I typically shy away from books and essays that critique Walt Disney and his films. There are several reasons for this. We don’t need to kill our heroes. Walt was a product of his times. It’s easier to critique and tear down things than it is to create them. However, the biggest reason is that too many of these types of essays contain inaccuracies and falsehoods that come from someone not being an expert in Disney knowledge and/or doing sloppy research. It’s insane how many “educated” people believe Walt’s frozen head lies in a secret lair under Disneyland. It’s hurtful how many people say he was racist or anti-Semitic when those who worked with him deny those allegations. Sometimes, it’s just ridiculous the interpretations that people come up with for Disney films.
Continue readingMarvel’s ‘The Avengers’ Film (2012) and Power
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on examiner.com) “The Avengers” (affiliate link) is all about power. It starts with Iron Man installing a new, clean burning power source and lighting up the Stark building in the middle of New York City. The Tesseract, a source of unlimited power that humans don’t understand yet, is stolen by Loki to open a worm hole for an invading alien force that will take over the universe starting with Earth.
Continue readingBuddhist Fiction and Non-fiction by Former Marine and Current Monk
Darren Lamb calls himself the Worst Buddhist. He served in the Marines and is a veteran of the first Gulf War. His books combine the sensibilities and philosophies of Buddhism with the frailties of the human condition and surreal or fantastical situations. Lamb takes his life experiences and translates them into fast-paced action with great characters. Lamb writes for adults as he honestly explores what it means to be alive and what responsibilities spiritual people have to the world. If you’ve never heard of Buddhist fiction, let Lamb show you how amazing it can be. Lamb’s original works will amaze you and bring you joy, even while they explore the darker parts of the world and the inner turmoil of people’s lives.
Continue readingRussian Wisdom: The Greedy Man Pays Twice, Especially for Razors
I’m not sure that this is the correct translation, but “the greedy man pays twice” or maybe “the cheap man pays twice” is something I’ve heard a couple of times while in Russia. My wife says it to me because I am always looking for the best price per unit. I know there’s something to be said for quality, but most of the time, the quality of an item isn’t worth the price increase.
Continue readingThe Paradoxes of Creativity: Getting Comfortable to Get Uncomfortable to Get Comfortable
As the trolls in “Frozen” (affiliate link) sang “People make bad choices when they’re scared or mad or stressed.” Part of this is because our human response to pain is fight or flee. Stress hormones overrun our ability to think imploring our bodies to get active and do something. This response isn’t a very good adaptation in modern times, unless you’re staring down the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, because the stress response is triggered anytime our mind perceives danger whether physical or otherwise.
Continue readingHow Social Media Can Fix Itself
If you haven’t realized it by now, social media companies are not a product. They are not beholden to their users for any reason other than that they need users to be the product. Social media then sells its data and insights to the highest advertising budget to get the most targeted results. While making you the product has been vilified in some arenas, it’s not any worse than you as the product for TV or radio. The biggest difference is that Facebook, Twitter, and their ilk can target you specifically, have done experiments to show they can manipulate your feelings, and are in it for a profit, not of millions of dollars, but hundreds of millions.
Continue reading‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’: Music and Worry
(This article contains affiliate links. If you order something using these links, it doesn’t cost you more, and I get a small advertising fee.) In 1937, Walt Disney released “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The first animated feature was often known as Disney’s Folly. People said no one would sit through such a long cartoon. Some said people’s eyes would bleed if they watched that much animated film in one sitting. When it premiered at the Carthay Circle Theater, it was an instant hit. Celebrities cried. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” became the highest grossing movie of all-time until “Gone with the Wind” knocked it off the top spot in 1939.
Continue readingThe Daredevil Penguin: Who Is the Great Penguini?
In the southern hemisphere, there is a legend of a daredevil penguin who would perform great feats of daring. Some people claim to have seen him in action. Others say he stole their equipment. But none of them know the truth. First, those that claimed the penguin was a “he” never did a blood test, so the penguin’s sex remained unknown. Second, most of the feats of the Great Penguini are not the actions of a single penguin, but the actions of several penguins who learned from an early teacher and built on his/her legacy. This is the first feat accomplished by the Great Penguini.
Continue readingDead to Me Season 2 through Episode 4: If The ‘Tell-Tale Heart’ and 2020 Had a Baby
When ‘Dead to Me’ season 2 started filming in Sep. 2019, coronavirus didn’t exist, and 2020 was still in the future. So, how the writers came up with a show that is a simile for the entire year and what we’re all going through is a mystery. Think of Steve as the coronavirus, which leads to a discussion of how long they would have to stay in the house together. The writers have created a simile for everything that has happened and combined it with Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” (affiliate link) creating something new and amazing. ‘Dead to Me’ season 2 continues to provide surprises, even if one of them is straight from a soap opera. It also provides disaster upon disaster.
Continue readingTruth, Justice, and the Lost American Way
Growing up, mom taught me that honesty was the most important quality a person could have. We may not be able to have a lot of things, those things could be taken away, but no one could take away our integrity or ability to be honest. I had to learn degrees of honesty. It wasn’t culturally acceptable to tell a neighbor that he or she looked fat today. Santa Claus is real, even if he’s more of a concept than a person, and the truth doesn’t always beat being kind. Overall, it was important to be truthful, and mom wasn’t the only one delivering that message.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 