Wow! Cool Justice League Kia Cars!

The FLASH car - front an center,

I stumbled upon a web page about an auto show in 2012 that featured Kia Rios that had detailing reflective of members of the Justice League (featuring Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg). 

Batman car and Green Lantern car behind it

   Had I known this, I would've considered trading in my pick-up truck!  Just look at these cool cars. 

The justice league was swooping into the 2012 SEMA auto show with these DC Comics superhero-inspired kia models.  

I found the press release about them, too:

The Aquaman car!

LAS VEGAS, October 30, 2012 – Kia Motors America (KMA) and DC Entertainment kicked off the 2012 SEMA Show today in superhero style with five radical machines inspired by the members of the Justice League: The Flash Forte Koup, Aquaman Rio 5-door, Cyborg Forte 5-door, Green Lantern Soul and the previously unveiled Batman Optima.  Built by West Coast Customs, RIDES and Super Street, each of the vehicles feature custom artwork by legendary comic book artist and DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee and are intended to raise awareness for DC Entertainment’s “We Can Be Heroes” giving campaign to help fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.  Each Justice League character was assigned to a specific Kia vehicle based on personality and key attributes to create these five iconic works of art on wheels.   

L to R: Aquaman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Flash, Cyborg

“Working together with DC Entertainment, West Coast Customs, RIDES and Super Street to create a fleet of superhero-inspired machines has been an incredible collaboration and the end result is five one-of-a-kind Justice League cars that bring each of these legendary comic book superheroes to life,” said Michael Sprague, executive vice president, marketing & communications, KMA.  “We are proud to be raising awareness for the ’We Can Be Heroes’ giving campaign and look forward to unveiling three more crime-fighting Kias at future auto shows and comic conventions as our 10-month partnership with DC Entertainment continues.”

”It was a thrill to see custom cars based upon my Justice League artwork and sketches revealed at SEMA,” stated Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Entertainment. “I have to tip my hat to the teams at West Coast Customs, RIDES and Super Street on their innovative work creating cars that represent iconic characters like Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman and The Flash – all to benefit a great cause, ‘We Can Be Heroes’, and I’d like to thank Kia Motors America for supporting ‘We Can Be Heroes’.”

DETAILS ABOUT EACH CAR: Click for details on each Superhero Kia!

 

Who is the: World Society for the Protection of Animals?

I learned of this great organization thanks to a friend's Facebook posting. Right now there's a drive to send messages to the United Nations to prevent animal cruelty around the world.
TAKE ACTION and Leave a short Msg for the United Nations: http://wspamove.org/theun/

WHO IS THE WSPA? The World Society for the Protection of Animals

www.wspa-international.org

WHAT THEY DID IN 2012:  Thanks to your generosity, rabies-driven culls no longer pose the huge threat that they once did to dogs in Bali and we’re making good progress towards repeating this success in Bangladesh. Our vaccination campaign has protected hundreds of thousands of dogs against this terrible disease and saved them from indiscriminate culls. This work is now a compelling showcase through which we are convincing more governments – including China – that ending culling and turning to dog vaccination is the only humane and effective way to combat rabies  Learn about MORE of the things they've done here: 2012 annual report

THEIR MISSION: 

Who we are: Our vision: a world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty has ended.

 The World Society for the Protection of Animals exists to tackle animal cruelty across the globe. We work directly with animals and with the people and organisations that can ensure animals are treated with respect and compassion. With your support, we campaign effectively to combat the world’s most intense and large-scale animal welfare issues. We bring about lasting change by:

-      helping people understand the critical importance of good animal welfare
 -    encouraging nations to commit to animal-friendly practices
  -   building the scientific case for the better treatment of animals.
   
We are local: We improve animals’ lives and prevent animal cruelty by working directly with communities and owners. Working on the ground with local partners for greatest effect, we are active in more than 50 countries.
 

We are global:   We have consultative status at the Council of Europe and collaborate with national governments, the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health – influencers with the power to improve the lives of millions of animals. We are uniquely placed to bring animals into the heart of the most pressing global debates and prove the links between good animal welfare and successful sustainable development. 

We are there in emergencies:  When disaster strikes, we make sure that animals are not forgotten. Working with partner organizations, governments, humanitarian groups and international agencies, WSPA is the world leader in animal-focused disaster response and risk reduction. With 30 years of experience, sometimes we are the only animal organization able to access disaster-struck regions and make a very real, immediate difference to suffering animals.

VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uIrE8cWzko#t=31

Rob Meets Neil Degrasse Tyson and Asks about his Superman Connection!

L to R: Neil, Eric Smith, Chris Scolese, John Mather, Paul Geithner

Neil answers my question about his Superman appearance!

One of the cool things about working at NASA is that we get to work with and meet interesting people.
  On June 3rd, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson visited  NASA Goddard's Space Flight Center and the James Webb Space Telescope team in Greenbelt, Md, and I (Rob) am one of the

Laura Betz put the entire event together!

science writers on the Webb telescope project and got to hear  meet him.

HIS SUPERMAN CONNECTION - Because I KNOW that he appeared in Action Comics #14 two years ago, I asked him about it and he was thrilled to tell everyone in the group about it!
  I went on line and learned that he also told NPR's Morning Edition. (LISTEN TO THE STORY- CLICK HERE)
    Here's the story: Hayden Planetarium director and pop-culture go-to science guy Neil deGrasse Tyson tells NPR's David Greene the story of how he came to lend a hand to Superman.

From Action Comics #14. Cr: DC Comics

DC Comics, Tyson explains, approached him for permission to use the Planetarium — as well as his likeness — in a story where Superman witnesses the destruction of Krypton, since the light from the distant planet is just now arriving on Earth. Tyson told DC Comics that he was happy to help, and that instead of just making up the story of Superman seeing Krypton, he could help them ground it in at least some actual science.  FULL NPR STORY: http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/12/03/166246743/neil-degrasse-tyson-helps-his-new-bud-superman-get-a-glimpse-of-home

Neil Credit: NASA/Rebecca Roth

Neil talking about Cosmos as Rob poses for a picture

Sunday Stuff: Doggy Visitor, Gardening, Dog Games

Mopar Visits!

Sundays are the days we enjoy sitting on the sunporch or outside in the backyard with our coffee and tea, reading the paper. This past Sunday it was a little cool first thing in the morning to do that. We had a nice day with a canine visitor and filled it up with activities.
  MOPAR VISITS - Our canine friend Mopar visited with our kids all day as his mom and dad went to enjoy NASCAR for the day one state away. Our kids enjoying hanging out with Mopar, who is extremely well-behaved and a pretty amazing dog. They all got to enjoy the sunshine in the backyard until it got too warm!

Tom carefully rounded the front shrubs

  GARDENING - Tom is the master gardener and noticed that all the rain we've had lately have caused the Azaleas and other shrubs in front of the house to grow a lot, so we spent a couple of hours trimming them and making them nice and round. 

Tom trimming the azaleas

   





A MONK-LIKE TRIM - Anyone that watched the TV series about the OCD Mr. Monk would understand how Tom loves perfection. After trimming the azaleas, he walked back to the street to look at them. It was from there that he saw one tiny branch on one of the azaleas sticking out about 1 inch so he immediately walked over and trimmed it. I was standing right in front of it and didn't notice!!

Tyler and Franklin supervising from the front door

   DOG GAMES - We enjoyed taking all four dogs (including our canine visitor) on walks and played with them using their dog puzzles, plastic games that hide treats and they have to figure out how to open them. It really stimulates them and makes them think! 
 
MARKETING - Rob spent more time emailing rescues and veterinary hospitals all over the U.S. promoting his book "Pets and the Afterlife" as he does almost every night. There are thousands!!

Celebrating Kelli and Derek's Marriage

Derek and Kelli

My (Rob) niece  and god-daughter Kelli and husband Derek  married last week in Arizona and returned to Maryland this week for a local reception/cookout this weekend. It was a perfect weather day!
  Kelli's parents went way overboard with food and everything was

L to R: Allen, Sterling (seated), Sean, Kenny, Rob, Tom

 perfect.  Kelli and Derek make such a beautiful couple. Here are a couple of pictures from the cookout.

Derek and Kelli with uncles Rob and Tom

 It's always great to hang out with family and friends, and we enjoyed lots of laughs with friends Sterling, Sean, Allen and Kenny amidst the food and fun.

cooking out

Dad Ken (in white) and mom Jill (blue)

Kelli's former ROTC leader addressing the couple

the adorable couple

A great wedding photo of Kelli and Derek

 

Meet Eli Wallach: Mr. Freeze in 1966's Batman and Much More

L to R: Frosty, Mr. Freeze, Chillblane, the Professor  from Batman 1966

Last week I was watching one of the Batman TV shows from the 1966-1968 series and Mr. Freeze was the featured villain. Freeze was played by actor Eli Wallach. So, I decided to look him up and found out the following: 

    Eli Herschel Wallach (born December 7, 1915, he's 98 years old today!) is an American film, television and stage actor character / "Method" actor,. He has been in demand for over 60 years (first film/TV role was 1949) on stage and screen and has worked alongside the biggest stars, including Clark Gable, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Brynner, Peter O'Toole, and Al Pacino, to name but a few.
   Wallach was born on 7 December 1915 in Brooklyn, NY, to Jewish parents who emigrated from Poland, and was one of the few Jewish kids in his mostly Italian neighborhood.
MOVIES HE APPEARED IN - Baby Doll,   The Magnificent Seven (1960),  The Misfits (1961), and  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), The Godfather Part III,  The Two Jakes (both 1990), and  The Holiday (2006). In 2010 he appeared in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Ghost Writer.

Batman and Robin from the 1966 series

    WHAT I FOUND MOST INTERESTING -  One of three actors to play the character of Mr. Freeze on Batman (1966). (The other two were George Sanders and Otto Preminger). He once said that he has received more fan mail for that role than for any other role he has ever done.
    RECENT AWARD - On November 13, 2010, at the age of 94, Wallach received an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to the film industry at the 2010 Governor's Awards ceremony of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Classic Comics Collection: Robin Vol. 2

DC Comics has issued their second volume of Robin stories (Batman's sidekick) in the DC Archive

DC Archives: Robin Vol. 2

Editions. I love Batman and Robin, and Robin is one of my all time favorite heroes, so when I learned about this collection of classic stories from the 1940s I wanted to enjoy it.
   Robin Archives Volume 2 (Hardcover) was published in Apr. of 2010 and has 256 pages of classic, full color stories of Robin in solo adventures as they appeared in Star Spangled Comics. All of the stories were drawn by Batman and Robin creator Bob Kane, but there were various writers. In fact, the writers were not listed, so DC Comics assumes they consisted of Don Cameron, Bill Finger, David Vern Reed and Jack Schiff.
  Although Robin was depicted in these stories as being in high school, he was able to drive the Batmobile and fly the Batplane - so he was quite the teenager. The stories really reflect the era of the 1940s, too. Reading them and looking at the artwork will be like a history lesson of how comics viewed society at the time.

   The covers of each issue of Star Spangled Comics are also reprinted in the book. Robin usually took a back seat on the covers to a frontier fighting character named Tomahawk who was actually quite popular in the 1940s. He was a "Daniel Boone-type" hero that battled pirates and native Americans on the wild frontier of the early U.S. Today, that kind of character wouldn't be nearly as well-received.

Tim Drake: the 3rd Robin

  The stories are classic, and the collection, like the first hardcover collection are enjoyable and well-worth reading. - Rob
THE HISTORY OF 5 ROBINS - 
 (Comics fans know the original Robin was Dick Grayson. He assumed a new identity as Nightwing and Jason Todd became Robin before being murdered by the Joker (and resurrected). Tim Drake then became Robin #3 and moved onto becoming Red Robin. Robin #4 was Stephanie Brown for a brief time before being fired by Batman, and then Robin #5 was Damian Wayne, Bruce's illegitimate son with a female assassin (who drugged Batman and got intimate with him), who was later killed by assassins. Currently, there is no Robin!

Another Great "Murder She Wrote" mystery: Trouble at High Tide

Another great book in the series!

 Sometimes the mysteries I've read are so great that I can the entire book in week, and all of the Murder She Wrote mystery series books are just like that for me:Trouble at High Tide was no exception.  Jessica is invited to come down to Bermuda to stay at a cottage on the property of a judge she met in New Jersey. The judge sends her a plane ticket when he and his family travel to Bermuda and Jessica gets caught up in "Jack the Ripper-style" murders. The judge's family is also directly affected. The Judge has three ex-wives, children that don't care for him, and even neighbors that don't like him, so there's a lot of discord to untangle. As with all Murder She Wrote novels, this one will keep you guessing as you read how mystery novel writer Jessica Fletcher figures it all out.

  Like all of the others in the series I highly recommend book! - Rob

Hear Rob's interview on Paranormal Review Radio!

Hear my interview on Paranormal Review Radio!

Luci and Anthony

On Friday, May 23,Rob had a wonderful interview on Paranormal Review Radio with Luci and Anthony as we talked about "Pets and the Afterlife." It was very emotional and very moving. 
I was on the first hour and Luci and Anthony talked more about the subject in

hour #2.  You'll learn a lot about how pets communicate with us, how they're able to do so, and hear some amazing stories. Luci had some emotional moments and it was very touching and memorable. What an amazing night!
   TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paranormalreview/2014/05/24/pets-and-the-afterlife-wrob-gutro


PROMO VIDEO: http://youtu.be/uYXifs8KR8w

Meet an Amazing Artist: Charles Alexander!

Facebook is an amazing thing. I recently connected to an incredibly talented artist named Charles Alexander of Texas. Here's one story about an incredible painting he did about a lioness' reflection. Charles spent time in Africa in a tent and did a lot of drawings, sketches and paintings. I had to look at the painting a number of times because it's so amazing it looks like a photograph!
TO SEE MORE: http://artistinafrica.wordpress.com/category/charles-alexander/

Lioness Reflection Completed/Featured In Wildlife Art Journal

Posted in Available Works, Big Cats, Charles Alexander, Lions, Oil Paintings, serengeti national park, Tanzania on July 26, 2012 by Charles Alexander

The completed Lioness Reflection painting recently appeared in a Serengeti Day  installment of Wildlife Art Journal protesting the proposed commercial highway through the Serengeti National Park. My accompanying statement:
“I observed this lioness one afternoon close to my small campsite in the northern reaches of the Serengeti, near Bologonja. She had just made a careful, but ultimately failed attempt to ambush a young wildebeest that had strayed from the edge of the Great Migration. Lions fail far more often than they kill, but something about her posture–an attitude that I worked to convey in my painting–tells me just how much of a survivor she is. She may fail time and again, but she’ll keep trying until she provides for herself, her cubs, her pride. That’s just one of the things about lions that I find so inspiring.

Painting this lioness in the studio day to day transported me back to the Serengeti– and to the emotions that I experienced when I was immersed in one of the few places where one can get a clear idea of what the earth must have been like during the Golden Age of Mammals. I divide my field work these days between two Serengetis: East Africa’s–the last great stronghold of the world’s megafauna– and the lost ecosystem of the American Great Plains, where bison once roamed in herds that were perhaps the greatest ever known to man. I recently stood on a hilltop in the midst of the western Kansas prairie, looking across a landscape completely empty of the vast numbers of large mammals that had roamed there until the mid-nineteenth century, just a moment ago in geologic time.
The proposed Serengeti Highway threatens to reduce the great plains of East Africa to a land just as empty and just as haunted by what might have been. America’s vast herds were lost before they could even be studied and understood, destroyed by men who did not appreciate the value of the natural world beyond their own blind and momentary greed. Today, we know better. This lioness cannot pause to reflect upon the future of her world– she can only work to feed herself. It is up to us to ensure that short-sighted greed will not prevail again. We must stand together to protect the Serengeti for present and future generations– and for the wild creatures that still call its majestic horizons home. “
This piece is now in the collection of Mrs. Jackie West Cowden.

Thanks to Dustin Pari for supporting my book "Pets and the Afterlife"

Last summer I had the good fortune to meet Ghost Hunter Dustin Pari at the Spiritwatch convention in Virginia. SpiritWatch conducts paranormal investigations in MD, DC and VA.
   Since the conference, Dustin and I follow each other on Twitter. This week, Dustin sent out a tweet in support of my book "Pets and the Afterlife" for which I am extremely grateful. He also sent it to John Tenney (whom I also had the pleasure to meet at that same conference)! These guys are really amazing and fascinating to hear. You can find their websites below. 
  Here's the Tweet from Dustin that I will always treasure:

Dustin Pari @dustinpari Give this a look @JohnELTenney RT @GhostMediumBook: Did someone's dog or cat pass recently? Check my book tinyurl.com/mqgamq2%20

Dustin Pari's Website says:  Man of God. Motivational Speaker. @patchministry founder. The Paranormal Rockstar formerly of Ghost Hunters & GHI. Pie enthusiast. Lover of cereal. 100%Awesome  You can find Dustin's website at The Paranormal Rockstar: The Official Site Of Dustin Pari
www.paranormalrockstar.com/ 
John E.L. Tenney is also well known in Paranormal circles!  Author & Investigator of Anomalistic, Paranormal & Occult Phenomena, Psychopomp, Realm of the Weird, Folklorist, King of the Weirdos & Everyone's Weird Uncle.
Here's John's website: Weird Lectures - John E.L. Tenney's Weird Place for Weird ...
weirdlectures.com/

A Dog Rescue Transport: Frankie's Story

This past weekend, we were asked to do a dog transport of an elderly Dachshund. The dog, Frankie,

Frankie exploring our backyard

 was being given up by her owner because the owner's daughter called and said the owner wasn't home for extended periods and wanted the dog to have a better life. So, the rescue got some information, had the owner fill out forms to turn the dog over, and Tom and I (Rob) drove to pick up Frankie on Saturday- and Frankie went to Tom's folks to be fostered that night.

WHO IS FRANKIE? -  Frankie is a female red, smooth-haired Dachshund. When we arrived, the owner's daughter told us that Frankie is actually 15 years old and she's on special prescription food for her kidneys. Our dog Sprite had kidney failure at 16 so it's not uncommon. Sprite, however, only lived another 7 months after the diagnosis. We were told that Frankie's prescription food was to prevent kidney / bladder stones from forming, as she apparently had them before and had surgery. She was also not supposed to eat dairy products because calcium would also cause them (as they do in humans). The bag she came with had heartworm and flea preventative medicine, but the owner's daughter didn't know if Frankie got them monthly.  **  Frankie rode well in our pickup truck and was very quiet. When we arrived home, she met our three dogs and they sniffed her and then left her alone.

Frankie enjoying being outside

STUDYING HER CONDITION -  When rescue volunteers (like us) take in a foster dog, we study their condition, abilities and habits. She appeared housebroken and she ambled around but we later learned she was not housebroken. (Apparently she was left alone very long hours as the former owner's daughter said, so she had some accidents - or perhaps it's kidney failure because she didn't poop in the house). We learned that she actually could not climb stairs when she couldn't  get up a small ledge from our sun porch into our kitchen. - The former owner also gave us "doggy stairs" they used to allow Frankie to get up on a couch, but she didn't seem to be able to use those either.
  Basically, Frankie is elderly, and in human years, 15 Equals 80 human years old.
FIRST NIGHT- Tom's folks said that she did walk with them, and very slowly. It was apparent that Frankie wasn't used to walking on a  leash, but did do her #2 outside, which tells us that she WAS housetrained and the 2 pee accidents she inside Tom's parents' house may be either marking, stress or from kidney failure (as she wasn't alone at any time).
ASSESSMENT - Frankie is going to be assessed at the vet to determine her overall health, age, etc. It is our assessment that Frankie is not in the best of health and that the owner may have called the rescue because of her kidney failure and they didn't want to see her during her last months or year. We say this having gone through kidney failure with Sprite just last July. We'll know more after the Vet visit. Meanwhile, we've asked that Tom's parents not be the foster home, because with ill health, Frankie's foster home will definitely become a permanent home.