STRANGE THINGS #4


STRANGE THINGS #4
I will be presenting a series of some odd, weird, bizarre, strange things that have happened in my life.
The summer after I had turned 13, I attended a 3-week camp in Wisconsin Dells. The majority of campers came from Chicago. But there was a whole group of girls--from Wilmette suburb, who had known each other since grade school. I got to know this group after a few days, and about a week later, it was lunch time. I headed towards the mess hall and saw this group together talking outside. Except for one very noticeable thing. One of their clique was about 6 feet away on the ground, crying her eyes out--and they didn't even notice or care. I walked over to the girls and quietly said--"What...uh... is going on over there?" The reply came from one of the girls. "Naomi has had dreams all of her life that always come true. Last night she dreamed that her dog died." And the girls went back to chatting as if nothing was unusual. I was standing there feeling totally creeped out. The statement was made in such a nonchalant way as if it was just an average event. Camp in 1966 was very different than now. There was no phone communications allowed between parents and campers. Campers were in the wilderness and the only thing allowed was letters from family and friends. Two days later Naomi received a letter from her parents that her dog had died.

FOR SOME REASON, I CAN IMAGINE JOHNNY CARSON DOING TRUMP SKETCHES

FOR SOME REASON, I CAN IMAGINE JOHNNY CARSON DOING TRUMP SKETCHES


STRANGE THINGS #3

STRANGE THINGS #3
I will be presenting a series of some odd, weird, bizarre, strange things that have happened in my life.
In the mid-1980's, my company was dominating and was the sole supplier of showbiz content to all of the major online services. I was contacted by a company that wanted to take all of our information and turn it into audio features for a new nationwide phone service. They asked that I come down and meet with their exec and main technical person. After meeting with the exec, I spent 30 minutes with a very nice fellow who discussed all the technical ends with me for supplying them with audio features. He was about 5 years older than me and we got along very well. I can still picture him. It was a Friday late afternoon. We agreed to finish the discussion via phone on Monday--but he told me that he didn't know when he would be in. He was a scuba diving enthusiast and was right now running to the airport for a weekend scuba expedition in Florida but would be back sometimes on Monday. When we finished talking I said goodbye and then he said goodbye--but at that moment--a strong, disturbing feel of dread enveloped me physically--to the point that I had stopped smiling--and he noticed my sudden strange look and fear. I exited quickly because I had no explanation. On late Monday morning I called his office asking for him and was connected to an exec. "Eliot, I have some sad news." The man I had only known for 30 minutes had died in a scuba accident in Florida over the weekend.

DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!


STRANGE THINGS #2


STRANGE THINGS #2
I will be presenting a series of some odd, weird, bizarre, strange things that have happened in my life.
About 10 years ago, I found a VHS tape that had some cartoons called "Clutch Cargo." This was a very weird series that was shown on WGN in Chicago when I was a boy. The thing that made it so odd, was that although a cartoon, they had filmed actual human mouths moving and synchronized that into the frame. It looked really weird and awkward and we all used to make fun of it. After seeing it as a boy, I never saw or heard of Clutch again until I found this tape. This series never made it to TV again. A few days after finding the tape, I watched it one night and again enjoyed its strangeness. The very next evening, I went to hear a man speak who had worked in many presidential administrations and was now a writer and speaker. He was very interesting to listen to. My mind drifted for a second and I thought, "It sure was funny seeing Clutch Cargo after all this time,"...when THAT INSTANT...the man who was speaking said "There was a unique cartoon TV series back in the 60's called Clutch Cargo..." At that moment, I totally FREAKED. I could only think "What's going on here? Is this a dream?" and I had corresponding physical reactions to what just happened. The man went on to use the human mouths in the cartoon characters as a metaphor...but I was still shaken by the timing and coincidence of the situation.

STRANGE THINGS #1

STRANGE THINGS #1
I will be presenting a series of some odd, weird, bizarre, strange things that have happened in my life.
Sometimes in the 1990's, we got this exciting new TV package with zillions of stations. One night I went scrolling through them all for a few seconds each. I never watch football. No interest, ever. I came across some game that had not yet started. The announcers were talking and the camera was panning from one side of the field to the other. As it scrolled from right to left, I noticed the huge bank of lights and how bright they were. "I wonder what would happen if they suddenly blew out?" I asked myself. That second, there were sparks in the intense bank of lights and the entire grid went dark. I was stunned. The announcer reacted and said the game was going to be delayed now until they fix that--and I could not believe what just happened!

WHAT IS VALENTINE'S DAY WITH OUT CANDY MESSAGE HEARTS? I CREATED THESE FOR DONALD:

WHAT IS VALENTINE'S DAY WITH OUT CANDY MESSAGE HEARTS? I CREATED THESE FOR DONALD:











TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER: THE NEW BEATLES WILL FORM WITH PAUL, RINGO, JULIAN AND DHANI.

TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER:
THE NEW BEATLES WILL FORM WITH

PAUL, RINGO, JULIAN AND DHANI.

Another Offensive Attempt At Teaching the Civil War

Another day. Another teacher fired for attempting to teach the Civil War by bringing both an American and Confederate Flag to class.
This time in California. Most public school text books have pictures of both flags displayed and it's time that these be removed as well. Here is the solution. Reprint the pictures of Confederate flags with an image of Texas-native Willie Nelson on them. This will be so much less offensive and might even create a momentary interest in country music.

 

ANDY ROONEY SPEAKS #3


BIG CHICAGO SNOW -- January 26, 1967

On January 24, 1967, the weirdest thing happened in Chicago. The temperature which was 10 or below in the previous days, suddenly went up to 65 degrees. I remember running outside like it was summer--something that just doesn't happen in Chicago in January. The 25th it returned to its normal cold. On the 26th of January, we woke up to what would become over the next 24 hours--23 inches of snow--the biggest snowfall in the history of Chicago! It was a child's dream come true! No school! It shut down the city and there was more snow to play in than was imaginable. With snow drifts from the wind reaching 6 ft. in the streets, each neighbor had to dig out a small path to the street allowing for a fantasy tunnel to walk to the store. What are your memories of this extraordinary winter wonderland?

WHY I CANNOT STAND THIS MAN

MORE THAN ANYTHING--THIS IS WHY I CANNOT STAND THIS MAN. WHEN HARD WORKING AMERICANS PROVIDE LABOR FOR YOU--YOU PAY THEM. PERIOD. TRUMP HAS A NEW LAWSUIT FROM A GROUP OF ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS WHO WERE NOT PAID FOR EXTENSIVE WORK ON A NEW HOTEL. THEY EVEN WORKED EXTREME OVERTIME TO MEET HIS DEMANDED OPENING SCHEDULE. HE IS NOW OFFERING THEM 1/3 OF WHAT THEY ARE OWED. THIS IS A PATTERN HE HAS USED DOZENS OF TIMES. THIS CANNOT BE OVERLOOKED AND IS INEXCUSABLE.

Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore--Her importance in two TV roles. As Laura Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in the early 1960's--she had a streak of independence that had not been seen before in a married TV woman. In the early 1970's series, on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," she changed all the rules on TV as an independent single career woman. Both these shows changed attitudes toward women in America.

WHEN I'M 64

ABOUT 50 YEARS AGO...IT WAS A SONG THAT SEEMED SO FUNNY BECAUSE IT SIMPLY WOULD NEVER HAPPEN...AGE 64 SEEMED LIKE A HUNDRED YEARS AWAY! WELL...HERE IT IS TODAY ON THE 21ST. HOW MANY OF YOU RECOGNIZE ANYBODY AT NEIL AND MY 7TH BIRTHDAY PARTY ON ASHLAND AVE. IN 1ST GRADE 1960? DEMETRA WAS THERE.


"PRESIDENT OF THE U.S." IS NOT A GAME SHOW


STILL SHAKING MY HEAD.

Still shaking my head. There are a number of live streaming worldwide video sites where you can stop by and say hi to people from all over the world. Some are in shared rooms and some are in individual rooms. Every once in a while, I stop by and talk for a few minutes to somebody from another country and get to share info. about culture, politics, travel, food, etc. The other day I ran into a girl from the UK. About 13--of course the first thing I asked her was if she listens to the Beatles. "They're all dead. Aren't they?," she responded. I informed her that there were two still with us. I then asked if she had a favorite Beatles song. "I think I heard one song by them once...but I don't know the name of it" she said. "Ohhhhkay" I puzzingly stated. Hearing a definite non-London accent, I said, "I want to guess where you are from." She smiled and agreed. "Southhampton?" "NO" "Birmingham?" "NO" "Manchester?" "NO" "Liverpool?" "YES." She was thrilled that I guessed it. I was stunned. "Wait a minute. You're from Liverpool and you've never heard the Beatles? Aren't there statues of them all over the city?" "Yeah...I think I saw one once." She knew who Justin Bieber was and everything about him and his music. Had this been the only time, I would not be alarmed. But a girl from London told me that the only time she heard a Beatles song was when her teacher made everybody listen to one. Well, maybe Justin will someday be in a music history book next to Mozart and John and Paul might get a sidebar mention.

Trump And His Double Standard

Donald Trump spent years leading a campaign to prove that Obama was not born in the U.S. And apparently his sources were impeccable. And now that allegations about him are being made even at the highest levels of government including the FBI and CIA--it is all "fake news," a convenient way of ending any accusation.

THE 3 THINGS I DO WHEN I WAKE UP EVERY DAY

THE 3 THINGS I DO WHEN I WAKE UP EVERY DAY:
1. I CHECK THE OBITUARIES AND MAKE SURE I'M NOT IN THERE.
2. I THANK 400,000 AMERICAN VETERANS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN WORLD WAR 2 SO MY GENERATION WAS ABLE TO GROW UP IN "LEAVE IT TO BEAVER" AMERICA AND EAT POPSICLES AND CANDY, READ SUPERMAN COMICS, WATCH GREAT 60's SITCOMS AND MOVIES, READ MAD MAGAZINE, WAIT FOR THE GOOD HUMOR MAN, RIDE MY SCHWINN BIKE AND LISTEN TO THE BEATLES.
3. I GO LISTEN TO THE BEATLES.



HAPPY NEW YEAR!


"SUMMER OF '42"

"SUMMER of '42" It was a very popular movie in America released in the early 1970's. The 1971 film is a "coming of age" story set on Nantucket Island. At the time, it felt uncomfortably erotic. I was 18 when I first saw it. I ran into a streaming version online and decided to re-watch it. Because there is such great background information about any movie online, I decided to read about it first before watching it. What I discovered changed the way I saw it this 2nd time around and will forever make me look at it differently. Hollywood has used novels as the source of films for decades. When originally watching the film, based on a book by Herman Raucher, it was clear that this was another novel-turned-movie from Hollywood. At least that's what I've thought for 45 years--and what you've thought as well. It's not. "Summer of '42" is a detailed word-for-word retelling of what happened to Herman Raucher when he was 15 in the summer of 1942. Characters all have the same names. The dialogue and scenes are exact re-enactments. The author has since stated that after the movie came out in 1971--he received a letter from "Dorothy" that had no return address, phone number or way of contacting her. Her letter contained details that only they would know. It was postmarked Canton, Ohio. She said that she had re-married and was now a grandmother. She was very concerned that she may have "traumatized" him with what had happened that night 30 years earlier. He never heard from her again after that communication. In 1971, Herman, who is now almost 89, was about 45. Dorothy, who he never asked her age, was as young as 20 in 1942, and in 1971 anywhere from 50-55. She would be in her 90's now if still alive. Go back and watch the movie now knowing that it is a 100% true story down to every word said. It makes it as penetrating as "The Notebook."

POP MUSIC 1955-1990


RESIDENT RUMP


I GET TO FINALLY TELL MY ZSA ZSA STORY.


I GET TO FINALLY TELL MY ZSA ZSA STORY. IN THE 90'S, I CREATED THE FIRST EVER LIVE ONLINE CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS WHERE AVERAGE PEOPLE COULD PARTICIPATE AS PART OF THE EVENT. THIS WAS FOR COMPUSERVE. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO BRING ZSA ZSA GABOR ON AS A GUEST. AFTER ALL--SHE'S ALWAYS SO MUCH FUN. I CALLED A CONTACT OF MINE AND ASKED IF HE HAD THE PHONE NUMBER FOR ZSA ZSA'S PUBLICIST. HE SAID HE DID AND GAVE IT TO ME. I CALLED THE NUMBER AND WAS SHOCKED WHEN I HEARD A FAMILIAR VOICE ANSWER "HELLO?" AND LET'S FACE IT--HER VOICE IS DISTINCTIVE. HALTINGLY, I SAID, "ZSA ZSA--THIS IS ELIOT WITH COMPUSERVE. YOU KNOW THIS NEW ONLINE COMPUTER THING? I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN HAVING YOU ON AS MY GUEST!" AN IRATE ZSA ZSA (WHICH YOU'VE ALL HEARD BEFORE) STARTED YELLING--"WHERE DID YOU GET MY HOME NUMBER FROM?" I RESPONDED "I..I..I THOUGHT I WAS CALLING YOUR PUBLICIST"...IN ZSA ZSA STYLE SHE INTERRUPTED--"YOU CALL MY MANAGER FOR THAT." I WISHED HER WELL AND SAT THERE LAUGHING AT WHAT JUST TRANSPIRED. IT WAS LIKE TALKING TO A COMIC BOOK CHARACTER.

"MY FAVORITE THINGS" DAY.

"MY FAVORITE THINGS" DAY. I have 5 Favorite things. 1. The Beatles--especially the album "Rubber Soul." 2. Charlie Chaplin. 3. Troll Dolls. 4. Pinball Machines 5. Edward Hopper paintings.

It's getting a bit cold in Burbank. I got out my "Beatles Jacket" which I made. Ringo the dog and I went to Atomic Records. Other than Amoeba, this is the most popular record store in Los Angeles. They have every style of music going back to the 1920's. They always play a random LP selected from thousands. When we walked in, they were playing "Rubber Soul," my favorite Beatles album. Ringo started to bark. The owner asked why he was barking. I said he was saying, "You play this at home all the time!" Ringo and I then went to Brand Park, this beautiful elaborate park in nearby Glendale. We saw a group of students filming in a corner with modern sophisticated equipment. They were from USC. To my stunned surprise, they were filming a Charlie Chaplin short. Complete with detailed dressed performers, a crew of 15, they were intricately making a retro silent film which I could see being processed on their attached monitor. I had to get a picture with Charlie. I told them that I used to teach about Chaplin in my Media & Society film school class--and would show them scenes from "Modern Times" and "City Lights," because other than knowing the famous "Little Tramp" caricature, students had never seen the films. What a wonderful "MY FAVORITE THINGS" DAY IT WAS.


This is Charlotte. She was having 300 seizures a week.

This is Charlotte. She was having 300 seizures a week. She flatlined and almost died many times. The medications she was taking did nothing to help her. Her parents moved to Colorado. It was only there they could get a substance called CBD that suddenly decreased her seizures to a few a week. There are two main substances in marijuana. One is THC--that creates the "high." The other is CBD--a God given natural element which is stopping or curing--not covering up-- hundreds of ailments including cancer cell growth (National Institute of Health), epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, glaucoma, HIV, chronic pain, Alzheimers, nausea, ADD/ADHD, depression, wasting, PTSD and others. The pharmaceutical industry doesn't like CBD. Anybody can grow marijuana and therefore, it competes against their high priced poisons which kill tens of thousands of Americans every year. This week, the DEA added CBD to Schedule 1--therefore claiming it is addictive and has no medical value--on the same level as heroin. The pharmaceutical industry has been protected by the government for decades--after all, who do you think makes the greatest contributions to politicians so they can start running for re-election the minute they get in office?



Just Saying Hello!

It was bedtime. The only thing on my bed was a pillow and a blanket--that had clearly taken the form of something hiding under it. In cute talk I said, "Somebody's hiding under my blanket. Who can be under there?" All of a sudden, either a hand or foot just popped up in a crevice-fold area of the blanket and remained there in that position for 30 minutes. It was so funny when it happened.


PLEASE LEARN THIS WORD: ZEITGEIST.


PLEASE LEARN THIS WORD: ZEITGEIST.
IT MEANS "THE SPIRIT OF THE TIMES." IT REFERS TO THE THINKING AND FEELINGS THAT EXISTED AT A PARTICULAR PERIOD OF TIME. TODAY, ON THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO TEACH U.S. HISTORY. TRYING TO CONVEY THE ZEITGEIST THAT EXISTED IN AMERICA ON DEC. 7, 1941, IS OFTEN DISMISSED BY YOUNGER AUDIENCES THAT FEEL THE BEHAVIOR OF AMERICANS WAS SO RACIST AND NO EXPLANATION WILL SUFFICE. A CARTOON THAT HAS BEEN BANNED SINCE BEING SHOWN IN THEATERS TO WW2 AUDIENCES IS CALLED "BUGS BUNNY NIPS THE NIPS." ANYTIME IT GOES UP ON YOUTUBE, WARNER BROS. HAS IT REMOVED. WARNER BROS. HAD RECENTLY CONSIDERED FINALLY RELEASING IT WITH AN ATTACHED HISTORICAL EXPLANATION, BUT DECIDED NOT TO. BY TODAY'S STANDARDS IT IS SHOCKING. HEARING BUGS BUNNY CALL HIS JAPANESE NEMESIS BY EXTREMELY DEROGATORY TERMS AND WATCHING HIM BLOW UP JAPANESE PEOPLE IS HORRIFIC. TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE THINKING THAT EXISTED AT THE TIME HAS BECOME NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. THERE IS ONE COMPLETE VERSION OF THE CARTOON HIDDEN ON THE INTERNET. WHAT DO YOU THINK--BEFORE THEY REMOVE IT?

DONALD TRUMP WANTS TO REMOVE CITIZENSHIP FROM...


DONALD TRUMP WANTS TO REMOVE CITIZENSHIP FROM OR JAIL AMERICANS WHO BURN THE U.S. FLAG. WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WEAR THE FLAG IN A SUSPICIOUSLY SATIRICAL MANNER?

GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE JILL STEIN HAS RAISED 3.5 MILLION FOR A WISCONSIN BALLOT RECOUNT

GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE JILL STEIN HAS RAISED 3.5 MILLION FOR A WISCONSIN BALLOT RECOUNT WHICH WILL NOT ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING. AND HAS RAISED ANOTHER 3.5 M FOR TWO OTHER STATE RECOUNTS. THE GREEN PARTY IS THE BIGGEST POLITICAL PARTY ADVOCATE FOR TAKING CARE OF HOMELESS PEOPLE. WITH WINTER HERE, WOULDN'T THAT MONEY BETTER GO TO HELPING THESE PEOPLE ON WISCONSIN'S STREETS WITH FOOD, CLOTHING, BLANKETS, MEDICAL AND SHELTER?



HERE IS FIDEL AND HIS BUDDY CHE. THE TWO OF THEM ALMOST ENDED LIFE ON EARTH IN 1962.

TOWN HOUSE RESTAURANT -- SHERIDAN & MORSE

TOWN HOUSE RESTAURANT -- SHERIDAN & MORSE HO5-6800
1950s MATCHBOOK ROGERS PARK


THIS SHOULD MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY!


When George W. Bush became President...


When George W. Bush became President, it took me about 4 months before I really got tired of him and couldn't stand seeing him, listening to him or even seeing a picture of him. In an amazing new record, Donald Trump has accomplished the same effect for me--2 months even before he becomes President.