Category Archives: Opinion

Political Opinions

Posted on by
Reply
Share

Political Opinions

In a recent Facebook post, people were debating the merits and issues with stating your political views on a public forum. The primary concern seemed to be how it might affect their business. Here is my posted reply:

Now is not the time to remain silent. No job, paycheck or client is worth giving up our freedoms. And that’s what’s at stake. Everyone must do what they’re comfortable with, but I will not stand idly by while the underpinnings of our nation are eroded. If anyone, including a client, doesn’t like my stance on issues of this importance then I wouldn’t want them anyway. So far, I’ve only lost one connection here, and he went way off the deep end. My two cents. Your mileage may vary.

After all, what good is having the right to freedom of speech if you never exercise it?

The Role of the Jester
Although I do speak my mind plainly at times, I also often use humor to convey messages. Like the King’s Jester, some truths are easier to deliver with a bit of comedy. The laughter (or lack thereof) can tell you a lot about the audience. And make no mistake – I’ve mocked both sides of the political aisle (but one side is usually a lot more of a comedy gold mine 😉 )

Here are my latest set of short historical propaganda films – Enjoy!

Join The Republican Party: The Party of THE FUTURE!

Dead Presidents on Trump (5 short videos)
What would dead presidents have to say about Donald J. Trump?
Wonder no more!
Here’s 10-15 seconds each of alternative history for you!




Copyright 2017 Joe’s Dump
www.JoesDump.com
Not a Quinn-Martin Production

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Needles and Herbs

Posted on by
Reply
Share

Needles and Herbs

Acupuncture. I’d always been curious, but never tried it.
Needles and Herbs: Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
After a glowing recommendation by a family friend, my wife and I decided to go see how it worked for us.

This particular acupuncturist also treated with traditional Chinese herbal medication. And she only spoke Mandarin. Fortunately, my wife is fluent in Mandarin.

On the first visit I was asked a series of wellness questions (via my wife translating). About my sleep, food, energy, etc. She then had me lie down and put needles in my feet, chest, wrists, neck and head. So far, so good. Only a few of the needles stung. About 30 minutes later, she came and removed the needles. Next, she treated my wife.

She prescribed some herbs for me to drink in warm water, twice a day for a week. She also scheduled 5 more treatments over the next 6 days! Okay, so that surprised me. Based on the miraculous stories I’d heard from our family friend, nobody ever seemed to require more than 3 treatments. But I decided to give it a fair chance.

The herbs tasted horrible. Like drinking a mud smoothie. Twice a day. For a week.

My wife didn’t have to go back for a week. So each time I went, I’d show up, get treated with needles, and go. Since I don’t speak Mandarin, it made the visits awkward at best.

I ended up going two more times. To be honest, the table that I had to lie on was more painful than the needles. But after 3 days of needles and herbs, I was done. I definitely wasn’t noticing any positive effects, and in fact felt a little more pain than when I started. Probably from that table.

I stopped taking the herbs for the same reasons. No noticeable effects. Plus, I had no idea what was in them. Enough!

Lessons learned:

  • Always make sure you can communicate clearly with whoever is treating you.
  • Know what’s in the treatment if you’re taking herbs.
  • Get a realistic idea of how long the treatment should last, and what results you should see.

So, for me, the jury is still out on acupuncture and herbal medicine. It seems to work for some people. But this time it just didn’t seem to do much for me.

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Inner Tattoos

Posted on by
Reply
Share

Inner Tattoos

Earlier this week, I saw a picture of someone who had their face and body covered in tattoos.

My reactions were many and varied. How did they find work? (they are a tattoo artist, btw) Did they get a lot of questions? Were they comfortable showing something so personal to the world? Was it painful?

Then I realized that in many ways, I have my own inner tattoos.

The most obvious one is acting. Whenever I’m in the booth or onstage, I’m displaying something very personal. Often times a lot of work and pain went into creating it. And when others find out what I do, there are always questions.

Maybe the only difference is that my tattoos are not on the outside. Just hidden beneath the surface.

I think we all have inner tattoos. And some are brave enough to get the real thing.

Hope all your uniqueness shines through 😉

Take care,
JoeActor

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Political Pause

Posted on by
6
Share

Political Pause

I need a break. It’s only until after the US Presidential election is over, but I really want to take time to focus on what’s important in my life.

So… You’re never supposed to discuss politics or religion in polite company.

But it seems like polite company is getting more difficult to find.

I’ll let you in on some of my views in the rest of this post, then I’m signing out of Joe’s Dump.
The lights will come back on in November (although I may post something if the mood strikes me).
Continue reading →

Share

The Nothing

Posted on by
2
Share

The Nothing

“The Nothing” is an unusual villain from the German fantasy book “The NeverEnding Story” (a film version was made in 1984)

(*** spoilers below ***)

I use the word “villain” in a loose way, as it’s more of a force of nature. In the story, it is slowly destroying Fantasia, a land of wonder, imagination, and endless variety. In the movie version, “The Nothing” is represented by an ominous storm, and by a large black wolf:
The Nothing from The NeverEnding Story

The book is not as concrete, but much more frightening in it’s portrayal. “The Nothing” represents all of the worst of humankind. Apathy, cynicism, despair, and all the darkest aspects of our nature.

In the end, it’s a boy’s imagination and willingness to believe that saves Fantasia from “The Nothing”.

The Nothing: It’s At Work On Our World

Beyond the simple story lies a chilling truth: “The Nothing” is quite real. And it’s been growing. We feed it by giving into our greed, anger, and small-mindedness. Where is it? How can we identify it? And what can be done to stop it? I’ve provided some examples below, and I’m sure once you see it too, you’ll be able to find many more…

Continue reading →

Share

Celebrity Superpower

Posted on by
2
Share

Celebrity Superpower

In many ways, being a celebrity can be like having a superpower. It makes them larger than life. It can be used for good or for evil. People will follow them for a whole host of reasons. And, on a personal level, it can be healthy for them, or cause them harm. Or both.

It also has many parallels to the Greek Gods. They were larger versions of humans, with all the emotions, flaws and drama. Just writ bigger on the heavens.

In the end, what strikes me most about celebrity is the difficulty it must bring in leading a normal life.

Though we associate celebrity with the performing arts, many professions have celebrities. Politics, law, medicine, science, restaurants, etc.

Perhaps it’s best for us and the celebrities if we can think of them more as just human beings. They have the same needs, wants and desires. Since I’m in Los Angeles, it’s pretty common to run into a celebrity when you’re out and about. I try to respect their privacy. They deserve to have a private life… just like a secret identity.

In the wake of all the recent celebrities who have passed on, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment below.

Yours,
Joe

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Problem. Solution.

Posted on by
Reply
Share
Problem Solution - Joe's Dump

Quote: Joe J Thomas
Cartoon: Gary Larson

Problem.

Sometimes when I’m feeling frustrated and it’s like I’m banging my head against the wall, the best thing I can do is…

Stop.

Take a break. Breathe. Push back from the issue. Get a wider view.

Consider.

Think about why I’m feeling anger or frustration. What’s causing it?

Identify.

Dig deep and try to find the real problem. Pull it from the depths and stare it in the face.

Source.

Sometimes the source of the issue is me. Sometimes it’s someone else. Or nobody. Or miscommunication. Or just a random event.

Solution.

Once you know what the issue is, the answer might be contained in the problem itself. Or it may take time to work out a good answer. Maybe there are no answers for some problems.

Either way…

If you can’t see the problem,
No solution is possible.

 

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

 

Share

Comedy Saved My Soul

Posted on by
3
Share

Robin Williams, Sam Kinison, and a Demon walk into a bar…

Is this a joke?

No. It’s a dream I had.

Robin Williams and Sam Kinison

You see, in the dream, the Demon was there for my soul.
He came into the bar while I was chatting with Robin and Sam.
Being a well mannered spawn from hell, he joined in on the conversation.
Continue reading →

Share

Commercial Broken

Posted on by
2
Share

Commercial Broken

Ever watch a commercial and think “How the heck did *this* get approved?!?!?”

Below is a short collection of commercial snafus. Each of these went through the many layers of creative and corporate approval before being released in their obviously flawed form.

… I still don’t have a clue how that happens!
Continue reading →

Share