Yes, it's been a while. Access, funky though it be, is a little more plentiful and consistent than it's been for a while. Golus still sucks, and so does life in Brooklyn Now for the story behind the headlines:

There's been an offer to start up the old Radiojew's Revenge webcam rant (yep; still a less-than-zero budget) and, surprisingly enough, more than one request. Whodathunkit?! There might be word on that development this week. Watch this neglected space.

The new Munkis Bros cartoon is currently still dragging through pre-production. Script issues bogged things down after a load of time in designing 3 new characters, but we're almost to the animatic stage. If I drop everything for a week, I can have it finished (at least to that stage), but here I am goofing off on the blog.

I should start planning to get at least a week behind schedule on any project I take on, because it seems to happen every time – most frequently over technical issues. And, no sooner do I start making predictions on a release date, here comes the Time Eater.

This time around, the Time Eater bit about ten days out of my life and added ‘em to the production schedule for RR41. The second week of Tamuz (another 2-3 weeks) starts to look more realistic now, but there’s still a lot of cartoon to account for; almost six minutes – a theatrical-length short – between now and then. And there’s still some dialogue that’s not quite ready.

And business, like the golus, still sucks. Some things seem to never change.

Oh, yes, I made RR40 go away. Everyone hated it, especially Shlomo Munkis. Watch for RR41 and …

Brace for impact.

So how was Kinus? Crowded. Lots of cops.

Didn't see much. I did have a quick word with Laibl ("Agent Emes") Cohen, but very quick. He was totally slammed. He was two tables away and I don't think he got out from behind his table all day. "Emes" is a hit (loved the light-sabres in the new one), "Jewish Tales of the Unexpected" did not take off as a series as well.

I'm considering neglecting this blog at another location. More on that as things develop.

The real mishigas in the office doesn't usually start before noon - right about now. More soon.

Moshiach Now!

At long last, an office. Rather more a mixed blessing than it might seem.

The big thing we're on about right now is the big Kinus HaShluchim (the annual meeting of ChaBaD rabbis, close to 5,000 of 'em this year) in which Castle BearStar Nu Media (operating out of the aforementioned "office") will be making major presentations in addition to my being voice talent on at least one more promotional campaign. Looks like Kinus this year could become the BearStar Show.

So, when does this start to pay some real money?!?!?!

In the midst of all this, I'm hoping to get "Revenge" #32 shot and edited before the end of the week. No promises, though.

Amazingly, there are 20 posts on a blog that started shortly after Yud Sh'vat, and 18 in a video series that started L'ag B'Omer. That says something about something, but I'm not certain I want to contemplate what about what.

Meanwhile, continuing the calculation from the "Good News" vid, twice the world's age from 2488, the year of Bilam's prophecy (of the return of prophecy to the Jews) is 4976, well before the Ba'al Shem Tov's time, closer to the days of the Ari Zal, and Nostradamus.

One is reminded (frequently) of the story of R' Akiva, touring the smouldering ruins of the Second Temple with his colleagues, all of whom justifiably upset under the circumstances when Akiva, upon catching sight of a fox skittering across an open space, starts to sing, dance, and laugh as if it was his son's wedding. His partners decided that the old boy had finally snapped, but he reminded them of Jeremiah's prophecy (of foxes ruling the ruins, but that this was merely clearing the site for the Third, permanent, Temple), and said, "the first part of the prophecy is true; the next is only a matter of time."

* * * * *

Mr former Secretary Oof State Robert McNamara left this world this morning. I thought we'd heard the last of him a decade back.

It's hard to forgive the lives lost. It's harder yet to forgive the lives ruined. Guys who could have made, built, created in this country, live on the streets, their souls seared out in a jungle we should never have sent 'em to - and for what?

Rumsfeld will be even harder to forgive, once the full load of casualties ship Home.

* * * * *

Todd Purdum's article (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/08/sarah-palin200908) on (r"l) Sarah Palin (insert multitrack screams here) is not nearly the "hatchet job" the righ-wingers would have a reader believe. What is revealed is something a lot scarier than I thought. I highly recommend following the link.

Then again, anyone who thinks we've heard the last of Sarah Palin is living in some sort of dream world. I have the feeling that this woman will be the right-wing equivalent of herpes simplex - it'll never completely go away. For those who crave comic relief, she'll be always reliable. What's really, really scary is that all too many actually take her seriously, r"l.

Someone suggested that the WNBA give her a gig, since she has such a good grip on a point guard's responsiblities. I say, make her Commissioner of the WNBA. Here's why: the Dreaded "W" (remember him, r"l) has been quoted as saying he'd have been happy to be Commissioner of Baseball. Think of all the blood and treasure - not to mention the damage to the body politic - that could have been avoided if that moron had been quietly stashed in a corner office at the MLB HQ.

Make her WNBA Commissioner. While we still can.

* * * * *

All this is but a taste of what's to come in this week's videos. After all, Chukas-Balak has had its run. It's time to put away the livestock and whup out the harpoon. Let's go hunt some Evil.

And when it comes to Evil, no one does it like the Republicans.

Golus Sucks!

Moshiach Now!

I don't believe that Barak Obama is a closet Muslim, I've looked into it as deeply as a civilian can, and I'm not buyin' the story.

When it comes to the new admin's Middle East policy, however, one has to concentrate hard to see a difference. There are downright alarming demographc trends (and again I call attention to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU) which no smart world leader can ignore; and Barak Obama is nothing if not smart.

A smart world leader, however, must learn the lessons of history, and history teaches us, time and again, that a policy of appeasement leads only to disaster. G-d forbid I should sound like a Republican, but what's proposed in the Middle East looks that way to me.

* * * * *

The All-Star Break in the baseball season is nearly upon us, my L.A. Dodgers are carrying far and away the best won-lost record in the majors, and the pennant is theirs to lose - even without Manny Ramirez.

Many apologies to those experiencing disappointment that I've not made a noise about this on a video. I'm hoping to address that cosmic injustice in that medium soon.

Free Manny!

* * * * *

Marketing meetings (already late starting) are the order of the day. I'm still hopin' for one more shot at the parsha. We'll see when things start, and when they wrap. Erev Shabbos, I've always liked shutting down all operations no later than Noon, and easing into Shabbos (lots of time for that this time of year), but right now, all bets are off; it's past time to make this gig pay.

Moshiach Now!

Meetings, Marketing Plans, all the madness we took on when this enterprise started, should have started sooner, considering that there's now enough video product to do something. There's a load of technical stuff going on, which gets covered in the golussucks.blogspot blog.

And all that all of this serves to accomplish at the end of the day is to keep me from doing much of anything.

I'm aware that the Big Ending of the gantze maise of Eliyyahu David is overdue. So's my rent.

Golus Sucks - Moshiach Now!