Greg Shchepanek

 You are now Entering ...   The iconic science fiction television series " The Twilight Zone " airs for the first time on October 2nd, 1959 on the CBS television network. The Twilight Zone was created & hosted by the talented screenwriter Rod Serling . The Twilight Zone still ranks as one of the most unique & best written television shows in TV history . It ran for five seasons until 1964 and had a total of 156 episodes. Of those 156 episodes, 92 were written by Serling himself and many of them contain some of the most memorable television moments. The show consisted of sci-fi and supernatural mysteries in an anthology setting and featured many then unknown actors who would later become famous, like Ron Howard , Dennis Hopper , Robert Redford & William Shatner . There would later be a film based of the series in 1983. " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet " is episode 123 of the  American television   anthology series  The Twilight Zone , based on the shor

 Give Peace a Chance ! The peace symbol was created during  February 1958  by British designer Gerald Holton . Holton drew the symbol in preparation for the Aldermaston Marches , a series of anti-nuclear weapons protests beginning in  April  of that year and organized by the Direct Action Committee (DAC) . Another prominent anti-nuclear weapons group, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) , was established around the same time and decided to adopt the peace symbol as its logo . Holton’s design , a black circle with a vertical line down the center and two downward pointing lines at 45 degree angles on either side of the center line, was not copyrighted and has since become an international symbol for worldwide peace .

 Encounter with a Small Wood Bison Herd in the Northwest Territories Wood Bison  ( Bison bison athabascae ) Edzo Region, Northwest Territories, Canada. Conservation Status: vulnerable (N3N4) in Canada (NatureServe). The encounter I wanted the most during my vacation to the Northwest Territories (NWT) happened on my way back to Yellowknife from Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada . Just outside of Edzo I came across a small herd that was grazing along the side of the highway. I decided to focus my attention on the alpha male of the herd seeing that he was the one that was most interested in me while I was photographing the herd . He would particularly eye me and give me grunts to show he was displeased with my company. As the herd headed down the highway, the big boy gave me one last look of disapproval before the encounter ended. North America's largest land mammal is the  Wood Bison  ( Bison bison athabascae ) Edzo Region, Northwest Territories, Canada. Conservation Statu

Wetlands of International Importance : The Ramsar Convention Northern Green Frog  ( Lithobates clamitans melanota ) Baie de les grenouilles, Lac Saint-François National Wildlife Area, Quebec, Canada. Ramsar site no. 361. There are 2,513  Ramsar Sites  scattered around the world. Designated  Wetlands of International Importance , they are deemed as significant  wetland   ecosystems  on a global scale. If you have photographed one of these beautiful  Sites  please enjoy the story. My most  favourite  Ramsar Sites  are located in the United States of America and include in order:  Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge;   Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary  &   Everglades National Park.  I been very fortunate to have visited a great number of the 220  Sites  in North America and have been to most in my own country. I am just missing the ones in the High Arctic and have yet to explore those found in Mexico. The  Convention’s mission  is “ t he conservation and wise use of all  wetlands  through

 Steve Jobs & Bill Gates The two powerhouse Computer Geeks of all time. Steven Paul Jobs  ( February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American  business magnate ,  industrial designer ,  investor  &  media proprietor . He was the chairman , chief executive officer (CEO) , and co-founder of  Apple Inc. , the chairman & majority shareholder of  Pixar , a member of  The Walt Disney Company 's board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar  and the founder, chairman & CEO of  NeXT . Jobs is widely recognised as a pioneer of the  personal computer revolution  of the 1970s & 1980s, along with Apple co-founder   Steve Wozniak . ( Wikipedia text ) Wow! I have been a an Apple fan since the first time I saw one in the basement of my cousin Guy's home in Carleton Place, ON, Canada, way back when ... I was all like " What's a Computer ?? " I only had this Atari thing that I used to play games & program applications in my basement. I a

 The War of the Worlds This was the very first  H. G. Wells novel I read as a kid and it was impart to the 1953 movie that I saw at a young age. Talking about great Science Fiction , imagination & creativity there is no other famed write/artist like HGW (but Philip K. Dick comes a very close).  The War of the Worlds  (also known in promotional material as  H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds ) is a 1953 American  Science Fiction Film  from Paramount Pictures, produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin, and starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. The film is an adaptation of the 1898 novel of the same name by  H. G. Wells , the first of five feature film adaptations. It is a retelling of the 1898 novel , changing the setting from Victorian era-England to 1953 southern  California . Earth is suddenly and unexpectedly invaded by  Martians , and American scientist Clayton Forrester searches for any weakness that can stop them. Don't want to give away any spoilers but

 Happy International Polar Bear Day Sow near  Kaktovik ,  Barter Island ,  Alaska ,  United States. Today is International Polar Bear Day and is a day to think of all things Polar Bear .  The  Polar Bear  ( Ursus   maritimus ) is a  hypercarnivorous   bear  whose native range lies largely within the  Arctic Circle , encompassing the  Arctic Ocean , its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest  extant   bear species, as well as the largest extant land carnivore .  Conservation Status :   www.iucnredlist.org In the second episode of  LOST   season 1 , Kate ( Evangeline Lilly ) and Sayid ( Naveen Andrews ) lead a group of survivors into the jungle when they hear something large charging toward them. After Sawyer ( Josh Holloway ) stands firm and fires several shots, their attacker is revealed to be a  Polar Bear .

  First Hydrogen Bomb Detonated by the USA : 1952 " How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" ~ Dr. Strangelove .  The United States tests the first hydrogen bomb during November at the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean .  The thermonuclear bomb , codenamed Mike , was dropped on the island of Elugelab in Enewetak Atoll as a part of Operation Ivy .  The island was completely destroyed in the blast which was equivalent to the force of 10 million tons of T.N.T. and the wildlife & vegetation on the surrounding islands was also demolished .  The first hydrogen bomb was a two-stage fusion device designed by Edward Teller & Stanislaw Ulam .  It was about 1000 times more powerful than the original atomic bomb and its successful detonation accelerated the nuclear arms race during the Cold War .  In 1953, the Soviet Union would test their own version.  In the same year,  the United Kingdom tests its first atomic bomb in Australia . Everyone was  bombing

The Day the Earth Stood Still : Gort Released in 1951 American film The Day the Earth Stood Still is a famous Science Fiction movie  based on the 1940 science fiction short story " Farewell to the Master " by  Harry Bates . " Klaatu barada nikto " the famous words to wake up the sleeping Gort.  Gort is an eight-foot tall, seamless robot apparently constructed from a single piece of " flexible metal ". He is but one member of a " race of robots " invented by an interplanetary confederation.  Gort does not speak, but he can receive and follow verbal commands. His companion  humanoid  alien   Klaatu are the only two that visit Earth to give a grave warning to us  humans who have entered the nuclear age . In 2008 there was a remake made of this classic staring  Keanu Reeves as Klaatu . Pictured below are the famous main alien characters of this Classic Science Fiction film.

 I Love the Spotify Former Spotify headquarters in Stockholm I have only been using Spotify for a short period of time, but colour me impressed with this Swedish Music App . It was pow when I  subscribed  to this impressive App that went from website to computer app and then  popped  up on my Google  phone as well ... I have my good friend John to thank for sending me a link that got me started. OMG I was having streaming problems with my original music app that came with my computer ... I even contacted them & their trouble shooting for their app was to reboot the thing ... but once it happened again! Hello Spotify & all the great streaming music came to me with no  hamper  at all and never needing a reboot the entire suite of Spotify is just so bloody well ... impressive !!! I have  definitely found my music I have been looking for ... There will always be Tranze in my pantz which makes me danze

 Beer !!!! I love to drink Beer ! My ultimate favourites are Grolsch & Heineken ... but I will drink any beer I can get my hands on. What I usually do is drink the beer from Spring - Summer & switch over to Cider for Fall - Winter . I just love the stuff but it comes second to my Coffee consumption ... only because I can't get wahzooed all day. Now that I have a most beautiful girlfriend, she is going to see that I regulate my consumption of this most beautiful drink ... she fears the alcohol content is harming my good brain 😜 I consume the Heineken the most seeing that it is the most readily served Beer in North America ... It was great when I went to the Northwest Territories (NWT) they were serving the Grolsch almost everywhere I went with my Father . I was given the pictured above keg tap arm as a gift from one of the bars I most frequented that was called Helsinki in Ottawa. I was found in this establishment for the great Beer and most amazing Musica

 Swamp Creatures Ever since I was a wee boy I was totally fascinated & had a great love for the Swamp Creatures . Even before I could read I would tug on my Mother and tell her I need book and she would always fulfill my great need to have the precious treasure of the Swamp Monster books. It all started with a comic book of The Man-Thing Volume 1 back in 1974 , I was six years old, and my Mum bought it for me 💚 I have since lost that amazing comic book but I am pleased to say it will soon return to my collection since I have just purchased the famed said book eBay just yesterday and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival ... it has arrived and it is so very beautiful. Next purchase is House of Secrets #92 in 1971 when the   Man-Thing first appeared. The  Swamp Thing  is a fictional  superhero  in American comic books published by  DC Comics .  A humanoid/plant elemental  creature , created by writer  Len Wein  and artist  Bernie Wrightson , the Swamp Thing has had several hum

 Photography Site : Continued 2018 was a good year for Monarch s & I came across them pretty much anywhere I went and it was a great blessing to see these beauties fluttering about in the wild.  Monarch Butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ) Jack Pine Trail, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Taken on July 20, 2018. Conservation Status: imperiled (S2N,S4B) in Ontario, CA (NatureServe). I am hoping 2021 will be a Monarch year. Little man Black Squirrel posing for the camera nicely.  Eastern Gray Squirrel Black Phase ( Sciurus carolinensis ) Britannia Conservation Area, Mud Lake, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Taken on December 9, 2017. Mud Lake is the best place to go if you want some beautiful Squirrel captures they are most friendly here on the trails. 

 For my Mother ... she was born in 1946  My Mother , was born Cheryl Dawn Byce with ten other brothers & sisters in the small town of Chapleau, Ontario, Canada of Northern Ontario. She was my educator in life and my very best friend I had ever known. She was an amazing powerhouse in life and held down a job of Teacher's Aid @Centennial School here in Ottawa. But most of all her most important job was to raise me & my sister as my Father concentrated on work in our Nuclear Family . Me, I was conceived at Montreal Expo 67 and I was later born on June 17, 1968 making me a Gemini-Monkey and a Cheeky one at that. I can't believe the most beautiful life she gave me with pure love & support . She was the one to visit me @every workplace I had ever worked ... just to check out and see what was going in my life. When I was stressed & anxious she would settle me down with the words " Cool it ! and take it easy ." I still live by those words today

 Monkey King :  Sun Wukong  (孫悟空/孙悟空) The stories of the Monkey King is a beloved story that was introduce to me by a Chinese graphic designer I met when I first joined the Government in 1999, her name was Lisa Sun and her Chinese name translated to Sunrise Sun in the English language. I was most fascinating to meet this lovely lady from Asia  who's   background  was designing for China Travel  Industry . She came to Canada to explore & adventure from her native country of China. And, well, she ran into me and we became very close friends, allies and associates. She even designed a logo for me called Cherry Pie : A Woman's Networking Organisation .  Any who, let's get back to the stories at hand, Monkey King . There is a most excellent rendition of the stories located here :  Monkey King  & check out :  Sun Wukong (孫悟空) Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, from Wu Cheng’en’s novel  Journey to the West . Japanese surimono woodblock print by Yashima Gakutei,

 I am so LOST Without Lost !!!! Oh My Gaia !!! I have never been such a fanatic for a television show (Dr. Who; Sesame Street & HHGG) in these modern times as I was so compulsively glued to the screen as I had been for LOST . Every Tuesday I would go to my favourite bar in Ottawa, The Collection just to view the show with friends & regulars. We had to look up at the screen behind the bar but it was such a great venue to see my beloved LOST television Series with subtitles on so that nothing would be missed ... wtf, where did that Polar Bear come from ?? WTF, where did that Smoke Monster come from ?? And all the answers came from Nikki Stafford ( nikkistafford.blogspot.com  & Nikki on the Book of Faces ) her wisdom & insights on the details of LOST made it easy for me FINDING LOST without scratching head too much. There were no possibilities for getting lost in this mind bending series of delight, beauty and creativity. Thank you so very much Nikki ! Lost  is an Ame

Daft Punk 1993 - 2021 I was a bit conflicted to make a post on this because I am so sad for the demise of Daft Punk !! Daft Punk : Epilogue What can I say ?? I was raised listening to this dynamic duo of Daft Punk and my music tastes have changed to only following teams of two, like : Deep Dish; Gabriel&Dresden; Creamer&K; Rank 1; Chus&Chaballos; BABYMETAL; Cosmic Gate and Petshop Boys ... etc. Why listen to one when you can have a most excellent dymnamic duo producing the sounds ?? Daft Punk  were a French  electronic dance music  duo formed in 1993 in Paris by  Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo  and  Thomas Bangalter . They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the  French house  movement; they also had success in the years following, combining elements of  house music  with  funk ,  techno ,  disco ,  rock  and  synthpop . They are regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history.  ( Wikipedia text )