Since the dawn of time, humans have developed emotions to a variety of events. We all
know of love, hate, happiness, and sadness. But what about fear? What is your biggest phobia?
A phobia is an anxiety disorder involving excessive and persistent fear of a situation or
object. Exposure to the source of the fear triggers an immediate anxiety response.
The American Psychiatry Association identifies three different categories of phobias:
1. Social phobias: Now known as anxiety disorder, this phobia is marked by a fear of
social situations in which a person might be judges or embarrassed.
2 Agoraphobia: This phobia involves an irrational and extreme fear of being in places
where escape is difficult. It may involve a fear of crowded places or even leaving one’s home.
3.Specific phobias: When people talk about having a phobia of a specific object such as
spiders, snakes, or needles, they are referring to a specific phobia.
One important thing to remember is that virtually any object can become a fear object.
The name of specific phobias are often formed as nonce words, or words coined for a single
occasion only.
Here is a short list of some of the more common phobias:
Acrophobia: Fear of heights; Aerophobia: Fear of flying; Anthropophobia: Fear of society or
people; Arachnophobia: Fear of spiders; Belonephobia: Fear of pins or needles; Bibliophobia:
Fear of books (I know a few of y’all); Coulrophobia: Fear of clowns; Cyberphobia: Fear of
computers (Again, I know many elderly that suffer from this); Gamophobia: Fear of marriage;
Glossophobia: Fear of speaking in public
While this is a very short list of the different types of phobias, treatments are available.
There is exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing therapy, and finally medications.
Phobias can have a serious impact on well-being, but it’s important to remember that
you’re not alone. They are common and treatable. If you believe that you have the symptoms of
phobia, consult with a doctor for evaluation and treatment. Also, the fear of asking questions is
called Rogophobia.


 #QUESTIONEVERYTHING

Wow as we get ready to say bye bye to summer and hello fall, there a bunch of New Options on Streaming Platforms every where.

From our Digital Trends friends; “Before he went on to create,The Wire— another all-time great crime series — David Simon pushed network television to its limits with Homicide; Life on the Streets ; The show broke all of the rules in the 1990s by staying away from the traditional formula for cop shows. There weren’t always perfectly resolved cases, and the pressure of solving these crimes was taxing for the main characters on spiritual and mental levels.

The cast’s performances were simply incredible, especially the late Andre Braugher and Richard Belzer. This series actually shares continuity with Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchise, as Belzer’s John Munch had a starring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But as a standalone series, Homicide is impeccable. This is the first time Homicide has been on streaming, and it deserves to be rediscovered by audiences.” Enjoy it Streaming NOW.

Then there’s BAD MONKEY. “Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence adapted Carl Hiaasen’s Bad Monkey for Apple TV+, and the name is a bit of a misnomer. There is a monkey, who isn’t particularly bad … and he doesn’t even belong to the main character. Instead, the story focuses on Andrew Yancy (Vince Vaughn), an ex-cop from Miami whose career has seen him sink from detective to restaurant inspector.

But when a severed arm shows up without the rest of the body, Yancy is roped into the investigation that exposes the seamy side of life in Florida. And when Yancy learns who the arm belongs to, it opens up a completely different set of questions about who committed the crime and why.” Iy is also NOW STREAMING on Apple + TV.

 Last but certainly not least, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2024)

“Who murdered Andie (India Lillie Davies)? That’s a question that’s haunted Pippa Fitz-Amobi (Wednesday’s Emma Myers) in A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. Even with university life beckoning Pippa during her last year in high school, she can’t let go of her theory that Andi wasn’t killed by her late boyfriend, Sal Singh (Rahul Pattni).

To prove herself, Pippa plans to solve the murder and use it as her school project for the year. This manages to anger a lot of people in Pippa’s hometown who would rather not dig up the secrets that she’s getting uncomfortably close to. Pippa’s seen a lot of detectives on TV, and they may not have been the best role models for her as she soon finds herself in genuine danger.”

All NOW STREAMING on The STREAM Everywhere !

Since the Olympic Summer Games have now ended in Paris, France, let’s take a peek below the surface and see what is not at ground level.
The French had been mining limestone for decades. In 1774, a massive sinkhole in the Rue de l’Enfer (Road to Hell) engulfed houses, carts, and people, who fell 84 feet to their death. Multiple sinkholes over the next few years caused panic and outrage. In response, King Louis XVI created the Inspection Generale de Carrieres, or IGC in 1777 to map out and maintain quarries of limestone that was used for some of the city’s most iconic buildings such as The Louvre and Notre Dame.
By the late 18th century, Paris had expanded and grown so greatly that much of it was built directly over the old mines therefore leading to unstable conditions.
The Paris Catacombs started out as a solution to overcrowded cemeteries in the 18th century as most Parisians were buried in communal graves with the largest burial ground known as Holy Innocents’ Cemetery, which had been in continuous use for 500 years.
In December of 1785, workers began exhuming bodies from Holy Innocents’ at night and carting them by torchlight to their new resting place: the city’s catacombs. It was a marriage of convenience with the vast underground mines offering a local and more sanitary storage solution.
With the outbreak of the French Revolution on May 5, 1789, bodies began to pile up during the Reign of Terror and the newly deceased were being directly buried in the catacombs, gaining a new reputation as “The Empire of the Dead.”
The catacombs are filled with the bones of over six million bodies being shaped into archways, tunnels, and walls.
Take a tour of the macabre Paris catacombs if you ever get an opportunity to vacation in a city that offers many sights to take in. And don’t forget to #QUESTIONEVERYTHING

​Summer continues it’s crazy weather not matter where you happen to be but to to worry cause it’s a great time to sit anywhere it’s air conditioned and you can jump on and off the stream.

Lots of great options to stream on the net right now.

First from Hulu it’s Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer, Listed as a Television Documentary, it’s “A new perspective on the woman whose crime-hunting innovations changed history; to stop serial killers, Dr. Ann Burgess must first learn to think like one. Burgess investigates and studies the damaged psyches of victims and their attackers.”

Next and from HBO it’s FANTASMAS. “From Writer, director and comedian Julio Torres spins a fantastical six-part tale depicting his loss of a gold oyster earring. In his search to find the precious object, Julio reflects on the offbeat characters he encounters in introspective, often eerie, and always comedic vignettes set in a dreamy, alternate version of New York City; a kaleidoscope of color and surrealism, “Fantasmas” is a series that weaves together stories of people looking for meaning, purpose and connection in an increasingly isolating world.:

Moving on, still riding high from Apple TV+ is DARK MATTER, “Professor Jason Dessen is abducted into an alternate version of his life. In a labyrinth of realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from a terrifying foe imaginable -- himself.”

NEXT, streaming both on Hulu and Disney+ it’s The veil. A thriller, ““The Veil” is an international spy thriller series that explores the surprising and fraught relationship between two women who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. One woman has a secret, while the other is on a mission to reveal it before thousands of lives are lost. In the shadows, mission controllers at the U.S. CIA and French DGSE must put differences aside, as difficult as it may be, and work together to avert potential disaster before it is too late.”

Here is a list of just some on the offering on the Stream, right now;  New Movies to Stream Right Now

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ (2024) (NEW!) Rating: PG-13.’Despicable Me 4’ (2024) (NEW!) Rating: PG. .’Thelma’ (2024) Rating: PG-13. ..’Hit Man’ (2024) ...’Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ (2024) (NEW!) ...’Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ (2024) ...’The Bikeriders’ (2024) ...’Young Woman and the Sea’ (2024).

Enjoy....see you soon On The Stream

It’s getting HOT Up In Here already. Hot weather is here and so are some great new Flicks and Series In Your Streams everywhere.

Doesn’t matter how you Stream...if it’s on your phone, your tablet, your PC or any other device, there are great shows available.

Don’t look now but DR WHO is back and he’s Black too. Thanks to DISNEY PLUS and E.T.;

“Don’t ask us why, but Disney+ is calling the upcoming season – with Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor -- season 1 of Doctor Who. On Friday, May 10, Disney+ is dropping the first two episodes of the new season. While we don’t know exactly what to expect, we do know the Doctor and his companion, Ruby Sunday, (Millie Gibson) will travel space and time in the TARDIS to save worlds in need.”

NOW, are you ready for Major News from the Breakfast World? With am ALL STAR CAST too. Thanks to NETFLIX and our friends at E.T. of course; “Written, directed and starring Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted tells a very embellished story of the creation of the beloved breakfast food, Pop-Tarts. Along with Seinfeld, this film is stacked with star power, including appearances from Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy, and so many more. Unfrosted premiered on Netflix on Friday, May 3.”

Ready for a fun Romantic Comedy? From SONY PICTURES and available on HULU come’s ALL ABOUT YOU. “Starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, Anyone But You was the highest-grossing R-rated rom-com since 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby and the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation of all time. The film follows two former rivals (played by Sweeney and Powell) who hate each other but must pretend to be a couple at a destination wedding in Australia. Inevitably, sparks start to fly between them. The classic enemies-to-lovers movie dropped to Netflix on April 23.

PLUS for the young and the young at heart, don’t forget KNUCKLES on PARAMOUNT.

“A hilarious, action-packed adventure, Knuckles centers around the red hedgehog, Knuckles, from the beloved Sonic the Hedgehog video games. Idris Elba voices Knuckles, who agrees to train Wade Whipple (Happy Endings’ Adam Pally) in the ways of an Echidna warrior. Things quickly get out of hand as forces try to steal Knuckles’ power. The six-episode miniseries premiered on Paramount+ April 26.”

No matter what your looking for there are a bunch of great New and Not So New Movies and series to watch that are NOW STREAMING !

​Created on March 1, 1872, President Ulysses Grant signed S.392 into law, creating the first national park- Yellowstone.

Home to a large variety of elk, bear, wolves and other wild game, along with half of the worlds geysers including Old Faithful in Wyoming, the beauty of this national park is indeed a sight to behold. Is there however, a hidden danger that lurks beneath this majestic wonder of the
world?

According to scientists, the Yellowstone super volcano has had three major eruptions with the first being 2.1 million years ago. The second occurred 1.3 million years ago, and the third and last major eruption was 640,000 years ago that created the current caldera.
What would happen if Yellowstone were to erupt in the future? If the eruption follows its predecessors, then the lava flow wouldn’t travel beyond the parks boundaries, according to the USGS. The problem would be the ash released by the blast. The fallout would include short-term destruction of Midwest agriculture. Rivers and streams would be clogged with thick gray muck measuring nearly 40” in depth 321 miles away in Salt Lake City, Utah with the ashfall extending to the east coast. Parts of Texas could receive as much as 1.811 inches of ash!

If you’re wondering if there is any evidence that Yellowstone will erupt soon, the answer is no. Yellowstone is behaving as it has for the past 140 years. Odds are very high that Yellowstone will be eruption-free for the coming centuries.

So, go ahead and plan your summer vacation. Take the scenic route to the mountains of
Wyoming and breathe in the fresh air and partake in the beauty of Yellowstone National Park but
don’t try to pet any buffalo!

​By Ruben Cantu for the Texas Times

​A staple of the community, a lifelong public servant and an advocate of all kinds of community causes is now running for office, hoping to make a difference and to address a few shortcomings in the community of Del Rio. Carmen Gutierrez, who retired from the Texas Department of Transportation and from working as a field representative for Congressman Will Hurd, is seeking the City Council At-Large Place A.
At the early age of 49 Gutierrez retired from the TxDOT, where she became the first and only female equipment shops superintendent in the state of Texas, managing fleet issues and personnel in the eight-county Laredo district. Even though this is her first time running for office, Gutierrez is not new to politics, she was district representative for Congressman Will Hurd for five years.
“I was involved with the daily politics of several issues at the federal level, having worked with the Texas Department of Transportation I was very involved with issues at the local and state level,” she said.
Hurd, Gutierrez recalls, had a saying that impacted the way she interacts with the community:
“If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
Gutierrez is also part of a host of community organizations, including the Community Health Improvement Coalition (CHIC), Los Amigos del Cementerio de la Loma de la Cruz, the International Good Neighbor Council, Falcon Art Center Foundation, Val Verde County Republican Woman, and she is also the chairwoman of the board for the Border Federal Credit Union.
“Every single one of these organizations have issues, that they try to help with in the community, so I was exposed to on a day-to-day basis, on a one-to-one basis with the residents of this community,” she said.
That volunteer work brought Gutierrez into contact and gave her the opportunity to try to do something to help. She became proficient at grant writing and now utilizes her skills to apply for resources for the community.
“We recently received a grant for CHIC from Friends of Val Verde, for mental health, we need to provide resources and let people know that we have resources available free of charge,” she said.
Her work with the International Good Neighbor Council has also paid dividends, having more than three-fold the number of entries to the Fiestas de Amistad parade over the last few years, since she became co-chair along with Councilwoman Tina Martinez.
“From 30 entries a few years ago we had more than 100 in the last parade,” she said.
Gutierrez also said that all this work with the IGNC benefits the Del Rio community, by giving out close to $20,000 in scholarships to local students.
“We give scholarships to the IGNC art contest participants, to the Miss Del Rio Pageant contestants,” she said.
The IGNC raises funds through their annual wine and cheese fundraiser, which is the brainchild of IGNC president Andrew Scarbo. Gutierrez has become an advocate for local causes, including recently representing a group of citizens who wanted to see the city council meetings reinstated on Facebook Livestream.
“They did away with the comments but at least we still have the opportunity to view the meetings, because not everyone has Spectrum, but almost everyone has access to the internet and to Facebook,” she said.
She also advocated for ADA accessible parking for handicapped individuals at the Rotary Park and at Brown Plaza.
“In a community like ours we have veterans with limited mobility, it is imperative that future master plans include ADA facilities, not only because it is the law, but because it is the right thing for our citizens,” she said.
Having safety and resources as her main goals, Gutierrez said her priorities as a member of the city council will be to secure the water and having accessible facilities to all members of the community.
“The number one priority is to make sure that our water is protected, the water supply, the water infrastructure, by the money that we pay, with the utilities they are supposed to set aside what it is called enterprise funds, and I know for a fact that they’ve been using enterprise funds for other things,” she said.
“The next item I have is physical safety, making sure that all the city facilities have ADA parking, access, the restrooms, the grab bars, keeping our residents safe,” she emphasized.
Gutierrez finished by reminding local voters that regardless of party affiliation they can vote for her in the upcoming city election.

Some say the legend goes back beyond recorded history. Some say it began in the
Northwestern United States. But in 1958, in a small news item written by journalist Andrew Genzoli, is where the legend and the name began.

Yes, I’m referring to BIGFOOT!

Bigfoot, or sometimes known as Sasquatch, is a giant ape-like creature that some people
say roams throughout North America. It is a cryptid ( or species rumored to exist) and just like the Chupacabra or the Lochness Monster, there’s scant evidence to suggest Bigfoot is actually out there. But that doesn’t stop alleged sightings of the ape-like figure that never shows it’s face.

Visual sightings and even alleged photographs and films (notably by Roger Patterson at Bluff Creek, California in 1967) have also contnbuted to the legend, though none of the purported evidence has been verified.

A Bigfoot is said to stand from 6-10 feet tall, standing on two feet, often giving a foul stench, and either moving silently or emitting a high-pitched cry. Alleged footprints have
purportedly been measured up to 24” in length and 8” wide.

And yes, there is even a small group of insistent scientists risking ridicule, vocalizing their belief that the creature does indeed exist!

The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, founded in 1995, is the only scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot mystery. Even here in the State of Texas, there have been a reported 253 total listings with the latest report coming out of Wood County, Texas in March 2024. lfyou are wondering if there have been sightings in Val Verde county, the answer is NO!

Happy Bigfoot sighting, everyone!

As time goes on peeps are finding lots more offerings of all kinds up for grabs on Streaming Platforms everywhere.

In addition, since streaming standards are not an restrictive and rigid as Movie House standards the streaming platform lends itself to much more provocative content like that being offered this season on STARZ with the much anticipated Mary and George series.

From Sky Atlantic, Mary and George is the story of “the Countess of Buckingham, who molded her son to seduce King James I and become his all-powerful lover through intrigue, making her family richer, more titled, and more influential than England had ever seen.”

Mary and George is not for the prude nor faint of heart with many scenes that push what many would consider normal standards to their limits.

If you consider yourself open minded enough you may want to give it a go.

Mary and George is Now Streaming on the STARZ streaming platform.

Another streaming offering is SUGAR from Allpe TV Plus. “Staring Colin Farrell as John Sugar, a private investigator on the case of the disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood producer. But, as he tries to find out what happened to Olivia, he ends up unearthing several Siegel family secrets (some long-buried, some much more recent) in the process. The cast also includes Sandman’s Kirby, The Wire’s Amy Ryan, Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn, and Succession’s James Cromwell. The first two episodes are available now and new episodes will drop every Friday.”

Now Streaming on Apple TV Plus.

AND, don’t miss the latest installment from Disney Plus, WISH. “Disney’s latest animated movie, Wish, is now available to watch at home. Ariana DeBose voices Asha, a young girl who lives in the kingdom of Rosas, where everyone must surrender their wish to King Magnifico (Chris Pine) when they turn 18 – and only a lucky few ever get them back. When Asha wishes on a star and gets a little more than she bargained for, though, she and her friends set out to change the way things work, and help everyone’s wishes come true.

Now Streaming on Disney Plus. Enjoy! See ya next time In The Steam.