Fractured
Fractured, embracing our imperfections.
We all are fractured one way or another mentally or physically.I want this to be a away of coming together and embracing each other through telling my story, there stories , speakers , interviews and so on.
Fractured
Echoes of History .
Every corner of our world is stained with the remnants of racism, a truth I've come to know deeply through the colors of my South Florida upbringing. The echoes of history resonate as we unpack the Amistad slave ship rebellion, revealing a past where the quest for justice found an unlikely champion in John Quincy Adams. It's a tale that weaves into the fabric of my own narrative, a childhood colored by racial divides and an adulthood marked by the challenging, sometimes painful journey toward empathy and understanding. As I bare my soul, I reflect on the influence of love in this transformation, a love that began with the woman who would become my wife and continues to shape the way I see the world.
Shifting gears, we venture into the realm of media and the future of this very podcast. I toss my two cents into the ring on recent shows and films that have caught my eye—applauding the gripping drama "Silo," while sparing no critique for others that fell short of their mark. My Audible adventures offer yet another layer of reflection, from the historical intrigue of "Folsom Untold" to the literary celebration of "Twain's Feast." And as the journey of our show unfolds, I extend an invitation to you, the listener, to shape its course. From the tantalizing teases of upcoming promotions to the valued treasure of your feedback and ideas, I welcome you into the heart of our podcast community.
Remember, be good to one another
Hey folks, this is your host, patrick the Alien. Welcome to Fractured, where we confront the ups and the downs of life. It's like therapy, without all those silly certifications. Welcome, my friends, to episode number two, burning the Bridges. At least that's the title until my wife proofreads. We will get to that in a second, but first a brief recap of last week's episode Shattered. But first a brief recap of last week's episode Shattered. I admit it was a bit of a rough start but, like I told you, I'm kind of new to this game and I confess, coming into this I'll do the best I can do, but I'm going to need your support. So what do you think about it so far? You got to let me know, guys.
Speaker 1:I thought I'd start with a brief passage from a book I've been reading Well, not really reading, listening to on Audible. My short-term memory is kind of rough. The book's called I Wish I'd Been there and it's edited by Byron Holland. The Amistad was a British slave ship carrying a cargo of 53 African captives to Cuba where they were to be sold as slaves in 1839. Before it could reach port, the Africans imprisoned on board seized the ship after murdering many members of the crew. But when the Africans attempted to sail back to Africa, they were shrewdly misled by white survivors of the slaughter, who steered the Amistad towards the coast of the United States. There, off Long Island, the vessel was taken into custody by American Naval Cruiser. The African captains were brought into Hartford, connecticut, and imprisoned under federal custody while they awaited a decision by the United States on their fate. Would it be slavery or would it be freedom?
Speaker 1:Now, there's much more to this passage, and I would encourage you to read it. It truly is a fascinating story of resilience, and please don't forget the part that John Quincy Adams plays in all of this. He's long been out of office at this time as president, not considered to be much of a president. He, however, goes on to serve proudly in the House of Representatives. He's 73 years old when he takes on this case. He didn't even need to be doing all this Now.
Speaker 1:Before I start, I need to keep repeating myself. I try my best, when I can, to protect people's true identities by giving them cover names. Sometimes they're silly ones, sometimes they're cruel. It's all with intent, though. If people wish to have their names brought up, I will use them in interviews as such, but I do not find it necessary. I do, however, find it necessary to throw out a warning, a life preserver, an orange cone of sorts. I'll be using a few words that were common in the 70s. They're not vulgar or dirty, but some may find or take some kind of offense to them. They were words used at that time. I just wanted to throw it out there ahead of time. Somebody always tends to find something wrong with something, so that's just me taking precaution. Now, this is for those old-timers out there in the audience, like Paul Harvey would say.
Speaker 1:Now for the rest of the story. How I got to where I am would be thanks to a series of events. Let's clear the board before any haters come crashing into the party. I take full responsibility for the things of my life. I also want to make clear I do not under any condition take responsibility for what others have done to me. Those days are gone. You can't hurt me anymore, even though sometimes I still tremble. Now.
Speaker 1:I was raised in South Florida, to be exact. Yes, north Florida in the 60s and 70s was a racist playground. Now I know that's hard for some of you to believe. Everyone wants to see Mickey Mouse and palm trees, the beach, but the Florida I grew up in was much different. Old wood plants made paper bags and such. We lived on the mighty St John's River. Fishing was the pastime for everybody. I knew that N-word was as common as saying amen at church. I was taught to believe by my father that I was better than the black children that I played with.
Speaker 1:I remember as a kid in the hometown that I grew up in, the snow cone truck would drive past the little black kids in my neighborhood. The driver's name was Roy, a disgusting little old man with a yellow beard stained from tobacco juice. By the way, he also sold that same tobacco on the snow cone truck that he drove. I never thought anything of this at that time. Hell, why would I? I was just a kid in the late 70s with my friends not thinking about anything else, really. I'm not saying every child was racist That'd be ridiculous to say but all the friends that I had were. I ain't no scholar on that subject, though. Hell, you can quote me on that. Maybe I need a better friend, some would say.
Speaker 1:One of my earliest memories, unfortunately for me, is one of my dad telling me, at the age of about eight or nine I'd say about my grandfather who apparently hung a man who was a member of his logging crew. I don't know why, or if this story is true, does it matter? What matters is he told his boy like this was some kind of ancestral story to be passed down. Well, I continued growing and, of course, because I was some kind of ancestral story to be passed down, well, I continued growing. And, of course, because I was a country kid, I felt like you know, in this whirlwind of stupidity called racism, nothing changes. I just continued and I always felt like it was us against them. I had my fair share of fights in middle school and high school, pretty much until I left around the age of 16.
Speaker 1:A few years went by, I got older. Then this remarkable thing happened. It wasn't like a hit on the head, revelation or anything like that. Nothing overnight, nothing as simple as that. It was just this little thing.
Speaker 1:I met a woman. She was my wife. Slowly but surely, she started doing this crazy little thing educating me. See, she was intelligent. She was intelligent and she was well brought up in a stable environment in New England. I don't know if that mattered or not. I think it did. I'd be curious to hear your opinion on that, but it surely helped me. You know, not too long ago I was on a DNA site working on some ancestry, family tree and such, and I discovered an interesting fact that said that all humans share 99.9% of their DNA.
Speaker 1:That doesn't really leave much to be picky about. It's 2024, folks, not 1824. I can't seem to understand why we're going backwards instead of forward sometimes. Education is a wonderful thing and we can get so much of it for free, right at the end of our fingers, at your local library. Get a card, sign on to a computer and away you go on a journey.
Speaker 1:Society has no excuses anymore. We as parents have no excuses anymore. We can teach our children properly. They can find out on their own. And when they do, then what?
Speaker 1:Here's just a few easy ways to make a difference, without me preaching on my little soapbox. Make the effort to know different people other than you. Two think before you speak. I am so guilty of that. Three learn about other people and their cultures. Four be a role model to others. Five explore the unfamiliar. This is grade school stuff, folks. We can all do more. Okay, okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry, sermon's over. Can I get my amen now I'm no. There's no doubt that little brother goose the preacher is laughing his full head off at me right now. I apologize, there's only room for one preacher now, so it's him. Okay, I'll lighten the mood a little bit.
Speaker 1:This segment I refuse to move under any circumstances because it makes absolutely no sense at all and I can prove it. That's a direct quote and you can quote me on that. It's called Pat Sponders, it's dedicated to the G-Man and Banana Pudding. I hope you're listening, but the credit goes to my wife, who we will call the Dominator just for this podcast, until I can come up with a better name for her. My daughter, skeletor, said that's not a good name, so we'll work out a better name for her in the future. The credit goes to her because she had to remind me of it because of my short-term memory.
Speaker 1:This ponder will be the many uses of the index finger. That being said, there are many uses of the index finger. Folks, it's scientific, it's intelligent design. We're going to do a scientific study right now. You may need your uh, your iphone, your android, a mirror. I encourage you to post this to facebook, uh, youtube. Whatever you need to do, I, I am a scientist, I'm an alien. Believe me, it's all factual.
Speaker 1:Take your index finger on your strong hand. It has to be your strong hand, by the way. I've proven this to you. It's got to be your strong hand. Take the index finger on your strong hand, cram it into the nostril on your strong side of your nose, stick it in there. You will find that that index finger on your strong hand fits that nostril perfectly. That is not a coincidence. Now, if you take that index finger and put it in anybody else's nostril, it will not fit properly, but it does fit in your nostril perfectly. That is not a coincidence. That is intelligent design. Okay, folks, that is not coincidence. All right, now, while you have that finger pointing straight up in the air, take the same finger, hold it in the air, bend it around to the back. Notice it reaches perfectly, perfectly, to the crack of your rear end. Not a coincidence. So all those years that your parents and society have been telling you that it's wrong for you to be picking your nose and picking the crack of your butt, I am here to tell you that it's proven scientifically by Patrick Aloysius McGillicuddy, the alien. They are wrong and I am right. I will print a certificate to prove it, post the video, show them. I'm with you on this.
Speaker 1:Folks Moving on, don't get me worked up. Moving on Music, can you dig it? What makes you move folks, gets you inspired, pulls you out of that rut you're in. You know, what gets you in that kind of mood is that time. I've got some go-tos in my rotation that I want to share, but I'd love to hear what you've got spinning. You know, for that occasion that you're celebrating, I've got some songs for you.
Speaker 1:Skeletor is in the house. She helped me change this about a bit. So I've got four songs that I want you to listen to, and I got one new one that I want you to listen to. I'm trying to open up your horizons a little bit, so remember I'm an old timer and I threw in one new one for you. So I want you to tell me what you think of these.
Speaker 1:Okay, number one, jim Croce. I'll have to say I love you in a song. Number two, leonard Skinner. I knew a little. Number three, rod Stewart Tonight's the Night. Number four are you ready? Anything? Anything by Mr Barry White, because when you play Barry White, everything's alright. That's my four and, by request by Skeletor. Are you ready, folks? The artist is Teddy Swims and the song would be 911. Those are your four oldies and one new. And the song would be 9-1-1. Those are your four oldies and one new. That's your music for this podcast. Please critique me, dog me. If you will Give me your own selections, let me know what you think. I never said these were great, by any means.
Speaker 1:Now, moving on to good news, folks, a cafe staffed by people with disabilities opens. Fair shot cafe, which is opening in London's Mayfair. November, is a social enterprise that offers training and future employment to young disabled adults. In partnership with West London College, 14 trainees will spend four days working in the cafe, preparing and serving delicious beverages and refreshments, and one day at the college. Set up by Bianca Tavella, the cafe aims to remove the barriers that prevent young people with disabilities from finding paid work and opportunities.
Speaker 1:This is certainly nice. We need more of this in the world. I hope you agree. How do you feel about this article? Give me your two cents on the matter. Your thoughts count. I'd like to continue with this segment on the podcast, if you like it. Same with the music books, you know. So on, this is all experimental. Right now. Your guidance is what's going to make this show work or not work. Hopefully, if you don't like it, change it. Tell me what you want, what you don't want. Hopefully it isn't me that you don't want. We're going to move on, folks.
Speaker 1:Now on to Patrick's World of TV and Movies. All reviews folks are from a 55-year-old space alien with a brain injury. I just realized I'm using the word folks way too many times. Got to work on that. First is Silo it's on Apple, Season number one. It's worth watching. I'd give it a 7.5. Shogun it's on Hulu, worth watching. I'd give it an 8. Not as good as the original if you're as old as me. Fallout Season one Excellent. 1, excellent. I give it a 10. It's on Prime. Just seen the trailer for the boys trailer on Prime. It looks good. Anybody that knows me knows I'm a Godzilla fanatic. Anything about Godzilla I will watch till the cows come home.
Speaker 1:Unfortunately, I believe they're trying to turn this into a Marvel franchise. I don't really like the way it's going. I would give this a 7. It's entertaining.
Speaker 1:The sleeper movie for me is Ordinary Angels. The main character is the I believe his name's the guy that plays Reacher in the TV show. He does an outstanding job in this movie. It's based on a true story about a child that needs a liver transplant. It is an excellent movie for the whole family. It's just a great movie.
Speaker 1:I encourage anybody to watch this right now. Fantastic, I really enjoyed this. I would give it an 8 or a 9. And then you know the Beekeeper. I am not a Jason Statham fan, but I would say this is one of his better movies. I'd give it a seven. And then, unfortunately, in the world of Marvel, that spider chick movie I guess they call it, madam Web. I fell asleep about 18 times on it. I wouldn't watch it, for, oh my God, it was terrible. That movie was so horrible.
Speaker 1:And that's where we're at for TVs and movies. Just curious, what have you been watching that's good or bad? Let mes and movies. Just curious, what have you been watching that's good or bad? Let me know. Let me know what you think of my reviews. Let me know what you've been watching. I'd like to know because I need to watch something new myself. I'm really can't find much out there right now. Uh, let me know what you think about all this. I I think we're getting close to the end.
Speaker 1:We're going to move on to book reviews, my book reviews for me now, unfortunately I can't read anymore because of this short term memory thing I have. I now have to do everything you know audible, wiseudible-wise. And Audible doesn't give me any kickbacks, unfortunately, but I wish they did. Audible, audible, audible, kickbacks. But I've learned one thing, and listen to me on this one Before you download Audible books, listen to who the narrator is Really important, because if they're not really good, you don't want the book because it may sound like your 10th grade English teacher and they'll put you to sleep. That's really important.
Speaker 1:I chose three books for you, three I think you'll find interesting. They're completely different and I really enjoyed all three of these for different reasons. Folsom Untold the strange true story of Donny Cash at Folsom Prison, narrated by Sam Shepard. I really enjoyed Sam Shepard and the way he told this story. Nothing really shocked me about Johnny Cash. I've read and seen so many documentaries about him, but I just really enjoyed the way Sam Shepard told the story. It was fantastic.
Speaker 1:Twain's Feast, narrated by Nick Offerman Nobody handles words like Nick Offerman and it had to do with food, so who could beat that? That was excellent. My third choice was Tuesday at Maury's. I forgot to write down the author and the author was also the narrator. I apologize for that. I am sorry, but it's easy to find.
Speaker 1:I put this book down because I was told to read this book by a close friend and that's all I'm going to tell you, because that's all you need to know. It was an excellent read. It's not a big book. It's worth the read folks. It's just a great book to read. It's fantastic. Those are my book choices for this podcast.
Speaker 1:Let me know what you think. If you have some choices, please let me know. I have a lot. I listen to a lot of books, so please let me know I have. I have a lot. I listen to a lot of books, so please let me know what you're listening to, what you know, what you're reading. This is uh we're gonna move on to.
Speaker 1:This is a part of the show where I can tell you about what's coming up, what's going on, you know, so forth, so on. We're in the process of having some decals made, uh, something into the effect of uh we're listening to Patrick the Alien on Fractured the Podcast, you know, with that alien logo, with a, with a QR code you know. That way you can come right to the the site. Uh, so we can distribute those out some kind of way. I'm also working on a possible alien head giveaway at some point, if we can get to a particular number of downloads. We got to work that out logistically. Let me know what you think about that or some other promotional ideas.
Speaker 1:Please remember I'm from an impoverished planet, as always, folks, you can reach us in several different ways. Our podcast website is fracturedalien at buzzsproutcom. On Facebook, you can locate us at facebookcom slash patrickaloysiusmcgillicuddy. Instagram is instagramcom. Slash patrickaloysiusysius McGillicuddy. At Twitter, it's twittercom. Slash PM McGillicuddy. Yahoo, you can reach me at pangillicuddy at yahoocom. I am gillicuddy at yahoocom and I think that's pretty much everything. I'm looking over all my notes. Yeah, that's everything I have for this episode. I sure hope it was better than the last one. I hope you stick around and watch it grow. I'm kind of like one of those jungle viruses Once I latch on to you, it's hard to shake me off. Until next time. Folks remember, be good to yourselves.
