Joe Cocker

Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, has died aged 70, his agent has confirmed.

The Sheffield born singer-songwriter had a career lasting more than 40 years with hits including You Are So Beautiful and Up Where We Belong.

His agent Barrie Marshall said Cocker, who died after battling lung cancer, was "simply unique".

Sir Paul McCartney said he was a lovely guy who "brought so much to the world".

Known for his gritty voice, Cocker began his singing career in the pubs and clubs of Sheffield in the 1960s before hitting the big time.

He was propelled to pop stardom when his version of The Beatles' With A Little Help from My Friends reached number one in 1968.

He performed the song at the famous Woodstock Festival in New York state a year later.

He was also well-known for his "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" Tour of 1970, which featured over 40 musicians touring 48 cities across the US, resulting in a third gold album of the same name and a concert film.

His duet with Jennifer Warnes, Up Where We Belong - from An Officer And A Gentleman - hit number one and went on to win both a Grammy and an Academy Award in 1983.

Dr. Oz is right, up to 85% of the time

It’s not hard to understand what makes Dr. Oz so popular. Called “America’s doctor,” syndicated talk-show host Mehmet Oz speaks in a way anyone can understand. Medicine may be complex. But with Dr. Oz, clad in scrubs and crooning to millions of viewers about “miracles” and “revolutionary” breakthroughs, it’s often not. He somehow makes it fun. And people can’t get enough.

“I haven’t seen a doctor in eight years,” the New Yorker quoted one viewer telling Oz. “I’m scared. You’re the only one I trust.”

But is that trust misplaced? Or has Oz, who often peddles miracle cures for weight loss and other maladies, mortgaged medical veracity for entertainment value?

These questions have hammered Oz for months. In June, he was hauled in front of Congress, where Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told him he gave people false hope and criticized his segments as a “recipe for disaster.” Then last month, a study he widely trumpeted lauding coffee bean weight-loss pills was retracted despite Oz’s assertions it could “burn fat fast for anyone who wants to lose weight.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) questioned TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz about his claims that certain products are "miracle" workers during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on June 18, 2014 (Senator Claire McCaskill via YouTube)

And now, his work has come under even greater scrutiny in the British Medical Journal, which on Wednesday published a study analyzing Oz’s claims along with those made on another medical talk show. What they found wasn’t reassuring. The researchers, led by Christina Korownyk of the University of Alberta, charged medical research either didn’t substantiate — or flat out contradicted — more than half of Oz’s recommendations. “Recommendations made on medical talk shows often lack adequate information on specific benefits or the magnitude of the effects of these benefits,” the article said. “… The public should be skeptical about recommendations made on medical talk shows.”

The study is part of an ongoing debate about medicine on television. There’s clearly a market for doctor talk shows. “The Dr. Oz Show” ranks in the top five talk shows in the United States, bringing in a haul of roughly 2.9 million viewers per day. And the talk show “The Doctors,” also studied in the paper, nets around 2.3 million viewers per show. These days, Oz considers disease in terms of marketability. Cancer, he told the New Yorker, “is our Angelina Jolie. We could sell that show every day.”

But some doctors have expressed alarm at Oz’s willingness to sell it. “Although perhaps not as ‘sexy’ as Dr. Oz would like, the public needs more information about the effects of diet as a whole on cancer risk,” commented one paper titled “Reality Check: There is no such thing as a miracle food” in the journal of Nutrition and Cancer. It lambasted Oz’s assertion that endive, red onion and sea bass can decrease the likelihood of ovarian cancer by 75 percent.

“Mehmet is now an entertainer,” New York doctor Eric Rose told the New Yorker. “And he’s great at it. People learn a lot, and it can be meaningful in their lives. … [But] sometimes Mehmet will entertain wacky ideas — particularly if they are wacky and have entertainment value.”

Oz, for his part, said he’s only trying to give people all the options out there. He said data shouldn’t stop patients from testing out things like raspberry ketone — a “miracle in a bottle to burn your fat” — even if it’s never been tested on people, according to Slate. “I recognize that oftentimes they don’t have the scientific muster to present as fact,” Oz said at a U.S. Senate hearing, adding that he “personally believes in the items I talk about in my show.” “But, nevertheless, I give my audience the advice I give my family all the time. I give my family these products, specifically the ones you mentioned. I’m comfortable with that part.”

But researchers with the British Medical Journal weren’t nearly so comfortable. They selected 40 episodes from last year, identifying 479 separate medical recommendations. After paging through the relevant medical research, they found evidence only supported 46 percent of his recommendations, contradicted 15 percent and wasn’t available for 39 percent.

The study was not without its limitations, however. The researchers conceded it was difficult to parse “what was said and what was implied.” And some of the recommendations were extremely general — “sneezing into your elbow prevents the spread of germs” — and consequently difficult to find in medical research, let alone substantiate.

Still, the article was a withering assessment of Oz and the whole doctor talk show business. “Consumers should be skeptical about any recommendations provided on television medical talk shows, as details are limited and only a third to one half of recommendations are based on believable or somewhat believable evidence,” the paper said. “… Decisions around healthcare issues are often challenging and require much more than non-specific recommendations based on little or no evidence.”

But Oz considers himself an iconoclast trying to shake up a stodgy medical community. “Much of medicine is just plain old logic,” he told the New Yorker. “So I am out there trying to persuade people to be patients. And that often means telling them what the establishment doesn’t want to hear: that their answers are not only the answers, and their medicine is not the only medicine.”

***

(NaturalNews) The pro-pharma, anti-nutrition mainstream media is engaged in an all-out panic over the success of Dr. Oz in teaching nutrition and disease prevention to the American public. Not surprisingly, all the usual suspects -- media outlets funded by Big Pharma advertising money -- have unleashed a wave of hit pieces against Dr. Oz, claiming his advice is "unproven."

This is rather hilarious from the outset, considering the irrefutable fact that nearly all the most popular drugs don't work on most people. The FDA will approve a drug for a disease based on a mere 5% efficacy rate, meaning the drug doesn't work for 95% of subjects. Flu shots, even when they do work unlike the failed flu shots formulated this year, only prevent the flu in about 1 out of 100 people who receive the shots. So almost 99% of the people who take them receive no benefit (but they do get the extra bonus of mercury, as flu shots administered in the USA still contain this toxic heavy metal which is intentionally added to the formulations). I verified this myself via ICP-MS laboratory instrumentation that conducts mass spectrometry elemental analysis using a quadrupole mass analyzer. (See Labs.NaturalNews.com)

All the media outlets attacking Dr. Oz also have extreme conflicts of interest which they routinely fail to mention: they all take money from drug companies in the form of drug-pushing ads. Nearly all the top drug companies running those ads have criminal records and histories of repeatedly committing felony crimes against the people of the world. For example, GlaxoSmithKline admitted guilt in a massive bribery scheme where they paid off 44,000 doctors in the USA to push their drugs. Most of that bribery went to doctors who prescribed drugs OFF-LABEL, meaning the drugs were prescribed for disease symptoms and conditions for which they were never approved by the FDA.

Those prescriptions, in other words, were backed by ZERO scientific evidence. This is the dirty little secret of the drug industry, and the mainstream media completely ignores this massive fraud taking place across the western medical industrial complex: Most drugs prescribed today have never been tested nor approved for the health conditions for which they are prescribed. This little-recognized fact turns most of the drug industry into nothing more than a high-profit quack fest.

[The New Yorker and the British Medical Journal are tools of the drug industry?]

top ten trailers

better than the movie

(yeah, those Tron Legacy trailers were pretty cool and hey, I liked Godzilla)

George Bush: smarter than you think

Our nations leaders aren't as dumb as we think.

Except for Bill Clinton. The legendary democrat scored a 1020, which was more than 200 points less than George W. Bush's 1206. President Obama refuses to release his academic history.

The men that criticize politicians--talk show hosts--all scored extremely high. Bill O'Reilly snagged a 1585, Rush Limbaugh, 1530, and Ben Stein, 1573.  [Does Al Franken know this?]

Several big name actors and actresses did surprisingly well on the SAT. Although Natalie Portman refuses to disclose her number, it is rumored that the beautiful actress achieved a near perfect score, the Daily Mail reported.

Scarlett Johansson, on the other hand, bagged a measly 1080. She said it made her feel like "a big dummy" (although 1080 is still above the U.S. average).

Courtney Cox fared similarly, landing a 11000.

Geniuses include Ben Affleck, James Franco and Will Smith, all of whom apparently achieved near perfect scores. Singer Ke$ha snagged an impressive 1500.

Famous dummies include Alex Rodriguez (910) and Howard Stern (870). Bill Cosby, shockingly, scored below 500.

***

[Who cares?  They're all richer than you.]

[see also the smartest athletes]

gift wrapping

Japanese style [via facebook]

But I probably can't do it because, for one thing, I can't even figure out how to fold a shirt

Tiny and Tadashi Tadani

The trouble began when Tiny’s father Tadashi Tadani, who suffers from dementia, had soiled his pants and washed them in his bathroom sink, leaving the faucet running for about four hours straight.

The elder Tadani did not comprehend the havoc he had just created.

In a span of five years, the father and grandfather that Tiny and Taylor were fond of hanging out with morphed into a stranger who turned paranoid, accusatory and vicious with his cane. The acceleration of his disease had progressively taken a turn for the worse. So much so, that Taylor had to lock his bedroom door at nights for his safety and well-being.

For three years, Tiny desperately tried to place his father in a foster home. “But the problem was that Dad’s healthcare provider kept giving me false information, saying his retirement and Social Security of $2,100 per month exceeded Medicaid’s income requirements by $100, so he didn’t qualify. I had no recourse. My friend recommended I attend a Medicaid seminar at Ala Moana Hotel. I called 593-8885 and went to the seminar conducted by Okura and Associates just for the hell of it,” explains Tiny.

“Within the first five minutes, I learned that it is not about how much a retiree makes but rather how many assets he or she possesses that determines Medicaid qualification.”

The elder Tadani had zero assets. The law firm saw desperation in the young caregiver’s eyes and immediately referred him to Azil, a case management company. Azil felt empathy for Tiny when they witnessed how grumpy and difficult Tadashi was, and found him a care home that day.

Tiny’s dream to place his father in a ’round-the-clock nursing home became a reality last week when the 83-year-old was accepted into a Kaneohe facility — in the same town where he raised his five children.

Tiny Tadani’s nightmare has a happy ending after he threw in the towel on caregiving for his dear ol’ dad for good. With each passing sunrise and sunset, the Tadani family now enjoys quality moments as the patriarch of their home lives in a good place, with son Tiny only a stone’s throw away.

Glen A. Larson

IT’S NO SURPRISE to longtime readers that one of my oldest and dearest friends was Glen A. Larson, famed television producer and part-time Honolulu resident. Upon receiving word that he was in intensive care at a Los Angeles hospital, I rushed to see him … and was at his side when he died …

The list of shows to which he lent his writing and producing talents — Knight Rider, The Six Million Dollar Man, Quincy, McCloud, Switch, To Catch A Thief, Alias Smith & Jones, The Hardy Boys Mysteries, Manimal, Night Man, The Highwayman, The Fall Guy, Battlestar Galactica … and Magnum, P.I., which he developed out of his love for Hawaii, dominated prime time for decades and continues to delight audiences around the world in syndication…

We first met July 19, 1958, when I introduced Glen with The Four Preps at the “Show of Stars” at the old Civic Auditorium. Just before going on, Glen asked me to sustain the applause as long as possible before bringing them back for an encore, which I did, after their last song, 26 Miles … They returned dressed in colorful muumuu, and the audience went wild! …

Glen’s love affair with Hawaii was evident throughout his career, with special episodes or whole series created specifically for our Islands and talent. He wrote an episode of McCloud set in Waikiki, casting Don Ho in a nightclub scene. I had trouble keeping a straight face while introducing him as “Al Moana” … There also was a TV movie, The Islander, filmed mostly at the Halekulani with stars Dennis Weaver, Bernadette Peters and Sharon Gless, in which Dick Jensen went by the name “Al Kahala” …

I was elated when Glen got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and shortly thereafter, was privileged to serve as associate producer of his CBS series, One West Waikiki, starring Cheryl Ladd and Richard Burgi. Along the way, we shared great conversations, great wines and much, much laughter. I bid you warm aloha, my friend …

-- Tom Moffatt, Midweek, November 26, 2014

unclog your toilet

7 ways

15 things to give up to be happy

1. Give up your need to always be right

There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

[yeah, but what if you are always right? 8]

second cousin once removed?

what does that mean?  this chart helps clarify

A second cousin means he/she is the child of your mother's or father's first cousin.  In other words, you have the same great grand parent.

A second cousin once removed means they are the child of your second cousin.

wait, actually I see another second cousin once removed on the chart.

It could be the child of your grandparents first cousin.

OK, now it's even more confusing since there are actually two definitions.

-- via facebook

Let's make it simpler and define a first cousin once removed.

Two people for whom a first cousin relationship is one generation removed.
The child of one's first cousin; also the first cousin of one's parent.

So what is the relationship between the two definitions of first cousin once removed?

For one thing, they are two generations apart (with you in the middle).  Looking at the chart, the grandparent of the first cousin once removed is the great great grandparent of the other first cousin once removed.

Yeah, that's clear now...

Solving Human Problems

Jehovah's Witnesses get mainstream coverage (if you call MidWeek mainstream) ...

These days, everyone is trying to improve their exterior with ab workouts, wrinkle creams and ED drugs. But what about the inside of a person? How does one better the person within the skin?

That opportunity is available for the next two weekends at Hawaii Convention Center, as Jehovah Witnesses (JW) brings perhaps the state’s biggest convention of the year to town, with more than 24,000 delegates from 10 countries.

“The program is a workshop for families — all kinds of information. There is no religious ceremony or revival or call out begging for money,” explains David Fitzgerald, an elder in the organization and convention spokesman. “It is talks, re-enactments and demonstrations to make it lively and interesting, because these are rough times, and families need to know how to cope and how to deal with life’s pressures in the best way, and give guidance to their family.”

Programs during the day are free and open to the public, and cover a variety of issues, from how to balance your career while raising a family and how to find the right mate, to basic lessons on morality and good health.

In addition to the life lessons, there will be two theatrical productions that will bring a Bible story to life and provide guidance on how to treat others in the workplace.

This is the last of 190 conventions held this year by JW, according to Fitzgerald, and the first one held in Hawaii since 2009. This year is special to JW because they believe this is the 100th anniversary of Jesus Christ beginning his rule of Earth.

For those unfamiliar with JW, besides seeing their smiling faces walking around neighborhoods handing out tracts or their magazine The Watchtower, they originated in the 1870s in Pittsburgh. They formed out of the Bible Student movement with their own interpretation of the Bible, and have been growing ever since.

Currently there are about 8 million believers worldwide, and its international appeal can be seen in the delegates, who will begin arriving here this week. Australia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and five nations from South America will be represented at the convention, with each group using a translator for the day’s programs.

“People of many faiths pray for God’s Kingdom,” says Fitzgerald, who has been a JW his whole life. “This convention will explain what that kingdom is and how it can be a positive influence in our lives. A highlight of the program will be the keynote address on Friday morning, which will discuss how that kingdom is benefiting people today.

“A core belief of JW, based on Biblical and historical information, is that Jesus Christ began to rule as the King of God’s Kingdom in 1914. This convention marks this year as the centennial of that event.”

Locally, there are 90 JW congregations, with approximately 9,700 members, and they will be helping to welcome the delegates in true Hawaiian style: lei at the airport, serenades by ukulele and keiki hula demonstrations. They even plan to have a Lua Patrol, whose job will be to prepare the public restrooms ahead of the delegates’ arrivals on the bus tours to our local sites, ensuring they are extra clean, equipped with gift baskets and occasionally accompanied by local music performed live by local believers.

While the impact they hope to have is of a more eternal variety, one cannot ignore the immediate financial one this convention will have on the Islands.

They already have chartered 240 buses from Roberts Hawaii to take the delegates on four different tours of Oahu, and while that will spread a lot of dollars around the state, Fitzgerald believes the bigger feeling will be that of the aloha JW bring with them everywhere they go.

“During the weeks of this convention, if you are to walk around Waikiki or especially if you come to the convention, it is the best atmosphere,” says Fitzgerald. “Everyone is happy, smiling, joking and some are almost giddy because it is such a cool, cool feeling to be in that kind of environment with those kind of people. No cuss words, no people losing their temper, just a really cool atmosphere.”

They like to live their lives as examples, rather than preach how you should live yours. So if you are seeking a new, better you, Fitzgerald encourages anyone to join them.

“There’s something for everyone,” says Fitzgerald. “Who isn’t looking for answers to life’s big questions? That’s what this convention is all about: finding satisfying answers.”

-- Midweek, November 5, 2014

the #1 myth about hunger

Bittman is one of America’s leading food writers and thinkers, so his circle is a bit broader than mine. But our message is the same: To feed the world’s growing population, we need to change the way we think about hunger.

In Bittman’s recent piece in The New York Times, “Don’t Ask How to Feed the 9 Billion”, he debunks a very common misconception — that hunger is caused by a scarcity of food. He writes:

The difference between you and the hungry is not production levels; it’s money. There are no hungry people with money; there isn’t a shortage of food, nor is there a distribution problem. There is an I-don’t-have-the-land-and-resources-to-produce-my-own-food, nor-can-I-afford-to-buy-food problem. …

So we should not be asking, “How will we feed the world?” but “How can we help end poverty?” Claiming that increasing yield would feed the poor is like saying that producing more cars or private jets would guarantee that everyone had one.

When I read that, I thought of some other words from the script for the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet®, words which I’ve heard so many times I can almost recite them by heart:

You may think hunger is about too many people and too little food. That is not the case. Our rich and bountiful planet produces enough food to feed every woman, man, and child on earth. Hunger is about power. Its roots lie in inequalities in access to resources.

the effects of prayer

Several studies have been conducted to test the effectiveness of praying for others. The most comprehensive and rigorous of these was the Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) project, which tested the notion that praying for sick patients improved their health. STEP was a double-blind study that involved 1,800 patients who had received coronary bypass surgery. Neither the patients nor their doctors were allowed to know which patients were prayed for and which were not. The patients were divided into several groups. Group 1 received prayers and didn’t know it. Group 2 received no prayers and didn’t know it. Group 3 received prayers and did know it. This third group was not subjected to the double-blind testing standard, but was important to the study nonetheless for examining any possible psychosomatic effects of prayer. Three separate churches in different parts of the country provided the prayers.

The results of the test were reported in the April 2006 American Heart Journal. According to the findings of this study, there was no difference between patients who were prayed for and those who were not (Groups 1 and 2). (Patients who received no prayers actually fared slightly better than patients who did, but the difference was deemed too small to be of any significance.) There was, however, a noticeable difference between those who knew they had been prayed for and those who did not (Group 3 versus Groups 1 and 2). Those who knew they were prayed for suffered significantly more complications than the other patients. This was attributed to “performance anxiety.” Patients in Group 3 knew people were praying for them and felt pressure to do well. This also convinced them that they were so sick a prayer team was needed. After all, one doesn’t need prayers for a runny nose or a sore throat.

Thus, instead of bringing comfort, the prayers added extra stress and worry for these patients. I suppose the only thing more distressing in this scenario would be to find out your own doctor is praying for you.

Is praying to be completely dismissed, then? Should churches and other places of worship stop their practice of asking their congregations to pray for others?

No. A quote widely attributed to the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard seems to sum up the purpose and power of prayer: “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” In other words, prayer is helpful for the one praying, not the one being prayed for. While praying for others seems to have no discernible positive effect, there is a wealth of evidence that suggests prayer and meditation have beneficial effects on the person engaged in these practices.

Prayer, meditation and related practices are conducive to developing a positive mental attitude. What is more, numerous studies attest to the physical and psychological benefits of such a positive outlook. Better concentration and patience, deep relaxation and inner calm, and even faster recovery from illness and lower blood pressure are just some of the conclusions reached in studies that examined the impact of prayer and meditation on the practitioner. Such benefits are worth seeking.

-- Jay Sakashita, MidWeek, 11/12/14

15 honest questions

The Person You Marry Should Be Able To Answer

[via facebook]

The Art of McCartney

Here's a new tribute album honoring the great Paul McCartney. Since you like The Beatles on Pandora, we think you'll enjoy it.

[email from Pandora]

the man with nine lives

Time, it seemed, had come.

Roy Nagahara said his final farewells to family and friends, then turned to his wife, Irene, as the medical staff removed the breathing tube from his throat.

Nagahara had gone to the hospital 12 days earlier with severe pneumonia, his heart and lungs so weak that doctors placed him on a resuscitator just to stabilize him enough to run tests.

Already compromised by a pair of strokes, Nagahara's condition continued to worsen. After five days on the resuscitator, Nagahara could bear no more. He wanted the tube removed, even though he knew it meant he would almost certainly die.

"So they pulled it out and I put my head down, closed my eyes and waited," Nagahara said of that April day. "After a couple of seconds, I looked around and said, 'Eh, I'm still alive.' So I put my head down again, closed my eyes and fell asleep.

"Ten minutes later I opened my eyes again and I was still alive. So I told the doc, 'I guess it's not my day.'"

free movies?

I'm talking about pirate sites (I will not mention who told me about them to protect the non-innocent).  I'm always leery of these sites because of the danger of spyware.  But sometimes I'm curious and might sneak a peek in order to see whether it might be worth my time (and money) to watch the movie legitimately.

Anyway, here's a few sites that might (or might not) work for you.  (And might or might not be safe.)

couchtuner.eu
solarmovie.ws
movietube.cz
movieondrive.com

(Use at your own risk.)

[4/28/15 - I'll post this with date 11/6/14 so as to kind of bury it]

Batman vs. Marvel: battle of the 75 year olds

Marvel Comics isn’t the only comic book institution celebrating a 75th anniversary this year. A certain Dark Knight also hits the big seven-five.

Created by Bob Kane and the criminally underrated and overlooked Bill Finger, Batman appeared for the first time in Detective Comics #27 (cover dated May 1939), and he’s been an American icon ever since. In fact, Batman’s popularity has grown with each passing decade, and he’s probably one of the most resilient fictional characters of all time, up there with Sherlock Holmes and Dracula (two creations, incidentally, that were instrumental in Batman’s conception).

Today, Batman and Marvel stand as the two greatest examples of how far superheroes have come since the late 1930s, as well as the benchmarks of the genre’s current popularity.

Because we live in a time when one success can only be celebrated by pitting it against another in merciless competition, we’ve decided to ask—as well as answer—the most important question when it comes to these two pop culture paragons:

Which is the more successful septuagenarian, Batman or Marvel Comics?

[spoiler: this movie had some bearing on the outcome.  Interesting.  Written by David Goyer.]

Brittany Maynard

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Brittany Maynard stuck by her decision.

The terminally ill woman who revived a national debate about physician-assisted suicide ended her life Saturday by swallowing lethal drugs made available under an Oregon law allowing terminally ill people to choose when to die. She would have been 30 on Nov. 19.

Maynard had been in the spotlight for about a month since publicizing that she and her husband, Dan Diaz, moved to Portland from Northern California so that she could take advantage of the Oregon law. She told journalists she planned to die Nov. 1, shortly after her husband's birthday, but reserved the right to move the date forward or push it back.

Maynard ended her suffering from brain cancer right on schedule after hinting at a possible delay in a video released last week.

"She died as she intended — peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones," said Sean Crowley, a spokesman for the advocacy group Compassion & Choices.

Crowley said Maynard "suffered increasingly frequent and longer seizures, severe head and neck pain, and stroke-like symptoms. As symptoms grew more severe, she chose to abbreviate the dying process by taking the aid-in-dying medication she had received months ago."

The issue of physician-assisted suicide is not new, but Maynard's youth and vitality before she became ill brought the discussion to a younger generation.

Working with Compassion & Choices, Maynard used her story to speak out for the right of terminally ill people like herself to end their lives on their own terms.

Maynard's choice was not without detractors. Some religious groups and others opposed to physician-assisted suicide voiced objections.

Maynard earned two degrees and had an adventuresome spirit during her short life. She taught at orphanages in Nepal and spent time in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Costa Rica. She climbed Kilimanjaro a month before marrying Diaz in September 2012.

She was diagnosed with brain cancer on New Year's Day of this year and was later told she had six months to live.

Before dying, Maynard tried to live as fully as she could. She and her husband took a trip to the Grand Canyon last month — fulfilling a wish on Maynard's "bucket list."

Batman TV on DVD?

[9/23/08] The latest mumblings on the efforts to bring the TV series to DVD.

Currently the situation has Fox filing suit against Warners and other connected companies over the rights to produce and distribute the upcoming "Watchmen" movie, based on contracts signed a considerable while ago. And it appears that they have a very good case indeed.

But do Fox really want to make a “Watchmen” film of their own? Do they want the money from the Warners “Watchmen” film? Do they want a cut? A payoff? Or just holding up a rival?

None of the above. Sources tell me that Fox want the 1960s Batman TV series. Currently Fox own the TV footage, but Warner Bros own the characters and trademarks, via their ownership of DC Comics. The rights to a DVD release have been held up for a long time now, and this case looks like it may be the instrument to release them.

Oh, Fox will get a wodge of cash as well - many millions of dollars it seems. But it seems they also want the rights to release the Adam West-starring Batman on DVD, something long denied fans of the series. And Warners will get the “Watchmen” film, to release as planned.

* * *

But everybody will have to remember that DC Comics is only ONE of the rights-related hurdles that Fox needs to leap over! Fox has to work their way out of a very large "rights hell" situation that not only involves DC (albeit in a smaller and less contentious way than people are imagining), but many others, too! In fact, the sheer scope, depth and breadth of all the rights-holders who have to be brought into various agreements, to get this program released on DVD, can be absolutely frightening!

***

[2/18/11] Adam West interview

[6/7/12] Hope springs eternal.  For the first time in 40 years, Warner Bros. Consumer Products will be able to use the likeness of the show's stars, including Adam West, Burt Ward, Cesar Romero and Burgess Meredith, on everything from apparel to toys, home goods, publishing and promotions.

WBCP will introduce the new "Batman" product opportunities to potential partners and retailers at next week's Licensing Expo, running June 12-14 in Las Vegas. First products will launch in the spring.

[7/19/12] Some episodes available on youtube uploaded by MrHJona (uploaded starting July 14, 2011, we'll see how long they last)  Actually, looking further, he uploaded all of them!  Also uploaded by Bat-Channel11 including the unaired pilot episode of Batgirl [bonus 2011 unaired pilot episode of Wonder Woman]

Batman The Movie
Return to the Batcave

Birds of Prey 1.1

[7/18/13]  Batman on Blu-Ray sighting?  No, not really.

Meanwhile all of MrHJone's Batman uploads were deleted.  And pretty much everything in the 7/19/12 post above. However BestFanofBatman has uploaded seasons 1 and 2 (plus 2 episodes of season 3).

[1/15/14] Holy nostalgia, Caped Crusader! The original 1960s Batman show is finally getting a home-video release, and Conan O'Brien couldn't be happier.

USA TODAY confirmed the news that the late-night talk-show host tweeted to his 9.75 million followers Wednesday: Warner Bros. Entertainment will be releasing the complete series this year in a box set. He also added a picture of himself and the classic Batmobile with the quip, "The seat smells like Adam West."

The original series, which ran 1966-68 on ABC and in later years in syndication, was many people's introduction to the superhero outside of comics, especially before the Tim Burton Batman movie was released in 1989. And compared to the "Dark Knight" era that began in the 1980s with comics icon Frank Miller and others, the TV show was a lighthearted, campy affair starring West as the earnest Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne, Burt Ward as Robin and Yvonne Craig as Batgirl.

However, the many colorful villains they faced on a weekly basis were arguably more of a draw, with a stable of mainstays including the Joker (Cesar Romero), the Penguin (Burgess Meredith), the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and three different women to wear the tight leather of Catwoman (Lee Meriwether, Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar). Celebrities of the day were regular guest stars, including film director Otto Preminger as Mr. Freeze, Milton Berle as Louie the Lilac, Vincent Price as Egghead, Liberace as Chandell and his twin brother Harry, and Zsa Zsa Gabor as Minerva.

[yay!]

[7/2/14] Coming in November 2014

[7/17/14] 11/11/14  (Kind of expensive though.)

[11/3/14] Lots of options for the collector

[11/4/14] How Batman finally made it to DVD

[11/9/14] interview highlights with cast members

[11/13/14] Adam West is delighted

[5/5/15] Batman DVD big winner at the 2015 Home Media Magazine Awards

Actors Who've Played Multiple Comic Characters

Well, there's Ben Affleck who's played Daredevil and is going to play Batman.

There's Chris Evans who played The Human Torch and is playing Captain America.

Who else?  read on...

While Affleck will attempt to remove the memory of "Daredevil" as Warner Bros.' new Batman, THR looks back on other actors -- including Chris Evans, Halle Berry and Samuel L. Jackson -- who've donned tights, capes or masks more than once.

Still More Superhero Movies

LOS ANGELES >> "Doctor Strange," ''Black Panther," ''Captain Marvel" and the "Inhumans" are joining the Marvel cinematic universe.

The studio unveiled the titles and release dates of its upcoming superhero films through 2019 during a Tuesday event in Hollywood. The schedule includes a mix of sequels featuring familiar faces and originals focused onMarvel characters that have yet to be introduced on the big screen.

The slate includes "Captain America: Civil War" and "Doctor Strange" in 2016; "Guardians of the Galaxy 2," ''Thor: Ragnarok" and "Black Panther" in 2017; "The Avengers: Infinity War -- Part I," ''Captain Marvel" and "Inhumans" in 2018; and "The Avengers: Infinity War -- Part II" in 2019.

The movies join next year's "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Ant-Man."

"When we have information we want to reveal, we reveal it," Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told fans and members of the media on stage at the El Capitan Theatre. "Sometimes that's in a press release, sometimes that's in San Diego Comic-Con -- if everything comes together well -- and sometimes that's on a random Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the morning."

At the end of the event, "Get On Up" star Chadwick Boseman was announced as the actor who will portray Black Panther. He joined "Iron Man" and "Captain America" stars Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans on stage for the reveal.

"I'm blessed to be part of this Marvel universe," Boseman said. "I look forward to making magic together."

Feige said the character will make his first appearance in "Civil War," which will pit Captain America and Iron Man against each other. In the comics, Black Panther is the leader of the fictional African nation of Wakanda who becomes a member of The Avengers.

"He is definitively a big part of 'Civil War,'" Feige said. "We will see him for the first time in 'Civil War' in costume."

"Black Panther" and "Captain Marvel" will mark the studio's first films centered on black and female characters from Marvel comics. Feige said the big-screen iteration of the Captain Marvel character will be Carol Danvers, a U.S. Air Force officer whose adventures take her to space in the comics.

No casting announcements were made for "Captain Marvel," the sorcery-centric "Doctor Strange" or "Inhumans," which is about a race of superhumans.

The Marvel films represent an important chunk of the Walt Disney Co.'s portfolio. Feige said the first 10 Marvelfilms, which kicked off in 2008 with "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk," have made over $7 billion.

Tuesday's unveiling of the so-called "phase three" of Marvel's film schedule comes two weeks after Warner Bros. announced a slate of 10 films based on DC Comics characters, including "The Flash," ''Aquaman," ''Cyborg," ''Wonder Woman" and "Shazam."

***

Decades from now, cinephiles will look back on the early 2000s as the Superhero Era — and they’ll be able to pinpoint the moment when the bubble burst. As with all trends, it’s only a matter of time. It happened with film noir and then westerns, it happened to the spy movies of the 1960s, and then to the gritty crime dramas of the ’70s.

And that’s why Warner Bros.’ plan to produce 10 DC Comics movies between 2016 to 2020 seems so short-sighted. The company is so focused on dethroning Marvel as the reigning box office champ that it’s missing the big picture: Superheroes may be invincible on screen, but their popularity won’t last forever. And the upcoming glut of movies might just speed their demise.

The saturation is no joke. Studios have already slated 22 titles over the next five years, not including the handful Marvel has promised with release dates but without any details.

While Marvel has enjoyed hit after hit, from “Iron Man” to “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Warner Bros. has had a spotty past with its DC Comics adaptations. Batman and Superman can deliver predictably big box-office numbers, but beyond those guys, all bets are off. Remember the “Catwoman” catastrophe of 2004? Not to mention the two consecutive bombs “Jonah Hex,” in 2010, and “The Green Lantern” the following year.

Warner Bros. is doubling down on its golden boys: In addition to “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” with Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne, Warner plans to release two other Justice League movies. The directive is clear: Replicate the success of Marvel’s “Avengers” franchise, and pray that Affleck doesn’t pull a Clooney.

***

release dates

Marvel killing the Fantastic Four?

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Marvel superheroes are a powerful force in the movie universe, but it's going to take a huge plot twist to get them all fighting on the same side.

When Disney (DIS) bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion back in 2009, it secured the rights to Marvel's entire comic-book universe including Captain America, Spider-Man, The X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, The Fantastic Four and The Hulk. It just didn't get the right to put all of them on screen, and it's still a little bitter about it half a decade later.

Sony (SNE) still holds the film rights to Spider-Man and all the villains, sidekicks and other characters created specifically for his books. The folks at 21st Century Fox (FOXA) hold similar rights to both the X-Men and Fantastic Four. Neither Disney nor Marvel are happy about that situation and, recently, issued an edict to Marvel's writers not to develop anything new for the Marvel properties owned by Fox.

X-Men writer Chris Claremont recently appeared on the Nerdist podcast and told Len Wein, Marc Bernardin and Heath Corson that he's been “forbidden to create new characters… all because all new characters become the film property of Fox.” And -- “because why promote Fox material?” -- the Marvel staff has been told to put exactly zero effort into producing new X-Men merchandise.

Keep in mind that the X-Men franchise has brought in $1.3 billion in the United States and more than $3 billion worldwide. Fox has released seven X-Men films since 2000 and the latest, X-Men: Days Of Future Past, just brought in $746 million around the globe this summer. In the U.S., the X-Men franchise ranks No. 11 just behind the Transformers in overall box-office receipts, not including merchandising and home video.

The Fantastic Four, meanwhile, might just get killed off for making money for the wrong company. Marvel Chief Executive Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter -- portrayed by The Hollywood Reporter early this summer as the media equivalent of a miserly millionaire who dresses in rags and subsists on stale packets of oatmeal -- apparently was so enraged about Fox rebooting the Fantastic Four film franchise that he's killed all licensing and merchandising for the title. As Bleeding Cool reported, workers in Marvel's offices “pulled down lest Perlmutter see one and have his ire raised.”

Also, it looks as if the Fantastic Four themselves are getting the ax, as Bleeding Cool adds that the upcoming Fantastic Four: The End Is Fourever storyline could be the group's last once it wraps up in early 2015. With the Fantastic Four franchise making $620 million worldwide from two films released since 2005 and with the newest installment releasing in August, cutting off the franchise's ability to generate cash from anything other than the films themselves is no small deal.

As the more than $1 billion produced worldwide by 2012's The Avengers makes clear, however, Marvel just loves getting as many of its high-priced heroes under one roof as possible. Combined, the Marvel Cinematic Universe films with rights owned exclusively by Marvel have made more than $7 billion worldwide at the box office from the release of Iron Man in 2008 through the box-office run of this year's Guardians Of The Galaxy. When all Marvel Comics properties are combined, however, they've produced nearly $7 billion in the U.S. alone, and more than $15 billion worldwide.

Marvel and Disney want all of that, which is why recent murmurs surrounding Marvel, Disney, Sony and Spider-Man might just produce a way forward. Sony is desperately attempting to exit the movie business and, according to The New York Times, might be talking to Marvel about getting Spider-Man back into the Marvel universe as the franchise loses steam.

Sony's original Spider-Man made more than $400 million in the U.S. alone when it released in 2002. Adjusted for inflation, that's more than $566 million. The latest installment, this year's Amazing Spider-Man 2, had a tough time cracking $200 million in the U.S. and made just $700 million worldwide compared to the first film's $890 million 12 years ago. Amazing Spider-Man 3 isn't scheduled for release until 2018, a Spider-Man supervillian movie The Sinister Six is coming in 2016 and Entertainment Weekly notes that a flop by either film could put Spider-Man back into Marvel's hands.

Comic books companies have made a habit of killing off beloved characters from Superman to Captain America to make them profitable again. Sacrificing its own creations to pry money out of Fox and Sony's hands? Marvel's true believers have read similar stories before.

the decline of world hunger

Scanning the news, it's easy to think the world is falling apart. But, on Monday, we got a major piece of good news: hunger is on a major decline in the world. Since 1990, there's been a sustained and massive collapse in the number of people who have difficulty accessing food.

The data comes from the 2014 Global Hunger Index, a measure of global hunger from the International Food Policy Research Institute. The index tracks "the percentage of the population that is undernourished, the percentage of children younger than five years of age who are underweight, and the percentage of people who die before the age of five." Malnutrition is particularly bad for children, and poor access to food makes kids way more vulnerable to diseases, the leading cause of child death in the developing world.

The Index goes from zero, which indicates a country with no undernutrition, to 100, a country where everyone goes hungry. Here's the overall score for "developing nations" since 1990, which basically means all countries except for industrialized "developed" nations such as the US, the UK, Japan, and the like:

That's a 39 percent decline over 24 years. That decline in hunger is a massive win for humanity.

Why are things getting better? Credit two things: economic growth and government programs. Global poverty has declined sharply since 1990, especially in India and China, making it easier for people to afford food. Meanwhile, government programs and international aid have made major improvements in getting people access to healthy diets.

Progress on undernutrition hasn't been even. Some countries, like Swaziland and Iraq, have gotten worse over time. But almost all have made huge strides — India, as The Hindu's Rukmini Shrinivasan explains, posted one of the largest absolute declines in hunger in the world.

Just another reason to believe that, for all our troubles, we're living through the greatest era in human history.

[via twitter]

Jan Hooks

(CNN) -- Jan Hooks, the actress and comedian who rose to fame with sly turns on "Saturday Night Live" as Ivana Trump, Tammy Faye Bakker, Sinead O'Connor and as part of the lounge-singing Sweeney Sisters, has died. She was 57.

Her representative, Lisa Lieberman, confirmed the death to CNN. The cause of death was not revealed.

In the late-'80s era of the show that also featured Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn and later Mike Myers, Hooks was the definition of a team player, always putting the sketch first. It was a character-actress attitude, one admired by others on the show.

"She was totally amazing as a sketch player," one of her colleagues, Kevin Nealon, told People magazine.

"She so immersed herself in her characters, and her timing was amazing. She got it from some crazy stratosphere, and I was so attracted to that talent in her, and I don't think she ever knew how well respected and admired she was for her talent," said Nealon, who also dated Hooks for a while.

***

Saturday Night Live alum Jan Hooks, who died Oct. 9 at age 57, was most well-known for her comedic impressions of people like Hillary Clinton and her recurring character Candy Sweeney, but SNL didn’t showcase any of those roles when they paid tribute to her Saturday night: Instead, they showed “Love is a Dream,” a short, sweet film starring Hooks and fellow SNL alum Phil Hartman.

***

I remember her pre-SNL on TBS with Bill Tush

El Rey

El Rey is new channel I just noticed on Oceanic 36.  It was playing an old Kung Fu movie, Dragon Missle, evidently playing all month on El Ray.  It was launched in 2013 by Robert Rodriguez and carried by Time Warner Cable, Comcast, and DirecTV.

What else is on El Ray besides old kung fu movies?  Well I see Starsky & Hutch, Dark Angel, X-Files, Texas Justice.  And a bunch of infomercials.  Then I see Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer this weekend.  Like that.

McDonald's now promoting rotting food

McDonald's wants the world to know that yes, its food can rot.

In its latest attempt to woo health-conscious customers to the Golden Arches, the company has embarked on a campaign to debunk common perceptions about the quality and nutritional value of its food. At the top of the list was a the long-standing idea that McDonald's meals don't decompose.

The fast-food giant even hired Grant Imahara, the former host of the TV show “MythBusters,” to star in videos touting, for example, the quality of the beef used to make burger patties.

McDonald’s has struggled to defend its cheap, fattening fare since the 2004 release of the Oscar-nominated “Super Size Me.” A scene from the documentary, which tracks star Morgan Spurlock as he eats nothing but McDonald’s food for 30 days, showed how McDonald’s french fries did not decay when kept in a glass container for eight weeks.

Compounding the bad press was a blog by a Utah man named David Whipple, who claimed to have photographs of a burger that remained unchanged since it was purchased in 1999.

On a section of the site launched to support the new PR push, McDonald’s refuted the idea that its food doesn’t rot. The company said that tests that show their food never decaying were performed in places where there wasn't enough water in the air to grow the mold and bacteria needed to decompose the food.
“You might have seen experiments which seem to show no decomposition in our food,” the company said. “Most likely, this is because the food has dehydrated before any visible deterioration could occur.”

McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This isn’t the first time the company has tried to fight back against the idea that its food doesn’t break down. In 2012, McDonald’s hired a doctor from the University of Guelph in Ontario to explain in a post on its Canadian website that the chain’s “hamburgers, french fries and chicken are like all foods, and do rot if kept under certain conditions.”

Bill Gates' Grand Challenge

This week, Melinda and I are joining hundreds of scientists for a meeting in Seattle. The topic is something we’re all passionate about: how to harness the advances of science in ways that benefit the poor.

The occasion is the 10^th anniversary of our foundation’s Grand Challenges in Global Health program, which we launched with the goal of identifying the biggest problems in health and giving grants to researchers who might solve them. To be honest, we’re not as far along as I hoped a decade ago; the process of developing and perfecting new tools—going from proof-of-concept through clinical trials, regulatory approval, manufacturing, and distribution—is even slower and harder than I thought. But we’ve learned a lot, and we’ve made some promising progress.

Grand Challenges has its roots in what I call catalytic philanthropy. It’s designed to fix market failures—places where capitalism fails to meet the needs of the poor. Why is there so much more research done on baldness than on malaria? Because rich people go bald, and they don’t die of malaria.

Grand Challenges is like a venture capital fund in the sense that it backs a lot of ideas—some of them pretty crazy—knowing that many will fail, but a few could have a big impact. I’ll be delighted if five years from now, 20 percent of the initial projects are being deployed and saving lives. And I expect that much of the other 80 percent will still advance the frontiers of science by eliminating dead ends or making discoveries that enable other big ideas.

There’s another Grand Challenge that illustrates both what’s exciting and what’s hard about catalytic philanthropy: making the diagnosis of disease faster and more accurate.

Health clinics in many poor countries don’t have the same kind of sophisticated tools for diagnosing disease that many of us take for granted. If they do have access, it’s often a laborious process that involves mailing samples to a faraway lab and waiting for the results. The result: missed or delayed diagnoses and incorrect treatment plans. The evidence suggests that this problem has tragic consequences; in Tanzania and Nigeria, for example, studies found that misdiagnosis causes 25 percent of preventable deaths in children.

Imagine what would happen if American children were dying at that rate. The health-care market would spring into action, as dozens of companies went to work on new diagnostic tools. Yet because this was a problem of the poor world, companies were ignoring it. The market was failing.

So we challenged researchers: Can you create a new device that quickly diagnoses HIV, TB, malaria, and other diseases… accepts different samples, like blood, saliva, and sputum… is affordable… and reliable… and will work in a small clinic that has only a few hours of electricity a day?

Today, five public-private partnerships have taken up the challenge. The journey from idea to reality is a long one. For one thing, the partners had to figure out whether making such a machine was even technically feasible. It is—several of them have working prototypes.

If this idea succeeds, that will be fantastic. If it doesn’t, we’ll all be disappointed. But as Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” That spirit guides our foundation’s work in Grand Challenges and all our grantmaking. If one avenue turns out to be a dead end, there are always many more waiting to be explored.

the death of the Saturday morning cartoon

The era of the Saturday morning cartoon is officially over. This morning, The CW’s Vortexx programming block is airing episodes of Cubix, Sonic X, Dragon Ball Z and Kai, Digimon Fusion, Yu-Gi-Oh! and more for the very last time. Next week, The CW is parting with its animated block, signing on for One Magnificent Morning, a live-action block filled with educational shows for kids. This made today the last day to catch cartoons on a network station with your kids.

Over the years, The CW has changed up its Saturday morning programming block more than once. Two years ago, Toonzai became Vortexx. On October 4, Vortexx will become One Magnificent Morning. A changing of the guard signifies different programming, but this time around, there will be no cartoons. One Magnificent Morning and Vortexx are, in fact, quite dissimilar. While Vortexx was mainly for kids, One Magnificent Morning is being billed as family-friendly programming. The new block will feature five hours of live action, educational programming like Dr. Pol, a new show that will follow a farm veterinarian taking care of animals, and The Brady Barr Show, which will follow Barr as he gets up close to wild and dangerous creatures. The move toward educational (and assumedly cheaper) programming has been coming for a long time. The programming is put together by Litton, an entertainment group that also runs Saturday mornings on several of the other big networks.

In 2008, Fox cut cartoons from Saturday mornings. In 2011, ABC signed over its former “One Saturday Morning” block to Litton. Then in 2013, Vortexx became the only non-educational, non-live action programming block geared towards kids on Saturday mornings after This TV shut down its early morning cartoons. Now, Vortexx is gone, too.

For years, from the 1960s into the 90s, Saturday mornings were made for cartoons. Several generations of kids wearing footie pajamas and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle print pjs would clamor in front of the television on early Saturday mornings, savoring hours of programming geared just toward them. Unfortunately, like the prize at the bottom of the cereal box, network cartoon blocks have disappeared.

That doesn’t mean cartoons are disappearing everywhere. The cable networks are doing fine with animated fodder geared toward kids, with Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network leading the charge. Disney XD, too, has done well with cartoon programs, including the popular Phineas and Ferb, Avengers Assemble and the upcoming Star Wars Rebels already receiving plenty of buzz. Streaming services are also offering plenty of alternatives to the traditional Saturday morning fodder, and as a bonus, you can watch whenever you want.

With cable stations and more picking up the slack where the networks left off, it’s not surprising that the major stations would replace early morning weekend programming with new entries. It’s sad, though, that an entire generation of kids is missing out on lazy Saturdays filled with excellent cartoons like The Smurfs, Muppet Babies, Recess, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, Pepper Ann, and much, much more. Replacing them with cheaper, educational content was bound to happen, but a little magic has been lost in the process.

William Shatner in Star Trek 3?

'Will William Shatner appear in Star Trek 3?' has been the question on every Trekkie's lips.

But after being told not to speak about the film for a second time, the original Captain T. Kirk says he's in quite the 'dilemma' but is 'very excited' about the new film.

'Here's my dilemma, I was cautioned not to speak about this and the next day it was out all over Twitter,' William, 83, exclusively told MailOnline.

'So I talked about it and then I get another phone call telling me to keep quiet again! All I can say is that I'm very excited about the film.'

Last week, Shatner took to social media to shut down reports he was set to star in the third Star Trek film from JJ Abrams.

But the 83-year-old gave fans a glimmer of hope at the Wizard World Nashville Comic-Con on Friday, admitting Abrams had been in touch with him and he would indeed be keen to star in the next film, on the proviso the script had substance.

William certainly shares a likeness to Chris Pine, the actor who has taken up the Captain Kirk mantle, and is happy when people describe Chris as good looking.

'You know everyone commented on how good looking he is, so by extension that means I am too,' the Canadian actor laughed.

a popcorn revival

SHELLSBURG, Iowa — Corn confronts you at every turn in Iowa. It blurs past the car window for hours. Stop for gas and you’re likely to find a patch growing out back.

Much of it will fuel cars, feed cattle and sweeten food. But a half-hour’s drive from Cedar Rapids, in front of Gene and Lynn Mealhow’s sturdy farmhouse, ears of corn no bigger than a child’s hand grow from seeds the family can trace back to the 1850s. The small, pearly flint corn has never been genetically modified or hybridized. Its only purpose is to pop into small, crisp puffs that taste of pure toasted corn.

Mr. Mealhow, 59, a soil expert who still looks very much like the hippie drummer he once was, spent years driving around trying to sell his precious popcorn. Now, his Tiny but Mighty brand is on the shelves of Whole Foods. For a family like his, that’s akin to winning the lottery.

The Mealhows are part of a popcorn revival, the latest reinvention of an enduring American snack that has been retooled every few generations to fit shifts in technology and culinary fashion.

an investigator investigates the afterlife

I began investigating the afterlife after the passing of my father in 1997. Because I was skeptical about life after death and had little spiritual foundation or understanding of it (despite my Catholic upbringing), I became curious about what happened to my father after his passing. So I decided to use my skills as a private investigator (my career at that time) to investigate the afterlife.

My father's passing was the beginning of a 15-year journey that would teach me as much about life as it would death. To be clear, I'm an investigator -- not a psychic, medium, or channeler. I'm also not a scientist. I'm an investigator who draws conclusions based on an examination of the evidence using logic, reason, and pragmatism. I begin my investigations without bias or expectation and draw conclusions only after gathering and examining the available evidence. In other words, I look at the evidence first and draw my conclusions second.

In the last 15 years I've had the honor of interviewing thousands of people in this field, some very well known such as James Van Praagh, Anita Moorjani, Dr. Brian Weiss, Dr. Eben Alexander, and others of whom you've likely never heard. And while I can say without a doubt that I started in this business as a skeptic, I have now seen and learned too much to say I'm still one.

Here are the 5 most important lessons I've learned about life by investigating the afterlife:

1. Challenges In Life Are Expected
So many folks believe that something has gone wrong in their life when they experience disappointment, tragedy, suffering, loss, or pain. But no one promised us only positive experiences in our human lives. We learn just as much, if not more, from our challenging experiences as we do our more pleasant ones.

According to my experiences with mediums, our souls choose a human life in order to have experiences that we're unable to have in the spirit world. Because there is no death, fear, illness, or hatred in the afterlife, our souls choose a physical life to know these experiences and, thereby, more deeply understand the love, joy, and inner peace that we know as spiritual beings. Consequently, we learn from the dichotomy of experiencing the opposite sides of what we know in the spirit world.

2. It's How We Respond To What Happens To Us That Matters
People who have had near-death experiences teach us that experience is what happens to us, but it is our free will that gives us the choice of how to respond to what happens to us. Take any experience that most people would consider negative, and we can find someone who reacted to that experience as a victim and someone who reacted to that experience by making the best of it. The latter inspires us, of course, but even more these stories exemplify the power of free will and the human spirit.

3. Our Actions Create A Ripple Effect
Near-death experiences and life-between-lives regressions teach us that upon our return home to the spirit world, we as spirits experience what's called a "life review." What's most amazing about this life review process is that we get to know and feel the physical, emotional and psychological impact we had on people in response to things we said and did in our lifetime. This insight inspires us to be better human beings. Knowing that our behavior in life has a ripple effect that potentially touches the lives of countless people is encouraging to be more mindful of how we behave and interact with others.

4. Forgiveness Is For Our Benefit
By studying after-death communications, mediumship, and channeling, we learn that forgiveness is actually less about letting the other person off the hook than it is relieving ourselves of suffering. When we carry the weight of blaming someone with contempt, it is actually our burden to carry. But when we release them of that blame and contempt (while maintaining healthy boundaries), we release ourselves of holding that negative energy inside us, which raises our overall vibration of love.

5. There Is An Evolution To Our Truth & Knowing
We all have our own truth. This is not to say that there isn't a single truth--one universal truth--but being human, we can only know truth from our own individual filters. Our brain functions, past experiences, beliefs, and education all filter our present experiences in a manner that affects our interpretation of each experience and, therefore, our ultimate knowing. That doesn't make one person right and another person wrong, of course; it makes your knowing and my knowing both perfect, even if they are miles apart. This also means that your truth today might change tomorrow if you have new experiences that add to your knowing. It doesn't make yesterday's knowing wrong; it merely adds a new layer to it, a layer that deepens your understanding at the knowing level.

My investigation of the afterlife has given me a greater chance for making the best of what happens in life rather than falling into victimhood. Even in my daily life, I live with less fear and greater inner peace when faced with challenges. My understanding of why bad things are allowed to happen to innocent people--children included--helps me to focus my compassion on their suffering rather than get paralyzed by blame, fear, and judgment. And it is this understanding that I wish for you and others.

In the end, rather than take my word (or anyone else's) regarding life or death, I encourage you to become your own afterlife investigator, gather your own evidence, and then draw your own conclusions. After all, this is your life experience. I merely share my own to help you recognize the possibilities.

-- Bob Olson, Private investigator, host of AfterlifeTV.com and author of 'Answers About the Afterlife'

denominators to long life

Why do some people live long healthy lives while others seem to fall ill early and often and then succumb to chronic disease?

Dan Buettner, founder of Blue Zones and National Geographic Fellow, traveled across the globe to find the secret behind longevity. Blue Zones are regions in the world where people report an enhanced quality of life and have a better chance of living to a ripe old age. Buettner found that while genetics still play a major role, there are a host of specific lifestyle factors that are achievable and make a difference.

Buettner discovered nine evidence-based common denominators that helped people reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than people in the United States:

» Move naturally: The world's longest-lived people don't lift weights or do marathons. Instead, they live in environments where they're constantly encouraged to move without thinking about it.

» Purpose: Wake up with purpose each day and add up to seven years of longevity.

» Down shift: Establish an enjoyable and convenient schedule outside of work such as yoga, hiking, ocean activities or meditation.

» 80 percent rule: Eat mindfully, chew well and stop eating when 80 percent full.

» Plant slant: Eat more vegetables and fruits. Go for local and organic, and when possible, get to the farmers markets.

» Wine at 5: One to two glasses of wine can reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

» Keep the faith: Research shows that attending a faith-based activity with others four times per month can add 4 to 14 years of life expectancy.

» Loved ones first: Invest time with ohana and add up to six years to your life.

» Like-minded company: Surrounding yourself with others who will support healthy behaviors matters.

Blue Zones Project Hawaii, recently brought to the islands by Hawaii Medical Services Association, is a communitywide initiative designed to facilitate healthy outcomes through permanent changes to the environment, public policy and social networks. Blue Zones Project works with citizens, businesses, government, schools, grocery stores and restaurants in an effort to transform the community into a healthier place to live, work and play. The initiative is based on the assumption that a better quality of life will result in higher productivity and reduced need for health care services.

The Blue Zones Project is a cornerstone of HMSA's focus on wellness. Mike Gold, HMSA's president and chief executive officer, believes that programs like the Blue Zones Project are the way to drive sustainable changes in behavior and health care practices that result in improved health and better control of health care costs. For example, in mainland communities that have been certified as Blue Zones, people take an active role in eating better and exercising more and become more engaged in improving their health and well-being.

At Manakai O Malama's Patient Centered Medical Home, patients who take an active role and become engaged in preventive care and healthy lifestyle practices lose weight, improve cardiovascular health and tend to have better mental health. They are also able to minimize the frequency and severity of chronic disease.

By making our community a better place to live, work and recreate, Hawaii has the potential to lower rates of obesity, smoking, alcohol abuse, diabetes and heart disease. Hawaii consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the nation in overall well-being, as measured by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, but in 2013 the state dropped to eighth from its top spot in 2012. Fostering healthy communities depends on an ongoing collaborative effort among all concerned.

The traditions practiced by long-lived people in Blue Zones are also consistent with ancient Hawaiian values such as kuleana, meaning responsibility or concern, and ohana, which depicts the family unit. The intention of the Blue Zones Project is to create the conditions for each member of our community to engage in healthy living and to enjoy a long, vibrant life.

Ira “Kawika” Zunin, MD, MPH, MBA, is a practicing physician. He is medical director of Manakai O Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.