In the 2000s, Amoeba Music enlisted an army of writers and data entry people to work on an ambitious website that was meant to be a sort of combination of Allmusic, Apple Music, Discogs, Wikipedia, and more. Despite investing a tremendous amount of time, labor and money, the site, as envisioned, never got off the ground. In 2020 — without so … Continue reading Music Biographies — Turk
New Zealand Day or, Happy Waitangi Day
Happy New Zealand Day! The Haast's Eagle, the largest bird of prey (until extinction) attacking a flightless moa (also extinct) The islands that make up what today is known as New Zealand were, for centuries, uninhabited by people. Due to isolation, the islands hosted many distinct creatures and were dominated by large birds. There … Continue reading New Zealand Day or, Happy Waitangi Day
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Black History Month & Black Cinema
1915 Birth of a Nation was released. It was the most profitable American film of all time until Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarves (1937). In this critical darling, director D.W. Griffith dramatically depicts a mid-19th century south plagued by mulattos and abolitionists who scheme to keep the white man down and raise … Continue reading Black History Month & Black Cinema
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Happy Australia Day
The Flag of Australia, the Australian Aboriginal Flag, and the Flag of Torres Strait Islanders Australia was discovered about 45,000 years ago when they either walked or made short sea-crossings from Papua to the north in what is now the Torres Strait. In Australia they grew into diverse cultures with around 250 languages spoken by … Continue reading Happy Australia Day
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Vietnamese New Wave — German Euro-disco
Vietnamese New Wave Are any of my readers out there Vietnamese? I was turned on to this amazing genre by "the Jewel of La Puente," the one and only (OK, one of thousands but still one of a kind) Ngoc Nuyen. I have asked the experts here at Amoeba Hollywood about "Vietnamese New Wave" (also referred … Continue reading Vietnamese New Wave — German Euro-disco
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Korean BBQ and a South African Dream
When I fell asleep I dreamt that Ngoc and I were in South Africa. We walked down a road surrounded by a just-plowed field of moist dirt and straw. We came to a house and let ourselves inside. We were joined by someone and snooped around. The place was nice- kind of a 70s vibe … Continue reading Korean BBQ and a South African Dream
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Happy New Year! Or, Stay Home and Watch a New Year’s Eve-Centric Movie
After the Thin Man (entire film) https://dailymotion.com/video/x1urcgk Ирония судьбы, или С лёгким паром! (Part 1 of 2) Metropolitan (trailer) New Year's Evil (entire film) Rudolph's Shiny New Year (entire film) Terror Train (trailer) Вовочка (trailer) ***** Eric Brightwell is an adventurer, … Continue reading Happy New Year! Or, Stay Home and Watch a New Year’s Eve-Centric Movie
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Happy Yule – Turns Out Jesus Isn’t the Reason For the Season
Amongst the Sami, midwinter was an occasion for honoring the goddess Beiwe, who was associated with the sun, fertility and sanity. She reportedly traversed the sky in a craft made of reindeer bones accompanied by her daughter, Beiwe-Neia. Beiwe's followers sacrificed white female animals and smeared their doorposts with butter for Beiwe to munch on … Continue reading Happy Yule – Turns Out Jesus Isn’t the Reason For the Season
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It’s the Eve of St. Nicholas Day
It's already December 5th again. Everyone knows that I'm obsessed with holidays and St. Nicholas Day is one of my favorites. Most people have heard David Sedaris' story about Santa Claus vs. St. Nicholas and maybe some of us know that he was a Greek bishop in present-day Turkey who became the patron saint of … Continue reading It’s the Eve of St. Nicholas Day
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Happy Thanksgiving — The evolution of Thanksgiving
December 4, 1619. 38 Brits got together in Charles Cittie. Captain John Woodleaf spake, "Wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually keept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty god." Wahunsenacawhk , Matoaka, and John Rolfe They … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving — The evolution of Thanksgiving
Eric Brightwell 