It’s Christmas and I’m feeling especially generous with my posting. I now present to you the classic television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. It should be noted that I found this one on Veoh and did not upload it myself.
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In this selection, we follow children as they take a trip to the mall to visit Santa Claus and watch him in a holiday parade.
Internet Archive:
Santa Claus rides in a parade and walks kids through a relentless department-store Christmas display. Filmed in Pittsburgh.
I would like to apologize for this week’s video being a day late, but I had some technical difficulties getting the video uploaded and working correctly. None the less, I present this week’s selection.
This week features only one video, but the selection is a feature-length film of nearly 80 minutes. I’ll be the first to admit that it is beyond strange, but finding a Christmas movie in the public domain is not all that easy of a task. With that in mind, I present Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, a comedy/sci-fi/holiday movie from 1964.
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Four or five years ago, not long after I first really started using broadband on a regular basis, one of my favorite websites was the Moving Image collection at the Internet Archive. Over the years, I’ve downloaded and watched dozens upon dozens of videos - from old television commercials to Cold War preparedness films, from how to behave videos to newsreels, and just about everything between.
With that in mind, I’ve decided to start a new, weekly feature on News. Views. Common Sense. Each Friday, I will post a collection of two or three ‘ephemeral‘ videos with a common theme that I have found of particular interest.
This week’s selection is the two part docudrama, A Day Called ‘X’. This 27 minute film was produced and aired by CBS Television in the late 1950s (approximately 1958) and illustrated what might happen if a nuclear bomb was headed for a major US city. The film was made during an evacuation drill in which the entire city of Portland, Oregon actually rehearsed it’s emergency plans. If nothing else, the video provides an interesting look at what cities did to be prepared during the heart of the Cold War.
Part One:
Part Two:
For months now, news reports on the War in Iraq have had overwhelmingly negative overtones, with far too many deaths and far too little cooperation between the various factions and forces throughout the country.
With all the brave American troops stationed over there, one would expect some of them to have some real ideas for change. One such person was Captain Travis Patriquin, who was recently killed in the very type of attack he was working so hard to prevent.
Despite his untimely end, his idea and the simple cartoon he created to illustrate it still stand, providing both a strategy that really seems to make sense and an interesting viewpoint on what the war must be like for those brave souls defending freedom and democracy around the world. If nothing else, I suggest that everyone take a look at the cartoon for their own enlightenment.
Check out the PDF over at Geardo.com
Every year for the past four years, the White House has released a Christmas video starring Barney, the first dog. In this light-hearted post, I encourage everyone to check out the latest video. It’s really not political, but it is kind of funny and a unique Christmas greeting.
Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/barney via Hotair.com
I didn’t spend much time online yesterday, and as I result I seem to have missed posting a message in honor of Veteran’s Day. I very much apologize for the oversight and I hope that being a day late does not offend anyone.
My first time? I’m ashamed to admit that I still haven’t gotten around to it. I’ve been dreaming about it for years, and I’m finally old enough. I guess I’ve just been busy recently.
I’ve thought about it, considered exactly how I want to do everything and I am truly looking forward to it. Heck, who cares if it’s supposed to be a private thing - I’ll even post pictures on this site.
This weekend, I’ll do it then. Or at least sometime before next Tuesday. And I’ll make sure its something I’ll never forget. I’ll make it the start of a beautiful tradition.
Thanks to WVWV.org for the video.
In case you didn’t realize, both myself and the video are referring to VOTING. Not anything else that you dirty-minded folks may be thinking of.
I am again indebted to HotAir.com for finding this great video.
I know that four posts in a single day is entirely unprecedented on my part, but I guess I’m trying to make up for a lack of posts over the last week. None the less, this time I’m offering a simple and kind of quirky link for your enjoyment.
I’m sure many of you have seen the previous NASA offers to send your name to Mars or into space and yes, this is essentially another one of those. I know that these things are really very silly and pointless, but somehow the idea of having my name sent into space is at least a bit appealing.
On that note, why not join me in sending our names to space aboard MIT’s research spacecraft, set to launch in 2010!
Heck, with Christmas less than two months away, why not send your son or daughter, niece or nephew’s name into space and print them out the certificate as a quick, easy, and cheap stocking stuffer?
Link:
YourNameInSpace.com
When it comes to political polls, even staying on top of which company is conducting in which state is hard enough, let alone keeping tabs of the results.
Back before the 2004 presidential election, there were a number of sites that I would visit almost daily for the most up-to-date information. One of my favorite was www.electoral-vote.com. The concept of the was simple: compile all the poll data from around the nation and try to predict the electoral vote.
Fast forward to the 2006 midterm election. This election is potentially a real turning point for the House, the Senate, and the nation as a whole. With that in mind, I recently rediscovered the site and have been visiting it regularly.
Getting to the point, the predictions are looking interesting to say the least. Although it is by but a shoestring, the Republicans seem to be holding ion to the Senate, 51 to 49. On the other hand, the House is poised to swap party control, with Democrats leading 225 to 208, with two tie races.
Needless to say, I’d prefer it if Republicans maintained total control, but ceding the house will make for some real interesting debates and legislative sessions in the next two years.
I’m not sure how the results will turn out, but I know that I’ll be watching intently on election night.