All posts by Tony Burgess

Hi there, my name is Tony Burgess (my friends call me T-Bird) from Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. I am a believer, bleeding heart, idealist, and blogger. I'm married to Laura the Soup Diva and a dog dad to Frankie, Cody, and Mikey. Daily I work for a blood bank recruiting donors. My blog is where I chronicle and curate the sacred, serious, and silly things in my life. I am a member of The Episcopal Church. Thank you for connecting with me. Grace, peace, and love!

My Spoiler-Free Review of “Pete’s Dragon” (2016 Edition)

Pete’s Dragon is one of those classic Disney films that holds a special place in the hearts of many. It’s musical, heart-felt, loaded with old school animation. Most people my age remember seeing it in the theater and were happily entertained.

The new Pete’s Dragon doesn’t follow that blueprint. This is a reimagining. It deviates dramatically  but tells the story of Elliot and his fire-breathing friend in a new way with soul, conflict and some social commentary. It has a great story set in what I think is the 1980’s, making it vintage much in the way the original did when it took us back to the early 1900’s.

Casting can make and break a movie and this film has superb talent such as Bryce Dallas Howard, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban and the legendary Robert Redford. But the main focus is on newcomers Oakes Fegley who plays Pete and Oona Laurence who won a Tony Award for Matilda.

It is a movie I can recommend without reservation. Just a reminder this is not your dad’s “Pete’s Dragon” so go into it with an open mind, you will be rewarded for it.

 

In The Headlines, Beware of Clickbait

On Facebook we all have friends who post news clips and other posts from dodgy sources. A website with a strange name that just looks made up, more times than not those sites are clickbait that feature content of a sensational headlines. Usually they are meant to generate online advertising revenue. We have all fallen for those headlines that make us want to find out more because of an article that we find interesting. However, it can be frustrating when you visit those sites only to be disappointed by the content and also the massive amount of ads and further clickbait articles that takes you down a deeper hole. Be careful about where you click.

My philosophy is simple when posting news and other articles on my blog and on Facebook. If its a brand name like CBS, CNN, ABC, BBC, ITV, Huffington Post, The Independent, Buzz Feed, USA Today and the like I will share it. Anything that sounds just made up then you won’t see it from me. I will share articles from satire sites like The Onion or The Babylon Bee (a Christian satire site similar to the Onion).  My site will feature shared links, video, embedded Tweets and other media. It’s important to vary the type of content I share.

In a world where we are so inundated with information you have to be careful. Reliable sources with a heritage of sharing accurate information is what you will find here. I owe it to you my fellow bloggers that if I am sharing the news and current events of the day that you can believe it. Clickbait is a nuisance and it can lead to someone being grossly misinformed. Use sites like Snopes and do a Google search to see if what you are looking at is indeed a true story.

Before you share an article, check its source. Some things are too good to be true and you might be padding someone’s advertising budget.

Congratulations Michael Phelps, The Greatest Of All Time

Farewell Tumblr Blogs 2011-2015. #tumblr #wordpress

Today I deleted two Tumblr blogs where I chronicled and curated the things in my life that are important to me. I was there from 2011 to 2015 and I created thousands of posts there. I am a sentimental person so this was a bittersweet thing for me. Sure I could have kept them around but it felt like the right thing to do. The smaller your digital footprint the better according to experts. Importing them to WordPress made the process an easier one. The more I use WordPress.com the more I like it. Friends I am glad to be among you and thank you for accepting me in this incredibly creative community.

You can check out those posts @ The Tumblr Years of Tony Burgess where you can learn more about my blogging past.

Quote Of The Day

There’s room for everyone in this world will everyone would make some room…Pete’s Dragon (1977 movie).

Daily Prompt: Reach

Some things are within our grasp while some things are out of reach. Often times they are one and the same. Many reach for a hand to hold on to when things are scary. When thirsty I reach for a drink, when I am doing laundry I reach for clothes. Sometimes I have to reach for a dish when cooking. Inches separate us from getting that one thing we want more than anything. Championships are within reach if we work hard enough. Reach takes effort and doing hard things to make it happen.

via Daily Prompt: Reach