played against the humans as the story unfolds. I liked this part of the story, so I'm not complaining about it. Everything advanced pretty well from here to the end of the first season.

The elves are fighting the orcs, and it's a struggle. I liked the elven warrior, who seemed to persevere through great challenges. I'm not bothered that the actor is black as he performed his role well. They also find an artifact that Sauron wants to get his hands on. Unfortunately, he does, and this leads to where the series ends. Get ready for the big battle to unfold next season. There were were some good fighting scenes here, and we see some of the suffering and destruction the people had to endure.

I think even the critics of this series enjoyed the dwarves. We get to see Durin and his people. His son has a relationship with Elrond that goes back many years, and we have Elrond asking a favor of him. Durin is initially unhappy because there had been so many years between the last time they saw each other and then, but their friendship rekindles. I think that the scenes with the dwarves were well acted and were very Tolkienrsque. I think even he would approve of that part of it, even if he were critical of everything else.

Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power cost Amazon Prime quite a bit of money to make, but it is visually appealing. It was pretty well written, considering they had to create dialogue based on passages in books that only briefly describe things. They had to take the story from this point to that point without being able to see or use Tokien's complete work on the subject.

They've done all right, and so far I think this series fits right alongside the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as some of the ancient history. I like where they're starting, and I hope they get to a good destination point that we can be satisfied with.

I understand people being unhappy with woke entertainment, especially given the fact that some of our beloved franchises have been turned on their heads. I understand people being skeptical, but I think this series deserves a chance. At least at this point, they've done a good job in my opinion. 

They may have taken a few creative liberties that might not be agreeable to some, but overall they're giving respect to Middle Earth and the work of JRR Tolkien. I would hope people who might be skeptical would at least give this a shot before dismissing it entirely.

We're Missing The Point About Voting

We're Missing The Point About Voting 

We've come up on that November date, and all we hear about is how we've got to vote. How things are going to change. This party's messing up so badly, so we bring in the other party to fix it. Then, we go back to our lives. Something that was decided up in Washington or a state capitol ends up affecting us in a negative way, and then we get mad. Then we vote again.

What if I told you we're missing the point about voting? Yes, we should participate in the act of voting in this country. It's not only a God-given right that we have, but people have paid for that right with their blood. In some countries, people could get killed just for expressing an opinion, and in this country we have a right to vote. We get to go in there and cast our ballot for whatever it is we believe in, and then we see if what we voted for passes. 

I agree that we should be keeping an eye on the politicians to make sure they're keeping their promises. We also should keep an eye on the voting process itself to make sure it's fair. With technology as it is and other factors, can we really be sure that our votes are going where we cast them? Can we really be sure about the outcome of the elections? It's healthy to ask these questions, but voting isn't the only answer. No, it doesn't involve getting violent either.

We need to step up in our own communities and make a difference there. Some of us get overwhelmed by what's going on in the world. We feel helpless that we can't do anything about something that's happening. We might even cry about it, feel guilty or sad that we are doing nothing about it, but then we go back to what it is we do in our regular routine. If we can make a difference in the world, we should be doing it. However, we can be making a difference within our own community.

You might be able to donate food and clothing to a shelter to help the less fortunate. You might donate to various local charities that help people. You might even participate with some organization that makes a difference pertaining to whatever cause you believe in. There are many causes that we talk about in the bigger picture, but locally there are things that we can be doing to make the lives of the people affected within our own areas better. We just have to step out and do something.

This might have to do with going to a fundraiser, or we might just participate in a local park cleanup. Just little things that we can do within our community. Even going to a community gathering that's designed to bring us together. This is a place where you can meet people and get to know them. I've been blessed to be a part of a certain sporting community where I live. It's not a big one, but the things that we do within this community matter. We make people's lives a little bit better by what we do, and that makes a difference. 

Yes, we should be voting. However, don't think that the act of voting alone changes anything. We can't put all of the responsibility on politicians to fix things and not take any of the responsibilities for ourselves. We should participate in local politics and local community activities designed to make our own areas better. If everybody did that within their own communities that would make the world a lot better in the long run.

Fgg