text:
On my America Weekend show today, I talked with my brother, Acting Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, about his trips around the country meeting low-wage employees and promoting President Obama's proposed increase in the minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $9/hour. Seth shared stories from the people he's met and debunked some of the myths still being promulgated by opponents of giving them a raise. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Knuckleheads In The News® 3/31/13
Jonah Berger, "Contagious"
posted at 9:03 PM
Categories: podcasts
Why You Shouldn't Trust Online Reviews
Ever seen a product given five-star reviews on a website, but when you buy it, you find out it doesn't even deserve one star? As Jack Vonder Heide explained on my America Weekend show today, the problem is the large number of fake reviews that are being posted online every day on Amazon, Yelp, and other sites. Many of those "reviewers" have been paid to say good things about a product -- or in some cases, to say negative things about a competitor. Bottom line: you probably shouldn't believe those reviews at all. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:27 PM
Categories: podcasts
How The Supreme Court Works
Jim Bennett used to be a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, so I asked him to join me on America Weekend to explain what it's like behind the scenes when The Court is hearing major arguments like those in the two gay marriage cases this week. He explained the real reason behind the questions the justices ask the attorneys, the role the clerks play, whether Kennedy considers himself the swing vote, and the truth about the real Highest Court In The Land. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:11 PM
Categories: podcasts
Leila Schneps, Math On Trial
This week, an Italian appeals court overturned the decision that let American college student Amanda Knox go free a couple of years ago, and ordered that she be tried again for the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2009. Mathematician Leila Schneps reviewed the court's decision and concluded that the judge made a serious error because he doesn't understand probability and statistics. She has written about this case (and others) in her book, "Math On Trial," so I asked her to join me today on America Weekend to explain. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:06 PM
Categories: podcasts
Angela Giampolo on SCOTUS & Gay Marriage
Angela Giampolo is an attorney and advocate for the LGBT community. With the Supreme Court hearing two cases on gay marriage this week, I invited her to join me on America Weekend to analyze the arguments, what the outcome could be, and the effect the court's ruling could have on gay couples across the country. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 6:53 PM
Categories: podcasts
Paying More To Fly Fat
A Norwegian economist has proposed that airlines charge passengers based on their weight, just as they do for luggage. The concept raises more questions than it answers, as I discussed today on America Weekend with Peggy Howell of the National Assocation to Advance Fat Acceptance. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 6:42 PM
Categories: podcasts
Checking Your Background
When you apply for a job, your potential employer wants to know as much about you as possible, so they turn to people like Phil Brandt to check up on you. Brandt is CEO of AAIM Employers Association, a firm that does background checks and drug tests on job applicants. As he explained on my America Weekend show today, companies want to make sure that what you've told them about yourself is true, and find out some things you didn't tell them too. What kind of information can they dig up about you? Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 6:34 PM
Categories: podcasts
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Knuckleheads In The News® 3/30/13
Phil Ramone
Sorry to hear of the death this morning of Phil Ramone, one of America's greatest music producers, from complications related to an aortic aneurysm. His 2007 book, "Making Records," was a wonderful memoir of working with such performers as Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, and Ray Charles.
That short list doesn't even come close to displaying the scope of the man's career. Take a look at his discography and be amazed. Here's part of the Phil Ramone obituary from The Hollywood Reporter:
In 1977, he produced [Billy] Joel's "The Stranger," which kicked off a seven-album, decade-long relationship with the Long Island-raised singer-songwriter. He and Joel were "both lunatics," he once said.
For the screeching tires on "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" from "The Stranger," Ramone recorded bassist Doug Stegmeyer's Corvette peeling out, taping a microphone to the tailpipe. He also added a bit of echo to Joel's whistling throughout the album.
"There's nothing like the challenge of devising and reproducing an effect you're looking for," Ramone wrote in his 2007 book, Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music, "Sometimes that chase is more exciting than the catch."
Ramone won the record of the year Grammy for Joel's "Just the Way You Are" from the album (after removing a "cha-cha-cha" background from the song), captured album of the year for the follow-up "52nd Street" and was named producer of the year in 1980 after guiding the rock-infused "Glass Houses," which featured Joel's first chart-topping single, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me."
On Oct. 1, 1982, "52nd Street" became the first commercially released compact disc, and Ramone later received a Technical Grammy for his lifetime of innovative contributions to the industry.
Harris Challenge 3/29/13
Play along with my Harris Challenge, which includes the categories "Easter Munchies," "A Pretty Good Friday," and "Have You Been Paying Attention?" Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 12:43 PM
Categories: Harris Challenge, podcasts
Airborne Electronics
NY Times tech columnist Nick Bilton says the FAA may be ready to stop forcing airlines to tell you to turn off your electronic devices during takeoff and landing. There's never been any solid scientific proof that phones, Kindles, iPods, etc. interfere with the plane's avionics or other controls, yet the agency has nonetheless kept the rule in place.
Midnight Rider Mistake
GEICO is using the Allman Brothers Band's song "Midnight Rider" in its new ad for motorcycle insurance, but I have to wonder if anyone at their ad agency knows that two original members of the band -- Duane Allman and Berry Oakley -- both died in motorcycle accidents, in almost the same place, about a year apart in the early 70s. If the agency didn't know, shame on it for not employing anyone over the age of 50. If it did know, it should change the ad to also sell combined motorcycle and life insurance to bikers with the message, "You never know when your midnight ride is going to end tragically. Take it from the Allman Brothers."
posted at 12:15 PM
Categories: music, television
Friday, March 29, 2013
In Case You Missed It
From my Twitter feed...
- A profile of the only guy permitted to create visuals of Supreme Court proceedings -- courtroom artist Arthur Lien.
- Odd story of a guy who sold shares in himself and let shareholders make all the big decisions in his personal life.
- Q: What do we want? A: Something new to chant during protests! Q: When do we want it? A: As soon as we get you away from the microphone!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tim Minchin
If you missed the extremely clever Tim Minchin's Royal Albert Hall concert on Showtime last month, here's a clip. It starts with him describing an encounter with a guy who makes a religious claim, followed by Tim's musical response...
posted at 5:11 PM
Categories: picture of the day
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Wolfgang's Vault
I have enjoyed an app on my iPhone for several years, but haven't written about it here. I have no financial interest in it whatsoever, but I'm a fan, so I'm recommending it to you.
The app and site used to be called Wolfgang's Vault -- named not after Mozart, but after Bill Graham, who was given that nickname as a boy by his family in Germany. Graham eventually became one of America's greatest concert promoters, booking the biggest acts in the world as well as important up-and-comers at his venues -- the Fillmore West in San Francisco, the Fillmore East in New York, and Winterland. He was the man behind the Watkins Glen concert in 1973 (at the time, the largest concert ever held, with a paying crowd of 600,000). Graham promoted the Rolling Stones world tours in 1981-2. He handled the American end of Live Aid in 1986. The list goes on and on.
From 1965 to 1999, his company, Bill Graham Presents, recorded almost every concert they promoted, and it's those recordings that became the basis for Wolfgang's Vault. Since then, a dozen other collections -- including the classic King Biscuit Flower Hour radio concert series -- have been added, expanding the roster to include blues, jazz, folk, bluegrass, and country performers at venues all over the world, as well as interviews and concert videos. The app and site have been renamed simply Concert Vault.
Having access to all that historic live music is pretty cool and helps me pass a lot of time on the treadmill. In the last few days, I've listened to:
- Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark of The Byrds at the Bottom Line in 1978;
- The Who at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1982;
- Stray Cats at Metro in Boston in 1982;
- The Kinks at The Orpheum in Boston in 1972;
- The Fabulous Thunderbirds in Austin in 1987, with guest appearances by Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Listening To SCOTUS
I just finished listening to the audio feed of today's Supreme Court arguments about gay marriage and California's Proposition 8. I'm not enough of a legal mind to know which way the justices will rule, but since is the first SCOTUS case I've taken the time to listen to in its entirety (slightly over an hour), I was struck by how different the proceedings were than what I expected.
The justices jumped in and started asking questions before one of the attorneys had gotten the first sentence of his argument out of his mouth. From then on, it was almost nonstop, with all of them jumping in to interrupt (except Clarence Thomas, of course, who seems to have taken a vow of silence since he first joined The Court). The lawyers who were trying to make their cases for both sides -- two of whom are former Solicitors General, the federal government's representative at The Court -- certainly knew to expect these interrogatories, but the constant questioning made it difficult for any of them to make their point at length, for there was always something else being tossed at them.
I thought of Professor Kingsfield in "The Paper Chase," admonishing his students that they should never think they have reached the correct answer, because he would always have another question.
Much of what will go into The Court's decision will come from the briefs that were submitted by the parties and the "friends of the court," and the majority of the points raised during oral arguments were well above the heads of most of us. Still, I wish the justices would remove their longstanding ban on cameras in The Court. Let all Americans see how the supposed greatest legal minds in the country handle their business, instead of a select few dozen at a time, many of whom spent days sleeping outside the building waiting to reserve a seat inside.
In the past, some justices have complained that allowing the public to see these sessions via a live video feed might lead to grandstanding -- but based on what I have heard, that horse left the barn a long time ago, with the justices in the saddle.
A Joke For Your Seder
Did you hear about the Jewish NRA member? When Elijah showed up for Passover, he shot him under the Castle doctrine.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Ellis Henican on Training Navy Seals
On my America Weekend show today, I spoke with Ellis Henican about "Damn Few: Making The Modern Seal Warrior," which he co-wrote with Rorke Denver, former head of training for Navy Seals.
We discussed how someone is chosen and then what they have to go through to become a Seal, why the US has been relying more on Seals and other special forces over the last decade, and how they've handled some of their missions. I also asked him why we have so few (around 2,500) Seals, and what it's like for them when they return to civilian life. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 3:41 PM
Categories: podcasts
Where Are The Butterflies?
One of the most beautiful events in nature is the annual migration of millions of monarch butterflies from Canada and the US to an area near Mexico City. Butterfly experts have gathered there each year to witness and chronicle the event, and have noticed something disturbing -- the number of monarchs has been dropping dramatically, and this year's total was a record low.
To explain why, I invited Lincoln Brower, the world's foremost authority on monarch butterflies, to join me on America Weekend. He explained the impact of pesticides, genetically modified crops, and climate change -- and why we should even care about these tiny creatures. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 3:30 PM
Categories: podcasts
Knuckleheads In The News® 3/24/13
Patient Privacy Rights
Last week, CVS Pharmacy told its 200,000 employees that, in order to remain in the company's health insurance plan, they'd have to have a doctor verify their weight, height, body fat, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. -- and give permission for that information to be turned over to the outfit that provides benefit support to CVS. Any employee who refused would be fined $50/month.
This didn't sit well with patient privacy advocates like Dr. Deborah Peel, founder of PatientPrivacyRights.org, who joined me today on America Weekend to explain her outrage at CVS and the growing number of corporations who are doing the same with their workers, despite continuing problems with the security of our personal health information (even at our own doctor's office).
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 3:08 PM
Categories: podcasts
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Joe Adalian on Leno and Fallon
Joe Adalian, west coast editor of Vulture.com, thinks NBC is making a bad decision in replacing Jay Leno with Jimmy Fallon as host of "The Tonight Show" in the fall of 2014. On my America Weekend show, I asked Joe to explain, and for his thoughts on Arsenio Hall re-entering the late night landscape, where Leno might go next, and what NBC should put in Fallon's current "Late Night" slot.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:19 PM
Categories: podcasts
Pregnancy Shame
On the heels of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt to ban sodas larger than 16 ounces, New York has launched another public health campaign aimed at keeping teenage girls from getting pregnant.
The message is the same one that responsible parents should be telling their daughters, and I have no problem having the city reinforce the message, considering the amount of tax dollars that have to go towards helping women who became mothers too early and thus don't finish school, or can't work fulltime, etc. But critics charge it's more nanny government, and even Planned Parenthood doesn't like the billboards.
Today on America Weekend, I discussed the campaign with Richard V. Reeves, who has written about it in a NY Times op-ed. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:01 PM
Categories: podcasts
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is one of three iconic New York comedy clubs that launched the careers of people like Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld. Jeffrey Gurian has compiled a book about The Comic Strip's 35-year history ("Make 'Em Laugh") and joined me today on America Weekend to talk about it. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 6:35 PM
Knuckleheads In The News® 3/23/13
Friday, March 22, 2013
Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler will always be known for his long run as The Fonz on "Happy Days," but his career also includes movies like "Night Shift," "The One and Only," "Click," "The Waterboy." He has produced such series as "Macgyver," "Hollywood Squares," and a couple of "Dallas" reunions. He's written some 20 books for kids, including the very popular Hank Zipzer series. In recent years, he's been a cast member of "Children's Hospital" on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, and had recurring roles on "Royal Pains" and "Hero Factory."
This weekend, he's appearing at the Wizard World Comic Con at America's Center – first of its kind in St. Louis! -- so he joined me on my KTRS show to discuss:
- Returning with the rest of the cast of "Arrested Development" for a new season on Netflix;
- Why he decided to play against type in "Night Shift" and let Michael Keaton have the break-out role;
- His motorcycle connection with Steve McQueen in "The Great Escape";
- What he wants from a director on a television series or movie set;
- How he directed showbiz legend Alan King in "Memories Of Me";
- Response he's gotten from dyslexic kids about his series of Hank Zipzer books.
posted at 4:00 PM
Categories: podcasts
Thursday, March 21, 2013
More on Late Shift, Round Three
Larry Gross e-mails:
Great overview of the current late night situation. I've been listening to Kevin Pollak's podcast from the beginning for several years. I'm an older guy so I like him and his references, but I think he is not only older, he is old school show biz for the most part. Going along with that, it's also kind of a boys' club. Of the 164 podcasts he has done, women have been guests only seven times. Unlike network hosts, podcast hosts only have to interview people they're interested in. I would see him being as bored as you characterize Letterman is these days with interviews. And as happens with all impressionists, Pollak's great ones are getting a little stale, and the people he does will be leaving the landscape. That happened to Dana Carvey.
Larry is 100% correct about both Pollak and Letterman. As for Kimmel, he can be clever, and is doing the best of the Los Angeles-based late night show, but he relies too much on Guillermo and similar shtick. Also, his timing in the monologues is too quick – almost as if he can't wait to get each joke over with, or he doesn't have enough faith in the material to wait for the laugh.
You are right about Letterman phoning it in these days. He gave a round of interviews surrounding his Kennedy Center honor, and he more or less said he's taking it easy, doing a different show at 65 than he did at 35. Trouble is, there's nothing fresh about it. So, I started watching Kimmel. I think he has the most show biz savvy and is young enough. I think he will rise to the top of the late night time bunch. Fallon is really talented, but like others, aren't these people being rewarded with a job that doesn't play to their strengths?
Fallon is the first late-night host who can sing and do musical parodies, handle himself in sketches, and show genuine joy in some of the guests on his show. If NBC doesn't force him to change (as they did Conan), he could be around for a long time. That said, the reverence so many hold for "The Tonight Show" is because they still think of it as Johnny Carson's. It's been more than 2 decades since he retired, which means most in the 18-34 demo never saw him as the host. For them, it's always been "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and that's not nearly as impressive as it was for the previous generation.
Truth is, the best work being done in late night is at Comedy Central with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. For years, they have owned topical comedy in a way the monologists and SNL's Weekend Update can't touch. It will be interesting to see the impact of Jon Stewart's 12-week hiatus this summer, when "The Daily Show" airs 4 weeks of repeats and 8 weeks with John Oliver in the anchor chair. Meanwhile, Colbert continues to do something remarkable every night – improvising in character when he has a one-on-one with his guests.
Perhaps NBC's next post-"Tonight Show" option isn't a traditional talk show at all. They should consider other forms, such as a combination sketch-and-music show with its own repertory company of comedians/actors/improvisers with the kind of platform for stand-up comedians and bands that the other late night shows rarely offer. As long as Carson Daly isn't involved, anything could work.
posted at 4:35 PM
Categories: television
Tanner Colby Doubts Bob Woodward
A couple of weeks ago, during an interview with Politico, Bob Woodward claimed he'd been threatened in an email by a "senior White House official" for daring to reveal certain details about the negotiations over the budget sequester. The White House responded by releasing the email exchange Woodward was referring to, which turned out to be nothing more than a cordial exchange between the reporter and Obama's economic adviser, Gene Sperling, who was clearly implying nothing more than that Woodward would "regret" taking a position that would soon be shown to be false.
The incident raised questions about Woodward, and rang a bell with Tanner Colby, who has had doubts about Woodward's accuracy since 2004, when Colby was hired to co-write a biography of John Belushi with Belushi's widow Judy, and found that what Woodward had written about the comedian 20 years earlier in "Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi" wasn't strictly true.
After Colby wrote about those doubts in a Slate.com column, I invited him onto my America Weekend show to discuss the points of contention and lay out his case against Woodward.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 3:41 PM
Categories: podcasts
Museum Of Math
There's a new museum in New York devoted to a subject many people think they don't like -- math. I say "think they don't like" because they haven't been exposed to math in a way that stimulates them, or somewhere along the line, their math education got mired in things they'd never use in real life, like calculus. But with the US falling behind other nations in science and math education, it's important that the math phobia of adults is not passed along to kids. Engaging them at a young age is crucial.
That's why I invited Cindy Lawrence, associate director the The Museum Of Mathematics, to join me on my syndicated show, America Weekend, to discuss the museum, its exhibits, and its appeal.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 9:29 AM
Categories: podcasts
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Late Shift, Round Three
It looks like NBC is going to keep firing Jay Leno until they get it right.
Bill Carter (the NY Times correspondent who has done some of the best reporting on the late night wars) just posted a story saying that NBC has made a deal for Jimmy Fallon to take over "The Tonight Show" no later than the fall of next year. That's when Leno's latest contract is up, but this time the network's not moving him into primetime -- they're apparently pushing him out the door, even though he's still number one in the ratings.
With the exception of "Nightly News with Brian Williams," I don't think NBC is dominant in any other daypart (primetime is a disaster without football, and "Today" lost the morning crown to "GMA" months ago), yet this is the one they're obsessed with fixing. I'm not a big fan of Leno's "Tonight Show," and I think Fallon's done some very clever stuff on his version of "Late Night," but it's only been three years since the Conan O'Brien debacle, so I'm surprised they're pressing the same buttons again so soon.
Speaking of Conan, he seems to have disappeared completely from the pop culture landscape since moving to TBS -- there hasn't been a viral clip from his show in so long I almost forgot he was still on the air. When Fallon takes over, "The Tonight Show" will return to its original home at 30 Rock in New York, leaving Conan to battle with Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson for west coast guests.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Ed Sullivan theater, Letterman's staff must be developing a plan for who will take over when he hangs it up in a few years. He's already lasted longer in late night than Johnny Carson, and if he keeps his show on the air past Leno's finale, he won't have much else to play for, other than having someplace to go and do the same old thing every day. With rare exceptions, that's all he's done for the last few years -- and it must kill him to have to suffer through guests like Selena Gomez, who he clearly didn't care about when she appeared with him earlier this week.
Is Craig Ferguson the heir apparent at CBS? Five years ago, I would have said he was, but his show has also devolved into a predictable mess. His interviews have turned boring because he doesn't ask questions that encourage his guests to tell good stories, his regular bits and skits have worn out their welcome, and his monologue is no longer as warm, engaging, and funny as it used to be.
So, after Fallon replaces Leno, NBC will still have to find someone new to take over the fourth generation of "Late Night," and CBS will be searching, too. Don't even bring up Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who have carved unique niches for themselves in the late night landscape and shouldn't consider leaving their current perches at Comedy Central.
Who has the skill set to host an hour-long network talk show? There aren't many, but to begin the speculation, here are two names I'd throw into the mix:
- Kevin Pollak. As an actor, he's worked with everybody. As a comedian, he can handle a monologue and knows his way around a TV studio. As a host, his online interview show (Kevin Pollak's Chat Show) has included some fascinating conversations.
- Mark Maron, another successful internet interview entrepreneur. His "WTF" podcasts have a large following and a great guest list, made all the more impressive by the fact that he usually records them in his garage.
Who else ya got?
posted at 3:35 PM
Categories: television
In Case You Missed It
From my Twitter feed...
- Nothing says spring has arrived quite like the sound of gas-powered leaf blowers in the neighborhood first thing in the morning. Especially when it's 32 degrees outside.
- I won't be entering any March Madness office pools this year. I've already lost too much money betting on spring training baseball. Those intra-squad games are hard to handicap!
- President Obama's limousine broke down today at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv after being wrongly filled with diesel instead of gasoline. The valuable time lost getting a new limo flown in is going to hurt his team's chances of winning "The Amazing Race."
- Last night, ABC debuted "Splash," a show in which "celebrities" take a dive. Who says the mob doesn't control TV?
- One of the celebs on "Splash" is 410-pound Louie Anderson. When he hit the water, coastal communities were given a tsunami warning.
- As if that's not dumb enough TV for you, yesterday afternoon Fox Sports Midwest broadcast a dodgeball match from one of those trampoline-floor places in the St. Louis suburbs. I almost missed it because I had set the DVR to record The Ocho.
- MGM has announced that the next James Bond movie will be out in 2016. That gives me just enough time to forget how disappointed I was by "Skyfall" and it's recent predecessors and get sucked back in to believing Bond can be good again.
Explain It Like I'm Five
Don't understand what's going on in Syria? This should clear it up...
posted at 10:41 AM
Categories: picture of the day
Not As Luv-Able
Earlier this year, I wrote about how Southwest Airlines seemed to have lost its sense of humor, with its flight attendants no longer joking around during onboard announcements. Now a NY Times report says the airline is dropping its humorous ad campaign in favor of a more straight-laced approach.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Movie Recommendation
I'm often disappointed when movies I can't stand have big opening weekends (e.g. "Oz The Great and Powerful" and "A Good Day To Die Hard," which are both terrible -- click those links for my reviews) while movies that I've enjoyed struggle at the box office. The latest in the latter category is "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," the first movie in a long time to make me laugh out loud.
Steve Carrell and Steve Buscemi play magicians in the Siegfried-and-Roy mold, who have been doing the same stale act on a Las Vegas stage for a decade. The routines never change, have no pizzazz, and aren't pulling in a crowd any more.
I have witnessed this in person. While I never saw Siegfried and Roy, I did go to Lance Burton's show at the Monte Carlo several times with different people, and while his close-up stuff was terrific and his rapport with young audience members was nice, the bigger illusions were all of the hey-it-disappeared-wait-it's-over-there genre. David Copperfield suffers from the same problem -- the grander the attempt, the less impressive -- and the pasted-on smiles of the magical assistants didn't help.
At the same time Carrell and Buscemi's characters' careers are waning, Jim Carrey's is on the rise. He plays a street magician in the David Blaine/Criss Angel mold, with TV cameras following him as he performs in the midst of a crowd. Like Blaine, Carrey quickly moves from magic to exploits that aren't illusions, but blatant publicity stunts. Carrey isn't on camera a lot, and that's a good thing, because it allows his character to be outrageous without wearing out his welcome. Where Blaine spent a week in an ice block or on top of a pole for TV specials, Carrey ramps things up by lying on a bed of hot coals overnight or going a week without urinating.
It's also good to see Carrey being funny again. While he's done some good dramatic work ("Truman Show," "Man On The Moon"), this is a return to the Carrey of "Liar Liar" and "Ace Ventura," and it's refreshing to see. The "Incredible Burt Wonderstone" cast also includes Alan Arkin doing his usual solid supporting work (as a Harry Blackstone Jr. old-school magician who was Carrell's hero as a boy), plus Olivia Wilde as the obligatory female sidekick/magical assistant and James Gandolfini as a casino boss.
It's not a great movie, but for anyone who has seen too many guys in tuxedoes disappear from the stage only to re-appear in the midst of the audience, "Wonderstone" is funny and entertaining -- and a helluva lot better than James Franco's wizard.
Picture Of The Day
Martha Hardison of Popular Science said this about video of a bridge being demolished in Texas this weekend...
I love how the first two passes of the video -- real-time and semi-slo-mo -- it's difficult to see exactly how the demo goes. But the third time, look closely under the bridge. You can totally see the detonator cords burning up ahead of the ignition of the shaped charges that brought the trusses down. The video also clearly demonstrates the difference between the speed of light in air and the speed of sound in air -- the flashes from the charges are long gone by the time the sound waves make it to the filming location.
posted at 12:00 AM
Categories: picture of the day
Sunday, March 17, 2013
In Case You Missed It
From my Twitter feed...
- Best read of the day: the comments from reviewers for this product on Amazon -- a 55-gallon barrel of lubricant.
- Mike Mika hacked Donkey Kong so, when his daughter played, the hero was female.
- A profile of Jim Gaffigan turns into a treatise on comedians who work clean.
- She was The Beatles' secretary, but never talked about her years with them, until now.
- How could this guy get probation instead of jail time for waterboarding 4 teenagers?
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Knuckleheads In The News® 3/15/13
Harris Challenge 3/15/13
Play along with my Harris Challenge, which includes categories about St. Patrick's Day, the Ides of March, and Jim Carrey. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 8:48 PM
Categories: Harris Challenge, podcasts
Brian Regan on Pop-Tarts
Yesterday's post about Jerry Seinfeld's Pop-Tarts routine vs. Paula Poundstone's Pop-Tarts routine wasn't meant to imply that no other comedian can tread on that topic. In fact, Brian Regan has his own classic bit about those delicious rectangular breakfast pastries, made even better by his physicality and facial expressions...
posted at 12:00 AM
Categories: picture of the day
Friday, March 15, 2013
A Very Expensive Ride
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:33 AM
Categories: podcasts
Fulltime Cop, Parttime Marijuana Lobbyist
Sgt. Gary Wiegert is a three-decade veteran of the St. Louis Police Department, but he got in trouble recently when he started doing some lobbying for Show-Me Cannabis, a group that advocates for lighter punishment for people caught with marijuana. The cop hierarchy didn't like that, so they told Wiegert to knock it off, but since he was doing it on his own time -- and they had approved his working as a lobbyist -- he's fighting back. Unfortunately, he's under a gag order, but attorney Albert Watkins isn't, so he joined me on KTRS to explain his client's side of the disagreement and why he doesn't think the police department as the right to silence Wiegert.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:07 AM
Categories: podcasts
Two Years For This?
In a December magazine profile, Jerry Seinfeld explained how he puts a joke together, sometimes working on it for two years until the verbiage is exactly the way he wants it before adding it to his act. The example he gave was a bit he was constructing was about Pop-Tarts which, as I pointed out, is a comedy topic that Paula Poundstone has pretty much owned for over two decades. When I interviewed Paula in January, I mentioned that Seinfeld was working on a Pop-Tart routine and she wasn't happy.
Nevertheless, Seinfeld apparently got the wording the way he wanted it, because he did it on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" Wednesday night...
posted at 12:00 AM
Categories: picture of the day
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A Freak In The Atlantic
I have written about and talked to Todd Robbins, who proudly calls himself a sideshow freak. Now he's been profiled in The Atlantic.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
In Case You Missed It -- Papal Edition
From my Twitter feed...
- The new pope got the job because he raised the most money on Kickstarter.
- Can't wait to hear Beyonce sing the Vatican national anthem.
- When do they start throwing beads from the St. Peter's balcony to the women below?
- Matt Lauer just announced that it's not his fault that Ann Curry wasn't named pope.
- The new pope should've started his speech with a joke -- a cardinal, a priest, and a nun walk into a bar...
- After the pope's speech is over, I wonder if CNN, Fox, and MSNBC will carry coverage of the rebuttal.
- To celebrate the new pope, the Entenmann's outlet store near the Vatican has put up a sign, "Habemus Pop'Ems!"
- I wish they'd picked a black pope, just to see the crowd in Vatican Square react like the residents of Rock Ridge when Cleavon Little showed up.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Billy Joel's Generous State Of Mind
Billy Joel was doing one of his Questions-And-Answers evenings at Vanderbilt University when a student named Michael Pollack -- a fellow Long Islander -- asked if he could accompany Joel on "New York State Of Mind." Joel said yes, so here they are...
Here's how Pollack described the experience to the Vanderbilt student newspaper:
I decided I was gonna go see Billy Joel right when we found out he was coming, and as a childhood idol of mine, right away I knew what I wanted to do when we went there. My roommate and I decided that we would try and find a way to get a question to be asked, and see if we could get on stage. And the day came, I put together a question, and I was raising my hand, and my friends to the right of me kept pointing to me, and finally after a few questions he picked on me and I hesitantly said how "New York State of Mind" was my favorite song, and how I had performed it with his saxophonist Richie Cannata in the past and wondered if I could go up and play it with him. And then he thought for a little — he took a second — and then he just said "Okay." Which wasn't quite convincing, but it was good enough. I walked up, we spoke about the arrangement for about 15 seconds — he just went through what he wanted me to play — and then from there, it was just … foggy. It's hard to remember. I just started playing. I had practiced it a little bit thinking maybe I'd get the chance to go up … I kind of lost myself playing. Then afterward he said to me … he said that I was great, where are you from … and I said, "I'm a Long Islander just like you." He was like, "Cool." Then I walked off, and that was it … It was probably the greatest moment of my life, up to date.
posted at 5:57 PM
Categories: picture of the day
In Case You Missed It
From my Twitter feed...
- I'm wrong again. I was positive the Cardinals would choose Daniel Day-Lewis on the first ballot.
- Seems odd to see Ryan Seacrest in Rome asking Cardinals as they enter the conclave, "Who are you wearing?"
- Groucho Marx's grandson Andy remembers the day he saved all the copies of "You Bet Your Life" from being burned.
- The funniest thing I've read today is Ken Levine's piece revealing the REAL story behind Ann Curry's firing.
- Frank Abagnale ("Catch Me If You Can") says it's much easier to be a con man and check forger now than in his day.
- You won't believe what some idiot bid $105,000 for, but you'll be sorry you clicked this link. You've been warned.
- In a world of Kardashians and Honey Boo Boos, let's remember that there are still really smart kids like these.
Fred Schneider of the B-52's
Here's my conversation with Fred Schneider, lead singer of the B-52's, who are still touring, although he's in St. Louis without the rest of the band to perform this weekend with the Gateway Men's Chorus. We discussed the group's origins, how hard it was to get on radio at the beginning, how long it took to get a record contract, why MTV wouldn't play their videos, and more.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 4:22 PM
Monday, March 11, 2013
Lauren Drain, Ex-Cult Member
Lauren Drain was a member of that cult, dragged into it as a teenager by her abusive father, but as the group became more extreme, she eventually outgrew the hatred, began questioning the group's beliefs, and was banished at age 22. Five years later, she has written of her experiences in "Banished: Surviving My Years In The Westboro Baptist Church," which she discussed with me today on KTRS.
I asked her how the cult brainwashed her, whether she thought she was doing a good thing at those pickets, how other kids in high school treated her and other young members of the group, and where the money comes from to fund their extremist road trips. Since she's not the only young member to have left in the last decade, I asked if she believes there to be a generational divide within the cult. She also explained how she has talked to some families of those dead soldiers since the book was published earlier this month.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 5:02 PM
Categories: podcasts
Are Google Glasses Good?
- privacy issues regarding being recorded in public without your knowledge;
- Google and other companies using facial recognition software to add to the large amount of data they already know about you;
- the annoyance of trying to have a conversation with someone paying more attention to the image in their lens than to you;
- the Seattle bar that has already banned customers from wearing Google Glasses on the premises.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 4:36 PM
Categories: podcasts
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Randi vs. Oz
Two months ago, I spent a segment of my KTRS show discussing why you shouldn't believe Dr. Oz, the cardiac-surgeon-turned-TV-star who uses his media platform to advocate unscientific nonsense. Here's what James Randi thinks of Dr. Oz...
posted at 12:00 AM
Categories: picture of the day
Saturday, March 09, 2013
Oz the Bad and Powerless
I'm sure "Oz the Great and Powerful" will have a huge weekend at the box office, but that doesn't mean it's good. I hated it, as did Joe Hipperson (movie reviewer for my Friday KTRS show), which is why we spent 15 minutes tearing it apart on the air. Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 7:00 PM
Categories: podcasts
TSA Knives Update
In the last 48 hours, tens of thousands of air marshals and pilots, as well as some insurance companies, have joined flight attendants in opposing the TSA relaxing its ban on knives on planes. And the CEO of Delta Airlines doesn't like it, either.
Here's what I wrote earlier this week on why shampoo and sunscreen should come off the banned list first.
Bill Courtney, "Undefeated"
The other day, I raved about "Undefeated," the Oscar-winning documentary about a high school football team in north Memphis and their coach, Bill Courtney. When I tweeted a link to my review, I got a thank-you from Bill, so I invited him to join me on KTRS to talk about it. Among the questions I asked:
- how he motivated a team that had a history of losing by teaching them discipline and character;
- how he handled trouble from one kid in particular whose actions threatened to destroy the team;
- how he drew inspiration as an athletic coach from his high school chess coach;
- how he and the other coaches were the only adult males in the lives of most of the players;
- what it was like to go to the Academy Awards and walk the red carpet;
posted at 12:34 PM
Categories: podcasts
Chris Korn, Magic Outlaws
"Magic Outlaws" is a new show debuting Sunday night on the Travel Channel starring Chris Korn, Ben Seidman, and David Minkin, three remarkable sleight-of-hand specialists. Chris has made several appearances on my radio show in the last decade, so I invited him to join me on KTRS to promote his new venture and explain the challenge of developing new tricks that work up-close while getting real reactions from people on the street. Here's the conversation.
Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 12:14 PM
Categories: podcasts
Harris Challenge 3/8/13
Play along with my Harris Challenge, which includes the categories "If Ever Oh Ever A Wiz There Was," "The Most Powerful People In Sports," and "The Forbes Billionaires." Listen, then click here to subscribe to these podcasts via iTunes!
posted at 12:01 PM
Categories: Harris Challenge, podcasts
Knuckleheads In The News® 3/8/13
Friday, March 08, 2013
Oh, You Noticed The Camera?
A nice montage of characters breaking the fourth wall in movies...
posted at 12:00 AM
Categories: picture of the day


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Dada Ball at the Contemporary Art Museum
The 2010 version of this fashion-forward ball at the Contemporary featured guests Chloë Sevigny of HBO's Big Love, HuffPo blogger and star dresser Cameron Silver, recent Teen Vogue cover model and Webster Groves high school student Karlie Kloss, Style.com editor-at-large and St. Louisan Derek Blasberg, and more. Photos by Egan O'Keefe.
Click to View 39 slides
"Apocalyptic Wonderland" at the Contemporary Art Museum
What is left when all is lost? "Apocalyptic Wonderland," the first in a series of highly visual events produced by Fête, explored the question May 17, 2014, at the Contemporary Art Museum. Through performing and fine art, high fashion and music, the event took attendees on a transformative journey through darkness, limbo and light.
Photos by Steve Truesdell for the Riverfront Times.
Click to View 65 slides
Fantastic Feline Faces at the Internet Cat Video Festival
For cat lovers, the Internet Cat Video Festival at the Contemporary Art Museum was the purrrrfect event. Held July 18, 2014, the festival screened the internet's favorite cat shorts for lolz and featured locally submitted Vine and Instagram videos of St. Louis' funny feline friends. Attendees sported ears, tails and whiskers while making upcycled cat toys, petting shelter kitties that need forever homes and having their faces painted. Smile like the Cheshire Cat while checking out our favorite photos of feline fancy!
Photos by Caroline Yoo for the Riverfront Times.
See also:
- The Internet Cat Video Festival is Coming to St. Louis, LOLZ
- VIDEO: Cricket the Kitty Wins Internet Cat Film Festival Contest with Mad Bell-Ringing Skills
Click to View 50 slides
Art Galleries, Museums, Slideshow
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subset: commoncrawl


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Strachan told Setanta 1: "I'm very pleased for Kenny Miller. He set the standard on how we close down up front.
"He got about the place and we followed him in."
"Kenny forced himself into the team because of his training performances and his hunger."
Strachan insisted the entertaining game "deserved to have a 50,000 crowd watching it", and saluted his team's performance as "absolutely brilliant".
But he took issue with being told by the fourth official to tone down his celebrations, claiming he had only reacted with such emotion after being taunted during the game.
"You can't celebrate now," said Strachan. "In the PC world it's impossible to celebrate.
"Because people have been calling you names left right and centre for an hour, or more than that, they've decided that jumping up and celebrating is terrible and to call people all sorts of names is okay in front of kids."


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West Ham beats Sunderland 2-1 in Premier League
SUNDERLAND, England — Sunderland's relegation fears worsened with a 2-1 home loss to West Ham in the Premier League on Monday.
Andy Carroll helped the visitors take a major step toward securing their own status for next season by powering in a header from a corner in the 10th minute, and Mohamed Diame doubled the lead five minutes into the second half.
Adam Johnson gave Sunderland hopes of a comeback when he pulled one back with a good finish in the 65th, but goalkeeper Adrian pulled off a double save to deny Ki Sung-yueng and Connor Wickham and protect the lead.
|The article you requested is no longer available on BostonHerald.com.


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Already a paid subscriber but not registered for online access yet? For instructions on how to get premium web access, click here.
Yuma residents: Tobin snubbed us
Farmers and businessmen from Yuma said House Speaker Andy Tobin invited them to a meeting Thursday to discuss his proposed comprehensive long-term water plan for Arizona – but then he stood them up.


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- Home
- Ladies Hats and Visors
Ladies Hats and Visors
Need a great tennis or golf hat or visor? Slam Glam carries the widest selection of unique ladies golf hats, tennis hats and visors at discounted prices. Your choice of design is unlimited. Fashionable looks while still providing you with the protection you need. Make it a special gift and personalize it, embroidery available on most items. Please email us with all inquiries.


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Hey Guys, today's featured Video is all about Video SEO and How to Rank Videos in Google and YouTube.
Do you need more views for your Videos
Do you need more exposure for your Brand, Product, Opportunity?
Are you looking for autopilot income and lead acquisition from your Video Marketing?
Then today's recommended content is for you…
a) What the post is about and why you need to listen…
Today's recommended video is from – Brandon Lucero Founder, SoldWithVideo.com and it's for anyone who is serious about online marketing.
Really guys… If you are an online marketer and you are not tapping into the power of video you are missing out on a huge untapped reservoir of leads, viewers, followers, and revenue for your business.
It's time to get started if you haven't already and it is time to start optimizing your content to Rank Your Videos in Google and YouTube
a) Who this post is for…
Anyone who want to get their video content some exposure by ranking their videos in the Google and YouTube search listings.
b) What I liked about this post, what was great…
It was solid up to date training for most of the factors that are key to getting your videos to rank in the SERPS (search engine results pages).
The video contains great information on what you need to know and do to get your prized video content ranking in the 2 biggest search engines in the world.
That's power guys, and you need to be tapping into it if you want to build a successful business online.
c) What I disagree with, didn't like…
Nothing really. Great information about what you need to know. My only complaint is that it isn't an exhaustive work but then it isn't intended to be one.
d) How to apply this information…
Learn each and everything that is talked about in this video. Like I said it isn't an exhaustive resource but it is filled with gems you need to include in your video SEO strategy to get your Videos to Rank on Google and YouTube.
e) Additional tips, training, resources, about this.
See the other post I just recently did YouTube Video SEO with SEO Master Rob Fore
Also be sure and check out… How to get Your YouTube Mojo On


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Replacement machine head with 2-screw and banjo bolt as counterfort.
Schaller's new and improved Keystone tuning buttons feature vintage original specs along with that classic look and feel. Designed to match contemporary as well as historic guitar styles. Available in single-ring and double-ring versions.
Gear ratio 1:16. (DR = button "double ring")
Price per set of 6 (see tab "versions")
The color for the knurled screw on the shaft, which is used to clamp the string into place, is black.
- All sealed tuners are lubricated with Schaller special grease for lifetime maintenance-free service.
- All parts are precision-crafted and surface-finished, the self-locking drive ensures an even, delicate and steady tuning.
- All string posts are made of high-grade brass and fitted into the housing with utmost precision, ensuring the best possible tuning accuracy and wear resistance.
- Besides the standard combinations (e.g. 6-in-line or 3/3), all tuner sets may also be ordered with any quantity of left and right tuners.
- The banjo bolt has a standard length of 13mm; alternatively, it can be supplied with a 12mm or 16mm length as desired (please see under Products/Product help/Guidelines/Machine Heads).
Now featuring a metric thread and a specially developed screw locking device, so you dont lose the screw anymore!
When loosening the screws, turn them anticlockwise until the string is tightened into position.
When removing the connecing screws completely from the shafts, simply take the connecting screw out of the shaft at threshold resistance.
The Schaller M6 Toplocking with fine pitch thread and pull-off locking screw
Fine Pitch Thread for better locking adjustment
Our new Toplocking screw with fine pitch thread allows the screw to be turned more precisely and the locking torque to be adjusted more accurately.
New pull-off mechanism that makes pulling off as easy as putting back on
To prevent the toplocking screw from coming off and getting lost in the process of string changing we designed a new mechanism keeping the loosened screw in place even when it is completely unfastened.
To remove the Toplocking screw entirely from the string post just pull it off firmly. To put the screw back on just turn clockwise and tighten lightly.


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"The combination of improved particle properties and more efficient inhaler designs is creating new opportunities for dry powder inhalation and expanding the range of active compounds that can be effectively delivered via the lung. We believe dry powder inhalation will become a major factor in the delivery of a number of emerging therapeutics."
Related quotes
"The prediction was that we would get a dozen particles larger than human hair size and one particle a little bit larger than a millimeter."
"It's a powder that is put into an inhaling device that makes the powder burst into fine particles that are then inhaled into the lungs."
"We've demonstrated that not only are particles useful for making bubbles last longer, they fundamentally alter the properties of these bubbles. Instead of behaving like a fluid surface that flows to balance unequal stresses, the 'armor' of particles on the surface of the bubbles actually supports the unequal stresses inherent in non-spherical shapes."
"For everything exists and not one sigh nor smile nor tear, one hair nor particle of dust, not one can pass away."
"Erection is chiefly caused by parsnips, artichokes, turnips, asparagus, candied ginger, acorns bruised to a powder drunk in muscatel"


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Congrats to CTA Community Member Airborne Media on the Tech Crunch coverage!
Read full article.
If you've ever been in a sports bar with your friends to watch a big game, you've likely run into the "muting" problem. While the bar may have two dozen TVs, each might be playing a different game, and there's either too much sound or none at all. At most local restaurants, bars, airports and health clubs, you'll find TVs muted for this very reason.
Some have opted to, say, put speakers on tables in their bars to project sound more directly, but the problem is that this puts a damper on any socializing you planned to do with your friends and fellow bar mates. Might just be me, but repeatedly yelling "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" over the audio can detract from the viewing experience. After all, you're really there to enjoy some quality time with friends — the thrilling play-by-play isn't the only attraction.
Durango, Colorado-based Airborne Media is hoping to offer another solution with a new product called Audioair, which aims to turn smartphones into your own personal listening device to help unlock sound from the tens of millions of muted TVs out there. Essentially, Airborne wants to put its audio solution anywhere an un-muted TV would add to the location's overall noise pollution — every airport, hospital, sports bar, stadium or health club in the U.S.
2/15/2018 » 2/22/2018Skill Works: Skills-Based Hiring & Training
2/21/2018Day at the Capitol
2/27/2018February Policy Webinar | Member-Exclusive Event
2/28/2018Securing the Edge and the World of IoT
3/1/2018Box Lunch N' Learn: The Death of Enterprise Content Management


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Accession Number : ADA362458
Title : Maritime Economic Interests & the Sea Lines of Communication Through the South China Sea.
Descriptive Note : Final rept.,
Corporate Author : CENTER FOR NAVAL ANALYSES ALEXANDRIA VA
Personal Author(s) : Noer, John H. ; Gregory, David
PDF Url : ADA362458
Report Date : MAR 1996
Pagination or Media Count : 28
Abstract : The U.S. Navy has long been assigned the mission of helping to protect the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) of Southeast Asia. During the Cold War, the mission was viewed in strategic military terms: the U.S. needed to be able to move military supplies through the region in crises, and deny the SLOCs to the Soviets. Now that the Soviet threat has diminished, what national economic interests are at stake? In early 1995, Secretary of State Christopher issued a warning to the nations quarreling over the Spratly Islands. The U.S. does not take sides in this dispute, but will not accept the disruption of trade passing through the South China Sea. This study shows that the American position is based on direct national economic interest, as well as quasi-altruistic concern for the welfare of other nations.
Descriptors : *COMMERCE, *ECONOMICS, *NAVAL OPERATIONS, *INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, *SOUTH CHINA SEA, MILITARY SUPPLIES, NATIONS, UNITED STATES, EMERGENCIES, THREATS, NAVY, COLD WAR, SOUTHEAST ASIA, SOCIAL WELFARE, WARNING SYSTEMS.
Subject Categories : Military Forces and Organizations
Military Operations, Strategy and Tactics
Distribution Statement : APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE


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Hello and welcome to our website. We hope to make your visit a pleasant, informative and entertaining one. We'd love to hear from you in this interactive blog in which we share an opinion or two or even just a laugh or two.
We'd love to hear from you. Please send us a comment or an email at:


text:
Cold rains, wet and weary... seeping through the sky,
spectres pass 'long side me... bent, with collars high,
my visions are invisible and no one sees me cry.
Minstrels of destruction... rapping at my door,
naked anvils aching... heavy hammers roar,
their monodies of emptiness pulse, bleeding through the floor.
House of cards collapsing... sagging walls of wax,
deuces in dissension... aces slip through cracks,
the Joker's lost and lumbers by, alone, along the tracks.
Steeple steps dismantled... muted bells below,
ruins quake and tremble... frozen in the snow,
their pains implode within my brain while pale winds cruelly blow.
Prophets tumble temples... residues of tea
highways of no entrance... paths of destiny,
where phantoms haunt my nightmare dreams, tell tales of roaming free.
Foghorns moaning lonely... waves awash in sound
silver schooner sinking... swirling round and round,
at midnight's stroke, the mainsail broke, and driftwood drifts aground.
Silent seas misshapen... moonbeams painted rum,
teaspoons sifting ashes... fingers cold and numb,
an incandescent candlestick's impaled the sinking sun.
Smothered fires smoking... oceans filled with ice,
lightning lashing windows... blades from paradise,
like tongues of limpid laughter licking wounds of sacrifice.
Flowing fields of flowers... silent harmony,
rolling river reveries... washing to the sea,
my love, she was my daylight bliss, she once belonged to me.
Type of Feedback Desired: General


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Continued from page 4
The IRS argued that McAlary was not reasonably compensated, and once again, the Service took a scientific approach. Utilizing the same engineer employed by the IRS in JD & Associates and Watson, the IRS determined that $100,000 of the $240,000 distribution represented McAlary's "reasonable" compensation.
The engineer reached this figure by consulting the RMA study and concluding that the S corporation had a better profit margin than most in the industry. He then consulted the California Employment Statistics Survey and determined that the median wage for a real estate broker in southern California was $48.44, which when multiplied by an annual output of 2,080 hours, lead to a reasonable compensation amount of $100,000.
Interestingly, the Tax Court refused to simply accept the Service's figure. Considering the "totality of the facts and circumstances" – which included a less favorable view of the S corporation's financial operations that the picture painted by the IRS — the Court concluded that $40 per hour, or annual compensation of $83,200, was reasonable. Thus, $83,200 of the $240,000 distribution was reclassified as compensation, and McAlary was held responsible for payroll taxes on that amount.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first case in which a shareholder-employee took no salary, and the Court didn't merely reclass all of the shareholder's distributions to compensation. As discussed below, this should provide comfort when setting a shareholder-employee's compensation.
Lessons Learned
An S corporation shareholder who provides substantial services should be treated as an employee and compensated accordingly. In computing a reasonable salary, tax advisors should take a lesson from the three cases discussed above and analyze the factors provided by the Eighth Circuit and the IRS Fact Sheet. In particular, the following factors should be given careful consideration:
Nature of the S Corporation's Business
It is no coincidence that each case cited in this discussion involves a professional services corporation, such as law, accounting, and real estate activities. It is the view of the IRS that in these businesses, profits are generated primarily by the personal efforts of the employees, and as a result, a significant portion of the profits should be paid out in compensation rather than distributions.
To the contrary, in a manufacturing or distribution business the revenue is driven less by a shareholder's personal efforts, and more by the capital and assets of the corporation. In these businesses, a lower salary can be justified for the shareholder-employees.
Employee Qualifications, Training and Experience, Duties and Responsibilities, and Time and Effort Devoted to Business
A full understanding of the nature, extent, and scope of the shareholder-employee's services is essential in determining reasonable compensation. As seen in Davis, a shareholder who provides limited services need not draw any salary. In addition, a reduced role for a once full-time shareholder-employee may provide justification for a decrease in salary or compensation less than industry norms. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the greater the experience, responsibilities and effort of the shareholder-employee, the larger the salary that will be required.
Compensation Compared to That of Non-shareholder Employees or Amounts Paid in Prior Years
Here, common sense rules the day. In both JD & Associates and Watson, CPAs with significant experience and expertise were paid a smaller salary than recent college graduates. Clearly, this is not advisable.
Similarly, if a shareholder-employee has more responsibilities than the highest paid non-shareholder, the shareholder's wage should be set accordingly.
Comparisons to prior years are also relevant. If the corporation has enjoyed rising revenues but the shareholder-employee's salary has not increased, this may be an indication that compensation is unreasonably low. In addition, if the corporation recently elected "S" status and correspondingly reduced its amount of shareholder compensation, this will raise questions regarding whether the motivation behind the reduction in salary was to avoid payroll taxes.
What Comparable Businesses Pay for Similar Services


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I'm guessing that to get the GP-10 to respond to a MIDI CC message, you have to setup an Assign within any given patch to do so.Is there a guide anywhere on how to do that? Searched the whole forum, but didn't find anything for "MIDI CC Assigns" or other searches I could come up with.


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Jennifer Lopez received thousands of dollars worth of jewelry for hosting a Hollywood fashion launch.
The singer borrowed $50,000 worth of diamonds from Swiss billionaire Robert Mouawad so she'd shine as she helped host the launch of fashion designer pal Andrea Lieberman's latest line last week.
According to reports, Gwen Stefani, Leah Remini and Ellen Pompeo also borrowed bling, which was all returned the following day, unlike Lopez, who received the jewels as a gift from Mr. Mouawad.
And responding to reports the singer demanded to keep the jewelry, the star's spokesperson Benny Medina insists Lopez actually negotiated a deal to bag the entire collection in exchange for her presence.
He tells the New York Post's gossip column Page Six: "There was no demand whatsoever. There was an offer. It was very clear.
"She was the only celebrity whose name was on the invite. She would have done it for nothing. But this was how it was presented. It was quite a generous offer."


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Shift of Danbury polling place ignites dispute
Updated 10:09 pm, Tuesday, September 3, 2013
DANBURY -- A proposal to move the Park Avenue School polling site to another location has raised concerns the move could affect minority and working-class voters.
Republican Registrar of Voters Mary Ann Doran has proposed moving the longtime Sixth Ward polling location from the school, where residents have voted for more than 40 years, to the Moose Lodge about two miles away on Lake Kenosia.
Doran said Tuesday the proposed move to the lodge would more centrally locate the polling site within the ward, especially considering the 400 or so families who were added to the Sixth Ward during last spring's redistricting.
"Park Avenue has always been problem for us," Doran said, citing parking and lighting issues at the school.
While Democratic Registrar of Voters Margaret Gallo initially backed the move, she has since withdrawn her support.
"We looked at many locations including the Moose Lodge, but I've decided it's not a good move," she said.
Democrats complain the Moose Lodge is "off the beaten path," because it is located on a little-known dead-end street, unlike Park Avenue, a main artery with access to public transit.
"It seems to be a solution looking for a problem," Danbury Democratic Party Chairman Joseph DaSilva Jr. said. "I'm at a loss for what the motivation could be other than to make it more difficult for minorities and the working class to vote."
Mayor Mark Boughton said attempts to paint the move as disproportionately affecting some voters is political jockeying by local Democrats.
He said Democrats haven't objected to a proposed polling site shift in the Third Ward. Registrars have called for moving the voting location from Broadview Middle School to Stadley Rough School.
"Democrats aren't running any candidates in the Third Ward this year," Boughton said.
He said Democratic Registrar Gallo initially supported the move.
"It was a decision that was originally agreed to by both registrars," he said. "Only after being pressured by fellow Democrats, did the Democratic registrar remove her support. That tells me this is politically motivated."
Ingrid Alvarez-DiMarzo, executive director of the Hispanic Center of Greater Danbury, said many minorities and working-class families live in the neighborhood surrounding Park Avenue because of its easy access to services by both walking and public transit.
"It's why the downtown is so important to them and why they live there," she said. "It's not just the Hispanics and Latinos who would be impacted, but also the elderly and the working-class families. I can tell you which buses go to Park Avenue, but there aren't any buses going to the lodge."
Councilman Ben Chianese, who represents the Sixth Ward, said Park Avenue School had lighting and parking issues, but that recent construction has resolved those issues.
"One of my main concerns with the lodge is visibility and safety," he said. "It's not a place that was designed to take on a lot of traffic."
Chianese, a lodge member, said the building "just couldn't handle" the 3,500 or more ward voters who typically turn out during presidential elections.
"If this was such a big concern, why didn't we discuss this months ago and not right before the election," he said. "It doesn't give us enough time to inform the voters."
Democrats stressed there is no legal requirement for the move.
The City Council plans to discuss the issue at its Tuesday meeting at City Hall.
email@example.com; 203-731-3358; www.twitter.com/DirkPerrefort


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Wi-Fi HotSpot Security Wireless Guardian Secure
As a professional freelance writer, I end up using wireless hotspots to work from coffee shops. While, I use a secured network whenever possible, many WiFi hotspots do not have any security enabled because it makes them easier to use. Although it seems like no


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We hope to make the most of this summer by doing all sorts of different things. I wanted to put a list together so that I would remember what all we wanted to set out to do. I tend to forget things unless I write it down. We hope to get out and enjoy a few different local activities, and more.
Here is our summer bucket list…
- Go the the water park. Since we have a toddler who is walking, and running. This is a great place for us to go. We've already been once, and hope to go a few more times to different ones in our area.
- Cook on the BBQ. Since summer tends to mean hot weather, we want to use our BBQ as often as possible to keep the house from getting over heated. Plus, who doesn't love a good burger or steak done on the BBQ? I am also really hoping to have some friends over one evening too.
- Go swimming. This is an easy one to cross of the list for us because we signed our daughter up for swimming lessons. We also know that there are a couple dates coming up for discounted, or even free swimming days at our local pool.
- Get some Fish & Chips. There are a few locations around the Vancouver area that are well known for their fish & chips. I really want to spend an evening at the beach as a family, and go enjoy this as a special dinner some time.
- Ice Cream. Thankfully our toddler does not know the sound of the ice cream truck, but we do hope to get her a special treat from one of the ice cream parlors that are around. Who am I kidding, we want some yummy ice cream too.
- Make popsicles. I am currently on the hunt for some popsicle molds so that we can make our own treats to help beat the heat.
- Mommy Daughter Date. I want to go out on a couple mommy daughter only dates this summer. Not exactly sure what we will do yet. Maybe go to one of the child friendly movie times, or for a walk. We will see. Summer break from work gives me a great opportunity to spend more time with my daughter.
- Go boating. I'd love to go boating again on one of the lakes this summer. We have been once already, but I would love to go again. I am also looking into renting kayaks or a canoe in Deep Cove so that my husband and I can have a date out.
- Go berry picking. While we have gone berry picking once already, we want to go again and get some more. There are still lots of berries available, and most recently blue berries have become ready. It's time to go pick some more.
- Build a sand castle. I'd like to go to the beach, and make a sand castle with Evie. Sure she may be more into destroying the sand castle, but it will still be fun.
Are you looking for some more fun ideas? Check out all these great summer bucket lists from some of my friends and fellow bloggers. You are sure to find something that will work for you and your family. Go take a look, and be inspired.
- Bits of Bees: Summer Bucket List: 20 Things To Do With Kids
- Mama In The City: The Summer of George
- Bees With Honey: Summer Bucket List 2014
- The Cheerio Diaries: Summer Bucket List
- Active Mama: A Very Active Bucket List for Summer 2014
- Vodka Infused Lemonade: Summer Bucket List


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Try your luck in a four hour giveaway today, May 22! Join the Terrific Tuesday 4 Hour Flash Giveaway between 7:00PM to 11:00PM EST for a chance to win the $25.00 Walmart Gift Card/Paypal credits.
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Delta is dedicated to preserving the health and vitality of your trees and shrubs. We strive to provide advice and care consistent with current knowledge, research findings and professional standards in arboriculture. Rather than doing the minimal amount of work needed to finish a job, we ensure your trees and shrubs stay as healthy as possible by being thorough and making sure the service you hired us for is done right. We only utilize professional grade equipment and have a fleet of specialized vehicles available including tractors, dump trucks, stump grinders and bucket trucks.
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New Brunswick, NJ (2/19/12) – The Montclair State men's and women's swimming and diving team set three more records on the final day of competition as the each team finished in eighth place overall in the 2012 Metropolitan Conference Championships at Rutgers University on Sunday.
Junior Zak Westerberg (Hamilton, NJ / Hamilton North) set his third individual school record while Kelsie Donahue (Egg Harbor, NJ / Egg Harbor Township) and Donny Keenan (Scotch Plains, NJ / St. Joseph's) each had one as the Red Hawks tallied eight new school records during the three-day, 40-event championship meet.
The MSU men registered 475.5 points while the women collected 493 points.
Westerberg, who began his weekend with an NCAA "B" cut in the 50 freestyle, wrapped up his outstanding meet resetting his own Montclair State mark in the 100 freestyle. The junior had a time of 46.63 in the morning preliminaries, eclipsing his time of 47.07 set at last year's Metro Championships. He would finish 10th overall with a 46.71 time in the finals.
Keenan made it new Red Hawk records in the breaststroke as he finished eighth in the event. A day after setting a new mark in the 100 event, he broke Drew DeCagna's 200 record with a time of 2:12.28 in the prelims to break the old mark of 2:13.43. Keenan swam 2:12.39 in the finals.
Donahue, who just missed out on a school record in the 100 backstroke on Saturday, came back to set a new record in the 200 event on Sunday as she broke teammate Kelly Abner's (Glenwood, NJ / Vernon) 2010 record of 2:14.10. After just missing the mark in the prelims with a time of 2.14.64, Donahue swam 2:12.86 in the finals to finish 11th overall.
Junior Ashley Vallone (Park Ridge, NJ / Park Ridge) almost made it nine new school records as she came thisclose to breaking her own record in the 100 freestyle. Vallone, who was ninth in the event, swam 53.50 in the finals coming within .11 seconds of her school standard.
Joseph Berry (Edison, NJ / Edison) was fourth in the 1650 freestyle clocking in at 16.47.71. He then joined Keenan, Thomas Long (Morristown, NJ / Morristown) and Westerberg for a fourth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay as the quartet timed in at 3:10.68.
Vallone, Abner, Jessica Joseph (Brick, NJ / Brick Township) and Donahue was seventh in the same event with a time of 3:41.51. Abner was 12th in the 200 butterfly (2:15.01) and Jacky Moe (Rutherford, NJ / Rutherford) had the same placing in the 1650 freestyle (19:25.99). Kathleen French (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) was 11th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:32.20.
Diver Lauren Corrente (Nyack, NY / Nyack) was 12th in the one-meter event with a score of 297.60 points.


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"Use it or lose it" is the message sounding from the new owner of Harrowby Social Club, who has stepped into the breach to save the Grantham club from closure.
But in order to keep the club going people must support it, says Ian Weatherstone, who is also chairman of Harrowby United Football Club.
He agreed a deal with creditors to keep the debt-laden club open for business. Had it not been rescued from its financial difficulties, the future of recently reinstated Harrowby United FC would have been thrown into doubt.
He said: "Harrowby United has been doing very well in the league. We would have lost all that if the social club had failed."
As a team in the United Counties League, the football club is required to have a clubhouse and facilities for players and visiting teams.
Ian hopes to inject the life back into the club as a community venue and has a 12-month business plan to get it back on track.
A key move will be live entertainment on Saturday evenings by a variety of tribute acts and local bands.
An outdoors Party in the Park-style event on the pitch is also on the cards.
Meanwhile, the club will be promoted as a venue for functions such as birthday parties, christenings and wakes. It can hold up to 140 people.
Ian said: "The social club is the hub of the community. If we lose the social club it will never come back.
"We need that community spirit up here. The Cherry Tree has closed so it's an important facility for that area."
Annual membership to the club is £12 for a family of four. On the door charges apply to non-members.
l The official re-launch of Harrowby Social Club, in Dickens Road, is on Friday, January 25, with entertainment by an Adele tribute act.
Tickets are £8 available by calling Ian on 07554 663641.
Potential future entertainers or bands can also call Ian.


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Housed in the former Tagesspiegel newspaper building, this top-notch concept store is Berlin's most celebrated emporium of good taste. The former printing-machine and packaging halls are painted a brilliant and arresting white. The clothing ranges from high-fashion collections by Dries Van Noten, Gentryporto- fino, Maison Margiela, and Yohji Yamamoto to leather goods by Isaac Reina and Céline and beauty products by Aesop and Escentric Molecules.
The city's first concept mall, Bikini Berlin is nestled in a landmark modernist building in Charlottenburg and offers a striking assortment of design products from all over the world. Don't miss the pop-up shops on the ground level or the Gestalten Pavilion on the mid-level roof terrace.
This fashion showroom in Kreuzberg is at the cutting edge of style. Converted from a former locksmith's shop, it carries brands such as Acne Studios, Helmut Lang, Our Legacy, Raf Simons, Satisfy, and Phillip Lim, to name a few.
This high-end store stocks a daring hodgepodge of established and emerging labels including Givenchy, Lanvin, Vetements, and even Yeezy. But be sure to check out their eclectic selection of rare fashion and photography books.
It takes time to find the perfect frames, and at Lunettes you won't feel pressured. Both locations offer stellar selections of dead-stock vintage glasses, as well as options from their own line.
Known for its uniquely European aesthetic built around minimal pieces, this made-in-Germany label carries contemporary men's fashion and streetwear. All fabrics are carefully chosen, and each garment is handcrafted by local manufacturers.
HvE head designer Bent Angelo Jensen's collections are sophisticated when necessary but never stale.
Most of this vintage furniture shop's twentieth-century treasures are imported from France and other far-flung locales. Recently found: a pristine Harry Bertoia Diamond lounge chair.
The world's first Leica store not only stocks the entire range of Leica products, but also used equipment and vintage rarities.


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RAL QSL Buro
- Details
- Published on Friday, 21 March 2008 16:38
- Written by Webmaster
RAL provides QSL Bureau service for its members. The QSL-Bureau sends QSLs to foreign countries periodically in parcels rather than sending them individually. Through a network of bureaus, RAL QSL-Bureau receives incoming QSLs for their members in the same way. Though much slower than posting direct, the savings are substantial.
Incoming QSL Service:
Mail gets collected from the post office regularly and before it gets sorted and distributed to various Hams in Lebanon.
Outgoing QSL Service:
Cards are sent out from the bureau to other IARU bureaus in the world once a year.
RAL QSL Bureau address:
P.O.Box 11- 8888
Beirut, Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon
For more information contact RAL QSL Manager


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The nsv30b4apatchdedicatedserver.zip file you have requested: Mods / Multiplayer / Natural Selection / Releases / Patches / Server Patches / Natural Selection: v3.0 Beta 4a - Dedicated Server - 6.22mb is not available. Perhaps try browsing all files for the game Half-Life and upload any files you want to share or are missing. This is the only information we could locate:
The Natural Selection team has released an update for version 3.0 Beta 4 which fixes some urgent issues found in Beta 4. The Changelog has been stated at the Readme section of this page.Note: This version is an update. Beta 4 is required to be installed !!!
We recommend you return to the download list and browse the links from there. If the problem persists, contact us with the details.


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The residents of 100 homes forced to flee a wildfire raging near Oliver, in British Columbia's southern Interior, can return home.
On Monday afternoon the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen said it had rescinded the evacuation order for the homes near the Testalinden wildfire.
However, the homes remain under an evacuation alert, meaning residents there could be asked to leave again on a moment's notice.
Later on Monday, the district added another 25 homes to the evacuation alert. Officials will visit those homes to warn residents that they could be ordered to leave.
Affected homes are along Highway 3 west of Osoyoos, B.C. and part of the western side of Highway 97 north of Osoyoos.
The fire has damaged at least one structure in the area.
Meanwhile, another 260 homes affected by the nearby Wilsons Mountain wildfire are also on evacuation alert.
Those residents were allowed to return on Saturday afternoon.
At least one structure was damaged in the fires, but no injuries have been reported.
More than 600 people are still displaced because of the Rock Creek wildfire, last estimated to be 37 square km and still completely uncontained, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
"The Rock Creek fire is and will continue to be a large, active fire," said fire information officer Mike McCulley.
That fire has destroyed 30 properties and 11 other structures.
Progress on Oliver fires
Earlier on Monday air and ground crews were beginning to make progress containing some of the wildfires burning in British Columbia's southern Interior.
The Testalinden and Wilsons Mountain fires surrounding Oliver are now 40 and 70 per cent contained respectively, officials said Monday.
- Clearing the smoke: B.C. wildfire terminology made easy
- Oliver firefighters in southern Interior grounded by drone
- Some Okanagan residents allowed to return home for now
Hundreds fled their homes as the three wildfires burned out of control over the weekend, about 130 km south of Kelowna.
Campers forced out of the nearby Kettle River Provincial Park last week were escorted back in small groups on Sunday to pick up their belongings. The winding highway leading into the park was flanked by destroyed homes and scorched earth.
Local utility company Fortis BC has been working to restore power to homes throughout the region.
Others still waiting to return home
Hundreds of evacuees in Rock Creek are anxiously waiting to return to their homes.
"I'm sleeping in my car, my health is poor, I'm not eating properly," said Rock Creek resident Robert Wheeler.
He fled his home when a wildfire came within a couple of kilometres.
The Canadian Red Cross has been providing family reunification services and basic necessities for evacuees.
It has also opened up a fund for people affected by the fires.
"We're not an insurance company but what our workers get to do is sit down with our clients and say, 'What do you need to recover?'" said Kimberley Nemrava with the Red Cross.
She said needs can range from false teeth, to replace those left behind, to the recovery of tools so people can get back to work.
Harsher penalties for fire starters
Premier Christy Clark visited a community centre packed with evacuees in nearby Midway on Sunday.
She told reporters she wants to see harsher penalties for people who start forest fires, after officials said the fire in Rock Creek is believed to be human-caused.
"If you are found to have been throwing a cigarette butt out of your car, perhaps one of the penalties available should be that we should be able to take away the use of your car for a period of time," said Clark.
The premier predicted the cost of fighting fires this season could balloon to as much as $400 million. The province budgets for fires on a five-year average, working out to about $60 million a year.
"Whatever we need to spend, we spend it to make sure we look after the people of this province," she said.
Fires still smouldering
The biggest challenge to fighting the several aggressive fires that have flared up across the region has been the strong and gusty winds, said Kevin Skrepnek of the B.C. Wildfire Service.
The B.C. Wildfire Service reported that a stray drone had grounded firefighting aircraft at the Testalinden fire. This is at least the second instance so far this year where a drone has interfered with firefighting efforts.
"You can imagine the consequence of ingesting a drone into an aircraft engine or into the windscreen of an aircraft," said drone operator and instructor Sterling Cripps. "It's not a bird, it's got more solid parts on it."
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Defending champion Bart Lenox will be on hand Saturday and Sunday during the 46th annual Joe Mooney Men's Invitational to try to ward off a talented field to successfully defend the title.
In the championship field with the six-time winner will be 11-time winner Mike Lenox and other former champions such as Kevin Letcher, Joe Henson and Steve Houchen.
The six flights will tee off early both Saturday and Sunday with the Championship flight coming in last on Sunday afternoon.
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After 6 months of almost constant sightseeing and adventures we started thinking more intensively about settling down for at least a week or two and do something that will not only leave us with awesome memories but also will benefit us in one way or another in our future lives and careers. As we still haven't come across the right volunteering opportunity it had to be something else. Lucia had been thinking about trying meditation for a few months. When we decided to contact meditation centres with our applications we had been in Myanmar for almost 2 weeks and we had had a chance to see how buddhism plays an important role in society. On a daily basis we saw lines of monks or nuns going around in the morning to receive offers from people in exchange for their blessing. We witnessed processions celebrating children being brought to monastery to live monastic lives. All family homes we visited were devouted to buddhism and Nat (spirits) beliefs, this combination being very typical for Myanmar. So we thought that Myanmar would be the best place to learn.
The first one to reply to us was Panditarama Meditation Centre located near the city of Bago north of Yangon. Having done our research we knew that this centre, similarly to most of the centres in Myanmar, practices Vipasana meditation method which we will describe later in the article. We were not able to exactly find out what it is that we can achieve at the end of our 10 days, but we set ourselves small goals that seemed to be inline with what the practice can give us. Mainly we were looking for being able to work better with our minds, be able to relax and 'switch off' or reset the senses when needed.
Finding our way to the centre was not easy, but as often, luck was with us. The bus dropped us too far from the centre which we didn't know yet. After asking a few people, in a hotel, on the road, at the petrol station etc, we were still not sure how far we have to walk in the middle of the hot day and when to take a turn. Slightly annoyed, we were super surprised when a scooter pulled up next to us. It was a guy who worked at a hotel where we asked first. As he explained, he thought we will have to walk too far, so he wants to take us there. Big backpack between driver's legs, small backpack in a basket in front, Lucia between the driver and Mark and our second big backpack on Mark's back. This dangerously looking cargo then rode 5 minutes down a motorway and 10 more minutes after the turn. By foot, it would take even 1 hour.
The young nun at the meditation centre office greeted us nicely, gave us a few forms to fill in and handed us following 'welcome kit': an alarm clock (to be always on time), an umbrella (to hide from hot sun while walking slowly; which is a must), thermos bottle (for hot or cold drinks), a torch (to see well early morning or late afternoon and avoid stepping on a scorpio or a snake; really!?), brown scarf for the lady to wear at all times and yogi pin for clear distinction between us and staff that wore the same uniform. Mark had to buy a longhi – a manskirt and white top and Lucia had to wear plain dark brown long skirt with white blouse. We both were also given a brochure with all instructions and a map of the centre with our accommodation locations marked yellow. We were still allowed to talk to eachother, although quietly, so we agreed to meet one last time for a walk after we checked-in to our separated rooms.
The same evening we met with a monk for an one hour instructions session. The monk first left us alone to listen to the instructions from a small player and then came back to repeat a few points and take us through the schedules. So what were we about to do? As you see in the schedule below, we would be alternating between sitting and walking meditation. Meditating while sitting means to focus on rising and falling of ones abdomen when breathing and noting this movement as well as what is happening throughout it. Noting has to be done by mentally describing it with a word repeated twice or trice, e.g. rising-rising or falling-falling. Of course, other senses are active too. So incase of an itch, one has to note itch-itch, in case of sound outside, hearing-hearing etc and afterwards get back to focusing on the abdomen. At some point, just by noting the itch and turning foucs away from it back to the abdomen causes the itch to disappear from ones conciousness. This way yogi can in theory eliminate all distruptions and gain strong focus. Walking meditation follows same principles, but insted of abdomen, one focuses on steps, left-left, right-right, lifting-lifting, stepping forward-stepping forward, putting down-putting down…
And in case this looks alright so far, there are some additional rules to follow:
We got a chance to start with evening meditation already on the day of our arrival. This was the same day when we asked for dinner as we were not ready to fully start on our day zero. Lucia's first meditation attempts were quite successful, Mark also managed to sit almost motionless for a while, but his start was rather typical for him – funny. We were asked to find our seats in a dark meditation room (men and women separately) and so Mark found himself a nice warm ready spot right in front of buddha's image, when his neighbor lifted his mosquito net and gave him a look. Mark well remembered the rule of not engaging in conversations with anybody and so turned away and minded his own meditating business. A knock on his shoulder later on interupted him to find out that on his first session he took a permanent spot of a senior monk. The worst thing however was, he would have to keep this funny story for himself for next 10 days before sharing a laugh.
The day 1 went by according to the schedule. Waking up at 3 am was not as painful as we thought. It was like from a zombie movie to see the scene of all monks and nuns and yogis slowly gathering for the first morning meditation in their long robes and with their flashlamps on. Not having eaten for the first 3 hours after waking up, not so much fun. For every meal, or should we say for both meals of the day, all the participants had to line up in order of seniority, men first and sloooowly proceed one after another to the dining hall. Eating could only start after chanting to thank for the food and that would happen after the senior men were seated. Food was good and plentiful. Variety of veggies, noodles, chicken, soups and salads, all really tasty! Surviving without a meal from noon until following breakfast was difficult but doable (especially with a cheat of breakfast banana being saved for 5pm by Lucia).
Walking meditations were ok too. Although our minds wandered away all the time, keeping focus for a while was easier than sitting. When meditating while sitting we were told not to change position unless really neccessary. Pain and pressure was supposed to be noted and thus eliminated. Although it seemed to be somehow working with itching, pain in legs, thighs, back or neck was too strong to keep any focus or will for the rest. Whenever it seemed to be the good position or the right focus, after a few minutes, pain would come and all would be gone. Lucia spent half of all sessions half asleep sitting with her head between knees or just watching others and counting minutes until … no, not until the end, until next session that would be probably even more exhilirating than the previous one. As we were not able to focus enough, we at least had a chance to observe the fellow participants. There were people young and old, Asians and Europeans. On the noticeboard we both saw what nationalities were attending and entertained ourselves by guessing who is who. Some of these guys were here for months already and were so dedicated and focused, there was not even an eye contact between some!
By the end of the day, we felt that the combination of not being able to focus or sit properly, no talking or thinking, slow walking and spending the whole day totally on our own and our lack of will on top of it was the right recipe for a way out. The next morning we secretly had a chat after breakfast and agreed that we would leave and instead of giving it a chance and try for a few more days, we decided not to waste time and leave now. None of us had the right motivation to go through the challenges that the first day showed us in practice and so we packed our bags and after an understanding chat with the same nun that welcomed us two days ago we said bye to the centre. We do not regret coming there though! It was a great experience for us, we learned some meditation basics that we might apply in future and had so much to talk about once we were out of the 'noble silence' zone. Maybe one day we will be back for longer, this time with the right dedication.
First published on: http://takeitandgo.eu/2014/04/09/short-term-yogis/
For more stories by Lucia Mackovicová and Mark Jarus visit:http://takeitandgo.eu/