Image via WikipediaI have to tell you that, back in the 80's (OMG! That's more than 30 years ago) I had such a crush on Doug McClure. He had the IT FACTOR - you know? He was in a lot of things back then and, man, did I think he was sexy. I was 20 in 1980, when this film was made, but missed it somehow.
Anyway, this film is a wonderful revisit to The Creature from the Black Lagoon (and, as in any great B-film, if you watch real close you might see a nipple, a nice butt shot, and just the right amount of gore!).
Plus, I've been to every corner of the United States and it's always fun to see a film that so epitomizes a certain area.
And, I should say, a certain time period. Nineteen-eighty was before cell phones, computers, and even chain stores. Ahh, I've a bit of nostalgia for it... until I glance at my laptop. WTF did we do with ourselves before streaming videos and instant answers?!
I love this movie (which I procured off Netflix's Instant Play). It's suspenseful right from the start. And if you're a B-film Afficiando, you'll appreciate it very much. Lots-o-fun to be had by all.
P.S. You gotta love those 80's haircuts... the feathered "Shag", even on the men!
P.P.S. Raped by seaweed? Hmm. That's a new twist. I'll never swim so close to shore again. LOL.
Image via WikipediaI've had the time of my life this week skimming right through the 12 Episodes of the 1991 version of The Dark Shadows series on Hulu. I had watched the original series from 1966, in black and white, and was delighted with this version. But was quite disappointed when it abruptly ended at episode 13, knowing that the original went on for over two thousand episodes!
Well, in searching for full Episode 13, lo and behold, I discover that this summer Johnny Depp will be playing Barnabas Collins (the resident vampire) in yet another remake... full of this era's Super-stars-that-are-and-are-to-be.
It has everything you could possibly want in a "Gothic" Soap: vampires, witches, zombies, time-travel, star-crossed lovers, a psychic medium, possession, the estate overlooking the sea (in constant Maine mist). I just loved it. I can't imagine how a singular movie could do it justice. And Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins? I don't know. I just don't know.
Tags: Movie Reviews, best horror movies, horror movie reviews, fantasy movie reviews, Johnny Depp, Dark Shadows, Barnabas Collins, Tim Burton, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Maine
So... I've been learning a lot lately about why my mid-life middle ain't shrinkin' so fast (even though I'm exercising more than ever and cutting calories). Apparently, it's much more chemical than that.
First, there's the alcohol acetate/cortisol issue (alcohol creates acetate in the liver which inhibits fat burning and cortisol breaks down muscle mass); and, now, I find this article.
Thought I'd finally figured it out. Damn it.
I've already given up sugar, most white flour and corn products...cookies, cakes, candy, donuts, chips, regular soda pop, cigarettes, and caffeine. Now this?
There is that "one day a week indulgence" advised. But, for some of us, we "can't have just one" day. Sugar begets the craving cycle (you know, that bottomless pit binge) and alcohol is just too much fun.
So, once again, I have to QUIT something altogether. Ugh.
Now, don't think it's easy. Sugar is as addictive as morphine (read my story in "The Sugar Addict's Diet"). Quitting didn't happen overnight. And, of course, alcohol... heavy sigh.
Just read the article.
Later: Then read below THIS article - I found the ANSWER!
*********
"New study is wake-up call for diet soda drinkers"
(CBS) Sorry, soda lovers. Even diet drinks can make you fat.That's
the word from the authors of two new studies presented Sunday at a meeting
of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego.
"Data
from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of
diet drinks as a healthier alternative may be ill-advised".
For
one study, researchers at the center followed 474 diet soda drinkers
(65 to 74 years of age) for almost 10 years. They found that the diet soda
drinkers' waists grew 70 percent more than non-drinkers. Specifically,
drinking two or more diet sodas a day busted belt sizes five times more
than people who avoided the stuff entirely.
And as waist size grows, so do health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.
So just
how does diet soda make you fat? The other study may hold the answer.
In it, researchers divided mice into two groups, one of which ate food
laced with the popular sweetener aspartame. After three months, the mice
eating aspartame-chow had higher blood sugar levels than the mice
eating normal food. The authors said in a written statement that their findings could "contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans."
But how?
"Artificial
sweeteners could have the effect of triggering appetite, but unlike
regular sugars, they don't deliver something that will squelch the
appetite," Sharon Fowler, obesity researcher at UT Health Science Center in San Diego and co-author on both of these studies, told the Daily Mail. She also said sweeteners could inhibit brain cells that make you feel full.
So if sugar soda is no good, and diet soda isn't either - what should we be drinking?
Dr. Hazuda told the Daily Mail, "I think prudence would dictate drinking water."
************************************************* THE ANSWER!? Make Your Own!!!
"How to Make Your Own Stevia Cola"
By Lainie Petersen
Lainie Petersen lives in Chicago and started writing professionally
in 1989. Her work has appeared in online and print publications
including "EcoSalon" and "Pack-o-Fun" magazine. She holds two master's
degrees in theological studies and divinity from Garrett-Evangelical
Theological Seminary and a Master of Library and Information Science
from Dominican University.
Making your own cola using stevia (a non-calorie herbal sweetener) and cola flavoring is fun and savesmoney.
It also allows you to get both the intensity of the cola flavors and
the sweetness just the way you like it. Plus, you and your family won't
be drinking empty calories.
Related Searches:
Instructions
Things You'll Need
Plain carbonated water
Unsweetened cola flavoring
Liquid stevia
Select Your Ingredients
1
Select a high-quality liquid
stevia to use in your cola. Some stevias can have a bitter or licorice
taste. Refined stevia products, such as those with a high percentage of
"Rebaudioside A," are more likely to taste sweet without additional flavors or aftertastes.
2
Chose a cola flavoring that is
to your liking. There are several vendors of unsweetened liquid cola
flavorings, and there will be some differences between them.
3
Buy, or make, carbonated water
to use in your cola. Don't use club soda or mineral water, however, as
these include minerals that can make your cola taste funny. Look for
plain seltzer water at the market. If you are making your carbonated
water at home with a seltzer bottle or home carbonation unit, be sure to
use filtered water to avoid any strange tastes.
Make Your Cola
1
Open the bottle of seltzer water
or pour your homemade seltzer into a resealable bottle. Conversely, you
can just make the cola fresh by the glass. In that case, you would just
pour your seltzer into the glass from which you intend to drink.
2
Add the cola flavoring in the
amount suggested by its manufacturer. You may need to experiment to get
the right ratio of water to flavoring.
3
Add the stevia, drop by drop, to
taste. Stevia is very concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Again,
you will probably need to experiment with ratios to get the sweetness
the way you like.
4
Refrain from shaking or
vigorously stirring the cola, as this can compromise its effervescence.
Gently stir, if you must, to get the flavors to blend. Otherwise, just
allow the flavors to blend for a bit.
Diabetic Safe. No chemicals. No GMO No maltodextrin or dextrose.
Tips & Warnings
If you have an
old-fashioned seltzer bottle with which you can spray seltzer directly
into a glass or container, try adding the stevia and flavoring first.
Then, using the stream of seltzer, mix the cola ingredients
automatically.
Tags: Health, Fitness, Diet, Diet soda, American Diabetes Association,
sugar-free, How to Cut down on sugar, sugar free, is sugar bad for you,
Sugar substitute, do diet drinks make you fat, stevia, healthy sugar substitutes
Image via WikipediaThe movie/documentary "Double Dare" profiles two of Hollywood's finest stunt women: Jeannie Epper (a 50 year veteran of the industry) that doubled for "Wonder Woman" and New Zealander, Zoe Bell who doubled for Lucy Lawless in "Xena: Warrior Princess" and also for Uma Thurman in "Kill Bill". OUTSTANDING!
Tags: hot athletic women, HOT girls, hot karate women, hot sexy athletic women, hot sexy fighting women, hot sexy women fighters, hot sexy women athletes, stunt women, xena's stunt woman
I've been knocked out twice in my career (see About Me):
Once with a spinning wheel kick (straight leg), his heel to my kidney (as in Capoeira and Wado-Ryu). And again with a double leg one-armed sweep (my knees were up to his shoulders when he dropped me) to the back of my head on our cement floor.
How's that for "Old School"? Yup, back in the 70's there were no fancy mats or even hard wood... we trained on cement!
Costa Rica insect (Photo credit: Bodhi Surf School)Welcome!!! Georgia, Iceland, Dominican Republic, Mauritius, and Luxembourg
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