Dimland Radio

dimland radio 12-14-13 show notes

Hoisted By My Own Picard

On my Facebook page I shared an entertainment new item that I had spotted on Fox News’ online page. It was the news about the death of Shirley Mitchell, believed to be the last surviving cast member of the classic TV sitcom I Love Lucy. Well, Fox News got it wrong, because Keith Thibodeaux, who played Little Ricky on the iconic show, is still alive.

I had a little fun at Fox’s expense. But then a FB friend successfully noted that I was showing an unfair bias against Fox News. I protested, but he expertly used my own words against me. Hoisted by my own Picard!

“Everybody Got A Gris Gris”

That’s how Penn Jillette put it on the Penn & Teller Bullshit episode on recycling. His point was that a gris gris is something that, no matter how otherwise skeptical he/she might be, a person will still believe despite evidence to the contrary. So, I talked about some of the dubious products and services that Penn’s podcast boss, Adam Carolla, has as sponsors. Anyway, it appears that Penn’s gris gris is Lumosity.

Lumosity sponsors Penn’s podcast. It is an app that provides games meant to exercise your brain. It claims to improve your memory, thinking, etc. It sounded henky to me and, from what I can find, the claims have mixed reviews. It seems to me that most credible research shows it doesn’t work. And here is an interesting article from the New Yorker on the dubious claims of brain training software.

But, Teller swears by it, so…

Snow, Car Pile-ups, Idiots, and Local News

On December 9, in Wisconsin there were two massive car pile-ups (see here and here) on one stretch of highway. The accidents were caused by snowy conditions and drivers not adjusting their driving to handle such conditions. I also noted that several of the drivers, once they had been crashed, got out of their vehicles were milling about on the highway. Uh, folks? Get out of the road! Or better yet, stay in your vehicles until emergency crews arrive.

Then I went on a tangent about the mostly unnecessary use by local news stations to have a reporter live on the scene. Most of the time, the reporter is on the scene long after the event has happened and all they really do is introduce a report that was taped earlier. Why do they do that?

Dimland Radio’s War On Christmas

“All da rest of dem not real Ahmercans can jest git out!”

Dimland Radio’s war on Christmas continues with my refuting a Facebook post put up by an angry Christian responding to a note sent home from his child’s teacher. The teacher was happily announcing there would be a holiday party in class and she asked that $3 be sent in to help pay for the party.

Well, angry, intolerant Christian Dad didn’t like the term Holiday Party and seems to think that only Christian holidays should be acknowledged in his and our kids’ public schools. Send all those Hindus, Muslims, Jews, atheists, and others out while we Americans celebrate our American holidays.

What a dick. I feel sorry for his kid.

Movie Recommendation: The Ladykillers (1955)

Ealing Studios

Last week it was the ultra-violent and dark film Dredd, this week I’m recommending the sweet, funny, and gentle caper film, The Ladykillers. It stars Alec Guiness, who is terrific as the brainy and somewhat nutty leader of an eclectic gang of misfits. His master plan involves a sweet, kindly widow (Katie Johnson) as the unknowing partner responsible for getting the “lolly” away without raising suspicion. It also stars a very young Peter Sellers as one of the gang of thieves.

Do I really need to tell you the caper doesn’t exactly go as planned?

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘It’s Your Turn‘ by The Who & ‘Grey Victory‘ by 10,000 Maniacs
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Fall On Me‘ by REM & ‘Bliss’ by Urban Guerrillaspenn
Closing song: ‘Angler’s Treble Hook’ by $5 Fiddle

That’s it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 12-7-13 show notes

A Rant

I started off being annoyed by people who pull over to the curb as you are driving up alongside them and they fling their car door wide open. People! Take a quick look behind you before you make that move’ You’re gonna lose a car door doing that!

It Snowed, It’s Cold, And The Van Made Me Angry

It’s winter in Minnesota and we once again ask, “Why do we live here?” Well, actually, it’s not as bad as all that. But I managed to get charged money for the van we acquired from the in-laws. I applied the emergency brake before I realized the release handle was no longer there. Yeesh.

Never Found In The 80s: The Feelies

The only November entry in my Never Found blog series for the Stuck in the 80s blog. It may have been the only one, but it’s a good one. The Feelies is one of the best indie bands of the 80s. Go here to read more.

An Open Letter From Not A Scientist

Christine Horner wrote an open letter to Dr. Stephen Hawking. Christine Horner is not a scientist, go here to confirm that statement, but she is fluent in Newage gobbledygook.

Ignorant About MLK?

Mark Dice, according to conservativevideos.com, is a political prankster and he has posted a video of himself asking nine people if they heard the news that Martin Luther King Jr. had died THAT day in a car accident. I say nine people, because that’s all we are shown on the video. We don’t know how many people Mr. Dice tried to prank before finding the nine. It may have been several people, it might have been just those nine. Which do you think is more likely?

One needs to be skeptical of videos such as this one. It is all in the editing. Mr. Dice might have talked to 50 people. 41 of whom knew that MLK was long dead, but that wouldn’t coincide with the message he wanted to send.

Dimland Radio’s War On Christmas

In the continuing war on Christmas, I shared a post I spotted on Facebook. It’s a screen capture of a Facebook posting by someone who is upset by seeing Xmas instead of Christmas. She emphatically states that it should be CHRISTmas, because the holiday is about the birth of Christ. Period!

But, Richard comments on her post. He explains the real history of Christmas and advises people to “get along and call it whatever we want and celebrate it however we please.” Kudos, Richard!

Movie Recommendation: Dredd (2012)

Lionsgate

Very violent, but from what I understand, far more faithful to the original comic book series than the 1995 Sylvester Stallone film, Judge Dredd. This may not be everyone’s cup of milk, but I found it entertaining. A dystopian vision of the future. A future of crime, grime, violence, drugs, a police force that is judge and executioner, in a nuclear wasteland. What’s not to like?

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘Almost With You‘ by The Church & ‘Away‘ by The Feelies
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Two Story House‘ by George Jones & Tammy Waynette & ‘Spy World’ by Wall Of Voodoo
Closing song: ‘Angler’s Treble Hook’ by $5 Fiddle

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 11-30-13 show notes

Two Corrections

During last week’s show, I made a couple mistakes. Hard to believe, I know, but I did. When I was talking about Amanda Berry and her escape from 10 plus years of captivity, I got the name of her captor wrong. He name was (he’s dead now) Ariel Castro not Ariel Gonzalez.

And when I talked about the JFK assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald, I mistakenly referred to the computer animator who recreated the event through 3D computer animation as Gary Myer. His name is Dale Myer.

My deepest apologies for these errors.

A Rant

I went on a rant that covered the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the NFL, and Selena Gomez. It was tiring, but fun.

Ghost Hunters Burn Down Historic Building

In another What’s The Harm moment (fully acknowledging Tim Farley’s WhatsTheHarm.net), I talked about a group of nimrods who trespassed into the LeBeau Plantation house in Louisiana to hunt for ghosts. Part of their equipment list included beer and pot. The morons allegedly attempted to provoke the ghosties into showing themselves and, in the process, they, allegedly, burnt the building to the ground. The seven hunters have been arrested.

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Get Treated By Chiropractors

Continuing in the “what’s the harm” mode, I discussed the Australian chiropractor who allegedly broke a baby’s neck and an American chiropractor, who was ordered by a jury to compensate a patient $575,000, having been found responsible for causing that patient to have a stroke. Although rare, the neck manipulation done by chiropractors can tear arteries in the neck which can lead to stroke.

Go here to learn more by the Australian chiropractor and here for the American one. And go here to learn more about stroke caused by neck manipulation.

The Non-Tip That Wasn’t A Non-Tip

I first spotted this story on Facebook. It’s the story of a gay waitress who claims a couple stiffed her out of a tip and left a homophobic message. People were disgusted and rightly so. BUT! The couple in question came forward with evidence that they had indeed left a tip. It seems the waitress may have been lying.

Read the sordid details here.

I also mentioned a similar story that surfaced some months ago about a Red Lobster waitress who received a racist message in lieu of a tip. That story has also been disputed. I must admit that with this story, when I first spotted it also on Facebook, I had my doubts. Mainly, because I have a difficult time understanding why someone would be compelled to leave such a comment. But some people just don’t think the way I do. Shame.

Movie Recommendation: Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

Paramount Pictures

A classic Western directed by Sergio Leone and starring Henry Fonda (two weeks in a row recommending a Henry Fonda film?), Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, and Claudia Cardinale. An epic Western in which Fonda plays the villain. And, boy, is he one nasty villain.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘Terms Of Psychic Warfare‘ by Husker Du & ‘De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da‘ by The Police
Second ad break bumpers: ‘I Against I‘ by Bad Brains & ‘Heat Of The Moment‘ by Asia
Closing song: ‘Angler’s Treble Hook’ by $5 Fiddle

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 11-23-13 show notes

Tour Of Jury Duty

So, I had jury duty this past week. That’s part of the reason I did the show live instead of prerecording it on Friday night. I was just too tuckered out.

I didn’t get picked for a jury but I sure spent a lot of time waiting around. I also talked about being subjected to the “so help you god” phrase when I was sworn in as a potential juror. Oh, well. In my mind I swore to Batman.

She Didn’t Predict That

Sylvia Browne died this past week. You know her, she’s the heavy smoker who claimed to be psychic and she’s made millions preying on the public’s gullibility. She predicted to Larry King she would live to 88, she was wrong (again) and died 11 years short.

I take no joy in her death, but at least she won’t continue to, in my opinion, bilk grieving and desperate people of their money.

He Just Needs A Few More Decades And A Lot More Money

Doctor (I use that term cautiously) Stanislaw Burzynski has been conducting research for his antineoplaston cancer treatment for decades. It doesn’t work. But that hasn’t stopped the good doctor. It also hasn’t stopped him from charging his patients thousands of dollars to take part in his research.

This has been a widely criticized practice by other doctors and scientists doing real research for treatments and cures for cancer. Well, USA Today and reporter Liz Szabo have done a good job of bringing this money-taker to the attention of the American public. So, for this excellent reporting, even with some positive testimonials from some of Burzynski’s surviving patients, I have made USA Today and Liz Szabo Dimland Radio Science Heroes.

Something Big Happened 50 Years Ago…

I’m sure you have heard that this weekend was the 50th anniversary of the debut of the British sci-fi series Doctor Who. It was also the anniversary of Lee Harvey Oswald’s (on his own) assassination of Pres. John F Kennedy.

All the science brought to bear on this event points to one person killing the president. It was Lee Harvey Oswald. I mentioned one conspiracy theorist friend of my who just can’t accept that. He believes that the event was too big to be done by a lone nut. Well, as unsatisfying as that is, it is the truth.

I’m not the only one who thinks this way. There are others who have done extensive research and study and they have concluded LHO did it. Vince Bugliosi, the California DA who prosecuted Charles Manson, wrote ‘Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F Kennedy’, in which he lays out the case against LHO. George Mason University has an interview of Mr. Bugliosi on the assassination.

Gerald Posner wrote the book ‘Cased Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK’ which was released in 1993. The book has recently been converted to an e-book to commemorate the 50th anniversary with a new forward, but NOTHING in the book needed to be revised or updated. The science was that solid. Posner also lays out the case against LHO. LA Times writer Hector Tobar was a long time JFK conspiracy theorist until he read Posner’s book (see his article here).

Also, I mentioned Dale Myers (I think I may have called him Gary) who had created a virtual 3D animation of the assassination. Dealy Plaza was recreated digitally as were Pres. Kennedy and Gov. Connally. Using the Zapruder film as a guide, it is clear that one bullet (called the Magic Bullet by conspiracy theorists) struck both men and that that bullet came from the sniper’s nest in the Texas School Book Depository building. Here is a clip displaying that evidence.

Oswald did it. Alone. Let’s move on.

Movie Recommendation: Twelve Angry Men (1957)

United Artists

As preparation for my jury duty, I watched this excellent film. I also managed to throw in a couple Pedantic Moments, but don’t let that keep you from watching this Sidney Lumet film starring Henry Fonda.

Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio opening theme song: ‘Ram’ by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: ‘Mammoth Gardens’ by Game Theory & ‘I’ll Be You‘ by HThe Replacements
Second ad break bumpers: ‘Party At Ground Zero‘ by Fishbone & ‘Take It Away‘ by Paul McCartney
Closing song: ‘Angler’s Treble Hook’ by $5 Fiddle

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 11-16-13 music show

Music Show

This show was suggested by longtime listener and fan of Dimland Radio (yes, there is one), Trisha. She noted that 80s music doesn’t do it for her and that she’s more into the 70s music scene, so 70s music it was.

I am not allowed to archive music shows, so you have to tune in to listen. The following is what you missed if you weren’t there…

Playlist

Livin’ Thing – ELO

Baby Blue – Badfinger

Jive Talkin’ – Bee Gees

Vicious – Lou Reed

Love Is The Drug – Roxy Music

Short People – Randy Newman

Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straights

Whatever Gets You Thru The Night – John Lennon

I Think I Love You – The Partridge Family

Love Train – The O’Jays

Got To Give It Up – Marvin Gaye

Get Down – Gilbert O’Sullivan

Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) – George Harrison

The Air That I Breathe – The Hollies

Promises – Eric Clapton

5:15 – The Who

Billy Hunt – The Jam

Respectable – The Rolling Stones
It Don’t Come Easy – Ringo Starr

Message In A Bottle – The Police

The 15th – Wire

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon

Making Plans For Nigel – XTC

Ring Ring – ABBA

Pinhead – Ramones
Sound And Vision – David Bowie
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey – Paul McCartney
Misunderstood – Pete Townshend

Other Music heard on the show…

Dimland Radio Music Show opening & closing theme song: ‘Twist’ by Tones On Tail

That’s it! You should know that I am not able to archive the music shows I do due to the limitations of Z Talk Radio’s music license. So, if you want to hear the music you have to tune in. Next month I will do another music show on www.ztalkradio.com otherwise be sure to tune in Saturday 11pm Central, midnight Eastern for another regular edition of Dimland Radio. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com