Free Republic

When Michael Blake was writing his novel "Dances With Wolves," he was living in Los Angeles on friends' couches or, sometimes, in his car. He did occasional odd jobs and finally, with $1,000 borrowed from a pal, headed for Bisbee, Ariz., where he washed dishes in a Chinese restaurant for $3.35 an hour.

Maury Chaykin, a prolific and award-winning actor ... has died. The veteran actor died in Toronto early Tuesday, his 61st birthday... Other prominent appearances include ... Dances with Wolves ... He played the titular detective in a Nero Wolfe series...

Last week for the Second time, i got to see Avatar. having been watching the blog sphere lately I have been quite surprised by some of the responses to the movie, Allegations that the movie promotes environmentalism, and liberalism. probably the biggest problem I have heard is that the humans instead of the aliens are the bad guys. A major departure from traditional science fiction orthodoxy that is rare. That, and James Cameron has used his fame to attack and ridicule conservatives and libertarians. my review concentrates on some of the ridiculous remarks made against the movie in the blog...

My personal politics aren't important here, since really my focus is the animals; loads of other blogs to look at for the more overtly political slant. I'm happy when smart and humane, pro-animal, pro-environment positions are taken by either or both Democrats and Republicans, Conservatives or Liberals, Libertarians, Greens, or aluminum-foil-hat-wearing folks concerned about the upcoming Martian invasion. But like anyone who cares about animals and the environment, no, I wasn't exactly thrilled by Sarah Palin as a candidate for vice president. (Unexpected, related sidebar: Senator McCain's wife, Cindy, was a member of my Board of Directors for several of...

If there’s a buffalo heaven, it must be a vast grassland pocked with Oreo cookie bushes beside streams foaming with German beer. They were Cody’s favorites. Cody, the All-American buffalo born on July 4, 1987, and raised by Minnesota ranchers for a life of travel and fame — highlighted by a starring role in “Dances With Wolves” — died Thursday from complications of kidney failure. He was 19, not bad for a breed more likely to be processed into steaks, burgers and jerky by the age of 2. “About two weeks ago, he stopped finishing his feed,” said Valerie Shannon....

Seems my initial thoughts concerning the new Tom Cruise movie may ring true, according to one of the reviews at Ain't It Cool...It will be interesting to see if there is any outcry over this...Will he be fighting any US soldiers in the end or just the new Japanese army? Is the West viewed as the bad guy? It would appear so...those evil Westerners... From Ain't It Cool News: Review: ...Don’t worry, though, because Mr. Cruise also has some fine moments. Most notably when he is dealing with the disgust he has for being a part of the genocidal white...

I need some help in debunking the "Dances With Wolves" vew of Aborignal American history. I remember reading an article here some time back that talked about how Indians would stampede a huge herd of buffalo over a cliff so they could take the few carcasses they could eat, and leave the rest to rot. If anyone has a link to that article, that would be great. Also, I am interested in any documented history regarding war tactics, slavery practices and cannibalism that existed before the Europeans first set foot on American soil. I need this information so that I...