Time Lapse into Makeup

Makeup can be something that can be so simply beautiful or way overdone. Have you ever looked back into the years of how makeup has changed over centuries? Makeup really is a game changer. It can make people look older or it can make people look younger. It’s crazy how something comes in such a small package and can transform your entire look. From just mascara to thick eyeliner to too much eyeshadow or creating beautiful eyebrows. Have you ever seen what people look like without eyebrows? Brows are your full facial expression, without them we look like Voldemort from the Harry Potter movies.

Anyways, back to makeup from the different eras. Here’s a quick video to see how makeup has changed since 1910. After watching this video, I loved walking down the street and seeing how people wear makeup from different centuries and seeing how their makeup was influenced from certain eras. Next time you are out people watching look at the different eras of makeup and enjoy!

Cinema Danger Duo Podcast Episode 4

Raymond and Miranda as the Cinema Danger Duo

Cinema Danger Duo is a bi-weekly podcast with two friends, Ray and Miranda, who have had too much time on their hands and have watched far too many movies. Together they review three different films for each episode covering a wide gamut of genres. Their spoiler-heavy discussion is less of a critique and more of a jumping off point for discussion. *Warning may contain explicit language, content.  CINEMA DANGER DUO IS NOW OFFERED ON iTunes!  Please use this link to listen and subscribe through iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cinema-danger-duo/id1048788079?mt=2

Episode 3.  In this episode Ray and Miranda are joined once again by special guest Tim Kupsick to discuss the films Kung Fury, Turbo Kid, and Rubber.

 

*Join us next week as we discuss Krampus, The Night Before, and another film still to be determined.

A Christmas Peril

I love the holiday season. Even with the inevitable stress and pressures that come along with it, the holiday season is still something I look forward to every year. And although commercialism has its claws sunk deeply into the fabric of the holiday spirit, we can still embrace the principles of gratitude and charity as something all their own. I personally would like to thank you for your readership of this blog. I very much appreciate you and everyone else who has taken the time to get lost with me in the Horse Trough Time Machine since it was built just a couple of months ago. In keeping with the holiday spirit, we’re going to go back 101 years to December of 1914 for this endearing little story that takes place in the middle of Hell on Earth.

     World War I began on July 28, 1914. By mid-August of that year, German armies had advanced through Belgium and were imposing upon Northern France. The French armies, who were aided by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), halted the German advance at The Battle of the Marnes in Northern France and subsequently pushed the Germans back about 30 miles. At this point, the Germans set up their defenses and dug long lines of trenches so as not to be pushed back any further. The French and British troops on the other side did the same thing, constructing miles of trenches to keep their men out of harm’s way. These trench lines would extend outward and onward in either direction for 440 miles, creating what is referred to as The Western Front.

An important principle to understand about WWI is that it was the first major war ever fought with modern weaponry. Only very small skirmishes had ever been fought with machine guns and artillery, and the great powers of the world had never seen these death machines used on any sort of large scale. Nobody knew what kind of havoc could be wreaked by these industrial instruments of death. Just years before this conflict, men had fought wars on horseback with swords and small arms. When soldiers began to experience the insanity of a battlefield riddled with machine gun bullets, their natural instinct was to dig themselves into the ground, which would give rise to the concept of trench warfare. Trench warfare was the hallmark of WWI, and life in the trenches was an utter abomination. They would fill up with water, and soldiers would spend months on end in rancid pools of rotting corpses and human waste, with the booming sounds of imminent death unceasingly screaming above them. Trench warfare, when you read accounts of it, is the worst hell imaginable to any human being. It’s mind-numbingly sad to imagine the millions and millions of men who lost their lives under those very circumstances. Such was the nature of World War I.

Life in the trenches on The Western Front

     Another component of The Great War came about as a direct result of trench warfare: stalemate. The natural outcome of digging two opposing trenches is that they remain stationary, unmoving. Along much of The Western Front, the fighting hardly moved an inch throughout the entire 4 year war. The area between the opposing trenches was called No Man’s Land for obvious reasons. Men could scarcely leave the trenches for so much as a bathroom break, much less to conduct fighting operations. Under the cover of dark, soldiers could sometimes venture into No Man’s Land to bury the dead, but even this was next-to-impossible in areas where flares were being employed.

In December of 1914, this “war to end all wars” was only 5 months old, and the carnage had already reached a scale that the world had never before seen. The stalemate had set in along most of The Western Front, and men on both sides were dug deeply within their entrenchments and fortifications. In late December, a flash-freeze brought a reprieve from the damp and musty trenches, ushering in some solid, frozen ground and dusting the landscape with snow.

On Christmas Eve 1914, an amazing thing happened. French and British soldiers in some parts of the front began to hear singing from the German side of the line. Some of the braver allies began to timidly poke their heads up to look across No Man’s Land and see small fir trees lining the tops of the German trenches, lit with tiny lanterns. Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade describes what he experienced: “First the Germans would sing one of their carols, and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing- two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war.”

As I mentioned, The Western Front was 440 miles long, and there are a great many stories of how Christmas Day unfolded. But many accounts tell of French and British soldiers waking up to hear the Germans yelling “Merry Christmas” in English. Some Germans had made signs that said “You no shoot, we no shoot.” Some of the allied soldiers started to cautiously rise from the wretched depths of their trenches, wondering if this was some sort of trap. The more fearless ones climbed up onto the surface, a world that many of them hadn’t seen for several months, and began the previously unthinkable trek across No Man’s Land toward the enemy. When no shots rang out, the jubilance spread through the ranks, and more troops rose to seize this miraculous moment.

Men who had just been killing one another hours before now found themselves shaking hands and hugging, exchanging gifts of chocolates and cigarettes, sausages and alcohol. There are even legendary stories of soccer matches being played in the middle of No Man’s Land. Another story describes a British soldier getting a haircut from his pre-war German barber. Every army involved in the truce used the opportunity to bury their dead. Clearing the disease-ridden trenches of bodies and refuse was of utmost importance, as the opportunity to do so rarely presented itself.

 

An artist’s depiction of the Christmas Truce from The Illustrated London News on January 9, 1915

French and German troops fraternizing openly in No Man’s Land

A “football” match in No Man’s Land. The outcomes of professional football matches

were among the many subjects discussed by the soldiers on Christmas of 1914

   

 

Though the Christmas Truce of 1914 was fairly widespread, it didn’t touch the lives of every soldier on the front, and the fighting continued unfettered in some places. It isn’t fully understood how the truce spread down the line of The Western Front, but many historians believe that it happened spontaneously, initiated by men who were weary of fighting a tireless war for no tangible gains. The men who met in No Man’s Land that day saw one another not as the instruments of warring nations, but as the human beings they were; men with children and wives and girlfriends back home; men whose lives had been uprooted and cast into this conflict like their own lives had been.

There would be small cessations of fire throughout the rest of the war, but there would never again be an unofficial peace as widespread as the Christmas Truce of 1914. After Christmas day had passed, the soldiers went back to the obligatory fighting, swept up again by the tumult of The Great War. How strangely repulsive it must have been to go back to killing men to whose humanity they had just bared witness. On subsequent Christmases for the remainder of the war, orders were given by officers on both sides to make sure that such a thing never happened again. The marvel that occurred on Christmas of 1914 was only a short reprieve from the bloodiest, most brutal war that the world had ever seen. In a conflict that claimed the lives of 16 million people, it may seem insignificant that 100,000 men put down their guns for a day, only to take them up again the next. But that day was a genuine testimony to the beauty of mankind’s soul; when men of war saw through the machinations of nationalistic conflict and escaped from hell through the vehicle of their own humanity. If the phenomenon helped even one soldier die with peace in his heart amidst the savagery of World War I, then it was a miracle indeed.

 

 

 

Source citations:

http://time.com/3643889/christmas-truce-1914/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I#Progress_of_the_war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

Valuable knowledge from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast

No Label Roundtable Podcast Episode 4

 

No Label Roundtable is a bi-weekly podcast produced by three close friends: Casper locals Miranda, Sean, and Joe.  Join the inquisitive trio as they seek to learn, educate, and foment cultural enthusiasm through roundtable discussions, interviews, and the unrehearsed amusement that is a talk among friends.  There are no scripts; there are no labels. Speakers and headphones are chairs at this table.

Episode 4.  No Label Roundtable teamed up with WyoFile to bring you this relevant and thought-provoking episode. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization that has built its extensive readership through diligent, in-depth reporting on Wyoming’s people, places, and policy. We had the privilege of speaking with WyoFile’s Editor in Chief Dustin Bleizeffer of Casper, and with freelance journalist Matthew Copeland of Lander. Mr. Copeland has been reporting on a five part series for WyoFile called Generation of Hope, in which he shines a bright light on the healthcare system of the Wind River Indian Reservation and its encompassing myriad of social and cultural challenges. This eye-opening series breathes humanity into a picture that many of us forget is in our own back yard, and it may change your outlook on our Native American neighbors. We sat down with the gentlemen from WyoFile to discuss the impetus, the challenges, and Mr. Copeland’s own personal experiences in covering this important issue.

iTunes link to subscribe to No Label Roundtable:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-label-roundtable/id1054466507

Link to read series. This is part 1 of the 5 part series: http://www.wyofile.com/specialreport/generation-hope-future-native-health-depends-kids/

Donate to WyoFile here to support Wyoming in-depth journalism: https://www3.thedatabank.com/dpg/584/spdf.asp?formid=Donate

At Rock Bottom

Hello again, my friends, and welcome to another installment of Horse Trough Time Machine!! As your faithful pilot of this very real gadget, my goal is to use its extraordinary capacity for time travel to bring you to places and points in history both near and far, but this week we’re going to stick close to home once again, both in time and space. I’m trying to break her in easy these first few outings so she doesn’t malfunction halfway to the Copper Age. Ya see, they voided the warranty on my horse trough- some fine print bullshit about “modification”- and I ain’t exactly got the coin to build another one if she goes tits-up. In this economy, time machines are of secondary concern to the average American household, and mine is no different. So we’re going to go back to the late 1970’s in the boom town of Rock Springs, Wyoming for a story about crime, corruption, and a killer cop.

In 1976, the town of Rock Springs was experiencing a massive influx of out-of-town workers, who were filling newly created jobs in the coal mines and the oilfield. Where there is an explosion of people and money, crime and trouble are sure to follow, and it seems that Rock Springs was an extreme case. The bars and saloons on K Street were completely inundated by thrill seeking roughnecks who would go to blow off steam in every debaucherous way you can think of. Prostitution, drugs, and gambling were thriving unchecked throughout the city, and criminals were profiting in an almost mafia-style manner. Multiple sources at that time were also implicating members of the city government in profiteering off of the crime rings, and local law enforcement was completely ineffective in reining it all in. The widespread corruption and criminality were featured in a 1977 episode of 60 Minutes, which profiled the situation in an extremely damaging light. The beleaguered local law enforcement officials suddenly found themselves under nationwide pressure to do something about their crime-besieged city. There are a couple of very important characters in the story that followed, the first of which was Ed Cantrell.

Cantrell was born and raised in rural Indiana, where he excelled at sports and earned football and basketball scholarships to Indiana State College. After attending college for 3 years, he decided to enlist in the Army in 1948, where he served as a Military Policeman. After finding a love of law enforcement, he eventually returned to Indiana to graduate with honors from the Indiana State Police Academy. He was known for being a hard ass and had an appreciation for hunting, fishing, and marksmanship. So when he visited Wyoming with his family, he found a perfect place to match his rough and tough, hardened approach to law enforcement and life in general. He spent time as a Wyoming Highway Patrolman and a range detective in Lusk, before settling down in Rock Springs as the new Public Safety Director. His no-bullshit personality, and his reputation for being “the fastest gun in The West” was just what Rock Springs needed to begin to turn things around.

 

Ed Cantrell grapples with intense emotion before

releasing his mustache into the wild.

 

Cantrell realized that to have any impact on the lawlessness that was pervading Rock Springs, he was going to have to enlist the help of an undercover agent, and in the fall of 1977, he hired officer Michael Rosa. Cantrell had learned through law enforcement channels that Rosa had done some great undercover work in Gillette, and that he had begun his life and law enforcement career on the tough streets of New York City. He seemed just the kind of rough-and-tumble fellow that could imbed himself deeply in the underbelly of the Rock Springs crime circuit and bring about some much needed change.

 

I couldn’t find any pictures of the Michael Rosa in this particular story, but this man’s

name is Mike Rosa, and he probably played for the Florida Marlins in the 90’s.

 

Rosa was indeed a man devoted to bringing positive change through his undercover work, and he was remarkably successful at it in Rock Springs. His investigations led to several high profile arrests, and he was making a name for himself within the ranks of the Rock Springs Police Department. But the name he was making wasn’t a good one where his fellow officers were concerned. Almost all of his peers thought he was arrogant and egotistical, and it’s believed now that he was on the verge of exposing corruption within the police department. Rosa is remembered by some as a Serpico-like character, sort of a boy scout, who wanted to snuff out crime and corruption no matter where he found it, even if it fell within the ranks of his brothers in blue. Yet it’s also known that his undercover operations brought him into contact with alcohol and cocaine, both of which he had become addicted to. His troubles were growing all around him as he tried to reconcile his personal vices with his desire to bring justice to the corruption that surrounded him.

While these interpersonal qualms were playing out between Rosa and the rest of the police department, a Special Grand Jury was being appointed by the State of Wyoming to investigate the ongoing corruption in the Rock Springs city government, in direct response to the 60 Minutes exposé. Michael Rosa was subpoenaed as a star witness for the State, and he was expected to divulge incriminating evidence that would expose a massive corruption ring, supposedly at the highest levels of government. In the days and weeks leading up to the court proceedings, Rosa had been drinking at the local bars and telling fellow patrons that he was going to drop a bombshell that would bring the entire police department to its knees.

On July 14, 1978, just two days before he was to testify before the Special Grand Jury, Michael Rosa was drinking and carrying on at the Silver Dollar Saloon. The story that follows is convoluted, and there are several different versions. Public Safety Director Ed Cantrell, who by this time had a deep hatred for Michael Rosa, was riding in a car with two fellow officers, Jim Callas and Matt Bider. They had gotten word that Rosa was at the bar talking about this “bombshell” he was going to drop in a couple of days. Cantrell and the officers drove to the Silver Dollar and parked outside. They radioed the dispatcher and instructed him to call the saloon and tell Rosa to come out to meet them, so that they could discuss an ongoing drug case. Rosa walked outside with a glass of wine in his hand and his gun in his holster, and he proceeded to climb into the driver side backseat. Officer Bider was in the passenger side backseat, Officer Callas was driving, and Ed Cantrell was riding shotgun. What happened next is the subject of a lot of conjecture, but what is definitely known is that within seconds, Ed Cantrell drew his gun and shot Officer Rosa right between the eyes. Cantrell then called investigators to the scene and turned himself into the police station.

This story is pretty dirty and suspicious thus far, but from where I’m sitting in the Horse Trough Time Machine, this murder trial is where things start to get really crazy.

Ed Cantrell was charged with 1st degree murder and was released from jail on a $325,000 bond after spending 10 days in the State Hospital in Evanston for psychiatric evaluation. He then hired prestigious defense attorney Gerry Spence and went into hiding on Spence’s ranch until trial. Because of the national media the case was attracting, the defense made a motion to move the venue of the trial from Rock Springs to Pinedale, a motion which was granted by the judge. From what I’ve read, errrr I mean observed from the calming waters of the time machine, Pinedale at this time was INCREDIBLY conservative, and it is certainly still that way today. It was said to be a community of people who held their law enforcement in the highest esteem and had a deeply engrained wild west mentality. The jury from Pinedale heavily favored Cantrell’s tough-on-crime reputation right out of the gate.

During the trial, Officer Callas, who had been driving the vehicle when Rosa was killed, testified in court that Cantrell had said something to the effect of,”We ought to take out him out somewhere and kill him”, just minutes before the killing took place. But defense attorney Gerry Spence was determined to paint a different picture. To convince the jury that it was a case of self defense, even though Rosa’s gun was never drawn, he brought in a world renowned gunslinger named Bill Jordan to testify before the court. Though he had absolutely nothing to do with the case, Jordan demonstrated to the jury that he could pull his gun and fire off a blank before another officer in the court could pull the trigger on a cocked and loaded gun that was already in his hand. Spence then asked Jordan before the court if he had ever seen Cantrell draw and fire a gun before, to which Jordan replied that he had. Spence asked him how fast Cantrell was with his quickdraw, and Jordan replied,”A little faster than me.” This show of wild west magic was apparently all the Pinedale jury needed to see to believe that Cantrell had shot in self defense, even though Rosa’s gun never left its holster. Within a couple of hours, the jury returned a plea of not guilty, and Cantrell was a free man. Many of the people of Rock Springs were in uproar over the verdict. Gerry Spence later asked Cantrell what he thought about that, to which Cantrell replied, “Fuck it. I’m free.”

 

Ed Cantrell grasps his appendix as his roommates 

assure him it’s not gay when you’re in college.

     The huge amount of press that this case received brought about sweeping changes in the political climate and in the police force of Rock Springs. There were a lot of good people there in those days, just like there are today. But like many Wyoming oilfield towns, it still endures some degree of stigma about crime and drug use. Mostly because of all the crime and drug use. As soon as I got back from this adventure in the Horse Trough Time Machine, I docked it in the Horse Stable of Awesomeness Past, and I came inside and hopped on the internet to see what else I could find out about this story. I was able to find just a couple of interesting articles that document some very telling eyewitness accounts of the corruption in Rock Springs at that time. But for as much nationwide press as this story received, I could find very few sources for information on it. There is an episode of A&E’s City Confidential available on Youtube that kind of favor’s Cantrell’s side of the story, but there’s also a really crazy People magazine article from 1978 that gives convincing accounts from Rosa’s wife and from city officials who all say he was murdered at the hands of those who wanted to silence him. One of the officials in the People article is a former sheriff who’s scared for his life and has a dog named Satan. The article is really good. As always, I will link to those sources at the bottom of the page. There are probably going to be a few similarities between what I told you about my trip in the time machine and what you learn from those sources, but that’s just the way history works. It repeats itself.
People magazine article (must read)- http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20071574,00.html

City Confidential episode- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgT0RoWSC8Q

Ed Cantrell Wikipedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Cantrell