CURRENT EVENTS

Ups and Downs of Life

For any of you out there who are currently struggling, please try to keep this in mind.

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I first read this book back in 2008 and have reviewed this book several times since, and it contains ideas that I think we could all use.

The Secrets to a Soulful Life

By Patricia Wayant

 

Through soulful living, this book invites readers to take a slower pace, enjoy life’s little pleasures, and be thankful for meaningful relationships. With emphasis on connecting with nature, relaxing, and finding inner peace, it offers simple steps that can be taken to bring greater happiness and awareness to life. (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just watched this film again and I just think it is fantastic and I never tire of watching it, although I have no idea how many times I have seen this film.  It is one of the best.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It’s about a young man’s great love for a city, Paris, and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better. It stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, among others. (Source: Rotten Tomatoes)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Hard Headed Woman (1958)

By Wanda Jackson

ART OF THE WEEK

Landscaping Lights

The transformer on my old landscaping lights died and a number of my incandescent bulbs had burned out, so we replaced the transformer with a digital transform and replaced the old incandescent lights with new LED lights.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne (September 26, 1914 – January 23, 2011) was an American fitness, exercise, and nutrition expert and motivational speaker. 

During his career, he came to believe that the country’s overall health depended on the health of its population, and referred to physical culture and nutrition as “the salvation of America”.

Decades before health and fitness began being promoted by celebrities like Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons, LaLanne was already widely recognized for publicly preaching the health benefits of regular exercise and a good diet.

He published numerous books on fitness and hosted the fitness television program The Jack LaLanne Show between 1953 and 1985. One of his 1950s television exercise programs was aimed toward women, whom he also encouraged to join his health clubs. Besides producing his own series of videos, he coached the elderly and disabled not to forgo exercise, believing it would enable them to enhance their strength. (Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

The Six-Pack

The six-pack is the absolute gold standard when it comes to fitness.  As the picture below clearly demonstrates, everyone looks better with a six-pack.

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

Please don’t make the mistake I made when starting out in a new relationship.

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Kōan

A kōan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the “great doubt” and test a student’s progress in Zen practice.

 

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I have read and reviewed this book many times over the years and if you are serious about being extraordinary, I would check it out.

It’s Not How Good You Are,

It’s How Good You Want To Be

By Paul Arden

 

This uplifting and humorous little book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom – all packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads. If you want to succeed in life or business, this book is a must. (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just saw this film and thought it was really good, it reminded me of Gone Girl.  So if you liked Gone Girl, you are going to like this film.  If you haven’t seen Gone Girl, perhaps you should check out that film too.

A Simple Favor (2018)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Once in a Lifetime

By Talking Heads

ART OF THE WEEK

Constructing a High Rise

Perhaps you have never looked at construction workers as artists; but if you think about it, they are artist and they create art on a grand scale.

I was taken by the way cement floors are being created in the high-rise outside my hotel window in Halifax.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

AJAX The Great

In Homer’s Iliad he is described as of great stature, colossal frame and strongest of all the Achaeans. Known as the “bulwark of the Achaeans”, he would later die of an accidental wound inflicted by Heracles, whom he was at the time training.

He was described as fearless, strong and powerful but also with a very high level of combat intelligence. Most notably, Ajax is not wounded in any of the battles described in the Iliad, and he is the only principal character on either side who does not receive substantial assistance from any of the gods (except for Agamemnon) who takes part in the battles, although, in book 13, Poseidon strikes Ajax with his staff, renewing his strength.

Unlike Diomedes, Agamemnon, and Achilles, Ajax appears as a mainly defensive warrior, instrumental in the defence of the Greek camp and ships.

Ajax battling Hektor. Engraving by John Flaxman, 1795.

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Food is Medicine

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

Seems Like Everyone Is Online

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS 

There is a lot of talk about the 1% in the USA, so I thought you might find this data interesting. (Source: Jessica Strachan, Patch Staff, Sep 11, 2018 4:46 pm ET)

Here are the top 10 states where 1 percenters have the highest average annual income:

1. Connecticut ($2,522,806)
2. New York ($2,202,480)
3. Massachusetts ($1,904,805)
4. Wyoming ($1,900,659)
5. Washington D.C. ($1,858,878)
6. California ($1,693,094)
7. New Jersey ($1,581,829)
8. Florida ($1,543,124)
9. Illinois ($1,412,024)
10. Washington ($1,383,223)

The data comes from the Economic Policy Institute, which released a report on income equality in the U.S. in July.

I live in Michigan and a number of you are also from Michigan so:

The top 1 percent in Michigan earns an average annual income of $917,700 according to the cost information website, How Much.

If you are from Michigan and wonder how much you need to earn each year, to be part of the 1 percent in the mitten, you’d have to earn an annual income of $328,649 according to the website.

Please note, I think these figures are individual and not married couples or families.

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Burt Reynolds

(2/11/1936 – 9/6/2018)

I think entertainers touch the lives of all of us and it is always sad to see them go.

Clim Seals

However, “sad” does not even come close to describing the loss of a long time friend.

I first met Clim when I was a student (I was 30 when I graduated) at Wayne State University (WSU) and he came to talk to the students about a profession known as Internal Auditing.

I spent most of my life as an internal auditor at various corporations and Clim and I visited various colleges and high schools talking about internal auditing.  It was always a treat for me to return to WSU and tell the students how I was sitting in those same seats listening to Clim talk about internal auditing.  There was never that much difference in our ages, since I was 30 when I graduated.  Anyway, I got a kick out of Clim telling me one day as my hair turned grey, that I could retire that story.

He was a great guy and always a gentleman.

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I’m half way through this book and find it so captivating. Not only will you learn about Alexander the Great, but you will learn a lot about human nature.  

Alexander The Great

By Philip Freeman

In the first authoritative biography of Alexander the Great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian Philip Freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror.

The celebrated Macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history. He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand years other great leaders studied his strategy and tactics, from Hannibal to Napoleon, with countless more in between.

He flashed across the sky of history like a comet, glowing brightly and burning out quickly: crowned at age nineteen, dead by thirty-two. He established the greatest empire of the ancient world; Greek coins and statues are found as far east as Afghanistan. Our interest in him has never faded. (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Blueberry Hill

By Vladimir Putin

Blueberry Hill

By Fats Domino

I’m not going to waste everyone’s time with a poll asking who did the song better, since that is obvious.  But I will give Vladimir credit for even attempting this song.

ART OF THE WEEK

Ginevra dé Benci

Ginevra de’ Benci is a portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci of the 15th-century Florentine aristocrat Ginevra de’ Benci (born c.  1458). The oil-on-wood portrait was acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1967. The sum of US$5 million—an absolute record price at the time—came from the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund and was paid to the Princely House of Liechtenstein. It is the only painting by Leonardo on public view in the Americas. (Source: Wikipedia)

Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world”. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history at $100 million in 1962, which is worth nearly $800 million in 2017.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

USA Supreme Court

Motown Supremes

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Some clothing advice for the guys

CHARACTER TRAITS 

 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

Here is something every guy needs to learn.

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Happy Labor Day

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Labor Day Weekend

And for those of you that have to work over the Labor Day Holiday, Thank You

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

This is an excellent book and the author, Karen, is particularly interested in helping young girls become more self-confident, develop a strong body image, develop and practice healthy lifestyle habits and successfully manage times of transition.

With that said, I think anyone would benefit from this book.

Strong Beauty – Power Up The Champion Within

By Karen Furneaux

Karen Furneaux, world champion, Sports Hall-of-Famer and international speaker, shares her deepest insights and the golden nuggets that it takes to succeed at your goals.

Karen’s actionable P.O.W.E.R. tools help you to find your unique strengths and bring your best to the world. Building confidence and conviction to energize your life and overcome challenges when you get stuck.

By understanding the energy of emotion and intention, you too can activate your authentic voice and generate the power to succeed through any transition in life.

This is an inspiring resource to have or share with those who have big goals!

Whether you are designing your life, developing your leadership skills or taking on a new opportunity, Strong Beauty gives you the step-by-step tools to POWER UP your inner winner.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Perceptions (2010)

Here is a short film (Five minutes) that I made back in 2010, called Perceptions.  It is a “tongue-in-cheek” view of how people perceive the world around them.  There are better films out there, but I made this one with my friends and so I love the film even with all it’s flaws.

My good friend Bryant died a few years ago.

What a terrible loss, he was a wonderful person.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher (1967)

By Jackie Wilson

The video that goes along with the music features Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth from the 1942 film “You Were Never Lovelier“

Jackie Wilson

ART OF THE WEEK

Houses

Houses have often been works to art.  I was really taken by the aerial walkway to this house, that I recently saw on Young Avenue in Halifax.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

Working Men & Women Everywhere in the World

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend and it is considered the unofficial end of summer in the United States. It is recognized as a federal holiday.

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. “Labor Day” was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. It became an official federal holiday in 1894.

Canada’s Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 80 countries celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1 – the ancient European holiday of May Day – and several countries have chosen their own dates for Labour Day.

(Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

There are few greater sartorial power moves than wearing white after Labor Day. Doing so not only bucks the age-old dictate that warns against all shades of ivory after the start of September, but it also establishes the wearer as someone impervious to the grime of daily life. (Source: Vogue)

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

It is alway a good idea to think, before you speak.

LEARNING TRAITS

Oh my gosh, how many of us talk ourselves out of doing something, while someone less appropriate for the task does it.

Some of the best advice I received when I was starting out in my professional career was, “Never let the lack of ability stand in my way.”  Of course, at the time I was told this, I did wonder why is someone saying this to me (smile)

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.