Straalen McCallum │ Wiyathul

In this edition of Klaatu Barada Nikto I am featuring Straalen McCallum singing "Wiyathul", an incredibly beautiful song from his "A Little Faith" album.  This song literally brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear it.  It is written in Galpu, an aboriginal dialect.  "Wiyathul" has a very interesting history.  It was composed by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu who is an Australian Aboriginal.  He was blind.  Sadly, Geoffrey just passed away at the age of 46, on July 25, 2017.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

Isabel Pantoja │ Así Fue (That's How It Went)

The extraordinary Isabel Pantoja singing "Así Fue (That's How It Went)", with the Juan Gabriel orchestra.  This video was recorded live at the Desde Bellas Artes, México, in 2013.  I just love this song, and Pantoja's wonderful rendition.  It's simply beautiful.  By-the-way, "Así Fue" was composed by the late Juan Gabriel.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year!

My Dear Aunt Martha and I spent the whole afternoon surfing the internet trying to find something new, and different to share on Klaatu Barada Nikto.  Well, Aunt Martha finally suggested that I search for some Techno Praise music.  You see, Aunt Martha, having been a professional opera singer all of her life, still keeps tabs on all of the latest musical trends, which is something that I am really loathe to do.  I had never heard of Techno Praise but I do trust Aunt Martha's judgment.  I typed in the search term, and dozens of hits popped up.  It did not take long to find this Techno Praise version of Mark Lowry's wonderful Christmas gem "Mary, Did You Know?".  It is sung by a fresh new singer by the name of Johnny Hammer, and he is sensational.  The power, honesty, innocence, and freshness of Johnny's performance brought tears to both Aunt Martha's, and my eyes.  Johnny also has an amazing angelic presence that makes him so much fun to watch.  I predict that this version of "Mary, Did You Know?" will turn out to be a perennial Christmas favorite.  By the way, the group that Johnny belongs to is called Technopraise.  Please join Aunt Martha and I in watching this amazing video by clicking on the widget below.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

Beautiful Bhutan

In my previous incarnation, I lived in the Kingdom of Bhutan.  Recently, I viewed a video of a drive into the city of Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, and the sight of the beautiful Bhutanese people, mountains, and buildings, brought tears to my eyes, and melted my heart.  It brought back to me so many precious memories.  I miss Bhutan so much, and some day, I will return home.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be. 

The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter

I've been a fan of video games since the late 1970s.  It's one of my passions, especially vintage video games.  Needless to say my interests in video games, and video game consoles, do not go further than about the year 2007.  Modern video games just leave me cold.  It's the classic video games that really intrigue me.  Quite by accident I stumbled upon a brand new video game called "The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter", and it is probably the coolest game that I have ever played.  It has caused me to reconsider my previous aversion to newer games.  The plot of "The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter", has an irresistible evocative power that draws you into it.  Paul Prospero, a private detective with paranormal abilities, receives a strange fanboy letter from Ethan Carter, a 'tween, who is extremely aware of the supernatural, and bizarre things.  Ethan's letter brings Prospero to the Red Creek Valley where Ethan and his family lives.  Prospero knows that Ethan is missing, and begins to explore Red Creek Valley, and investigates its dark secrets.  It is a quest to find the missing Ethan Carter before it's too late to save him.  That is the essence of the game.  One might say that "The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter" is a mixture of "Myst" and "Twin Peaks", or "Myst" on steroids.  It is a first-person perspective game, so it makes you feel like you are really in the action.  As a side note, the visuals in this game are stunningly beautiful. Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

The Christmas Shoes

In this edition of Klaatu Barada Nikto, I am featuring a remarkable video called "The Christmas Shoes".  What can I say about "The Christmas Shoes" without sounding banal or trite?  It is very moving, and fills the soul with deep sentiment.  "The Christmas Shoes" is the perfect Christmas story.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I found it on the internet recently, and we could not stop crying after watching it, and we watched it over, and over again.  The Christian musical group Newsong originally released the song "The Christmas Shoes" in 2000, and since then it has grown in popularity to become a perennial favorite for the holidays.  There are many video versions of "The Christmas Shoes", but this one is the best by far.  The soundtrack contains the original Newsong version of "The Christmas Shoes".  The name of the little boy in the video is Ryan Sweatt, and Daren Sweatt, who is his father in real life, plays the part of the man who gives him the money to buy the shoes.  My Dear Aunt Martha and I felt that with the way things are going in the world now-a-days, we all need something to pick us up, and remind us that the greatest gift of all, is the gift of sharing.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

Interview With Detective Joe Lum

HPD Officers Slain In The Line Of Duty, Abraham E. Mahiko (left) and Andrew R. Morales (right)

Detective Joe Lum Escorting Alfred Tai Into Court In 1963

On April 21, 1982, I interviewed retired Detective Joe Lum, at his beautiful home located on Wilhelmina Rise, above Kaimuki, on the island of Oahu. He was a terrific interview! Besides being well spoken, detective Lum was a very, very, warm person. He was born in Kohala, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, and joined the Honolulu Police Department in 1936.

Detective Lum was the lead investigators on the case of the two murdered Honolulu police officers, Abraham E. Mahiko, and Andrew R. Morales, who were massacred in Kakaako, on December 16, 1963. This was a very tragic case, and Detective Lum spoke at length about it and presented meticulous details about the subsequent investigation, and apprehension of the culprits who committed these heinous crimes. This case bothered him, and I knew that he felt compelled to speak out about it. During that part of the interview, I shut up and let him speak freely. Even though I recorded all of this over 36 years ago, my recent revisiting of the audio tape has haunted me, and some how, I knew that I must eventually share the complete interview with everyone.  This information can not be lost, as it's an important historical document. The deaths of those two police officers, marked a dark day for the Honolulu Police Department. Retired Detective Joe Lum passed away on May 13, 1984.   As fate would have it, within hours of my posting of an excerpt from the Detective Joe Lum interview, I received an email from one of the daughters of the slain Honolulu police officers (Abraham E. Mahiko and Andrew R. Morales) .  She was doing a Google search on her father's name.  That is something that she does from time-to-time, and bingo, my blog post about her father popped up.  Even after all those years, she still had unanswered questions about her father's untimely death while serving in the line of duty.  Her mother was pregnant with her when her father was slain, and because of this, throughout the years, his death has haunted her. She requested a copy of the complete interview.  I was reluctant to give it to her, as it was very, very graphic in its detail.  I told her about my concerns, but she insisted, despite my apprehensions and misgivings, that she needed to have a copy.  The wives of both officers, incidentally, were pregnant at the time of the murders.  Well, I know that I am an old fool, but I wept when I was editing the interview.  I wept for the slain officers and their families.  This recording has important life lessons for all of us.  In the photo above, Detective Lum is shown escorting Alfred Tai, one of the murderers of the slain officers, to court in 1963.  Tai was paroled in 2014 at the age of 72, after serving 51 years in prison.  Kenneth Lono, the other shooter, died while incarcerated in 2003.  Please click on the video widget below to listen to the complete Detective Joe Lum interview.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.