Clark Kent's Nightmare

My daughter sent me this about a week or so ago and I had completely forgotten about it.

Today, one of my Facebook buddies posted it and reminded me of it. So here it is (click image to view larger):



Source: JoyofTech.com

This is a good imitation of Al Plastino's Clark Kent (unless this was drawn by Plastino).

Godzilla 2012 To Have "Latin Flavor"?

This morning, I came across an article from Latino Review.com that speculates that Legendary Pictures merged a film project called Pacific Rim with their Godzilla project.

Their website claims:

Back in May Mike Fleming over at Deadline broke that Legendary Pictures picked up the sci fi pitch "Pacific Rim" from "Clash of the Titans" writer Travis Beacham. The deal was made based on Beacham's 25 page treatment.

"Pacific Rim" is pictured as a tentpole event film, set in a future in which malevolent creatures threaten the earth, the planet must band together and use highly advanced technology to eradicate the growing menace.

Well guess what?

We know who those "malevolent creatures" are because the folks at Legendary want to make "Pacific Rim" the basis for the "GODZILLA" REBOOT!

Apparently, according to sources, the current "Godzilla" draft they did get was not good and they wanted a writer/director to do a lot of work on it. Merging “Pacific Rim” with the Godzilla reboot solves that problem. That’s one of the options on the table.

We have also exclusively learned that Legendary just offered “Pacific Rim” to Guillermo Del Toro!

Now at press time, it's just an offer, doesn't mean that Guillermo will take it. With Guillermo doing "Mountains of Madness," I don't know if he will be able to fit Godzilla into the pipeline for Legendary's anticipated release date of 2012.

Sounds a little far-fetched to me. Also, Beacham's Clash of The Titans remake was received with mixed reviews. Some said it was better than the original, while others did not like it at all. How would he approach Godzilla if given the assignment?

To read the full article, go here.

UPDATE: HitFix.com has posted an article on the rumor(s) by Drew McWeeny (these are the main points):

Speaking with agency sources close to the process today, HitFix has been able to further clarify the situation regarding "Pacific Rim," an original screenplay by Travis Beacham, and "Godzilla," currently being scripted by Dave Callaham.

Contrary to the report yesterday, there are no conversations underway regarding the merging of these two projects.

Dave Callaham is in the middle of his process right now, and his work has Legendary happy enough that they're talking to directors and eyeballing a release date. He's still on the film, and suggestions that they're dumping him or taking the script away simply aren't fair or accurate.

"I am not involved in 'Godzilla' at all," Guillermo replied once I'd explained the rumor to him. "I haven't read it or plan to read it. Nor have I been approached to direct it."

To read the full HitFix article, go here.

John DeElvis!

John DeElvis! Or, "Hunka, Hunka Burnin' Dutch!"

Archie Waugh, who did the cover of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan created this picture of John "Dutch" DeSentis (who specializes in swan dives into theater orchestra pits) as a very obese Elvis.

John, who has a great sense of humor, is using it as his profile picture over on Facebook.

Nice going, Archie!

"Hope and Change" To "Smear and Intimidation"

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has responded to the Obama Administration's unfounded charges that foreign money is being used by the Chamber for political ads.

Bloomberg is reporting:

Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue denied Democratic Party charges that the business lobbying group buys political ads with money from foreign donors and promised to “ramp up” its election activities.

Of more than $200 million in annual revenue, only a “small fraction” comes from the chamber’s foreign affiliates and the group has “strict financial controls” to make sure that money doesn’t fund political activities, Donohue said in a letter yesterday to the chamber’s directors and partners.

Donohue sent the letter in response to attacks on his group that intensified over the weekend.

In addition to the above, Bruce Josten, executive vice president for government affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, spoke with Jake Tapper of ABC News on Tuesday and said this:

TAPPER: Are you worried at all that this is damaging the reputation of the Chamber?

JOSTEN: Well so far, we don't have any proof that it has done that, it has certainly upped the profile of the Chamber. So I suspect and I hope that people are paying even more attention to the ads that we have up in this cycle, as the president is drawing more and more attention to us.

And specifically since we're the only group out there talking about issues, unlike the administration or the democrats running, I hope that the American people are drawn to pay attention to our issues.

A year ago when we ran issue ads across this country, hundreds of them, against the patients protection and affordable care act, citing the CBO report, citing the Center for Medicare Studies--Services report, the companies that got divulged publicly were harassed, were intimidated.

TAPPER: How?

JOSTEN: The outside allies of this administration, the SEIU, the AFL-CIO, HCANN - Health Care Action Now network and Moveon.org, all combined and coordinated protests at those companies, at the CEOs' homes in some cases, as they did here with us. And they began a proxy campaign, through outside groups, the Center for Political Accountability, and another group, Walden Asset Management. This is a game, ok? And they like to play that game out. So it's clear that the game here is to harass and intimidate.

When I cited what took place in California, there is a gentleman who has done research for the Institute for Justice in California, on Prop 8 and what happened with the CA marriage protection act, when personal information about those donors to support Prop 8 was posted on the internet.

It led to death threats. It led to physical violence, vandalism and economic reprisals from against those people and their homes. So we know, how the public, if outed in supporting some controversial causes, if you will, we know what happens. We know what happens to our people.

Obama's "hope and change" has morphed into "smear and intimidation."

To read Tapper's full interview with Josten, go here.

Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism

A new book by Stanley Kurtz is now out. It is about the radicalism and Marxist-socialist history of Barack Obama. The book is entitled, Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism.

Kurtz writes over at National Review Online:

On the afternoon of April 1, 1983, Barack Obama, then a senior at Columbia University, made his way into the Great Hall of Manhattan’s Cooper Union to attend a “Socialist Scholars Conference.” There Obama discovered his vocation as a community organizer, as well as a political program to guide him throughout his life.

The conference itself was not a secret, but it held a secret, for it was there that a demoralized and frustrated socialist movement largely set aside strategies of nationalization and turned increasingly to local organizing as a way around the Reagan presidency — and its own spotty reputation. In the early 1980s, America’s socialists discovered what Saul Alinsky had always known: “Community organizing” is a euphemism behind which advocates of a radical vision of America could advance their cause without the bothersome label “socialist” drawing adverse attention to their efforts.

A loose accusation of his being a socialist has trailed Obama for years, but without real evidence that he saw himself as part of this radical tradition. But the evidence exists, if not in plain sight then in the archives — for example, the archived files of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which include Obama’s name on a conference registration list. That, along with some misleading admissions in the president’s memoir, Dreams from My Father, makes it clear that Obama attended the 1983 and 1984 Socialist Scholars conferences, and quite possibly the 1985 conclave as well. A detailed account of these conferences (along with many other events from Obama’s radical past) and the evidence for Obama’s attendance at them can be found in my new book, Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism.

The 1983 Cooper Union Conference, billed as a tribute to Marx, was precisely when Obama discovered his vocation for community organizing.

Now, Obama's radical past (and present) is documented. This is a must-read book for all Americans.

To read the full National Review Online article, go here.

"GMK" Filming Suits At HMV In Shibuya

Above, the HMV record and video store's sign can be clearly seen from Shibuya Crossing.

Back in November 2001, I made my first trip to Japan for the premiere of director Shusuke Kaneko's Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

At the same time, the HMV record and video store in the Shibuya section of Tokyo displayed the filming suits of Godzilla and Baragon that were used in the movie.

The HMV store is an interesting place to go shopping for DVDs, books and CDs. It occupies several floors. The display of the suits was located on one of them.

Fellow G-fan Richard Pusateri and I went to see the exhibit and here are some of my photos of the display (click on image to view larger):

Above, one of the "GMK" Godzilla suits on display at the Shibuya HMV store (two were used in the movie).

Above, a side view of the "GMK" Godzilla filming suit.

Above, Baragon filming suit.

Above, Baragon looks as if it's about to pounce on Godzilla's leg.

Chris Coons: The Taxman

"The Bearded Marxist" Chris Coons is now The Taxman:

The July 7th Sherman-Reed Incident

In previous blogs, I mentioned a town hall meeting by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-CA, that had an incident involving Republican challenger Mark Reed.

Mark Reed, left and Brad Sherman, below.



At that meeting in a Jewish temple, Reed attended and remained quiet and unobtrusive and watched the presentation. Towards the end of the meeting, Reed was accosted by Temple security (some armed), Sherman staffers and the LAPD. Brad Sherman's mother also joined the fray at one point yelling at Reed, "You don't belong here! You're a bad man!"

Reed's crime? Just being there.

I am not a fan of the Huffington Post (quite the opposite, actually), but there is an article in it from an eyewitness to the whole proceedings. It is titled, "Brad Sherman's Middle East Town Hall Rife With Fear and Aggression" by Linda Milazzo, a "writer, educator, activist." (Her description.)

In one of my blog posts on the meeting, I described it as a usage of "Gestapo tactics" (borrowing a 1968 line from Sen. Abraham Ribicoff at the Democratic National Convention). Some didn't like the term when I used it, but I think it makes the point of the tone of the meeting and the intimidating tactics employed that night against Reed and other attendees.

Milazzo's article is a must-read if you are concerned about who is elected next month in the 27th Congressional District.

In her article, she wrote of the Reed incident. Here's Milazzo's account:

Here are the two telling examples of fear and aggression from incidents on Wednesday night:

The first involves Mark Reed, Brad Sherman's Republican opponent, who won his Republican primary handily. Sherman won't debate Reed, although I believe he should. Reed is a 40% Native American, self-described "conservative Constitutionalist who happens to be Republican." Reed is also a staunch supporter of Israel, who amazingly, believes he's a stronger supporter of Israel than Sherman - if that's possible. Reed is not Jewish.

Reed attended the town hall Wednesday evening and caused no disruption. At the end of the event he exited and entered the synagogue courtyard where he was met by Temple security who asked him to leave the premises and escorted him to the street where he was then met by LAPD officers, who threatened to arrest him if he didn't leave the area. Reed left, but has since filed a complaint against the LAPD officer.

Thus far, Sherman has not issued any kind of apology for the incident (not that anyone really expects him to).

I urge you to read Milazzo's article before you vote next month. To read it, go here.

Monster Japan Travel Guide In JREF's Classifieds

One the best websites for people interested in Japan is Japan Reference or JREF.com.

I've been a member since October 2004 and participated in JREF forum discussions (primarily on Japan travel) and have many of my photographs in the Japan Photo Gallery.

Above right, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan is now listed in JREF's Classified Ad section.

To view it, go here.

Along with the forum and photo gallery, JREF also has sections on finding apartments in Japan, jobs, friend finder and other features.

I have a permanent link to JREF on this blog. Feel free to go to JREF and look around!

Limbaugh On Chamber of Commerce Attacks

Rush Limbaugh (El Rushbo) commented on President Obama's attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today:

Obama is charging the Chamber of Commerce with being a bunch of foreign infiltrators. I mean, this is bottom-of-the-barrel, desperation, conspiracy theory stuff. The NY Times, AP, and Washington Post all agree there's no evidence of it whatsoever.

Even [CBS News's] Bob Schieffer asked David Axelrod, "Is that the best you can do?"

Godzilla Returns To Comics

The "King of the Monsters" is returning to comic books, according to publisher IDW Publishing:

San Diego, CA (October 8, 2010) - The biggest star in motion pictures prepares to wreak havoc once again! IDW Publishing is thrilled to announce a partnership with Toho Co., Ltd. to create all-new GODZILLA comics. Starting in 2011, Godzilla will smash his way back onto the scene with a cast of characters from his films never before seen in comics.

"This new series will be monsters and mayhem, but most importantly, it's going to be a lot of fun," said Yukio Kotaki of Toho. "Godzilla has been gone from comics for too long and we feel that IDW is the perfect company to welcome him back in 2011."

Additionally, the new comics "will feature many of Godzilla's friends and foes, including MOTHRA, KING GHIDORAH, RODAN."

Previously, Godzilla was featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics and Dark Horse Comics.

For more information, go to IDW's website.

Monday Morning...

Received some good news over the weekend on the corn crop in Nebraska.

My tenant farmer reports that the crop looks great, the price is very high and will be picking it in the next couple of weeks. Japan is getting a little bit closer!

On the political side, it is amusing to see the Democrats, led by Obama, attack the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by claiming they are taking foreign money. This is from the party who has taken illegal foreign campaign contributions.

This is a dangerous game the Democrats are playing. In desperation, their attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce could send the message that the Democrats are anti-business to voters.

To the Jerry Brown's campaign, the Whore-gate story just won't go away, especially since his wife reportedly called Meg Whitman a "whore."

Jerry Brown's Wife Called Meg Whitman "A Whore" On Tape

Greta Van Susteren has posted an article by Jake Gibson that states insiders in the Brown campaign told Fox News that one of the voices on the voice mail message that called Meg Whitman a "whore" was Brown's wife, Anne Gust Brown.

The matter is now being dubbed "Whore-gate."

According to the article:

People with knowledge of what happened inside the room say the voice heard calling Meg Whitman a "whore" is none other than Jerry Brown's wife.

The slur was part of a voicemail revealed on Thursday, wherein Jerry Brown called a Los Angeles police union seeking support. Brown evidently thought he had hung up, but the recording continued and an impromptu campaign strategy session ensued.

During the conversation someone called Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman a "whore," for allegedly cutting a deal with the police union in exchange for their endorsement.

Now, this is really getting interesting!

Read more: http://gretawire.blogs.foxnews.com/it-was-his-wife-update-on-whore-gate/#ixzz11zeWYNyT

Mama's Boy Brad Sherman Still Won't Debate Mark Reed

Mama's boy Rep. Brad Sherman, D-CA, still won't debate his Republican opponent Mark Reed.

The closest thing to a Sherman-Reed debate came last July when Reed attended a public town hall meeting Sherman was holding at Temple Ramat Zion in Northridge. There, Sherman’s mother yelled at Reed, “You don’t belong here, you’re a bad man!” At least Sherman's mother has more cojones than her son.

This was the same meeting where armed Temple security guards, members of Sherman’s office, and the LAPD got in Reed's face.

Sherman is afraid to debate Reed as he'd have to defend his voting record in congress, his legislation on killing "Right-To-Work" laws and supporting cap-and-trade (the job-killing energy tax scheme).

According to Reed's campaign:

Congressman Brad Sherman continues to refuse a debate with Congressional Candidate Mark Reed on competing ideas of importance to Voters of the 27th District. Several community organizations have invited the Congressman and Mark to participate in a debate and the former has continued to reject them stating "These are unacceptable organizations to host a debate."

Just what exactly is an "acceptable" organization to host a debate? ACORN? The Communist Party USA?

That is just an excuse by Sherman to weasel out of defending his record. C'mon Brad, get out from under mama's apron and debate like a man!

Brad Sherman Supports Union Tyranny

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-CA, has re-introduced legislation that would end right-to-work laws and force workers to join and pay unions.

This is the same dimwit Brad Sherman who said he was unaware that there is a voter intimidation case involving the Black Panthers.

According to Examiner.com:

People in all professions are often at their most dangerous when they have nothing to lose. With five weeks to go before a lame-duck session in Congress, Democrats have a dirty trick up their sleeves to reward their union friends.

Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA) has introduced legislation that will eliminate state Right to Work laws all across America. Right-to-Work laws allow workers who are employed at companies that are unionized to have a choice whether or not to join or pay the union. Virginia is one of these states.

In 1947, Congress amended the National Labor Relations Act with the Taft-Hartley Amendments which gave states the right to establish “Right-to-Work” laws. Until the Taft-Hartley Amendments, from 1935 to 1947, private-sector workers in all 50 could be required to pay dues to a union. They could be fired from their jobs if they did not join.

This would force workers to join a union and pay union dues. We all know which political party gets its money from the union bosses, don't we? If a worker happens to be of a political persuasion other than of the Democrat party, his dues money would be given to the union bosses and he wouldn't be able to stop it. This is nothing less than union tyranny.

This is more reason to defeat Brad Sherman in next month's general election and replace him with Mark Reed.

To read the full article, go here.

Mark Reed's Support Building

The election campaign is now in the final weeks and support for Mark Reed against Rep. Brad "What Black Panther voter intimidation case?" Sherman is building. Mark Reed yard signs in this once-Democrat bastion are popping up all over the district.

Reed recently received the endorsement of ALIPAC (Americans For Legal Immigration Political Action Committee).

On ALIPAC's website it is noted:

Mark Reed has been endorsed by Alipac in the Congressional district 27 in CA. It covers most of the San Fernando Valley.

New internal polls show this race tighening up and within a few point difference with Progressive Liberal Brad Sherman who has voted 98% with the Nancy Pelosi agenda.

This race is not even in the radar of the national committee's and most Dem's along with most of the top Republicans think that Brad Sherman is once again going to have a lock on the win.

But like other parts of the country the San Fernando Valley is a stir! Ground swell is building and yard signs are flying up all over for Mark Reed (even in Sherman Oaks the home of Brad Sherman).

Mark Reed has begun to run TV ads in the district area only, thru cable channels like HGTV and others. They just began this past week.

Want to hear an earth quake like the Scott Brown win? This could be the sleeper race that rocks Los Angeles county!

To volunteer or contribute to Mark Reed's campaign, go here.

Things Done and Decisions To Make

This morning is bright and sunny out with temperatures expected to be in the 80s.



Today started with the usual cup of coffee to get the cobwebs out of my head. The first order of business was to pass along a fan's request to Haruo Nakajima (the original Godzilla) through his daughter Sonoe.


Above, Sonoe and Haruo Nakajima in 2008.


Next, it was to catch up on today's news. I see unemployment hasn't gotten any better, which is really no surprise in view of the job-killing policies of the Democrats.

The big headline in California is the recording of a Jerry Brown (who is an ex-governor running for governor) aide calling GOP candidate Meg Whitman a "whore." As former President Nixon would say, "Now it's [Brown's] turn to be in the bucket!"

My ladyfriend in Malibu proposed getting a place together last night. I am considering this. Two can live better than one, although I do enjoy my privacy and independence. It is not as if we are two "kids" shacking up. She's about 10 years younger (46 or 47) than me, was a Playboy model & actress and has a daughter. I've been thinking about moving out of my current apartment anyway. I mentioned that the best location would be in the Thousand Oaks/Simi Valley area so she would be in close proximity to her daughter.

We'll have to discuss this further. I really despise moving, but I've lived here over 12 years. Sometimes, a change in living quarters is a good thing.

What A Difference A Week Makes

It is amazing what a diffence a week makes - in weather.

Last week, a new record for heat was set for downtown Los Angeles: 113 degrees. That was followed by heat and humidity with scattered thundershowers. Then, this week L.A. had a winter storm come in with rain, which ended last night.

One good thing about this week's rain, it soaked the hillsides enough that (hopefully) the fire season (usually around November) should be minimal, if at all.

As for me, I am making plans on a vacation in Japan (likely in December). The trip will be a combination of a vacation and conducting business in relation to The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

It appears that I won't be traveling alone this time. I am still thinking about visiting Niigata, but I am also thinking about Hakone or Atami for their hot springs (onsens). My companion would derive great benefit from them.

Two More Godzilla Statue Photos

When I posted my blog article on the Godzilla statue in Hibiya, Tokyo the other day, I wanted to include a couple of photos that I didn't have available at the time.

I have them now and here they are:

Above, the Godzilla statue in the morning sun, November 2001.

Above, G-fan Richard Pusateri (a.k.a. OtiGoji) poses next to the statue in November 2001.

Left-wing S.F. Attorney Involved In Nicky Diaz Matter

The Nicky Diaz matter involving GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman was referred to Gloria Allred (left) by leftist San Francisco attorney Marc Van Der Hout (right).


Van Der Hout, an immigration attorney, has a track record of defending terrorist suspects.


According to The Weekly Standard:

From a 2002 article in the San Francisco Chronicle:

A Pakistani native who came to the United States more than a decade ago to attend flight school is being held without bail in Oakland because of his alleged ties to a man linked to al Qaeda terrorism. The Immigration and Naturalization Service claims that Nasir Ali Mubarak had an ‘association’ with Abdul Hakim Murad, who was convicted of a 1995 plot to bomb 11 U.S. airliners and who allegedly admitted connections to Osama bin Laden. Marc Van Der Hout, Mubarak's lawyer, said his client freely admits having known Murad in 1991 and 1992.

From a 2004 article in the Los Angeles Times:

That group, the Moujahedeen Khalq, or MEK, has been on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations since 1997.... Federal investigators have not produced any evidence to show the Mirmehdis were MEK members, not even after a government informant testified that he recorded between 200 and 300 conversations with cell members, according to court records and attorney Marc Van Der Hout, who is representing the brothers.

From a 2005 article in the New York Times:

A federal immigration judge on Tuesday ordered a former fund-raiser for a prominent Islamic charity to be deported, saying his activities posed a threat to national security. The judge found that the man, Abdel Jabber Hamdan, who has lived in Orange County for more than 20 years, knew or should have known that the money he raised for the Holy Land Foundation was being used to support terrorism. (…) Mr. Hamdan's lawyer, Marc Van Der Hout, said he was likely to appeal the deportation order, saying the government had not proven that Mr. Hamdan had knowingly aided terrorists.

Van Der Hout has contributed money exclusively to Democrats and leftist causes. The Weekly Standard posted a list of contributions and recipients.

Harvest Season Underway

Things are looking good for this year's harvest according to an Associated Press article in Business Week.com this morning:

The lack of rain last week let Nebraska farmers make up any lost ground and get ahead on the season's harvest.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says nearly a third of the state's soybean crop has been harvested, ahead of the 29 percent average by this time of the year.

Soybean conditions are rated 78 percent good or excellent.

The USDA says Nebraska's corn harvest is 18 percent complete, 5 percentage points ahead of the 13 percent average.

Corn conditions are rated at 82 percent good or excellent.

I don't know about this year, but in recent years the farm has had a mix of corn and soybeans.

Elsewhere, the Grand Island Independent is reported:

Nebraska farmers are preparing for another solid harvest season as prices are edging up and warm temperatures are lingering into late September. Non-farmers should be cheering on their farming friends, because the agricultural sector is propping up the state’s economy again.

Corn prices are teasing the psychologically important $5.00 figure as farmers continue to tune up their combines and other equipment in preparation for harvest. Equally encouraging is that the corn seems to be drying far better than last year’s crop, which was hampered by high 20 to low 30 percent moisture levels in October.

And from Bloomberg.com:

Corn rose in Chicago, rebounding from yesterday’s one-month low, as a South Korean grain group said it will buy supplies from the U.S. Soybeans and wheat gained.

South Korea’s Major Feedmill Group said by e-mail it planned today to purchase 110,000 metric tons of corn for delivery in February. Corn futures yesterday touched $4.5425 a bushel, the lowest level since Sept. 3, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said stockpiles on Sept. 1 reached 1.708 billion bushels, the highest level since 2006.

Thank you, South Korea! Japan is getting closer!

Zack Snyder To Helm Next Superman Movie

Right, the Man of Steel in a pencil rendering by the late Curt Swan.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that a director of the new Superman movie has been chosen:

Zack Snyder has been chosen to direct the new Superman movie, which Christopher Nolan is producing for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Negotiations began earlier today.

Snyder, who directed "300" and "Watchmen," had been on the list of helmers ensconced in meetings with Nolan and Warners execs, who in recent weeks have talked to Darren Aronofsky, Ben Affleck, Matt Reeves and Tony Scott.

While the last Superman movie, Superman Returns, had spectacular special effects and it made over $200 million, it is considered a flop as it failed to re-start the franchise.

It is rumored that the movie is to feature the Kryptonian villain, General Zod. Right now, Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers are being tight-lipped.

But who will play the Man of Steel? Whomever it is, he has to look like Superman, not Superboy. And ditch that last costume design!

To read the full article, go here.

Hibiya's Godzilla Statue

This coming December 5 marks the 15th anniversary of the Godzilla statue in Hibiya, Tokyo.

The statue was erected on that date concurrent with the release of the final Heisei series Godzilla movie, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah on December 9, 1995.

I've visited the statue several times during my five trips to Japan, the first being my 2001 trip for the Tokyo International Film Festival premiere of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Of course, one must have a camera on hand (as I did) for the obligatory photos of the statue. Godzilla fans traveling to Japan consider a visit to the statue as a "must."






Left, my first visit to the Godzilla statue in Hibiya came in November 2001.



Above, the statue is visited by members of G-TOUR in August 2004.

Above, to kill some time before going to Toho International to meet with Masaharu Ina, I stopped by the statue and found a television crew conducting an interview in October 2005. The statue is in the background at left.




Using a digital camera in Japan for the first time, I took this photo (right) of the statue in April 2007. It was the photo used on the cover of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.



Information on how to get to the Godzilla statue in Hibiya is included in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.






Toho Co., Ltd. has erected a new statue of Godzilla at the front of the studio. Visitors can go there to view it along with a new mural of The Seven Samurai.

Above, also from my 2007 trip to Japan, Japanese office workers are taking cigarette breaks near the statue.

Japan Monster Travel Guide Video Picked Up By Movies.Spinelink.com

Movies.Spinelink.com has picked up the YouTube slideshow video for The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To see the site, go here.


Right, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Securitas-L.A. To Lay Off 28 Field Supervisors

Left, a Securitas field supervisor checks on a guard at a county facility.

Securitas security officers who work at Los Angeles County facilities as guards and screeners joined SEIU (Service Employees International Union) last year, despite intimidating tactics by the company.

For the past several months, efforts have been made to secure a new contract between Securitas, its employees (through SEIU) and Los Angeles County. Complaints of foot-dragging on the part of Securitas has been leveled against the company by SEIU.

The Los Angeles office of Securitas (located at Wilshire Blvd. and Catalina) is known for its dishonest practices including advertising vacations and other benefits and then claiming to new hires that "there's no vacation pay, it's governed by the contract with L.A. County." They also promise fair hearings on employment disputes and then renege.

Those are some of many reasons Securitas officers joined the union.

Word has reached my desk that Securitas plans to lay off 28 field supervisors this week. I wonder how this will play since the supervisors are all union members. Did Securitas lose its contract with L.A. County?

Officers who may be part of the lay off are concerned that they will get the ax while "pets" of Securitas management will get to keep their jobs. There's been a history of favoritism at Securitas. I'm glad I'm out of that place.

A union meeting is scheduled.

Malibu Sunset

It is hard to believe that we've reached October already. This means that the holiday season is just around the corner and that Halloween is only weeks away. (More on Halloween later.)

I had my camera with me and got some shots of the sunset from Malibu last night.

It's been hot and humid the past several days with scattered thundershowers over Southern California. This means that we have scattered clouds which help to make the sunsets all the more spectacular.

Here's my latest Malibu Sunset Gallery (click on image to view larger):







Above, a lit boat passes along the coast of Malibu.

Above, the Malibu coast.

As I mentioned above, Halloween is just a few weeks away. A resident of one of the gated communities I patrol already put up their decorations.

Above, a spider on the wall I spotted while turning my vehicle around during my patrol.


Above, a resident's Halloween display.

Daodao.com Lists Japan Monster Travel Guide

Daodao.com, a Chinese-language travel website, has picked up The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan in their Japan travel resource list.

Daodao.com is affiliated with TripAdvisor.com.

To view the site, go here.



Right, Yuu Asakura. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tales of Adventure In Malibu: Tragedy Averted

Sometimes I have to wonder about some parents.

Yesterday evening, I was doing a routine foot patrol at the swimming pool area of one of the gated communities I patrol in Malibu.

There was a party of about 20-25 people at the bar-b-que area which is located at the southwest corner of the pool area. As I was walking along the east side of the pool, I noticed a baby crawling from a grassy area and headed towards the swimming pool.

As I approached, I checked around to see if anyone was watching him. Nobody was. The baby was crawling pretty fast and was headed directly to the swimming pool's southeast (about 30 yards from the bar-b-que area). [He is nine months old, I later found out.] I was still watching him and scanning the area to see if someone was going to come fetch him. Seeing that nobody was going to (the people at the bar-b-que were oblivious), I reached down and picked him up just as he got to about five inches of the edge of the pool.

After picking him up, I yelled to the people at the bar-b-que area, "Whose baby is this?" Everyone looked up with stunned looks on their faces. The baby's mother then came over and I handed him over to her. I then headed towards the exit gate and looked back and noticed the mother (without the baby) looking distraught and dashing towards the clubhouse.

I proceeded out and went to my patrol vehicle to get my incident report written up.

About an hour later, I returned to the clubhouse/pool area and the mother of the baby approached me in the parking lot and profusely thanked me. She said that she was busy eating and cutting up food and forgot about the baby. She said that after I gave him to her, it suddenly hit her that a tragedy had just been averted and she broke down and had to go to the ladies' room in the clubhouse.

I told her it only takes a few seconds for a baby to drown. According to a website of a company specializing in perimeter pool fences:

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths to children ages 14 and under. It can happen in a matter of seconds - in the time it takes to answer the phone. There is often no splashing to warn of trouble. Children can drown in small quantities of water and are at risk in their own homes from wading pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails, and toilets, as well as swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs.

The statistics are frightening. Each year in the United States, 1,150 children (ages 14 and under) drown - more than half of these children are preschoolers (ages 0-4). An estimated 5,000 children (ages 14 and under) are hospitalized due to near-drownings, and of children surviving near-drownings, 5-20 percent suffer severe and permanent disability.

This time, we were lucky!