Steven Helmer Publications

The cuts are in and the Packers are down to their initial 53. There's a good chance more changes will be made prior to the start of the regular season, but here are my thoughts in the meantime: The NFL made the Packers' Josh Jacobs decision for them. The legal process needs to play itself out, so I won't make any comment about the criminal charges he is facing but the decision to put him on the commissioner's exempt list means he won't be part of the team's plans in the near future.  Green Bay made a quick move to replace him. I was little surprised to see the Packers trade for Kaleb Johnson and waive Pierre Strong Jr. but they must see potential in him. The Packers made the only choice they could make with Kyle McCord. In a perfect world, they would have kept him on the roster as the third-string quarterback and give him an opportunity to win the backup role from veteran Tyrod Taylor. There were just too many other needs though, and they got a draft pick for hi...

Synopsis: Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ) and the gang end up in a dimension where humans are descended from cows, are vegetarians and have four stomachs. Despite the oddity, Stuart convinces Denise ( Lauren Lapkus ) to give up on his mission, stay there and get married even as the universe begins to implode. My Thoughts: The four-stomach thing was clever but also got repetitive after a while. My wife wants to go on record as saying she thought it was disgusting. I thought it was funny at first but also started to feel as though it was the only cow-related joke the writers could come up with. Jokes about herd mentality were right there for the taking. We are six episodes in, and I am still confused about one part of their inter-dimensional travel . Do they replace their alternate selves in each dimension, or do they become that dimension's version of themselves but maintain the memories of the other dimensions?  If it is the former, then why did they end up with four stomachs and what ha...

Synopsis: After moving from Kansas City to New York and putting her impending marriage to a coal mine owner on hold to pursue a career on Broadway, Joan Terry has gone months without finding work and is forced to move into a boarding house with other aspiring actresses. She is about to give up on her dream when her fellow boarders, recognizing her talent, decide to pool their resources and invest in her. They, however, continue to face obstacles, including Joan's impatient fiancé, James, who is even willing to spend money to ensure her failure.  Who's in it? The movie stars Frances Langford , Edward Norris , Iris Adrian , Craig Woods and Linda Brent. Review: I added Career Girl to my library a couple months ago but, mostly because I wasn't completely sure what the movie was about, hadn't bothered to watch it. I finally decided to do so this morning and it turned out to be a good choice. The movie won me over from two different fronts. First, it didn't sugarcoat ...

I wasn't able to get out for a walk yesterday because of other things being on the calendar, so I made sure to slip out for a little while today, while the weather was decent.  I didn't see as much as I would have liked but still managed to get some photos. There are a few of them below. This green heron surprised me a bit. I didn't realize it was nearby until it popped out from the grass and landed on that branch. The turtles popped out of the water as I was approaching, taking advantage of the sun while it wasn't behind the clouds. I was kind of far away on this one, even with the zoom lens but still think it turned out OK. This must have been a popular hunting spot. This bird chased away one of its own right before I got the photo. ___________________________________________________________________________ Here are some of my previous nature photos: Lunchtime Walk Photos (8/7/2026) Lunchtime Walk Photos (6/4/2026) Morning Walk Photos (6/3/2026) Morning Walk Photos 9/...

Synopsis: After a dying man emerges from the jungles of Africa with a missing anthropologist's diary, Sir Harry Bragdon leads a group of explorers, which includes his own daughter, Pamela, in search of a white gorilla believed to be the missing link. What Sir Harry doesn't know is members of his group are searching for gold instead, putting their lives in danger and resulting in Pamela being taken by the gorilla they're hunting. Who's in it? The movie stars Maris Wrixon , Richard Fraser, Michael Dyne, Lionel Royce, Gordon Richards and Al Eben. Review: I have had White Pongo in my movie library for some time now and was undecided about whether I wanted to watch it or not. I ended up doing so this morning, mostly because it was readily available and I hadn't picked out another movie yet. As it turned out, it was better than expected, but still not good. Here's the thing about this movie. It is named after a white gorilla (though the characters refer to it as ...

After getting caught up with Project Runway , my wife and youngest daughter have started watching re-runs of the show America's Next Top Model , which they found on Disney Plus.  My wife and I have seen some of the seasons from the series before so, as they plowed through the first three, there weren't any surprises about who would win. However, after receiving the refresher, here are some of my thoughts from those first three seasons. The show does a good job exposing the dark side of professional modeling. My wife and I are already familiar with some of it because she models part time, but the show takes it to an extreme. This includes the impossible body standards, with 25-year-olds being considered too old, 138 pounds being considered too fat and the eating disorders that sometimes come with it. However, I am also going to include photoshoots that require nudity, intimate situations with male models, working with exotic animals, etc. that they are forced to do even if they ...