text:
From Street Kids to Missionaries
In 2009 I took a few friends to Kenya. It was my fourth trip, but their first. We had come to do some work with the Solis Foundation and the Un[embraced]. I brought a reporter, a film-maker, a couple of actresses and an IT guy with me. It was a meaningful trip.
It was on this trip to Lodwar, Kenya, a small village in the NorthWest part of the country, that we discovered over a dozen street kids who lived in the local landfill, seeking to find food on a daily basis. Aaron Nee took a couple of days to film the life of these kids. You can see from the video here.
Well, Rachael Dayne Swanson could not get these street kids off of her mind. She wasn't going to leave this town knowing the fate of these children. So working in conjunction with local pastors and Share International, she started New Hope Children, where she took 14 kids out of the landfill and into a new life where they would have food, shelter, be educated, get counseling and supported on a long term basis. By January 2010 they were ready to enter boarding school.
When they lived in the landfill, what do you imagine they thought about their life? What were their dreams? Well, now because of New Hope Children these children dream of being doctors, pastors and pilots.
Now fast forward to August of 2012. Some of the local pastors took some of the new hope children to the streets of Lodwar, because they wanted share the gospel and their lives with their former fellow street children. They shared the love of God and a pinneapple drink with them.
Living out the gospel has made a difference for these kids. It's not everyday that street kids become preachers, but that is the kind of thing that happens when we live into our kingdom calling. Watch the video below to catch the story behind the New Hope Children, and please consider getting something from the New Hope Catalog for Christmas. Or maybe you just want to participate by sponsoring one of these children.


text:
Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 full review
On the surface, the Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 sounds like a great idea. With so much dust and dirt regularly falling between the gaps on keyboards, it would make life easier to just throw your keyboard under a running tap and wash it away. See Group test: what's the best keyboard?
But putting ideas into practical products is the hard part, and Logitech seems to have missed a couple of things. See all tech accessories reviews.
Firstly, the keys have a wide spacing, making it difficult for those of you who don't touch type. After only a couple of hours of use, we felt a muscle strain in the hand from using the product, attributable to having to stretch out our fingers to reach keys.
Due to the spacing of the keys and their sensitivity, we made more frequent typos with this keyboard than when we used a regular keyboard. Repeated use of the keyboard didn't really help to lessen typos either. The keys feel foreign — from the way they press down to the sound they make when you type. Even after a solid week of use, we weren't able to get used to it and found the constant typos annoying.
However, Logitech has been smart with some design features. The raised profile of the keys means food doesn't fall in between the gaps when you eat at your desk and the small brush which is provided with the keyboard easily brushes away dust.
The keyboard is also easy to wash, and that's the main selling point — it can be submerged in up to 11 inches of water. Running our hands along the letters on the keyboard, all dirt and dust came off the keyboard without us having to scrub it; but you could scrub it if you wanted to since the key characters are laser printed and UV-coated so they won't fade away.
Following the instructions in the manual, it's annoying that the keyboard needs to be left to dry for at least eight hours after a wash — if it's the only keyboard you have, the only option for washing it is at the end of the day and leaving it to dry overnight.
It's a shame that the Logitech Washable Keyboard isn't easier to use. If Logitech could make it more comfortable to use, it would be a great product for homes and offices.
Logitech Washable Keyboard K310: Specs
- System Requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows® 7
- USB port
Best prices today
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dex Clothing, a leading fashion company, is seeking a Fit Technician to join our team. Reporting to the Fit Manager, the Fit Technician will help keep the design team organized, and will assist with all daily functions. The ideal candidate will have a great sense of style and is passionate by our product.
- Illustrate all pictures/hand drawings and ideas given with the use of Illustrator in actual size.
- Responsible for sending tech packs to the makers
- Develop specs sheet according to the standards of the banner.
- Make the fittings on model.
- Validate the quality of the product, its confections and its fit.
- Assess the corrections and write comments for manufacturers.
- Carry out any others tasks required by product manager.
- Travel to Asia 1 to 2 times per year if necessary
- Excellent understanding of design;
- Knowledge of garment construction.
- Interpret words into sketches.
- Illustrate clear and precise drawings.
- Excellent knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop, Excel


text:
Indoor team building
With autumn and winter approaching we spoke to Dan Solen at GOTO Events about how to get the most out of team building events over the colder months.
What is your most popular indoor team building activity?
Everyone always thinks the summer is the time to book a team building activity, and I can see why with the long days and great weather but winter can be just as perfect! Here at GOTO Events we have worked hard to develop and invest in some top quality indoor activities, and as they aren't weather-dependent you can easily mix a conference with a fun afternoon doing something different.
Our most popular event for inside has to be our Qube Activity – we can transform the room and really add that wow factor! We come along with our Qube inflatable, we have the lights, the music, the games, the host and most of all the tension. It really is where simple games become epic challenges – there is great competition between the teams trying to defeat the Qube and a lot of fun to be had while under pressure!
What are your top tips to get the best out of team building events?
- It really is to let the clients feel at ease and not think they are in a working environment too much.
- Do the serious stuff in the morning and then have some fun in the afternoon – honestly you will get so much out of mixing it up and letting people feel natural while doing a team build.
What are the new up and coming trends in team building?
Here at GOTO Events we really believe team building is changing from the old school games to new, cool and quirky experiences – we think it is all about the feel and look of an event, mixed with great staff which is the perfect combination. We want the clients to be impressed from start to finish.
We have invested heavily in our very own mobile Escape Rooms, with four different themed rooms there is plenty for everyone all with a great feel. There are plenty of challenges and themed to the max to really think you are in a prison or science lab – just beware don't get locked in or you maybe there forever…
The Elvetham works in partnership with GOTO Events to deliver memorable team building experiences. Take a look at some of our recommended indoor team building activities here and find the perfect excuse to Mix up your meeting this winter .


text:
Robert HarrisRobert Harris is a journalist who has worked in newspapers, television news and politics.
The recent flare up of tensions caused by the anti-Semitic rantings of American black Moslem Louis Farrakhan, and the lack of condemnation, let alone outright support he received from Democrats and leftists, is hopefully a final footnote in the fictional 50 year alliance between American Jews and blacks.
Since the beginning of the American Civil Rights movement in the 1960s there has been a dictatorial narrative among Jews that promoted the "historic alliance" between American Jews and American blacks.
Embracing this narrative went far beyond political correctness, as it became a foundational underpinning among many in the American Jewish community for half a century.
This black-Jewish alliance, however, was only practiced at the level of the anemic Jewish and black leaderships, and not for one day did it exist among members of the Jewish and black communities.
At the organizational level, American Jews marched with blacks, voted for civil rights legislation, supported welfare and other give-away programs for blacks and, in return, blacks supported pro-Israel legislation in Congress.
Beyond that, this "natural" coalition was always a myth. And how could it have been otherwise?
Leftist Jews insisted that American Jews support black agendas, since we were brothers who lived together in the same communities. The truth, however, was that for all we had in common, Jews and blacks might as well have lived on different planets.
While Jewish leaders spun a tale of a shared legacy of having been slaves, the Jewish man-on-the-street knew that there was little else that Jews and blacks had in common.
For Jews, the most basic review of the state of black America explained how any discussion between these two peoples had always been impossible. Whether 1960 or today, we are simply too different.
How do we, the people of the book, find common ground among people who do not read? In 2017 the California Department of Education found that 75 percent of black boys failed to meet minimal reading and writing standards.
In demanding the creation of a black-Jewish coalition, did the arrogant leftist Jews think we were going to teach American blacks how to live better lives?
How do we, the people of the law, find common purpose with blacks, who so often see family members jailed? The US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that one in four black men will go to prison during their lifetimes.
How do the Jews, whose foundation for thousands of years has been our strong families, find something to talk about with American blacks, whose families have disintegrated? Today, 77.3 percent of black births are to unwed mothers, according to The National Center for Health Statistics.
In demanding the creation of a black-Jewish coalition, did the arrogant leftist Jews think we were going to teach American blacks how to live better lives?
And during past decades, to even raise such questions in the Jewish community guaranteed being loudly condemned as a racist. The price for questioning leftist dogma was severe.
In the 1960s and '70s American Jews played very visible roles in the civil rights movement. From Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel famously marching arm-in-arm with Dr. King to rabbis and Jewish leaders gathering to sing We Shall Overcome, the Jews supported American blacks.
Unfortunately, this Jewish support was never acknowledged or reciprocated by the black community, and was never translated into acts of friendship by black Americans.
Hopeful young American Jews in the 1960s, '70s and '80s sought out blacks, but found few friends among blacks on university campuses or in college organizations, as always-angry black students singled out Jews as one of the many conspirators responsible for their eternal problems.
For decades, Jewish leaders groveled in front of accusing blacks---until finally disassociating themselves, after realizing how hopeless was the cause of lifting blacks out of their misery.
Most dramatically, American Jews broke ranks with American blacks when they demanded that quotas be put in place at universities, and then in the workplace, as a means of guaranteeing fictional black success.
Also during the 1960s, countless Jewish urban affairs councils were established to assist blacks.....nearly all of which withered away due to their repeated failures to help black communities. There was also an embarrassing recognition that American Jews were spending more money and efforts to help blacks than were blacks, themselves.
And, as a special thank you for all of their efforts, Jews were assaulted by the anti-Semitism of black leaders---from Jesse Jackson to Al Sharpton to Barack Obama's racist pastor Jeremiah Wright, and the black racist Farrakhan….whose ant-Jewish ravings have made him a star in the black community.
But worst of all, perhaps, was the day-to-day anti-Semitism shouted among blacks on the streets, in the schools, in the stores, in their churches and in business.
In New York Magazine's February 4, 1985 edition it was reported: "In 1978, on his first visit as mayor to Harlem's Convent Avenue Baptist Church to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., Ed Koch heard a heckler shouting, "Don't let him speak. Send the Jew back to the synagogues."
"Koch was the only white present that day, and, by his account, none of the blacks, including one of his own deputy mayors, bothered to scream back."
Today there remains a tiny minority in the American Jewish community who continue the charade of promoting the "historic coalition" between Jews and blacks. These Jewish advocates for blacks call themselves Jewish and are funded by Jews, but their organizations are rarely Jewish or support Jewish interests.
And, perhaps, the death knell of black-Jewish relations has been the result of too many Jewish families whose members have been victims of black violence, including murder. If you do not believe this, just ask.
In America, Jews successfully live side-by-side with so many minority communities, where they share the same values of hard work, family and education. But this was never the reality with blacks and Jews.
Regrettably, the half century of Jews promoting American blacks will prove to have been just one more failing, in the long line of failures among American Jewish leaders.
Yet it is also a measure of what eternal optimists Jews are, to have maintained this fiction of a Jewish-black coalition for over 50 years.
Seeking utopia in our times, Jews have embraced delusions such as communism and socialism. And we learned that the only way to justify the indefensible failures of these utopias was to constantly lie and scream down opponents.
In the same way, it has been only delusions that have held together the "historic coalition" among American Jews and blacks.


text:
Course Outcome:
Build your business's branding, set its direction, and take it to the next level with ease and efficiency. I provide you with a tangible brand pack to guide nearly every decision you will make within your business, ensuring that it aligns with your brand and its direction.
I have carefully curated a course that business owners (not necessarily marketers, but if you are then this will benefit you greatly) can follow. It's accessible, and written in a language that actually makes sense to you. I have stripped back the marketing jargon (there is another word for this 'jargon' but, hey, let's keep this site PG) and set the content out in a practical way. In short, I have included only what you need and have gotten rid of all the rest (because you and I both know your time is precious). I call it 'marketing cleansing'.
Owning your business's branding (reputation) can be achieved in 5 weeks! And, it will all be driven by you. I will be there each week to help guide and direct you in building a robust brand pack. Each new week builds on from the last, ensuring continuity in your learning and in the development and refinement of your brand.
Alpha Basics brand is the case study for each week - I will take you on the journey of building its brand pack, to lead the way for you in applying the same strategies and tools to develop YOUR brand. Because let's face it, it is always nice to see how others are doing it to give us a bit of guidance.
Thrive in a collaborative environment!? Completed the guided study and want just a little more help to flesh it out? Book yourself into a workshop.Read More
Need my full attention? I will help bring your brand pack to life. Here we sit down and break down each week and flesh out your brand pack together.Read More


text:
With widespread concern over government regulation permeating even the more liberal circles of the political dialogue, net neutrality is potentially a non-starter from a regulatory perspective. Long enforced by the FCC, the recent Verizon ruling upended the status quo and has left everyone unsure of exactly what's going to happen next. This isn't a political article, we're here to talk about web technology, but every once in a while a public policy issue comes along that has such a potentially large impact on how we function as designers, entrepreneurs, and business professionals that it's worth mentioning; even on a tech blog. To that end, we'd like to stand strong behind net neutrality; but first, it would help if everyone knows what that means.
In a nutshell, the internet isn't a single network. Instead, it's a collection of various networks owned, managed, and regulated by a diversity of corporate interests, governmental entities, and private initiatives; it's a hodgepodge. No one owns or controls all of it, but some companies do control access to it. This can happen in one of two ways. The first, and simplest, is control over the access end users have to the rest of the web. Most private users access the internet through a local-monopoly service provider. Of these, there are just a handful (read three), included in which are Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon. These providers (along with a few smaller players) own the vast majority of so called "last mile" connections; the lines that run out to individual homes and businesses. The second control over web access comes from the much less well known Peering agreements and Exchange operators. Peering agreements are basically contractual arrangements under which multiple network operators share or distribute traffic amongst themselves. Exchanges refer to the physical capacity to operate peering agreements (servers and routers that actually share traffic along with the work of administering these assets).
This ad-hoc system is what has made the internet possible, both financially and technically. It's also part of what's kept the internet relatively unregulated by the government; which thus far, has been healthy for the system. One area, however, that has been fairly strongly regulated was the balance between these various operators. In short, each was required to treat all traffic on their respective networks equally. This means that, until the recent Verizon decision, no network operator could give preferential treatment (meaning speed or data caps) to traffic coming from another operator. Under this system, everyone had equal access to the internet, so long as they paid for a connection.
Behind this functional front, the various internet providers have been, for years, scrambling for market position. Traditional media companies, such as Comcast, have also been struggling against recent upstarts such as Amazon or Netflix in the media market. These business realities have led to some interesting results; and some interesting conflicts. It would take a whole article to cover all of these machinations in any kind of reasonable detail, but suffice it to say that Comcast and other TV providers are hesitant to work with companies who are creating "new media"( like Netflix) because it undermines their traditional business models. On the other side, companies like Netflix don't want to pay extra for fair access, need the big providers to work with them, and would love to put the big providers right out of business all at one time.
What comes next is an open question. Netflix recently agreed to pay Comcast an extra fee for better network speeds after Comcast allegedly degraded access to Netflix for all Comcast internet clients. Comcast denies this charge saying that the Netflix fee deal has more to do with peering charges than anything else. Comcast also promises not to favor traffic; at least for now. But this arrangement is tenuous at best. Comcast is losing subscribers to Netflix (in droves), but ironically controls how those subscribers access Netflix products (access over which Comcast holds a monopoly for many of its customers). This is not a long term solution. Ultimately one party or another is going to lose the balance, and eventually the entire war. Companies like Netflix would not even exist without open access to the internet, but neither would the internet exist without companies like Comcast investing billions in last-mile cabling (investments that aren't easy for smaller operations).
It might be that the market will sort itself out. Google (arguably a content company, mostly) is busily laying its own fiber lines and some of the larger internet providers are getting into the online content game. Unfortunately, most content and ecommerce companies just don't have the muscle to bid competitively against Companies like AT&T or Comcast. Consumers are no solution either. For most US residents, internet access is not a matter of choice. Only one company offers high-speed connections in most geographic locations meaning that even the most dissatisfied customers can do little more than disconnect themselves; a move that arguably hurts them more than the provider.
In the long run, it seems likely that some form of government regulation will be necessary. Just as the big Bells were busted up under antitrust laws in years past in order to maintain a functioning telephone system, so too will the modern conglomerates need some oversight in order to maintain the internet as we have known it thus far. Exactly what kind of regulation will make this possible without becoming an evil itself, however, is debatable.
Who Needs Net Neutrality Anyway?
Microsoft Is Retiring Windows XP This Year
Email Marketing Part V: Back to basics
Mobile Is King: But you knew that already
Password Strength and Quality: How to build, and use, a password that holds
Coding and Design
e-Commerce, Privacy, and Legal
Hosting and Technology
OC Updates and Announcements
New Projects


text:
Ralph Zuranski: Randy is uniquely qualified. He is the consummate professional entertainer and expert in the area of communication, marketing and success. I've seen Randy at some of the different Internet seminar presentations. At one he did his magic show and it was just incredible. I mean it was mind-boggling.
Ralph Zuranski: In addition to his stage and platform skills, he has authored 18 audio learning programs ranging from topics from goal setting to problem solving. His book titles include Fifty Ways to Leave Them Laughing, Synergy Talent, Secrets of a Millionaire Magician, and Secrets of a Millionaire Magician.
Ralph Zuranski: Randy has the ability to quickly achieve an unusually high level of success in his chosen fields and he shares his methods in his entertaining, inspiring and practical presentations. As a rising star in the Internet marketing world, Randy is in demand at the different seminars across the United States as a speaker. He explains in detail how he made over $100,000 in his first five months as an Internet marketer and the principles that he now applies to propel multiple and equally profitable and diverse ventures by harnessing the power of the Internet.
Randy, how are you doing today?
Randy Charach: I'm doing great, Ralph. And thank you very much for having me participate in this program which I know that you've worked very hard on for many years. It's a fantastic effort that you have put forth.
Ralph Zuranski: I appreciate that and I know that you appreciate my desire to help kids because you've got a lovely wife, [Tana] and daughters [Leilani, Shera, and Kyla], and you know how important it is for kids to have some type of future.
Randy Charach: I love children. I always have. In fact, I remember thinking as a child how weird it was how much I loved children and I was a child. Usually, it's more, you know — and that hasn't changed. I just always and still am quite childlike with my family and friends and sometimes with strangers as long it won't get me locked up if they think I'm a loony. I love fooling around and being childlike and keeping that childlike mind. I don't know if you know this, but when I was 20 I was hired to be Ronald McDonald the clown and I did that for six years.
Ralph Zuranski: Wow!
Randy Charach: Yeah, and that was a really great opportunity. I had the privilege and the honor of visiting sick children in hospitals and at the Ronald McDonald House and just really being able to connect with children at a level which was quite dynamic. Ronald, put all the corporate stuff aside for a moment, is loved and highly revered by many children and definitely recognized by children all over the world.
Randy Charach: So instantly, it made it easy for me as a person behind the mask to go in and connect with the children and brighten up their day. So I had that walking in with my big red shoes. That was a big part of the job and that was the part of the work that I enjoyed the most, actually.
Randy Charach: The meet and greets at the restaurants were okay. I did that because that was part of the job. But really going to the telethons and the hospitals and the schools and Ronald McDonald House was something that I really appreciated.
Another thing is as a child I spend a lot of time in hospitals, too. I gained a great appreciation of children and suffering that children experience that sometimes adults who haven't gone through the same path have trouble understanding. It's much different for a child than it is for an adult to deal with things which may seem trivial to adults.
Ralph Zuranski: Boy, that's absolutely true. You know a lot about heroism being Ronald McDonald. He is sort of a hero to a lot of kids. What is your definition of heroism?
Randy Charach: My definition is very simple. It's a selfless act. I don't know if that requires a lot of elaboration, but I'll offer some.
Ralph Zuranski: Yeah!
Randy Charach: A selfless act can be anything that somebody does for the good of any other sentient being, whether it be an animal or a person. The degree of heroism I think is completely relevant to the individual themselves. So heroic acts for me may not be for someone else and it works both ways.
Randy Charach: A selfless act for somebody, for anybody, falls into the realm of heroism, the degree of which a person goes beyond their comfort level and their means to help other people. That's where I think other people start recognizing and noticing different people and categorizing them as heroes. But I think that almost everybody in the world does heroic acts on a daily basis. It is just that it is not widely recognized by most people.
Ralph Zuranski: I know. I totally agree. One of the heroes in the original program, Gregory Allen Williams, who is a star on Bay Watch, he actually saved a man's life during the L.A. riots and pulled an Asian guy out of a car that was being beaten to death by the mob and a Mexican guy stepped in take the beating that he would have gotten trying to save the Asian guy's life.
Ralph Zuranski: It's just amazing in those moments when somebody steps up and does something that they don't have to but they are motivated to help save somebody else. I think that that is just incredible when people do good things every day that nobody sees, nobody recognizes them for, in fact. What is your perspective on goodness, ethics and moral behavior?
Randy Charach: Well, again, I think that's also something that's actually a good segue from the other question. It's all relative to the person doing the best they can at that time. So just like the hero, if somebody — let me give you an example. If somebody has just crawled out of jail who has spent most of their life in jail for some heinous crimes and have been surrounded by miserable situations their entire life and everything going against them, and they get out and they open a door for somebody.
Randy Charach: In my mind that still falls under heroism. That's kind of an illustration of the point that I was trying to make when I answered that question, the first question about the definition of heroism.
Randy Charach: That same thing isn't a heroic act for somebody else who jumps into the fire and saves people like a firefighter, that sort of thing. It's the same with the question about goodness and ethic and moral behavior.
Randy Charach: Anybody who does something — and of course it's always based on their individual circumstances at that given moment — they do something that is categorized as the best they can do at that moment, whatever that best might be. I think that they are living ethically and under moral standards that are within their environment, within their capabilities.
Randy Charach: Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think that somebody who — this person who got out of jail — if they went and did something bad to someone but it wasn't as bad as what they've done before, I'm not saying that's good, ethical or moral. But I am really a strong believer that we all come from different places. We all have different situations at any given moment.
Randy Charach: So goodness, ethics, morality, it's all going to come back to us one way or another I do believe in karmic consequences. If somebody acts unethically or immorally or in a damaging, harmful way to others, it is going to directly hurt themselves and they will suffer those ramifications sooner or later, in one way or another.
Ralph Zuranski: That's absolutely true. It's funny. Gregory Allen Williams said that there's a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst of us, and that when a person steps forward and does something good at that moment in time they become a hero. I believe that's absolutely true.
Ralph Zuranski: There is a real dichotomy as far as what heroism is these days. It's like a question, "Well, what would you be willing to sacrifice your life for?" We had the heroes like the firemen, the policemen. Those people are getting paid to sacrifice their lives, to be in dangerous situations. What do you think is the difference between people that are actually getting paid to do heroic things and people that just do heroic things on a daily basis, like somebody that takes care of the sick family member?
Randy Charach: I think most people, the firefighters, the policemen, the military, etc., who are getting paid for doing things where their life is at risk to help others are not doing it for the pay.
Randy Charach: I think that's something that it just happens to be how they earn their living. I don't even consider that really a factor as far as comparing or judging those acts to someone who is doing something where they are not getting paid. The same with — here's kind of a new argument that I hear people say. Oh, well, so and so donates $10 million to charity but he's worth $100 million or $3 billion and he just does it to promote his company or he's an egomaniac, whatever.
Randy Charach: I say, well, okay, so? The point is let's look at the result. This person donated money to charity, which was helpful for the charity. It's a separate issue if they go and they need to flaunt it or if they have ulterior motives. I look at the good that's done. I would say the same answer for this one, that whether you're getting paid or not, it's all circumstantial and it doesn't really matter. It's just a matter of if they are doing good or not.
Ralph Zuranski: That's absolutely true. Everybody has low points in their lives. They have low points and high points. What was the lowest point in your life? How did you change your life path so you would have victory over any of the obstacles that you were facing at that time?
Randy Charach: I can offer a couple of different — I don't which one was lower. I've had several low points in my life. Let me discuss the first one that came to mind.
When I was 20 years old I started waking up routinely, like clockwork, in the morning — I forgot the exact time, and it wasn't exactly to the minute, but around four or five in the morning — with excruciating pain down my left leg.
Randy Charach: This went on for some time. I went to see my general doctor and he thought maybe it was like from exercising and weights, a slipped disc or something. I went to therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractors, all sorts of different things. Nothing helped, even pain killers. The pain was excruciating. This went on for probably for about half a year.
Randy Charach: Finally, I don't know how or why, but I tried using just plain aspirin instead of Tylenol 3s and this sort of thing, because it was affecting my life, being medicated and being in pain all the time. And that worked. It was interesting. I mentioned that to him and he said well, you know what? I want to send you for an X-ray because maybe it's something else. I went for the X-ray; that didn't show anything. I started inquiring more with the X-ray technician and started doing a little research. My doctor was on to something. The aspirin was related to a rare bone tumor which we discovered I had, which was benign, fortunately. And that was discovered through a CT scan.
Randy Charach: It wasn't so bad. It might have been a year into it by the time we actually found out what it was. When I found out what it was, I was relieved because I honestly didn't want to live any longer.
Randy Charach: The pain that I was having was so intolerable and the drugs that I had to take to live with it were creating other side effects. So I was relieved. All I cared about was can you fix it? And, yes. And is it cancer? No, it's benign. They explained what that meant, the difference. And no big deal; simple situation.
Randy Charach: It's funny, Ralph. You know how whenever you go to a doctor they're always the best? Have you ever heard anybody say I went to a doctor and I had this done and he's the best? You ever hear them say and he's like second best or the worst or for them to leave out the part that he is the best. Everybody goes to the best. It's quite funny that way.
Randy Charach: Anyway, I went to this guy who is supposed to be the best. He removed the tumor and then I was okay but only for five or six months and then the pain came back. I recognized this pain, this very distinct pain. It was like something hitting the nerve.
Randy Charach: Not just a regular pain; I knew the difference. So I had it re-X-rayed and it was discovered that he didn't quite get it all. And so far we haven't hit the lowest part. I am just building up to it, because this part wasn't all that bad comparatively to what you're going to hear, although it doesn't get that much worse, either.
Randy Charach: Then my father, who is a very loving father, he looked at this with me and said, you know, if you really want to take care of this, I will take you to Mayo Clinic in Rochester because they are supposed to be the best. And obviously the first guy wasn't because he didn't get it all for whatever reason. Let's just go to these guys. So we went to Mayo Clinic.
Randy Charach: I woke up from the surgery and there were two types of pain. There was the pain from the surgery where they cut open my leg. They removed some bone. They did some bone grafts, this sort of thing. Can you imagine how — think about this — that pain was like 5 percent compared to the other pain that I had been living with.
Randy Charach: The other pain was overriding it, so I knew when I woke up from the surgery they didn't get it. I just knew it. They just, oh, no, no. You're confused, dah, dah, dah. They sent me back home and I was right, they didn't get it.
What happened was they didn't re-X-ray and it had shifted a little bit, so really they went in and just sort of took out the wrong piece of bone.
Ralph Zuranski: Oh, man!
Randy Charach: It was horrible. So I had to recover from the next six months and then found another doctor locally in Vancouver where I live. He said, look, I can guarantee that this can come out.
Randy Charach: And what I would have to do is remove a bigger chunk of bone, put a metal plate in there to make up for that lost of structure. I'll get it out. And I said, okay. Now, by the way, right now, just before talking to him, I'm at my low point.
Ralph Zuranski: Yeah, I guess so!
Randy Charach: Now to end that story and then come back to the lesson, he did perform the surgery and it was successful and I've been more or less fine ever since.
Randy Charach: The lowest point was at that point after Mayo Clinic being. unsuccessful, just thinking this is now going on like two years. I had to drop out of college for it and that's a bit of excuse. I probably would have done that anyway. I went for one year of college while this was happening and I didn't go back. I could have gone back, and again, there were different reasons I didn't. I couldn't go to school.
Randy Charach: What it did do, and your question is how did I overcome this obstacle, is I had a change of attitude. The low point, the manifestation of my feeling, though, was like throwing food at people and swearing and hating doctors, people and just being a miserable guy, right? I was horrible.
Randy Charach: That didn't last too long. That lasted about a couple of months until I realized what I was doing. All of a sudden, and I'm not sure what it was, what I read or listened to or what somebody said to me, but it clicked that this is not a way to live, I should be happy. There are people with way worse. It was benign, I'm okay now or I'm going to be okay now. And I came back with vengeance.
Randy Charach: I overcame it. It was just a simple like switch in my mind, that's all it was that I switched. Just turned — okay, forget it. I'm just going to do whatever I can. And I went out on crutches after that. In fact, that Ronald McDonald job, they hired me for it based on seeing some of my magic shows prior to me being laid up. I did some shows in between surgeries as well. When they approached me for the job, I said, well, yeah, but I have a surgery coming up and it's going to be a few months recovery and then I will do it.
Randy Charach: My very first Ronald appearance was the very first time I walked without crutches after quite a while and it was on stage at the Variety Club Telethon for the children's hospital, walking on stage on this televised program as Ronald. So that was something that really did change, truly did change my life, to be able to do that and overcome that obstacle and turn it around and come back with a whole different attitude towards people and life and challenges.
Randy Charach: It was something that, although I wouldn't wish it on anybody and of course I'm not happy it happened, but a lot of good came from it.
Ralph Zuranski: So you believe it's important to take a positive view of the setbacks and misfortunes and mistakes that occur in your life?
Randy Charach: I believe that when people don't do that, that's when depression sets in and all sorts of other physical manifestations, other illnesses. When your mind is not easy, then you get dis-ease, that's what disease is. Sure, there are physical things. I don't think that my tumor was caused by a bad attitude because it wasn't really bad before that. It was only temporary. But I do believe that we can go out and create real physical problems for ourselves that manifest from negative attitudes.
Randy Charach: From that accumulation of what we talked about earlier, which in my mind is relevant to everybody's life, and that is the karmic consequences of our actions. And that's why when somebody who does something which is unethical or immoral or when they do anything that's going to hurt somebody else, that it's going to affect their ability from there on and forever to live a life in which they are going to be at their fullest potential. They are directly hurting themselves.
Ralph Zuranski: How important was it for you to have a dream or a vision that set your course of life?
Randy Charach: It was and continues to be really important. For some reason, I don't know why, but I started off quite young as an entrepreneur. It was not really a family thing. I'm kind of odd that way in my family. One of those things, when I came out of that final operation for my leg, I wanted to make money. I had a vision to make a lot of money. I thought, well, here's an opportunity. Gee, I can use the pity thing here now. I'm on crutches. And I have an idea.
Randy Charach: Have you seen those big hockey games? They are almost like a video game but they are like foosball, the big bubble and then the sticks. It's like Chexx is the manufacturer, Chexx Hockey. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Ralph Zuranski: Yeah!
Randy Charach: They're coin-operated. I saw that, and they were just coming out back then and we're going back now about 25 years. I somehow saw that somewhere in a small business magazine or something. I've always been reading those Entrepreneur magazines and biz-op things. I've always been reading those and interested in that kind of stuff as even as a kid. So I saw that and I was one of the first people to actually buy them. I remember they were like $3,500. I had already made money at that point as a magician, so I had money to invest.
Randy Charach: I bought a few of those plus a few other machines. I went down in my crutches — and I had my mom drive me around — I'd go to different bars and Laundromats and donut shops, that sort of thing, thinking I'd put these games in here, kind of like the whole video game thing was just starting.
Randy Charach: Pac Man was a little bit before that. They said sure and, you know, the deal was 50-50 on the coins. Then I would come along with the bag and the coin wrappers and my mom and collect these coins. The vision that I had was to go out and be successful and to make money and have a little business and I didn't let anything stop me.
Randy Charach: Right now at the moment, as you are aware, and it's been going on now for a good six months, I've been restructuring my business and I have a vision for my business. But my vision wasn't that clear up to maybe a couple of months ago, so for those first four months it was really hard because I was running around trying to fix things but I didn't know why or where I was leading.
Randy Charach: I just knew things weren't working that well in certain areas. I wanted to fix them, but until I sat down and really had a clear vision of what I wanted to do in the near and in the long-term, it's really difficult to take strong, positive action that's going to be effective.
Ralph Zuranski: Do you think that it's important to have courage to pursue the new ideas once they pop into your mind?
Randy Charach: Absolutely. Courage for one person, again, is different for another person. For me, it takes courage, and my wife — for everybody it takes courage — but my wife has, [Tana], she has different viewpoints on things, which is good. She encourages me and that offers courage for me to try new things and take risks in areas that I may not.
Randy Charach: And courage to try new things outside of business to improve your physical health, to help others, to step outside your comfort zone, anything. Really, an idea is something that always starts with a thought and then we take these thoughts and we evaluate them and we decide do we want to invest the time, money, energy to pursue this idea?
Randy Charach: Then typically what we do is we turn that idea into a vision, a goal, a target or destination. Then we commit to that idea and then we follow through with the critical tasks that will lead us to that destination. All along the path, it requires courage to continue because any worthwhile idea is not going to be a completely clear, easy path. It's important to realize that and to have the courage to continue or not continue, as you go along to continue to evaluate. It all involves courage.
Ralph Zuranski: Yeah, and of course in what you've done over the years, it was pretty uncomfortable to go through a lot of the stuff that you did. How important is it to realize that people are going to experience discomfort in pursuing their dreams?
Randy Charach: Accept it. Understand that discomfort in your dreams and all areas of your life will be present. I and others that I know in work — I will speak for myself. I'm not comfortable sitting at a computer and typing.
Randy Charach: Physically it bothers me because I don't have proper typing skills. Now, that's something that I can and am scheduling into change, to learn how to type, but I end up cramping up my back and this sort thing.
Randy Charach: But I do it because it's something that I need to do to pursue my dreams. I do way less than I use to because now I've understood the concept of delegating, and I delegate what I can, and also using alternatives to getting my thoughts to others.
Randy Charach: For example, right now this conversation is being recorded instead of being written. It can then be transcribed by somebody else and then edited. I've done similar things now when I am creating articles or contributing to books or even writing books where I use other ways that are more comfortable for me.
Randy Charach: But the point is there is some discomfort involved and there was definitely during the beginning of starting writing my first book where I didn't have as many luxuries, although I did find ways around it, too.
Randy Charach: Moving away from business, there's discomfort in all sorts of things, with my children. I have a lot of dreams for my children. To help me in my pursuit to assist in my dreams for them, and of course they are going to adjust these dreams and change them and have their own as they grow. Right now they are infants. That requires discomfort at many different levels.
Randy Charach: So discomfort is part of our human condition. It's something that we have to accept, that without pain and suffering, it's really hard to live a fruitful life. And that sounds really negative, I know.
Ralph Zuranski: That's true. That's just the facts of life, though on the other side of that coin there are doubts and fears. Everybody has doubts and fears. There are so many things to fear. That's the reason I created the Heroes program is to try and get some good news out there compared to all the bad new and the doubts and fears. created by the conventional media. How do you overcome your doubts and fears?
Randy Charach: Well, that's where it helps to have people around you that you love. When I have doubts and fears, I am very fortunate that I have a very loving wife and parents. I am very close with the rest of my family, even my uncles, cousins, friends. I have some really wonderful friends.
Randy Charach: So I am in a terrific situation where when I have doubts and fears, I have someone that I can talk to and share them with I also have a — how do I say this? — it's not always another person that I go to to help me with my doubts and fears. When I meditate, go beyond myself and beyond the human condition into a realm which I won't even try to understand or explain. I get help there overcoming my doubts and fears.
Ralph Zuranski: How important is it to forgive those who upset, offend and oppose you. It seems that there as so many people that just take any opportunity to make you have a bad day. How important is forgiveness?
Randy Charach: It is right up there at the top of importance on that importance ladder. The only person you are hurting when you hold grudges is yourself. When you have hatred or when somebody's actions personally offend you in your mind, because that's really the only place it exists, all you're doing is hurting yourself. You're not hurting that other person. You might be hurting other people around you who love you. So it's very important.
Randy Charach: The way around that is to have compassion for the person and understand that they are doing the best they can at that given moment. Whatever they are doing really has nothing to do with you. It may appear to be pointed towards you, it may appear to be directed towards you, but it doesn't have anything to do with you. It only has something to do with that other person.
Randy Charach: That's where the compassion lies, to look at this other person and to feel for them and forget about yourself. If you are walking in a hospital for people who have mental illnesses, somebody walks out, maybe they have Tourette's and they start swearing at you and that sort of thing.
Randy Charach: Are you going to take it personally? Probably not. So that's an extreme example, but take that and look at every situation with people. Look at somebody who honks at you when you cut them off, whether it's intentional or not. Does it really have anything to do with you?
Ralph Zuranski: Yeah, all that's true. How important is service to others? Is that a source of joy for you?
Randy Charach: It is. It is something that — I think it's a source of joy for everybody. I don't think anybody could answer no to that. I believe it would be a source of joy at some level, whether conscious or not, for everybody.
Ralph Zuranski: How are you able to maintain your sense of humor in the face of all the serious problems that you've had?
Randy Charach: Well, first of all, you don't know the half of it as far as the serious problems that I've had. Again, that's all relative. Somebody else might be listening and go, oh, you want to hear my problems? You're lucky! And I am lucky, actually. I am a very lucky person.
Randy Charach: How do I maintain my sense of humor is what you asked? It goes back to that whole childlike attitude that I have towards life. It's true that I had lost my sense of humor in many situations and I will continue to do so, which is good because that keeps reminding me that I'm human.
Randy Charach: I usually need, in order to regain my sense of humor of a situation where I've lost it, which has happened very recently. I'm talking like in the last 48 hours, I need to actually step away from the situation for a little while and then come back to it and put it in perspective. And I ask how serious is this problem?
Randy Charach: And here's the question I ask myself, literally. Did somebody die? I'll go did somebody die? No. If the answer is no, then I start going down the list until I realize how trivial it is that I'm belaboring over and affecting the people around me and my ability to move forward. That's pretty much the exercise that I use and it's worked well for me.
Ralph Zuranski: Who are the heroes in your life?
Randy Charach: My wife, my children, my parents. I look at a lot of public figures who I think are very, very — doing a great job for humanity and for others. I'd rather not mention who they are. A lot of them are commonly acknowledged; some aren't. None of them are evil, that's for sure.
Randy Charach: Well, I will give you a hint of where I am going. You know, I happen to think Elton John is a hero, and that's why I kind of want to avoid not naming people because people would go, what? I look at the way he — well, certain things stand in my mind. I will use him as an example and then you can just imagine what other sort of quirky examples are in my mind.
Randy Charach: There was like a musical award program, it was within the last couple of years, and Eminem, the rapper who was on it and he had been widely criticized for anti-gay lyrics in his songs.
Randy Charach: Of course, Elton John is homosexual and is quite open about it. They were performing together, which was really, really nice to see. Whatever the reasons for it, whether it's for someone to prove a point or not, it doesn't matter, I don't even think about that stuff. The fact that they would work together on this I attribute the heroism in that respect mostly to Elton John and not so much to Eminem. Not that I am saying anything negative about Eminem.
Randy Charach: Then when they came out for their applause, which was plentiful, Eminem stuck both hands out, gave the finger to the audience. Elton John went to hug Eminem. Eminem kind of like shrugged him away. But Elton John didn't react negatively to any of that. He instead was probably coming from a place of compassion to this Eminem guy.
Randy Charach: Let me give you one more similar example in case this one, people don't — some people are wondering what I am talking about. There is a fellow who is a Canadian well-known business man named Jimmy [Patterson]. I have happened to actually met him many times.
Randy Charach: I know him. Every time I've met him, he's been a really nice man. I've only heard things about him that, other than nice, which are just things him about being eccentric. Nothing really bad, right?
Randy Charach: But where he really gained my respect, not so much with my personal interactions with him, but during 1986 in Vancouver, he led — he was like CO of Expo 86 — that may not be 100 percent; maybe he wasn't CO, but he was huge, definitely right up there in organizing it or a figurehead for it.
Randy Charach: Somebody actually, some sort of a protester or whatever, threw an egg at his head. You know, this guy is worth, I don't know, billions or hundreds of millions or whatever. He is one of the richest men in Canada.
Randy Charach: He didn't even flinch. All he did was just, nothing. I don't even think he took his hand and wiped it off. He just kept going. It wasn't important. What was important was the task at hand and what he was there to do, whatever it was, cutting a ribbon or something.
Randy Charach: Again, same idea; same concept. They are doing what's important to them, they're doing what they think is right. They are not taking things personally. They are not letting other people's problems — they're not making those other people's problems their own.
Ralph Zuranski: Yeah. Why are heroes so important in the lives of young people?
Randy Charach: Well, because the young people are the future older generation. Well, not so much anymore, but it depends on where you cut off the age thing because now a lot of 20-year-olds pretty much run the entertainment industry and a lot of other industries as well, high tech and that sort of thing.
Randy Charach: So if we're talking teen, pre-teen type of thing, they are going to be the next leaders shortly. Those are the people who are going to have the control — the politicians, the head of media, this sort of thing.
Ralph Zuranski: That's hard to believe, isn't it?
Randy Charach: Well, yeah, they get younger and younger. Ralph, maybe we're just getting older and it just seems that they are younger because, well, maybe when I was 10 and looking up and looking at all these people, maybe they were 20 then, too, and they just seemed like they were 100, but I don't know.
Randy Charach: It's important because it's our responsibility to set good examples for them so when they come into more power they handle it responsibly and also as youngsters as they live their life that they do good, they don't do harm, and they have good role models. So the heroes are real important.
Randy Charach: You know a whole other category of heroes? It's a generalization because there will be people within this category who certainly aren't, certain types of individuals who do horrible things crawl into all sorts of different organizations. But when I look at people like Big Brothers, you know, those are heroes. That's a heroic act to help young people. And I think that's great. It's important because they are the future of our civilization.
Ralph Zuranski: I agree. How does it feel to be recognized as an Internet hero and gratitude for offering to help with the program?
Randy Charach: Well, Ralph, I in my mind think that the only person who recognizes me as an Internet hero is you, simply because you asked me to be part of this program. I don't consider myself, and I don't know that anybody else does, consider me an Internet hero. I do appreciate the acclamation from you, definitely.
Ralph Zuranski: Well, I created the HERO as an acronym of somebody who helps enthusiastically, responsibly, optimistically, exceptionally, socially and/or spiritually. And you are definitely doing that. So it goes back to the idea of Gregory Allen Williams, that there is a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst of us and that anybody, whenever they help in any way possible, that that is a heroic moment. You've entertained so many people as Ronald McDonald.
Ralph Zuranski: I've been to your magic shows. And you really encourage people and you entertain them and that makes a big difference in people's lives because it just makes them happy, you know, they love to laugh. I think that your magic programs and just some of your presentations are inspiring. And so I think it makes a big difference in the lives of other people when you actually make it better; better for them just at that moment in time.
Randy Charach: Well, since you put it that way, it feels great. Thank you.
Ralph Zuranski: Well, good. I'm glad that you realize that. I know you've helped a lot of people along the way and helped them be successful, also. Do you have any good solutions to the problems facing society, especially racism, child and spousal abuse and violence among young people?
Randy Charach: Prozac.
Ralph Zuranski: Prozac?
Randy Charach: Oh, gee. Yeah, I do have one. I know it helped me a lot and it was a big turning point in my life. Also, going back maybe 10 years is when I discovered meditation and that really helped a lot. It actually, without consciously doing anything, by meditating and by simply calming my mind on a daily basis, it did develop within me a more compassionate being and a less egocentric person. That was a great, positive byproduct of the meditation. There have been many positives.
Randy Charach: I think that if those people in the situations that you just asked me about, and the prejudices and all these things, I think if the people who fell into those categories were to sit quietly for twenty, thirty minutes a day every day, relax their mind, it would make a huge difference in the world.
Ralph Zuranski: I'm sure that's true. Well, if you had three wishes for your life and the world that would instantly come true, what would they be?
Randy Charach: One would be that everybody would meditate. The other one would be that we would all study the great, various, great and only the ones that fall into a legitimate category, not cults for example, religious scriptures like the Dhammapada of the Buddhists and the Bhagavad-gita which is referred to as the Hindu Bible.
Ralph Zuranski: Of course the first and the second testaments. I'll stop listing, but you get the idea. Studying that and looking — and finding and recognizing the commonality among all these great sages and great scriptures. That would be the second one. The third one. That's a good question. Those two alone–
Ralph Zuranski: That would do it, huh?
Randy Charach: That would do it. Can I just go with two? I'm sure tonight at 5 in the morning I'll wake up and I'll go, oh, there is third good one! Why didn't I think of that? Of course!
Ralph Zuranski: What do you think of the impact of the In Search of Heroes program will be on youth, parents and business people?
Randy Charach: I thought of a third one.
Ralph Zuranski: Okay, give it to me.
Randy Charach: And this won't be possible for everybody living in all parts of the world. If we treat ourselves well, if we eat healthy foods and exercise and don't abuse our bodies and our minds with chemicals and drugs, this sort of thing, that would be my third. I think that would also make this world a much better place to live in. Okay, and I'm sorry. What was your last question? I knew I had to have it.
Ralph Zuranski: The last one was what do you think about the In Search of Heroes program and its impact on youth, parent and business people?
Randy Charach: I think it is absolutely wonderful, I really do. I'm happy and honored to be part of it. I know that other people that you've categorized as heroes and have invited into this program who are participating, I am fortunate and blessed enough to be friends and acquaintances with many of them and I know that they are well-meaning people who are successful who are going to have a great impact on the lives of others. I am really happy about it and I fully support you and your efforts and the entire program.
Ralph Zuranski: Well, thank you, I appreciate that. As a final question, what are the things parents can do that will help their children realize that they, too, can be heroes and make a positive impact on the lives of others?
Randy Charach: They can be heroes. That's what they can do. They can lead by example. If they do all the things that heroes do, their children will likely follow suit,
Ralph Zuranski: Boy, that's true, isn't it? The examples of the parents have such a big impact on the kids.
Randy Charach: Absolutely. I believe that parents who set good examples and love their children unconditionally, treat themselves and their children and all the people around them with the utmost kindness and respect and compassion and who understand the laws of unity, of all sentient beings and karmic consequences, I believe that most of the children of those types of parents will turn out to be real great contributors to society.
Ralph Zuranski: The flip side of that, children who are born into families where their parents are not spiritually evolved, who are maybe living lives that are selfish and harmful to others, still have an opportunity to live life in which they do selfless acts and where they live compassionately and help other people. I don't think we are locked into it as people when we are born.
Ralph Zuranski: There is genetics and there is environment. The genetics is something that people can't necessarily change completely. Our environment we can as we grow up, as the children grow up and become thinking individuals. Of course they're thinking right away before they are born, I realize that. But as they get older in the world and they can make decisions and understand concepts and realize they do have the ability to change. They don't have to be like their parents.
Ralph Zuranski: Yeah, I totally agree with that. Well, Randy, I really appreciate you taking your time and answering those questions. I just thank you and ask you if you have one parting comment?
Randy Charach: Yeah, Ralph, keep doing the great work you are doing and any time I can help you, I'll be there for you.
Ralph Zuranski: I appreciate that. Thank you so much, Randy.
Randy Charach: Sure.
Ralph Zuranski: I appreciate your help.
"World's Funniest Psychic"
While still a child, Randy began entertaining other children with his magic show.
He went on to become a professional entertainer and has since performed over 5000 shows across the globe.
Randy now balances performing his live shows with his related television projects.
How the Magic Began…
My Uncle was a Magician. I met him at his Las Vegas home when I was 5 years old. He taught me my first magic trick and I was hooked. Fell in love with the art of illusion and the world of entertainment.
The first show I did was for my grade 5 class when I was 10. I performed shows throughout school and was booked at the biggest annual Fair in BC, the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), a gig that lasted for 16 years.
While performing at the PNE, in my 20's, I was approached by the advertising agency for McDonald's Restaurants to portray Ronald McDonald the famous hamburger clown.
I had applied for the Ronald gig when I was a teenage entertainer and they finally came around looking for me.
I was Ronald for 6 years and amazingly managed to stay skinny with a clear complexion the whole time.
My shows were typically featured at comedy clubs, private parties and corporate events.
One of the most popular requests from corporate clients was to present my keynote motivational program called The Magic Success Formula.
I used the word M-A-G-I-C and talked about Motivation, Attitude, Goals, Investment and Commitment.
Newspaper clippings: Vancouver, Canada is home base and provides the ocean, mountains and where most of my friends and family are. I've done over 5,000 shows over 3 decades and have had the pleasure of performing all over the World.
My shows have been featured at Club Med Resorts in Mexico and the Bahamas, Hotels in Hawaii, Corporate and Public Events in Shanghai and Singapore, as well as Australia and the Caribbean as the guest headline entertainer on Cruise Ships.
Vintage TV Appearances
Check out some of the numerous television appearances I've had as a Comedian, Magician and Mentalist.
After meeting my Uncle's many friends and colleagues, such as Siegfried & Roy and Reveen the Hypnotist, I was inspired to perform in Las Vegas. My uncle had since passed on when I first stepped on stage to headline at the Riviera Hotel on the Vegas strip. A few of his friends were there, and I know he would have been proud.
Always fascinated by psychology, body language and the predictability of human behavior in general; my performance material began evolving to what is now known as "Mentalism". It's a blend of a Comedy and Mind Reading – although I make no claim of paranormal ability.
"My appearance on a Television Show alongside "The Amazing Kreskin" was inspiration for my transition from Magician to Mentalist."
I stay involved in the Television industry with shows related to my work as a "Psychic Entertainer".
Movies are one of my main passions and I produce and act in the occasional film.


text:
IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) is one of the IEEE Communications Society's two flagship conferences dedicated to driving innovation in nearly every aspect of communications. Each year, more than 3000 scientific researchers and their management submit proposals for program sessions to be held at the annual conference. After extensive peer review, the best of the proposals are selected for the conference program, which includes technical papers, tutorials, workshops and industry sessions designed specifically to advance technologies, systems and infrastructure that are continuing to reshape the world and provide all users with access to an unprecedented spectrum of high-speed, seamless and cost-effective global telecommunications services. Thousands of participants gather to present research results, share visions and ideas, obtain updates on latest technologies and expand professional and social networking. These activities are realized through IEEE GLOBECOM's multiple diversified and exciting programs. This 5-day event includes several keynote speeches by distinguished speakers from industry, academia and government sectors; panels and forums; technical sessions featuring technical papers extensively reviewed by peers; workshops focusing on the latest trends in various technology; tutorials delivered by experts in respective disciplines; exhibits; an awards luncheon; and a relaxing and entertaining banquet. IEEE GLOBECOM 2018 will be held in will be held in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirate (UAE). Abu Dhabi is a diverse modern city with cultural and entertainment attractions for visitors from all around the worlds. It has become a center for world-class sporting events as well as premier cultural institutions including the recently inaugurated Louvre Abu Dhabi. IEEE GLOBECOM 2022 EXPLORATION COMMITTEE
Visit http://globecom2018.ieee-globecom.org/


text:
Biomedical and Astronomical Signal Processing (BASP) Frontiers 2015
February 5, 2015 Leave a comment
Last week saw the third instalment of the BASP conference, which brings together the communities of astronomy, biomedical sciences, and signal processing. Although astronomical and biomedical sciences share common roots in the signal processing problems that are faced, the corresponding communities are almost completely disconnected. The goal of the BASP workshop series is to foster collaboration between the astronomical and biomedical physics communities, around common signal processing challenges.
As an astrophysicist, I was amazed to see the progress made in High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. Test patients suffering from Parkinson's disease showed huge progress immediately following treatment, demonstrating a huge impact on people's lives. Many biomedical scientists I spoke to were similarly amazed by the progress being made in cosmology, where we have recovered a remarkably complete picture of the history and evolution of our Universe. I also had some very interesting discussions on how some of the techniques we have been developing for astronomical imaging might be useful for studying the development of Glaucoma, which we'll certainly be investigating further.
The meeting was held in a delightful setting in the Swiss Alps and many interesting scientific discussions (and debates!) were had on the ski slopes.
Proceedings are available on the website. For further discussions surrounding the meeting check out the Twitter hashtag #BASP2015.
Looking forward to BASP 2017 already!


text:
A system for monitoring nervous foot-tapping. Inspired by "Restless Leg Syndrome", this system addresses the uncontrollable urge to relieve bodily stress by shaking the legs and/or tapping the feet.
The wearable component consists of a leg-brace which detects acceleration caused by tapping and shaking. Additional electronics are housed in a tethered carrying case, which can be rested on the back of a chair. When a tap is detected, [more below]
Full Description
a wireless signal is transmitted to a nearby stationary unit, which strikes a cinder block once with a chisel. Over time,the nervous tapping of the individual is externalized and visualized by the gradual reduction of the concrete. / / / / / / /
Part of a series called "Measure of Discontent", branching from my MFA work at UCLA's department of Design and Media Arts.
This work stems from the concept of measuring and representing anxiety. I was inspired by certain countries' efforts to impose quantifiable values to the "happiness" of its people—Notably, the tradition of Gross National Happiness in Bhutan. Or even contemporary magazine articles that aim to report the worlds "happiest countries." It follows that if you can measure happiness than you can also measure unhappiness. Taking this as my point of departure, this work investigates the idea of quantifying the subjective—in this case, national anxiety.
Work metadata
- Year Created: 2011
- Submitted to ArtBase: Thursday Mar 3rd, 2011
- Original Url: http://www.mkontopoulos.com/?p=781
- Permalink: http://www.mkontopoulos.com/?p=781
Work Credits:
- Michael Kontopoulos, Creator, Sculptor, Editor
- Chris O'Leary, Director of Photography
Take full advantage of the ArtBase by Becoming a Member
Artist Statement
Michael Kontopoulos is an artist and designer, interested in constructing mechanical systems and tools for exploring the poetics of everyday human behavior. Through invention, experimentation and iteration, his systems evoke metaphors about social relationships and the human condition, reflecting on habits both conscious and unconscious. Born in Philadelphia, Michael has lived and worked in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles and has exhibited his work at various galleries, festivals and alternative spaces around the US, Asia and Europe.
He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
Related works
Featured in 2 Exhibitions
Michael Kontopoulos | 9 years, 5 months ago
Michael Kontopoulos | 9 years, 5 months ago
Michael Kontopoulos | 9 years, 5 months ago


text:
The role of food in health and disease. Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs (SCD, GFCF)
One of my co-workers sells fresh eggs. They come in all different colors, which my son loves. He's at that age where he always wants to know why. When he asked why they were different colors I said they came from magic chickens. That answer seemed to suffice. I'm not lying if I really believe it, right?
I used to think that for boiling eggs you just let them boil in water for awhile and voila...boiled eggs. I also wondered why my yolks were always green on the outside. Turns out, there are many different views on how to get a perfect, creamy, and green-less boiled egg.
If I consult my usual sources, The Joy of Cooking, recommends starting with simmering water, enough to cover a single layer of eggs by one inch, then adding the eggs with a slotted spoon and boiling 14 minutes for large eggs. Then plunging into cold water. Cooks Illustrated recommends putting them in boiling water for 10 minutes and then putting into cold water. But for me, the idea of working with my hands over boiling water isn't appealing. Luckily there's even more suggestions.
Elaine Corn, author of 365 Ways to Cook Eggs,(a favorite cookbook of mine) says to put the eggs in a pot in a single layer, cover with water by one inch. Bring to boil over high heat. Turn off immediately, cover and let sit for 17 minutes. Then rinse in a colander under cold water. She says that peeling the eggs immediately keeps the green on the yolks from forming.
I use the method similar to Ms. Corn's. I put my eggs in a pot, cover with water by about 1/2 to one inch. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil one minute. Remove from heat and cover with a lid and let sit for 11 minutes. Run under cold water. I don't peel mine immediately unless I am using them at the moment. I keep them in the fridge, up to one week, on hand for salads and snacking. You may need to experiment to find what works best.
Labels: Recipes-GFCF, Recipes-Nut-Free, Recipes-Poultry
3 comments:
Beautiful pictures, I just got some baby chicks this week and have three "Americanas" which will lay the green and blue eggs. I can't wait! Great postReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 25, 2010 at 8:17 PM
How interesting! I never thought that there would be more than one way to boil an egg. :DReplyDelete
You can also check https://bakingreview.com/how-to-hard-boil-eggs/ as well.ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Dr. Hatem Mustafa El-Gabaly has been Egypt's Minister of Health and Population since December 31, 2005. Since then, he has been actively spearheading an ambitious reform program in the Egyptian Health Sector aiming, inter alia, to secure universal medical coverage for all Egyptians, expand primary health care services throughout Egypt, modernize and upgrade the quality of Egyptian medical institutions.
Dr. Hatem's appointment represents a break with his predecessors in the post. Perhaps the greatest challenge he faces will be to use his expertise to offer improved healthcare to the average Egyptian patient, something that will require a radical overhaul of healthcare infrastructure
Before joining the Ministry, Dr. El-Gabaly has a thriving career as a pioneer businessman in the field of medical management. He established, in association with the U.S.- based Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Dar AL Fouad Hospital widely considered the leading specialized hospital in the Middle East in Cardiothoracic surgeries, Neurosurgeries and Organ Transplants. He also established Cairo Medical Tower to become the largest polyclinic in the Middle East. Dr. El-Gabaly prior to his appointment sat on the Boards of several Banks, Industrial Institutions and charity organizations
Dr. El-Gabaly is a member of several Egyptian and International Medical Societies
Dr. El-Gabaly has been a Professor of Diagnostic Radiology at Cairo University Medical School since 2001. He has published several scientific papers and supervised many MSc and M.D. Thesis. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University where he successfully obtained his M.D. in Diagnostic Radiology in 1983. He was trained in the Hopital Fondation Rothschild, Paris in 1979 -1980 and UK-based Middlesex Hospital, London in 1980 -1981. Dr. El-Gabaly was born in 1951, is married and has three children.
Visit of Hatem Mostafa El-Gabaly, Egyptian Minister for Health and Population, to the EC
Androulla Vassiliou, Member of the EC in charge of Health, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Member of the EC in charge of External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, received Hatem Mostafa El-Gabaly, Egyptian Minister for Health and Population, to announce the financial package granted by the EC to Egypt for education, transport and public services and civil society programmes. 12.02.2009
Apr 23 2009
His Excellency (H.E.), the Minister of Health, Prof. Dr. Hatem El Gabaly, defined NHA as a key tool in improving the effectiveness of health systems to achieve Egypt's health reform objectives in opening a two-day NHA workshop in Cairo March 31-April 1.
When His Excellency (H.E.), the Minister of Health, Prof. Dr. Hatem El Gabaly, joined the MOH in 2006 and asked about the cash flow in the organization, no one was able to give him an answer. He wondered how he could be expected to make decisions without access to such basic information. H.E. made these and other comments highlighting the importance of National Health Accounts (NHA) in opening a two-day NHA workshop in Cairo March 31-April 1. Having pioneered the application of the NHA framework in the Middle East region in the early 1990s, Egypt is the only country to have carried out three NHA exercises.
H.E. defined NHA as a key tool in improving the effectiveness of health systems to achieve Egypt's health reform objectives. Given the current economic situation in Egypt, H.E. stressed that it is more important than ever to build capacity within the MOH to make better informed decisions about limited resources.
More than thirty participants attended the workshop held by Health Systems 20/20 in collaboration with the Egyptian Department of Planning (DOP), the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the World Health Organization. Attending were representatives from the MOH, DOP, Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, Ministry of Petroleum, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Finance, Medical Syndicate, Curative Care Organization, Health Insurance Organization, Engineer Syndicate, and public and private firms.
Ms. Holly Dempsey, USAID Chief of the Health and Population Division in Egypt, stated that USAID's role is to provide technical leadership through Health Systems 20/20 for NHA data collection and analysis.
Dr. Mervat Taha, Director General, DOP, highlighted the importance of NHA in providing data that allows policymakers to use health care resources more efficiently and as a tool to measure the performance of the health care system. She stressed the importance of multi-sectoral collaboration and the need to strengthen the existing economic unit in the DOP to institutionalize NHA in Egypt.
Dr. Zine-Eddine El Idrissi, health economist, WHO/EMRO, demonstrated how the NHA tables are used to diagnose the financial status of a health system. Dr. El Idrissi gave an overview of NHA and illustrated how the information has been designed to provide health expenditure information to policymakers in ways that can be clearly and directly linked to a nation's health financing policies, concerns, and issues.
The second day of the workshop focused on reaching consensus with all stakeholders on the different NHA classification appropriate to Egypt. Workshop organizers explained next steps and the timeline to carry out the next NHA in Egypt.
Egypt is divided into 29 governorates. The governorates are further divided into regions. The regions are then subdivided into towns and villages.Governorate and its Capital
partner project


text:
What our clients say…
"Picket Fence Realty listened to our needs and ACTUALLY heard us."
"Picket Fence Realty's marketing is ingenious."
"I'd have no other sign in my yard."
"Picket Fence Realty sets the bar so high - they are second to none in our eyes."
"You cared for my feelings and helped walked with me throughout the sale of my home, when I was feeling my most fragile. Thank you."


text:
Hi all! It's 11:30 am and I've gone to breakfast and snuck in a full workout! I'm keeping the pace up and finally have ten minutes to sit down and finish this post that I started on Friday. My kids missed three days of school last week (2 due to snow) and I'm praying they have school tomorrow! I've got things all bright and sunny on my mind today! (and in general)
1. Zanna Roberts Rassi's layered, textural play room is sophisticated and fun. I am definitely getting those pillow cases for my bedroom! I recently changed the color palette to pink, cocoa, white and coral with hints of gold and I'm liking it! Now to narrow down the wallpaper choice! I'm thinking something organic and cool for the little bathroom. I love most of the One King's Lane home tours and room redo's!
2. Audrey was fabulous and so are most of her quotes.
3. Charlotte Rampling's carefree, natural style is a favorite. My daughter prefers to wear her hair tousled too.
4. I've been eyeing Teil Duncan's oversized figure studies.
5. Not sure I'll ever tire of stripes…Every season I find a new version to purchase! I love how this dress is a bit more fitted. I am all for a long maxi dresses but some of them aren't very flattering unless you're tiny!
6. I could collect sunglasses…haha. I think I need this pink pair for Florida!
7. Okay, so I've been obsessed with Cassie De Pecol's amazing stories and her mission to visit every country around the world. Her Instagram account and drive are fabulous!! Read more about her journey and goal here. She has a passion for "women's achievement while promoting peace". (insert 10,000 likes!!!) Read more about Cassie's – Expedition 196 here.


text:
Dear CIGAs,
You wants dates? Ok.
The bet on the short of gold side is that the Sequester takes place. I have felt that the gold market's longest period of reaction possible would end on my birthday, March 27th. That puts it directly in place of this wager in time.
Regardless of whether or not Sequester occurs, I stand by this timing assumption that I have held since this decline started.
Many who I know and asked me in private know this statement to be true. I know that this is read by just those that are at the heart of this decline.
The earliest date of the end of the decline is the 28th of February and the longest period of pressure is until the 27th of March. Thereafter gold is released to the upside which will be a minimum of $3500.
Defend yourselves because today was a wager on the Sequester occurring. Regardless, do not give away your position in either gold or shares that are fully paid for. Margin is madness in gold because the volatility is only starting.
Please note the last interview I gave was about 9 months ago. I have a planned interview with Eric King of www.KingWorldNews.com on Friday of this week. It will have significance as it is a statement. Please remember this in the future.
Sequestration Cuts Crisis Makes Me Want to Strangle Both Sides
POSTED: February 26, 2:45 PM ET
If you can get past how horrifying it is, the looming "sequestration cuts" crisis is fascinating. It's like watching a bunch of gambling addicts play craps by throwing dice into a four-dimensional wormhole. There are so many variables that neither side can possibly know the true outcome of a failure to make a deal – which means the only certainty is that what we're watching is irresponsibility on an epic scale, wherein both of our major political parties seem to prefer government by random outcome over one managed by sensible compromise.
Obviously, most of the problem was originally driven by the intractability of a Republican Party energized politically by its Tea Party base, which preferred the nuclear option of a default or a government shutdown to increased debt and/or new taxes. These fine folks taped sticks of dynamite to their chests and threatened to blow the government, its credit rating and our entire budget mechanism to the moon if we didn't make massive spending cuts – a wild ploy that may not have made a ton of patriotic sense given the catastrophic possibilities of, say, a default, but certainly helped the party solidify its relationship with its base.
Watching the original Republican debt-ceiling warriors furiously shake their fists over this business reminded me of that great line by Claude Rains in Casablanca, when his Captain Renault character tells Humphrey Bogart why he had to be so rough in tossing Rick's nightclub in search of the missing letters of transit. "I told my men to be especially destructive," Rains said. "You know how that impresses Germans."
This "let's blow up the American credit rating" ploy impressed hardcore anti-spending types in the same way. It was crazy, but maybe only slightly more crazy than both of the parties have consistently been for most of the last 20 years, when the two sides have continually failed to hammer out workable budgets and instead have mostly just let the national airplane fly mindlessly forward using the laziness-enabling autopilot mechanism of a continuing resolutions, or CRs. Despite the fact that working out budgets is mostly what we hire members of Congress to do, they seem to have a terrible time doing it on time, and instead routinely rely upon the CR process (in which the two sides basically agree to put things off until later) to keep funding levels static for some ludicrously short-term period like six months.
The failure to work out sensible budgets makes it impossible for government agencies to make long-term plans, and instead leaves them scrambling to spend money in the short term. It's an incredibly stupid way of doing business and if these people weren't on television so often, ranting and raving like baseball managers arguing a safe call at the plate and playing to the home crowd by pointing fingers at the other side, they would probably just do what members of Congress traditionally did in the pre-mass-media age, which is quietly and (mostly) sensibly work things out, getting as much as they could for their own constituents without crossing the line into antipatriotic acts of self-destruction – like a national default, for instance.
But since those days of sensible bipartisanship are gone, what we're left with is this. Both sides decided to play political chicken with our economic futures. Certainly the Republicans were more willing to pull the pin here, but the Democrats also gambled.


text:
With the GE13 date set for May 5, we will see the culmination of Malaysia's longest campaign period in our history. Although the formal campaign period is 15 days from Nomination Day, the unofficial campaigning started since PM Najib took over the reins from Pak Lah. For the past 4 years, Malaysians have gotten all kinds of goodies shoved at them with little economic fundamental progress. Whether they be budgets, programs, policies or expenditures, they are all short term designed to create the impression of strategy but with the intent to make the people feel good about Najib.
Well, the time will soon come for the day of reckoning if all that is said by BN and PR are well understood by Malaysians to translate into real votes for either of these political alignments.
Every political party is on the campaign road knowing full well nobody will stop them anymore regardless of the fact that the official campaigning period is not yet here. Everyday on TV, we will see how Najib pronounce the fact that BN is the savior of Malaysia and everybody else is rubbish.
Then, again, no Govt linked media will ever say anything bad about the ruling parties so that Malaysians will believe anything the media says and BN can do no wrong and there is everything wrong with the Opposition.
Thanks to the Internet and the alternate media, Malaysians can now assess for themselves both sides of the story. It appears that the Opposition has made significant inroads to the Internet savvy voters but those who are not so savvy may be missed out. More work to be done, obviously.
Fast forward to after GE13 and *&^%#$ has won the elections and now the Federal Govt.
We have two very distinct eventualities to consider. Many people are unaware that both BN and PR offers Malaysians two different destinies. Their manifestos may be incomplete but their general sense of direction are diverging. Furthermore, there are many intentions of both BN and PR that are not mentioned in their manifestos.
BN Destiny
Najib touts his ETP will get Malaysia to become a "developed nation" by 2020 and the GDP growth projected will be adequate to get us there. Anyone who understands projections and future promises will know that numbers can be made to say anything they want and definitions of targets may well be totally different in our understanding.
Take for example, developed nation definition. What exactly does that mean? How do we compute when we have arrived? Just because the PM says so?
We may not have Najib as the PM for very long if he does not win back the 2/3 majority. So, his ETP is as good as Najib is in office.
Next, the Govt must have a more predictable source of income. Hence, after the GE13, the implementation of GST will proceed. This is a most definite program that will change the way the Govt gets its income from the people forever. The Govt needs this source of income because most people who are working do not pay income tax. Now, everybody who buys anything will eventually pay taxes as they consume.
Then, subsidies of every form will be pulled out over the course of the next few years. Petrol, sugar, flour, etc will all go up in price and will spark an increase in inflation in real terms as affecting the people, not in Govt statistic terms. Everything will go up in price and this time, it will be significant. Our disposable income is going to be sorely stretched beyond imagination.
However, not all is lost to the Govt. The BN manifesto says that handouts like BR1M will continue to be given out and at amounts of RM1,200. Will this help the people to even out the impact of GST and consumer goods price increase? The answer is a definite no but BN will say to us, Janji Di Tepati regardless.
So, for every handout coming to the people, the Govt is taking away even more from the other hand.
How will the BN Govt help the people in more concrete ways? How can wages be normalized and harmonized to real inflationary terms? How much more will there be real economic stimulus that affects the people?
The BN Govt will always want to spend more and more so that the people can get something. Whether real or otherwise, this is BN belief that by the Govt spending more, the people will benefit.
And do not question the Govt now as they are going to buy more fighter jets, Scorpene submarines, marine vessels, helicopters, tanks, and these are not meant for public consumption. It is national security so there will be no accountability nor transparency of the matter.
So when Najib says to give him the mandate so that he can make more open tenders in appearance of being accountable, he did not mean the large ticket items like defense equipment or even highways and railways. He was probably referring to buying pens and screwdrivers and much smaller ticket items.
Oil producing states will be able to know that there will be 20% of revenue going back to them in various ways but not directly. So do not get too excited. The question should also beckon, what is the real Petronas revenue and should it not be even more than today if middlemen were removed? If revenues were small, 20% is also too little. If revenues were big, 5% will be a lot.
In the impending AFTA opening up the automobile market, invariably, the import duties will be removed for cars assembled in ASEAN. But what about APs, sales and excise duties? The Govt has no choice but to remove import duties to be compliant to AFTA. But they can increase sales and excise duties to balance things up. And APs adds to the cost of cars. Will we really see a lowering of car prices at all?
BN promises to create 3.3 million new jobs. How? This is an astounding large number of jobs to create and will our economy be able to absorb them? Will Malaysians be trained to qualify for them? Or is this a nice big number for manifesto purposes?
The BN Govt plans to generate RM1.3T worth of investments. That is a thousand billion ringgit, a whopping lot of investments. Where are we for the GE12 term for investments? In 2012, Malaysia FDI was US$10B or RM30B. How in the world will we get such an enormous amount of investments when FDIs are avoiding Malaysia for Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand? What will change? Or is it RM1.3T on paper only? Or the definition of investments do not mean FDI but overall worth of projects?
Yes, after GE13, the BN Govt will spend even more, tax everybody more and hand down some crumbs to tell us they are helping the poor and in 2013, that means 40% of households with BR1M.
Is this what you are voting for?
PR Destiny
Malaysia will see an immediate price drop of petrol at the pumps. There will be cheaper cars with the rationalizing of APs and excise duties. Drivers will no longer have the threat of AES. No more tolls (on aging highways, presumably, as new ones will have to be paid for somehow).
Students will have free education all the way to University. No more PTPTN. No more loans to worry.
We will have lower electricity and water rates.
This should lead to a historic lowering of prices of consumer goods. There will be no GST and no subsidy removals yet. But rest assured, they will have to happen sooner or later. The income that the Govt needs to finance such will come from savings of Govt projects and procurement. That is what PR believes they can do given their experience from Penang and Selangor.
Perhaps, once they studied the contracts which are one-sided, they will have more to grapple with. Reviewing IPP and highway operator contracts are considered most challenging. If they succeed, there will be more money for the Govt to spend.
BR1M equivalent programs will be continued. Maybe this statement was in retaliation to BN's manifesto. But it is a silly reaction. To the people, if there is money, take it.
There will be 1m new jobs for Malaysians as the dependency of foreign labor is reduced. Unless Malaysians are keen on plantation and construction and maid jobs, we will see very little impact on the economy. What about white collared jobs?
But how will the PR Govt generate income growth? By reducing payments to one-sided contracts, by removing commission payments, by getting the best deal for every project and procurement, basically there will be enough to sustain the goodies promised. This assumes that the leaks and excesses are of a large magnitude which the PR believes it to be.
Is that so? Time will tell if they can actually help save the billions for the programs to lower petrol, water and electricity. Maybe they will introduce GST after GE14 and hopefully by then, the economy will be much more vibrant.
We shall see a reformed Parliament and press freedom. More media fighting each other most likely. Perhaps that is what is meant by press freedom in Malaysia.
For this, we are looking at a better economy, bigger bang for our money and better governance all round.
Yes, after GE13, we will pay the same taxes but get cheaper petrol, cars, education, healthcare, and hopefully lower inflation.
Is this what you are voting for?