This Saturday, July 20 marks the 50 Year Anniversary of when man first walked on the moon. For those who watched it that Sunday night on black and white television sets, it is a memory to cherish. For the post moon landing generations raised on Star Trek, Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the question is “So what is the big deal?”

The question raises the fine line between fantasy and reality. The current generation suckled by chronic video games, do not appreciate that a rocket ship with breadboard computers had the computer memory capacity of less than 5 percent of a current home computer. Circa 1992, I will never forget watching people wait in line for five hours in a walk-through Star Trek television exhibit, while ignoring Charles Lindbergh’s airplane, The Spirit of Saint Louis and the Columbia, the Command Module from Apollo 11, the mission that first put man on the moon.

Since October 23, 2007, the Broward County Main Library in Ft. Lauderdale is the steward of a moon rock sliver, which was donated by Susan Eisele Black, the wife of the late Apollo 7 astronaut Donn F. Eisele. The Eisele family and astronaut Walter Cunningham were in attendance. Besides the moon rock sliver, the sixth floor of the Main Library features a 20 minute film about the Apollo 7 mission, along with relics from NASA with bookmarks about astronomy.

This Saturday, June 20 at 11 a.m., the Deerfield Beach Percy White will host a screening of a free movie. It deals with that subject. Due to license agreements, we can not disclose the title of the movie. Suffice it to say, the movie deals with the first man to walk on the moon. At 1:30 p.m., the Pompano Beach Library will be hosting a Watch Party with an edible craft. All ages with care givers are invited to attend.

Besides directing the Oscar nominated Apollo 11, Ron Howard also produced the underrated documentary In the Shadow of the Moon. Featuring color footage forgotten in NASA vaults, this colorful documentary is thrilling to watch. Featuring most of the astronauts who flew in the moon missions, the narration is both funny and inspirational.

Produced by Tom Hanks, From the Earth to the Moon is a 13 part miniseries that earned HBO multiple Emmy awards. While most of the episodes focus on space travel, this fantastic miniseries also broached topics like geology, changing media ethics and the impact of the astronauts’ wives. These three video productions are available through the Broward County Library.

Believers of conspiracy theories and #FakeNews often deny that man walked on the moon, although high powered telescopes have located the six American flags planted on the lunar surface. For all of the criticism about our nation, the United States of America is the only country that successfully put 12 men on the moon and returned them safely to earth.  It is a big deal.

Recaps its First Year of Service

MIAMI, Fla. (January 11, 2019) – Happy birthday Brightline! On January 13, Brightline is turning 1, and in honor of the big day, Brightline will be offering $10 fares on short segments for SMART service throughout the entire day. Birthday cupcakes and celebratory surprises will be offered to Brightline’s guests throughout the day. Since opening a year ago, Brightline has helped nearly 600,000 guests travel in a more convenient, efficient and productive way. By connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Brightline has enabled locals and visitors to explore more culture, dining, arts and sporting events across South Florida. Brightline’s convenient, comfortable and reliable service has also served to connect friends and family throughout the region. “We’re beyond excited to celebrate Brightline’s birthday with our teammates and guests who have been part of this special journey,” said Patrick Goddard, Brightline’s president. “Our first year of operations was trail-blazing, and the future only gets brighter from here. Thank you to our friends, family and guests for helping us to transform transportation in the United States.” In just 365 days, Brightline has:

• Carried enough passengers to fill up 9 Super Bowl stadiums

• Traveled as many miles as 195 cross-country trips between Los Angeles and Miami

• Departed more than 8,000 trains

• Hosted 1,540 loving pets

• Had 16,984 excited children on board, and this doesn’t include our trips to the North Pole onboard the Polar Express

• Distributed more than 16,000 train pins

• Shared more than 150,000 pieces of safety literature

• Reduced greenhouse emissions

• Saved countless hours of precious time by transporting guests reliably and conveniently Brightline guests have come from far and wide, including 41 states and 34 different countries (including Japan and Australia) and six continents.

Guests are invited to help celebrate Brightline’s birthday on Sunday. $10 fare tickets can be purchase at gobrightline.com.

By “Cinema” Dave

cinemadave.livejournal.com

At the end of 2017, I wrote about “Flicks” going through an evolution. As I completed my 19th year of writing “Flicks,” it was my revelation that the world has changed more than I have. In 1999, one would drive down Federal Highway and see Walden’s, Borders and Blockbuster Video stores, only to be replaced by T-Mobile, Wells Fargos and Aldis .

Bowfinger was the first movie that I had reviewed, which was a positive critique. This Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy movie still holds up. However, it is fascinating to see Robert Downey Jr. in a cameo as a studio executive. In 1999, Downey was attempting to make a comeback from his struggle in rehab. A well-respected (and Oscar-nominated) character actor, Downey cleaned up his act and nine years later became a leading man, which kicked off the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU).

Released in 2008, Iron Man received less hype than the return of the fourth Indiana Jones movie. Yet, core Marvel comic ticket buyers propelled Iron Man over Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Wall-E and the sparkly vampires of Twilight. While not as well known as Batman or Spider-Man, Iron Man provided a fine introduction to the character through a fast paced, entertaining and stand-alone movie, or so it seemed.

Being “Cinema Dave,” I’ve always stuck around past the closing credits of every movie that I have seen. In the previous year, I was rewarded for this behavior when Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End provided a post credit scene which wrapped up the entire trilogy. The MCU was launched during the post credits sequence when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) showed up in Iron Man’s house and mentioned “the Avenger’s Initiative.”

Nineteen films later and a change of studios (from Paramount to Disney), the MCU has become a box office juggernaut with no signs of stopping. The first phase of Marvel movies provided original stories of Captain America and Thor, which led to the ultimate superhero team up movie, Marvel’s The Avengers.

Again the post credits sequence introduced audiences to Thanos, a creepy character who can (or cannot) destroy the MCU with the snap of his fingers.

While each of these 20 films is interconnected, the genius of the MCU is that each film tells a stand-alone story. Characters from other movies may appear, but if the movie is an Ant-Man or Spider-Man movie, then the title character remains the central protagonist. (If one studies Indian, Greek, Roman, Norse or the Arthurian Legends, the most remembered mythologies follow this pattern of stand-alone stories within the universe of their own culture).

To celebrate the first decade of the MCU, the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) will be screening all 20 movies starting Thursday, Aug. 30 until Thursday, Sept. 6, which includes Labor Day weekend screenings. One can see these movies individually or through special VIP Packages. For more information, visit this website; www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/1119868.

By Rachel Galvin

On April 15, TLC Engineering for Architecture, Inc. held its 60th anniversary party at their Deerfield location. For their soiree, people came from all around to enjoy some tasty tidbits, drink some wine and mingle. Some lucky winners received free trees and everyone enjoyed the musical stylings of Martin Hand.

Since 1955, TLC has been providing their clients with exceptional high-performance engineering design, consulting and energy services. Their headquarters is in Orlando and they have many offices in Florida, as well as in other states. The Deerfield Beach office opened in January 2005.

For more information on this company, visit www.tlcengineers.com.