Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Felix the Cat: The Movie

Felix the Cat: The Movie was released in 1988. It was an American-German-Polish-Hungarian produced animated movie that didn't see an American release until 1991 and then it was just direct-to-video. There have been no official DVD releases of this movie in North America.

Felix the Cat was created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and/or Otto Messmer for Pat Sullivan Productions. Felix became the most popular animated star of the silent movie era. The animated shorts, combining adult humor with childlike fantasy was a hit with moviegoers. The last Felix short came out in 1930 after a disastrous attempt at adding sound to the shorts. Sullivan died in 1933. Messmer would continue the Felix the Cat comic strips and would illustrate the comic books. He would die in 1983. A short-lived attempt to revive Felix occurred in 1936 but only produced three shorts.

Joe Oriolo, an assistant of Messmer's on the comic strip, purchased the rights to Felix and, through Paramount, produced 260 Felix cartoons to distribute to television networks. The series debuted in 1958 and gave Felix much of his appearance and personality--the magic bag of tricks, a rotation of villains, and catchy theme song. After Oriolo's death in 1985, his son Don continued marketing Felix producing a new comic book series from Harvey Comics, a Nintendo video game, a series of bumpers for CBS Saturday morning cartoons, a new 13-episode series, and this movie.

Felix the Cat: The Movie was written by Pete Brown and directed by Tibor Hernadi who would go on to direct 86 Red Bull commercials between 1992 and his death in 2012. Currently, Felix the Cat is owned by NBCUniversal.

GAAH! Satan! Burn it with fire!
We are introduced to Felix through a floating disembodied head. This part, done by CGI in one of the first uses of motion-capture animation, stands out starkly as the rest of the movie is done with traditional hand-drawn animation. Felix tells us about Oriana and it being in another dimension and is very excited to tell you this tale. Perhaps, a little too excited.

We are introduced to Princess Oriana who rules the Kingdom of Oriana (o...k) and she is a kind and peaceful ruler. She wants to give back money to her people much to the dismay of her adviser Grumper and has disbanded the army believing the people will defend the kingdom if anything happens. As fate would have it, something is happening. The Duke of Zill begins invading the kingdom. Oriana tries to flee and find the dimensporter to summon a hero from another dimension. They activate the dimensporter but Zill and his robotic cylinders find Oriana and take her captive. A single tear with her cries for help are sent through the dimensporters and happen upon Felix the Cat. Despite saying he won't hurt it, Felix continuously swats at the tear as it cries "Help me." This chase scene between Felix and the tear goes on for nearly five minutes and then we get a short song called "Sly As a Fox" which are about foxes that has nothing to do with the story. The tear leads Felix into an abandoned mine where there happens to be a dimensporter which transports Felix to Oriana to rescue Oriana.
"Help me, Felix Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."
After a couple mishaps with his magic bag, flooding the dimensporter chamber, and dancing sea creatures, Felix lands in the Land of Zill and meets Pim who offers to take Felix...somewhere but really just wants his magic bag despite not knowing that it's a magic bag. Meanwhile, back in our dimension, The Professor and Poindexter are tracking down Felix and find the mine. They then follow Felix to Oriana.
Felix and Pim. No, I don't know why Pim looks like an 1840s prospector.
As Felix and Pim arrive at Progress City, Felix is double-crossed and is taken captive by Wack Lizardi, who manages a circus in the city. Felix is thrown in jail and his magic bag is taken to Lizardi. The bag won't work with Felix so Lizardi says if Felix wants to eat (and see his bag again) he has to perform in Lizardi's circus. Felix initially refuses to he's locked back up where he meets some mizzard (mice-lizard hybrids). While locked up, Lizardi begins his show with a tribute to Zill.
"We are contented because he says we are."

I honestly don't hate this character design.
Like all villain songs, it's vastly superior to every other song in this movie. The first act in the circus are the mizzards tap dancing which the audience doesn't like--both the circus audience and the movie audience. The tap-dancing goes on for nearly four minutes. Felix is the next act and his act is that he talks and has a magic bag. Felix rips some jokes before performing with his magic bag. The crowd goes wild and Felix becomes a permanent feature at the circus.

Turns out Oriana (the princess not the kingdom) is now a dancer in Wack's circus and every night Zill watches Oriana dance like some sort of pervert. Oh, I forgot to tell you, the Duke of Zill is Oriana's uncle. Felix attempts to talk to Oriana after her performance but she doesn't listen and walks away.
The mizzards talk!
Felix befriends the mizzards who create a hole big enough for him to go through so he can visit Oriana (the princess not the kingdom). There are so many pointless scenes in this movie. Oriana isn't so sure about Felix being the dark hero but she tells him the story of her family and Oriana. The Duke was a great inventor and brilliant scientist who was disfigured during a lab explosion. Outfitting himself with a mechanical shell, the Duke became Doctor Doom The Duke of Zill after he was banished from Oriana for liking war too much. He gained the strange creatures of Zill as followers and built an army of cylinders and cubes as his military. Why are the Professor and Poindexter even in this movie?

Felix asks to perform with Oriana when she dances so Felix joins the band, playing saxophone with his magic bag. Emitting magic bubbles, Felix is able to float him, the band, Pim, and Oriana out of the circus and to freedom. Zill, watching this, freaks out, falling down the stairs, and injuring his back. They make the Duke of Zill out to be this smart, strong, and sinister villain but all that is brushed away with one pointless scene trying to be funny. It's just another of a bunch of disappointments in this movie.

Free! We're free! Wait. We still have half the movie to go.
Felix, Oriana, and Pim begin to make their way to Oriana with cylinders and cubes hot on their trail. Felix then realizes that he has left his magic bag behind despite it being in the screenshot posted above. Luckily, Professor and Poindexter catch up to Felix and they just so happen to have Felix's magic bag. Felix and the gang arrive at some hair forest in the shape of a face for some reason, it's not explained, and have to cut their way through the hair. Some more filler happens and Pim finds a boat to take them the rest of the way to Oriana.
"Hmm. The castle is around here somewhere..."
Princess Oriana is voiced by Maureen O'Connell, you probably haven't heard of her and despite a career spanning five decades, she has no credits of note. She kind of sounds like Didi Hill, Hank's stepmother on King of the Hill. It's very strange.
Felix tries to lasso Zill but his magic bag is confiscated and everyone is taken prisoner. Zill says he won't harm them if Oriana gives him the Book of Ultimate Power. She refuses so Zill sics his cylinders on her friends. She makes the book appear but Zill discovers it is useless to him. Zill has no use for Truth, Love, and Wisdom.
Still better than Cheryl Strayed's Wild.
The Duke of Zill unleashes the Master Cylinder on our heroes, an evil-er update of the Master Cylinder from the 1950s cartoon and the thing that controls the cylinder and cube army. There's no way that our heroes can overcome this.
Here are the blueprints if you want to make your own Master Cylinder..
Felix picks up the Book of Ultimate Power and throws it at the Master Cylinder. The Cylinder malfunctions and shuts down destroying the entire army and melting the Duke of Zill who promises that he will be back. So to recap: We've spent one hour and ten minutes getting to a villain that takes less than thirty seconds to defeat. Felix just threw a book. That was all it took. Oriana goes back to normal, everything is hunky-dory.
Yay.
Poindexter gives us an infodump that the purity of the gold binding on the book interfered with the circuitry of the Master Cylinder or some garbage thus explaining why everything blew up. Oriana decides to shut down the dimensporter so Felix will never be able to come back. Felix, the Professor, and Poindexter are sent back to their dimension. But not before Oriana says Felix has a heart of gold and he agrees with a "Righty-O!"
Oh, thank God it's over. Unfortunately that disembodied Felix
head is back.
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Sunday, April 12, 2020

Nzinga

Uzochi went fast, not wanting to be caught if Nzinga’s mother or her brother and sister walked in. Her mother was in the fields with the other women of the village and her brother and sister were just outside playing with their friends.

“Slow down,” she said as she placed a hand gently on Uzochi’s chest.

He slowed down but kept up the pace. “I don’t want us to get caught.”

“I don’t either but I also want to enjoy it. I want us to enjoy it. Now,” she grabbed his face and looked him in the eyes “slow down.” He slowed down more and Nzinga used her hips to help guide him.

When they were finished and had their clothes back on, Uzochi asked “Why’d you want to do that?”

“I didn’t want to go to America a virgin,” Nzinga replied.

“Why me?”

“We’ve been friends our whole lives—almost like we were married. It made sense,” she smiled. “People probably think we do it anyway.”

He smiled back. “Really?”

She laughed.

“Can we do it again before you leave?” he asked.

“I leave in two days. I don’t know how we’d squeeze it in.” She noticed his expression change, his smile faded and he turned away. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and you got me pregnant,” she stuck out and rubbed her belly, laughing.

He turned back to her. “Do not put that on me. You have a future and I,” he walked over to Nzinga and put his arms around her “would not want to be responsible for ruining that future.”

“I don’t think it would be ruining my future but okay,” Nzinga said, slightly laughing.

“What are you two doing?” Nzinga’s mother walking into the house. “You are supposed to be out watching your brother and sister.”

Nzinga had sent them out to play and bribed them not to come back into the house. She was supposed to be watching them but wanted this time with Uzochi. She hung her head, blushed, and looked at Uzochi. “Sorry. I know. I just wanted some time to say good-bye to Uzochi,” she said.

“You’ll have plenty of time for good-byes at your going-away party,” her mother commented. “Now get out there and watch your siblings.”

Nzinga and Uzochi walked out of the house and they stood in the yard and watched Nzinga’s brother and sister play with the neighbor children. “You’re going to do great in America,” he said.

“Thanks,” she sighed.

“If you can keep your mind off the boys,” he chuckled.

“I don’t think there will be any problem there,” she laughed loud at the idea.




Adrian pulled out and came on Nzinga's stomach. Her leg was still twitching from her orgasm but she was too focused on the odd feeling of warm cum turning to cold on her belly. Adrian was the sixth guy she'd been with. Her first African-American guy. Her first two had been Nigerians, one that she had dated. They were like Uzochi, quick and just pounding away at her. Next were three white guys. One of them she had dated. They were better, more caring and attentive, but they were not dating material and she soon ended it with both of them after a few weeks. Adrian was a nice guy but Nzinga didn't feel any sparks with him either. Nzinga thought Adrian was done but he was then licking up what he left on her stomach and soon his head was back between her legs, giving her another orgasm within minutes and then he was back inside her for round two.

Nzinga was a decent student and she could've been better but between her private life and her job, her schoolwork was the responsibility that took the most neglect. She worked at a cheap clothing store, where people would come in and sell their old clothes for either store credit or cash. She had become good friends with her coworkers there, Alicia Alonzo and Dustin Marr. Dustin was very funny and charming and Nzinga found herself falling for him. Alicia was a beautiful mixed-race girl who had been friends with Dustin for several years. There was something about Alicia that intrigued Nzinga but she wasn't sure what that was.

"You're late. Busy getting railed?" Alicia asked when Nzinga came into the store.

"Yeah," Nzinga blushed. "Has it been busy?”

“Of course not. Dustin is doing inventory in the back. Looking at and pricing new clothes.”

“I’m gonna go say hi,” Nzinga seemingly started bouncing to the swinging doors that led to the storage room.

“You should ask him out,” Alicia suddenly said.

“What?”

“Ask Dustin out,” Alicia smiled. “You both like each other and I would like seeing you together. You’d make a cute couple. Trust me.”

Nzinga scoffed and went to the back room where Dustin was going through boxes of clothes and sorting them out. “Hey, Dustin, need any help?”

“No, thanks. I’m good. It shouldn’t take me long to get through this.”

“Anything good?” Nzinga walked over and picked up a couple of blouses that had floral prints on them. She gave them a good look and seemed interested.

“A little. These are my favorite,” he held up a t-shirt with a black and white dog on it with words surrounding him. “Big Dog shirts!” he exclaimed.

“I’ve seen kids in neighboring villages wearing shirts with that dog on it,” Nzinga picked up on of the shirts and looked at it.

“Really?” Dustin asked. “I’m so sorry. My mom would get me shirts like this because she liked the dog. I hated them. They were always the first things I’d get rid of when cleaning out my closet.”

“How much we going to resell them for?” Nzinga asked.

Dustin tossed them all in the trash can. “We’re not. I’m gonna save someone from the nightmare life that I had to live.”

Nzinga chuckled. “You’re a hero,” she turned to leave the back room. “Hey, Dustin, are you doing anything tonight?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Would you like to go out, have dinner?” she asked.

“Yeah. That’d be great.”




“Last box,” Dustin said as he came into Nzinga’s bedroom and dropped a box on the floor. Nzinga had moved in with Alicia and Dustin was helping her move in while Alicia was at work. Nzinga paused putting stuff on a bulletin board to go over to Dustin and hug and kiss him. They had just celebrated their three-month anniversary which made this her longest relationship.

“My big, strong man,” she smiled after kissing him.

“Is he here, too?” Dustin looked around the room and down the hallway.

Nzinga chuckled. “You want to hang out tonight? Alicia has work and she said that she’s going out clubbing which means she will probably not be coming home.”

“Sure. We can order in some food, put on a movie or binge a TV show, and then break in your new room,” he said.

“Thai. I want Thai food,” Nzinga said.

Dustin sighed heavily. “Ok. We will order some Thai food.”

After midnight, they were still up, watching a TV show. The Thai food was gone and they had gotten into what little alcohol Alicia had in the apartment. Except for the hallway light and the glow of the TV, it was completely dark in the apartment. They were snuggled up together on the couch when Alicia came in, the door banging against the wall and her keys landing hard on a table.

“Alicia,” Nzinga sat up. “I didn’t think you’d be back tonight.”

“It was a slow night,” she breathed. “It was fun but the girls were just…not tonight. What are you two kids doing?” she sat down next to Nzinga, reaching out and brushing hair out of Nzinga’s face.

“Just watching TV. Are you drunk?”

“A little. Like I said, it was fun but there was only one girl on my mind tonight,” Alicia moved in closer. “I see you two aren’t sober either,” she pointed out the empty and nearly empty bottles on the coffee table.

“We may have had a little,” Nzinga said softly. Alicia was practically on top of her.

“Can I kiss you?” Alicia asked Nzinga.

“What?” both Nzinga and Dustin asked, in shock.

“Can I kiss you? If that’s okay with you and Dustin,” Alicia bit her lip and looked back and forth between Nzinga and Dustin.

Nzinga looked at Dustin. Reading into each other’s eyes, Nzinga smiled and leaned over and kissed Alicia. Their mouths opened and they pressed harder together. Alicia took Nzinga into her arms and they continued making out. Nzinga reached over and grabbed Dustin’s shirt, pulling him to them. Nzinga began kissing Dustin while Alicia went to Nzinga’s neck.

The next morning, Nzinga woke up alone in Alicia’s bed. She sat up and looked around. There was a note on the pillow from Dustin. Had to go to work. I’ll see you this afternoon. Love you lots. Dustin. She held her head in her hands and thought about last night. The three of them started on the couch then moved into Alicia’s bedroom. She could still feel Alicia touching and kissing her. She recalled her head between Alicia’s legs while Dustin made love to her from behind and then Alicia riding Dustin while she and Alicia kissed and he ate her out.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Alicia came into the room. Nzinga flinched and held the blanket close to her tightly. “Are you okay?” Alicia extended a hand and gave Nzinga a worried look.

“I think so. I…What happened last night?”

Alicia slowly went over to the bed and sat down. “We…You, me and Dustin, had a threesome. We—you and I—started making out, you pulled Dustin into it, and then we came back here.”

Nzinga was breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” she asked again.

“I think so. I’m just confused. I mean, Dustin I get. He likes women. You like women. I’ve only been with men and…what am I?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to confuse you. Look, Nzinga, I really like you. I didn’t exactly plan for this to happen but I really enjoyed it and I know that you enjoyed it, too. But if you feel uncomfortable or taken advantage of or anything, then I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Alicia tried to explain.

“You like me?”

“Since I met you,” Alicia smiled. “I would’ve asked you out but I didn’t think you’d go for it. I mean, you really like your men.”

“I do. But I liked this, too,” Nzinga took Alicia’s hand. “I’m still confused though. Am I…like you? I still like guys. I still like Dustin.”

“You can like both.”

“What about us? What are we?” Nzinga asked.

“We can be friends. Roommates. When the time is right, we can become more,” Alicia leaned in and kissed Nzinga. Alicia pulled away but Nzinga grabbed the back of her head and kept her close. They continued making out and soon were back in bed.

Wednesday, April 08, 2020

1st & Humphrey


Along the northern banks of the Kansas River in Shawnee County, across from the area of Valencia and Auburn Road, is a dead end road. A cluster of buildings surround this dead end road and the county appraisers office list the property as farming and ranch. Initially part of the Pottawatomie Reservation, the first settlement on this land was Joseph and Louis Ogee who began operating a ferry on the site in 1853.

Louis Ogee was one of the earliest settlers of Shawnee County and Silver Lake. He helped write and approve the Pottawatomie Treaty and was very generous toward the Baptist church. He was an affectionate parent and husband and a good friend to the poor. Ogee died in 1880 of a cancerous tumor that he had on his neck. He is buried in Silver Lake Cemetery.

Nearby, on the other side of section, Sidney W. Smith started a ferry about 1852. Smith arrived in Uniontown, a small trading town a couple miles southeast of present-day Willard, in 1848. It was the first rope ferry across the Kansas River above Wyandotte. Smith ran this ferry for about eight years before it was abandoned. A road from the ferry led to the Pottawatomie Mission. According to newspaper reports, Smith's Ferry was the most used ferry by travelers heading to Santa Fe and California.
Notice for Smith's Ferry, Kansas Tribune, Dec. 13, 1858.
The land continued to be part of the Pottawatomie Reservation until 1859. The first landowner was a man named Raglin and Polk and Lasley in 1873 although it probably had owners before then. By the turn of the century, the land was divided more, having five owners splitting approximately 100 acres.
F(?) Stoher
? Ward
J(?) Ivers(?)
P(?) Stoher
Albert Henry Shafer (1846-1898)

In the 1913 plat book of Shawnee County, this section of land had new owners. John H. Ginter (1862-1936, buried in Dover Cemetery), Morrison Hewey, J.E. Kinnard, Clinton O. Shafer (1881-1950, buried in Prairie Home Cemetery), C.L. Mohler (1884-1977, buried in Prairie Home Cemetery), and Eri Hansford. In the 1880s, sorghum became a popular crop. In 1888, the Topeka Sugar Mill opened on the south bank of the Kansas River. Hansford built a pontoon bridge across the river for him and his fellow farmers to use to get to the mill. The bridge was destroyed the following year and Hansford installed three cable ferry boats. A year after it opened, the Topeka Sugar Mill burned down but was operating again in 1890. The endeavor was still shortlived as a succession of bad crops and economic depression closed the mill in 1893. In 1902, Hansford untied the cables from his ferry and the boats were lost in the 1903 flood.

Hansford continued farming sorghum, using his own mill, until 1917 when it was destroyed by a tornado. He attempted to reopen it years later but it failed, again, soon after. In 1920, Hansford began Riverside Camp, a summer resort with 50 cabins and a large dancing pavilion. Sadly, it was nearly destroyed in the 1935 flood and while some cabins were rebuilt, it was never as successful. In 1946, the pavilion was struck by lightening and burned down.
Cabins at Riverside Camp, 1925-1929. From Kansas State Historical Society.
In August 1905, Hansford's son, Allen, was accused of statutory rape by Minnie Worrell, who was 17-years-old to Allen's 25. Worrell was living and working at the Hansford's as a domestic. Hansford, being a wealthy man, fought tooth and nail for his son. Allen was sentenced to five to 21 years in the penitentiary, which was upheld by the state supreme court. Worrell then brought a $15,000 suit against Hansford and a doctor but she was only awarded $500. Allen Hansford was pardoned by Governor Walter Stubbs after only serving about eight months of his sentence. Allen died January 12, 1920 of neuritis, leaving a wife and child. Eri Hansford died in 1941 at the age of 92.

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Sunday, April 05, 2020

Bart Gets Hit By a Car


Wait. Hold on. What's the title of this episode again?
Oh! Thank you, random title screen.

Credits
Episode 7F10 (#23)
Created by Matt Groening; Developed by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon
Written by John Swarzwelder
Directed by Mark Kirkland
Executive Producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon
Starring Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer
Guest Starring Hank Azaria, Doris Grau
Special Guest Star Phil Hartman

Story
Bart is skateboarding through the streets and sidewalks of Springfield when he approaches an intersection and is promptly hit by a car. Whether a dream or reality, Bart is sent up the golden escalator to Heaven.

Despite a Heavenly Voice telling Bart not to spit over the side, Bart does it anyway and is immediately sent to Hell. Due to a clerical error, Bart isn't scheduled to die until the Yankees win the pennant and is sent back into the living. He awakes in the hospital surrounded by his family and lawyer, Lionel Hutz. Hutz gives Homer his business card (which is also a sponge if you get it wet!) and leaves. The next day at work, Mr. Burns offers Homer $100 to sign away any legal right to sue Mr. Burns for hitting his child. Homer casually mentions that $100 won't cover Bart's medical bills which sends Burns into a rage screaming about extortion. Homer then decides to call Lionel Hutz.
"You can ching-ching-ching cash in on this tragedy!"
Hutz promises to get Homer a million dollars (50% of which Hutz will take) from Mr. Burns who so carelessly targeted and ran down the little boy. Hutz brings in Dr. Nick Riviera to look Bart over again and come to the conclusion that instead of a bump on the head and a broken toe, Bart now has whiplash head and facial trauma. He wraps Bart in bandages, gives him a wheelchair, and the trial is a go.

The first day doesn't go very well for Mr. Burns. Bart's testimony of an evil Mr. Burns targeting and running down Bart while he's trapped against a wrought iron fence doesn't sit well with the jury. Mr. Burns' testimony of his sanctimonious excursion to deliver toys to an orphanage brought to a premature end as Bart kept skating right toward Mr. Burns no matter which direction Burns steered just cemented the jurors' hatred for this 104-year-old man. Burns and his lawyers decide to offer the Simpsons a settlement of $500,000 which Homer turns down because Homer knows that Burns knows that he's going to lose the case. Marge tries to get Homer to take the money and mentions shifty lawyers and phony doctors. Unbeknownst to them, Burns and Smithers have been listening to them and now have a plan of action. They cancel the offer and release the hounds.

The next day, the Blue-Haired Lawyer calls Marge to the stand. When questioned, Marge tells the truth and nothing but the truth. Now out $1,000,000 dollars, and whatever the Lionel Hutz's fee was because, as we'll learn in later episodes he does not work on contingency (Money down!), Homer is looking at his wife a bit differently. After dinner, Homer goes to Moe's and is followed by Marge. Homer reveals that he's not upset about the money but that his wife didn't stand by him. Marge wants him to look her in the eyes and say that he doesn't love her anymore. Homer does and realizes that he can't do it. He loves Marge more than ever and everyone in Moe's celebrates with 1/3 off pitchers of domestic beer.

Random Observations
  • Bart, looking down at his body: "Hey, cool. I'm dead."
  • This is the first episode where Mr. Burns is genuinely evil and not just a curmudgeon. He would continue to be evil for the rest of the series although some would argue he went from being evil to cartoonish supervillain.
  • This is the first episode to guest star Phil Hartman. At the time, Hartman was on Saturday Night Live. In this episode, Hartman voices Lionel Hutz and the Heavenly Voice. Hartman would become one of the most-used guest voices. Sadly, Hartman died in 1998 in a tragic murder-suicide.
  • This episode also debuts the voice of Doris Grau. Grau, the script supervisor for the series, would go on to voice Lunchlady Doris. Grau would go on to voice Doris on The Critic. Grau would pass away in 1995 of respiratory failure.
  • "I'm the Devil!" is a great read by Harry Shearer.
  • The Devil tells Bart that he's not due to die until the Yankees win the pennant. The Yankees would win in 1996 and win again six more times over the next 24 years.
  • Homer to Lionel Hutz: "Yeah, who are you? I saw you chasing Bart's ambulance."
  • Lisa: "Mr. Hutz, are you a shyster?"
    Hutz: "How does a nice little girl like you know a big word like that?"
  • Dr. Hibbert touches Bart's bump and broken toe causing Bart to say "Ow, quit it" just like in the Christmas special.
  • Mr. Burns offers Homer $100 so he doesn't sue. Burns explodes when Homer mentions the medical bills. Homer has a point and it's a shame he was led to use shifty lawyers and fake doctors when he truly had a case against Mr. Burns. But then, I guess, we wouldn't have an episode.
  • Lionel Hutz makes his secretary give him fake phone messages to impress clients. "The Supreme Court called..."
  • Dr. Nick: "And this smudge here, that looks like my fingerprint, it's trauma!"

  • Mr. Burns thinks about the newspaper headlines if he fired Homer after running over Bart:
    "Burns fires ungrateful employee"
    "Another smart move by Burns"
    "Hooray for Burns!"


  • Hutz: "Now let's pretend you're on the witness stand. How are you, Bart?"
    Bart: "Fine."
    Hutz: "Oh, fine. Isn't that nice? Bart says he's fine. WRONG! YOU ARE NOT FINE! YOU ARE IN CONSTANT PAIN!"
    Bart: "I am in constant pain."
  • Mr Burns, in court after his lawyer mentions how rich and powerful he is: "I should be able to run over as many kids as I want!"
  • Judge Snyder: "You wouldn't lie to the United States, would you, Bart?"

  • No. NO!

  • "Take me! I'm old!"
  • Homer and Marge definitely should've taken the $500,000.
  • Marge tells the truth. It does not go well for Homer and Lionel Hutz.
  • While the writer's have Homer say it's not about the money, Homer is upset that his wife blew his one chance. While this is a decent argument (my wife should stand by me) it still goes back to losing out on the money.
  • I believe this is the first episode that really stuck out to me. Maybe because it's Bart-heavy and I was eight-years-old at the time this aired but this episode always stuck out to me as one of the best shows of the first couple of seasons. It has that Simpsons humor but also Simpson heart in equal doses.

Wednesday, April 01, 2020

Captain Kid Gets the Old Run Around

It's been awhile. Let's take a look at the next Captain Kid story. This story is about Captain Kid running a race but instead of training and being the best runner, Captain Kid decides to cheat.  Role model! So, as the cover says, relax and be happy.

Nope. I'm done. I didn't know we were going to start out with...this...whatever it is. I'm sorry about this, everybody.

Captain Kid's thing is that he's always bragging about how strong and athletic he is. He gets this way by cheating. He's that guy in high school you hated. Yes, that guy. That jerk.

Pudgy's not that Pudgy, really.

Why does Captain Kid's hair do that?

Oh no! Captain Kid is gonna get bamboozled!

No one is going to comment that Captain Kid is running into the woods instead on staying on the race route? Once he went into the woods he should've been disqualified.


Is it though? Is it?

Hmm, it seems as if cheating is just as hard...or harder...than just doing what you are supposed to do.

Here's hoping that's a downhill slope directly into Hell.

Hey, I was right.

So it's clear that Pudgy is trying to kill Captain Kid, right? That's clear now.

Even if this was a shortcut, I don't think Captain Kid is going to win this thing anymore.

I'm taking bets on how long Captain Kid's body will remain lost in the woods before a hiker spots it. I'm going twelve years.

Look who's finally caught up. Not with the others racers but with the overall story. You know what? Never mind.

I don't know either but that snake seems to be doing a good job keeping up. It also looks really harmless.

So he's running back to where he entered the woods? There is no way he's gonna cheat his way to success now!

I just noticed that Captain Kid's number for the race is 0. As it should be.

Why does everyone seems to care about Captain Kid so much? Wait. Is he one of those...special...kids? Are we making fun of someone who shouldn't be made fun of?

Captain Kid is a phony.


No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no...

NO!

It seems as if no one is excited that Captain Kid won. "Here's your medal. Hope you choke on it."

Well, the story is over and for some reason I feel emptier...dirtier, maybe. Either way, I look forward to the next issue of Pudgy trying to vanquish his old foe, Captain Kid.

If you would like to support my writing or research, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

Monday, March 30, 2020

The House of Catropolis

“Introducing…” Gabriel Godfrey pulled a sheet off of a small model of one of the neighborhoods in Catropolis. “Godfrey Plaza! A state-of-the-art living and working community in the heart of Downtown Catropolis. It will have hundreds of apartments and lofts, each one specifically geared to people’s unique needs. Each building will have storefronts where people can shop and buy things. There will also be spaces for large office complexes. People can live, work, and shop all in the same place. One hundred and sixty acres of a city within a city.”

The nine member city council and mayor nodded thoughtfully at the model. “This is a big project,” the mayor said. “You said it would be in the heart of downtown. Where downtown?”

“Bartle Farms,” Godfrey said.

“Bartle Farms?” a council member raised an eyebrow. “But it’s a working farm. It has the first house built in Catropolis. It’s a historic monument to the city founders. The house has stood for nearly 300 years.”

“My team and I have discussed moving the house. We’re considering options,” Godfrey sneered.

“I think the council and I are all on the same page, the house is an important part of Catropolis’ history. It needs to be saved and preserved. The current owner, Harold Odetts I think his name is, has owned the land for nearly fifty years. He’s willed the land to the city after he dies but his wishes are to keep the land as a park and preserve the house,” the mayor explained. “Would the city or yourself be buying the land from Mr. Odetts in order to start construction on the Plaza?”

“We have proffered money to Mr. Odetts,” Godfrey said. “He turned down the offer but we will continue to work with him.”

Godfrey packed up and left city hall with his team. “Sir, Mr. Odetts refused to sell the land to us. He said he’ll care for the land until he dies and then it goes to the city.”

“He’s a man in his 70s,” Godfrey said.

“He’s 74. He could live another twenty years.”

“He could also die much, much sooner,” Godfrey smiled.




Supercat flew lazily over Catropolis, heading toward the Daily Cat. So far, everything was running smoothly in the city. His ear twitched and he turned his attention to a branch of the Avenue City Bank. “Almost spoke too soon,” he sighed and floated down to the street and entered the bank. Three masked men were standing at the counter demanding money. Two were using guns to hold back the other patrons and employees while one was pointing their gun at a teller and yelling at her as she shoved money into a bag. One of the employees had pressed a silent alarm that Supercat had heard. Police sirens were faint several blocks away.

“Hurry up!” the one guy shouted. “Maybe I should just shoot you and do it myself!”

“That doesn’t seem very nice,” Supercat said behind him. “The lady is doing what she’s been told after all.”

Supercat had already grabbed the other guns from the two sidekicks and was now focusing his attention on the one doing the yelling. “Supercat? Who pressed the alarm button?”

In a split second, Supercat had taken the gun from the shouting man. “Are you done?” he asked.

The police arrived and arrested the bank robbers. Supercat flew back to the Daily Cat, going through an open window, and redressing as Lester Kat in a store room. From outside the room, Lester heard his editor, Purry Taylor, yelling. “Where is Kat? I’ve been looking everywhere for him!”

Lester popped out of the store room. “Hey, Purry, you need to see me?”

“Kat! What are you doing in there?” Purry shouted. “Oh, never mind. We got a call from Harold Odetts. He was offered half a billion dollars for Bartle Farms and turned it down. He wants to bring the offer and the history of the farm to people’s attention. It’s the first house in Catropolis, you know.”

“I’ll get right down there,” Lester waved and took off down the hallway.




Skyscrapers of 60, 80, 100, and 120 stories towered over Bartle Farm and the two-story wood and stone house on the corner of 7th & Madison. It was a quaint farmhouse, well-maintained for nearly 300 years but was showing signs of wear and tear in the paint and roof. Lester showed up at the house and saw Harold Odetts on the porch, sweeping dust and dirt off of the porch.

“Mr. Odetts, Lester Kat with the Daily Cat,” Lester introduced.

“Mr. Kat, glad to meet you,” they shook hands. “I heard you got an offer on this place.”

“Yeah. Half a billion dollars so Gabriel Godfrey can build a tribute to himself. I’m not selling this land and it goes to the city to be made a park when I die. It’s an important piece of Catropolis history and I intend to take care of it.”

“That’s very honorable, Mr. Odetts. What specifically has happened on this farm in its 300-year history?” Lester asked.

“When the original eighteen founders settled in Catropolis, they mostly huddled in dugouts, tents, or just slept on the ground on or around this claim. A year later, George Andrew Bartle cordoned off this 160 acres and began building a house—the stone part. The Bartles kept the farm running over the next four generations before selling the land to the Odetts. I’m the last of the Odetts and I have no heirs to pass this land onto so when I go, it goes to the city as a park.”

“That’s very honorable,” Lester’s ear twitched.

Click.

Bang.

Lester moved just a couple inches to his right, blocking Mr. Odetts. The bullet went through Lester’s jacket and shirt and ricocheted off his back, going into the wood of the porch. “Mr. Odetts, you need to step back inside your house. I have to go deal with something real quick.”

“Okay, but I don’t see…” Lester closed the door and pulled open his shirt to reveal the red stylized S on his chest.

Supercat glanced at the numerous buildings where the bullet could’ve come from and saw someone on one of the roofs. He flew up grabbed the man, dangling him in the air.

“Who are you? What are you doing?”

“God…Godfrey. He paid me $100,000 if I killed that old man. I didn’t ask any questions,” the man stammered, constantly looking down at the street nearly 100 feet below him.

“Godfrey. Gabriel Godfrey?”

“Yeah.” Within a second, the man was back on the roof the building. He fell to his knees and breathed heavily.

Supercat was at Godfrey Tower within seconds as it was only a few blocks away. He floated outside Godfrey’s office window until someone finally noticed and pointed. Godfrey rolled his eyes and pressed a button and the window slid open.

“Supercat, is it? What brings this honor?”

“Harold Odetts,” Supercat said, floating into the office. “Someone just tried to assassinate him.”

“Pity. I assume they missed,” Godfrey said.

“Luckily,” Supercat said. “Why are you doing this? Why not just leave that land alone?”

“It’s a valuable piece of real estate. We’re the largest city in the Midwest and growing by the day. We need to encourage living and working and shopping in the city and Godfrey Plaza will do just that. I offered Odetts half a billion for the land and he turned me down. It’s a blow to my plans but I’ll get over it.”

“Get over it? You sent someone to kill him.”

“Prove it.”

“The man identified you.”

“The man owes thousands to a loan shark, has a gambling problem and no connection to me,” Godfrey said. “You couldn’t trace this to me even if I had done it.”

Supercat stood silent for a few seconds. “I’ll be keeping an eye on Mr. Odetts and the farm,” Supercat threatened. “You better hope you don’t make a mistake.” Supercat flew out the window and was gone in a flash.

Godfrey angrily stared out the window then pressed the button to close the window.   ▩




Supercat inspired by characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Fluppy Dogs

In 1984, Michael Eisner was brought into the Walt Disney Company to revitalize a brand that was showing its age. Eisner was brought in to revive Disney and one of the first things he decided to get his hands into was television. He got a team together and gave them the idea that Disney should be the name in animation. Aside from released thousands of animated shorts that had been locked away for decades, Eisner pushed for original animation. First pitched was Mickey and the Space Pirates but Eisner wanted to save Mickey, the face of the company for something big. The next show they pitched was The Wuzzles which premiered in September 1985. Another show, that premiered along with The Wuzzles, was The Adventure of the Gummi Bears. While The Wuzzles would be canceled after 13 episodes, Gummi Bears would last until 1990 and have 67 episodes. Despite this slight success, Eisner was still reluctant to use known Disney characters. The next show in development was Fluppy Dogs. Fluppy Dogs were about these dogs that weren't dogs. They talked and dressed like people and used jewels to travel through doors to other dimensions. The hour-long pilot, intended to serve as the first couple of episodes, premiered November 27, 1986--Thanksgiving--and was a ratings bomb. Disney immediately canceled the project and moved onto their next pitch about a duck test pilot named Launchpad McQuack. That show would become DuckTales. I recorded Fluppy Dogs during what I believe is a rerun before the 1987-1988 television season started. I know this because there is an ad for "Full House coming this fall" and a show called Once a Hero in the commercial breaks. Fluppy Dogs was one of my favorite things to watch when I was younger. There's potential but there is probably a reason Disney released the pilot on Thanksgiving.

Fluppy Dogs was written by Haskell Barkin (The Love Boat, Jabberjaw) and Bruce Talkington (DuckTales, New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Bonkers) and directed by Fred Wolf (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Five fluppy dogs are slowly making their way around a mountain in a stormy and desolate world trying to find a portal to open with a key. Fluppy dogs are adventurous canine-like creatures who use a key to open inter-dimensional doorways to other worlds. After landing in a prehistoric-like world, they find a door to our world and land in a grocery store. Chaos, as it does, ensues, and the fluppies cause a mess. While trying to escape, Stanley, the blue fluppy, talks and catches the attention of J.J. Wagstaff, a wealthy jerk of a businessman, who wants the fluppies for his collection of exotic animals. The fluppies are captured by animal control and placed in the pound. Luckily, they are only there a short time as Stanley is quickly adopted by Mrs. Bingham for her son, Jamie.
oh a dog great
Jamie isn't so sure about Stanley because he wanted a big dog. I'm confused why people keep thinking these are normal dogs when they are a bright pastel blue, pink, yellow, red, and green color. Those aren't normal colors, right?! While Jamie is walking Stanley, Stanley escapes his collar and runs away. Jamie runs after him into a construction site where Jamie climbs a ladder for some reason and winds up hanging from a steel beam making weird moaning sounds as he dangles. I don't know why the producers made the voice actor do that or kept it in when he did it but there it is: A 10-year-old boy moaning "oh, oh" for ten seconds.

Stanley recuses Jamie and explains his deal. Jamie offers to use his birthday money to break Stanley's friends out of the pound. Unfortunately, Jamie only has enough for one so they adopt Tippi, the pink fluppy. Also unfortunately, Mrs. Bingham refuses to let Jamie keep Tippi so he gives her to his next door neighbor, Claire, because your neighbor loves it when you bring them random pets.
Claire and Tippi. Why this 10-year-old hangs out with what is presumably
an 18-year-old, I have no idea.
At bedtime, Stanley explains that he enjoys adventure but gets too excited and he and his friends always wind up in trouble. At least he's self-aware. As Jamie falls asleep, he's scratching Stanley's head which causes the bed to lift into the air and fly away into the sky. They gain control of the bed and take Tippi from Claire, begging her not to tell anybody.


Jamie and the fluppies arrive at the pound to bust out Ozzie, Bink, and Dink but J.J. Wagstaff is there to also take the fluppies. The fluppies escape and all return home, safe and sound. The end.
A boy and his dog.
No. Wait. The fluppies need to find their way back home. The fluppies show up at Jamie's school saying that they've found a door but it's in the sewer so down they go. Despite having a fluppy that uses his nose to find where the doors are, Jamie thinks they are going to get lost and follows them. Whatever. We also learn that the key gets weaker with each use and the door gets a little harder to open. This door, sadly, doesn't lead anywhere but unleashes a torrent of water that floods the sewer.

While drying out in the basement, Ozzie smells another door. This door gives up a beautiful land of grass and flowers and also strange hippo creatures that charge right into the door. They call the thing a fulumpus and the thing can't return home because other fulumpuses are at the door probably wondering where it came from.
I'll admit. This is the dumbest of plot contrivances.
The fulumpus causes havoc and chaos inside Jamie's home and practically destroys it. Working together, they all clean up the house before Mrs. Bingham gets home but Jamie stills gets his butt chewed out because the school calls and snitches on him for skipping school. Meanwhile, J.J. Wagstaff puts out a $5000 reward for a fluppy dog. Ozzie, Bink, and Dink go out on their own and find the door to their world in front of the library. How convenient!

They rush to return to Stanley and Tippi but Wagstaff is on their tail and he is able to capture Ozzie. With Jamie acting strange, Mrs. Bingham chews his ass a bit more asking why he's become a terrible little boy in the last...checks watch...24 hours. "Ever since you got that dog..." The fluppies enlist Claire to help them but Jamie sees them drive away so Jamie uses the fulumpus to race after them to the Wagstaff mansion.

Wagstaff sees the fluppies approach and prepares to capture them too using Ozzie as bait. Stanley and Tippi are captured but Jamie and the fulumpus arrive and, you probably guessed it, destroy the crap out of Wagstaff's mansion. Wagstaff blackmails Jamie and Claire but Stanley has an idea. Jamie and Claire start scratching the fluppies' heads and that room of the mansion suddenly rises into the air. They crash land the room at the library but the key is malfunctioning. It reveals the door and the fluppies' world. The fluppies, the fulumpus, Wagstaff, and his minion Hamish, all wind up going through the door. I can only think they put Wagstaff into some sort of labor camp or something.
I don't know what Jamie told his mom when she learned that Jamie lost his first dog after only 36 hours.

A few months later, it's now winter, and Stanley and the others are back! And they've brought some friends with them. Hundreds of thousands of fluppies are pouring out of the door presumably to kill us all after learning what a terrible person J.J. Wagstaff was. I, for one, welcome our fluppy overlords. They will be the cutest dictators ever.
The end times are here.
The voice cast is interesting but unremarkable. Stanley is voiced by Marshall Efron who voiced characters in The Smurfs. Tippi and Bink were voiced by Susan Blu (DuckTales, The Magic School Bus). Ozzie was voiced by Lorenzo Music (Garfield and Friends, The Real Ghostbusters). Dink was voiced by Hal Smith (The Andy Griffith Show, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh). Claire was voiced by Jessica Pennington who now does things behind the scenes. J.J. Wagstaff was voiced by Michael Rye (Super Friends, Flintstone Kids). Jamie was voiced by Carl Steven, who was 12 when he recorded the voice for Fluppy Dogs. Steven is probably best known for voicing Fred in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo but he also appeared in TV shows such as Punky Brewster and Growing Pains. His last acting role was in 1996 as Matthew in Weird Science. He was arrested and sentenced to prison for armed robbery in 2010. He died of a heroin overdose in 2013 while in prison.


If you would like to support my writing or research while I am out of work due to COVID-19, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

Until next time, I remain...
~Brian

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Mary Jane Scales


Mary Jane was born in 1822 as a slave owned by Mr. Bascombs in Virginia. Her parents were also slaves. At the age of 7, she was bought by Freeman McClendon of Georgia. With McClendon, for two years, she picked cotton from dawn until dark and then held a candle for others until midnight. She was then kidnapped by traders who then sold her to Jim Ferguson. Around 1842 she became the slave to Jefferson Davis in Mississippi. Davis would go on to become the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. With Davis, Mary Jane was treated cruelly, poorly dressed, poorly fed, and worked beyond her endurance. For eight years, from five a.m. until midnight, Mary worked a treadwheel gristmill tending to the horses. Mary then worked on the railroad for seven years splitting ties and laying track. She got married to a free man, Sprankling Watts and had four children. Worried that his freedom might encourage Mary to escape, Watts was sent away but was allowed to buy her four children, and was never seen again.

Mary was sold and resold a couple more times until becoming a slave of Mathew Davis, in Arkansas. It was with Mathew Davis that Mary Jane met Lewis Ford. Lewis Ford was born, also a slave, in Mississippi, in 1849. His job was mostly picking and ginning cotton. Almost immediately, Mary Jane took a liking to Lewis. Keep in mind that when they met, Lewis would be, at most, ten-years-old and she was 37. By all accounts, they were sexually active even with him at this young age. In 1861, Mary escaped slavery by running toward a passing Union army regiment as her master and overseers were hiding. Other slaves then followed her lead including James Ford, Lewis' brother, and Lewis himself. Mary Jane and James married but their marriage fell apart either due to his infidelity or hers depending on who you ask. Lewis joined a Union regiment and became the servant of Col. Lewis Booth who he served for one year. Lewis' father took him back from the army but, unable to care for him, gave Lewis some money and sent him to live with his brother, James, and Mary Jane.

James and Mary Jane separated. She received an opportunity to have her way to Kansas paid for. Mary convinced Lewis to join her on the boat and the two arrived in Leavenworth, Kansas. They then made their way to Lawrence where they came into the employ of Major Walker, her working in the house and him working in the fields. Lewis left to do odd jobs around the Douglas-Shawnee county line while Mary Jane was introduced to Reverend Burnett Scales.

Reverend Burnett Scales was born a slave in Cass County, Missouri around 1814. He came to Kansas at the onset of the Civil War and settled in and around the Tecumseh area in 1861. He started the Colored Baptist Church at 1st and Madison in Topeka in 1864. Little is known of his early life. He had two sons from a previous relationship--Anderson and Jacob. He married Mary Jane in 1863 and they had one daughter, whose name I was unable to find. Mary Jane and Lewis reunited around 1869 or so and Lewis moved into the Scales house.

On November 17, 1870, Reverend Burnett Scales was found beaten and shot to death in the front yard of his home west of North Topeka. Mary Jane said that some Indians were riding near and her husband invited them in. They ate a little, drank a little, and then they attacked Burnett, beating him and then stealing his gun to shoot him before riding away. In questioning witnesses, neighbors, the Scales children, and Lewis Ford revealed that Mary Jane was lying and that she and Lewis Ford had killed the pastor. During the inquest, it was revealed that the Scales' marriage was not perfect and had gotten worse since Lewis moved in. Mary showed no remorse for what had happened and only confessed after she had been convicted.

Mary and Lewis were convicted in June 1871 and sentenced to hang. When she confessed to the crime, she hoped her daughter would grow up to be a good woman and that boys would turn away from evil. Newspapers speculated that because Mary Jane was a slave and was not exposed to religion she created her own consisting of conspiracies and her own beliefs. On the day they were to be executed, their sentence was commuted to just life in prison. They were sent to Lansing but Lewis was soon deemed insane and sent to the state hospital in Topeka where he resided until 1898 when he was "cured" and sent back to Lansing.

At the age of 69, in 1894, Mary Jane petitioned for her pardon which was granted by the governor in September. She was the oldest prisoner in the state. The Topeka Daily Capital noted that of her 69 years she spent 38 as a slave and 23 as a prisoner. Her daughter--now Mrs. Smith--took her home to Des Moines, Iowa. Sadly, Mary Jane died within a month of her pardon.

Lewis Ford was granted a pardon in 1899. The Topeka State Journal endorsed his pardon proudly because "few remembered the murder, the Santa Fe Railroad only ran to Emporia, and only one wing of the statehouse was completed". I was unable to find additional information on Lewis Ford after his release from prison.

I was also unable to get much information on Anderson and Jacob Scales. Jacob testified against his step-mother during the trial and I was unable to find what happened to him after that. Anderson Scales was also difficult to find. An Anderson Scales of Topeka was sent to Parsons State Hospital after shooting a bartender for cheating him out of twenty cents. An Anderson Scales is buried in Parsons State Hospital Cemetery, dying in 1913. There is another Anderson Scales of Topeka who died in 1907 and is buried under a veterans' stone in Topeka Cemetery. The same address is given to both Anderson Scales but I wasn't able to determine if they were the same person, related in same way, or two different people.

Wrapping things up, I was unable to find the burial spot of Burnett Scales or Mary Jane Scales. The Scale house west of North Topeka, south of the railroad tracks no longer stands, more than likely due to Kansas River floods. The Colored Baptist Church at 1st and Madison no longer stands and neither does the house listed as Anderson Scale's residence at 1st and Madison.

If you would like to support my writing and research during this time of quarantine and not working, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

Until next time, I remain...
~Brian

Sunday, March 15, 2020

What About Brian? Coronavirus Edition

It's been awhile since I did a post specifically devoted to myself and what I'm doing but I feel like it was necessary since I haven't been updating my website and am working more on big things that I'm not posting on Twitter or Instagram. I also figured I'd give you an update since I am off from work for next two weeks due to the Covid-19 outbreak and may or may not get paid. If you would like to support my writing or research or just want to throw a couple bucks my way, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

I am almost done with the first part of my novel, Vagabond Girl. The first part focuses on middle school. The second part will focus on high school and the third part will be college and after. As I've continued writing this, more ideas have popped into my head. I enjoy writing these characters and trying to create a realistic coming-of-age story for kids who don't normally show up in coming-of-age stories. In addition, I am beginning work on 87. 87 is a combination of two stories--a group of friends growing up in a small town and the true story of a family who also lived in that small town in the 1800s. I'm doing a lot of research by looking through old newspapers to get the views of the time. I'm hoping to start some serious writing on it over the summer.

Adding to my research, I'm going back to what I'm good at. I'm doing research on the Shawnee County Poor Farm as a follow-up to the Douglas County Poor Farm research I did back in 2014. I'm hoping to get all the information by the fall and get something written for either here or an article by the end of the year. Another thing I am researching is a possible murder in Labette County, Kansas that was originally said to be a suicide. I stumbled across the news while scanning old newspapers for other research and found enough to make it into a post or article.

There are also short stories I'm working on--Mina, A Little Bit of Honey, a couple of so far untitled ones, Nzinga, and a sequel to Suicidal Tendencies. These have been taking me longer than normal to get written because I've been focusing on my novel and social media stuff. I am also working on outlining young adult stories that might be novels or might be graphic novels. I haven't decided which way I'm going to go with them yet because they are still in the planning stages.

Here's hoping that I will have some content for you in the coming months whether it's here or elsewhere, I will keep you posted. Feel free to peruse my Twitter or Instagram and, again, if you would like to support my writing or research, you can buy me a cup of coffee on Ko-fi.

Until next time, I remain...
~Brian

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Ad Astra Per Aspera

On the seal of Kansas great--
Great the seal and great the state--
Is a sky that bright stars gem.
And above, the apothegm,
Ad astra per aspera.

Ad astra per aspera!
Thus the Kansas pioneers,
In past battle clouded years,
Fought their fierce disputed way.
Not in battle's fine array,
Uniform and epaulette
And long lines of bayonet,
But with rifle and shotgun,
Uniformed in plain homespun,
Fought they--won--and realized
That their way was blood baptized.
Ad astra per aspera,

Brown is dead, but freedom lives.
Now, in peace, the teacher gives
His life to the Kansas youth,
Dreaming not of future fame,
Hoping not for deathless name,
Teaching virtue, honor, truth,
Love of country, loyalty,
That the dawning future age
Well may guard this heritage.
Satisfied that holding ground
May the way sometimes be found--
Ad astra per aspera.

Teacher! When the gate unbars
And swings open 'mong the stars;
When upon the streets of gold
You tread softly, as of old
In the schoolroom, may One greet
Your home coming with a sweet
Look of kindness. May He say,
"I am glad to welcome you!
I was once a teacher, too;
You, as I, thus found the way--
Ad astra per aspera."

-E.E. Kelley
Chanute, Kansas

Elmer Ellsworth Kelley was born in Warren County, Indiana on September 13, 1861. He came to Kansas in 1887, originally settling in Toronto. He was principal at their schools for six years then moved to Chanute where he was principal of the high school and then superintendent. He returned to Toronto in 1909, buying the local newspaper.

Kelley married Lillie Sutton in Indiana in 1882 and they had six children--Ruth (1884-1974), Marcia (1886-1979), Albert (1889-1940), Elmer (1891-1972), Thomas (1895-1967), and Katherine (1902-1999). Kelley passed away on January 31, 1940. Lillie died May 7, 1960. Both are buried in Valley View Cemetery in Garden City, Kansas.

The Kansas State Historical Society has a massive collection of letters, documents and genealogy compiled by Katherine Kelley Powell about her family with items dating back to the 1850s.