|
|
|
BLAINESWORLD
#679
10.5.2009 In this issue: 1. Reflections 2. FYI 3. Homeroom conversation (overheard) 4. Reviews . . . CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY, etc. 5. TV alert 6. Password audit 7. Websites 8. Computer tip 9. Learning to swim 10. A quote I like 11. Thought for the day 12. Advance planning department _________________________________________________________ 1. Reflections A. Cynthia, my beautiful bride, and I just got back from several days in Nashville, TN, where she was gaining some additional training in Breema (see the BLAINESWORLD BEST AWARD section below) . . . when she wasn't busy with that, we were able to get to the Grand Ole Opry for a show on one of the nights:  It was fun watching the radio broadcast "in concert," though we could have done without all the commercials . . . the best part was that Carrie Underwood was the featured performer:  She was fantastic! B. On another night, we toured the Grand Opryland Hotel and Convention Center with its amazing nine acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and river with its own Delta flatboat:  From there, we went to an unusual restaurant called Aquarium . . . the
food there was excellent, though on the costly side . . . yet the price was worth it, given that you see fish wherever you're sitting:  For more information, please click: http://www.aquariumrestaurants.com C. We managed to catch a play, too: MY FIRST TIME . . . six very talented actors talked about their first sexual experiences . . . the production was funny, as well as touching . . . it runs through October 10 . . . for more information, please click: http://www.actorsbridge.org D. Lastly, we took a drive to Memphis in pouring rain to see Graceland:  It was fun getting to see where Elvis lived . . . for more information, please click: For dinner, we wanted to go to a famous ribs' place called Rendezvous--only to discover that it was closed on Sundays . . . so instead we took the recommendation of an employee at Graceland to go down the street to a place called Marlowe's . .. were we in for a treat! The ribs were outstanding, and our server (who introduced himself as "Stan the Man") was both friendly and efficient . . . I don't know that we'll be back in the area anytime soon, but if we were, we'd certainly come back to this place . . . for more information, please click: http://www.marlowes.tv ***** BLAINESWORLD BEST AWARD ***** Cynthia was kind enough to submit this week's entry, based on her aforementioned Breema training (see also Section 1A): Once every so often, you meet someone, and you know that what they have to offer is invaluable in your life. Katherine Correa is an instructor of Breema . . . a bodywork that, for me, has touched my life on so many levels. Breema is bodywork that is done on the floor with clothes on. And it has given me the taste of simplicity and being in the delicious moment. Nothing else for me is really needed in this life. To slow down, feel this moment . . . .my body breathing . . . my body having weight . . . me just being present within myself in this existence with this moment as it is. It has been a gift to me, and Katherine represents Breema. She is a fantastic teacher, and I want to thank her for the work she does in the world. Should you want to contact Katherine, she can be reached at 615.269.9718 or via email, kathcorrea@gmail.com . . . her website is: http://www.nashvillemindandbody.com
Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 2. FYI A longtime airline executive shared his favorite trick with me to reclaim the reclined space. If the person in front descends into his lap, he begins sneezing a bit. He'll ask a flight attendant for some water-no reason to be quiet about his possible "illness" after all. Once he gets the water, the fake sneezing increases. Then he works himself up to a big sneeze after dipping his fingers in the water. As the sneeze comes out, he slicks water onto the head of the reclined passenger in front of him. Presto--the passenger bolts upright and remains there for the rest of the flight. It's foolproof--and downright contemptible, I suppose. SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL GUIDE TO POWER TRAVEL (see also Sections 4C, 7A and 11) by Scott McCartney FYI, part 2 So sorry, but space limitations only allow me to run two emails this week. * Diane in Pennsylvania, responding to a request I made for the recipe for a great-sounding dessert she mentioned on Facebook: Pineapple Bake 3/4 of 1 stick of butter (softened) 4 eggs 5 slices of bread (cubed) 3/4c of sugar 1 can of crushed pineapple 1 bottle of cinnamon sugar Beat sugar, butter and eggs. Stir in pineapple (I usually drain some of the pineapple juice) and as much or less cinnamon as you want. (I use 1/4-1/2 of a small bottle.) Fold in bread. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Spray pan with cooking spray in 11 by 9 by 2 pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Serves 6. Enjoy! * Marie in New Jersey, commenting on her son's role in a recent concert of the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra: Neil is 3rd in from the far right of the stage--black suit, white tie, very handsome! You might be able to pick him out from watching his other videos. He has the most professional stance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzKMBk20lPI Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 3. Homeroom conversation (overheard) Last June, my friend's daughter Brenda was discussing her upcoming prom. “I'm renting a stretch limo and spending $1000 on a new dress, and I've reserved a table at the most expensive restaurant in town,” she said. Her teacher overheard this conversation and shook her head. “I didn't spend that much on my wedding, " she said. Brenda quickly answered, “I can have three or four weddings. But a prom you only do once.” Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 4. Reviews A. Please see CAPTALISM: A LOVE STORY, Michael Moore's latest . . . even if you don't like him, you'll be shocked to learn that there's a foreclosure every 7.5 seconds . . . and that employers take out insurance on your life (with the payout going to them) . . . this documentary will definitely get you thinking, which is always a good thing . . . rated R, though I'm not quite sure why; it would certainly be appropriate for any mature teenager. And even if you don't believe what Moore has to say, please view this clip from ABC News: http://tinyurl.com/y96ctl2 B. STATE OF PLAY is now out on DVD . . . this is a political thriller about a journalist investigating the death of a woman who was the assistant and mistress of his friend--an ambitious congressman . . . there are a lot of twists and turns, and my interest was maintained throughout the film . . . Russell Crowe was quite believable in leading role, and I liked Jeff Daniels' work too . . . Benn Affleck and Rachel McAdams also star . . . rated PG-13. C. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL GUIDE TO POWER TRAVEL (see also Sections 2, 7A and 10) by Scott McCartney, the paper's Middle Seat columnist, is packed with useful suggestions that will make trips easier for both novice and veteran travelers. For example, when it comes to improving your bags' chances for arriving at your destination, the author recommends: * Always mark your bags distinctly, but not with long ribbons that could get caught in machinery. Use tape, or tightly tied package ribbon, directly on the bag. And don't rely on big luggage tags-they can get torn off. Baggage has become uniformly boring black these days, and there's nothing worse than seeing fifty similar black bags on a carousel. Colorful identifying marks not only make it easier for you to spot your bag, but also keep other people from picking up the wrong bag-unless, of course, eight people on your flight all had black bags with yellow ribbons. Yet when it comes to what luggage you should actually buy, even McCartney is confused: * Even the size limits vary among airlines. At American, United, and Delta, the maximum size of carry-on baggage is forty-five linear inches-the length, width, and height dimensions added together. At US Airways and Continental, the maximum is fifty-one inches- 13 percent more. I have a Travelpro roll-abroad bag that I've taken all over the world, and every time I've raised it to slide it into an overhead bin, it has fit (sometimes snugly in older bins). The bag is twenty-three inches tall, fifteen inches wide, and twelve inches deep, when I don't unzip the expanders. At its standard size, its measurements total fifty inches-exceeding the rules at the three biggest airlines in the United States, while legal on Continental and US Airways. And airlines wonder why their rules confound travelers? So what's a traveler to do? Assuming you get on the flight, there's always this option: * Another jet lag strategy is melatonin to "reset" your body clock when you arrive in a new time zone. Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that helps control the body's internal clock. It's released by our bodies based on sunlight-nighttime yields the release of more melatonin. If you cheat yourself out of a night, you lose melatonin and your circadian rhythm is disrupted. Taking a small supplemental dose-doctors usually recommend 0.5 mg-about an hour before you go to sleep after arrival, and perhaps a day or two into your trip, helps some people recover quickly. Medical studies on melatonin supplements for jet leg have been inconclusive. It's worth a try, but your mileage may vary, as they say. POWER TRAVEL does its best job in covering plane trips . . . in addition, there are some good tips for booking both hotel stays and cruises . . . my only disappointment was that there's not coverage on car rentals. D. Heard THE GREATEST GENERATION, written and read by Tom Brokaw. It is a collection of some 50 stories about Americans born between 1910 and the mid-1920s who "never shined or whimpered" . .. they instead got us through World War II and then helped build modern America. Brokaw divides these tales over eight topics: Ordinary People; Homefront; Heroes; Women in Uniform and Out; Shame; Love, Marriage and Commitment; Famous People; and the Arena.
I enjoyed hearing about many folks who would achieve fame in a variety of endeavors, including Ben Bradlee, Art Buchwald, Andy Rooney and Julia Child . . . many others entered politics, such as Mark Hatfield, Robert Dole and George H. W. Bush . . . however, the tale that most moved me was the one about Thomas Broderick, an ordinary soldier who was blinded in the war but who went on to become a successful businessman and father. I'll have to revisit the print version of the book to see the accompanying pictures . . . yet I'd do it again (listen to the audio version) just to catch Brokaw's narration. Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 5. TV alert A. SHERRI centers around a newly single mom and part-time comedian/ actress who tries to get back into the dating scene and move on with her life after divorcing her cheating husband . . . it stars THE VIEW's Sherri Shepherd, along with guest stars Malcolm-Jamal Warner (remember him from THE COSBY SHOW?) and James Avery (who used to be in THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR) in multiple episodes . . . . sneak previews begin nightly on October 5 at 7 p.m. on LIFETIME, then the show moves into its regular 10 p.m. slot on October 13. B. 30 FOR 30 is a series of 30 original documentary movies, focusing on a notable sports event from the past 30 years . . . directors include Barry Levinson, Spike Jonze and John Singleton and topics range from Wayne Gretzky's 1988 trade to the Los Angeles Kings to the creator of fantasy football . . . Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ESPN . . . you can also catch part of the above episode on hockey by clicking: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4532506
C. Kelsey Grammer stars as HANK, a CEO who loses it all in the recession and must start all over again . . . Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. D. MYTHBUSTERS returns to DISCOVERY on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. . . . this week, you'll find out if it's possible to knock someone out of their socks literally. Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 6. Password audit During a recent password audit, it was found that a blonde was using the following password: MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofy. When asked why such a big password, she said that it had to be at least eight characters long. NOTE: If you feel this is unfair to blondes and/or if you're one, then just substitute "redhead" or "brunette" as the person using the password . . . and thanks to Bill in Pennsylvania for submitting this joke . . . it is a joke, Bill, isn't it? Or was this actually the password used by somebody with the initials of "D.L." that we won't mention by name so as to protect the guilty? Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 7. Websites A. FareCompare.com is one of my favorites for pricing information. It was started by a road-warrior-geek, Rick Seaney, who did technology projects for some travel companies and realized he could create a business offering good fare information to the public. From the first screen, FareCompare.com asks you for your origin and destination, then shows you the cheapest tickets available for the next eleven months, shown by month (airlines put their schedules and fares only eleven months out). Instantly, you can see if the prices on other booking Web sites are good deals or not. (Or start your search on FareCompare and skip the other steps.) http://www.farecompare.com SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL GUIDE TO POWER TRAVEL (see also Sections 4C, 7A and 11) by Scott McCartney B. According to Jean in Pennsylvania, if you need inspiration, take three minutes and click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jeOguqNIAo Methinks you'll stop any complaining you're doing now and/or will do in the future once you view this clip! C. BLAINESWORLD, the website, remains up and running . . . to view it, please click: http://www.blainesworld.net To see how many others are viewing this website at the same time that you are, look at the counter in the lower left-hand corner. Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 8. Computer tip Blogs Blogs are becoming more and more popular these days and rightly so. They are one of the most powerful SEO tools. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, a term describing techniques that help your website climb the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Like one of my SEO teachers says, "building a site is like putting a billboard in your basement." You have to market the heck out of it and SEO
is the first step.
There are two forms of SEO that impact your site's ranking in search engines: Onsite and Offsite factors. Onsite techniques are ones that you have more control over. Some of these include: Keyword-rich content Meta tags Well laid-out design (well-coded and easy to navigate), Search engines don't tend to like Flash, Frames or Java Script. keep it simple and clean. Themed site (a lot of content around one subject) Interlinking site (sitemaps.html and sitemaps.xml) Keeping site updated Offsite techniques are more about what others do on their websites in linking to you. Some offsite techniques include: Competition Analysis and statistics (i.e., number of unique visitors to your site) Getting listed in directories And links (links pointing to your website). Links are one of the most powerful ways of climbing the Search Engines results pages. In fact, many argue THE most important factor. The best inbound links have three main qualities: They are from higher ranked sites They are relevant to the topic you are writing about They link to you using relevant keywords. That's where blogs come in . . . they are a great SEO tool. By continually adding posts/content they not only keep your site updated, they also offer more and more content. And this increases your chances of other sites linking back to you and of your content getting listed in the search engines' indexes. SOURCE: The above was written by Karen Mazza, who graciously allowed me use it here. She is the owner of Charlotte's Web Design and Internet Marketing in Asheville, NC. You can contact her via email at klmazza@charter.net, phone: 828.252.3612252-3612; or the Internet:
http://www.charlottesweb-design.com. Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 9. Learning to swim My mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, "Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim."--Paula Poundstone, American stand-up comedian Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 10. A quote I like When I REALLY like a book, I'll cite it four different times in an issue . . . that's the case with THE WALL STREET JOURNAL GUIDE TO POWER TRAVEL (see also Sections 2, 4C and 7A) by Scott McCartney . . . I especially liked how he urged readers to: Be kind to your fellow travelers. The window-seat occupant asked me to move so he could get out and fetch a blanket. "Would you like a blanket?" he asked me. How considerate. Flight attendants weren't about to offer blankets, but passengers can help one another. We can all improve our travel by recognizing that we're all in it together. Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 11. Thought for the day VIA POSITIVA: OH YEAH! by Howard Hanger* Louis Armstrong was an "at-risk" kid. Could well be the At-Risk-Kid-Of-All-Time Poster Child. He grew up in abject poverty in one of the roughest sections of New Orleans. He was poor and black in a blatantly segregated city. On a daily basis, he was witness to drug deals, prostitution and violence. Born out of wedlock, his father left the family when he was an infant and his mother left him and his sister in the care of his grandmother when Louis was three years old. Their poverty was so desperate that Louis' mother turned to prostitution in order to survive. As a child, Louis hung out in the red-light district in New Orleans and listened to bands playing in brothels and dance halls. One of his favorite haunts was a place called the "Funky Butt" which was close to his home. As a young boy, he attended Fisk School for Boys, but got into trouble on a regular basis and was sent to The Home for Colored Waifs--a reform school just outside the city. During this tumultuous time, a Russian-Jewish family--the Karnofskys--took him in, gave him odd jobs and loaned him the money to buy a cornet--his first musical instrument. The kindness and generosity of this family so impressed Louis, that he wore a Star of David Pendant in their honor for the rest of his life. But it didn't keep him out of trouble. When he was twelve, he was arrested for shooting a pistol in the city and landed in the reform school for two years. Now the prognosis for a kid like this is not good: drugs, prison, aggression, bloodshed, depression and early death possibly from suicide. It would be ever-so-easy to forecast a life that began like Louis'. But, of course, it didn't end that way. God knows why or how. Maybe it was his love of music. Maybe it was the kindness of the Karnofskys. Maybe it was flat-out luck. Whatever it was, one of the remarkable features of Louis' musical career was that he didn't end up singing the blues. He sang and played love songs, torch songs, toe-tapping-high-stepping-shoulder-shimmying-fanny-wiggling songs. He played songs that made you want to croon to the tune and boogie with your booty. His songs could smear a smirk across your smackers and stir a stride into your stroll. And his most familiar, most recorded, most often-heard expression was, "Oh Yeah!" Oh Yeah? Say what? Oh Yeah? Mom's a hooker, no money, little to eat, cops chasing you down, called a nigger (even in a stage introduction later in life), no respect, no social standing, in and out of reform school. You kick off life that way and can still say, "Oh Yeah?" You can still sing "What a Wonderful World?" and "Hello, Dolly" and "When the Saints Go Marching In?" Say frickin' what? Not only that, Louis Armstrong was an inordinately generous man, constantly giving to those in need. Some estimate that he gave away as much money as he kept for himself. Was it his religion? Don't think so. When asked about his religion, he said he was raised a Baptist, wore a Star of David and was friends with the Pope. Oh Yeah? Maybe this musical genius was onto something. Maybe this trumpet-tootling, gravelly-throated maestro somehow got a glimpse of a bigger picture. Perhaps somewhere along the line (or all along the line) Mr. Satchmo recognized the "Yes" in life: the "Yes" that coils the galaxies and the DNA--the "Yes" that scoots Mr. Sperm up close and personal for a dance with Ms Egg--the "Yes" that shifts Lady Moon from full face to sidewise grin--the "Yes" that jumpstarts dragonfly buzz and ignites thunder boom. Maybe, just maybe Mr. Magical Big Mouth was able to see that life is more than what happens to you--more than circumstances or situations. It just might be that "Oh Yeah" is a mantra than can reconnect you with infinity, with wonder, with love. Oh Yeah??? Oh Yeah!!! * Reprinted with the generous permission of Howard Hanger, minister of ritual for the Jubilee! Community . . . for more information, please click: http://www.howardhanger.com Back to Top _________________________________________________________ 12. Advance planning department A. Cynthia (see also Section 1A) will be conducting a JourneyDance session in the Asheville area that's open to ALL for free . . . so here's hope "y'all" can join her . . . it will take place on Sunday, October 11, at 1 p.m. at Congregation Beth HaTephila in Asheville . . . both dancers and non-dancers are invite to join in on the fun; guys are welcome, too . . . for more information or to reserve a spot, please send an email to bginbc@aol.com and put OCTOBER 11 in subject line. B. Risa in New Jersey: Health and Professional Network meetings this week--back to back, Wednesday in Westfield and Thursday in South Orange . . . more details and program topics on our website. Great opportunity to network face to face! Contact me if you need information-:973.761.5758 or email: info@hpwn.org. For more information, please click: www.hwpn.org Back to Top _________________________________________________________ PS. Please join me in praying that we soon get our remaining soldiers back from Iraq and Afghanistan and, also, that peace comes to Israel and her neighbors. . . make it a great week, too! ---------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBCRIBE INFORMATION To subscribe to this publication, please send an email to: bginbc@aol.com and put SUBSCRIBE in subject line . . . if you wish to unsubscribe, just send an email to same address and put UNSUBSCRIBE in subject line. |
