Whose Line is Richard Simmons Upstaging, Anyway?

*WARNING: THIS IS DEFINITELY A PG-13 VIDEO*

I was directed to this clip, and I must say that I laughed so hard I teared up. What really struck me was that it was ok to laugh and joke the way they all were, about the things they were.

No PC-Mongers there to mess it all up. Just fun in the spirit of true comedy.


Funny Videos
video from Bofunk.com

I know Mr Simmons can come across as very odd, but the man is a blessing to millions, in his own right. He has dedicated much of his time, talents, and resources to truly helping others. Many know of his weight-loss guru status. What many do not know is how generous and loving he is behind the scenes.

This man routinely allows himself to be the butt of jokes on talk show appearances, in order to help get the word out about obesity and weight loss. It takes a great deal of chutzpah to be so courageous!

Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?

Going Green

Photo by Leland Davis
Over the past couple of days, I have been stumbling across multiple references to environmentally-friendly clothes and lifestyle choices. Even how 'green' Hollywood really is has been the subject of the media.

So, here are a few of these article and videos for you to check out. Afterwards, please give me YOUR feelings about them, and 'going green' in general. Any tips and suggestions you have based upon your own 'green' efforts would be greatly appreciated.

Watch the trailer for the documentary by Anderson Cooper titled, "Planet in Peril".

Green fashion pros and cons discussed in this short video from CNN. Interesting and useful products and tips.

How 'green' is Hollywood really? These two videos reveal some interesting facts about that very issue. The first one is from March 2007. The second one is from October 2007.

From October 2007, a quick look at the best eco-friendly destinations for travelers.

An organization dedicated to helping people de-clutter and recycle at the same time is Freecycle. There are groups set up all over the world, and each is listed on the website.

Environmentally-friendly electronics are spotlighted in this video from Reuters.

Talk show host and magazine publisher Oprah has done some shows about becoming more environmentally-aware. Check out this information on what you and your family can do today to be more 'green'.

Health.Com has this great article jam-packed with resources and information for those interested in learning how to become more environmentally-friendly.

Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?

Australia Attacked . . .by Mother Nature?

Photo by Leland Davis
As I was perusing the CNN videos of the day, two were about some 'natural disasters' occurring in Australia of severe weather and an infestation.

These are just two in a series of wild natural events occurring around the world. In the past 30 days alone we have seen typhoons (Vietnam, Taiwan), flooding (Vietnam, a bee invasion (Houston Texas), multiple war stories, and multiple tragic circumstances coming out of Myanmar, to name just a few.

We have, by and large, become desensitized to such events. Modern technology allows us to be more aware, instantaneously, of what is going on in the world around us. The question to be asked is if we are hearing more about these things due to technological advances or due to something else.

Could the bible or other sources predicting an 'end times' be correct?

Matthew 24:7 refers to signs of the last days including wars, natural disasters, plagues, pestilences, etc. Further study of the Bible reveals that these events will occur more frequently and more closely together in the last days.

What I have found interesting is the number of independent sources of 'end times' prophecies and predictions which revolve around the year 2012. The Bible states that no one knows or can predict the time, so I, as a devout Christian, would tend to go by that; however, I think the end times prophecies from sources other than the Bible do give us all something to think about.

That something is that in reality, if there is to be an 'end of times' as predicted by the Bible or other sources, it could realistically, based upon all the other signs listed by all sources, occur or begin to occur at any time.

We can't do anything to stop or prevent it, but we can be prepared. We can learn and watch the signs; and have basic things like food storage, 72-hour kits, etc. We can undergo basic training with the Red Cross, The American Heart Association, or CERT in order to be in a better position to help and protect ourselves and our loved ones in the case of emergencies of any type: regardless of the last days scenarios.

It will cost us nothing to be prepared, but if we are caught unprepared, it could cost us everything.

Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?

Dust in the Wind: That's All We Are

"New Galaxy" artwork by Richard Hampson
First, I'm going to apologize for this really cheesy heading. But, the correlation between the song title and the article was just too much for me to (choose to) resist.

According to this article from CNN, scientists have discovered 'dust in the wind' which explains where planets and all of us come from.

Scientists theorized that planets were created from space dust, but no one could explain where there space dust came from until now. This dust was found in winds randomly being emitted from a super-massive black hole, and was first detected in a quasar.

I find this interesting as what I have always heard about black holes is that they are

"A region in space where gravity is so strong that space closes back on itself, allowing nothing, not even light, to escape."

Unsure what exactly the difference is between a regular black hole and a 'supermassive' one, I checked, and a supermassive black hole is defined as

"Black holes that have the mass of 10 to 100 billion Suns. They are found in the centers of galaxies called active galactic nuclei, which are incredibly energetic."

So, to my very unscientific mind, this discovery seems to be a contradiction. I looked up what a quasar was, and discovered it is

"The highly luminous core of a remote galaxy, thought to be powered by a supermassive black hole. Quasars look like stars on an ordinary photograph but have very different spectra."

So, I don't understand how stuff is coming out of a black hole of any type (it could be said this is a black hole passing gas . . .ok sorry for that cheesy reference, too), but I do find this utterly fascinating.

In the dust itself they found many things, including sapphires and rubies. So, there are precious gems floating around in space. Maybe that children's song needs to have some lyrical changes, eh?

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high
like sapphires and rubies in the sky . . "

What do YOU think about this discovery?


SOURCES:

black hole. Amnh.org. http://www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins/astro/f/sdss.20051208/glossary/index.php (accessed October 10, 2007)

quasar. Amnh.org. http://www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins/astro/f/sdss.20051208/glossary/index.php (accessed October 10, 2007)

supermassive black hole. Amnh.org. http://www.amnh.org/sciencebulletins/astro/f/gravity.20041101/glossary/index.php (accessed October 10, 2007)


Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon . . .and Charity?

Most are familiar with the game, "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon".

This game is so famous, that it ended up on the television series, Will & Grace; and VISA made a commercial out of it, featuring none other than Kevin Bacon.
Thank you, youtube user Franksvalli for this video.

There is also this online ORACLE which does the figuring for you as to how many degrees separate any actor you can think of and Kevin Bacon.

Now, Kevin Bacon has used this concept to promote charity. Watch this amazing short video by CNN which explains how it works. A second short video by them highlights one of those involved with Kevin Bacon's charity organization, Robin Maxwell, who has MS. It immediately follows the first video, and will automatically play after the first video.

Visit this amazing site, founded by Kevin Bacon, here at SixDegrees.Org

Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?

Forwarding Falsehoods

Photo by Chance Agrella
I used to get a ton of forwarded email from family and friends. Being relatively new to the online world, I believed many of the forwards with 'warnings' about politicians, scams, and rapist tactics. I happily forwarded them on, feeling proud of myself for playing a part in helping others to be safe and make wise choices.

OY!

It was only after someone not-so-nicely pointed out to me that I had 'yet again' forwarded on claptrap which was completely untrue and had been circulating around the internet for many years, in many forms, that I changed my email forward policy.

First, I no longer want forwarded email. After spending about a year of my time checking every blasted piece of 'warning' and other 'true story' email at sites such as Snopes and Truth or Fiction, and discovering that at least 90% of it was completely false or partially false; I told everyone around me to take me off their junk mail list.

Second, in those rare instances I do get 'true story' and 'warning' email, I check it out and then promptly forward on the results to the sender along with the fact that most of these email forwards are HOAXES and I suggest they check them out at online email hoax sites before forwarding them on.

At the very least, that cuts down the number of these time-wasting emails which fill my multiple inboxes.

A few other good hoax busting sites are:

Urban Legends
Symantec
Hoax Slayer

You can go to any of those sites, or just do an online 'search' using a keyword or two from the email and the word 'hoax'. If any of those sites have info on it (and you chose good keywords) you should get a great set of results to check out.

I appreciate being thought of and I appreciate being filled in on TRUTH. I just simply don't have the time to sift through and check out dozens of hoax emails daily. So, the point of this post, and my public service announcement for the day (or for NOW) is as follows:


PLEASE FORWARD RESPONSIBLY. THANK YOU.


Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?

Measuring by Miles or Time?

As I drove my son to visit with his dad and his dad’s family, I thought about how I measure my travel by time, not miles. Many times I have had people ask me how far one place is from another, and I have answered by a measure of travel time, rather than miles or distance.
Photo by Chance Agrella

In traveling, mileage is irrelevant and meaningless to me. I have a packed schedule, so I have to measure many things by the time I will need in order to accomplish them.

I remembered a favorite movie line of mine. It is the now infamous Raiders of the Lost Ark line uttered, impromptu by Harrison Ford, “It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.”

I turned 40 in August and while age has never really bothered me, I admit to a mini-meltdown of several hours as I reached the big 4-0.

I looked back upon my life and reflected upon how it was not at all what I had planned. At 40, I was not living the life I had planned for myself at younger ages, and I was not living the life I had planned for myself as late as January of this year, just prior to my engagement ending.

As I considered all of these things, I realized in the case of my life, as with travel, I was looking at time and not mileage. I realized the flaw in my thinking, almost immediately.

John Lennon stated that ‘life is what happens [*to you] while you are busy making other plans’, and that is very much a true concept. Regardless of what we want and plan, life seldom cooperates with even the best laid plans. Tragedies and miracles, disappointments and surprises, surround us upon every breath and every step we take.

When I reflect upon my 40 years in mortality, I see that while I may not have accomplished everything I wanted to by this point, I have, in many ways, accomplished things I never dared to dream of even attempting. . .and I have overcome many unexpected and heart-wrenching trials.

In the case of mortality, perhaps the better measure is one of mileage rather than time.


*Mr Lennon has been attributed with saying that quote with and without the ‘to you’ part in it. Just as many sources quoted it with the ‘to you’ as without it. Both were equally represented by reliable sources. I was unable at the time of this posting to verify which version was the original and correct one. If I can verify the correct quote I will note it in this post.


Like what I wrote and want to buy me a cherry coke?