Could Nicolas Cage be a vampire? A Civil War era photo that bears an eerie resemblance to Cage has sparked rumors that the actor is a real-life vampire.
***
Not to be confused with John Travolta, the time traveler.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Peace on Earth?
“Peace on Earth.” It is each year’s Christmas wish and indeed the great wish of the world’s religions across history.
Of course, any realist or cynic can tell you that this wish is an empty hope that will never come true. And oddly, the idealists who march in the streets for peace seem to agree — the world is awash in war, from atrocities in remote provinces of the Congo to drone attacks in Yemen to suicide bombings in Afghanistan. Whether you blame the military-industrial complex, the clash of civilizations, competition for natural resources, or human nature itself, peace on earth seems further away than ever.
Except, actually, it isn’t. While TV images will always show us the most horrible parts of the human experience, the big picture has changed dramatically in our lifetimes. Peace on earth as a complete cessation of violence may never arrive, but the distance between the dream and the reality has been shrinking for decades. Worldwide, wars today are fewer, smaller and more localized than at any time in living memory.
Of course, any realist or cynic can tell you that this wish is an empty hope that will never come true. And oddly, the idealists who march in the streets for peace seem to agree — the world is awash in war, from atrocities in remote provinces of the Congo to drone attacks in Yemen to suicide bombings in Afghanistan. Whether you blame the military-industrial complex, the clash of civilizations, competition for natural resources, or human nature itself, peace on earth seems further away than ever.
Except, actually, it isn’t. While TV images will always show us the most horrible parts of the human experience, the big picture has changed dramatically in our lifetimes. Peace on earth as a complete cessation of violence may never arrive, but the distance between the dream and the reality has been shrinking for decades. Worldwide, wars today are fewer, smaller and more localized than at any time in living memory.
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Fox News accuses the Muppets of class warfare
On Fox Business Channel anchor Eric Bolling showed a clip of the new Disney movie and suggested -- well, no, he said outright -- that the story was aimed at planting the seeds of class warfare among our precious children.
That’s because the Muppet–villain is an oil baron called Tex Richman.
“What’s actually going on there? Is liberal Hollywood using class warfare to brainwash our kids?” he asked, quite reasonably.
Well, of course it is.
“They’ve been doing it for decades,” rejoined Fox guest, Dan Gainor. “Hollywood -- they hate the oil industry, they hate corporate America.”
That’s because the Muppet–villain is an oil baron called Tex Richman.
“What’s actually going on there? Is liberal Hollywood using class warfare to brainwash our kids?” he asked, quite reasonably.
Well, of course it is.
“They’ve been doing it for decades,” rejoined Fox guest, Dan Gainor. “Hollywood -- they hate the oil industry, they hate corporate America.”
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Action Comics $2.16 million
A rare and pristine copy of the first issue of Action Comics, famed for the first appearance of Superman, has set a record Wednesday for the most money paid for a single comic book: $2.16 million.
Maybe I should buy some comic book bags. I think I have to get silver-sized, though I have a lot from the bronze age too. Mylar is the preferred material.
Maybe I should buy some comic book bags. I think I have to get silver-sized, though I have a lot from the bronze age too. Mylar is the preferred material.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Spotify
Spotify is a polished program similar to iTunes that offers you access to more than 15 million songs with excellent sound quality. With one click, you share your playlists with friends on Twitter or Facebook, or see what they listen to most. The best thing of all, it’s free!
For the first time in Internet history, you can listen to any track, any album, legally, at no charge, with a few restrictions. Once you launch the Spotify software, it automatically recognizes and displays your music collection stored in iTunes library or Windows Media Player. There you can manage your songs and incorporate them into playlists, including songs offered by Spotify.
In Europe, approximately 84 percent of Spotify’s 10 million listeners choose to stick with the free plan, which is what I use. You’ll hear occasional ads and see banner ads in the Spotify software, but it’s bearable. Keep in mind if you stay with the free version, you’ll be limited to 10 hours of free music per month.
For the first time in Internet history, you can listen to any track, any album, legally, at no charge, with a few restrictions. Once you launch the Spotify software, it automatically recognizes and displays your music collection stored in iTunes library or Windows Media Player. There you can manage your songs and incorporate them into playlists, including songs offered by Spotify.
In Europe, approximately 84 percent of Spotify’s 10 million listeners choose to stick with the free plan, which is what I use. You’ll hear occasional ads and see banner ads in the Spotify software, but it’s bearable. Keep in mind if you stay with the free version, you’ll be limited to 10 hours of free music per month.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Hungry Ear
Music is a universal language, and Hungry Ear Records in Kailua has been a staple for music lovers since its inception in 1980, boasting the largest selection of new vinyl on the island. This week, the beloved music store, owned and operated by Kailua natives Dennie Chong and Ward Yamashita, is taking the opportunity to thank its loyal customers and celebrate 31 years in the business.
“When people come to Hungry Ear they can expect personal, knowledgeable customer service and items that are hard to find anywhere else on the island,” says Yamashita. “You’ll find a large selection of compact discs, vinyl records and vinyl accessories at our store. There are plenty of bargains here on a daily basis, including $1.99 bargain CDs, and most used CDs are around $5 to $8 each,” he adds.
Hungry Ear Records specializes in Hawaiian and local music, reggae and classic rock on compact disc and vinyl, and also buys records and CDs that you may want to get rid of.
Chong and Yamashita are grateful for their many years in business, but admit that Hungry Ear is part of a dying breed of independent record stores that thrive on the rabid music fan rather than the casual mall customer.
Fortunately for independent record stores like Hungry Ear Records, Yamashita says the music industry is seeing a resurgence in vinyl record sales.
“There’s a wide range of customers buying albums now, from high school kids just discovering the beauty of the format to the older crowd who bought records in their youth and are still drawn to the sound, graphics and even smells that only come from a vinyl record album.
“Hungry Ear is probably the only place on the island or in the state where you can still buy needles and cartridges for your turntable,” he adds.
Hungry Ear Records is located at 418 Kuulei Road. Call 262-2175 or visit hungryear.com.
“When people come to Hungry Ear they can expect personal, knowledgeable customer service and items that are hard to find anywhere else on the island,” says Yamashita. “You’ll find a large selection of compact discs, vinyl records and vinyl accessories at our store. There are plenty of bargains here on a daily basis, including $1.99 bargain CDs, and most used CDs are around $5 to $8 each,” he adds.
Hungry Ear Records specializes in Hawaiian and local music, reggae and classic rock on compact disc and vinyl, and also buys records and CDs that you may want to get rid of.
Chong and Yamashita are grateful for their many years in business, but admit that Hungry Ear is part of a dying breed of independent record stores that thrive on the rabid music fan rather than the casual mall customer.
Fortunately for independent record stores like Hungry Ear Records, Yamashita says the music industry is seeing a resurgence in vinyl record sales.
“There’s a wide range of customers buying albums now, from high school kids just discovering the beauty of the format to the older crowd who bought records in their youth and are still drawn to the sound, graphics and even smells that only come from a vinyl record album.
“Hungry Ear is probably the only place on the island or in the state where you can still buy needles and cartridges for your turntable,” he adds.
Hungry Ear Records is located at 418 Kuulei Road. Call 262-2175 or visit hungryear.com.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Lex Brodie
One of the original Waikiki Beach Boys, the Kauai-born Brodie opened a Kaneohe service station in 1958 and three years later began selling tires out of a one-bay shop next to Whitney’s in Kaneohe.
“It was a Chevron station and they wanted him to sell their brand of tires,” says Brodie’s son Sandy. “The tires weren’t particularly good and the margins were lousy. He made better money on the retreads than he did on the new tires. He wanted to sell other tires, but Chevron said no because it violated the franchise agreement. So he opened his own store.”
Brodie realized the action was in Honolulu and opened the Queen Street location. It would become headquarters of the company that now has five locations on Oahu with licensees on the Big Island.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Lex became a celebrity and his business a landmark. Jack Lord was a good friend and customer, and the current edition of Hawaii Five-O has found interest in the famous caveman sign and has featured the Queen Street store on the program.
Sandy Brodie says by 1991 his father had gotten tired of the business and was in need of a new challenge. He found it after taking a tour of Farrington High School upon the invitation of Sandy’s wife Lynn, who was a teacher at the school. What he found angered the feisty former salesman.
“He was just appalled at the conditions, and decided he would do something,” says Sandy. “He started by talking to some of the legislators about creating a bill for school safety because they were lacking on their inspections. They found some fire exits that were chained shut to keep kids from skipping class.”
The bill passed, and based on his success he decided to run for the Board of Education in typical Lex Brodie style: simple and direct.
“He called me up one day and said, ‘I just spent $25 registering for the Board of Education election,’” says Sandy. “He said, ‘I’m not going to spend any more money. I’m just going to wave a sign on Punchbowl.’ And that’s what he did.”
Brodie won in a landslide and for eight years toured
schools, fought with board members and pushed for changes in Hawaii’s public schools. It was with this example in mind the company created the Lex Brodie Foundation to celebrate Lex’s 90th birthday and began handing out its “Thank You ... Very Much Award.”
“It was a Chevron station and they wanted him to sell their brand of tires,” says Brodie’s son Sandy. “The tires weren’t particularly good and the margins were lousy. He made better money on the retreads than he did on the new tires. He wanted to sell other tires, but Chevron said no because it violated the franchise agreement. So he opened his own store.”
Brodie realized the action was in Honolulu and opened the Queen Street location. It would become headquarters of the company that now has five locations on Oahu with licensees on the Big Island.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Lex became a celebrity and his business a landmark. Jack Lord was a good friend and customer, and the current edition of Hawaii Five-O has found interest in the famous caveman sign and has featured the Queen Street store on the program.
Sandy Brodie says by 1991 his father had gotten tired of the business and was in need of a new challenge. He found it after taking a tour of Farrington High School upon the invitation of Sandy’s wife Lynn, who was a teacher at the school. What he found angered the feisty former salesman.
“He was just appalled at the conditions, and decided he would do something,” says Sandy. “He started by talking to some of the legislators about creating a bill for school safety because they were lacking on their inspections. They found some fire exits that were chained shut to keep kids from skipping class.”
The bill passed, and based on his success he decided to run for the Board of Education in typical Lex Brodie style: simple and direct.
“He called me up one day and said, ‘I just spent $25 registering for the Board of Education election,’” says Sandy. “He said, ‘I’m not going to spend any more money. I’m just going to wave a sign on Punchbowl.’ And that’s what he did.”
Brodie won in a landslide and for eight years toured
schools, fought with board members and pushed for changes in Hawaii’s public schools. It was with this example in mind the company created the Lex Brodie Foundation to celebrate Lex’s 90th birthday and began handing out its “Thank You ... Very Much Award.”
Monday, November 07, 2011
Andy Rooney
Andy Rooney, the "60 Minutes" commentator known to generations for his wry, humorous and contentious television essays - a unique genre he is credited with inventing - died Friday night in a hospital in New York City of complications following minor surgery. He was 92, and had homes in New York City, Rensselaerville, N.Y. and Rowayton, Conn.
"It's a sad day at '60 Minutes' and for everybody here at CBS News," said Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News and the executive producer of "60 Minutes." "It's hard to imagine not having Andy around. He loved his life and he lived it on his own terms. We will miss him very much."
Rooney had announced on Oct. 2, 2011 in his 1,097th essay for "60 Minutes" that he would no longer appear regularly.
Rooney wrote for television since its birth, spending more than 60 years at CBS, 30 of them behind the camera as a writer and producer, first for entertainment and then news programming, before becoming a television personality - a role he said he was never comfortable in. He preferred to be known as a writer and was the author of best-selling books and a national newspaper column, in addition to his "60 Minutes" essays.
But it is his television role as the inquisitive and cranky commentator on "60 Minutes" that made him a cultural icon. For over 30 years, Rooney had the last word on the most watched television program in history. Ratings for the broadcast rose steadily over its time period, peaking at a few minutes before the end of the hour, precisely when he delivered his essays - which could generate thousands of response letters.
"60 Minutes Overtime": Remembering Andy Rooney
There is no better way to celebrate Andy Rooney's work than to let Andy do the talking.
Each Sunday, Rooney delivered one of his "60 Minutes" essays from behind a desk that he, an expert woodworker, hewed himself. The topics ranged from the contents of that desk's drawer to whether God existed. He often weighed in on major news topics. In an early "60 Minutes" essay that won him the third of his four Emmy Awards, his compromise to the grain embargo against the Soviet Union was to sell them cereal. "Are they going to take us seriously as an enemy if they think we eat Cap'n Crunch for breakfast?" deadpanned Rooney.
Mainly, his essays struck a chord in viewers by pointing out life's unspoken truths or more often complaining about its subtle lies, earning him the "curmudgeon" status he wore like a uniform. "I obviously have a knack for getting on paper what a lot of people have thought and didn't realize they thought," Rooney told the Associated Press in 1998. In typical themes, Rooney questioned labels on packages, products that didn't seem to work and why people didn't talk in elevators.
Rooney asked thousands of questions in his essays over the years, none, however, began with "Did you ever...?" a phrase often associated with him. Comedian Joe Piscopo used it in a 1981 impersonation of him on "Saturday Night Live" and, from then on, it was erroneously linked to Rooney.
"It's a sad day at '60 Minutes' and for everybody here at CBS News," said Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News and the executive producer of "60 Minutes." "It's hard to imagine not having Andy around. He loved his life and he lived it on his own terms. We will miss him very much."
Rooney had announced on Oct. 2, 2011 in his 1,097th essay for "60 Minutes" that he would no longer appear regularly.
Rooney wrote for television since its birth, spending more than 60 years at CBS, 30 of them behind the camera as a writer and producer, first for entertainment and then news programming, before becoming a television personality - a role he said he was never comfortable in. He preferred to be known as a writer and was the author of best-selling books and a national newspaper column, in addition to his "60 Minutes" essays.
But it is his television role as the inquisitive and cranky commentator on "60 Minutes" that made him a cultural icon. For over 30 years, Rooney had the last word on the most watched television program in history. Ratings for the broadcast rose steadily over its time period, peaking at a few minutes before the end of the hour, precisely when he delivered his essays - which could generate thousands of response letters.
"60 Minutes Overtime": Remembering Andy Rooney
There is no better way to celebrate Andy Rooney's work than to let Andy do the talking.
Each Sunday, Rooney delivered one of his "60 Minutes" essays from behind a desk that he, an expert woodworker, hewed himself. The topics ranged from the contents of that desk's drawer to whether God existed. He often weighed in on major news topics. In an early "60 Minutes" essay that won him the third of his four Emmy Awards, his compromise to the grain embargo against the Soviet Union was to sell them cereal. "Are they going to take us seriously as an enemy if they think we eat Cap'n Crunch for breakfast?" deadpanned Rooney.
Mainly, his essays struck a chord in viewers by pointing out life's unspoken truths or more often complaining about its subtle lies, earning him the "curmudgeon" status he wore like a uniform. "I obviously have a knack for getting on paper what a lot of people have thought and didn't realize they thought," Rooney told the Associated Press in 1998. In typical themes, Rooney questioned labels on packages, products that didn't seem to work and why people didn't talk in elevators.
Rooney asked thousands of questions in his essays over the years, none, however, began with "Did you ever...?" a phrase often associated with him. Comedian Joe Piscopo used it in a 1981 impersonation of him on "Saturday Night Live" and, from then on, it was erroneously linked to Rooney.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
so random
I saw Janelle use this on her facebook page.
What does it mean?
For one thing, it's the name of a TV Show on the Disney Channel.
But apparently the common usage of this phrase means "A phrase that is said when someone says something completely stupid and/or random."
What does it mean?
For one thing, it's the name of a TV Show on the Disney Channel.
But apparently the common usage of this phrase means "A phrase that is said when someone says something completely stupid and/or random."
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tai Chi for Seniors
Holding the ball, parting wild horse’s mane, single whip, waving hands like clouds, repulse monkey, brush knee, fair lady works at shuttles and grasp the peacock’s tail.
These are the names of eight movements based on the yang style of Tai Chi which can help to improve your balance, explains Jerry Punzal, a certified instructor who will teach these exercises to seniors at the 18th annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day May 25 from 8 to 11 a.m. at YMCA Central Branch (401 Atkinson Drive).
According to Punzal, Tai Chi-Moving for Better Balance is endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control as an intervention for fall prevention and fear of falling.
He says the program he teaches has been implemented in community centers in Oregon with collected data showing a decrease in falls of up to 55 percent with its participants.
“(In Tai Chi) you utilize the basic principles of (this exercise) which would be to relax and let go,” explains Punzal. “You also strive for proper postural alignment, and in doing so the back stays straight throughout movement. Therefore we’re using the joints in the most efficient manner and we’re also striving to utilize abdominal breathing.
“It’s a method of moving in a relaxed, non-stressed manner, and for this specific program we’re looking to have the person feel a centerness, to have an awareness of their center of gravity, so when they move in any direction they are very aware of how to move in a way that keeps them grounded.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among those age 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of injury death. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. The CDC also reports that in 2007, more than 18,000 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries.
These are the names of eight movements based on the yang style of Tai Chi which can help to improve your balance, explains Jerry Punzal, a certified instructor who will teach these exercises to seniors at the 18th annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day May 25 from 8 to 11 a.m. at YMCA Central Branch (401 Atkinson Drive).
According to Punzal, Tai Chi-Moving for Better Balance is endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control as an intervention for fall prevention and fear of falling.
He says the program he teaches has been implemented in community centers in Oregon with collected data showing a decrease in falls of up to 55 percent with its participants.
“(In Tai Chi) you utilize the basic principles of (this exercise) which would be to relax and let go,” explains Punzal. “You also strive for proper postural alignment, and in doing so the back stays straight throughout movement. Therefore we’re using the joints in the most efficient manner and we’re also striving to utilize abdominal breathing.
“It’s a method of moving in a relaxed, non-stressed manner, and for this specific program we’re looking to have the person feel a centerness, to have an awareness of their center of gravity, so when they move in any direction they are very aware of how to move in a way that keeps them grounded.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among those age 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of injury death. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. The CDC also reports that in 2007, more than 18,000 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Adjusting Your Age
Here are a few tips to make your Real Age younger.
1. Walk 30 minutes a day. Walking makes your heart and immune system healthier. Bonus: Buy a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.
2. Floss and brush the teeth you wish to keep. Do it also for the heart you wish to nurture, the wrinkles you wish to prevent and the sexual satisfaction you wish to enjoy. And see a dental professional every six months.
3. Take omega-3 DHA pills (900 mg total) or have non-fried salmon or trout three times a week. Salmon and trout have DHA, the active omega-3 for eyes and brain (it converts to the good heart stuff, too).
4. Meditate for at least five minutes each day. Your brain (and soul) needs moments of silence to recharge, refocus and rejuvenate.
5. Drink three or more cups of coffee a day (if it agrees with you — caffeinated tea works as well) and eat curry dishes or foods with mustard to decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
6. Plan to sleep seven to eight hours. Before you head to bed:
8. If you’re over the age of 40 (women) or 35 (men), take two baby aspirin (162 mg total) at breakfast; just make sure to get your doctor’s approval first. It decreases your risk of heart attack, stroke, impotence, wrinkles and some cancers.
9. Know your numbers: blood pressure, low-density and high-density lipoprotein (LDL and HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Do whatever you can to get them to 115/75, less than 100, more than 50, less than 100 and less than 1, respectively.
10. Always get second opinions on any medication that you will take for three days or more.
-- Costco Connection, September 2011
1. Walk 30 minutes a day. Walking makes your heart and immune system healthier. Bonus: Buy a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.
2. Floss and brush the teeth you wish to keep. Do it also for the heart you wish to nurture, the wrinkles you wish to prevent and the sexual satisfaction you wish to enjoy. And see a dental professional every six months.
3. Take omega-3 DHA pills (900 mg total) or have non-fried salmon or trout three times a week. Salmon and trout have DHA, the active omega-3 for eyes and brain (it converts to the good heart stuff, too).
4. Meditate for at least five minutes each day. Your brain (and soul) needs moments of silence to recharge, refocus and rejuvenate.
5. Drink three or more cups of coffee a day (if it agrees with you — caffeinated tea works as well) and eat curry dishes or foods with mustard to decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
6. Plan to sleep seven to eight hours. Before you head to bed:
- Finish any must-do tasks.
- Take care of your nighttime hygiene.
- Perform deep breathing and/or meditation.
- Avoid anything too stimulating, such as watching TV or working
out. Sex, though stimulatory (we hope), is OK. In fact, it’s
recommended.
8. If you’re over the age of 40 (women) or 35 (men), take two baby aspirin (162 mg total) at breakfast; just make sure to get your doctor’s approval first. It decreases your risk of heart attack, stroke, impotence, wrinkles and some cancers.
9. Know your numbers: blood pressure, low-density and high-density lipoprotein (LDL and HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides (TGs) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Do whatever you can to get them to 115/75, less than 100, more than 50, less than 100 and less than 1, respectively.
10. Always get second opinions on any medication that you will take for three days or more.
-- Costco Connection, September 2011
Don't Give Up
Often Life doesn't go in the direction we want it to. Does that mean our lives are doomed and we can't achieve the success we dream of? Let's be realistic: Everybody fails. Consider the following.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." Disney went bankrupt
several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim, California, on the grounds that it would only attract "riffraff."
Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "nonproductive." As an inventor, Edison made more than 1,000 unsuccessful attempts to invent the light bulb. When a reporter asked him how it felt to fail 1,000 times, Edison said that he didn't fail all those times, but that the light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4 years old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was "subnormal," and one of his teachers described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in foolish dreams." He was expelled from school.
Every cartoon that Charles Schulz, creator of the comic strip Peanuts, submitted to the yearbook staff at his high school was rejected.
After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, read, "Can't act. Can't sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
Decca Records turned down a recording contract with The Beatles with this fascinating evaluation: "We don't like their sound. Guitar groups are on their way out."
A friend of mine in the music industry personally auditioned a singer by the name of Reg Dwight in the 1960s. He unceremoniously shoved the singer out of his office for wasting his time. That singer is now better known as Elton John.
Imagine if these individuals had given up, believing they were doomed to failure and would never achieve success. Do you think they ever felt down and depressed? Sure. But they didn't allow a gloomy state to overtake them, to overpower their desire to succeed. In every case they did succeed-in a huge way, far greater than their wildest dreams.
Bad experiences can be viewed as positive in hindsight. They can be stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. It's your choice. But be determined to never give up.
-- Andrew Lock, Costco Connection, September 2011
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." Disney went bankrupt
several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim, California, on the grounds that it would only attract "riffraff."
Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "nonproductive." As an inventor, Edison made more than 1,000 unsuccessful attempts to invent the light bulb. When a reporter asked him how it felt to fail 1,000 times, Edison said that he didn't fail all those times, but that the light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4 years old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was "subnormal," and one of his teachers described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in foolish dreams." He was expelled from school.
Every cartoon that Charles Schulz, creator of the comic strip Peanuts, submitted to the yearbook staff at his high school was rejected.
After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, read, "Can't act. Can't sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
Decca Records turned down a recording contract with The Beatles with this fascinating evaluation: "We don't like their sound. Guitar groups are on their way out."
A friend of mine in the music industry personally auditioned a singer by the name of Reg Dwight in the 1960s. He unceremoniously shoved the singer out of his office for wasting his time. That singer is now better known as Elton John.
Imagine if these individuals had given up, believing they were doomed to failure and would never achieve success. Do you think they ever felt down and depressed? Sure. But they didn't allow a gloomy state to overtake them, to overpower their desire to succeed. In every case they did succeed-in a huge way, far greater than their wildest dreams.
Bad experiences can be viewed as positive in hindsight. They can be stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. It's your choice. But be determined to never give up.
-- Andrew Lock, Costco Connection, September 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
laughter hurts so good
Laughter is regularly promoted as a source of health and well being, but it has been hard to pin down exactly why laughing until it hurts feels so good.
The answer, reports Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist at Oxford, is not the intellectual pleasure of cerebral humor, but the physical act of laughing. The simple muscular exertions involved in producing the familiar ha, ha, ha, he said, trigger an increase in endorphins, the brain chemicals known for their feel-good effect.
The answer, reports Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist at Oxford, is not the intellectual pleasure of cerebral humor, but the physical act of laughing. The simple muscular exertions involved in producing the familiar ha, ha, ha, he said, trigger an increase in endorphins, the brain chemicals known for their feel-good effect.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
new approach for treating leukemia
NEW YORK -- Scientists are reporting the first clear success with a new approach for treating leukemia – turning the patients' own blood cells into assassins that hunt and destroy their cancer cells.
They've only done it in three patients so far, but the results were striking: Two appear cancer-free up to a year after treatment, and the third patient is improved but still has some cancer. Scientists are already preparing to try the same gene therapy technique for other kinds of cancer.
"It worked great. We were surprised it worked as well as it did," said Dr. Carl June, a gene therapy expert at the University of Pennsylvania. "We're just a year out now. We need to find out how long these remissions last."
He led the study, published Wednesday by two journals, New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine.
It involved three men with very advanced cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL. The only hope for a cure now is bone marrow or stem cell transplants, which don't always work and carry a high risk of death.
Scientists have been working for years to find ways to boost the immune system's ability to fight cancer. Earlier attempts at genetically modifying bloodstream soldiers called T-cells have had limited success; the modified cells didn't reproduce well and quickly disappeared.
June and his colleagues made changes to the technique, using a novel carrier to deliver the new genes into the T-cells and a signaling mechanism telling the cells to kill and multiply.
That resulted in armies of "serial killer" cells that targeted cancer cells, destroyed them, and went on to kill new cancer as it emerged. It was known that T-cells attack viruses that way, but this is the first time it's been done against cancer, June said.
-- Star-Advertiser, 8/11/11
They've only done it in three patients so far, but the results were striking: Two appear cancer-free up to a year after treatment, and the third patient is improved but still has some cancer. Scientists are already preparing to try the same gene therapy technique for other kinds of cancer.
"It worked great. We were surprised it worked as well as it did," said Dr. Carl June, a gene therapy expert at the University of Pennsylvania. "We're just a year out now. We need to find out how long these remissions last."
He led the study, published Wednesday by two journals, New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine.
It involved three men with very advanced cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL. The only hope for a cure now is bone marrow or stem cell transplants, which don't always work and carry a high risk of death.
Scientists have been working for years to find ways to boost the immune system's ability to fight cancer. Earlier attempts at genetically modifying bloodstream soldiers called T-cells have had limited success; the modified cells didn't reproduce well and quickly disappeared.
June and his colleagues made changes to the technique, using a novel carrier to deliver the new genes into the T-cells and a signaling mechanism telling the cells to kill and multiply.
That resulted in armies of "serial killer" cells that targeted cancer cells, destroyed them, and went on to kill new cancer as it emerged. It was known that T-cells attack viruses that way, but this is the first time it's been done against cancer, June said.
-- Star-Advertiser, 8/11/11
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
How to prevent falls
Q: Will you write a column on fall prevention tips for elderly seniors? My 81-year-old father, who lives alone, has fallen several times in the past year.
A: Falls are a big concern for millions of elderly Americans and their families. In the United States, roughly one-third of the 65-and-older population will suffer a fall this year, often with dire with consequences. But many falls can be prevented. Here are some steps you can take to help keep your dad on his feet.
Shoes are another issue to be aware of. Rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes are the best slip/trip proof shoes for seniors.
A: Falls are a big concern for millions of elderly Americans and their families. In the United States, roughly one-third of the 65-and-older population will suffer a fall this year, often with dire with consequences. But many falls can be prevented. Here are some steps you can take to help keep your dad on his feet.
- Check his meds: Does your dad take any medicine or combination of medicines that make him dizzy, sleepy or lightheaded? If so, gather up all the drugs he takes — prescriptions and over-the-counter — and take them to his doctor or pharmacist for a drug review.
- Schedule an eye exam: Poor vision can be another contributor to falls. If your dad wears glasses, check to see if he's wearing the correct prescription, and beware of bifocals. Multifocal glasses can impair vision needed for detecting obstacles and judging depth.
- Check his balance: Balance disorders — which can be brought on by a variety of conditions such as inner ear problems, allergies, a head injury or problems with blood circulation — are also a common cause of falls. If you dad is having balance issues, make an appointment with his doctor to get it checked and treated.
- Start exercising: Improving balance through exercise is one of the best ways to prevent falls. Strength training, stretching, yoga and tai chi are great for building better balance. Some simple exercises that he can do anytime are walking heel-to-toe across the room, standing on one foot for 30 seconds or longer, or getting up from a chair and sitting back down 10 to 20 times. For more balance exercise tips, call the National Institute on Aging at (800) 222-2225 and order the free exercise DVD and free exercise book, or you can see it at www.go4life.niapublications.org.
- Modify his home: Simple modifications can go a long way in making your dad's living area safer. Start by picking up items on the floor that could cause him to trip, such as newspapers, books, shoes, cloths, electrical or phone cords. Remove throw rugs or use double-sided tape to secure them. In the bathroom, put a nonslip rubber mat or self-stick strips on the floor of the tub or shower, and have a carpenter install grab bars inside the tub and next to the toilet. Also, make sure the lighting throughout the house is good, purchase some inexpensive plug-in nightlights for the bathrooms and hallways, and, if he has stairs, consider putting rails on both sides. In the kitchen, organize his cabinets so the things he uses most often are within easy reach. For more tips, call the Eldercare Locater at (800) 677-1116 and order a free copy of the "Preventing Falls at Home" brochure.
- Other pitfalls: Believe it or not, the improper use of canes and walkers sends about 47,000 seniors to the emergency room each year. If your dad uses a cane or walker, be sure it's adjusted to his height and that he's using it properly. A physical therapist can help with this, or see the Mayo Clinic slide show on how to choose and use a cane (www.mayoclinic.com/health/canes/HA00064) and a walker (www.mayoclinic.com/health/walker/HA00060).
Shoes are another issue to be aware of. Rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes are the best slip/trip proof shoes for seniors.
- Savvy tip: Consider getting your dad a home monitoring system, which is a small pendant-style "SOS button" that would allow him to call for help if he fell. Available through companies such as www.lifelinesys.com and www.lifealert.com, these systems cost about $1 a day.
Monday, August 22, 2011
20 Positive Trends
The Holiday 2010 edition of the “Good Neighbor” by State Farm lists 20 “Positive Trends”.
Good news seems hard to find these days. But if you look around, there's actually plenty of it out there. Here are 20 reasons to be optimistic in the new year.
1. We are safer. Crime is down. The number of murders, robberies, rapes and assaults in the United States decreased 3.5 percent in 2008 compared with the previous year, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most recent statistics. Property crime levels have dropped as well -- 25 percent since the early 1990s. Auto theft volume in 2008 dropped 39 percent from the year before and 42 percent from a high in 1991. Likewise, burglary rates have declined 43 percent since spiking in 1989.
2. We use less energy. Despite our increasing standard of living and the greater consumption of energy in the U.S., the average per-person consumption of energy has fallen about 9 percent from its peak during the oil and energy crisis of 1978-1979. Furthermore, the economy as a whole is becoming more energy efficient. From 1970 to 2008, the amount of energy needed to produce a dollar’s worth of goods and services dropped 53 percent.
3. We give and give. More than a quarter of U.S. adults volunteered with nonprofit organizations in 2008, contributing more than 8 trillion total hours of service. Apparently this philanthropic initiative is setting a good example for the country's youth: 441,000 more young adults volunteered in 2008, a 5 percent increase from 2007 numbers. But it's not just time we're generous with. Despite last year's economic turmoil, Americans gave $300 billion to charities in 2009.
4. We conserve fuel. While the United States remains a nation of automobiles, the use of public mass transit grew 38 percent from 1995 through 2008, helping to lessen individual fuel consumption. Mass transit ridership is higher than at any time since 1956.
5. We live longer and feel better. According to a survey of 340,000 American published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, once people reach the 50-milestone, their levels of stress, anxiety and worry all decline. Feeling of happiness and enjoyment increase -- even factoring in the presence (or absence) of children, job or spouse. It's a good thing we feel happy in our later years, since we keep getting more of them. People alive today will live about 10 years longer than their parents did.
6. Young people make smarter decisions about their well-being. From 1997 to 2007, the percentage of high school students who smoke has fallen steadily, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. At the beginning of the period, about 36.4 percent of students smoked. Ten years later the number had fallen to 20 percent. Likewise fewer teenagers are using alcohol and hard drugs, including methamphetamines and cocaine. Between 2004 and 2009 there were declines in: the use of meth by eighth graders, the use of amphetamines and cocaine among 10th and 12 graders, the use and binge use of alcohol among all three grades.
The percentage of 12th graders using hallucinogens and LSD dropped in 2009. Greater numbers of students perceived drug use to be harmful, which often foretells of a change in use.
7. We network with wonderful results. Research from University of California reports that within a social network, happiness is, well, contagious: for every happy friend you have on social sites like Facebook, your chances of being happy increase by 9 percent. And if you're single and searching for Mr. or Ms. Right, you can skip the nightclub scene and just log onto a dating portal: for one out of every six marriages, the newly betrothed parties met via online dating -- more than the one out of 10 who met are bars and other traditional singles hot spots.
8. We can connect easier… even in the air. We're a wired country. With more than 10.5 billion uses of WiFi in the U.S. each month, in more than 4,100 cities at approximately 76,000 locations, we can connect almost anytime, anywhere. And now nearly one out of every three domestic flights offers Internet access to passengers. While much of it is currently fee-based, airline technology experts say we can expect it to become free sometime next year.
9. Our bonds are stronger. The rate at which couples are getting divorced continue to fall, from 4.0 per every 1,000 people in 2000 to 3.5 in 2008.
10. We give away before we throw away. In 2003, 20 or so people decided to get together and give a few odds and ends away, hoping to keep that stuff they were done using out of a landfill. Fast-forward seven years, and the online site freecycle.org has mushroomed: 7 million members in 123 countries giving what they don't need or getting what they don't have. All these free things -- from sand for a landscaping project to a girl's pink snowsuit -- equal 800 tons of stuff each and everyday that isn’t thrown away.
11. Our forests are growing. Despite the perception that suburban sprawl has gobbled up unused land, the total acreage of forested land in the United States has increased during the last 30 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2008 Report on the Environment: Highlights on National Trends. Forest ecosystems remain intact in parts of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, West Coast and Southeast.
12. We breathe cleaner air. Since 1990, levels of six common and important air pollutants have fallen: ground-level ozone (down 14 percent), particulates under 2.5 microns (down 19 percent since 2000), particulates 2.5-10 microns (down 31 percent), lead (down 78 percent), nitrogen dioxide (down 35 percent), carbon monoxide (down 68 percent) and sulfur dioxide (down 59 percent). In most of the country concentrations of carbon monoxide, lead and nitrogen dioxide are below the federal standards to protect human health and the environment.
13. We drive more carefully. The average driver has less chance of being involved in a fatal traffic accident, and fewer Americans are dying in car crashes overall. In 2009 an estimated 33,963 people died in auto wrecks -- 8.9 percent fewer than died just a year earlier and the lowest number since 1954, when records were first kept.
14. We grow more of our own food and enjoy the benefits. Seed sales are increasing -- an indication of how much gardening we're doing these days. And all that fresh and healthy home-grown produce is feeding another appealing trend: canning. The maker of Kerr and Ball-brand mason jars reported canning equipment sales increases of 30 percent in 2009. Suburban canners number almost as many as those in rural areas. Half of all people preserving their fruits and veggies are under 40. Even better: Growing, canning and eating your own food allows you to get good exercise and reduce food bills.
15. Our hearts love anti-smoking laws. According to a comparison of fee-for-service Medicare patients in 2002 and 2007, the amount of hospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 23 percent during that time period. One possible reason? Public smoking bans that are now law in 32 states and many cities. A 2009 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed cities with "no butts" policies saw a decline in emergency room visits for heart attacks within three months of the ban. Heart attacks continued to decline in these smoke-free areas, sometimes dropping as much as 25 percent below pre-ban numbers.
16. We buckle up. Every year more drivers and passengers get the message. Seat belts save lives. According to the National Highway Administration, from 2007 to 2008 (the latest year available for figures) seat belt use went from 82 percent to 83 percent. The youngest (16-24) and oldest (70 and older) among us seem to be the smartest: their stats jumped by at least 3 percent for each age category.
17. Bees make a sweet comeback. Bees have been disappearing in the United States, threatening crops, flowers and eventually the health of our food supply. But more than 100,000 estimated backyard beekeepers are fighting back by helping farmers pollinate their blueberries, cucumbers and corn. The keepers are also buzzing about honey's health value. Researchers have found that honey has antibacterial properties and is better for you than other less-complex sugars.
18. Women are healthier. In the U.S., incidences of breast cancer decreased 2 percent per year from 1999 to 2006. The incidences dropped among white, African American, Hispanic and Native American women. Likewise, deaths from breast cancer decreased 1.9 percent per year.
19. We move more. Strength training, working out with personal trainers, and fitness programs for older adults were among the top 10 fitness trends for 2010, according to an American College of Sports Medicine survey. And average marathon times indicated exercise among the general population is on the rise. According to Runner's World, the median times for U.S. marathoners in 2007 were 4:30 for men and 4:49 for women. That's up by nearly 50 minutes from 1980, when men clocked in at 3:32 and women at 4:03. Those slower times mean lots of folks are logging miles for health and enjoyment. [That's right, the slower the better.]
20. We know the power of positive. An update attitude does more than boost spirits. Research published in 2009 by the American Heart Association showed that women who expected good rather than bad lived longer. They were less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes. In 2010 researchers at the University of Kentucky published a study they conducted of law students at five points during the academic year. What they found was that a bright outlook didn't just affect class performance, but the immune system too.
That means that increasing optimism -- and, conversely, decreasing pessimism -- has the potential to affect day-to-day interactions as well as general health and welfare. Those rose-colored glasses don't look so bad anymore, do they?
-- December 28, 2010 / By Staff [started 8/22/11, finished typing in 12/1/15 so only took a little over 4 years to finish]
Good news seems hard to find these days. But if you look around, there's actually plenty of it out there. Here are 20 reasons to be optimistic in the new year.
1. We are safer. Crime is down. The number of murders, robberies, rapes and assaults in the United States decreased 3.5 percent in 2008 compared with the previous year, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most recent statistics. Property crime levels have dropped as well -- 25 percent since the early 1990s. Auto theft volume in 2008 dropped 39 percent from the year before and 42 percent from a high in 1991. Likewise, burglary rates have declined 43 percent since spiking in 1989.
2. We use less energy. Despite our increasing standard of living and the greater consumption of energy in the U.S., the average per-person consumption of energy has fallen about 9 percent from its peak during the oil and energy crisis of 1978-1979. Furthermore, the economy as a whole is becoming more energy efficient. From 1970 to 2008, the amount of energy needed to produce a dollar’s worth of goods and services dropped 53 percent.
3. We give and give. More than a quarter of U.S. adults volunteered with nonprofit organizations in 2008, contributing more than 8 trillion total hours of service. Apparently this philanthropic initiative is setting a good example for the country's youth: 441,000 more young adults volunteered in 2008, a 5 percent increase from 2007 numbers. But it's not just time we're generous with. Despite last year's economic turmoil, Americans gave $300 billion to charities in 2009.
4. We conserve fuel. While the United States remains a nation of automobiles, the use of public mass transit grew 38 percent from 1995 through 2008, helping to lessen individual fuel consumption. Mass transit ridership is higher than at any time since 1956.
5. We live longer and feel better. According to a survey of 340,000 American published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, once people reach the 50-milestone, their levels of stress, anxiety and worry all decline. Feeling of happiness and enjoyment increase -- even factoring in the presence (or absence) of children, job or spouse. It's a good thing we feel happy in our later years, since we keep getting more of them. People alive today will live about 10 years longer than their parents did.
6. Young people make smarter decisions about their well-being. From 1997 to 2007, the percentage of high school students who smoke has fallen steadily, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. At the beginning of the period, about 36.4 percent of students smoked. Ten years later the number had fallen to 20 percent. Likewise fewer teenagers are using alcohol and hard drugs, including methamphetamines and cocaine. Between 2004 and 2009 there were declines in: the use of meth by eighth graders, the use of amphetamines and cocaine among 10th and 12 graders, the use and binge use of alcohol among all three grades.
The percentage of 12th graders using hallucinogens and LSD dropped in 2009. Greater numbers of students perceived drug use to be harmful, which often foretells of a change in use.
7. We network with wonderful results. Research from University of California reports that within a social network, happiness is, well, contagious: for every happy friend you have on social sites like Facebook, your chances of being happy increase by 9 percent. And if you're single and searching for Mr. or Ms. Right, you can skip the nightclub scene and just log onto a dating portal: for one out of every six marriages, the newly betrothed parties met via online dating -- more than the one out of 10 who met are bars and other traditional singles hot spots.
8. We can connect easier… even in the air. We're a wired country. With more than 10.5 billion uses of WiFi in the U.S. each month, in more than 4,100 cities at approximately 76,000 locations, we can connect almost anytime, anywhere. And now nearly one out of every three domestic flights offers Internet access to passengers. While much of it is currently fee-based, airline technology experts say we can expect it to become free sometime next year.
9. Our bonds are stronger. The rate at which couples are getting divorced continue to fall, from 4.0 per every 1,000 people in 2000 to 3.5 in 2008.
10. We give away before we throw away. In 2003, 20 or so people decided to get together and give a few odds and ends away, hoping to keep that stuff they were done using out of a landfill. Fast-forward seven years, and the online site freecycle.org has mushroomed: 7 million members in 123 countries giving what they don't need or getting what they don't have. All these free things -- from sand for a landscaping project to a girl's pink snowsuit -- equal 800 tons of stuff each and everyday that isn’t thrown away.
11. Our forests are growing. Despite the perception that suburban sprawl has gobbled up unused land, the total acreage of forested land in the United States has increased during the last 30 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2008 Report on the Environment: Highlights on National Trends. Forest ecosystems remain intact in parts of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, West Coast and Southeast.
12. We breathe cleaner air. Since 1990, levels of six common and important air pollutants have fallen: ground-level ozone (down 14 percent), particulates under 2.5 microns (down 19 percent since 2000), particulates 2.5-10 microns (down 31 percent), lead (down 78 percent), nitrogen dioxide (down 35 percent), carbon monoxide (down 68 percent) and sulfur dioxide (down 59 percent). In most of the country concentrations of carbon monoxide, lead and nitrogen dioxide are below the federal standards to protect human health and the environment.
13. We drive more carefully. The average driver has less chance of being involved in a fatal traffic accident, and fewer Americans are dying in car crashes overall. In 2009 an estimated 33,963 people died in auto wrecks -- 8.9 percent fewer than died just a year earlier and the lowest number since 1954, when records were first kept.
14. We grow more of our own food and enjoy the benefits. Seed sales are increasing -- an indication of how much gardening we're doing these days. And all that fresh and healthy home-grown produce is feeding another appealing trend: canning. The maker of Kerr and Ball-brand mason jars reported canning equipment sales increases of 30 percent in 2009. Suburban canners number almost as many as those in rural areas. Half of all people preserving their fruits and veggies are under 40. Even better: Growing, canning and eating your own food allows you to get good exercise and reduce food bills.
15. Our hearts love anti-smoking laws. According to a comparison of fee-for-service Medicare patients in 2002 and 2007, the amount of hospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 23 percent during that time period. One possible reason? Public smoking bans that are now law in 32 states and many cities. A 2009 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed cities with "no butts" policies saw a decline in emergency room visits for heart attacks within three months of the ban. Heart attacks continued to decline in these smoke-free areas, sometimes dropping as much as 25 percent below pre-ban numbers.
16. We buckle up. Every year more drivers and passengers get the message. Seat belts save lives. According to the National Highway Administration, from 2007 to 2008 (the latest year available for figures) seat belt use went from 82 percent to 83 percent. The youngest (16-24) and oldest (70 and older) among us seem to be the smartest: their stats jumped by at least 3 percent for each age category.
17. Bees make a sweet comeback. Bees have been disappearing in the United States, threatening crops, flowers and eventually the health of our food supply. But more than 100,000 estimated backyard beekeepers are fighting back by helping farmers pollinate their blueberries, cucumbers and corn. The keepers are also buzzing about honey's health value. Researchers have found that honey has antibacterial properties and is better for you than other less-complex sugars.
18. Women are healthier. In the U.S., incidences of breast cancer decreased 2 percent per year from 1999 to 2006. The incidences dropped among white, African American, Hispanic and Native American women. Likewise, deaths from breast cancer decreased 1.9 percent per year.
19. We move more. Strength training, working out with personal trainers, and fitness programs for older adults were among the top 10 fitness trends for 2010, according to an American College of Sports Medicine survey. And average marathon times indicated exercise among the general population is on the rise. According to Runner's World, the median times for U.S. marathoners in 2007 were 4:30 for men and 4:49 for women. That's up by nearly 50 minutes from 1980, when men clocked in at 3:32 and women at 4:03. Those slower times mean lots of folks are logging miles for health and enjoyment. [That's right, the slower the better.]
20. We know the power of positive. An update attitude does more than boost spirits. Research published in 2009 by the American Heart Association showed that women who expected good rather than bad lived longer. They were less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure or diabetes. In 2010 researchers at the University of Kentucky published a study they conducted of law students at five points during the academic year. What they found was that a bright outlook didn't just affect class performance, but the immune system too.
That means that increasing optimism -- and, conversely, decreasing pessimism -- has the potential to affect day-to-day interactions as well as general health and welfare. Those rose-colored glasses don't look so bad anymore, do they?
-- December 28, 2010 / By Staff [started 8/22/11, finished typing in 12/1/15 so only took a little over 4 years to finish]
Friday, August 19, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
food expiration dates
Every house has food in the pantry that has been there for weeks if not months, but according to food experts, you may want to think twice before throwing those items out. Many common food products last far longer than you might think.
"We throw out tons of food each year in this country because people don't understand how long they can keep things," said Jo-Ann Heslin, a certified nutritionist and author of The Complete Food Counter.
As Heslin and other nutritionists explain, consumers generally assume that foods should not be eaten after the use-by date on the package, but in reality, this date simply indicates the period of time when the food tastes best, not the date when it will suddenly make you sick.
The general recipe for longevity, according to these experts, is for the food to be low in liquids, sugar and oil, all of which have the potential to mold and spoil the food, or to have "lots and lots" of preservatives, which keep the food fresh longer.
So if you're looking for groceries to buy in bulk and store in your pantry, these products are your best bet.
Canned food, by definition, lasts longer than most products in the grocery store because it has been specially processed in air-tight cans. In general, canned items can stay good for 12-18 months, according to Gans, but some last even longer. Canned products like beans and vegetables, which are low in acid, can actually last for as long as two to five years. The only exception is if the can is dented or rusty, as that indicates the can has been punctured at some point, which speeds up the spoilage process.
"We throw out tons of food each year in this country because people don't understand how long they can keep things," said Jo-Ann Heslin, a certified nutritionist and author of The Complete Food Counter.
As Heslin and other nutritionists explain, consumers generally assume that foods should not be eaten after the use-by date on the package, but in reality, this date simply indicates the period of time when the food tastes best, not the date when it will suddenly make you sick.
The general recipe for longevity, according to these experts, is for the food to be low in liquids, sugar and oil, all of which have the potential to mold and spoil the food, or to have "lots and lots" of preservatives, which keep the food fresh longer.
So if you're looking for groceries to buy in bulk and store in your pantry, these products are your best bet.
Canned food, by definition, lasts longer than most products in the grocery store because it has been specially processed in air-tight cans. In general, canned items can stay good for 12-18 months, according to Gans, but some last even longer. Canned products like beans and vegetables, which are low in acid, can actually last for as long as two to five years. The only exception is if the can is dented or rusty, as that indicates the can has been punctured at some point, which speeds up the spoilage process.
Friday, July 29, 2011
the common house gecko: friend to all
The common house gecko arrived in Hawaii from Asia during World War II, according to Bishop Museum zoologist Allen Allison, and it’s been a friend to all - gobbling up roaches, mosquitoes and other annoying tropical bugs right and left, entertaining nightly with its song and dance on our window screens, selling beer, children’s stories, insurance, whatevahs.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Sherwood Schwartz
LOS ANGELES >> Sherwood Schwartz, writer-creator of two of the best-remembered TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch," has died at age 94.
Sherwood Schwartz and his brother, Al, started as a writing team in TV's famed 1950s "golden age," said Douglas Schwartz, the late Al Schwartz's son.
"They helped shape television in its early days," Douglas Schwartz said. "Sherwood is an American classic, creating 'Brady Bunch' and 'Gilligan's Island,' iconic shows that are still popular today. He continued to produce all the way up into his 90s."
Success was the hallmark of Sherwood Schwartz's own career. Neither "Gilligan" nor "Brady" pleased the critics, but both managed to reverberate in viewers' heads through the years as few such series did, lingering in the language and inspiring parodies, spinoffs and countless standup comedy jokes.
Schwartz had given up a career in medical science to write jokes for Bob Hope's radio show. He went on to write for other radio and TV shows, including "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."
He dreamed up "Gilligan's Island" in 1964. It was a Robinson Crusoe story about seven disparate travelers who are marooned on a deserted Pacific Island after their small boat wrecks in a storm. The cast: Alan Hale Jr., as Skipper Jonas Grumby; Bob Denver, as his klutzy assistant Gilligan; Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer, the rich snobs Thurston and Lovey Howell; Tina Louise, the bosomy movie star Ginger Grant; Russell Johnson, egghead science professor Roy Hinkley Jr.; and Dawn Wells, sweet-natured farm girl Mary Ann Summers.
TV critics hooted at "Gilligan's Island" as gag-ridden corn. Audiences adored its far-out comedy. Schwartz insisted that the show had social meaning along with the laughs: "I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications."
Sherwood Schwartz and his brother, Al, started as a writing team in TV's famed 1950s "golden age," said Douglas Schwartz, the late Al Schwartz's son.
"They helped shape television in its early days," Douglas Schwartz said. "Sherwood is an American classic, creating 'Brady Bunch' and 'Gilligan's Island,' iconic shows that are still popular today. He continued to produce all the way up into his 90s."
Success was the hallmark of Sherwood Schwartz's own career. Neither "Gilligan" nor "Brady" pleased the critics, but both managed to reverberate in viewers' heads through the years as few such series did, lingering in the language and inspiring parodies, spinoffs and countless standup comedy jokes.
Schwartz had given up a career in medical science to write jokes for Bob Hope's radio show. He went on to write for other radio and TV shows, including "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."
He dreamed up "Gilligan's Island" in 1964. It was a Robinson Crusoe story about seven disparate travelers who are marooned on a deserted Pacific Island after their small boat wrecks in a storm. The cast: Alan Hale Jr., as Skipper Jonas Grumby; Bob Denver, as his klutzy assistant Gilligan; Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer, the rich snobs Thurston and Lovey Howell; Tina Louise, the bosomy movie star Ginger Grant; Russell Johnson, egghead science professor Roy Hinkley Jr.; and Dawn Wells, sweet-natured farm girl Mary Ann Summers.
TV critics hooted at "Gilligan's Island" as gag-ridden corn. Audiences adored its far-out comedy. Schwartz insisted that the show had social meaning along with the laughs: "I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications."
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Super Friends meet at Sun Valley
It's that time of the year again.
Titans of the media, tech, and finance world are swarming Sun Valley, Idaho for the annual Allen and Company conference.
This year they'll be treated to Bill Gates interviewing Mark Zuckerberg, a talk with Oprah, panels on doing business in China, and more.
The Sun Valley conference is famous for facilitating big media deals since all the major companies are represented.
We expect Hulu will be sold this week at Sun Valley since all of its owners and any potential buyers will be gathered together. (If not sold, at least big progress on the sale will be made.)
So who made it out to Sun Valley?
Among many:
Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Oprah
Charlie Rose
Tom Brokaw
Candice Bergen
Michael Eisner
Terry Semel
Barry Diller
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Warren Buffett
Salma Hayek
Diane von Furstenberg
Bob Iger
Rupert Murdoch
Jeff Wilpon
more...
David Stern
Jeff Bezos
Lou Simpson
Michael Bloomberg
Titans of the media, tech, and finance world are swarming Sun Valley, Idaho for the annual Allen and Company conference.
This year they'll be treated to Bill Gates interviewing Mark Zuckerberg, a talk with Oprah, panels on doing business in China, and more.
The Sun Valley conference is famous for facilitating big media deals since all the major companies are represented.
We expect Hulu will be sold this week at Sun Valley since all of its owners and any potential buyers will be gathered together. (If not sold, at least big progress on the sale will be made.)
So who made it out to Sun Valley?
Among many:
Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Oprah
Charlie Rose
Tom Brokaw
Candice Bergen
Michael Eisner
Terry Semel
Barry Diller
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Warren Buffett
Salma Hayek
Diane von Furstenberg
Bob Iger
Rupert Murdoch
Jeff Wilpon
more...
David Stern
Jeff Bezos
Lou Simpson
Michael Bloomberg
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
The Art of Manliness
Going through my deleted email (before really deleting it!) and came across the website called The Art of Manliness. (It was the site that hosted an article on Resiliency that wreck_of_m_deare shared with chucks_angels on 3/5/10.)
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Your Skin is a Wall
Residents of ancient cities built defensive walls to ward off invaders. The city wall acted both as a bulwark to stop the enemy and as a rampart from which defenders could protect the city. Your body is likewise endowed with a protective "wall"—your skin. How does your skin protect you from intruders?
The surface of your skin teems with bacteria and other microorganisms, some of which can cause infection and disease. Your skin apparently does more than act as a passive barrier. It also seems to ward off invaders by producing antimicrobial proteins, or peptides, that act as defenders. Some of these are on duty constantly. Others line up when the skin is damaged.
The first two groups of antimicrobial peptides discovered, called defensins and cathelicidins, proved to be defenders on call. Both groups are secreted by cells in the upper skin in response to injuries or inflammation. They kill invaders by punching holes in their cell membranes.
In 2001 a team of researchers at the University of Tübingen, Germany, found another type of germ-fighting protein, called dermicidin, which is active all the time. Unlike the other two groups, dermicidin is produced by healthy skin, in the sweat glands. How this protein works is yet unknown. But the fact that perspiration helps ward off disease might explain why people who wash excessively are more prone to skin infections and eczema.
-- Awake! January 8, 2004
The surface of your skin teems with bacteria and other microorganisms, some of which can cause infection and disease. Your skin apparently does more than act as a passive barrier. It also seems to ward off invaders by producing antimicrobial proteins, or peptides, that act as defenders. Some of these are on duty constantly. Others line up when the skin is damaged.
The first two groups of antimicrobial peptides discovered, called defensins and cathelicidins, proved to be defenders on call. Both groups are secreted by cells in the upper skin in response to injuries or inflammation. They kill invaders by punching holes in their cell membranes.
In 2001 a team of researchers at the University of Tübingen, Germany, found another type of germ-fighting protein, called dermicidin, which is active all the time. Unlike the other two groups, dermicidin is produced by healthy skin, in the sweat glands. How this protein works is yet unknown. But the fact that perspiration helps ward off disease might explain why people who wash excessively are more prone to skin infections and eczema.
-- Awake! January 8, 2004
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Nobuo Shioya
Future generations will not be remembering Nobuo Shioya because he was an excellent golf player, but instead because he taught people how to heal themselves, both physically as well as spiritually.
"The power of natural healing, which is instilled in every human being from the time of birth, is much stronger than people realize," said the Japanese physician in his book, Dr. Shioya's Fountain of Youth (available only in the Japanese original and German translation). "It has the power to vanquish any disease that exists. Still, in order to access this natural healing power, and to illicit an adequate result, you have to believe in it deep in your heart of hearts. Through the power of visualization, a person has the power to create a "miracle" from within.
-- via roy
"The power of natural healing, which is instilled in every human being from the time of birth, is much stronger than people realize," said the Japanese physician in his book, Dr. Shioya's Fountain of Youth (available only in the Japanese original and German translation). "It has the power to vanquish any disease that exists. Still, in order to access this natural healing power, and to illicit an adequate result, you have to believe in it deep in your heart of hearts. Through the power of visualization, a person has the power to create a "miracle" from within.
-- via roy
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Cool Corona Concerts
After So You Think You Can Dance on KHON, was some nice Hawaiian music (or music played by Hawaii musicians) on a series called Cool Corona Concerts. Evidently it's been on for months, but this is the first I paid attention.
Tonight's artists: John Cruz and Ben and Maila
Tonight's artists: John Cruz and Ben and Maila
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Hari Kojima
Hari Kojima, the longtime host of "Let's Go Fishing" and "Hari's Kitchen" died today at his Kaneohe home surrounded by family. He had been diagnosed with cancer a month ago.
Kojima was a staple of Hawaii television with a style that was uniquely Hari. He was the local boy generations of Hawaii residents grew up with.
As co-host of "Let's Go Fishing," Hari Kojima found his stride as locally produced television took a foothold in the islands.
"We were the right team at the right place at the right time," said Stan Wright, "Let's Go Fishing" co-host.
Kojima and Stan Wright were the odd couple that clicked.
"There were people who criticized us, they said they couldn't understand my southern accent and said Hari was talking too much pidgin," said Wright. The critical reviews did not stick. Hari became a local legend. "Boy he got in front of that TV camera and it was just magic,"
Kojima was a fish cutter at Tamashiro Market when original host Bruce Carter invited him on "Let's Go Fishing" to showcase his abilities. His skill with a knife and power of gab soon made him a fixture on the Sunday show.
"And he became very popular and being Hari he enjoyed that," said Paul Kojima, Hari Kojima's brother. The laughs and good times would continue for 29 years - along the way Kojima shared thousands of recipes. "It evolved into Bruce Carter asking Hari, 'well what can we do with this fish? How do you prepare it? How do you cook it?'"
"And the best recipes were the ones he got from his mom," said Wright.
All those recipes eventually led to "Hari's Kitchen," another locally produced show with a ten year run.
"Hari's position in the history of TV, local TV are really unique; the things that make singularly Hawaii, recreation, culinary highlights, Hari was there to bring all that to our homes on a Sunday," said Ben Wong, "Let's Go Fishing" host.
A slice of local TV history that will not be forgotten.
Hari Kojima was 65. He leaves behind a wife, four daughters, and seven grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Kojima was a staple of Hawaii television with a style that was uniquely Hari. He was the local boy generations of Hawaii residents grew up with.
As co-host of "Let's Go Fishing," Hari Kojima found his stride as locally produced television took a foothold in the islands.
"We were the right team at the right place at the right time," said Stan Wright, "Let's Go Fishing" co-host.
Kojima and Stan Wright were the odd couple that clicked.
"There were people who criticized us, they said they couldn't understand my southern accent and said Hari was talking too much pidgin," said Wright. The critical reviews did not stick. Hari became a local legend. "Boy he got in front of that TV camera and it was just magic,"
Kojima was a fish cutter at Tamashiro Market when original host Bruce Carter invited him on "Let's Go Fishing" to showcase his abilities. His skill with a knife and power of gab soon made him a fixture on the Sunday show.
"And he became very popular and being Hari he enjoyed that," said Paul Kojima, Hari Kojima's brother. The laughs and good times would continue for 29 years - along the way Kojima shared thousands of recipes. "It evolved into Bruce Carter asking Hari, 'well what can we do with this fish? How do you prepare it? How do you cook it?'"
"And the best recipes were the ones he got from his mom," said Wright.
All those recipes eventually led to "Hari's Kitchen," another locally produced show with a ten year run.
"Hari's position in the history of TV, local TV are really unique; the things that make singularly Hawaii, recreation, culinary highlights, Hari was there to bring all that to our homes on a Sunday," said Ben Wong, "Let's Go Fishing" host.
A slice of local TV history that will not be forgotten.
Hari Kojima was 65. He leaves behind a wife, four daughters, and seven grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Freakonomics
Finally finished the book Freakonomics (obtained from paperbackswap), largely read in small chunks while I'm waiting for Kimo to finish eating.
Pretty interesting. The main takeaway is that "experts" are not always right.
At the end are a few Freakonomics articles taken from the New York Times. I wonder if these (and others) are accessible over the internet? Sure 'nuff. However the last one appeared in 2008.
They also have a blog, which I guess kind of continues the New York Times columns.
And a movie too, which gets mediocre reviews at amazon.com
Maybe I'll get Super Freakonomics too. But I guess I should finish Malcolm Gladwell's Blink first.
[6/27/14] And now I saw at Costco, they have a new book out, Think Like A Freak. But I think I should get Super Freakonomics first.
Pretty interesting. The main takeaway is that "experts" are not always right.
At the end are a few Freakonomics articles taken from the New York Times. I wonder if these (and others) are accessible over the internet? Sure 'nuff. However the last one appeared in 2008.
They also have a blog, which I guess kind of continues the New York Times columns.
And a movie too, which gets mediocre reviews at amazon.com
Maybe I'll get Super Freakonomics too. But I guess I should finish Malcolm Gladwell's Blink first.
[6/27/14] And now I saw at Costco, they have a new book out, Think Like A Freak. But I think I should get Super Freakonomics first.
Friday, May 20, 2011
one more day (until the end of the world)
Inside the sprawling, threadbare Oakland headquarters of Family Radio Worldwide the staff has prepared for the end of the world this weekend — and it appears they mean it.
“There’s so little time left,” a smiling elderly woman said, hugging a colleague.
On Monday, the last day outsiders were welcome inside the gated compound, recording studios sat empty. Current programming for the independent Christian broadcast ministry was produced weeks ago. No more shows are needed.
This Saturday, May 21, is the apocalypse, according to the ministry’s charismatic leader, “brother” Harold Camping.
“I’m so glad that God’s in charge,” Mr. Camping, 89, said, looking gleeful.
***
[5/21/11] News flash: world still here.
***
[10/21/11, posted 12/31/11] If at first you don't succeed...
A California ministry has again predicted the end of the world is at hand.
The Oakland-based Family Radio International that stirred a global frenzy when it predicted the Rapture would take 200 million Christians to heaven on May 21, now says the cataclysmic event will destroy the globe on Friday.
Camping, who suffered a mild stroke three weeks after his prediction failed to materialize in May, still spreads the word through his Family Radio International website. God's judgment and salvation were completed on May 21, Camping says in a message explaining the mix-up in his biblical math.
"Thus we can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on Oct. 21," he says on the website.
Followers were crestfallen in May when the Rapture did not occur, particularly those who had quit their jobs or donated some of their retirement savings or college funds for the more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the Judgment Day message.
Camping, a retired civil engineer, also prophesied the Apocalypse would come in 1994, but said later that didn't happen because of a mathematical error.
*** [11/1/11, posted 12/31/11]
Three proposed Rapture dates have come and gone, and the world has not ended.
Controversial Christian broadcaster Harold Camping has acknowledged his faulty projections, and issued an apology to his followers. The Christian Post reports that the longtime radio evangelist has retired.
“There’s so little time left,” a smiling elderly woman said, hugging a colleague.
On Monday, the last day outsiders were welcome inside the gated compound, recording studios sat empty. Current programming for the independent Christian broadcast ministry was produced weeks ago. No more shows are needed.
This Saturday, May 21, is the apocalypse, according to the ministry’s charismatic leader, “brother” Harold Camping.
“I’m so glad that God’s in charge,” Mr. Camping, 89, said, looking gleeful.
***
[5/21/11] News flash: world still here.
***
[10/21/11, posted 12/31/11] If at first you don't succeed...
A California ministry has again predicted the end of the world is at hand.
The Oakland-based Family Radio International that stirred a global frenzy when it predicted the Rapture would take 200 million Christians to heaven on May 21, now says the cataclysmic event will destroy the globe on Friday.
Camping, who suffered a mild stroke three weeks after his prediction failed to materialize in May, still spreads the word through his Family Radio International website. God's judgment and salvation were completed on May 21, Camping says in a message explaining the mix-up in his biblical math.
"Thus we can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on Oct. 21," he says on the website.
Followers were crestfallen in May when the Rapture did not occur, particularly those who had quit their jobs or donated some of their retirement savings or college funds for the more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the Judgment Day message.
Camping, a retired civil engineer, also prophesied the Apocalypse would come in 1994, but said later that didn't happen because of a mathematical error.
*** [11/1/11, posted 12/31/11]
Three proposed Rapture dates have come and gone, and the world has not ended.
Controversial Christian broadcaster Harold Camping has acknowledged his faulty projections, and issued an apology to his followers. The Christian Post reports that the longtime radio evangelist has retired.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Your Man
I was wondering what song Scotty McCreery sings that goes "Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low". It was his audition song. Just heard again when Scotty went back to his hometown and the original singer (I assume) showed up.
The song is called Your Man by Josh Turner.
***
Now watching Lauren Alaina's audition when she sang with Steven Tyler the song Sweet Surrender. The song is actually titled I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing and was the theme song for the movie Armageddon (funny I don't remember that because Armageddon is one of my favorite movies).
The song is called Your Man by Josh Turner.
***
Now watching Lauren Alaina's audition when she sang with Steven Tyler the song Sweet Surrender. The song is actually titled I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing and was the theme song for the movie Armageddon (funny I don't remember that because Armageddon is one of my favorite movies).
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Mahiku Farmer's Market
That's the one I go to on Sunday morning. It's been at Kapalama Elementary (across Kam Shopping Center), but sometimes (like today) is at Gulick.
They have a website, but it's not very informative. But I see there's a bunch of other open/farmer's markets on the island throughout the week.
They have a website, but it's not very informative. But I see there's a bunch of other open/farmer's markets on the island throughout the week.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Obama strikes back at Trump
WASHINGTON >> President Barack Obama exacted his revenge Saturday after weeks of attacks from his would-be Republican challenger Donald Trump, joking that the billionaire businessman could bring change to the White House, transforming it from a stately mansion into a tacky casino with a whirlpool in the garden.
With Trump in attendance, Obama used the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner to mock the reality TV star's presidential ambitions. The president said Trump has shown the acumen of a future president, from firing Gary Busey on a recent episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" to focusing so much time on conspiracy theories about Obama's birthplace.
After a week when Obama released his long-form Hawaii birth certificate, he said Trump could now focus on the serious issues, from whether the moon landing actually happened to "where are Biggie and Tupac?"
"No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than 'the Donald,'" Obama said, referring to Trump's claims the same day that he was responsible for solving the issue.
For Trump's decision to fire actor Busey instead of rock singer Meat Loaf from his TV show earlier this month, Obama quipped: "These are the types of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir."
And then, as a coup de grace, Obama showed a screen with his vision of how Trump could bring change to the White House. "Trump" was prominently displayed in glittery letters and girls could be seen with cocktails on a Jacuzzi-augmented front lawn.
Trump chuckled at some of the earlier jokes, but was clearly less amused as comedian Seth Meyers picked up where Obama left off.
"Donald Trump often talks about running as a Republican, which is surprising," said the Saturday Night Live actor, entrusted with providing some of the comedy for the evening. "I just assumed he was running as a joke."
Trump stared icily at Meyers as he continued to criticize the real estate tycoon.
Obama and Trump found themselves in the same room after an intense week of attacks from Trump, who has piggybacked on the birther conspiracies and even Obama's refusal to release his university grades to raise the profile of his possible presidential bid.
And the birth certificate was clearly the key punchline for the evening, which typically offers the president a chance to show off his humorous side and a town consumed by politics and partisanship to enjoy a light-hearted affair.
Obama's presentation started after the wrestler Hulk Hogan's patriotic anthem, "Real American," played. Images of Americana from Mount Rushmore to Uncle Sam were shown on the screen, alongside his birth certificate. And then he offered to show his live birth video, which turned out to be a clip from the Disney film, "The Lion King."
With Trump in attendance, Obama used the White House Correspondents' Association annual dinner to mock the reality TV star's presidential ambitions. The president said Trump has shown the acumen of a future president, from firing Gary Busey on a recent episode of "Celebrity Apprentice" to focusing so much time on conspiracy theories about Obama's birthplace.
After a week when Obama released his long-form Hawaii birth certificate, he said Trump could now focus on the serious issues, from whether the moon landing actually happened to "where are Biggie and Tupac?"
"No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than 'the Donald,'" Obama said, referring to Trump's claims the same day that he was responsible for solving the issue.
For Trump's decision to fire actor Busey instead of rock singer Meat Loaf from his TV show earlier this month, Obama quipped: "These are the types of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir."
And then, as a coup de grace, Obama showed a screen with his vision of how Trump could bring change to the White House. "Trump" was prominently displayed in glittery letters and girls could be seen with cocktails on a Jacuzzi-augmented front lawn.
Trump chuckled at some of the earlier jokes, but was clearly less amused as comedian Seth Meyers picked up where Obama left off.
"Donald Trump often talks about running as a Republican, which is surprising," said the Saturday Night Live actor, entrusted with providing some of the comedy for the evening. "I just assumed he was running as a joke."
Trump stared icily at Meyers as he continued to criticize the real estate tycoon.
Obama and Trump found themselves in the same room after an intense week of attacks from Trump, who has piggybacked on the birther conspiracies and even Obama's refusal to release his university grades to raise the profile of his possible presidential bid.
And the birth certificate was clearly the key punchline for the evening, which typically offers the president a chance to show off his humorous side and a town consumed by politics and partisanship to enjoy a light-hearted affair.
Obama's presentation started after the wrestler Hulk Hogan's patriotic anthem, "Real American," played. Images of Americana from Mount Rushmore to Uncle Sam were shown on the screen, alongside his birth certificate. And then he offered to show his live birth video, which turned out to be a clip from the Disney film, "The Lion King."
Friday, April 29, 2011
how to overcome evil
Heard these words spoken at the Royal Wedding and they caught my ear. Didn't know where they came from, but looked it up and they came from Romans 12. [Here's the New International version.]
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
[I think that's where the excerpt from the wedding ended, here's some more]
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
[I think that's where the excerpt from the wedding ended, here's some more]
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Trump vs. Obama (cont.)
Trump vs. Obama continued. (Can you say negative campaigning?)
NEW YORK >> Real estate mogul Donald Trump suggested in an interview Monday that President Barack Obama had been a poor student who did not deserve to be admitted to the Ivy League universities he attended. Trump, who is mulling a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, offered no proof for his claim but said he would continue to press the matter as he has the legitimacy of the president's birth certificate.
"I heard he was a terrible student, terrible. How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?" Trump said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm thinking about it, I'm certainly looking into it. Let him show his records."
Obama graduated from Columbia University in New York in 1983 with a degree in political science after transferring from Occidental College in California. He went on to Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude 1991 and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review.
Obama's 2008 campaign did not release his college transcripts, and in his best-selling memoir, "Dreams From My Father," Obama indicated he hadn't always been an academic star. Trump told the AP that Obama's refusal to release his college grades were part of a pattern of concealing information about himself.
"I have friends who have smart sons with great marks, great boards, great everything and they can't get into Harvard," Trump said. "We don't know a thing about this guy. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered about our president."
NEW YORK >> Real estate mogul Donald Trump suggested in an interview Monday that President Barack Obama had been a poor student who did not deserve to be admitted to the Ivy League universities he attended. Trump, who is mulling a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, offered no proof for his claim but said he would continue to press the matter as he has the legitimacy of the president's birth certificate.
"I heard he was a terrible student, terrible. How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard?" Trump said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm thinking about it, I'm certainly looking into it. Let him show his records."
Obama graduated from Columbia University in New York in 1983 with a degree in political science after transferring from Occidental College in California. He went on to Harvard Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude 1991 and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review.
Obama's 2008 campaign did not release his college transcripts, and in his best-selling memoir, "Dreams From My Father," Obama indicated he hadn't always been an academic star. Trump told the AP that Obama's refusal to release his college grades were part of a pattern of concealing information about himself.
"I have friends who have smart sons with great marks, great boards, great everything and they can't get into Harvard," Trump said. "We don't know a thing about this guy. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered about our president."
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Where was Obama born?
Here's the AP story that appeared in today's Star Advertiser.
Lost in the renewed scrutiny into President Barack Obama's birth records is the fact that anyone can walk into a Hawaii vital records office, wait in line behind couples getting marriage licenses and open a baby-blue government binder containing basic information about his birth.
Highlighted in yellow on page 1,218 of the thick binder is the computer-generated listing for a boy named Barack Hussein Obama II born in Hawaii, surrounded by the alphabetized last names of all other children born in-state between 1960 and 1964. This is the only government birth information, called "index data," available to the public.
So far this month, only The Associated Press and one other person had looked at the binder, according to a sign-in sheet viewed Wednesday in the state Department of Health building. The sheet showed about 25 names of people who have seen the document since March 2010, when the sign-in sheet begins.
Those documents complement newspaper birth announcements published soon after Obama's Aug. 4, 1961, birth and a "certification of live birth" released by the Obama campaign three years ago, the only type of birth certificate the state issues.
So-called "birthers" claim there's no proof Obama was born in the United States, and he is therefore ineligible to be president. Many of the skeptics suggest he was actually born in Kenya, his father's home country, or Indonesia, where he spent a few years of his childhood.
What the would-be sleuths won't find is Obama's "long-form birth certificate," a confidential one-page document containing his original birth records kept on file in the first floor of the Department of Health.
Those original birth records typically include additional birth details, such as the hospital and delivering doctor, said Dr. Chiyome Fukino, the state's former health director who twice looked at and publicly confirmed Obama's original long-form birth records.
But those documents are state government property that can't be released to anyone, even the president himself, said Joshua Wisch, special assistant to the state attorney general. Obama would be able to inspect his birth records if he visited the Health Department in person, but original records of live birth are never released, he said.
Fukino, who served as the state's health director until late last year under former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, said in an interview with The Associated Press she's convinced the long-form document is authentic. She issued public statements in 2008 and 2009 saying she had seen the original records.
"It is absolutely clear to me that he was born here in Hawaii," Fukino told the AP. "It should not be an issue, and I think people need to focus on the other bad things going on in our country and in our state and figure out what we're going to do about those things."
***
Donald Trump vs. Gail Collins
***
Tim Adams
***
A quarter of all Americans incorrectly think President Obama was not born in the United States, according to a new CBS News/ New York Times poll.
Among all Republicans, 45 percent believe he was born in another country, as do 45 percent of Tea Party supporters, the poll shows.
***
Here’s an exchange between Juan Williams and conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly on his program of Feb. 14:
Williams: “Why are there nine congressmen, Republican congressmen I think, who have introduce some kind of legislation to question whether Obama is an American citizen?”
O’Reilly: “You want me to answer that question? Because they are pinheads and they are playing to the crowd. It has nothing to do with the business of the nation.”
***
truthorfiction.com
Snopes
Politifact
Factcheck.org
Wikipedia
Lost in the renewed scrutiny into President Barack Obama's birth records is the fact that anyone can walk into a Hawaii vital records office, wait in line behind couples getting marriage licenses and open a baby-blue government binder containing basic information about his birth.
Highlighted in yellow on page 1,218 of the thick binder is the computer-generated listing for a boy named Barack Hussein Obama II born in Hawaii, surrounded by the alphabetized last names of all other children born in-state between 1960 and 1964. This is the only government birth information, called "index data," available to the public.
So far this month, only The Associated Press and one other person had looked at the binder, according to a sign-in sheet viewed Wednesday in the state Department of Health building. The sheet showed about 25 names of people who have seen the document since March 2010, when the sign-in sheet begins.
Those documents complement newspaper birth announcements published soon after Obama's Aug. 4, 1961, birth and a "certification of live birth" released by the Obama campaign three years ago, the only type of birth certificate the state issues.
So-called "birthers" claim there's no proof Obama was born in the United States, and he is therefore ineligible to be president. Many of the skeptics suggest he was actually born in Kenya, his father's home country, or Indonesia, where he spent a few years of his childhood.
What the would-be sleuths won't find is Obama's "long-form birth certificate," a confidential one-page document containing his original birth records kept on file in the first floor of the Department of Health.
Those original birth records typically include additional birth details, such as the hospital and delivering doctor, said Dr. Chiyome Fukino, the state's former health director who twice looked at and publicly confirmed Obama's original long-form birth records.
But those documents are state government property that can't be released to anyone, even the president himself, said Joshua Wisch, special assistant to the state attorney general. Obama would be able to inspect his birth records if he visited the Health Department in person, but original records of live birth are never released, he said.
Fukino, who served as the state's health director until late last year under former Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, said in an interview with The Associated Press she's convinced the long-form document is authentic. She issued public statements in 2008 and 2009 saying she had seen the original records.
"It is absolutely clear to me that he was born here in Hawaii," Fukino told the AP. "It should not be an issue, and I think people need to focus on the other bad things going on in our country and in our state and figure out what we're going to do about those things."
***
Donald Trump vs. Gail Collins
***
Tim Adams
***
A quarter of all Americans incorrectly think President Obama was not born in the United States, according to a new CBS News/ New York Times poll.
Among all Republicans, 45 percent believe he was born in another country, as do 45 percent of Tea Party supporters, the poll shows.
***
Here’s an exchange between Juan Williams and conservative pundit Bill O’Reilly on his program of Feb. 14:
Williams: “Why are there nine congressmen, Republican congressmen I think, who have introduce some kind of legislation to question whether Obama is an American citizen?”
O’Reilly: “You want me to answer that question? Because they are pinheads and they are playing to the crowd. It has nothing to do with the business of the nation.”
***
truthorfiction.com
Snopes
Politifact
Factcheck.org
Wikipedia
Friday, April 22, 2011
Giving memory a boost
MEMORY LOSS IS usually considered a side effect of aging—but it doesn’t have to be.
Keep the following memory boosters in mind, so you won’t forget to remember.
• Be social. Engaging and stimulating interactions with others lowers the risk of dementia, so join a club, schedule a regular get-together with close friends and really talk with your family regularly.
• Improve your diet. People who lack enough vitamin B12 and folate have a greater risk of developing dementia. Fortify your body against this destructive disease by eating spinach, romaine lettuce, lentils, black beans, broccoli and/or beets. Studies show that if you stick to a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and fish, you’ll have the lowest risk of developing Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment. Green tea, too, can protect memory.
• Focus on self-care before you need crisis care. Learn your family history, take care of your body and be proactive with doctor visits in order to detect and treat potential problems early on.
• Don’t retire—yet. Find a job you love, and stick with it. Working exercises your mental capacity more than retired life and thus helps to keep your memory intact. If you’re tired of your same old job, learn something new; this stimulates the brain.
• Hit snooze. From getting eight hours of solid zzzz’s, including quality REM sleep, to taking a six- to 90-minute nap, sleep helps your brain sort, consolidate and store memories.
• Avoid toxins. What you put into your body affects what it is capable of accomplishing, including the brain functions that preserve your memory. Alcohol is especially toxic in terms of memory.
-- Health and wellness expert Eric Plasker, D.C., is the author of The 100 Year Lifestyle (Adams Media, 2007), The Costco Connection, October 2010
***
Similarly, tips from Robin Palama
As we age, we tend to have more “senior moments,” however, we can all help prevent memory loss, or at least slow it down, by incorporating these simple tasks in our everyday lives:
No. 1: Exercise 30 minutes a day, five times a week. Studies have shown brisk walking for 30 minutes a day or taking part in physically active hobbies such as gardening help lower the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
No. 2: Eat healthy. Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
No. 3: Get a good night’s sleep. Aim for six to eight hours of good quality sleep a night.
No. 4: Socialize. Healthy socialization with loved ones helps you ward off depression and stress.
No. 5: Stay mentally active and keep learning – this is what we do with our patients. We have them participate in “thinking” activities and encourage them to continue when they go home.
Remember … use it or lose it!
Keep the following memory boosters in mind, so you won’t forget to remember.
• Be social. Engaging and stimulating interactions with others lowers the risk of dementia, so join a club, schedule a regular get-together with close friends and really talk with your family regularly.
• Improve your diet. People who lack enough vitamin B12 and folate have a greater risk of developing dementia. Fortify your body against this destructive disease by eating spinach, romaine lettuce, lentils, black beans, broccoli and/or beets. Studies show that if you stick to a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and fish, you’ll have the lowest risk of developing Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment. Green tea, too, can protect memory.
• Focus on self-care before you need crisis care. Learn your family history, take care of your body and be proactive with doctor visits in order to detect and treat potential problems early on.
• Don’t retire—yet. Find a job you love, and stick with it. Working exercises your mental capacity more than retired life and thus helps to keep your memory intact. If you’re tired of your same old job, learn something new; this stimulates the brain.
• Hit snooze. From getting eight hours of solid zzzz’s, including quality REM sleep, to taking a six- to 90-minute nap, sleep helps your brain sort, consolidate and store memories.
• Avoid toxins. What you put into your body affects what it is capable of accomplishing, including the brain functions that preserve your memory. Alcohol is especially toxic in terms of memory.
-- Health and wellness expert Eric Plasker, D.C., is the author of The 100 Year Lifestyle (Adams Media, 2007), The Costco Connection, October 2010
***
Similarly, tips from Robin Palama
As we age, we tend to have more “senior moments,” however, we can all help prevent memory loss, or at least slow it down, by incorporating these simple tasks in our everyday lives:
No. 1: Exercise 30 minutes a day, five times a week. Studies have shown brisk walking for 30 minutes a day or taking part in physically active hobbies such as gardening help lower the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
No. 2: Eat healthy. Eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
No. 3: Get a good night’s sleep. Aim for six to eight hours of good quality sleep a night.
No. 4: Socialize. Healthy socialization with loved ones helps you ward off depression and stress.
No. 5: Stay mentally active and keep learning – this is what we do with our patients. We have them participate in “thinking” activities and encourage them to continue when they go home.
Remember … use it or lose it!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Natural Health Perspectives
Blog on Natural Health by Lindsey Jesswein and Kekoa Smith (who is my cousin's son).
Monday, April 18, 2011
tax rate already cut
Still scrambling to file your taxes? You'll probably take little consolation in hearing that the super rich pay a lot less taxes than they did a couple of decades ago. And nearly half of U.S. households pay no income taxes at all.
The Internal Revenue Service tracks the tax returns with the 400 highest adjusted gross incomes each year. The average income on those returns in 2007, the latest year for IRS data, was nearly $345 million. Their average federal income tax rate was 17 percent, down from 26 percent in 1992.
Over the same period, the average federal income tax rate for all taxpayers declined to 9.3 percent from 9.9 percent.
The top income tax rate is 35 percent, so how can people who make so much pay so little in taxes? The nation's tax laws are packed with breaks for people at every income level. There are breaks for having children, paying a mortgage, going to college, and even for paying other taxes. Plus, the top rate on capital gains is only 15 percent.
There are so many breaks that 45 percent of U.S. households will pay no federal income tax for 2010, according to estimates by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
"It's the fact that we are using the tax code both to collect revenue, which is its primary purpose, and to deliver these spending benefits that we run into the situation where so many people are paying no taxes," said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the center, which generated the estimate of people who pay no income taxes.
The sheer volume of credits, deductions and exemptions has both Democrats and Republicans calling for tax laws to be overhauled. House Republicans want to eliminate breaks to pay for lower overall rates, reducing the top tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Republicans oppose raising taxes, but they argue that a more efficient tax code would increase economic activity, generating additional tax revenue.
President Barack Obama said last week he wants to do away with tax breaks to lower the rates and to reduce government borrowing. Obama's proposal would result in $1 trillion in tax increases over the next 12 years. Neither proposal included many details, putting off hard choices about which tax breaks to eliminate.
In all, the tax code is filled with a total of $1.1 trillion in credits, deductions and exemptions, an average of about $8,000 per taxpayer, according to an analysis by the National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent watchdog within the IRS.
More than half of the nation's tax revenue came from the top 10 percent of earners in 2007. More than 44 percent came from the top 5 percent. Still, the wealthy have access to much more lucrative tax breaks than people with lower incomes.
Obama wants the wealthy to pay so "the amount of taxes you pay isn't determined by what kind of accountant you can afford."
Eric Schoenberg says to sign him up for paying higher taxes. Schoenberg, who inherited money and has a healthy portfolio from his days as an investment banker, has joined a group of other wealthy Americans called United for a Fair Economy. Their goal: Raise taxes on rich people like themselves.
Schoenberg, who now teaches a business class at Columbia University, said his income is usually "north of half a million a year." But 2009 was a bad year for investments, so his income dropped to a little over $200,000. His federal income tax bill was a little more than $2,000.
"I simply point out to people, 'Do you think this is reasonable, that somebody in my circumstances should only be paying 1 percent of their income in tax?'" Schoenberg said.
The Internal Revenue Service tracks the tax returns with the 400 highest adjusted gross incomes each year. The average income on those returns in 2007, the latest year for IRS data, was nearly $345 million. Their average federal income tax rate was 17 percent, down from 26 percent in 1992.
Over the same period, the average federal income tax rate for all taxpayers declined to 9.3 percent from 9.9 percent.
The top income tax rate is 35 percent, so how can people who make so much pay so little in taxes? The nation's tax laws are packed with breaks for people at every income level. There are breaks for having children, paying a mortgage, going to college, and even for paying other taxes. Plus, the top rate on capital gains is only 15 percent.
There are so many breaks that 45 percent of U.S. households will pay no federal income tax for 2010, according to estimates by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
"It's the fact that we are using the tax code both to collect revenue, which is its primary purpose, and to deliver these spending benefits that we run into the situation where so many people are paying no taxes," said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the center, which generated the estimate of people who pay no income taxes.
The sheer volume of credits, deductions and exemptions has both Democrats and Republicans calling for tax laws to be overhauled. House Republicans want to eliminate breaks to pay for lower overall rates, reducing the top tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Republicans oppose raising taxes, but they argue that a more efficient tax code would increase economic activity, generating additional tax revenue.
President Barack Obama said last week he wants to do away with tax breaks to lower the rates and to reduce government borrowing. Obama's proposal would result in $1 trillion in tax increases over the next 12 years. Neither proposal included many details, putting off hard choices about which tax breaks to eliminate.
In all, the tax code is filled with a total of $1.1 trillion in credits, deductions and exemptions, an average of about $8,000 per taxpayer, according to an analysis by the National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent watchdog within the IRS.
More than half of the nation's tax revenue came from the top 10 percent of earners in 2007. More than 44 percent came from the top 5 percent. Still, the wealthy have access to much more lucrative tax breaks than people with lower incomes.
Obama wants the wealthy to pay so "the amount of taxes you pay isn't determined by what kind of accountant you can afford."
Eric Schoenberg says to sign him up for paying higher taxes. Schoenberg, who inherited money and has a healthy portfolio from his days as an investment banker, has joined a group of other wealthy Americans called United for a Fair Economy. Their goal: Raise taxes on rich people like themselves.
Schoenberg, who now teaches a business class at Columbia University, said his income is usually "north of half a million a year." But 2009 was a bad year for investments, so his income dropped to a little over $200,000. His federal income tax bill was a little more than $2,000.
"I simply point out to people, 'Do you think this is reasonable, that somebody in my circumstances should only be paying 1 percent of their income in tax?'" Schoenberg said.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Cityville running slow
Cityville runs really slow on my main computer. Mainly because it runs out of memory and goes to the hard drive.
But now I notice it's even running slow or just hangs up on my "good" computer (which has 2GB of memory).
If this is the case with your computer, you can try clearing the cache from both your browser and Adobe Flash. Seemed to help some.
But now I notice it's even running slow or just hangs up on my "good" computer (which has 2GB of memory).
If this is the case with your computer, you can try clearing the cache from both your browser and Adobe Flash. Seemed to help some.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
tweet surfing
Saw Norm McDonald tweeting Steve Martin on Letterman last night.
Interesting to see who they are following. Both follow Conan. Neither follow Leno. Dave of course doesn't twitter. And Conan is still following only that one person.
Norm follows 22, among them: David Spade, Sarah Silverman, Howard Stern, Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan.
Steve Martin follows 36, among them: Kevin Nealon, Tom Hanks, John Cleese, Kevin Pollak, Andrea Martin, Teller, Sarah Silverman, Jim Carrey, Ron Howard, Ben Stiller, Brian Grazer, Gladwell, Goldie Hawn, Howard Stern, Bill Cosby, Michael Caine, Joy Behar, Gayle King, Dennis Miller, Albert Brooks.
Let's see who Leno follows: Howie Mandel is the only comedian.
Looking at Albert Brooks. He mentions Mort Sahl has joined twitter. Others among the 12 he follows: Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman (again), Conan (again), Kevin Pollak, Howard Stern (again), James L. Brooks (are they related? -- no, but he casted him in Broadcast News), Steve Martin.
Interesting to see who they are following. Both follow Conan. Neither follow Leno. Dave of course doesn't twitter. And Conan is still following only that one person.
Norm follows 22, among them: David Spade, Sarah Silverman, Howard Stern, Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan.
Steve Martin follows 36, among them: Kevin Nealon, Tom Hanks, John Cleese, Kevin Pollak, Andrea Martin, Teller, Sarah Silverman, Jim Carrey, Ron Howard, Ben Stiller, Brian Grazer, Gladwell, Goldie Hawn, Howard Stern, Bill Cosby, Michael Caine, Joy Behar, Gayle King, Dennis Miller, Albert Brooks.
Let's see who Leno follows: Howie Mandel is the only comedian.
Looking at Albert Brooks. He mentions Mort Sahl has joined twitter. Others among the 12 he follows: Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman (again), Conan (again), Kevin Pollak, Howard Stern (again), James L. Brooks (are they related? -- no, but he casted him in Broadcast News), Steve Martin.
Arnold will be back
With his years as governor behind him, Arnold Schwarzenegger will soon return to his acting career with a new animated TV series.
The planned action-comedy cartoon is called "The Governator," according to A Squared Entertainment, a partner in the venture. It will focus on a superhero living a double life as an ordinary family man. Schwarzenegger will provide the voice of the title character.
Comic-book legend Stan Lee is another partner in the project, which will be officially announced Monday at the MIPTV trade show in Cannes, France.
The planned action-comedy cartoon is called "The Governator," according to A Squared Entertainment, a partner in the venture. It will focus on a superhero living a double life as an ordinary family man. Schwarzenegger will provide the voice of the title character.
Comic-book legend Stan Lee is another partner in the project, which will be officially announced Monday at the MIPTV trade show in Cannes, France.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Body of Proof
After the first cut of Dancing with the Stars last night was a show called Body of Proof. I think I left it on because the description said that Jeri Ryan was on it.
Anyway, Jeri Ryan is not the star of the show. It's Dana Delany. And the show turned out to be pretty entertaining. Delany plays a doctor who's sort of a cross between House and Monk. A doctor/detective. So it wouldn't be out of place on the USA network.
I might just tuned in next week too. Actually there's a special showing Sunday.
[4/19/11 - looked at a couple more episodes and they weren't as interesting as the first to me.]
Anyway, Jeri Ryan is not the star of the show. It's Dana Delany. And the show turned out to be pretty entertaining. Delany plays a doctor who's sort of a cross between House and Monk. A doctor/detective. So it wouldn't be out of place on the USA network.
I might just tuned in next week too. Actually there's a special showing Sunday.
[4/19/11 - looked at a couple more episodes and they weren't as interesting as the first to me.]
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Elizabeth Taylor
LOS ANGELES >> Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen persona, stormy personal life and enduring fame and glamour made her one of the last of the old-fashioned movie stars and a template for the modern celebrity, died Wednesday at age 79.
She died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks, said publicist Sally Morrison.
Taylor was the most blessed and cursed of actresses, the toughest and the most vulnerable. She had extraordinary grace, wealth and voluptuous beauty, and won three Academy Awards, including a special one for her humanitarian work. She was the most loyal of friends and a defender of gays in Hollywood when AIDS was still a stigma in the industry and beyond. But she was afflicted by ill health, failed romances (eight marriages, seven husbands) and personal tragedy.
"I think I'm becoming fatalistic," she said in 1989. "Too much has happened in my life for me not to be fatalistic."
Her more than 50 movies included unforgettable portraits of innocence and of decadence, from the children's classic "National Velvet" and the sentimental family comedy "Father of the Bride" to Oscar-winning transgressions in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Butterfield 8." The historical epic "Cleopatra" is among Hollywood's greatest on-screen fiascos and a landmark of off-screen monkey business, the meeting ground of Taylor and Richard Burton, the "Brangelina" of their day.
She played enough bawdy women on film for critic Pauline Kael to deem her "Chaucerian Beverly Hills."
But her defining role, one that lasted long past her moviemaking days, was "Elizabeth Taylor," ever marrying and divorcing, in and out of hospitals, gaining and losing weight, standing by Michael Jackson, Rock Hudson and other troubled friends, acquiring a jewelry collection that seemed to rival Tiffany's.
She was a child star who grew up and aged before an adoring, appalled and fascinated public. She arrived in Hollywood when the studio system tightly controlled an actor's life and image, had more marriages than any publicist could explain away and lasted long enough to no longer require explanation. She was the industry's great survivor, and among the first to reach that special category of celebrity — famous for being famous, for whom her work was inseparable from the gossip around it.
She died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks, said publicist Sally Morrison.
Taylor was the most blessed and cursed of actresses, the toughest and the most vulnerable. She had extraordinary grace, wealth and voluptuous beauty, and won three Academy Awards, including a special one for her humanitarian work. She was the most loyal of friends and a defender of gays in Hollywood when AIDS was still a stigma in the industry and beyond. But she was afflicted by ill health, failed romances (eight marriages, seven husbands) and personal tragedy.
"I think I'm becoming fatalistic," she said in 1989. "Too much has happened in my life for me not to be fatalistic."
Her more than 50 movies included unforgettable portraits of innocence and of decadence, from the children's classic "National Velvet" and the sentimental family comedy "Father of the Bride" to Oscar-winning transgressions in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Butterfield 8." The historical epic "Cleopatra" is among Hollywood's greatest on-screen fiascos and a landmark of off-screen monkey business, the meeting ground of Taylor and Richard Burton, the "Brangelina" of their day.
She played enough bawdy women on film for critic Pauline Kael to deem her "Chaucerian Beverly Hills."
But her defining role, one that lasted long past her moviemaking days, was "Elizabeth Taylor," ever marrying and divorcing, in and out of hospitals, gaining and losing weight, standing by Michael Jackson, Rock Hudson and other troubled friends, acquiring a jewelry collection that seemed to rival Tiffany's.
She was a child star who grew up and aged before an adoring, appalled and fascinated public. She arrived in Hollywood when the studio system tightly controlled an actor's life and image, had more marriages than any publicist could explain away and lasted long enough to no longer require explanation. She was the industry's great survivor, and among the first to reach that special category of celebrity — famous for being famous, for whom her work was inseparable from the gossip around it.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
how to get rid of haole koa
After spending some time cutting some haole koa in the back yard, I wondered if there is a good way to get rid of it.
Apparently, there is a way to get rid of it (and nutgrass too), but it doesn't sound easy.
[11/19/14] Found this Kokua Line article
Apparently, there is a way to get rid of it (and nutgrass too), but it doesn't sound easy.
[11/19/14] Found this Kokua Line article
Monday, March 14, 2011
G. I. Joe: Rise of Cobra
For my first-ever Redbox rental, I decided on GIJROC. (Actually my first ever rental from one of those machines was Sorceror's Apprentice at Times: Liliha, but it wasn't a Redbox.)
I decided on this because I always thought the trailer looked pretty cool. And the Blu-Ray is on the top of my wish-list on swapadvd.com.
I had seen the DVD available before, but never rented it. Then it disappeared for a month or two. Then I saw it again at Foodland Liliha, but it disappeared again. But a search at redbox.com showed it was available at Foodland Dillingham. OK, I'll venture out my 1.04. (Or maybe it's free because I'm supposed to have a free credit for signing up, not sure if it's claimed automatically.)
Anyway, even though it wasn't a Blu-Ray, I thought the picture looked pretty good on my 42" Plasma. Saw the first half yesterday and the rest today on the old 27" Panasonic outside. OK, maybe a little confusing with all the characters. And the picture was a little darker since the scenes went underwater. But overall, I'd say it's filled the bill as an action picture. I'd give it a thumbs up.
But then, I'm speaking as one who never really watched the G.I. Joe cartoons. Here's another view (which turned out to be nearly as entertaining as the movie for me).
The movie's ostensible lead is Duke, played by Channing Tatum, who is without question the absolute worst actor to have ever lived in the history of mankind's existence on this planet we call Earth. I'm talking all the way back to the birth of drama in ancient Greece, never has there been another actor as awful as Tatum. Even Ed Wood would have laughed at this guy's screen test. The filmmakers should have called his character "Cue Card," because he's obviously reading his lines off of them.
Nearly as bad is Sienna Miller as The Baroness. Yes, she's sexy, but my lord, the woman needs to take some acting lessons. Not only is Miller's delivery stilted, the movie's version of the character is an American bimbo (a blonde, we learn in flashbacks) with no accent, is Duke's ex-girlfriend, and isn't even really evil. What the hell? What does any of that have to do with The Baroness, who was previously one of the juiciest characters in all of G.I. Joe lore? I'm going to assume that Miller had to be cast in the movie due to some studio contractual obligation. If she has to be in the movie, why not give her a more appropriate character that she could handle, like Cover Girl? Shouldn't The Baroness actually be The Baroness, and played by someone who can pull off the role?
Supporting characters make just as little sense. Saïd Taghmaoui is Breaker. Except that he's not actually playing Breaker, the team's radio operator. He's playing Mainframe, their computer tech geek. So why isn't the character just called Mainframe? Obviously, the writers didn't know who Mainframe was because they'd never gotten past Issue 3 of the comic book.
The film is agonizingly, insultingly stupid. It has been written by people who have no respect at all for their audience's intelligence. Movies like this are often called "turn off your brain" entertainment. I've never understood the appeal of that. There's nothing stopping any movie from having major excitement and thrills along with a decent story and interesting characters, except the will to do it. How far must we lower our standards to find something like this entertaining?
***
Then again, I just picked up Karate Dog from swapadvd.
I decided on this because I always thought the trailer looked pretty cool. And the Blu-Ray is on the top of my wish-list on swapadvd.com.
I had seen the DVD available before, but never rented it. Then it disappeared for a month or two. Then I saw it again at Foodland Liliha, but it disappeared again. But a search at redbox.com showed it was available at Foodland Dillingham. OK, I'll venture out my 1.04. (Or maybe it's free because I'm supposed to have a free credit for signing up, not sure if it's claimed automatically.)
Anyway, even though it wasn't a Blu-Ray, I thought the picture looked pretty good on my 42" Plasma. Saw the first half yesterday and the rest today on the old 27" Panasonic outside. OK, maybe a little confusing with all the characters. And the picture was a little darker since the scenes went underwater. But overall, I'd say it's filled the bill as an action picture. I'd give it a thumbs up.
But then, I'm speaking as one who never really watched the G.I. Joe cartoons. Here's another view (which turned out to be nearly as entertaining as the movie for me).
The movie's ostensible lead is Duke, played by Channing Tatum, who is without question the absolute worst actor to have ever lived in the history of mankind's existence on this planet we call Earth. I'm talking all the way back to the birth of drama in ancient Greece, never has there been another actor as awful as Tatum. Even Ed Wood would have laughed at this guy's screen test. The filmmakers should have called his character "Cue Card," because he's obviously reading his lines off of them.
Nearly as bad is Sienna Miller as The Baroness. Yes, she's sexy, but my lord, the woman needs to take some acting lessons. Not only is Miller's delivery stilted, the movie's version of the character is an American bimbo (a blonde, we learn in flashbacks) with no accent, is Duke's ex-girlfriend, and isn't even really evil. What the hell? What does any of that have to do with The Baroness, who was previously one of the juiciest characters in all of G.I. Joe lore? I'm going to assume that Miller had to be cast in the movie due to some studio contractual obligation. If she has to be in the movie, why not give her a more appropriate character that she could handle, like Cover Girl? Shouldn't The Baroness actually be The Baroness, and played by someone who can pull off the role?
Supporting characters make just as little sense. Saïd Taghmaoui is Breaker. Except that he's not actually playing Breaker, the team's radio operator. He's playing Mainframe, their computer tech geek. So why isn't the character just called Mainframe? Obviously, the writers didn't know who Mainframe was because they'd never gotten past Issue 3 of the comic book.
The film is agonizingly, insultingly stupid. It has been written by people who have no respect at all for their audience's intelligence. Movies like this are often called "turn off your brain" entertainment. I've never understood the appeal of that. There's nothing stopping any movie from having major excitement and thrills along with a decent story and interesting characters, except the will to do it. How far must we lower our standards to find something like this entertaining?
***
Then again, I just picked up Karate Dog from swapadvd.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Charlie Sheen winning yet?
[7/14/12] Quitting Twitter. Checking twitaholic, Charlie is no. 35 with 7708629 followers. The current top ten: Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Barack Obama, Shakira, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Youtube. Oprah is 12. Justin Timberlake is 13. Ellen is 14. Ashton Kutcher 20. JLo 26. Jim Carrey 28. Mitt Romney is 1824 with 560,248 followers. Cesar Millan is 2489 with 424,258 followers.
[5/13/11] Acting with an imminent deadline to keep alive a hit comedy after it had been derailed by Charlie Sheen's troubles this season, CBS and Warner Bros. Television said Friday that actor Ashton Kutcher will replace Sheen in "Two and a Half Men."
The show goes into production this summer and will be on CBS' schedule in the fall.
The deal apparently came together quickly, following reports earlier this week that negotiations with film actor Hugh Grant to join the show had fallen through. Kutcher is familiar to television audiences through his role on Fox's "That 70s Show," film roles like the romantic comedy "No Strings Attached" and for producing and hosting the prank show "Punk'd."
A deadline on deciding whether the show would continue was looming with CBS set to unveil its fall schedule to advertisers in New York next Wednesday.
Kutcher is not as well known as Sheen but is 12 years younger and has a huge following of fans who check in on his ever utterance on Twitter. He said Friday he believes that "we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes.
"I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people," he said.
Kutcher gave his followers a big clue Wednesday on Twitter that he may be joining "Two and a Half Men."
"What's the square root of 6.25?" the actor asked in a tweet.
The answer is 2-1/2.
Sheen offered his replacement a welcome on Friday — sort of.
“Kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer ... Oh, wait, so am I,” Sheen said.
***
Charlie is up to #25 on twitaholic passing Alicia Keys, ColdPlay, Shaq and TwitPic with 3,884,762 followers and is just behind Paris Hilton and Pink. However, he now doesn't appear to have any shot to catch Ashton Kutcher who is at #7 with 6,699,411.
[4/4/11] By all accounts, Charlie Sheen's traveling stage show, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option," failed bigtime on its opening night. The sellout crowd at Detroit's Fox Theater on Saturday booed the erratic star, shouted for refunds, and walked out early, leading Sheen to curtail his appearance after an hour. His broadly reworked second show, in Chicago on Sunday, went better. But repercussions from his disastrous effort in Detroit are already souring ticket sales for the tour's remaining 20 or so stops.
[3/31/11] Charlie has made his way up to #29 with 3,353,073 users passing The New York Times, Perez Hilton, KAKA, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Fallon.
[3/17/11] Charlie has now passed Google Support is up to #34 with 2,908,192 followers. Up next: The New York Times
[3/16/11] Charlie has passed Luciano Huck and is now #35.
[3/15/11] Charlie has passed Lance Armstrong, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg and is now #36 with 2,815,786 followers. Up next: Luciano Huck, Google Support, The New York Times.
[3/14/11] Charlie is up to #39 with 2,752,467 followers, passing Conan, The Onion, Khloe Kardashian, Soulja Boy, E! Online. Just ahead: Lance Armstrong, Nicki Minaj (hip hop artist from Trinidad), Snoop Dogg, Luciano Huck (Brazilian television personality).
[3/10/11] Charlie is now up to #48 with 2,482,522 followers, passing Time.com, People Magazine, and Ashlee Simpson Wentz. Just ahead of him are Conan, Khloe Kardashian, and Jonas Brothers.
[3/10/11] Sheen filed a lawsuit Thursday against Warner Bros. and "Two and a Half Men" producer Chuck Lorre for $100 million, plus punitive damages, TMZ reports.
Sheen, 45, is demanding he get paid for the eight "Two and a Half Men" episodes that were canceled this year, and he's also suing to gain lost wages and benefits for the show's crew.
Sheen's lawyer Marty Singer drafted the suit, and, according to TMZ, writes in the preamble: "Chuck Lorre, one of the richest men in television who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, believes himself to be so wealthy and powerful that he can unilaterally decide to take money away from the dedicated cast and crew of the popular television series, 'Two and a Half Men,' in order to serve his own ego and self-interest, and make the star of the Series the scapegoat for Lorre's own conduct."
[3/9/11] Charlie is up to 51 with 2,368,290 passing Al Gore, Tony Hawk, and NBA and is just behind Time.com, People Magazine, and Ashlee Simpson Wentz.
[3/8/11] Charlie is now up to 58 with 2,215,685 followers. Just ahead of John Legend and just behind Al Gore. Soon to fall: Tony Hawk, NBA, Time.com, People Magazine. Conan may take two or three days. Teamcoco is 47 with 2,570,746 followers. Looking live at Charlie's account, he has 2,277,644 followers. Conan has 2,586,251 and is still following 1 person.
[3/8/11] Charlie fired from Two and a Half Men
[3/6/11] Charlie Sheen has jumped from 112 to 85 with 1,895,761 followers. Two spots ahead of him? Denise Richards! Oddly, going to his actual page, Charlie has "only" 1,810,129 followers.
[3/5/11] Charlie Sheen now has 1,755,443 twitter followers and apparently set the record of most followers in a 24 hour period.
Still has a ways to go to catch Oprah who has 5,250,998 followers and Ashton Kutcher who has 6,407,439.
Looking now at twitaholic, Oprah is only tenth and Kutcher sixth. The others in the top eight (starting from number nine): Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ellen, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama, Britney Spears, Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga.
Charlie Sheen is currently 112th with 1,707,580 and rising. Just behind John McCain and just ahead of Women's Wear Daily. He'll probably break into the top 100 in a day or two.
... Here's how fast Charlie's followers have grown:
3/1/11 - 141,468
3/2/11 - 837,124
3/3/11 - 1,244,318
3/4/11 - 1,551,589
3/5/11 - 1,707,580
So it's slowing down with the big jump of nearly 600K on 3/2 and only 150K on 3/5.
[2/28/11, posted 3/10] Charlie Sheen: bi-winning
[5/13/11] Acting with an imminent deadline to keep alive a hit comedy after it had been derailed by Charlie Sheen's troubles this season, CBS and Warner Bros. Television said Friday that actor Ashton Kutcher will replace Sheen in "Two and a Half Men."
The show goes into production this summer and will be on CBS' schedule in the fall.
The deal apparently came together quickly, following reports earlier this week that negotiations with film actor Hugh Grant to join the show had fallen through. Kutcher is familiar to television audiences through his role on Fox's "That 70s Show," film roles like the romantic comedy "No Strings Attached" and for producing and hosting the prank show "Punk'd."
A deadline on deciding whether the show would continue was looming with CBS set to unveil its fall schedule to advertisers in New York next Wednesday.
Kutcher is not as well known as Sheen but is 12 years younger and has a huge following of fans who check in on his ever utterance on Twitter. He said Friday he believes that "we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes.
"I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people," he said.
Kutcher gave his followers a big clue Wednesday on Twitter that he may be joining "Two and a Half Men."
"What's the square root of 6.25?" the actor asked in a tweet.
The answer is 2-1/2.
Sheen offered his replacement a welcome on Friday — sort of.
“Kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer ... Oh, wait, so am I,” Sheen said.
***
Charlie is up to #25 on twitaholic passing Alicia Keys, ColdPlay, Shaq and TwitPic with 3,884,762 followers and is just behind Paris Hilton and Pink. However, he now doesn't appear to have any shot to catch Ashton Kutcher who is at #7 with 6,699,411.
[4/4/11] By all accounts, Charlie Sheen's traveling stage show, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not an Option," failed bigtime on its opening night. The sellout crowd at Detroit's Fox Theater on Saturday booed the erratic star, shouted for refunds, and walked out early, leading Sheen to curtail his appearance after an hour. His broadly reworked second show, in Chicago on Sunday, went better. But repercussions from his disastrous effort in Detroit are already souring ticket sales for the tour's remaining 20 or so stops.
[3/31/11] Charlie has made his way up to #29 with 3,353,073 users passing The New York Times, Perez Hilton, KAKA, Chelsea Handler, Jimmy Fallon.
[3/17/11] Charlie has now passed Google Support is up to #34 with 2,908,192 followers. Up next: The New York Times
[3/16/11] Charlie has passed Luciano Huck and is now #35.
[3/15/11] Charlie has passed Lance Armstrong, Nicki Minaj, Snoop Dogg and is now #36 with 2,815,786 followers. Up next: Luciano Huck, Google Support, The New York Times.
[3/14/11] Charlie is up to #39 with 2,752,467 followers, passing Conan, The Onion, Khloe Kardashian, Soulja Boy, E! Online. Just ahead: Lance Armstrong, Nicki Minaj (hip hop artist from Trinidad), Snoop Dogg, Luciano Huck (Brazilian television personality).
[3/10/11] Charlie is now up to #48 with 2,482,522 followers, passing Time.com, People Magazine, and Ashlee Simpson Wentz. Just ahead of him are Conan, Khloe Kardashian, and Jonas Brothers.
[3/10/11] Sheen filed a lawsuit Thursday against Warner Bros. and "Two and a Half Men" producer Chuck Lorre for $100 million, plus punitive damages, TMZ reports.
Sheen, 45, is demanding he get paid for the eight "Two and a Half Men" episodes that were canceled this year, and he's also suing to gain lost wages and benefits for the show's crew.
Sheen's lawyer Marty Singer drafted the suit, and, according to TMZ, writes in the preamble: "Chuck Lorre, one of the richest men in television who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, believes himself to be so wealthy and powerful that he can unilaterally decide to take money away from the dedicated cast and crew of the popular television series, 'Two and a Half Men,' in order to serve his own ego and self-interest, and make the star of the Series the scapegoat for Lorre's own conduct."
[3/9/11] Charlie is up to 51 with 2,368,290 passing Al Gore, Tony Hawk, and NBA and is just behind Time.com, People Magazine, and Ashlee Simpson Wentz.
[3/8/11] Charlie is now up to 58 with 2,215,685 followers. Just ahead of John Legend and just behind Al Gore. Soon to fall: Tony Hawk, NBA, Time.com, People Magazine. Conan may take two or three days. Teamcoco is 47 with 2,570,746 followers. Looking live at Charlie's account, he has 2,277,644 followers. Conan has 2,586,251 and is still following 1 person.
[3/8/11] Charlie fired from Two and a Half Men
[3/6/11] Charlie Sheen has jumped from 112 to 85 with 1,895,761 followers. Two spots ahead of him? Denise Richards! Oddly, going to his actual page, Charlie has "only" 1,810,129 followers.
[3/5/11] Charlie Sheen now has 1,755,443 twitter followers and apparently set the record of most followers in a 24 hour period.
Still has a ways to go to catch Oprah who has 5,250,998 followers and Ashton Kutcher who has 6,407,439.
Looking now at twitaholic, Oprah is only tenth and Kutcher sixth. The others in the top eight (starting from number nine): Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Ellen, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama, Britney Spears, Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga.
Charlie Sheen is currently 112th with 1,707,580 and rising. Just behind John McCain and just ahead of Women's Wear Daily. He'll probably break into the top 100 in a day or two.
... Here's how fast Charlie's followers have grown:
3/1/11 - 141,468
3/2/11 - 837,124
3/3/11 - 1,244,318
3/4/11 - 1,551,589
3/5/11 - 1,707,580
So it's slowing down with the big jump of nearly 600K on 3/2 and only 150K on 3/5.
[2/28/11, posted 3/10] Charlie Sheen: bi-winning
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
my heroes
These are the people I admire and look up to. Why? For one thing, they are successful people and (just as important if not more so) are positive people. [And after thinking it over, they're all smart and have a sense of humor.]
Anyway here they are, not necessarily in any order. [Well, I guess it's sort of in chronological order.]
The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)
Warren Buffett (did you know Buffett is five years older than the Dalai Lama?)
Oprah Winfrey
Barack Obama
Cesar Millan
And I guess I'd better mention my Hall of Famers
Jesus Christ
The Buddha (Siddartha Gautama)
Mahatma Gandhi
Richard Feynman
John Wooden
Anybody daring to criticize them goes down a peg in my book. Well, I guess nobody's perfect (with one exception) and above criticism. And I suppose constructive criticism should always be welcome.
[original version started in July 2010]
links:
Oprah talks to the Dalai Lama
A New Day
John Wooden voted for Obama
Dalai Lama on meeting Obama
Cesar helps Oprah with Sophie
Anyway here they are, not necessarily in any order. [Well, I guess it's sort of in chronological order.]
The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)
Warren Buffett (did you know Buffett is five years older than the Dalai Lama?)
Oprah Winfrey
Barack Obama
Cesar Millan
And I guess I'd better mention my Hall of Famers
Jesus Christ
The Buddha (Siddartha Gautama)
Mahatma Gandhi
Richard Feynman
John Wooden
Anybody daring to criticize them goes down a peg in my book. Well, I guess nobody's perfect (with one exception) and above criticism. And I suppose constructive criticism should always be welcome.
[original version started in July 2010]
links:
Oprah talks to the Dalai Lama
A New Day
John Wooden voted for Obama
Dalai Lama on meeting Obama
Cesar helps Oprah with Sophie
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Jack LaLanne
LOS ANGELES — Jack LaLanne was prodding Americans to get off their couches and into the gym decades before it was cool. And he was still pumping iron and pushing fruits and vegetables decades past most Americans' retirement age.
The fitness fanatic ate well and exercised — and made it his mission to make sure everyone did the same — right up to the end at age 96, friends and family said.
LaLanne died Sunday at his home in Morro Bay on California's central coast, longtime agent Rick Hersh said. The cause was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.
"I have not only lost my husband and a great American icon, but the best friend and most loving partner anyone could ever hope for," Elaine LaLanne, LaLanne's wife of 51 years and a frequent partner in his television appearances, said in a written statement.
Lalanne, who had heart valve surgery two years ago, maintained a youthful physique and joked in 2006 that "I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image."
"He was amazing," said 87-year-old former "Price is Right" host Bob Barker, who credited LaLanne's encouragement with helping him to start exercising often.
"He never lost enthusiasm for life and physical fitness," Barker told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I saw him in about 2007 and he still looked remarkably good. He still looked like the same enthusiastic guy that he always was."
LaLanne credited a sudden interest in fitness with transforming his life as a teen, and he worked tirelessly over the next eight decades to transform others' lives, too.
"The only way you can hurt the body is not use it," LaLanne said. "Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."
His workout show was a television staple from the 1950s to the '70s. LaLanne and his dog Happy encouraged kids to wake their mothers and drag them in front of the television set. He developed exercises that used no special equipment, just a chair and a towel.
He also founded a chain of fitness studios that bore his name and in recent years touted the value of raw fruit and vegetables as he helped market a machine called Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer.
When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show. At 60, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco — handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat. Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in Long Beach harbor.
"I never think of my age, never," LaLanne said in 1990. "I could be 20 or 100. I never think about it, I'm just me. Look at Bob Hope, George Burns. They're more productive than they've ever been in their whole lives right now."
Fellow bodybuilder and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger credited LaLanne with taking exercise out of the gymnasium and into living rooms.
"He laid the groundwork for others to have exercise programs, and now it has bloomed from that black and white program into a very colorful enterprise," Schwarzenegger said in 1990.
In 1936 in his native Oakland, LaLanne opened a health studio that included weight-training for women and athletes. Those were revolutionary notions at the time, because of the theory that weight training made an athlete slow and "muscle bound" and made a woman look masculine.
"You have to understand that it was absolutely forbidden in those days for athletes to use weights," he once said. "It just wasn't done. We had athletes who used to sneak into the studio to work out.
"It was the same with women. Back then, women weren't supposed to use weights. I guess I was a pioneer," LaLanne said.
The son of poor French immigrants, he was born in 1914 and grew up to become a sugar addict, he said.
The turning point occurred one night when he heard a lecture by pioneering nutritionist Paul Bragg, who advocated the benefits of brown rice, whole wheat and a vegetarian diet.
"He got me so enthused," LaLanne said. "After the lecture I went to his dressing room and spent an hour and a half with him. He said, 'Jack, you're a walking garbage can.'"
Soon after, LaLanne constructed a makeshift gym in his back yard. "I had all these firemen and police working out there and I kind of used them as guinea pigs," he said.
He said his own daily routine usually consisted of two hours of weightlifting and an hour in the swimming pool.
"It's a lifestyle, it's something you do the rest of your life," LaLanne said. "How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it."
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Dan and Jon, and a daughter, Yvonne.
The fitness fanatic ate well and exercised — and made it his mission to make sure everyone did the same — right up to the end at age 96, friends and family said.
LaLanne died Sunday at his home in Morro Bay on California's central coast, longtime agent Rick Hersh said. The cause was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.
"I have not only lost my husband and a great American icon, but the best friend and most loving partner anyone could ever hope for," Elaine LaLanne, LaLanne's wife of 51 years and a frequent partner in his television appearances, said in a written statement.
Lalanne, who had heart valve surgery two years ago, maintained a youthful physique and joked in 2006 that "I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image."
"He was amazing," said 87-year-old former "Price is Right" host Bob Barker, who credited LaLanne's encouragement with helping him to start exercising often.
"He never lost enthusiasm for life and physical fitness," Barker told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I saw him in about 2007 and he still looked remarkably good. He still looked like the same enthusiastic guy that he always was."
LaLanne credited a sudden interest in fitness with transforming his life as a teen, and he worked tirelessly over the next eight decades to transform others' lives, too.
"The only way you can hurt the body is not use it," LaLanne said. "Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."
His workout show was a television staple from the 1950s to the '70s. LaLanne and his dog Happy encouraged kids to wake their mothers and drag them in front of the television set. He developed exercises that used no special equipment, just a chair and a towel.
He also founded a chain of fitness studios that bore his name and in recent years touted the value of raw fruit and vegetables as he helped market a machine called Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer.
When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show. At 60, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco — handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat. Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in Long Beach harbor.
"I never think of my age, never," LaLanne said in 1990. "I could be 20 or 100. I never think about it, I'm just me. Look at Bob Hope, George Burns. They're more productive than they've ever been in their whole lives right now."
Fellow bodybuilder and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger credited LaLanne with taking exercise out of the gymnasium and into living rooms.
"He laid the groundwork for others to have exercise programs, and now it has bloomed from that black and white program into a very colorful enterprise," Schwarzenegger said in 1990.
In 1936 in his native Oakland, LaLanne opened a health studio that included weight-training for women and athletes. Those were revolutionary notions at the time, because of the theory that weight training made an athlete slow and "muscle bound" and made a woman look masculine.
"You have to understand that it was absolutely forbidden in those days for athletes to use weights," he once said. "It just wasn't done. We had athletes who used to sneak into the studio to work out.
"It was the same with women. Back then, women weren't supposed to use weights. I guess I was a pioneer," LaLanne said.
The son of poor French immigrants, he was born in 1914 and grew up to become a sugar addict, he said.
The turning point occurred one night when he heard a lecture by pioneering nutritionist Paul Bragg, who advocated the benefits of brown rice, whole wheat and a vegetarian diet.
"He got me so enthused," LaLanne said. "After the lecture I went to his dressing room and spent an hour and a half with him. He said, 'Jack, you're a walking garbage can.'"
Soon after, LaLanne constructed a makeshift gym in his back yard. "I had all these firemen and police working out there and I kind of used them as guinea pigs," he said.
He said his own daily routine usually consisted of two hours of weightlifting and an hour in the swimming pool.
"It's a lifestyle, it's something you do the rest of your life," LaLanne said. "How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it."
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Dan and Jon, and a daughter, Yvonne.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Bob Klouster
What would you do if you knew you were dying?
A Kapolei man diagnosed with incurable stage three kidney failure is using what time he has left to help others live longer, better lives.
If Bob Klouster could find a way to fix his ailing body as well as he can cars, he would.
Diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that is attacking his failing kidneys, doctors have given Bob 2 1/2 years to live.
"So my body is basically thinking my kidney is a foreign object. To get a transplant, the likelihood of doing the same thing is very high, so they put me very low no the wait list," said Klouster.
The prognosis has been difficult to fathom for the 37-year-old North Dakota native, who moved to Hawaii four years ago with his wife, who serves in the Air Force.
Klouster was a record-breaking track star in high school and at 18 was an elite college football recruit.
"You never really fully encompass the whole thing, because some days, I look as healthy as anybody," said Klouster.
But instead of being bitter about his fate, Klouster has decided to use his skills as a certified mechanic to help repair the used cars donated to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii.
"I've had a full life compared to kids who have kidney disease that are very young," said Klouster. "So I'm kind of looking at it like that. Trying to help them and maybe others who come after me," said Klouster.
Bob said he has good days and bad days. He's in pain almost every day. But he said he doesn't believe in having a bucket list.
"I'm just thankful for everyday I'm able to get up and go. I"m very fortunate that I have a loving wife and caring family and that's what gets me through," said Klouster.
He's living proof, you can have a bad kidney, but still have a good heart.
For more information on how to become an organ donor or donate a car to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii go to www.kidneyhi.org.
A Kapolei man diagnosed with incurable stage three kidney failure is using what time he has left to help others live longer, better lives.
If Bob Klouster could find a way to fix his ailing body as well as he can cars, he would.
Diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that is attacking his failing kidneys, doctors have given Bob 2 1/2 years to live.
"So my body is basically thinking my kidney is a foreign object. To get a transplant, the likelihood of doing the same thing is very high, so they put me very low no the wait list," said Klouster.
The prognosis has been difficult to fathom for the 37-year-old North Dakota native, who moved to Hawaii four years ago with his wife, who serves in the Air Force.
Klouster was a record-breaking track star in high school and at 18 was an elite college football recruit.
"You never really fully encompass the whole thing, because some days, I look as healthy as anybody," said Klouster.
But instead of being bitter about his fate, Klouster has decided to use his skills as a certified mechanic to help repair the used cars donated to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii.
"I've had a full life compared to kids who have kidney disease that are very young," said Klouster. "So I'm kind of looking at it like that. Trying to help them and maybe others who come after me," said Klouster.
Bob said he has good days and bad days. He's in pain almost every day. But he said he doesn't believe in having a bucket list.
"I'm just thankful for everyday I'm able to get up and go. I"m very fortunate that I have a loving wife and caring family and that's what gets me through," said Klouster.
He's living proof, you can have a bad kidney, but still have a good heart.
For more information on how to become an organ donor or donate a car to the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii go to www.kidneyhi.org.
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