Today is the birthday of artist, animator and vaudevillian Winsor McCay, who, were he still alive, would be 139 -- or 144 years old… more on that later. Like many animation pioneers, McCay's work has been largely overshadowed by his better known successors, Walt Disney and the Fleischer Brothers. But if it weren't for McCay, … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Winsor McCay!
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Made in Taiwan – Taiwanese Cinema and Television
Taiwan’s official status is complicated. Some view it as a renegade region of China, others as the sole legitimate government of the mainland (the Republic of China). Still others believe it to be an island with a unique history stretching back tens of thousands of years and with a distinct culture influenced by Austronesian, Han, and Japanese history, … Continue reading Made in Taiwan – Taiwanese Cinema and Television
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Out of Africa – Austro-Melanesian History, Culture and Music
Once upon a time, one or two hundred thousand years ago or so, anatomically human beings appeared on the scene in Africa. About 60,000 years ago, there may have been as many as 5,000 people living on the planet. A number, possibly around 150, decided to cross the Red Sea... following the lead of their … Continue reading Out of Africa – Austro-Melanesian History, Culture and Music
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Austronesia – Don’t Tease Ya
Until recently, Austronesian wasn't a self-designation. The name comes from Latin auster (south wind) plus Greek nêsos (island). Of course, historically, Inuits and Aztecs never referred to themselves, in collective solidarity, as "Indians" or "Native Americans," but that doesn't mean we can't see similarities now. Having just just returned from Taiwan, I've observed a growing pride by some Taiwanese Austronesians … Continue reading Austronesia – Don’t Tease Ya
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Lizards of Ahs — Happy Lizard Day!
Lizards are a large, diverse group of reptiles. Around 3800 species live on land and in sea, on every continent except Antarctica. They range in size from geckos and chameleons (as small as a few centimeters) to komodo dragons (nearly three meters). Their used to be mosasaurs, which reached 17 meters! They proved to be too … Continue reading Lizards of Ahs — Happy Lizard Day!
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Mars – The Red Planet in Games, Movies and Television
A lot of people come up to me and say, "Love the blog, especially the ones about moons, planets and dwarf planets in film, music, video games, &c... so why haven't you done one on Mars?" Actually, no one said that and I just never did one until now because I figured it would be … Continue reading Mars – The Red Planet in Games, Movies and Television
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Xu DaRocha – Painter, Photographer, Chinese TV & Cinema Veteran… and Dumpling Lover
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage, an occasion I marked by seeking interviews with several Asian-American artists (like Roommate's Ken Lambert) and blogging about Asian neighborhoods and such… One interview I attempted to land was Chinese-American artist Xu Darocha, now giving a whole new meaning to the concept of “Asian time” by getting her responses to … Continue reading Xu DaRocha – Painter, Photographer, Chinese TV & Cinema Veteran… and Dumpling Lover
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The Radio Geek’s Guide to American Public Radio
I recently saw a petition to get the US government to fully fund PBS and NPR. Now, I'm sure the writers of this petition have nothing against other public radio producers, NPR's competitors Pacifica, PRI and APM. All compete for airtime against each other and locally produced material, as well as foreign public radio producers BBC and CBC. … Continue reading The Radio Geek’s Guide to American Public Radio
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Show me the Mo Movies!!! – Missouri in Film and Television
Some folk that know me know I have to see dang near err movie that's filmed in, set in or tied to Missouri (whurr I grew up). With the Bourne Trilogy, those ties were somewhat tenuous... Badass Jason Bourne is merely informed that his real name is David Webb and he's from Nixa. No wonder … Continue reading Show me the Mo Movies!!! – Missouri in Film and Television
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Celebrating Kyrgyz Culture Amidst Violence
Although I’ve never been to Kyrgyzstan I’ve long wanted to go there. I initially became interested in the Central Asian region due primarily to its sheer obscurity relative to the rest of the continent. When you take an Asian Civ class, you're unlikely to find Tajikistan on the course syllabus. Ten years ago, when Napster … Continue reading Celebrating Kyrgyz Culture Amidst Violence
Eric Brightwell 