Tag: guest post

The Ponty Christmas Special

The Portly Politico10 Comments

Yes, yes—we’re already into 2024, and at this point, Christmas 2023 is a distant, fuzzy memory.  But as I’ve pointed out in other posts this holiday season, Christmastime traditionally runs through Epiphany, on 6 January.  So, why not keep the Christmas spirit alive just a bit longer—eh?

In reading Ponty’s Christmas missive, you’ll get a sense for how much he loves the intimate coziness and spirit of Christmas.  Even more, it’s hard to miss how much he loves the intimate coziness and spirit of Tina, his beloved girlfriend/common-law wife/soulmate.  Whatever they are, they are meant for each other, just like the characters in the Hallmark movies Ponty endures each December.  Nothing says, “I love you” like letting your significant other own a hotel on Boardwalk in Monopoly.

I share something of Ponty’s resigned pessimism for the future.  Like Ponty, though, it does not stem from a place of hopelessness, but rather inspires me to dedicate myself more to the people in my life.  There’s precious little I can do about national politics (or a bunch of stoner judges in Colorado), but I can do a great deal to help those around me—even if that means losing a few games of Monopoly.

With that, here is Ponty sharing about his and Tina’s wonderful Christmas and New Year’s plans:

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Myersvision: Open Your Eyes

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Senior correspondent and cryptid expert Audre Myers sends me a lot of Bigfoot footage, almost all of which I can find some hole to poke my skeptic’s waggling finger through with good-natured vigor.  I suspect that as eagle-eyed as she is, Audre sees with the eyes of a true believer, and sometimes sees what she wants to see.  Thus it is for all of us, for different things.

But this time, I think she might be onto something.  I think she vastly underestimates how good (and cheap) practical effects work is these days, and how a truly committed hoaxster could put together a pretty convincing Bigfoot outfit if he wanted to do so.

But, again, something about this video really is compelling.  Naturally, it has all the shortcomings of the typical Bigfoot footage—blurry, for example—but it makes sense in this context.

I’ll let you decide for yourself.  With that, here’s Audre, encouraging you to “Open Your Eyes”:

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Myersvision: Audre’s Exorcism

The Portly Politico14 Comments

Last Thursday Audre Myers e-mailed me a comment for my post “TBT^4: Things That Go Bump in the Night” (she’s having some issues logging into WordPress to comment—d’oh!).  I asked if I could post it on the blog as its own post, and she agreed.

The title I’ve given her comment-post is a bit of artistic license; I’m sure Audre would not call it an “exorcism,” but she definitely cast something out in the Name of Jesus Christ.

It’s become a trope in horror films, especially of the demonic possession variety, that messing around with fortune telling, Ouija boards, etc., opens one up to demonic influence.  I suspect that our habitual sins open us up far more frequently, but I also strongly believe we shouldn’t mess around with the occult, even in a supposedly playful manner.  I know Ouija boards are mass-produced by Milton Bradley, which somehow takes away some of the demonic mysticism of them; still, I imagine Satan loves the Industrial Revolution and mass production.

We have victory in Jesus.  Praise the Lord!

With there, here is Audre’s fascinating tale of victory in Christ:

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Myersvision: The Great British Baking Show

The Portly Politico4 Comments

We all have our comfort foods.  Mine are probably mashed potatoes and my Mom’s meatloaf, or perhaps her barbecue chicken.  She also makes an incredible chicken casserole.  Pretty much anything she cooks or bakes is comfort food, I suppose.

But what happens when comfort foods collide with comfort television?  That’s the case with Audre Myers‘s review of a beloved Netflix series.

I won’t spoil the scones any further.  Here’s Audre on The Great British Baking Show:

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Myersvision: How Big is Big?

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Earlier this week our senior cryptid correspondent Audre Myers sent me an intriguing video that seems to depict a Bigfoot sauntering along the side of a Canadian lake near Toronto.  If anyone’s going to be hanging out in Canada, it’s Bigfoot!

Audre makes an interesting point:  could every sighting of the hairy lug really be a guy in a gorilla costume?  That does stretch credulity—except that it’s entirely possible, albeit a tad implausible, that everyone filming is in cahoots with a fellow hoaxer.  The Spiritualist Movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries produced more charlatans than ghosts.

Regardless, we simply can’t know.  As with everything with Bigfoot, we’re always talking in possibilities, probabilities, likelihoods, etc.  This footage is intriguing, but it’s so easy to doctor video footage, how can we be sure?  Until we have a Bigfoot in captivity or dead on a lab table, we really can’t.

With that, here is Audre with a little note on perspective:

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Myersvision – Why?

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One might wonder at times why the Bigfoot people are so gung-ho about what they do. Some of them, I am certain, are charlatans and hucksters, and are putting on a show for clicks and remunerative possibilities.

But there are others who sincerely believe, and respect this legendary creature.  Our senior Bigfoot correspondent Audre Myers is one such soul.

In this short-but-impactful post, Audre details why it is that some folks dedicate their lives, their talents, and their energies to Bigfoot, a creature that is not us, but that seems so similar to us in so many ways:

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Myersvision: Alexander Scourby

The Portly Politico6 Comments

Growing up, I remember pastors championing the King James Version of the Bible as the only reliable translation.  It is, indeed, exceptional—and, even for a hyperintelligent Übermensch like yours portly, exceptionally difficult to read.  I now primarily use the New King James Version, which retains the KJV’s accuracy, while updating the syntax and language for modern readers.

That said, the NKJV still loses some of the poetry of the KJV.  Christianity is a reading religion, but it’s also a spoken one, and like all poetry, the Bible is meant to be read aloud.  Not many of us do it well.  When it’s done right, however, it pierces our souls.

Audre Myers graciously wrote this beautiful piece about the recorded King James Version, available on YouTube.  Actor Alexander Scourby reads the entire Bible, and from the videos I’ve listened to so far, it’s gorgeous.

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Myervision: Puzzling

The Portly Politico4 Comments

About a month ago, Audre Myers left a wonderful comment on my post “TBT^2: Modern Art and Influence.”  She made some incredibly insightful points about modern art through the lens of puzzles, specifically a solid white puzzle that is, apparently, a major challenge because there’s no reference to follow.

I asked her to expand that comment into a post, thinking she might dive into modern art versus real art in a bit more detail.

Instead, she sent me this post about puzzles—and I couldn’t be more delighted.

I trust you will be as well.  Who cares about the nature of art when we can do fun puzzles?

With that, here is Audre on puzzles:

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Ponty’s Pen: The BBC’s Newfound Interest in the Gaming Industry

The Portly Politico24 Comments

Video games used to be a bit of a niche—a large and popular niche, but a niche nonetheless.  Sure, our mom loved playing Dr. Mario on our old Nintendo, but that was about the extent of it.  Video games were largely for boys, who grew up into men.  Those men rebought the classics when they became available digitally, and continued to fuel the development of new games with their hard-earned dollars.

Of course, video game companies sensibly sought to expand their market share.  They developed more casual games to attract older gamers and more women.  The Nintendo Wii marked a major shift, as the kinetic style of the console made it popular among many demographics, most notably the elderly.  Nary a retirement home or assisted living facility lacked a Wii, with which geriatrics could play virtual tennis and bowling.

All of that is wonderful.  More gamers means more games, and it means broader acceptance of video games as a fun, harmless pastime (in spite of the ludicrous stories that insist on linking video games to violence—malarkey!).

Lately, however, video game developers have followed in the footsteps of film and television, making a mad push towards increasing “representation” in games.  This development is premised upon a number of false premises, such as “women are objectified damsels-in-distress in games,” which ignores Princess Peach, Princess Zelda/Sheikh, Lara Croft, and many other “strong female” protagonists or supporting characters in game.

That obsession is linked to another false premise:  that in order to enjoy a video game (or movie, or book, or other work), we must see carbon-copies of ourselves in them.  According to this reasoning, a black kid can’t enjoy a Mario game because Mario is an Italian-American plumber, not an African-American one.

As Ponty so eloquently points out, video games are frequently a form of escapism.  We don’t want to be ourselves; we want to be a burly barbarian, or a sneaky thief.  When I play roleplaying games, I don’t play a six-foot-one, two-hundred-fifty-plus pound nerd with bad eyesight; I typically play a short rogue or bard character, pilfering loot from NPCs’ homes.  I’d never burgle a home in real life, and the game doesn’t make me want to do so; rather, it gives the thrill of being a second-story man without any of the terrible consequences for either myself or the victim.

Regardless, gaming, too, has been a major front in the Culture Wars, going back to Gamergate in 2014.  Nearly ten years on, we’re still fighting similar battles.

With that, here is Ponty’s essay “The BBC’s Newfound Interest in the Gaming Industry”:

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