This video features the leader of The Kitty Gang, Hatshepsut AKA Hattie, making a very important Public Service Announcement. You'll meet the rest of The Kitty Gang - Seti, Harley, and Edina - here on livevideo soon. Or you can befriend them on myspace! www.myspace.com/thekittygang

Alot of people know me from youtube, myspace, and other sites, but nobody really knows me here on livevideo. Here is Part One in a short series of introductory vlogs.

This ship is the world’s oldest active ship and a California and National Historic Landmark, and currently is docked at San Diego’s Maritime Museum. She was constructed in 1863 at the Ramsey Shipyard on the Isle of Man. Iron ships were rare then, with most vessels still being wood. The ship began her sailing life with two near disastrous voyages to India. On her first trip she suffered a collision AND a mutiny. On her SECOND trip, a cyclone hit her in the Bay of Bengal, and with her topmasts blown away, she barely made port. In 1871 she began a quarter century of work transporting emigrants from England who wanted to settle in New Zealand. The ship made 21 trips around the world during this time, some trips lasting up to a year. The NEXT stage in her career began in 1902, when she began sailing back and forth between California and the Bering Sea, transporting fishermen and cannery workers on the northern journey, and transporting canned salmon back to California. San Diegans paid $9,000 for the Star of India in 1926, but, since steam ships now ruled the seas, the once proud ship sat deteriorating for decades, but was finally refurbished and restored, and in 1976 sailed for the first time in fifty years, as over half a million onlookers watched. The ship is now sailed at least once a year and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and skilled craftsmen. The song is Enya’s “Orinoco Flow”. The soaring full orchestra sound and “sail away” lyrics seem to go really well with video clips of this wonderful tall masted ship. (The above historical information was obtained from printed material from the Maritime Museum. Here’s the website for the museum: http://www.sdmaritime.com There are several vessels that make up the museum, all of which are very interesting (including the Russian submarine I did a video about), so the place is well worth a visit if you like this type of thing. Here also is a great video that shows the ship as it's sailing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSQgab-CwJc )

Douglas Fairbanks. Tod Browning. B&W silent film with music score. public domain. KEEP FREE ENTERTAINMENT ALIVE

This is one of several tributes to the notoriously bad "MANOS" The Hands Of Fate. Dedicated to MST3K fans, and to lovers everywhere. Song: "Forgetting You" (Love Theme From Manos). Vocal by "Manos" star Diane Mahree.

Although I began making videos in 1984, I only started making them on my computer in the past 18 months. This was my inaugeral effort. I was a big Syd Barrett fan. I've been fascinated by elephants all my life. Some of the enchanting elephants featured in this video are residents of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. They have a variety of donation options - you can even adopt an elephant! - so check them out. www.elephants.com. As to the alien part, I have always thought there was something otherworldly about elephants. Plus, Syd Barrett once claimed he got the idea for the band Pink Floyd after seeing an UFO. Although he didn't record this song until 1970, he wrote the lyrics when he was 16. This simple slideshow video was made with children in mind.

Perhaps the most wonderful of all extreme sports is Extreme Ironing, invented by Steam in 1997. It is certainly the most humorous. One of the most entertaining movies spawned by the Italian superhero genre was "Danger: Diabolik" directed by Mario Bava and starring the always pleasing John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell. Let's not forget a fabulous musical score by the great Ennio Morricone, my favorite film composer. I could listen to his music all day. I'm also a huge fan of MST3K. "Diabolik" was the final movie presented in the series. This affectionate tribute is dedicated to fans of Extreme Ironing and fans of MST3K. Because the world's greatest supercriminal appreciates the casual elegance of a crisply pressed shirt. I hope this makes you smile!

My first attempt at a meditation video, not as good as I'd like it to be, but a nice try. Vajrasattva purifies and grants absolution to the sincere penitent. Here the Mantra is recited by H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Simply hearing this Mantra recited is to receive a blessing, but this is especially so when the Mantra is recited by a holy man of such spiritual stature. OM VAJRASATTVA HUM.

I can see I am going to have difficulty categorizing some of my videos, as more and more of them belong in a "Spiritual" category. I have chosen to place this one in "Arts & Animation" as it does showcase some wonderful art. In seeking to remedy the gaps in my own historical education, and learn more about the indigenous peoples of North America, I found a wonderful website called "Native American Church Art" (http://nacart.com). The majority of the paintings in this simple slideshow video are borrowed from that website. I encourage you to visit and see more wonderful art. The spoken part comes from the classic Folkways recording (vinyl pops and all!) called "The Kiowa Peyote Meeting" a series of recordings made by Harry Smith and originally released as a box set with commentary in 1973. I have always found this particular passage deeply moving. The Native American Church was founded in the 1890's by Quanah Parker, and became a formal entity in 1918. Parker's image is shown at the beginning and the end of this video. I spent part of my youth in a remote area of Northern Manitoba, where indigenous peoples, primarily Woodland Cree, outnumbered caucasions by a significant margin. My best friend at the time was an Ojibway girl whose family had moved to the area from Southern Ontario. Although not always understanding their ways, I have always enjoyed friendships with First Nations individuals, and they have my respect. It's my wish to eventually return to the North and settle there permanently. I initially encountered difficulty with the making of this video, and had to abandon its original form. I will only say that my hand was guided in creating the resulting video in its present form. I hope you enjoy it.

A video I made as a dual tribute, both to one of my alltime fave indie bands, Spizzenergi, and to the studliest actor ever to escape from Canada, William Shatner, in his immortal role as Captain James Tiberius Kirk. I don't know what Mr. Shatner thinks of this video, but my friend Spizz likes it!

One of my fave film genres is 1960's Italian Superhero flicks. Here is a tribute to one of my favorites. Music by The Centurians.

Brian Jones, 1942-1969. Founder of a musical group called The Rolling Stones.

Everybody loves The Record Store Cats and Rockin' Kitty! And The Kitty Gang loves Ducks Deluxe! Visit The Kitty Gang on myspace and add them as your friend! http://www.myspace.com/thekittygang Nobody loves to rock out more than The Kitty Gang!