11 acts of generosity

It doesn't take much to make a stranger feel special in our society. Just holding the door open for someone or letting a fellow shopper back out in a crowded parking lot can go a long way. It seems like we don't see even those basic levels of courtesy quite often enough.

That's why it's so noteworthy when someone makes a real difference. When people open their pocketbooks or make a decision that is so striking, so jaw-droppingly generous, that they change lives forever. It happens, in big and small ways.

We've pulled together several examples of people going out of their way for others. They made large donations of money that they could have used themselves. They helped neighbors in crisis, or young people with medical problems. They spent money just to put a smile on someone's face.

And the funny thing about this kind of goodwill is that it can spread like a virus. In some of these cases, one generous act was the spark that spurred on a spree of similar kind-hearted gestures. People wanted to keep the momentum going, to maintain a pattern of giving that is all too rare.

Read on to see 11 amazing acts of generosity.

Happiness U

Ask a dozen people what they want out of life and chances are, among the top 10 desires will be to achieve happiness. Even though happiness is free, it eludes many.

The number of people who grumble about or feel trapped by varying circumstances in their life is what led Alice Inoue to launch Happiness U, which opens next week. She believes that happiness, like learning to read or ride a bike, can be taught. But you don't need to travel the world to find a guru when the formula is no more difficult than: balance + positive thinking = happiness.

"People want life to make them happy instead of making themselves happy and end up waiting their whole lives to be happy," said Inoue, who has given herself the title of chief happiness officer. Some people may not even recognize happiness because it is a state of mind unattached to any "eureka" moment.

"It's not like climbing to the top of a mountain and suddenly realizing, ‘I'm happy,'" she said. "But, you can climb your way out of wherever you are and move yourself to a better place."

Like many people, Inoue grew up believing that people are born with negative or positive dispositions that determine how much happiness they can achieve. Her own experience has taught her that happiness is a choice, and that the brain can be rewired to seek out and embrace the positive in life. She knows because she's turned her own life around with positive thought and action.

This idea has been backed by research and is the subject of a 2012 book, "Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain: How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook," by Elaine Fox, a psychology professor at the University of Essex in England.

Those who know Inoue see her as a buoyant and effervescent individual with a ready smile and infectious enthusiasm, but that wasn't always the case. She said she grew up in a strict household with "a strongly abusive father" and a mother who was ill. From the time she was 10, she had to care for a younger brother and a sister with Down syndrome. On top of that, she was overweight throughout her teens.

"I hated my life. I never got to go out. No one liked me and I wanted everyone to like me," she said. "I'd put on a smile on the outside but inside I was very unhappy, to the point where I thought of suicide. But deep inside, I felt happiness was out there, that life had to be better than this."

After graduating with a degree in biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz, she traveled to Japan to teach English. Learning the Japanese language helped her when she moved to Hawaii in 1989. This marked a turning point in her life when she decided to let go of negative emotions and go with the flow of life. She found herself unexpectedly entering the world of media, becoming host of her own weekly Japanese TV show. Her television exposure led her to a secondary career as spokeswoman for several national and international companies.

"Life was good but I was missing purpose," she said.

She embarked on a spiritual path, studying feng shui and astrology. She also became an ordained minister with the purpose of marrying couples and setting them on a path of happily ever after.

"I read about 300 books, thinking that if I focused hard enough, the right information would come to me," she said.

And what she realized, after about 12 years of guiding individuals with feng shui consultations and astrological readings, was that everyone who came to see her — no matter the circumstance — in the big picture was looking for happiness.

Toward that end, classes at Happiness U will address well-being in four categories: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

The easiest to tackle is the physical, dealing with such day-to-day stressors as environment and finances, with classes titled "Get Unstuck," "Feng Shui 101" and "Healthy Money Mindset."

On the emotional level are classes like "Goodbye to Guilt," "Get Over It 101" and "Irritating Relationship Clarity," addressing the irritating people around you. In the third instance, Inoue says the solution is simple: "Those people are not going to change, so you have to change your reaction to them."

The aim is to overcome basic physical and emotional issues to reach the spiritual level of defining and realizing one's life purpose and ultimate grail, the meaning of life.

American culture is not conducive to happiness because of the weight placed on consumption and individual achievement, but long-term happiness is not incumbent on rewards or material goods.

"We think we will get to a certain place and we will feel happy. We put success ahead of happiness, but I've found happiness comes first," she said. "It's a precursor to success and we need to change our thinking to recognize that ‘bad' things don't happen to you. They happen for you. Everything that happens helps you grow in some way.

"It's all good. On my journey of building this business, I thought I would have a lot of headaches, and I have had them, but I've learned to flow with life instead of fight it. When you stop wishing for life to be something it's not and accept it for what it is, you are on the path to happiness."

Tangible benefits come with happiness. Laura Kubzansky, an associate professor of society, human development and health at Harvard University School of Public Health, is at the forefront of such research. In a 2007 study that followed more than 6,000 men and women ages 25 to 74 for 20 years, she found that emotional vitality — a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement in life, and the ability to face life's stresses with emotional balance — appears to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease as well as help people avoid or manage heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and depression.

Kubzansky has also shown that 7-year-olds able to stay focused on tasks and maintain a positive outlook report better general health and fewer illnesses 30 years later. She has found that optimism cuts the risk of coronary heart disease by half.

Before going to bed, Inoue suggests, make a habit of thinking of three good things that happened that day. Consistency helps create new neural pathways to view situations in a positive light.

"Finding happiness is a gradual thing. It's not like one day you wake up and say, ‘I'm happy.' But I can look back five years, and 10 years, and see I've come a long way."

[image here http://media.staradvertiser.com/images/20130829_HAPPY.jpg no longer works -- 6/11/19]

-- by Nadine Kam, Star-Advertiser, August 29, 2013

100 best TV shows of all time

From The Sopranos to Louie.  I've watched (or at least looked at for more than a minute) 49 of them.  [via Donna on facebook]

Actually it appears this list came from the 101 best-written shows ever.

Here's another list: TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

I think I might have written about this earlier..  yeah, sort of.

Ben Affleck: Batman

(CNN) -- The last time Ben Affleck played a superhero, the world cried.

The year was 2003, and the movie was "Daredevil" -- a Hollywood fail that even Affleck has insinuated he'd rather forget.

So is it any wonder that within hours of Warner Bros. announcing the actor was going to play Batman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel, Twitter immediately tried to recast the part using the hashtag #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck. (Suggestions have included "the drunken hobo who lives under the overpass," the dog from "Air Bud" and "Manti Te'o's girlfriend.")

[8/13/14]  Sorry, Matt Damon won't be Robin.

[9/27/14] The seven actors who've played Batman (before Ben Affleck) [take special notice of Lookwell, starring Adam West and written by Conan O'Brien and Robert Smigel]

Sanjay Gupta on marijuana

NEW YORK >> CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta says he spoke too soon in opposing the medical use of marijuana in the past and that he now believes the drug can have very real benefits for people with specific health problems.

Gupta, the network's chief medical correspondent and a brain surgeon, detailed his change of heart in an interview Friday and in an article for CNN's website titled, "Why I changed my mind on weed." He will narrate a documentary on the topic that will air on the network Sunday.

He wrote in Time magazine in 2009 about his opposition to laws that would make the drug available for medical purposes. "Smoking the stuff is not going to do your health any good," he wrote then. But Gupta said Friday he too easily associated marijuana with "malingerers that just wanted to get high."

Now he wants to say he's sorry.

Gupta said he didn't look hard enough at research on the topic, and found some new research that had been done since then. He was encouraged to look into the issue further upon meeting a 5-year-old girl in Colorado for whom medical marijuana has sharply cut down on the amount of seizures she had been suffering.

Time spent with her and others made him realize that medical professionals should be responsible for providing the best care possible, and that could include marijuana.

"We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States, and I apologize for my own role in that," he wrote.

Centenarian secrets

There were more than 53,000 Americans who were at least 100 years old as of the 2010 census, and the number is expected to soar to more than 600,000 by 2050. Undoubtedly, many of these long-lived Americans have been blessed with good genes, but many also share common habits that have helped them in aging well, according to the new book "Celebrate 100: Centenarian Secrets to Success in Business and Life," based on interviews with 500 centenarians.

"I love to share the wisdom of the older generation. We need to hear it," says co-author Steve Franklin, a former professor and associate dean at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, who collaborated on the book with Lynn Peters Adler, the founder and director of the nonprofit National Centenarian Awareness Project.

1) avoid taking on debt
2) find work you love
3) delay your retirement
4) save at least 10%
5) diversify your investments
6) learn to be resourceful in tough times
7) plan for a long life
8) exercise
9) maintain a positive outlook
10) stay in the habit of learning

dementia in decline?

A new study has found that dementia rates among people 65 and older in England and Wales have plummeted by 25 percent over the past two decades, to 6.2 percent from 8.3 percent, a trend that researchers say is probably occurring across developed countries and that could have major social and economic implications for families and societies.

Another recent study, conducted in Denmark, found that people in their 90s who were given a standard test of mental ability in 2010 scored substantially better than people who had reached their 90s a decade earlier. Nearly one-quarter of those assessed in 2010 scored at the highest level, a rate twice that of those tested in 1998. The percentage of subjects severely impaired fell to 17 percent from 22 percent.

The British study, published on Tuesday in The Lancet, and the Danish one, which was released last week, also in The Lancet, soften alarms sounded by advocacy groups and some public health officials who have forecast a rapid rise in the number of people with dementia, as well as in the costs of caring for them. The projections assumed the odds of getting dementia would be unchanged.

Yet experts on aging said the studies also confirmed something they had suspected but had had difficulty proving: that dementia rates would fall and mental acuity improve as the population grew healthier and better educated. The incidence of dementia is lower among those better educated, as well as among those who control their blood pressure and cholesterol, possibly because some dementia is caused by ministrokes and other vascular damage. So as populations controlled cardiovascular risk factors better and had more years of schooling, it made sense that the risk of dementia might decrease.

delaying Alzheimers

July 15, 2013 (BOSTON) -- New research boosts the "use it or lose it" theory about brainpower and staying mentally sharp. People who delay retirement have less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia, a study of nearly half a million people in France found.

It's by far the largest study to look at this, and researchers say the conclusion makes sense. Working tends to keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged - all things known to help prevent mental decline.

"For each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent," said Carole Dufouil, a scientist at INSERM, the French government's health research agency.

She led the study and gave results Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston.

About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer's is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million have Alzheimer's - 1 in 9 people aged 65 and over. What causes the mind-robbing disease isn't known and there is no cure or any treatments that slow its progression.

France has had some of the best Alzheimer's research in the world, partly because its former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, made it a priority. The country also has detailed health records on self-employed people who pay into a Medicare-like health system.

Researchers used these records on more than 429,000 workers, most of whom were shopkeepers or craftsmen such as bakers and woodworkers. They were 74 on average and had been retired for an average of 12 years.

Nearly 3 percent had developed dementia but the risk of this was lower for each year of age at retirement. Someone who retired at 65 had about a 15 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared to someone retiring at 60, after other factors that affect those odds were taken into account, Dufouil said.

*** [9/30/14]

What one husband does for his wife with Alzheimer's.

Mormons find doubt on the internet

In the small but cohesive Mormon community where he grew up, Hans Mattsson was a solid believer and a pillar of the church. He followed his father and grandfather into church leadership and finally became an "area authority" overseeing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout Europe.

When fellow believers in Sweden first began coming to him with information from the Internet that contradicted the church's history and teachings, he dismissed it as "anti-Mormon propaganda," the whisperings of Lucifer. He asked his superiors for help in responding to the members' doubts, and when they seemed to only sidestep the questions, Mattsson began his own investigation.

But when he discovered credible evidence that the church's founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, was a polygamist, and that the Book of Mormon and other canonical scriptures were rife with historical anomalies, Mattsson said he felt that the foundation on which he had built his life began to crumble.

Around the world and in the United States, where the faith was founded, the Mormon Church is grappling with a wave of doubt and disillusionment among members who encountered information on the Internet that sabotaged what they were taught about their faith, according to interviews with dozens of Mormons and those who study the church.

habits of happiness

‘Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.’ ~Dalai Lama

I’m not one who believes you can be happy all the time, but I have learned you can be happy much of the time.

And that’s not something that depends on how your day is going or how others treat you — it depends on what you do on a regular basis.

I remember being unhappy most days, at one point in my life. It wasn’t because I hated the people in my life — I had a lovely wife, great kids, other wonderful family members and friends. It was because I was unhappy with myself, and that caused growing debt problems, unhappiness with my job, health problems and more. I felt like I couldn’t change any of that.

Then one day I sat down and made a list.

I make a lot of lists — it’s one of my favorite habits — but this list seemed to have a magical power. It was a list of the things I was grateful for. Amazingly, there were a lot of things on the list, from things about my wife, kids, relatives, and friends, to things about my job, about nature around me, about my life.

This list was magical because I went from feeling a bit depressed about everything, and hopeless and helpless, to much happier. My mindset shifted from the things I didn’t like or didn’t have, to the things I was really happy I had. And I was in control.

Since then I’ve experimented with a number of habits and have found a couple things to be true:

1. A handful of activities can actually make you happy.
2. If you incorporate them into your life on a regular basis (make them into habits), you’ll be happier regularly.

And those might seem to be small realizations, but actually they’re huge.

The Habits That Make You Happy

So what habits make you happy? Try doing these on a daily basis, and see if you get the same results:

1. List 3 Good Things. Eva & I started a daily evening ritual, at about 7pm each day, where we take a moment to tell each other three good things about our day. We didn’t invent this, but it serves as at least one time in your day when you focus on what you’re grateful for. This can create a mental habit of gratitude that you can use other times in your day, when you’re focused on the things you don’t like or have — when you feel this, think about something you do have, that you love. Find a way to be grateful, and you’re happier.
2. Help Someone. When we focus on ourselves, and the woeful state of our lives, we are self-centered. This shrinks the world to one little place with one little unhappy person. But what if we can expand that worldview, and expand our heart to include at least one other person? Maybe even a few others? Then we see that others are suffering too, even if that just means they’re stressed out. Then we can reach out, and do something to reduce their stress, put a smile on their face, make their lives easier. Help at least one person each day, and you’ll find your entire perspective shifted.
3. Meditate. I’ve called this the Fundamental Habit, because it affects everything else. Meditate for just 2 minutes a day, and you’ll create a habit that will allow you to notice your thoughts throughout the rest of the day, that will help you to be more present (unhappiness comes from not being present), that will help you notice the source of anxiety and distraction. That’s a lot that can be accomplished in 2 minutes! Sit every morning when you wake, and just notice your body, and then your breath. Notice when your mind wanders, and gently return to your breath. You become the watcher of your mind, and you’ll learn some useful things, I promise.
4. Exercise. Everyone knows you should exercise, so I’m not going to belabor this point. But it really does make you happier, both in the moment of exercise (I’m exerting myself, I’m alive!) and throughout the rest of the day. Exercise lightly, if you’re not in the habit yet, and just for a few minutes a day to start out. Who doesn’t have a few minutes a day? If you don’t, you need to loosen up your schedule a bit.

There are a number of other habits that also help: mindful eating, drinking tea, doing yoga, socializing with others. But these incorporate meditation (they’re more active forms of meditation), and exercise and helping others and gratitude (if you’re doing it right). So I wanted to list the most basic habits, and then you can expand to other areas.

How do you form these habits? One at a time, starting as small as possible, with some social accountability.

Set these habits in motion. You’ll notice yourself becoming more present, more grateful, more other-focused. The shift that results is nothing short of a miracle.

-- by Leo Babauta via twitter feed

*** 4/26/14

A similar list of things to maintain happiness was mentioned by quick-talking Shawn Achor in Ted Talks Life Hacks (watched on Netflix, but available on youtube)

comic strips archived online

Cool, I went to visit the Dilbert website since I saw it in my twitter digest and it's improved.

For one thing they have a magnifying glass to increase the size of the strip.  And for another thing, you can use the calendar function and go back and view previous strips all the way back to the beginning!  The first strip debuted back on April 16, 1989.

Some of my other favorite comic strips are at gocomics.com.  They also feature a magnifying glass (on most of the strips) and a calendar function.

Doonesbury goes back to October 26, 1970.

Brewster Rockit debuted July 5, 2004.

Peanuts is also there and goes all the way back to October 2, 1950!

Others:

How can I forget Calvin and Hobbes?  It debuted on November 18, 1985 and ran through December 31, 1995.  I see a strip dated today, so I guess they're showing reruns (Peanuts too I guess).

Pickles began on 1990, but gocomics has it back to January 1, 2003.

For Better or For Worse began in September 1979.  Gocomics has it consecutively back to July 2, 2000, then going back jumps to 1/1/00, then to 8/24/99 through 7/1/99, then to 12/6/97 through 11/23/97, then to 11/23/90, then to 2/5/86 and finally to 11/23/81.

Betty became a stand-along strip in 1991.  Gocomics has it back to 6/1/96, then jumps back to 5/19/96, 4/30/96 and has most of the strips (with a few holes) back to 1/1/96.

I see gocomics has an app.  Methinks I'll install it.

Installed the app, but it's a little hard to navigate from comic to comic.  I think it'll be easier when I create an account and select favorites. They also have Dilbert on there, but the archive doesn't go very far back.  So I installed the Dilbert app too (surprisingly only 0.2 MB).  It's ok, but a little different.  It forces you to hold the ipad vertically.  And the display is panel by panel, which I suppose how the comic strip is meant to be read.  But I'm used to reading it in the newspaper where you see everything at once.

So I tried using gocomics through the ipad browsers, but it's also hard to navigate.  When you click the magnfying glass, the x doesn't show up on the upper left.  The screen is cut off, so you have to back arrow to go back.  It's more cut off on chrome, but the problem is on safari too.

11 habits (to give up)

Oftentimes we unknowingly hold on to little, obsessive habits that cause us a great deal of stress and unhappiness.  Even when we feel that something is wrong, we fail to seek the changes we need to make and instead cling to what’s not working, simply because it’s what we’re accustomed to.

It’s time to make a change.  It’s time to give up the habits that no longer serve your well-being and embrace the positive changes you need to be happy.

1. Worrying
2. People-Pleasing
3. Procrastinating
4. Living in the past
5. Looking past the present
6. Judging others
7. Comparing yourself
8. Shame
9. Laziness
10. Fear
11. Need to be busy

[via Alvin]

I'm worried that I won't be able to get rid of these habits, but I need to do this to make other people happy.  Maybe I'll do it later.  I used to have less of these habits, I'll have to work on it later.  At least I'm not as bad as some people.  But I'll never be as good as others.  I really hate to admit I'm guilty of a lot of these habits.  But I don't feel like working on them right now.  It's kind of scary trying to change things - things don't seem that bad to me.  So I think I'll go out and take my mind off it.

Jim Kelly

SAN DIEGO >> Actor Jim Kelly, who played a glib American martial artist in "Enter the Dragon" with Bruce Lee, has died. He was 67.

Marilyn Dishman, Kelly's ex-wife, said he died Saturday of cancer at his home in San Diego.

Sporting an Afro hairstyle and sideburns, Kelly made a splash with his one-liners and fight scenes in the 1973 martial arts classic. His later films included "Three the Hard Way," ''Black Belt Jones" and "Black Samurai."

During a 2010 interview with salon.com, Kelly said he started studying martial arts in 1964 in Kentucky and later moved to California where he earned a black belt in karate. He said he set his sights on becoming an actor after winning karate tournaments. He also played college football.

The role in the Bruce Lee film was his second. He had about a dozen film roles in the 1970s before his acting work tapered off. In recent years, he drew lines of autograph seekers at comic book conventions.

"It was one of the best experiences in my life," he told salon.com of working on "Enter the Dragon." ''Bruce was just incredible, absolutely fantastic. I learned so much from working with him. I probably enjoyed working with Bruce more than anyone else I'd ever worked with in movies because we were both martial artists. And he was a great, great martial artist. It was very good."

Deadly Driving Hazards (and how to survive them)

YOU LIFT YOUR FOOT off the gas, but your car surges ahead as if it has a mind of its own. An approaching car swerves into your lane and comes straight at you. A tire blows out, and the steering wheel
pulls violently in your hands. In each of these cases, what you do — and don’t do — next can make the difference between a simple scare and a disaster.

Runaway engine
On August 28, 2009, California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor was driving with his wife, daughter and brother-in-law aboard. Suddenly the car began to accelerate. Their desperate 911 call was of no avail. All four died in a fiery 120-mph crash.

The problem behind “unintended acceleration” may be a mechanical glitch or simply a floor mat bunched up against the gas pedal. Whatever the cause, stopping is easy if you know how.

With an automatic transmission, shift into neutral. With a manual, step down on the clutch pedal. The engine will race, but the car will stop accelerating. Don’t turn off the ignition while the car is moving, or braking and steering will require much greater effort.

Wrong-way driver
This is one of the most hair-raising situations you can face. The driver who’s about to ram you head-on may be asleep, distracted, drunk, sick or even suicidal. In that instant, it doesn’t matter. Brake hard and lean on the horn. Steer toward the right—off the pavement, if necessary. Don’t steer left: The oncoming driver may swerve back at the last instant. Avoid a head-on crash at all costs. If you must hit something, aim for shrubs, a parked car, anything that gives.

Tire blowout
My niece Jill was driving to college in Connecticut when construction debris blew out one of her tires. She slammed on the brakes, and her car spun around and rolled over three times. Only her safety belt saved her from serious injury.

If you have a blowout, stay off the brakes. Keep your foot steady on the gas, grip the wheel firmly and concentrate on steering. When you have the car under control, gradually lift off the gas.

No brakes
Today’s cars have dual brake systems, so total brake failures are very rare. In case of a malfunction, the brakes on at least two of the four wheels should still work. But stops will take longer and will require more pedal effort.

Pumping the brake pedal rapidly and hard may build up enough pressure for a four-wheel stop. If necessary, shift into a lower gear so the engine slows you down. You might damage the transmission, but that’s better than crashing. As a last resort, scrub off speed by sideswiping a wall or parked cars—whatever it takes to slow down.

Hydroplaning
You’re driving on a wet road, maybe a little too fast, when the steering suddenly feels eerily light. What has happened is that a thin wedge of water has actually lifted your front tires off the pavement, as your car glides ahead as if on ice. To regain control, ease off the gas. That will shift some of the car’s weight onto the front tires and squeeze out the water underneath. Then, slow down.

Whether you drive a Hummer or a hybrid, knowing what to do — and what not to do — in an emergency is the key to survival.

Alex Markovich was the auto editor at Consumer Reports before he retired. His articles have appeared in many publications.

-- Costco Connection, April 2013

obesity is officially a disease

According to the American Medical Association, obesity is now officially a disease. A highly preventable disease, but a disease nonetheless.

I think that's probably the right call. For many people, lung cancer is highly preventable -- just don't smoke -- but it would be weird not to call lung cancer a disease.

The decision wasn't without debate, though. In fact, the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health actually recommended against calling obesity a disease. The main issue revolves around using body mass index, or BMI, as a measure for obesity. A 5'11'' man who weighs 215 pounds is technically obese, but he may be fairly healthy and probably doesn't need to be treated aggressively. There was also a worry that calling obesity a disease might let people off the hook in trying to prevent it in the first place.

Ultimately, the AMA's House of Delegates ignored the council's recommendation, voting in favor of a resolution to recognize obesity as a disease.

more uses for WD-40

4. Exterminate roaches and repel insects

Don’t let cockroaches, insects, or spiders get the upper hand in your home. • Keep a can of WD-40 handy, and when you see a roach, spray a small amount directly on it for an instant kill. • To keep insects and spiders out of your home, spray WD-40 on windowsills and frames, screens, and door frames. Be careful not to inhale the fumes when you spray and do not do this at all if you have babies or small children at home.

8. Clean toilet bowls

You don’t need a bald genie or a specialized product to clean ugly gunk and lime stains from your toilet bowl. Use WD-40 instead: Spray it into the bowl for a couple of seconds and swish with a nylon toilet brush. The solvents in the WD-40 will help dissolve the gunk and lime.

10. Clean and restore license plate

To help restore a license plate that is beginning to rust, spray it with WD-40 and wipe with a clean rag. This will remove light surface rust and will also help prevent more rust from forming. It’s an easy way to clean up lightly rusted plates and it won’t leave a greasy feel.

13. Remove doggie-doo

Uh-oh, now you’ve stepped in it! Few things in life are more unpleasant than cleaning doggie-doo from the bottom of a sneaker, but the task will be a lot easier if you have a can of WD-40 handy. Spray some on the affected sole and use an old toothbrush to clean the crevices. Rinse with cold water and the sneakers will be ready to hit the pavement again. Now, don’t forget to watch where you step!

27. Clean carpet stains

Don’t let ink or other stains ruin your fine carpet. Spray the stain with WD-40, wait a minute or two, and then use your regular carpet cleaner or gently cleanse with a sponge and warm, soapy water. Continue until the stain is completely gone.

39. Remove burrs from horse

To remove burrs from a horse’s mane or tail without tearing its hair out (or having to cut any of its hair off!) just spray on some WD-40. You’ll be able to slide the burrs right out. This will work for dogs and cats, too.

51. Kill thistle plants

Don’t let pesky prickly weeds like bull and Russian thistle ruin your yard or garden. Just spray some WD-40 on them and they’ll wither and die.  [I wonder if it'll work on nutgrass?]

and lots more..

50 life hacks

to simplify your world

14. use a can opener to open a blister pack and avoid cutting yourself
18. stack your clothes vertically to see them all
21. a frozen saturated sponge makes an ice pack that won't drip all over when it melts
22. use a bread tab to hold your spot on a roll of tape
35. use binder clips to fix broken keyboard feet
39. get built up residue off your shower head by tying a baggy of vinegar and leaving it overnight
40. the ninja fold
41. light candles with a stick of spaghetti
44. use unscented dental floss to cut cakes
46. use a clothespin to hold a nail while hammering
48. a paper CD case

more
use bread clips to save flip-flops with split holes
opening plastic bag knots
wrap a wet paper towel around your beverage and put it in the freezer.  In 15 minutes it will be ice cold.

also

50 animated gifs for any occasion

-- from twistedsifter via BrianK

add 20 years to your life

If you think that how long you’ll live is based on how long your grandparents and parents live, you’re only partly right. While genetics certainly have an impact, you have more control than you might assume. “By the time you turn 55, only about 30% of how quickly you age is based on your genes, as compared to 50% when you’re younger—the rest is due to your lifestyle choices,” says Michael Roizen, MD, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic. To figure out about how many years certain habits can add to your life, Dr. Roizen created the RealAge test, which uses data from hundreds of studies by groups including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics. With his help, we’ve gathered the most important habits and estimated how much longer each one may extend your life.

Add 2.2 years: Walk 30 minutes a day

Add 5.6 years: Get up and move!

Add 1.8 years: Do some strength training

Add 3.5 years: Floss daily

Add 14 years: Eat healthy

Add 8 years: Have more sex with your partner

Add 2 years: Don't text and drive

Add 4 years: Manager stress

Add 6-12 years: Stop smoking

So that's 47.1 to 53.1 years!

Read more: Live Longer - Healthy Living at WomansDay.com - Woman's Day 

KHON blackout

It was less than a year ago when KITV was blacked out on Oceanic for 10 days.

This time it's KHON.  We'll see how long it lasts this time.

relax, blackout averted

recipes

Here's some recipes from the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine (April 2012).

I doubt if I'm ever going to make the dishes (exactly anyway), but the pictures looked good in the magazine.

Quick Chicken Vesuvio

Caesar Pesto Pasta

Penne with Turkey & Broccolini

I notice they're all pasta dishes.

Randy leaving American Idol

Jackson out.

Randy Jackson, the lone remaining original "American Idol" judge, won't be returning to the Fox talent competition next season.

"Idol" host Ryan Seacrest only hinted at Jackson's impending departure at the beginning of Thursday's elimination episode.

"A little later on, we'll be revealing who's leaving our show," joked Seacrest as he swiveled Jackson around in his chair toward him. "Maybe a head's up?"

Apparently, Seacrest -- who's been with the show as long as Jackson -- found out along with the rest of the world Thursday when the 56-year-old producer and bassist announced his departure.

Jackson said in a statement that he's leaving "Idol" to focus on his record label and other business opportunities.

"To put all of the speculation to the rest, after 12 years of judging on `American Idol,' I have decided to leave after this season," he said. "I am very proud of how we forever changed television and the music industry."

Jackson has served as a judge on all 12 seasons of "Idol." He first appeared on the panel alongside Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul when the competition debuted in 2002, becoming famous for his easygoing "yo, dawg" rapport with contestants.

Jackson currently judges the show with pop royalty Mariah Carey, R&B diva Nicki Minaj and country star Keith Urban. His exit comes amid reports the entire panel will be replaced next season. A spokeswoman for Fox and spokesman for "Idol" producer FremantleMedia declined to comment.

Ratings for "Idol," once a TV juggernaut, have plummeted this year. The show has been the most popular entertainment program in prime time for nine years running, but it's likely "Idol" will lose that distinction this season. It's now regularly behind the NBC singing competition "The Voice" in the weekly ratings.

***

Mariah and Nicki too.

*** 11/12/14

Randy leaving again.

lower your blood pressure naturally

13 ways to lower blood pressure naturally

Normal blood pressure is considered to be 120/80 mmhg (millimeters of mercury). Anything above that can start to cause problems for you. High blood pressure is one of the most preventable conditions.

According to the American Heart Association, 28% of Americans have high blood pressure and don't know it.

While medication can lower blood pressure, it may cause side effects such as leg cramps, dizziness, and insomnia. Fortunately, most people can bring down their blood pressure naturally without medication.

best fight scenes

The 15 Best Character-Driven Fight Scenes In Movies


includes some my favorites (as evidence I own the DVD)

The Princess Bride
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Casino Royale
Enter The Dragon
The Karate Kid
The Empire Strikes Back

via zergnet (interesting lists)

what? no Fist of Legend?

Jonathan Winters

LOS ANGELES >> Jonathan Winters, the cherub-faced comedian whose breakneck improvisations and misfit characters inspired the likes of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, has died. He was 87.

The Ohio native died Thursday evening at his Montecito, Calif., home of natural causes, said Joe Petro III, a longtime family friend. Petro said Winters died of natural causes and was surrounded by family and friends.

Winters was a pioneer of improvisational standup comedy, with an exceptional gift for mimicry, a grab bag of eccentric personalities and a bottomless reservoir of creative energy. Facial contortions, sound effects, tall tales — all could be used in a matter of seconds to get a laugh.

On Jack Paar's television show in 1964, Winters was handed a foot-long stick and he swiftly became a fisherman, violinist, lion tamer, canoeist, U.N. diplomat, bullfighter, flutist, delusional psychiatric patient, British headmaster and Bing Crosby's golf club.

"As a kid, I always wanted to be lots of things," Winters told U.S. News & World Report in 1988. "I was a Walter Mitty type. I wanted to be in the French Foreign Legion, a detective, a doctor, a test pilot with a scarf, a fisherman who hauled in a tremendous marlin after a 12-hour fight."

The humor most often was based in reality — his characters Maude Frickert and Elwood P. Suggins, for example, were based on people Winters knew growing up in Ohio.

A devotee of Groucho Marx and Laurel and Hardy, Winters and his free-for-all brand of humor inspired Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Tracey Ullman and Lily Tomlin, among others. But Williams and Carrey are his best-known followers.

Roger Ebert

Famed movie critic Roger Ebert died Thursday in Chicago after battling cancer. He was 70.

An opinionated writer, but also a movie fan, Ebert reviewed films for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years. He was perhaps best known, however, for his 31 years reviewing films on television.

Ebert experienced health problems over the past ten years, suffering illnesses including thyroid cancer and cancer of the salivary gland. In 2006 he lost part of his lower jaw, but -- as his obituary in the Sun-Times points out -- it didn't drive him out of the spotlight.

The acclaimed writer enjoyed wide and varied accolades, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1975 and was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. He also won a Webby "Person of the Year" award in 2010 for special achievement.

Fresh off the heels of his Pulitzer, Ebert launched his television show -- along with Gene Siskel (who died in 1999) -- the same year he was honored with the esteemed writing award. It started as a local Chicago show, but its popularity eventually pushed it into the national spotlight, making the duo's famed "thumbs up, thumbs down" a household gesture.

Fallon to replace Leno on Tonight Show

After weeks of rumors and buzz, NBC finally made it official: Jimmy Fallon will graduate from hosting "Late Night" to "The Tonight Show" in 2014. He replaces longtime host Jay Leno, whose contract is up next spring.

"I'm really excited to host a show that starts today instead of tomorrow," Fallon said in the press release.
After 22 years, Leno leaves while his "Tonight Show" still tops late-night ratings.

"Jay Leno is an entertainment icon, making millions of people laugh every weeknight for more than 20 years," said Steve Burke, chief executive officer of NBCUniversal. "We are purposefully making this change when Jay is No. 1, just as Jay replaced Johnny Carson when he was No. 1."
While Leno is still king of late night, NBC hopes the younger Fallon can attract more viewers in the key, advertiser-friendly 18-49 demo.

In the release, Leno struck a friendly tone, in keeping with the vibe the two hosts gave off in their recent "Tonight" song duet.

"Congratulations, Jimmy. I hope you're as lucky as me and hold on to the job until you're the old guy," Leno said. "If you need me, I'll be at the garage."

Still, it remains to be seen if this transition will be a smooth one or if will blow up like Leno's hand-off to Conan O'Brien in 2009. In that tumultuous chapter of the long "Tonight Show" saga, "Late Night" host O'Brien took over from Leno after five years of waiting. Leno wasn't happy to be giving up his seat, and NBC scrambled to give him a primetime show to prevent him from jumping to another network. But when O'Brien's "Tonight Show" ratings sagged and Leno's primetime show went down in flames, NBC ended up returning Leno to his gig. A furious O'Brien left to create a new late-night show on TBS.

This time, it seems like the hosting change will stick. Not only is NBC handing over producing duties to Lorne Michaels, the man in charge of "Late Night" and "Saturday Night Live," it's moving the show back to its original city of New York for Fallon.

***

After a few weeks of late night disses and rumors, the official announcement came Wednesday afternoon that Jay Leno would be retiring from his seat as the host of the "Tonight Show" in February 2014, and Jimmy Fallon would be graduating from "Late Night" to fill his shoes.

In other words, cue the monologues.

Not surprisingly, Leno and Fallon had plenty to say on the matter, as did their counterparts and competition, from Conan O'Brien to Jimmy Kimmel. And, needless to say, David Letterman brought his sharp tongue to the table, even making the Top Ten list "Things We'll Miss About Jay Leno."

"I got a call from my mom today, she said, 'Well, David, I see you didn't get the Tonight Show again.' Didn't we just go through this. Jay Leno is now being replaced, and this is the second time this has happened," the "Late Show" host said. "I mean, it's crazy. He's being replaced by a younger late-night talk show host – what could possibly go wrong?"

"I’ve known Jay Leno for 38 years, thank you. I don’t know what aspect of that you’re applauding, but thank you," he continued. "As with everything in life, all I really care about is how will this affect me? That’s all I really care about. … But good luck to Jay. I know he’ll be out on the road, getting it done and taking care of business and congratulations on a nice long run there at the 'Tonight Show,' if in fact you're not coming back.”

But he couldn't just leave it at that. Wednesday night's Top Ten list? "Things We'll Miss About Jay Leno." The list includes such gems as "He's Mom's favorite talk show host," "If you broke down on the freeway, Jay was always there to help with a camera crew," and "Now I'm the only guy in late-night television who's not a Jimmy." Watch the full list below:

But that wasn't the end of that fight. Leno managed to get in a solid dig of his own.

"I got to be honest with you, I had a really awkward day today," Leno began. "I had to call David Letterman and tell him he didn't get the 'Tonight Show' again."

Brain Rules

is a book I heard of from someplace and I had placed it on my paperback swap wish list.

then Julie on Sunday mentioned the Bobby gave a copy to Tonia.

So I'm looking at their website.  As a quick intro/overview is The 12 Brain Rules Illustrated.

It gets 4.5 stars at amazon.

Best Kung Fu Movies of all time

I remember there was a list from slate magazine a while ago, but I think it's long gone.  (I'll have to look up the link on my old CyberClub Hawaii website.)

So I'm googling what's out there now.

First, without looking much at the others, here's my list off the top of my head

5. Iron Monkey
4. Kung Fu Hustle
3. Wing Chun
2. Enter The Dragon
1. Fist of Legend

(notice they're all YWP movies except for Enter The Dragon)

And my favorite Yuen Woo Ping movies

OK, googling on:

Top 20 Martial Arts Films of all time (Black Belt Magazine)

Top 250 Greatest Martial Arts Movies of All-Time (imdb)

50 Greatest Kung Fu Movies (Total Film)

Top Ten Kung Fu Movies of All Time

The five greatest Martial Arts Movies (IFC)

*** [2/15/14] WatchMojo's Top 10 Martial Arts Movies

And after all these years (looking at Donnie Yen Top 10 Moments), I see I missed a Yuen Woo Ping / Donnie Yen movie.  It's Mismatched Couples.

salt and hypertension

Salt gets a bad rap. The oft-repeated mantra is that excessive salt causes hypertension and high blood pressure, which in turn lead to heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular ailments. However, this campaign has little foundation in science.

In 1972, the connection between salt and hypertension came from two pieces of research. One was the observation that populations that ate little salt had virtually no hypertension. But salt wasn’t the only thing
lacking in those diets, and any one of those could have been the cause. The second involved lab rats that developed hypertension on a high-salt diet. However, the amount these rats took in was 60 times more than what the average American consumes.

Although researchers acknowledged that the data were inconsistent, the link between salt and blood pressure became cemented in the public consciousness as fact.

A study published in the August 2011 issue of the American Journal of Hypertension, involving 6,250 subjects, found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death.
In fact, the risk for heart disease was 56 percent higher for the low-salt group than for the group that consumed the most salt. The conclusion the researchers came to was, the less salt you eat, the more likely you will die from heart disease, something that completely contradicts conventional views.

According to “It’s Time to End the War on Salt,” in the July 8, 2011, issue of Scientific American, “Intersalt, a large study published in 1988, compared sodium intake with blood pressure in subjects from 52 international research centers and found no relationship between sodium intake and the rate of hypertension.

In fact, the population that ate the most salt, about 14 grams [14,000 mg] a day, had a lower median blood pressure than the population that ate the least, about 7.2 grams [7,200 mg] a day. Studies that have explored the direct relationship between salt and heart disease have not fared much better.”

-- Costco Connection, September 2012

***

More from grist (with comments)

korean dramas

With the acquisition of my roku, I'm starting to use it for Korean dramas for my mom to watch.  I think it might work because they have subtitles (and her hearing isn't so good).  Plus my sister and aunties watch too.  So she might as well join the crowd.

Not familiar with the titles, but I started with Dong Yi since it sounded familiar.

And now I'm looking for other shows.

Another popular one was Dae Jung Geum which was directed by the producer of Dong Yi.

Jumong is one mentioned at Amazon (as other items customers buy).

Looking up Jumong, I see it is considered a major part of the Korean wave which refers to "the increase in popularity of South Korean entertainment beginning in the 1990s.

Other popular titles mentioned in the wikipedia article are

Winter Sonata (2002)
Dae Jang Geum
Boys Over Flowers

Here's a list of the most popular Korean Dramas in the 2000s.

1. Coffee Prince (2007)
2. Goong (2006) [aka Palace, Princess Hours, Imperial Household]
3. My Name is Kim Sam-Soon (2005) [aka My Lovely Sam Soon]
4. Full House (2004)
5. Stairs to Heaven (2003)
6. Daejanggeum (2002) [Jewel in the Palace, Great Jang Geum]
7. Winter Sonata (2002)

Cool,  I see Jewel in the Palace is on crunchy roll (which is where dong yi is too).  Unlike DramaFever, all the episodes are free on Roku.  (The full DramaFever is only free over the internet.)

Let's see.  Looking on crunchyroll's website, I see they have Boys Over Flowers, Coffee Prince, Princess Hours, Jumong, Dong Yi, Jewel in the Palace, My Lovely Samsoon, and lots more.

[I see Winter Sonata on youtube.  Heck, I see Donna logged on to youtube on my computer (donnacwong).  I'll create a playlist :)  Actually it's easier to subscribe to the uploader Syahir Ahir.]

This should keep my mom occupied for a while.

fighting Alzheimer's

Dr. Neal Barnard was on Dr. Oz's show talking about Alzheimers.  He said it's due to metals in the brain.

Where do the metals come from?  Pots and pans, food (meat and fish), vitamins.

Fat isn't good too.

Here's the links from Dr. Oz.

Your Brain Protection Plan

Brain-Protective Recipes

He wrote a book on Reversing Diabetes (with a DVD too)

I smell a new book coming soon.

Hey, the book is already out.  It's called Power Foods for the Brain.

road repaving schedule

As seen on KITV news today

is your street on the list?

(ours isn't, well we can hope for 2018 / that's a lot of streets that's not ours)

The Men Who Built America

I happened to catch a few episodes of this series on the History Channel and it caught my interest.  The portrayals of the motivations behind the men profiled made me wonder about the current men in power.

I saw the Blu-Ray on sale yesterday at Costco and was tempted to buy it.  However looking at some of the comments at Amazon and these reviews, it appears some of the events did not have occurred as they showed it.  (And so the motivation of the creators of the series have been called into question by some.)

Still it was interesting.  I guess one might have to take it more like a movie based on historical events.

Despite the faults, I might get the DVD set one day anyway, if I can get it cheap.

Hey, here's episode 4 on youtube.  Probably won't last long.

To satisfy myself, I can probably DVR this, then record it.  (And not watch it.)

Maybe these videos might be more accurately historically:

Cornelius Vanderbilt
John D. Rockefeller
Andrew Carnegie
J.P. Morgan
Henry Ford

Wow, The American Experience in its 25th season.  Where have I been?

***

After watching this (or least part of it), I'm not a little curious about another series from The History Channel called America: the story of Us.

Hey part 1 on youtube.

Criticism?  Naturally.  Notably some complained why celebrities such as Margaret Cho, Sean Diddy Combs, Sheryl Crow, Michael Douglas et al were chosen to appear in history documentary.

*** [4/20/14]

Still looking to get the series on DVD, but now I notice it's on Amazon Prime.  And some of it has been uploaded to dailymotion.

Here are the descriptions on Amazon Prime.  There are 8 episodes, whereas they were shown on TV as four (combined) episodes.

1.  A New War Begins
2.  Oil Strike
3.  A Rivalry Is Born
4.  Blood Is Spilled
5.  A New Rival Emerges
6.  Owning It All
7.  Taking the White House
8.  The New Machine

And here's the episodes on dailymotion

1_6: William Jennings Bryan, Andrew Carnegie
2_6:  Theodore Roosevelt
3_6: J.P. Morgan (I notice this was only 25:28)
4_6: Johnstown 1889
5_6: Carnegie rethinks
6_6: electricity (Owning It All)

And I see it uploaded on youtube (will probably be taken off soon enough).

Part 1
Part 2 Bloody Battles
Part 3 Changing the Game
Part 4 When One Ends Another Begins

And the whole series in one file

And another uploader

1 of 8 - A New War Begins
2 of 8 - Oil Strike
3 of 8 - A Rivalry is Born
4 of 8 - Blood is Spilled
5 of 8 - A New Rival Emerges
6 of 8 - Owning It All
7 of 8 - Taking The White House
8 of 8 - The New Machine

So the options are: view the pirate videos, buy the DVD, buy the Blu-Ray, subscribe to Amazon Prime, buy the seasons on Amazon ($12.99 for SD, $18.99 for HD).

I see the America: The Story of Us and the Mankind: The Story of Us are also on Amazon Prime.

Maybe I'll just wait.  It's on my list at swapadvd.

[1/24/15] Now streaming on Netflix!

Super Heroes on screen (or attempts at)

Both DC Comics and Marvel would have you think that big-budget, blockbuster films like Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern and The Avengers are their only attempts to bring popular comic book characters into the live-action arena. They would like everyone to forget the sometimes absurd, ridiculous and often ugly reality: that there were numerous early - and failed - attempts to bring super heroes to both the big and small screens.

***

Lots of stories from the "numerous" link above.  Like this one from Patton Oswald on Blade: Trinity.  (And I always liked that movie..)  And minutes later, it's not there..

More..  The evolution of Nicolas Cage's hair

OK, that's enough.

***

How did I get all this?  Well, I was looking at this review of the Birds of Prey DVD set (bought on eBay) which I got in the mail yesterday.

Here's a quickie technical review.  The menu fills the wide-screen but the TV shows are in non-anamorphic wide-screen (so it doesn't fill my HD TV screen).  And even putting my Panasonic plasma in wide-screen mode doesn't do it either.  I think it might be the Sony Blu-Ray player is upscaling the signal and the TV doesn't zoom properly the hi-def signal (even though I'm connecting the player with composite cables and not HDMI).  I think if I connect my DVD-recorder to the TV, it might zoom properly.

One plus that I like is that there are subtitles.  Also included (somewhat oddly) as a bonus feature is the Gotham Girls animated series (maybe they figured it would help sell the set).  This one is full screen without subtitles.  And the last bonus is the unaired pilot which is similar to the official pilot but with a different actress playing the Huntress.  This one doesn't support subtitles but oddly IS anamorphic wide-screen.

Compound Habit Interest

One of the things I’ve learned in my last 7 years of creating new habits is the power of compound habit interest.

It sounds really obvious when you say it, but if you do something small repeatedly, the benefits accrue greatly over time. It’s obvious, but not everyone puts it into practice.

It’s like putting a little extra cash into an index investment fund … let’s say you put in just $5/day (less than you spend at Starbucks perhaps) … at the end of 20 years, you’d have almost $70,000 if you could make just 6 percent interest, and closer to $90,000 if you could make 8 percent. Change that to just $8/day, and you’re now talking about $140,000 or so. It adds up greatly over time.

The same principle applies to habits.

Let’s take a few examples:

• Spend just a few minutes a day studying Anki flashcards, and at the end of a year, you have a ton of new phrases and sentences learned of a new language. Sure, it’s not the same as being fluent, but it’s much better than you were a year ago.
• Spend just a few minutes a day doing pushups (even if you can’t do any at first), and by the end of a year, you’ll be much stronger. I’ve seen the same thing happen to me when it comes to lifting weights — I was very weak when I started, and though I’m not going to impress any weightlifters with what I can do now, I’ve made remarkable progress over time.
• I started out not being able to run 10 minutes, but started with 7 minutes. Soon I could run 10, then 12, then 15. At the end of my first year of running, I ran a marathon.

Adding little amounts over time makes a huge difference.

If you repeat something regularly, just doing a small amount each time, it adds up hugely over time. Some ways to do that:

1. Actual money. Seriously, if you don’t have any savings yet, cut out one or two small daily expenses (Starbucks grande lattes are a good example) and instead, make regular automatic transfers each week (or every payday) to a savings account. Once you have a small emergency fund, pay off debt. Once you’ve paid off most of your debt, start investing. Your finances will improve immensely with time.
2. Healthy eating. Eating just one small healthy thing a day, if you aren’t eating healthy now, will pay off over time. Just add one fruit instead of an unhealthy snack you might have in the afternoon. Do that for a couple weeks. Then add a veggie to lunch. Do that a few weeks. Each step of the way won’t seem hard, but you’ll eventually get used to each change. Sometimes the veggie won’t be something you love, so just eat a few bites. You’ll learn to enjoy it with time. You change, little by little.
3. Waking early. Wake up just a few minutes earlier tomorrow (say 7:55 instead of 8:00), and stay at that level for a week, then another 5 minutes earlier for the next week, and so on. In less than 6 months, you’ll be waking up 2 hours earlier, and you won’t have ever really noticed it. It’ll never feel like you’re waking earlier. Most people, btw, try to do way more than this (say, an hour earlier at first) and then fail, and never figure out why.
4. Writing. If you haven’t been able to create the writing habit, just write a sentence today. I’m completely serious. Then write a sentence tomorrow. Do that for a week. Next week, write two sentences. This sound ridiculously easy, so most people will ignore this advice. But if you follow it, you’ll be writing 1,000 words per day, every day, this time next year. Maybe 2,000 per day the following year.
5. Stretching and/or yoga. I’m the world’s least flexible person (I think it’s in the Guinness Book). So now I stretch just a little each day. I bet in a a month or two, I’ll pass the guy in Luanda that’s just a little ahead of me on the flexibility list. I’ve started by just doing three yoga poses each morning.
6. Musical instrument. My wife Eva started learning to play the guitar yesterday. Just a couple chords. If she practices those two chords each day, then another chord or two when she feels pretty confident with the first two, she’ll be playing some Bach and Granados next year.
7. Meditation. I made a vow to meditate at least 3 minutes a day. That’s all I have to do, though sometimes I’ll do more. That makes it super easy to do it every day. What will I get if I keep doing that for years? I’m not sure, but I know I already have a judgment-free space, with no expectations, and it helps me to be more mindful and focused throughout the day.
8. Decluttering. Just declutter a few things every day. In a few months, you’ll have a dramatically less cluttered home.
9. Language learning. Study three cards a day with words/phrases/sentences on them. You’ll be speaking Spanish like loco in six months. (Yes, I just gave you your first Spanish investment in that last sentence.)

You get the picture.

-- Leo Babauta

the Ivy Lee Formula

In the early 1900s, Charles M. Schwab (not the financial guru Charles Schwab), Andrew Carnegie’s right-hand man and president of Bethlehem Steel, wanted to increase his efficiency and that of his management team.

John D. Rockefeller Sr. suggested Schwab meet with Ivy Lee, a well-known efficiency expert and his personal consultant. Schwab was extremely busy, and despite his disdain for consultants, decided to schedule Ivy for a 20-minute meeting.

Lee began by asking Schwab to outline his vision for the company. Schwab responded immediately with a clearly articulated vision. Lee then asked Schwab to write down the six most important things he needed to do each day in order to achieve that vision. He then instructed Schwab to complete the tasks from the most important to least important and cross off each item that was completed throughout the day.

At the end of the day, Schwab was to create another prioritized to-do list for the following day. If he wasn’t able to complete a task, he would move it to the top of the list the next day. Lee was done with the meeting in less than 15 minutes.

Schwab responded with, “That’s it? How much do I owe you for this advice?”

Lee told Schwab to try out his advice and then send him a check for what he thought the advice was worth. Several weeks later, Schwab sent Lee a letter thanking him for the most profitable advice he had ever heard, and enclosed a check of $25,000, worth approximately $300,000 today’s dollars! Schwab later went on to build Bethlehem Steel into the largest independent steel company in the nation.

In time-management circles, this prioritized to-do list is called the “Ivy Lee Formula.” This advice can be applied to anyone, try it for yourself.

1) Clearly define your vision, goals and objectives for your life, business and family.

2) Create a “Daily Priority To-Do List” on your computer, notepad or smart-phone, whatever works best for you.

3) Write the top six tasks that you must complete the following day to reach your vision, goals and objectives.

4) Work through your list throughout the day and cross off the items you completed.

5) Create another “Daily Priority To-Do List” at the end of each day.

We can’t change the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day, but we can effectively manage our time through proactive personal management to gain more time.

batmobile auctioned off

for $4.2 million.

Expendables 3

When we saw some footage from Jackie Chan's forthcoming action thriller Chinese Zodiac, the stuntman and action veteran revealed that Sylvester Stallone asked him to take a part in The Expendables 2, but he couldn't partake because of his commitment to the aforementioned personal project. But the good news is, fans who have been waiting for Chan to show up in the ensemble action franchise have finally gotten their wish. However, rather than having a small cameo role like Chuck Norris had in the second film (and he's apparently not returning for another one), Chan wanted a bigger role in The Expendables 3. Read on!

Yahoo says Jackie Chan revealed this while at a press conference for Chinese Zodiac:

"Sly had invited me to be in 'Expendables 2' but I was too busy filming 'CZ12' and couldn't make a commitment to the film. But he did extend his invitation to the third movie, which I agreed on the condition that I will be appearing as more than just a minor role with a few scenes."

In addition, apparently Chan asked Stallone if the third film could be more like a "buddy-buddy" movie (which I assume means that Stallone would have more of a sidekick in addition to a whole team), and he obliged. So does that mean Chan is Stallone's sidekick in the film? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[Jackie and Jet together again?]

Letterman on Leno

Letterman contends that the idea there's a rivalry between the two is not true.

"Jay and I were friends. We were always friends before all of this happened," he says of being passed over to take over Johnny Carson's seat.

"He has a way, he’s an unusual fellow. I’ve never met anyone quite like Jay," Letterman tells Oprah of the "Tonight Show" host. "And I will say -- and I’m happy to say -- that I think he is the funniest guy I’ve ever known. Just flat out, if you go to see him do his night club act, just the funniest. The smartest, a wonderful observationist and very appealing as a comic."

*** [11/23/13]

Though the shots have ceased in the great war between Jay Leno and David Letterman, one brave soldier continues on. That man is Howard Stern, who never has a remotely nice thing to say about Leno.

Stern is a fairly regular guest on "The Late Show with David Letterman," though he refuses to visit Jay on "The Tonight Show." It's especially awkward since Howard is a judge on NBC's "America's Got Talent."

Still, Howard has always stuck to his guns, never giving up the fight over Leno getting the "Tonight Show" instead of Letterman, even though the rest of the world moved on over two decades ago.

Even Jay and Dave seem to have put it all behind them, exchanging phone calls with one another. Of course, Howard hates hearing about that. "I never served in the military, but I feel like a Vietnam veteran, you know? I feel like I'm still in the jungles, fighting your war, and you've made up with Vietnam."

wish list

Well, not really a wish list.  But a might-be-interested in.

Looking at an old Midweek, August 22, 2012

Saw this review of Campaign.  The reviewer Georgette Deemer mentions her favorite political film is Bulworth.  Bulworth caught my eye because it stars Warren Beatty and also features Jack Warden.  Both of them were in one of my favorite movies of all time, Heaven Can Wait [made 20 years earlier in 1978, but Beatty still looks pretty good].  Plus it also has Halle Berry.

I probably won't like the ending (where Bulworth gets shot), nor the profanity.  But it has enough qualities that make me want to see it.  So I'll put it on my swapadvd list.  Actually I see 7 copies are currently available.

Not on Netflix or hulu.

***

The other add on my wishlist is from Uncle Tom's Gabbin column.  He mentions he found himself with Jose Feliciano in Memphis for Elvis Week and that Jose's latest release is a compilation of Elvis songs.

The album is The King... by Jose Feliciano.  It's naturally available on amazon.  No song previews though.  Let's see if I can find some freebies on youtube.

1. Don't Be Cruel (live)
2. You Are Always On My Mind
3. I'll Remember You (live)
4. All Shook Up (live 1978)
5. Loving You
6. Are You Lonesome Tonight
7. Can't Help Falling In Love With You
8. Love Me Tender (live)
9. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
10. Teddy Bear
11. It's Midnight
12. In The Ghetto

Bonus: It's Now or Never

OK, maybe not.

Here's some from Raul Malo

Love Me
A Fool Such As I
Can't Help Falling In Love With You

The first song came from Sears presents Elvis the Tribute (seen at the beginning of the video).  But strangely I can't come up with any hits on it on google.

Wait it looks like it was a 1994 show and here's a couple I found

It's Now or Never (Wet,Wet, Wet)
Amazing Grace (Mario)

And more.  But I don't see The Mavericks on the material so I dunno.

Maybe I should put together a Raul Malo playlist.  [I guess I'm kind of repeating myself.  See here.]  Plus there's a bunch a playlists already on youtube.