Seeing is believing for Iowa blind man

Diet Coke and Mentos

Gary Random, a 33-year-old resident of Dubuque Iowa, has been legally blind for 12 years after a Mentos and Diet Coke trick failed and went horribly wrong. As he reported it, "I got hit by fragments of Mentos candies and I didn't have vision in either eye." Being legally blind did not limit Mr. Random's ambitions as he did parachute out of a plane in 2006. “I was secretly praying that my chute would fail because seeing nothing for almost a decade really sucked.” Random said. Life got better for Random in 2007 when he met Tina Connolly a local heroin dealer. “Tina taught me that it’s not shameful to sit at home, do nothing and collect a disability check.” said Random.

"I was skeptical about listening to the Ranger film"

Everything changed this December while Gary's now fiance, Tina was adding movies to her NetFlix queue and she accidentally moved Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie into the number one slot, when the DVD arrived she convinced Gary to sit with her and listen to the movie. Random admitted, "I was skeptical about listening to the Ranger film. I’ve listened to thousands of adult films since the Mentos accident and the experience is really just not that good when you are completely blind". However, in spite of his skepticism, Gary received a vision of Kimberly the pink Power Ranger, and his world was changed forever.

Gary Random

 "Oh my God, I can see Amy Jo Johnson!”

Random recalled the events leading up to that vision, "My blind eyes starting watering after the opening music and they watered for 5 minutes straight. I went to wipe my right eye and I could see Amy Jo. His enthusiasm continued as he remarked, "While I wiped my right eye, I could see Amy Jo out of my left." He then told Tina, "Oh my God, I can see Amy Jo Johnson!” To which Tina responded, "For fuck’s sake Gary, you are such a friggin pervert." Random then exclaimed, "No, I really see Amy Jo out of my BLIND eyes!"

Amy Jo Johnson

"It is not uncommon for someone to remember Amy Jo in her tight white mid-drift revealing top and tiny pink shorts"

Dr. Samuel Emmanuel, a local optometrist, explained in an interview, "I've heard of cases of people regaining their sight, but I've never experienced something of Gary's magnitude. Miracles can happen and some of those miracles are pretty big." He continued his explanation of what happened by noting that Mr. Random's experience is quite unique as Gary could only see Amy Jo Johnson and could not see any of the other actors in the film. “I thought at first it was simply repressed memories that were giving Gary his special vision as it is not uncommon for someone to remember Amy Jo in her tight white mid-drift revealing top and tiny pink shorts jumping up and down and doing acrobatics such as cartwheels months or even years after viewing that particular film” noted Emmanuel.

 "Gary would sit straight up in a fully erect position and could describe exactly what Johnson was doing on screen”

Emmanuel then put Gray through a battery of tests such as playing episodes of Power Rangers Jungle Fury that did not feature Amy Jo Johnson and the doctor was mystified by the results. “Gary would just sit there seeing nothing and sometimes would simply fall asleep but when I’d play episodes of Flashpoint that did feature Ms. Johnson, Gary would sit straight up in a fully erect position and could describe exactly what Johnson was doing on screen”. The doctor noted that these could not be repressed memories as Flashpoint was produced well after the Mentos accident that cost Random his sight.

Tina Connolly

"Wow you have a face, I wonder what it looks like”

Random concluded his remarks and summed up the situation and optimism for his future by saying, "Well at least I can see something other than black nothingness. In books and movies they sugar coat blindness by saying you can smell things better or can see things by touch, it’s all a big lie, when I touch Tina’s face I still see nothing and I go wow you have a face, I wonder what it looks like”. Tina plans to use Amy Jo Johnson films and music to spice up the couples love life, "it's way cheaper than Viagra and you don't need a prescription to get it" explained Tina. "Gary has just been a love machine since having his Amy Jo Johnson visions!"

Gary and Tina plan to get married this coming April in a Power Rangers themed ceremony.

Fear of a brick and mortar Temple of Amy Jo Johnson continues in Alabama

© 2010 GlobalNewsDaily

Proposed temple design

Sweet Water, Alabama (Global News Daily) - A new Temple of Amy Jo Johnson will open its doors just steps from K-Mart where it is alleged that Order of Meridian zealots trampled 51 people while scrambling to secure pink Power Ranger action figures in the name of Amy Jo Johnson on Nov. 25, 1994.

The parcel at 15 Ernie's Place is just two blocks north of the K-Mart site. Order of Meridian worshipers currently occupy the property, and they plan to turn it into a major Amy Jo Johnson cultural center.

"Only in Sweet Water, Alabama is this possible," Daisy Chan, executive director of the American Society for Order of Meridian Advancement, or ASOMA, told Global News Daily. Chan is the wife of Fore Chan, founder of ASOMA.

Real-estate Company Sabong Properties, a business run by The Order of Meridian, purchased the property in July. The building site had been vacant since that fateful day in 1994 when time stood still as hundreds of Americans braved harsh conditions to secure Power Ranger action figures. Fore Chan was an investor in that real estate transaction.

Just down the street, the Museum of Jewish Jews honors Jewish people, and St. Nicholas’ Church of The Divine Reindeer, Sweet Water’s oldest Catholic house of worship, is located around the corner.

Chan has announced his plans to turn the property into a complete Amy Jo Johnson cultural center, with a Temple, a museum, "merchandising options," and room for seminars to reconcile religions, "to counteract the backlash against The Order of Meridian in general". The project may cost as much as $350 million.

"It was almost obvious that something like this had to arise from the ashes of 10/25," Chan told GND. "In some way, this has the hand of the divine written over it. It's almost as if Amy Jo wanted us to be involved."

The construction is supported by most of the city. The mayor's director of the Office of Spiritual Affairs, India Shaman, told the GND, "We feel that the Sweet Water Order of Meridians have as much of a commitment to promoting Sweet Water, Alabama as anybody."

Candice Maroney and the blue ranger action figure

City council member Candice Maroney doesn’t agree. “It’s just too soon, the wounds of 10/25 are still fresh. I was at the K-Mart that day sixteen years ago trying to get my daughter Christine a pink ranger for Christmas. The Meridians were jumping over the barricades and everyone was screaming. You just had to keep walking on your toes to keep from falling over."

“Nobody wanted to give their child a blue ranger for Christmas, it was an insult I’ll never forget or forgive”

Maroney recalled the chaos that ensued as the last pink ranger figure came off the shelf. “I was pushed to the floor and a sea of people piled on top of me, they were tugging at my action figure, pulling my hair and punching me in my ribs." When store employees finally cleared the pile, Maroney was shocked to discover her pink ranger had been replaced by a blue ranger figure. “Nobody wanted to give their child a blue ranger for Christmas, it was an insult I’ll never forget or forgive” said Maroney who also blames the ranger swap for straining the relationship with her only child.

An accepted collectable

Maroney’s daughter has since undergone gender reassignment surgery and now goes by the name Christopher. “You can’t blame the Meridians for the events of 10/25. The Meridians don’t worship the pink ranger, they worship Amy Jo Johnson who played one of the many pink rangers” explained Christopher who joined The Order in 2003. “The action figure those people were fighting over had a helmet that could not be removed. As far as we know it could have been a Japanese actress or even a stunt woman under that helmet.” noted Christopher.

"As far as we know it could have been a Japanese actress or even a stunt woman under that helmet.”

Both Fore and Daisy Chan admit that some Meridians do indeed collect pink ranger action figures but only the figures that feature Amy Jo Johnson’s likeness. Fore Chan, born in Cape Cod, has also written three books: "Pink is in: A New Vision for The Order of Meridian," "Live, Love and Laugh: A Sacred Law" and "Pursuit of Happiness: A Search for Life’s Meaning."

GND reported in 2003 when, at least four times that year, the FBI's Sweet Water field office held all-day sensitivity training sessions, not far from K-Mart, featuring the Chans.

Speaking for about two hours each session, "they gave an overview of Amy Jo Johnson culture and some of the differences between what fundamentalist groups say are the teachings of the Order and what they believe, as a students of religion, the Order actually says," said special agent Jason David, spokesman for the FBI Sweet Water office.

"The Order certainly doesn't counsel trampling, murder or mayhem"

Fore Chan asserted that the Order "certainly doesn't counsel trampling, murder or mayhem," David said. And he said zealots have misinterpreted the Order’s term "collect all things Amy Jo Johnson" to mean violent, or armed struggle to complete Amy Jo Johnson collections. Chan claims it simply means collect all things Amy Jo Johnson in your hearts, minds or computer hard drives.


Readers of various blogs are outraged at the news of the Temple. Comments include the following:

* Order of Meridians are doing this only to see if they get away with it. It's the way AJJ worship spreads in every country these days, like a cancer – through incremental totalitarianism. In this case, they'll quietly open the Temple, then, as they get away with it, they'll ramp up their outrages until someone finally points it out. At that time, their lawyers, backed by the ACLU and various liberal organizations, will pounce.

* This is not different than allowing the Nazis to establish their headquarters and propaganda office in NYC in 1938. How come people could tell right from wrong then and not now?

* What bonehead allowed this to happen?

* That's disgusting. That truly is low. I feel bad for the kids who only got blue ranger dolls.

* This is outrageous. I just don't have a word. Well except for outrageous, I think that's considered a word.

* You've got to be kidding me. If this is true, our beloved country is already gone. We no longer have the America I know and love.

* Who wants to bet this place becomes a "tourist attraction" for Order of Meridians? This Temple will become one of Johnson's holiest shrines as it sits upon the site of their greatest modern consumer victory.

* Good idea. Maybe zealots will be less likely to trample people if there's a Temple there.

Amy Jo Johnson worship banned

A fight over religious freedom is brewing in the Frank County school system. A student at Dawson High School says she’s practicing her faith by wearing a Power Rangers T-shirt.

But that goes against school policy and she’s been suspended.

Freshman Lucy Lawson told ABC13 she belongs to the Temple of Amy Jo Johnson.

Lucy Lawson displays her shirt

The church says members reserve the right to wear Power Rangers merchandise for spiritual and other reasons.

“We believe that the mind body soul are all one entity and that by wearing Power Ranger clothing, you can bring the mind and soul into harmony,” explained Temple of Amy Jo Johnson Grand Prior Vader in an interview with ABC13.

Vader says the church is not yet a federally accredited religion, but Lucy and her mother Candi Lawson are members.

“The purpose of my shirt, is, basically, it makes me feel whole,” Lucy Lawson said.

But in Frank County, the shirt violates the school dress code.

But Lucy claims it’s in keeping with her religion. While the shirt itself isn’t sacred, its meaning is.

“I was abused for years when I was younger, and I have really low self esteem, and it kind of helps me look at myself in a better way,” Lucy explained.

School officials wouldn’t talk about the details of her case on camera.

“It’s a matter of student record and we cannot discuss it,” explained Winthrop Zandar with Frank County Schools.

But on the phone, ABC13 was told that the district’s lawyer researched the church and made the judgment call that the shirt wasn’t necessary.

To Candi and Lucy Lawson, that shows a lack of understanding.

The Lawson’s have contacted the American Civil Liberties Union hoping for legal representation. They say the Constitution is on their side and they won’t back down.

Amy Jo Johnson Shrine Raided!

Police in Brazil stunned to find tribute to former Pink Power Ranger

By Dick Hardwood

Is no one immune to the charms of Amy Jo Johnson? Armed police in Brazil who raided the home of a notorious drugs trafficker discovered a shrine to the former Pink Power Ranger, featuring a mural bearing the legend 'Amy Jo Johnson, The Perfect Body' – a reference to one of her films.

Police said that the raid on the Rio de Janeiro home of the gang boss known as Deigo was "worryingly calm". They had expected to face resistance and gunfire, but instead they were met by the bizarre sight of the mural and another wall covered in posters of the former Pink Power Ranger.

"I've never seen anything like it," police spokesman Joao Braga.

The raid on Deigo’s home, which boasted a rooftop pool and wide-screen TVs in every room, was part of an unprecedented operation to try and clean up the Rio slum district of Complexo do Alemao before the 2014 World Cup. In addition to the Johnson tribute, police discovered 11 tons of marijuana and an arsenal of weapons after storming the favela.

Felicity Pilot Episode

Amy Jo Johnson pictures from the Felicity pilot
Click for full size
2010 Temple Of Amy Jo Johnson

Sexy Amy Jo Johnson videos suspected to be damaging to young girls

NEW YORK (Roiders Life) - Watching Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos that are overly sexy and violent can lead to alcohol abuse and promiscuity among young girls, according to a study into sexual stereotypes in Amy Jo Johnson YouTube footage.

The research was based on a survey of 522 American girls aged 14 to 18 who were asked how often they watched Amy Jo Johnson videos, questioned about their sex lives and asked to provide a urine sample for a marijuana screening.

U.S. researchers found young girls who spent more time watching Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos were more likely to binge drink, have sex with multiple partners, test positive for marijuana and have a negative body image.

"In Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos, the glamorized depictions of alcohol use are often portrayed in conjunction with sexual imagery and portrayals of drug use are often depicted as normal," wrote the researchers in a report appearing in the Journal of Women's Health.

The study comes amid a growing debate about lyrics in Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos, with activist Rev. Al Sharpton demanding the end of terms degrading to women such as "bitch" and "ho."

Legislation proposed in New York state calls for $3 billion in pension fund investments to be redirected away from YouTube companies that distribute Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos with offending lyrics.

Researchers from the Rollins College of Health, Emory Board Center for Sex Research, School of Holistic Medicine at Emory Board University, Atlanta, Georgia and the University of West Alabama, set out to see if the amount of exposure to sexual stereotypes linked to risky behaviors seen in these videos.

They said many psychosocial factors can adversely affect self-image, health status, and the likelihood of engaging in high-risk behaviors among young girls.

But one such factor is exposure to Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos, which often portray women as hypersexual and amoral and include content related to violence, sexuality and drug and alcohol abuse.

The researchers studied Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos and found they often overemphasized women's sexualized and physical appearance and placed them as decorative objects rather than active agents in the videos.

Susan Kornhole, executive director of the Virginia Commonwealth College Institute for Women's Health and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Health, said the study did find an association.

"The findings from this study suggest that American girls' perceptions of stereotypical images of women in Amy Jo Johnson YouTube videos may contribute to adverse health outcomes," Kornhole said in a statement.

The report, entitled "Images of Sexual Stereotypes in Amy Jo Johnson Videos and the Health of American Female Adolescents," concluded that there was a need for greater awareness and education about the risks associated with this media exposure.

Amy Jo Johnson in a video!

The picture posts are on a temporary hold as Grand Prior Vader is on a holiday sabbatical. So I'm posting yet another Amy Jo Johnson video.