Candace's Blog

YouTUBE ARCHIVES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SCANDAL

I wanted to watch the interview with Rihanna about the incident of domestic violence with ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown.  But that night, I forgot it was on.  My daughter called me the next morning to tell me it was very powerful.  I was pleased to find the exclusive interview archived on YouTube in 5 parts:

Part 1    Part 2    Part 3    Part 4    Part 5

Why do I care?

Because it happened to me, too.

CAN THIS MARRIAGE BE SAVED?

This little gem on YouTube could be sponsored by Dr. Phil, Jerry Springer, Judge Judy, or anyone from a Couples Counseling Service to a manufacturer of PMS medicine.  Or, if in Vegas, perhaps a Cat House. I'm not sure it qualifies as true User Generated Advertising (UGA), but it's close.

SOUTHWEST AIR: Another Great Ad not seen on TV, only on YouTube

Now THIS is what I call a good flight experience!  Give it up for SW Airlines' talent David Holmes.  Not only will I not mind the extra charges on my "plastic" I might even tip! 

THE NEW YORKER: a great article on HEALTH CARE

Click HERE to read the full story.  Long but well worth reading.  Some excerpts from this exceptionally well-written and well-researched story by Atule Gawande who, I just realized, is the author of "BETTER," an exceptional book I read about motivating people to do their best, using the medical community as a context. Gwande is well represented on YouTube speaking out on many aspects of our broken Health Care system.  HERE is just one clip, relevant to this article.

"In a few cases, the hospital executive told me, he’d seen the behavior cross over into what seemed like outright fraud. “I’ve had doctors here come up to me and say, ‘You want me to admit patients to your hospital, you’re going to have to pay me.’ ”

“How much?” I asked.

“The amounts—all of them were over a hundred thousand dollars per year,” he said. The doctors were specific. The most he was asked for was five hundred thousand dollars per year.

D. is among the few vocal critics of what’s happened in McAllen. “We took a wrong turn when doctors stopped being doctors and became businessmen,” he said.

We began talking about the various proposals being touted in Washington to fix the cost problem. I asked him whether expanding public-insurance programs like Medicare and shrinking the role of insurance companies would do the trick in McAllen.

“I don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “But it won’t make a difference.” In McAllen, government payers already predominate—not many people have jobs with private insurance.

How about doing the opposite and increasing the role of big insurance companies?

“What good would that do?” D. asked.

The third class of health-cost proposals, I explained, would push people to use medical savings accounts and hold high-deductible insurance policies: “They’d have more of their own money on the line, and that’d drive them to bargain with you and other surgeons, right?”

He gave me a quizzical look. We tried to imagine the scenario. A cardiologist tells an elderly woman that she needs bypass surgery and has Dr. D. see her. They discuss the blockages in her heart, the operation, the risks. And now they’re supposed to haggle over the price as if he were selling a rug in a souk? “I’ll do three vessels for thirty thousand, but if you take four I’ll throw in an extra night in the I.C.U.”—that sort of thing? Dyke shook his head. “Who comes up with this stuff?” he asked. “Any plan that relies on the sheep to negotiate with the wolves is doomed to failure.”

Instead, McAllen and other cities like it have to be weaned away from their untenably fragmented, quantity-driven systems of health care, step by step. And that will mean rewarding doctors and hospitals if they band together to form Grand Junction-like accountable-care organizations, in which doctors collaborate to increase prevention and the quality of care, while discouraging overtreatment, undertreatment, and sheer profiteering. Under one approach, insurers—whether public or private—would allow clinicians who formed such organizations and met quality goals to keep half the savings they generate. Government could also shift regulatory burdens, and even malpractice liability, from the doctors to the organization. Other, sterner, approaches would penalize those who don’t form these organizations.

Something even more worrisome is going on as well. In the war over the culture of medicine—the war over whether our country’s anchor model will be Mayo or McAllen—the Mayo model is losing. In the sharpest economic downturn that our health system has faced in half a century, many people in medicine don’t see why they should do the hard work of organizing themselves in ways that reduce waste and improve quality if it means sacrificing revenue."

YouTUBE: Outrageously brilliant UGA (User Generated Ad) for American Express

WARNING: the humor in this YouTube Ad may be offensive to some people.  Pop humor, banned from TV, but OK on YouTube.  The result is that this ad will be sent all around the world, resulting in great brand recognition for American Express for teenagers of all ages.

STARBUCKS: another UGA community is born on YouTube

"MY STARBUCKS STORY: Have Fun -- Be Creative -- Express yourself....How does working at Starbucks fits into my life."

That's how I originally envisioned the whole UGA movement on YouTube. 

CNN Heroes Program: Wheel chairs for young victims of the Iraqi war

Each of the stories of those nominated to be a CNN Hero are incredibly inspirational.  I have chosen to highlight BRAD BLAUSER who found himself in Iraq as a private contractor.  His Army contacts communicated to him a huge need for children's wheel chairs.   Here's an excerpt from his story, posted HERE:

For the past four years, the Dallas, Texas, native has been providing hope to hundreds of disabled Iraqi children and their families through the distribution of pediatric wheelchairs.

"Disabled children -- they're really the forgotten ones in this war," said Blauser, 43. "They are often not seen in society."

Blauser arrived in Iraq as a civilian contractor in 2004, but quit that job last year to devote himself full time to his program, without compensation. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year.

Click HERE to see the video of Brad Blauser and see smiles from some of the Iraqi families and their children who have benefited from Brad's efforts.

YouTUBE ARCHIVES CURRENT AFFAIRS: Dave Letterman

I am sure everyone knows about Letterman's confession to his TV audience about his affair with co-workers, and the resulting attempted extortion by another former fellow co-worker.  BUT...with YouTube, we can now have such live moments captured for all who may have missed it, or who fall asleep during the late night shows.

We've come a long way, baby, from "I did NOT have sex with that woman."  While I don't condone Dave's behavior, I do agree with Letterman's tactic -- if you go completely public and even poke fun at yourself and your indiscretions and mistakes, no one can blackmail you, because everyone knows the truth.   Let's do a "truth vs. cover-up comparison test" -- we can compare the fall out on Letterman for coming clean immediately, to Rep. Sen. John Ensign's attempts to hide his sexual indiscretion that rapidly spread out of control.  The original indiscretion seems much less troublesome than the illegal and politically unethical behavior that resulted from the cover up. Click HERE to see the YouTube confession by John Ensign and political analysis.

BUT, Letterman and his fans are mostly liberals.  And perhaps Democrats are more accepting of extra-marital affairs while Republicans are strictly opposed, at least in thought, if not in actions?  We do need to tighten up our ethics, for sure.  But betraying a marital commitment and/or ending an unwanted pregnancy vs. betraying one's commitment to serve the public and/or responsibly manage other people's money...how do we prioritize these ethics? 

Whatever the conclusion, the transgressions and resulting opinions are all out there on YouTube.  If not yet, soon.  BUT a word of caution to both political parties -- be careful not to throw stones if you live in a glass house yourself. 

SOLUTION TO MASS STATE FISCAL CRISIS?

"Hey Candace, jailing all the adulterers would really hurt the GNP since everyone productive would be in the lockup. Not to mention busting the state budget paying meals for everyone that is incarcerated. A better solution is to simply tax adulterous acts. The the money would go right to the state budget. Let's say $20 for each act. And heck, for another $10 the state can actually find you an adulterous partner to hookup with. (The state would actually make $30 from each of you then for each act totaling 60. Not sure if there should be a bulk discount for group sex.) Then of course, the state could also provide a certificate of "no STDs" and make more money. I think you are really onto something here. ;-) "

This was a response from Facebook friend, past co-worker, and smart person Tex Texin, to an earlier post on my blog.  This was when I discovered that Mass and Utah still have laws calling for jail time for adulterers: "Warning: In Addition to the Danger of STDs, Adultery is a Felony in 5 States!"

Much like legalizing marijuana and taxing it, Tex's suggestion for Adultery Fines seems a lot smarter than raising the sales tax, killing two birds with one stone -- revenue generating, and reducing STDs.  Perhaps California should consider this, too.  Tex -- since you are a resident, now, perhaps you could notify the Governator.

MICRO LOANS: PEER Servants' Answers "Is It Safe to Lend Money to the Poor?" with a Success Story

"Is it safe to lend money to the poor?"

This question was asked at a PEER Servants' Microfinancing workshop in Uganda, organized by the United Nations.  It is a good and fair question.  Uganda's Joshua Muki was there to provide some answers to that question.  It was not a simple answer, but Muki is a shining example of successful micro-financing.

As we have learned in the recent financial crisis, all lending institutions -- macro, micro and in-between -- need to be more involved in working with borrowers to educate and evaluate best practices as part of "risk evaluation" when lending money.  Indiscriminate lending to wannabe businesses frequently fails because the borrowers don't understand how to run and grow a business and the lenders don't form a partnership to assist and educate.  This is especially critical in third world countries, where inexperienced lenders are struggling to spread their wealth in a way that encourages the growth of free enterprise. 

Occasionally, I have encountered people with a natural head for business. No MBA, no college, sometimes no high school.  But they instinctively see an opportunity, respond, and know how to start, run and grow a business. Joshua Muki is one of these people. 

But starting and growing a business usually involves some seed money, especially when starting from ground zero.  Seed money involves lending. And CRITICAL to both lending and borrowing are ethics and responsibility.  Below is an excerpt from the PEER Servant's Web site which illustrates how responsible borrowing and lending can work:

"Joshua Muki could be a poster child for successful micro-financing. Life dealt him some severe blows -- a physical disability affecting his mobility, the premature death of his father, and the absence of formal advanced education because of his need to support his family in his father's absence...An initial loan of less than $100 from CAFECC, PEER Servants's Ugandan partner, allowed him to double his daily profits. Good as that was, it was the business training CAFECC provided that enabled Joshua to dream and then make plans that made his dream a reality. He used the training to group his larger second loan with two of his brothers, and together they bought 80 chairs to enter the event planning business.

Soon, Joshua had the corner on the Arua market for event planning -- weddings, government meetings, and even the local gathering for others with physical disabilities. Through yet another loan, he was able to expand to 200 chairs and hire one full-time and three part-time employees. Now he has his sights set on a tent. Because of his success, Joshua can afford to send his own children to get the education he never got. He is also generous to his church. And he loves to host the finest events in northern Uganda."

PEER Servants have video taped Joshua Muki telling his story. I will post the link to this YouTube video as soon as it is available. In the meantime, HERE is another example of a micro loan in Uganda that helped a woman grow her business. Thanks to Andrew Mahon for sharing this story with me.

BAREBACK DRESSAGE: Mounted Yoga -- Using YOUTUBE to launch a business

[VIDEO COURTESY of Karen Sergey and Mistover, LLC; photo courtesy of Kathy Mathew www.photosbykm.com ].

For several years, I have wanted to launch a business idea based on using Bareback Dressage as a sort of "Mounted Yoga for Horse and Rider."  I have found that bareback is an excellent way to evaluate all level of dressage horses, and to better connect the rider's core with horse's core.  If there is any stiffness in the back, you can feel it immediately and, as a rider, you must fix it immediately, or you will lose your balance.  My horse Watson has been the greatest success story to date.  His trot is so enormous, I could barely post, let alone sit, the trot with a saddle.  Bareback fixed it immediately, and we are now happily confirmed at Intermediare, his piaffe and passage are coming nicely, and we are working on our one-tempi changes.  I need to add more brilliance to his collected trot, and already his canter pirouettes have improved dramatically since this video was taken (thanks to another clinic with Roel Theunissen).  But you can judge for yourself.  Click here to see some video of Watson and me executing our first Intermediare I 2009 Test with clinician and "R" judge Maryal Barnett reading for me.  After watching me run through the test, Maryal helped me improve several of the movements and was a most encouraging clinician.

Later, my cousin sent me this incredible video of a TACKLESS DRESSAGE and jumping horse and rider team.  I was very impressed with this incredible partnership between horse and rider and encourage you to treat yourself to this video clip.  However, I do not see it as competitive with my concept of using "mounted yoga" as a tool for all riders to evaluate their horse's back muscles.  I have put complete beginners on a trained dressage horse.  With no saddle, just standing still, the rider can instantly feel the incredible difference in the horse's back when I work the reins, and soften the horse's jaw, poll, neck and back muslces.  With a saddle, they would not feel the difference until they were trotting, but it takes about four times longer to teach a rider how to put a trained horse on the bit with the saddle.  And, sadly, I cannot keep up with a trotting horse long enough to work the reins for a beginner rider.  What I have learned, from many years of using bareback as a teaching and training tool, is that even beginner riders will find their balance and their connection with their horse's core much more rapidly on a trained horse without a saddle than with a saddle.  Later, upper level riders can frequently identify subtle stiffnesses in their horse's back muscles by doing a "mounted yoga" session every once in a while.  

And besides, it's so much warmer to ride bareback during the winter, the perfect time to practice your mounted yoga! 

PS - found a complementary commentary on bareback riding on google. If you are interested in learning to ride, check it out. 

CHUCK HAGEL: My Hero

Chuck Hagel is a great example of how to disagree with presidential policies in a respectful and measured way.  A class act.  I am sorry he is no longer part of our government.

WOW! Incredible autistic child singer news story made possible with multimedia reporting

In case you missed this story about the autistic 7 year old whose parents were told would never talk, you should really appreciate this amazing story, which would have little impact without the embedded video.

GREATER BOSTON MOTOR SPORTS: 4-legged fans produce a UGA

For many years, I've been wanting to produce my own sample of UGA (User Generated Advertising) to demonstrate how YouTube can be used by neighbors and customers to promote their favorite local vendors. 

But the hitch has always been...it had to be easy enough for me to do it myself, with no tech support. 

Thanks to the FLiP camera and software, iTunes, and Amazon.com, I was able to edit and produce this little piece celebrating our purchase from Greater Boston Motor Sports. GBMS is just two blocks from where I live with my three movie stars: young Pomeranians Dino Martin and Frankie Sinatra, and ancient Schnoodle Stevie Nipps, the leader of the Rat Pack.  All three are avid riders of our used Honda Metropolitan Scooter, which I purchased from GBMS a year ago.

Using the FLiP camera and software, after neighbor and friend, Army Officer Liz Mahon, shot the staged footage, I was able to edit and produce THIS humble piece of User Generated Advertising for GBMS in about 15 minutes. The only snafu to the whole production was that the dogs were so disappointed that they didn't get to go to the dog park (as expected) that they went on strike at the end, and refused to de-plane de scooter.  But, then, that's the best part.  The Rat Pack Strikes Back.

"YOU LIE" -- What are We Teaching Our Children?!

On the heels of shocking behavior by many parents and, yes, school districts by refusing to ALLOW school children the option to hear Obama's "message to our nation's children -- " to work hard, stay in school, and be responsible" -- Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina yells "YOU LIE" at the President as he attempts to convince Congress to do SOMETHING about Health Care Reform.  Was it this same representative appears to have come prepared with a placard reading "What Bill?" 

How mature and constructive of Rep. Wilson.  Will Congressmen be throwing shoes at the President next?  If so, I do hope there is some punishment, as there was when the foreign journalist threw his shoes at President Bush.

As with the endless investigation to the most famous blow job in history (and the most expensive to U.S. Taxpayers), the grotesque extremes of partisan politics, which then served only to teach young children about oral sex, has now taught young people that disrespectful behavior by elected officials in a congressional forum is acceptable.  

I agree with this response to the ABC news blog about this incident.

"Well, if the Representative has such little control over his gut then maybe he should stay at home while the adults are talking."

...as well as this one:
"It is time both parties work together. The congressman that yelled out was a horrible example for our young people. He should apologize to the President. The Republicans certainly showed they do not want this health reform to work. Very Very sad for the American people."

And, to quote Obama in the same speech, "I believe we can replace acrimony with civility."  Should Rep. Wilson should have yelled "You Lie" to that comment as well?

There is a famous quote in support of one of our founding Civil Rights: "While I may disagree with what you say, I support your right to say it."  But such disrespect for the president of the United States by his own congress is horrifying.

Furthermore, is Wilson himself a liar? Some feel strongly about the pot calling the kettle black (no pun intended.) Click HERE.

Many sat quietly while President Bush asked for authority to send troops into Iraq, should the threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction provoke such action.  Later, a hero of mine -- Republican Senator Chuck Hagel claimed that, upon checking with his former colleagues at the Pentagon, President Bush had already given the order to invade Iraq, and the request to congress was just a formality.  But, still, he remained respectful when speaking of President Bush.

P.S. - In my humble opinion: I STILL MAINTAIN THAT THERE CAN BE NO EFFECTIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM WITHOUT FIRST INITIATING TORT REFORM.

FLIP, Greater Boston Motor Sports, The Rat Pack and My Honda Scooter - User Generated Advertising?

My Pomeranian puppies, Frankie Sinatra and Dino Martin, have joined our old Schnoodle, Stevie Nipps, and me on our Honda Metropolitan Scooter for trips to the dog parks.  I am planning to put all three clips together for a fun example of "User Generated Advertising" for Greater Boston Motor Sports, my neighborhood cycle dealer who sold me my used scooter. 

The dogs got all excited that we were really going to the dog park, but it was only a set-up for the video shoot.  When they discovered they had just returned to their backyard, they went on strike!

ALTMAN's LAW of HEALTH CARE REFORM

Thanks to Boston Globe contributing writer, Joyce Crane, for pointing me to this testimony:

Altman’s law can be summarized as follows: “Almost every American and advocacy group supports some form of Universal Health Insurance-- But if it’s not their preferred version, their second best alternative is to maintain the status quo.”   - Stuart H. Altman, PhD, Before The U.S. Senate Finance Committee, March 14, 2007 (over two years ago).

Altman, Dean and Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy The Heller School for Social Policy and Management Brandeis University (sort of the Woody Allen of Health Care reform), continued in his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee in 2007 to make two suggestions:

1. There are many ways to protect all Americans against the costs of expensive healthcare and each brings with it certain advantages and disadvantages or “winners” and “losers.” I strongly believe that we substantially improve the probability of legislating a comprehensive health reform system if we build on the current financing system as much as possible. To do otherwise generates significant opposition from groups that are key players in the existing system. Because they have a lot to lose, they form alliances with other “loser” groups to derail such legislative initiatives.

2. Much as I support the need to both protect all Americans and to reduce the growth of healthcare costs, I think it would be a big mistake to combine both in the same legislative reform plan. Each component requires changes from the current system that will be opposed by some if not many influential groups. It is also unlikely that combining the two will generate enough new support to counter the combined negative forces that will oppose the coverage and cost control legislation. Since I believe it is both easier and more important to provide comprehensive coverage I would start with solving that problem.

Click HERE for the complete transcript of Altman's testimony.

Click HERE for Part 1 and HERE for Part 2, to go to YouTube to hear and see Altman speaking about Health Care Reform on July 15, 2009.

TORT REFORM BEFORE HEALTH CARE REFORM?

I am guessing that the cost and/or fear of malpractice suits may be responsible -- directly and indirectly -- for 50 cents of every dollar spent on medical treatment.  We should FIRST put guidelines on malpractice suits and caps on settlements.  We can then see how much money health care really costs and then make better decisions about the cost of universal health care.

Even if the extremely expensive and complex Universal Health Care proposal is passed, the effect of unchecked malpractice litigation, along with absurd amounts of Red Tape associated with CoA (covering our bums) along with insurance, HMO and government regulatory compliance is driving GOOD, DEDICATED doctors out of the medical profession in droves.   What are left is an increasingly antagonistic relationship between patients and health care professionals. Nurses, emergency response staff, ambulance drivers, and even knowledgeable good Samaritans are also fair game for those who see litigation as a much better alternative to the Lottery.

In the meantime, intentional rumors, FUD, misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric by opportunistic politicians is creating more chaos -- possibly making DANGEROUS suggestions to borderline individuals -- to a very expensive proposal that is in front of Congress in an attempt to address the rising cost of health care at a time when fewer people can afford to pay for it.  Seems as if we should first try to address one of the major factors driving up the cost of health care (i.e. Wouldn't it be nice if tort reform lowered the cost of health care by 1/3 or more?)

Click HERE to see the comments of a former extremist who is suddenly realizing that we may be our own worst enemy.

A PURPOSE FOR PRISONS: Puppies Behind Bars

Many thanks to my sister who forwarded these YouTube video clips from Oprah about the Puppies Behind Bars program.  Click HERE for Part I. And HERE fo Part II. This is such a great program, solving three social problems with a single program:
1. Saving shelter puppies and others that might otherwise be euthanized
2. Giving prisoners a purpose and the ability to give back to society
3. Providing wounded veterans with trained service dogs

Item 2 has an additional purpose, as the program also quite obviously serves to rehabilitate hardened criminals.  And, it certainly is one of the most financially efficient programs for prisoners and veterans.
See Glenn Close's Web site at www.fetchdog.com to donate to this program.  HERE is another video clip from the fetchdog.com Web site for more info about the Puppies Behind Bars programs.

EVIAN: FABULOUS YOUTUBE AD

Check it out.  YouTube advertising at its best.

TRAIN STATION ART enabled by YOUTUBE

If you want to see some semi-spontaneous music/dance/art (that will make you feel like there is hope for the world,) check out this YouTube video of an Antwerp Train Station lobby.

"CRASH, The Sequel": Obama, Gates, Harvard & the Cambridge Police

Obama finally disappointed me.  He played the race card, which was counter to the tone of his entire presidential campaign.  Ironically, the incident he chose to elevate into an issue of “racial profiling” probably was NOT racial profiling but, instead was a case of intellectual and educational profiling, on the side of the black, alleged “victim.” And, counter to Obama’s battle cry of “unification” and “yes we can," his comments on a minor, neighborhood incident only resulted in polarization between the races AND between the police and the president of the United States. 

So, as most of us know, neighbors saw two men trying to force open a door to an expensive house in an elite neighborhood in Cambridge.  Apparently, the neighbors don’t socialize enough to recognized their own neighbor and they call the police.  One of the men appearing to force open a door is a Harvard professor who is undoubtedly EXTREMELY frustrated about being locked out of his own house.  The last thing he needed was the cops arriving and treating him like a wannabe thief.  The esteemed Harvard professor probably loses his intellectual temper at the less educated Cambridge police, and is outraged at their less than enthusiastic response to his frustration, anger, and resorts to accusations of racism, later proved to be inappropriate considering the background of the police in question.

I have been very impressed with Obama's incredible oratorial skills AND his conscious avoidance during the recent election of playing the "race card." I think the cop who stopped the football player, Ryan Moats, rushing with his family to the hospital before the mother died used really bad judgement.  THIS was an obvious abuse  of police power AND what appeared to have racial overtones.  The policeman pulled a GUN on a man in front of a hospital after following the black driver speeding with his family behind an ambulance.  But this incident did not prompt any comment by the president of the United States.  I am sure there are many, many incidents that are obvious issues of racial profiling by police, but – IMHO – this was NOT one of them. 

But, in the middle of a press conference about Health Care Reform, Obama was suckered into commenting on the arrest of an old “friend” of his from Harvard, a colorful and theatrical professor who was described to me by one of his students as having two tones in speaking – “rant or rave” (actually very entertaining in the classroom). Obama should have replied as he has so often in the past, "this press conference is not about the arrest of Professor Gates. I will comment on this incident when I have all the facts." 

So was this really about racial profiling, or was this about Harvard Hubris?  (Watch "Good Will Hunting" again to explain what I mean by "Harvard Hubris").  Are Harvard Professors superior to the rest of us?  Do they deserve special treatment if and when they start shouting accusations at Police who are doing their job? (CLICK HERE to read the POLICE REPORT about HENRY GATES [mis]BEHAVIOR.)   I am no fan of what I call the growing Police State of Massachusetts.  But this was not about racism.  This was about Harvard staff immunity from respectful behavior towards the Cambridge Police when they are actually attempting to a legitimate job, and not just collecting revenue for the state. 

POST SCRIPT: Kudos to Colin Powell for saying what Obama should have said.

CASEY KASEM STOPS COUNTING

I can't remember when I stopped caring about the Top 40 countdown.  Possibly when I topped 40 myself.  Or maybe when my tolerance for advertising drove me away from commercial radio; possibly when I discovered I needed reading glasses and started listening to NPR for my news and became an addict; and possibly when my daughters' boom boxes full of rap and hip hop made me realize I didn't like most of the Top 40 "poor excuses for music" anymore.

BUT...one weekend, something drove me away from NPR and I hit the "surf" button while driving my mandatory minivan.  I heard a very familiar, cheerful, VERY "white" voice saying "and for the 400th week in a row, the #1 song is...." and I was struck with two thoughts: 1)  "Gee, I thought Dick Clark was dead!"  And 2) "I better listen to this song so I know what my daughters are listening to."

And then the following words and hypnotic, syncopated rhythm first entered my head, where they would haunt me for the rest of my life:

"I wanna li li li lick you from your head to your toes
and I wanna
move from the bed down to the down to the to the floor
and I wanna ah ah you make it so good I don't wanna leave
but I got to
let let me know wh what's your fant-tasy"

I was stunned.  I didn't know what upset me more: the INCREDIBLY adult sexual nature of the lyrics, or the fact that the artist thought that "toe" rhymed with "floor."

But, ultimately all these responsible, parental,"grown up" thoughts were overridden by the AMAZINGLY sophisticated, magical, tight, flawless, rapid-fire-machine-gun execution of rest of Ludacris's incredible song "Fantasy," with Shawna as his perfect female partner in this erotic aural dance.  It's still one of my own Top 40s of all time.  Thanks, Casey. We'll miss you. Who would have guessed you would be the one to introduce me to one of the greatest black performers of the new age of rap and hip hop. Click HERE to hear the song on YouTube. WARNING: WORDS MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME (aCTUALLY, TO MOST). 

VIDEO PET TRICK COMPETITION held by THE WASHINGTON POST

My friend and childhood neighbor, Bev Boone, alerted me (via Facebook) to a video Pet Trick competition being sponsored by the Washington Post. Yet another video competition enabled by the Web! See www.washingtonpost.com/pet-tricks.  ENJOY! (Bev's "grand-dog" Corkie is among the competitors.).

IRAN ELECTIONS: People in Glass Houses...

...shouldn't throw stones.  Regarding President Obama's careful wording when commenting on the Iranian Elections (and the criticism he is taking for not being more outspoken with condemnation), I was prompted to remember the controversy of the U.S. election results of Year 2000.  I went to YouTube to refresh the memories of interested readers, and discovered this very interesting analysis entitled "How George Bush Stole the 2000 Election."  It is quite interesting presentation by Greg Palast (not Michael Moore's outrageously slanted style...strictly a careful factual analysis.) I encourage you to watch the two part lecture: Click HERE for Part 1 and HERE for Part 2.

I am by no means advocating one thing or another regarding the Iranian Elections.  I just think we should not be overly critical of the possibility of corrupt elections elsewhere until/unless we can prove otherwise about the 2000 elections here in the U.S.  I can't help but add that the winner of the 2000 Election, George W. Bush, was the president who decided we, the United States, should invade Iraq and depose Saddam Hussein.  The quality of Hussein's leadership is perhaps less important than the fact that, by taking out the SUNNI leader of Iraq, we totally disrupted the fragile balance of power in the middle east. The anti-Sunni SHI'ITE leadership of IRAN was now left unchecked by the regional power groups.  So why should we be surprised or shocked at the outcome of the elections there?  And why should we be horrified by the possibility of corrupt elections? 

Yes, it would be nice if the people of Iran would elect into power a less antagonistic leader.  But we in the U.S. should indeed carefully word our criticsm of the Iranian elections.  Not only did we (perhaps ignorantly) contribute to empowering the existing Iranian ruler by invading Iraq, we have our own dirty election laundry.  People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

OBAMA'S CAIRO SPEECH -- THE WHITE HOUSE CHANNEL ON YouTube

Many thanks to Carl N. Grant, a Facebook Friend, for noting that Obama's compelling speech in Cairo was posted on the White House Channel on YouTube. Being an early, self-appointed YouTube analyst of sorts, I thought it most noteworthy that the White House has its own channel.  The shelf life of such momentous, national and international political events is now extended, available for reference by all, at any time, anywhere.  An obvious thing, but pretty amazing when you think how recently YouTube began to gain wide acceptance as a new way to archive and share multimedia communication. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video frequently says it all.

PS - I noted on LinkedIn that an former co-worker at Lotus, Carole Gunst, produced a fun, creative, video for EMC, now on YouTube.  Reminded me of "House." 

MULTIMEDIA MOURNING of DR. GEORGE TILLER

Pro-choice or anti-abortionist, most sane people are horrified by the tragic murder of Dr. George Tiller, grandfather of ten and much loved, yet controversial, advocate of a woman's right to choose.  While researching the background of this story, I was impressed with the incredible use of video clips in this story in the on-line version of the Wichita Eagle.

"ENTERTAINING" DARK HUMOR ADS ON YOUTUBE: HYUNDAI or UGA (User Generated Advertising)?

Hyundai "spoof" ads like THIS ONE are all over YouTube, but are banned on TV.  Whether done by Hyundai or some clever Hyundai fans, this accomplishes several positive things for the car manufacturer: 1. First of all, PULL advertising is much more desirable than the mostly sanitized but boring garbage being PUSHED at you on TV. As with shock jocks like Howard Stern, these YouTube ads are so un-PC and/or outrageously humorous and/or outrageously offensive, viewers are choosing to watch these ads; 2. They are viral advertising -- friends share these ads with groups of friends....the most effective kind of branding (that's how I heard about it); 3. They are NOT annoyingly interrupting TV shows, most of which are also annoying anyhow, but there seems to be no limit to the number of ads allowed.  Pablum ads also interrupt movies, unless you pay for HBO.  TV ads seem to be taking up about 50% of an average TV show time.

BEAUTY IN THE EAR OF THE BEHOLDER

This British version of American Idol packed a touching surprise, moving the entire youthful and initially giggling and mocking audience to an unexpected and awestruck standing ovation.

THE BEST WAY TO ROB A BANK....

....is to own one.  That is the title of a book by William Black.  I stumbled across a startling interview with him by Bill Moyers.  I cannot encourage my readers enough to read this summary of the interview and, if possible, please watch the video clip of the show.  Click HERE to see what William Black has to say about the current economic crisis, and the CEOs of the financial institutions who still have their high paying jobs, while the CEO of GM has lost his.  With newspapers on the brink of collapse, it is important for us to spot important headlines.  I rarely watch Bill Moyers....no background, no band, not escapist entertainment, sometimes very boring.  But this had me on the edge of my seat.  Really!

POST SCRIPT: My cousin suggested I view the DVD "Zeitgeist," and wrote the following about her analysis of the Moyers interview with Black:

"You may have already seen this Friday's edition of Bill Moyers' Journal.  He interviewed the financial & legal scholar Wm Black who explained clearly the direct culpability of the bankers for aggressively hawking what was called inside the business "liar loans" (i.e., subprime).  He mentions Indie bank as an example of this deliberate and premeditated fraud.  He describes it as a Ponzi scheme on a national scale in which (unlike Madoff), the tax payers cover the risk. Black condemns WA DC as well, including Geitner/Obama, for failing to get rid of the bank CEOs, not because of any direct collusion w/ the bankers, but because they are scared to death of what new people leading these banks would discover and expose, thereby requiring radical reconstruction of the industry as well as inducing possible economic panic.  It's a coverup for the benefit of the "banksters". "

MADONNA vs. OCTA-MOM

I happened to stumble onto some entertainment news program on CNN last night.  I found Madonna under fire for adopting a second child from a very poor African country AND donating money to help fund a new school there.  She is being criticized for adopting as a single mom, and using her money and fame to "fast track" the adoption, which is usually illegal primarily due to potential child abuse, slavery and sex traffic issues.  When the press started to shout questions at her about bending the law and single parenting, she responded (correctly, IMHO) "it's none of your business."  That's right....it's not business, it's called common sense and being a good global citizen.  This news item was immediately followed by a bunch of emails, callers and letters from defenders of the Octamom. "Leave her alone.  She deserves our support, not our criticism.  Those babies are adorable."  In this economy....this is about the only thing I found on YouTube that makes ANY sensible defense of the Octamom.  (warning, may contain offensive material.) 

So my kudos to Madonna for creatively sharing some of her hard-earned wealth and fame to make this world a better place for a poor African country and a few kids from an orphanage.  And shame on the doctor who did not identify a serious problem and encourage the Octamom to get counseling before contributing 14 more children into a world that can no longer support them for her.  But, then, maybe she will prove me wrong, and become rich and famous with her own TV show and books. (Do you think she has a contract to share the profits with the fertilization doctor?  It IS a great promotion for his business.)

LATE BREAKING UPDATE: Apparently, the Video Blogger who suggested OctaMom had her sights set on making big money of off TV and Books was right on the money, literally and figuratively.  This story about Octamom's "Reality TV Show" was on the front of my News Page today.  Does this qualify as child labor?

www.pimpthisbum.com -- a new way to help the homeless

I just saw this on the news, and thought I'd just pass along to my readers.  According to the news story, you can specify what you'd like your donation to go to -- anything from a cheeseburger to a college course. The web site has plenty of video clips and live web cams featuring interviews with homeless people. Here's an excerpt from the web site:

"Sean and I started Ascendgence LLC, an internet marketing business in January of this year. I am a veteran VP Sales/Marketing of 24 years. Sean is a part time DJ and marketing student specializing in online marketing. We do sophisticated tactical SEO and Viral marketing campaigns. We needed to do a campaign that we could use as a case study to market and showcase the capabilities of our fledgling enterprise. We were originally going to do a campaign for a local business in Katy Texas. However, Sean came up with a different idea.

Sean has been involved in volunteer work since he was very young. We raised him in a church that is very focused on service. He was president and founder of a service organization at his high school (Mayde Creek High School) that worked with the developmentally disabled kids in the school. That organization was later chartered into the Best Buddies organization. He is an Eagle Boy Scout and his Eagle service project brought young people together with special education kids. Over the past 6 years he has spent many hundreds of hours donating his mobile DJ services to Best Buddies, Special Olympics and many of other events for the handicapped, homeless and others. His favorite gig ever was at the Periwinkle Foundation camp. There he DJed a big annual shindig for a large group of terminally ill children. Anyone who knows Sean has no doubt what his intentions and motivations were for this PTB project.

As we have worked with Tim and his friends on the street over the past two weeks I have had an awakening that I hope we can share with others through this project. We knew that the same campaign with a sincere appeal, and a website like “helpthehomeless.com,” would be ignored. We knew that if we insulted people’s sensitivity or appealed to their humor – on a subject as sensitive as this we would get their attention. Then when they came to the site to see what a horrible thing or funny thing we were doing, they would immediately be introduced to Tim Edwards. They would quickly see a warm funny, sensitive, intelligent homeless human being. Someone they could relate to – someone they would like. "

SHEEP HERDING ART on YOUTUBE

If you haven't read any of my other blog entries about new art forms enabled by or made known by YouTube, this one using sheep, sheep herding dogs, and some exceptionally creative shepherds has to be one of the most innovative! 

By the way, I found this on a Web site called www.cheerupamerica.com for all of us who are getting depressed by the dreary news. 

INTERESTING BLOGS: A Quarter Ton Man and a Quarter Pound Library -- The Kindle 2

 

A writer I know -- Michael -- who managed to close a horrifying true life chapter of morbid obesity and opened a new chapter by losing weight, falling in love and marrying a beautiful woman and becoming an active and loving step-father -- has started a provocative and edgy blog entitled "Former Quarter Ton Man."   It's a bit "out there" and might bother some of you, but for anyone who struggles with weight problems or any condition that serves to result in isolation, they might find it inspirational.

Harry, another writer friend of mine is an intelligent and thoughtful analyst of modern life, and has started a blog at www.akubot.typepad.com. His feedback and analysis on Amazon's Kindle 2 is fascinating.  Since he introduced this amazing tool to me, I have thought of many situations where the Kindle's voice-reader option would be extremely useful.  But the impact on the publishing industry of one-click purchasing of digitized books -- all stored in a single, small piece of hardware -- is mind-boggling.  You now have the option to download several books onto one small machine, the size and weight of a single light weight paperback, extremely more efficient for speed readers who travel a lot. Or, you may select a voice -- male or female -- to read the book to you, along with the option of ear plugs. Think was this could mean for long distance driving, people with poor eyesight, dyslexic children of all ages, etc.

OF NOTE: if you go to Michael's Quarter Ton Man blog, you will note at the top, several of his favorite YouTube video clips.  I highly recommend the first one on the left.

DID YOU KNOW? Interesting Stats About the Impact of Technology on the World

Worth taking a look at THIS.  Although be prepared, during the time you watch this video, it tells you how many babies are being born in the U.S., in China and in India.  And it also emphasizes that much of what we are teaching our kids in college is irrelevant to the jobs that will exist when they graduate. As I tell my kids, be careful about differentiating between "education" and "college." 

WARNING: In Addition to the Danger of STDs; Adultery is a Felony in 5 States!

JUST YESTERDAY...I found out from a friend who is an attorney that adultery is still a felony in five states.  I thought I should alert my readers, since Internet dating has become the norm for most busy, working people who have graduated from college-- especially single parents who don't have the time or interest in hanging out in bars. 

But even those who enjoy meeting people "the old fashioned way" need to go on a person's word that they are not married. 

IN MASSACHUSETTS and UTAH, punishment can be up to 3 years in prison! Adultery is defined as having intercourse with anyone except your spouse, so I'm not sure if this applies to non-married people, too.  I saw this YouTube video years ago, and thought it was a riot. Now I'm wondering if single people should all bring lawyers along on all their dates. 

But every cloud has a silver lining.  This COULD be a significant part of the solution to the current financial and housing crisis in America.  Considering the number of people knowingly or unknowingly guilty of this crime, we need to build a lot of prisons, very quickly!  That would employ a lot of construction workers, engineers, architects, etc., etc.  A lot of people are homeless because of job loss, foreclosure, or by being kicked out of their houses by their spouses. These people could run out and have a fling. No need for expensive divorce attorneys!  Just get arrested for adultery, and you have food and housing for three years!

Hopefully, by then, Obama will have fixed the economy, and there will be plenty of jobs waiting for all these adulterers.  Just wear a scarlet A when you go for your interview, and the 3 year gap on your resume will be self explanatory.

MRS. HUGHES LIVE at the ICE HOUSE: YouTube Spreads Talent

I can't believe I have never heard or seen this brilliant comic before.  She is a genius.  A friend of mine send me this as a bulky WAVE file. I laughed so hard, I wanted to share this with ALL my friends, and anyone who is married, has been married, has had children, is thinking of having children, or anyone who hasn't had children or hasn't been married.  That's a lot of people to send a WAVE file to, so I went to YouTube and looked up "Mrs. Hughes."  And here it is....ENJOY MRS. HUGHES! Live at the Ice House.

FAITH? HOPE? CHANGE? (and, when it's just too heavy, there's always Budweiser)

I noticed a particularly clever photo on a former Progress Software co-worker's Facebook Profile.  Then I noticed the creator of the photo was another former Progress co-worker.  I dropped him a note congratulating him on his creation.  He responded that it inspired a video he has since posted on YouTube.  This pretty well sums up the definition of "faith" in this age of computers.  He has also created a Web site for people to contribute ideas about what we can do to help "reset" (or avoid the need to hit the reset button) because of the mess we appear to have made.

On a lighter note, I noticed another friend on Facebook pointed to this wonderful Budweiser Horse video/ad....awwwwww, those big horses are so wonderful and lovable.  They always remind me of my big boy, Watson, a gentle giant of a horse who also LOVES to play with other horses, and sometimes with me, in the snow. Kudos to Bud's new owners for keeping these classy symbols in their ads. 

"U @ 50"...ANOTHER YOUTUBE COMPETITION, this one sponsored by AARP

At a meeting of the AARP (American Association of Retired People) they showed a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20 year old. The contest was Titled 'u @ 50'.

This video won second place. When they showed it , everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause.

So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch "Lost Generation" 2nd place winner of U at 50 competition.

At the other end of the spectrum, this video happened to catch my eye, too!  This performance of "MY GENERATION" by the Zimmers makes you want to get up and dance...with or without your walker! 

AND ONE MORE FOR GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY, check out Ellen D's chat with Gladys.  Gladys is sharp as a tack, and funny as heck, in spite of her assertion that "I love Jesus but I drink a little."  Thanks to one of my friends on Facebook for posting this.

PATENT MILLS: Let's Kill Small Business

TORT REFORM...more important than Homeland Security. Maybe it IS homeland security?

Small Business ranks up there on the goodness scale along with motherhood and apple pie. But, these days, maybe even higher!  EVERYONE – Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians – agree that Small Business is the backbone of our economy. After all, you can’t be a good mom or even make an apple pie unless you and, your life partner, or your kids have jobs.  Just this morning, NPR announced that among the 2 million jobs lost this year, more than half have been lost in the past month.  I can’t remember the number of small businesses that have gone under in the past few months, but I remember the prediction that the number would double in 2009.

So I was shocked to hear from one of my small business owner acquaintances, that he was being sued by one of his largest customers.  “No hard feelings,” he assured me.  “They're suing me because some extortionist is suing without legitimate reason, so they have to sue me, and I -- in turn -- have to sue a few others of my business partners.  It happens periodically and everyone knows it’s just legalized extortion...part of the cost of doing business.  It’s an automatic legal expense to all of us.” 

“How much?” 

“For me, the entry fee to play this game is $24,000.  It usually stops as soon as they know you’re going to fight back, but that is what it costs to fight back.  Many businesses decide to settle out of court for $20 K and save a few bucks.”

“Why are you being sued?” I asked.

“Patent infringement.  It’s totally bogus.  Just another Patent Mill.” 

“What’s a Patent Mill?” I asked. 

“You’ve never heard of a Patent Mill???” he said with a mix of disdain and incredulousness.  “Patent Mills are a bunch of attorneys who buy up a lot of obscure patents.  Then they go around suing anyone – usually large technical companies with deep pockets – for having some technology in one of their products that MIGHT even HINT at having a similar functionality.  They don’t investigate or anything.  They just file a suit for an amount that is small enough that they know they won’t have to go to court.  And, even if they did have to go to court, judges aren’t knowledgeable about the technology, and don’t want to read the 1,000 page documents that explain and argue exactly what patent is being infringed upon and why.

There is a great hue and cry about puppy mills – breeding puppies and selling them for big money.  If the market gets flooded, some of the less reputable breeders kill the puppies that don’t sell, just to keep the prices up.  Puppies are cute a loveable living things.  Small businesses are nameless, faceless entities with little in common except their size and, as a result, very little lobby clout in Congress.  But, as the “backbone of our economy,” don’t you think they need some protection from this legalized extortion?

Patent Mills participate in legalized extortion.  Let’s take a look at this and talk a little more about tort reform, OK?     

ANOTHER ON-LINE FILM COMPETITION: The American Muslim Experience

In looking for help with my camcorder, I happened to meet Faisal Jalal.  He and his wife, both Muslims, live in Cambridge. Faisal and I discovered we both had a passion for YouTube-style, independent film shorts.  He recently submitted two video shorts to a competition sponsored by "LinkTV: One Nation, Many Voices."  One of Faisal's shorts, entitled MOC (Marriage of Convenience), is a sensitive, touching and subtle but powerful tale of the common practice of gay Muslims to find gay partners of the opposite sex with whom they can marry and each share their private lives with their true partners. For most Muslims, keeping ones homosexuality hidden is nearly essential to protect family ties and to avoid bringing shame on one's family.  The beautiful background soundtrack is the voice of Faisal's wife, who also plays a key role in his movie.

The other short is of a popular Boston-area Muslim convenience store owner who dishes out Islamic teachings to his grateful customers in Boston, all trying to cope with the universal bumps and challenges of everyday life.

This one -- "A Dangerous Idea" -- had me laughing out loud. In the style of the popular cult film "Barbershop," three Muslims in a convenience store debate the pros and cons of selling junk food 'pork rinds' that contain no real pork. "If you think you are eating pork, you are," the more devout young Muslim argues.  The older store manager argues that the purpose of a convenience store is to make everything more convenient for their customers -- from popcorn to pornography. "If we can't sell pork rind, how can we make money?"  Ahhhhh...the age old question of business vs. ethics, and the separation of church and bank.

There are plenty of other video jewels on this site, most of them communicating and promoting a better understanding of American Muslims who share a desire for a peaceful world and a passion for movie making as a means to this end.  I encourage interested readers to review these videos and vote for your favorites.

About the competition (from the Web Site):

"ASSIGNMENTS:
Five finalists will be selected for each Assignment, based on community voting. All of these finalists will also be eligible to win the Grand Prize.

• 60-Second Spot
  Create a 60-second spot about American Muslims’ contribution to public service and/or interfaith community building.
• The American Muslim Life
  Produce a video no longer than five minutes on “The American Muslim Life” that portrays a unique aspect of being an American Muslim. From the thought-provoking to the hilarious, videos can be documentary, comedy, animation, drama, spoken word, or music videos.
• Youth Story
  Produce a video no longer than five minutes that profiles an outstanding American Muslim youth or young adult (16-25 years) with a unique story. Videos can be documentary, animation, drama, spoken word, or music videos, but the youth you profile must be a real person.
• American Muslim Women
  Produce a video no longer than five minutes that profiles an American Muslim woman who is taking a leadership role in her community. Think creatively and outside the box; the profile would come from fields as varied as sports, fashion, public policy, education, cuisine, technology, arts, etc. Videos can be documentary, animation, drama, spoken word, or music videos, but the woman you profile must be a real person.
• Two Faiths, One Film - Requirements changed!
  Produce a video no longer than five minutes that shows similarities and/or differences between two religions or spiritual traditions. The entry must portray the rewards and/or challenges of inter-religious friendships and share an example of a commonality that the friends can learn abut each other’s tradition. Videos can be documentary, animation, drama, spoken word, or music videos but the friends profile must be real people. (Previously we had requested that two people co-produce the entry; this is no longer a requirement.)

JUMPING for JOY

Video clip from today's New York Times on-line featured Brooklyn's Holiday Classic double dutch competition at the Apollo Theater.  Two boys broke into the tryouts for this traditionally distaff sport, and one made it to the Apollo.  But it's no wonder the boys want in...what an incredibly demanding, spectacular sport/dance/art form.  Hardly for sissies! Like break dancing, only over two swinging ropes.  Check it out and decide for yourself which is more difficult -- olympic ski jumping (where women are currently prohibited from competing) or competitive Double Dutch.

DANCE YOUR PhD COMPETITION: Zorba the Geek on YOUTUBE?

NPR (National Public Radio) just featured an interview with "The Gonzo Scientist" John Bohannon speaking on the wildly popular and now worldwide "Dance your PhD" Competition.  The Gonzo Scientist is a contributing editor to the "Science AAAS" Magazine.  Bohannon contributed an article on the first "Dance Your PhD" competition in February, 2008. The original inspiration came from Molecular Biology PhD Scientist at the University of Vienna  by day -- DJ by night -- Cristoph Campregher. Then IMP Ph.D. student Nilay Yapici got involved. 

According to Bohannon, "the event snowballed into a blowout science party, with two other scientist-DJs agreeing to take part: Ph.D. students Martha Körner of IMP and Philip Starkl of the Medical University of Vienna."

Scientists and Ph.D. candidates around the world wanted to compete, too!  But how do you hold such a competition for such a globally dispersed audience? 

How else but YouTube! 

The winners were announced in November, and are posted on YouTube for all who enjoy the beauty and creativity of dance, and such subjects as "Cerebral activation patterns induced by inflection of regular and irregular verbs with positron emission tomography. A comparison between single subject and group analysis;" ""Resolving Pathways of Functional Coupling in Human Hemoglobin Using Quantitative Low Temperature Isoelectric Focusing of Asymmetric Mutant Hybrids;" "The role of vitamin D in beta cell function;" and "Single Molecule Measurements of Protelomerase TelK-DNA Complexes."

I consulted a Neurologist, PhD in Advanced Mathematics, and a "Geek that Talks" (GTT) -- for help in interpreting the dance representations of these esoteric topics.  He chose to analyze the dance representation of "The Role of Vitamin D in Beta Cell Function."

"Vitamin D is made in the skin on exposure to UV light from the sun," the introduction reads. "In response to glucose, the Beta cells of the pancreas secrete insulin. We hypothesize that Vitamin D could improve Beta cell function and insulin secretion, thus protecting against diabetes." 

The dance -- broken into three difference segments -- begins with Mr. Sun (with a head lamp) dancing to the tune of "Hot, Hot, Hot" which stimulates the very lovely Miss Vitamin D.  Miss Vitamin D in turn, spreads her en"light"enment to a group of lethargic Beta cells to the Nutcracker's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Beta cells, in turn slowly get off the floor, gain in movement and functionality, strength and even begin to dance in creative interaction with each other, with Miss Vitamin D cheering them on.  Finally, Mr. Sun re-enters the picture to the very up-beat and energizing tune of "Walking on Sunshine" and everyone is totally grooving and happy, with Miss Vitamin D leading the Beta cells in a line dance. 

Hey now!  I'm off to the tanning salon. 

PEAS PORRIDGE HOT and other IDIOMS from England c. 1500

Before I pass along to my readers these interesting historical origins of some common American idioms (including childhood jump rope chants and hand jive games, such as Peas Porrige Hot), I must include my standard YouTube illustration relevant to the topic at hand.

And so here are two of many YouTube clips of different performances of "Peas Porrige Hot."  For dog lovers, here is Cleo, the English Setter, doing a hand jive -- or, more appropriately, a paw jive -- to Peas Porrige Hot.  And for those too young to remember this childhood chant, here is a performance with subtitles, so you can "sing along."  (and I can't reist including THIS more "mature" interrpretation.)

Thanks to my friend, Polly Hertig, for alerting me to this bit of history.

LIFE IN ENGLAND IN THE 1500'S
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think abou t how things used to be . Here are some facts about the 1500s:   

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of ”carrying a bouquet when getting married.” 

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.”  
 
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, “It's raining cats and dogs.” 

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That’s how “canopy beds” came into existence. 
 
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, “Dirt poor.” The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying ”a thresh hold.” 

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold
overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.” 

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all “sit around and chew the fat. 

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. 

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the “upper crust.” 

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of “holding a wake.” 

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (”the graveyard shift”) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, “saved by the bell” or was considered “a dead ringer.” 

And that's the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring!!! 

OXYMORON RAP?

For those of you who enjoy paradox AND the possibilities of user generated advertising, check out THIS great rap ad on YouTube. (Thanks you, Claudio, for alerting me to this wonderful YouTube work of advertising art and cultural satire.)

"THE LANGUAGE OF COMPROMISE" - the need for tort reform

When it come to feuds and personal disputes, is our legal/judicial system part of the solution, or part of the problem?  Or maybe it HAS BECOME the problem?  Click here to hear about an interesting YouTube Video Competition being held by a divorce attorney, giving teenagers an opportunity to say how it feels to be caught in the middle of the War of the Roses and the need to family law reform. In my opinion, the need for tort reform in this country is critical. While lawyers are needed for the purpose of protecting the innocent, the conflict of interest has compromised the ethics of many attorneys to fan the flames of disputes in order to extend their hourly wages or to collect percertages of personal injury or large class action lawsuits, litigation that has served to encourage "professional victims" and situations such as the one described in my blog entry below "BOSTON BANDITS:" ...."Litigate to Intimidate."

Perhaps because of reporting for jury duty today, where I met an older man attempting to file for bankruptcy due to his home foreclosure (he sighed as he explained that they make it too complicated to do it without hiring an attorney, but he can't afford one), or perhaps because of the unchecked and unregulated greed that has triggered our current economic crisis CAUSING this elderly man to lose his home, the following article by Nicholas Birch in Diyarbakir, Turkey caught my attention:

"Ibrahim Tekin's problems began when a friend lent him his wife's three gold bracelets to shore up his failing restaurant business. Two days later, the wife's family told him to hand them back: the bracelets were part of a dowry. Mr Tekin could not. He had pawned them. In the ensuing brawl, he stabbed one of his assailants in the heart.

The vendetta triggered, Mr Tekin did what hundreds of Kurds had done before him, he called in the man the locals call "Diyarbakir's Kofi Annan". A 65-year-old former butcher, Sait Sanli has brokered more than 500 deals between feuding families in the past decade, and is determined to stamp out a tradition central to Kurdish society.

"So much blood is spilt over problems not big enough to fill a walnut shell," says Mr Sanli, in his funeral parlour in Diyarbakir's old town. "But feuds are like a snake; they bite for a nothing." After the bloodiest months of fighting since the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party restarted its 25-year war against the Turkish state in 2004, many of the men sitting in the funeral parlour think Turkey would do well to copy Mr Sanli's "sweet tongue".

With tit-for-tat murders of Turkish soldiers and PKK members stoking hatred on both sides, they compare the war to a gigantic blood feud. Asked to explain his success, Mr Sanli laughs. "It's certainly not my looks." Barely 5ft tall, he has the slight stoop and cough of a former heavy smoker. "Around here, they say that 'A sweet tongue can even persuade a snake out of its hole'," he says. "I kiss hands. I berate. I shout. Sometimes, I cry. Above all, I listen to everybody involved, even the children."

From a story by He gives the example of a feud he helped to patch up in 2002. A Diyarbakir woman, moving 500 miles west to the tourist city of Antalya after her husband was murdered, spent the next 15 years laying an extra place at table. It was her way of reminding her two sons, toddlers at the time of their father's death, of their obligation to avenge him. "In many ways, she was rebelling against her in-laws' attempts to impose their solution on her," Mr Sanli says. "The job of revenge should have fallen to them. To avoid that, they tried to get her to accept derisory blood money."

A day after Mr Sanli told the woman he had persuaded the murderer's family to pay her $15,000, she rang him to say she had slept soundly for the first time since her husband's death. "She had been mourning her husband, but she was also mourning her children's ruined future," Mr Sanli says.

In the case of Ibrahim Tekin, this widely respected man's magic seems to have worked. Recently, he was joined at his breakfast table by spokesmen for the feuding families. The atmosphere was friendly. There was much shaking of heads over the impetuousness of the young. Both sides were evasive, but an agreement over blood money seemed near.

"Sait is the crown on our heads," says Bayram Guclu, a notable from Mr Tekin's village who is mediating between the families. "He has taught us the value of the language of compromise."

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE OF TORT REFORM: Click here to see this parody of our legal system hard at work.

GOODBYE ALACRON, HELLO DUNCAN and J-LO

Having wrapped up a phenomenally successful tenure as acting vice president of marketing for Alacron, Inc., a Nashua-based machine vision manufacturer, and publicist for Alacron's CEO, Dr. Joseph Sgro, I now have been retained as a publicist for authors Chuck Duncan and Jennifer Lopez (writing under her pen name of Jennifer Cutler.) 

Duncan's first two novels -- "Sleight of Hand" and its sequel, "Retribution" -- are hot off the presses, and as a set they make a great holiday gift for anyone who enjoys novels by Clancy or Trevanian.

Jennifer Lopez, writing and publishing as Jennifer Cutler, recently published two anthologies: "BACK STORY: First Time Tales by the Stranger Next Door," and "SATURDAYS @ 9" collection of short stories and excerpts from novels by members of her writers club, the New England Creative Writers' Group.

I am excited about shifting out of technology marketing and communications and venturing into the new field of publishing, fiction and creative writing. Watch for some innovative publicity on YouTube.  The Woburn Advocate recently ran this story about our own local J-Lo (a.k.a. Cutler) and Duncan's prolific group of Boston area writers.

POST ELECTION YouTube HUMOR

This is pretty clever. Enjoy this spoof of the great chad debate of the Florida voting booth scandal.

"THE BEST THING TO COME FROM THIS ELECTION"

THIS YouTUBE Video "You Can Vote However You Like" was just sent to me by a  young, very smart 20 something friend.  Note this comments from a viewer:

Sad to think middle schoolers have taken more time to learn where the two candidates stand on the issues than a large number of voting americans. I love the funky chicken dance with "talk politics all night."

 

It may be sad, but it's also very exciting...that middle schoolers CARE about becoming aware of POLITICAL IDEAS!!! At least we aren't dealing with the apathy of youth that I have sadly  observed in the past 30 years.  Maybe it's time to lower the voting age!

SATURDAYS @ 9: "Use the Internet to get off the Internet" (Meetup.com slogan)

In addition to YouTube, another wildly popular, viral Web phenonemon has been Meetup.com.  I think this is the first book publishing sparked directly by Meetup:

http://www.lulu.com/content/4607922

FROM THE BOOK JACKET:

"Every Saturday @ 9, a group of people meet in a suburban Boston coffee shop. Dedication, imagination, and caffeine converged to create the first collection of stories by the New England Creative Writers' Group. Showcasing local talent, the writers in this book represent an eclectic set of genres. Explore horse tales to small town murder, modern classroom antics to futuristic students, suburban alienation, romantic infatuation, alleyway addiction and more. Let your mind wander across this collection of short stories and novel excerpts. Enjoy these tales, and maybe someday you will say "I knew them when…"

A story about the New England Creative Writers' Group was recently featured in in the Woburn Advocate.  (Click HERE to read the article by journalist Linda Kush.)

ORIGINALLY A MEETUP GROUP:

The New England Creative Writers' Group attracted my attention just about a year ago, when I was exploring Meetup.com for Boston-area activities.  I attended the first meeting with cautious optimism, having previously had a bad experience in a writers' group.  The group's leader, Chuck Duncan, was a tall, casually dressed soft spoken man whose surprising background and many, incredible talents were hidden by his first stories, written for children.  Later, he shifted into grown-up gear, reading chapters each week from his novels that are far from sleep-inducing, bed-time tales.

Michael Conway wandered into the first meeting late, slowed by his crutches that I later learned were occasionally required to support legs weakened by Cerebral Palsy. Originally an obese, Boston-based stand up comedian, when Conway lost 350 pounds, he also lost his stand-up comedy material. He turned to writing as an outlet for his creativity, and says he joined the group to help support his efforts to get published.  His writing is uniquely artistic making his frequently dark plots and twisted characters enchanting, palatable, and frequently humorous.His autobiographical pieces are a little lighter, but still quite humorous. Since joining the group, he has been successful in getting several pieces published. (click here for a good chuckle about Michael's painful withdrawal from his old Caddy.)

The group eventually attracted an amazing, eclectic collection of great writers -- Canadian ex-pat and young mother, Jennifer Cutler; student, poet and sci-fi genius Anna Hamilton; nearly-retired English teacher, political analyst/activist, and cracker-jack editor, Lee Bowers; and several others, each with interesting life stories driving them to write. The group chemistry was perfect, creative sparks were flying; Duncan finally closed the group and took it off line. 

Jennifer Cutler's book "BACK STORY: First Time Tales from the Stranger Next Door" marked her debut as a publisher. It contained short stories from four of the group's members, and helped pave the road for this anthology of short stories and novel excerpts by the New England Creative Writers' Group.

Duncan's Clancy-like thriller novels, SLEIGHT OF HAND and the sequel, RETRIBUTION, are hot off the presses.  Both are amazing page turners, and group members all agree Duncan's novels are made to become movies.  Discussion times after each of his chapters are frequently spent casting characters...matching movie stars with primary characters in these action-packed novels.  While not necessarily gender-targeted, these are not "chick books." I recommend the set of Ducan's two novels as unique and satifsying Christmas gifts for that special, hard-to-shop-for man in your life (dad, husband, boyfriend, brother, or son.) If you contact me, I can arrange for an autographed copy to be sent to you! 

I refer our Saturday morning gathering as my Church. I look forward to the magical entertainment, journeys of the imagination, and glimpses into the wonderful souls of my fellow writers. 

Kudos (and thanks) to Meetup -- whose slogan "Use the Internet to get off the Internet” has been validated by the publication of these four books, with more to come from The New England Creative Writers’ Group.