Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: An early morning thunderstorm wakes up David MacLean in time to see a flying saucer hovering above a sandpit behind his house. He wakes his father, who goes to investigate but returns with a strange scar on the back of his neck and not acting like himself. Soon after, David's mother, the girl next door and members of the police department are soon acting strangely as well. At first, nobody believes David but with the help of a local astronomer, Dr. Stuart Nelson and health department physician Dr. Pat Blake, the military is soon summoned and fighting with the Martians that are hiding under the sand. Who's in it? The movie stars Jimmy Hunt , Helena Carter , Arthur Franz , Leif Erickson and Hillary Brooke. Review: I have had Invaders from Mars in my library for several weeks and finally decided to take the time to watch it this morning, while my cat was on my lap, and I wasn't getting off the couch anytime soon. While I had some doubts about it, it turned out to ...

Synopsis: Long-time friends Aberforth Willard Allard and C.S. Duffy, or as they preferred to be called, Abe and Duff, are a pair of average-looking, socially awkward geniuses who run a barely surviving private investigation service and often solve cases (without credit) for the Chicago Police Department in a matter of minutes. They are offered $50,000 with the promise of another $50,000 by former CIA operative Mindy Jefferson, who has been searching for a long-lost twin brother, now feels her life is in danger as a result and wants the pair to continue her investigation if she were to go missing or in hiding. Abe and Duffy accept the case and soon find themselves embroiled in a 35-year-long coverup involving a United States Senator that could get them both killed. Review: I came across another book by Sean Patrick Little a few weeks ago that looked interesting but since it was part of the larger Abe & Duff Mystery series, I decided I should first read the first book in the series...

Earlier this week, Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur announced long-time assistant coach Tom Clements is retiring after serving as quarterbacks coach for Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love. Clements' history of success developing passers will leave a void on the roster. Fortunately for Green Bay, they may already have his replacement. After first being brought to Green Bay in 2006 under former coach Mike McCarthy, Clements only spent 3 years away from the team, from 2017 through 2021, which included time with the Arizona Cardinals and some years when he didn't coach at all The guy who filled three years of that gap was Getsy and he built a resume that justifies bringing him back. Currently a Packers' consultant after recently being fired by the Las Vegas Raiders, Getsy's attempts at being an offensive coordinator/play caller both with the Raiders and Chicago Bears were arguably a disappointment. However, it was his time as Packers' quarterback coach...

  I went to the grocery store last night looking for something simple for dinner. I had other things on my agenda yesterday evening and didn't want anything that would take long to make. As I entered the meat section, I decided on ring bologna and wound up buying the Kewaskum brand. My decision to purchase this particular brand came down to size. At first, the $7.99 price seemed a bit high, especially since I figured I would need to purchase two of them if I wanted leftovers for lunch. However, when I looked at other brands, I found the price was comparable to those and the bologna from this brand was quite a bit larger, giving me more for my money. As far as quality goes, I had no complaints. I thought the ring bologna had a good flavor to it, plenty of garlic without it being overpowering and was, at minimum, as good as better-known brands. My wife and daughters said they thought the skin was a bit on the tough side. I, however, did not think it was any tougher than I would norma...

Synopsis: In January 1945, a group of 513 prisoners of war were being held in Japanese camps in the Philippines, enduring torture and death as World War II was on the verge of being won by the Allies. Determined to free them, the United States partook in a dangerous mission, sending 121 men behind enemy lines. This book gives an intimate account of the mission, those who were assigned to it and the men they were sent to rescue. Review: I received Ghost Soldiers as one of my Christmas presents from my wife and saved it for a couple weeks before taking the time to read it. I finally finished it this morning and came away both impressed and a bit inspired. As I tell my kids whenever they try to tell me "history is boring," there is a significant difference between reading a vague summary of an event and reading a book that tells the story from a more personalized point of view. This was a great example of that. One thing that stood out for me right away was the early narrativ...

I needed a moment to regroup following the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last night, ending their season and, as is often the case in situations like that, I found some familiarity by watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory .  As I was doing that, I realized I have now seen every episode at least a half dozen times, despite not even watching the series until a couple years ago, when it was already off the air.  That reflection resulted in me being reminded of some storylines throughout the series that were one-offs without any real resolution. Even to this day, with the added benefit of the Young Sheldon spinoff clearing up a few questions (while creating a few more), these three storylines, which were major plot points for one episode each, remain unresolved. Who Received Tenure? The season 6 episode, "The Tenure Turbulence", put Leonard ( Johnny Galecki ), Sheldon ( Jim Parsons ), Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg) in direct competition ...