12/25/22 – Merry Christmas Everyone

AudioDecember 25, 2022 Wm. Allen17 Comments

CURRENT EVENTS BOOK OF THE WEEK This book was first published on December 19, 1843 and has never been out of print. It is a very short and easy to read book and what a great time of the year to read it. A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens MOVIE OF THE WEEK I found […]

11/20/22 – Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

AudioNovember 20, 2022 Wm. Allen9 Comments

CURRENT EVENTS Happy Thanksgiving Everyone BOOK OF THE WEEK This book was first published in 1997 or 25 years ago. I think it is as relevant today as it was in 1997, and perhaps more so. It you would like to stop driving yourself crazy, this book may help. Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff… and […]

12/28/15 – It’s A Wonderful Life Revisited

December 28, 2015 Wm. Allen4 Comments

CURRENT EVENTS

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and best wishes for an extraordinary 2016.

Also, for those of you into reading books on a Kindle, I reduced the price of the Kindle version of my book down to $4.95. By the end of the year, if you apply yourself, you will be extraordinary or at least more extraordinary than you currently are–why not give it a try.

SELF-HELP BOOKS

I was in Barnes & Nobles the other day and couldn’t stop myself from purchasing a collectible version of this extraordinary self-help book which was first published on December 19, 1843 and have never been out of print.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you’re not here any more.

Source: The Ghost of Christmas Present

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

It’s A Wonderful Life

This updated version of It’s A Wonderful Life is my absolute favorite. Please check it out, it is only 1 minute and 33 seconds. Please let me know via comments if you enjoy it.

LAST WEEK’S POLL – Star Wars vs. Star Trek

The result of last week’s poll is that 64% of you prefer Star Trek, whereas, 36% of you prefer Star Wars.

THIS WEEK POLL – Your Dreams

Since this week is a start of a new year, this week’s poll is again about your dreams and aspirations for the future.

SONG OF THE WEEK

Sorry folks, I seem to be stuck in the 50s.

Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCTeXUkTFwQ

But for those of you who aren’t into Chuck, well here is a version by Sheryl Crow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhce_LI9dgc

And here is a version by Steven Tyler and Brad Paisley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmCZfljt1Kw

Run Rudolph Run” is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie. The song was first recorded by Chuck Berry in 1958. It has since been covered by numerous other artists including Emily Osment, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sister Hazel, Billy Ray Cyrus, Five Easy Pieces, Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Dave Edmunds, Hanson, Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams, Lulu, Click Five, The Grateful Dead, Keith Richards, Brinsley Schwarz, Jimmy Buffett, Foghat, Paul Brandt, Whitney Wolanin, Kelly Clarkson, The Tractors, Dwight Yoakam, Reverend Horton Heat, Hanoi Rocks, Billy Idol, Cee Lo Green, Luke Bryan, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Joe Perry, Los Lonely Boys, Jane Krakowski (Source: Wikipedia)

PAINTING OF THE WEEK

Dogs Playing Poker refers collectively to a series of sixteen oil paintings by C. M. Coolidge, commissioned in 1903 by Brown & Bigelow to advertise cigars. The painting below is titled, A Friend in Need.

While some send out family portraits as their holiday cards, photographer Ed Wheeler has been dressing up as Santa Claus for years and posing in hilarious compositions for his cards. It was in 2011, though, when the festive photographer decided to take his work a step further and incorporate jolly ol’ Saint Nick into classical masterpieces, such as the painting below by C.M. Coolidge.

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

Santa Claus

Santa delivering gifts to children

Santa Claus has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior (“naughty” or “nice”) and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the well-behaved children in the world, and sometimes coal to the naughty children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the flying reindeer who pull his sleigh.[5][6] He is commonly portrayed as living at the North Pole and saying “ho ho ho” often.(Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

This week’s joke illustrates the importance of context

BLOG

I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts, since it encourages me to continue these posts. This week I am thanking my friend Tania for leaving a comment. Leaving a comment is easy, just click on “Leave A Comment”, which is immediately below the title of this week’s post. And if instead of seeing “Leave A Comment”, you see “# Comments”, just click on that and scroll down to leave your comment.

If you think this blog has any merit, please pass it on to your friends, as well as liking my Facebook page.

MY BOOK

If you have any interest in changing your life for helping someone else change their life, please consider my book.

Again, for those of you into reading books on a Kindle, I reduced the price of the Kindle version of my book down to $4.95.

My book can be purchased on-line from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. It is also available in a ebook format. And if you have read my book, please leave an evaluation of it on Amazon. Thank you.

http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-tired-of-being-ordinary-are-you-wm-allen/1120528064?ean=9780990388692

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Im-Tired-Being-Ordinary/Wm-Allen/9780990388692?id=6429711012885

11/23/15 – A Disturbing World

November 23, 2015 Wm. Allen4 Comments

CURRENT EVENTS

Viva la France!

Normally, I post something different each week; but I’m going to stay with Viva la France again this week.

SELF-HELP BOOKS

Keep Calm and Carry On is a little book of motivational quotes. The title coming from a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for the Second World War. The book came out in 2009 and I first read it in 2010. It doesn’t take long to read it, since it is just quotes. But the title appealed to me during these troubled times.

You can read more about the history of the motivational quote used as the title for this book on Wikipedia. Just click on:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Sometimes the world is so disturbing, that one alternative to depression is to dance. I think I’m going to dance now.

LAST WEEK POLL – A Christmas Carol

It seems like many of us have seen a movie based up the story, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. And I thought a surprising number of us have seen a play based upon the story. And a good number of us have even read the story.

THIS WEEK’S POLL – Thanksgiving

SONG OF THE WEEK

I guess I’m not the only one feeling the need to dance. Click on the link below and scroll down a little past the history and you will see some performers from the past dancing to Uptown Funk.

Uptown Funk

http://www.littlethings.com/uptown-funk-dance-oldies-classic-vintage-nostalgia-vts/?utm_source=LTts&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=performances

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

Napoléon Bonaparte

Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution [ ]

Napoleon dominated European affairs for over a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, rapidly gaining control of continental Europe before his ultimate defeat in 1815. One of the greatest commanders in history, his campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide and he remains one of the most celebrated and controversial political figures in Western history.

In civil affairs, Napoleon had a major long-term impact by bringing liberal reforms to the countries that he conquered, especially the Low Countries, Switzerland, Italy, and large parts of Germany. He implemented fundamental liberal policies in France and throughout Western Europe. His lasting legal achievement was the Napoleonic Code, which has been adopted in various forms by a quarter of the world’s legal systems, from Japan to Quebec. (Source: Wikipedia)

BLOG

I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts, since it encourages me to continue these posts. Thank you Carol, Carolyn and Martilias. Leaving a comment is easy, just click on “Leave A Comment”, which is immediately below the title of this week’s post. And if instead of seeing “Leave A Comment”, you see “# Comments”, just click on that and scroll down to leave your comment.

If you think this blog has any merit, please pass it on to your friends, as well as liking my Facebook page.

MY BOOK

http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-tired-of-being-ordinary-are-you-wm-allen/1120528064?ean=9780990388692

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Im-Tired-Being-Ordinary/Wm-Allen/9780990388692?id=6429711012885

11/16/15 – Viva la France!

November 16, 2015 Wm. Allen7 Comments

CURRENT EVENTS

Viva la France!

World Powerlifting Congress

I took second place at the World Powerlifting contest in Maia, Portugal; coming in second to the extraordinary Evageny Khudolleev of Russia.

I found the Russians very friendly and extremely supportive of me. Below is a couple new Russian friends that I made at the contest.

As I have mentioned in the past; one never accomplishes anything without some help along the way. You may recall me mentioning Tony, Walter and Art’s contributions to my being at the contest in Portugal.

Well I owe a big thank you to John Harp, who I met at the weigh-in the day before the contest. He was kind enough to coach me through the lifting process, which was somewhat different than how I had done it in the USA. Plus, John was encouraging me for each of my lifts. I believe without his help, the results would not have been as favorable for me.

A Christmas Carol

I saw this play yesterday with some of my best friends and I think seeing a live performance of A Christmas Carol is a great way to kick off the Christmas Holidays. Usually, you can find a performance somewhere near you. I happened to see this one at Meadow Brook Theater in Rochester, Michigan.

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

SELF-HELP BOOKS

I first read “The Art of War” back in 1988 and have reviewed it every so often.

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician [ ]. It has had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy and beyond.

The book was first translated into the French language in 1772 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot and a partial translation into English was attempted by British officer Everard Ferguson Calthrop in 1905. The first annotated English language translation was completed and published by Lionel Giles in 1910. Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, General Douglas MacArthur and leaders of Imperial Japan have drawn inspiration from the work. (Source: Wikipedia)

LAST WEEK’S QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

Last week’s poll involved five frogs on a long. Four decide to jump off the log, how many are left?

Congratulations to the over 80% of you who answered that five frogs were left. Why, because deciding isn’t doing.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

French Kiss

To demonstrate my support for the people of France, I thought I would choose a movie with a French theme. This is a very nice movie and hopefully will take your mind off the troubles of our world, at least for a little while.

The film is about a woman who flies to France to confront her straying fiancé and gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her to smuggle a stolen diamond necklace. French Kiss was filmed on location in Paris, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur région of southeastern France, and Cannes. (Source: Wikipedia)

LAST WEEK POLL – Health

Regarding the first poll on health, 57% of us believed the people of the USA are less healthier than other people in the world.

However, 41% of us believe we are as healthy as other people in the world and another 41% of us believe we are healthier than other people in the world.

THIS WEEK’S POLL – A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a holiday classic. It is not just a book, but a number of movies have been using the story as its basis and many plays are being performed at this time of the year.

SONG OF THE WEEK

Given what happened in Paris and the threats against the USA; it just had to be Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. this song this week.Here is a song about taking care of business, plus I am dedicating this song to all the business women out there.

Born in the U.S.A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPhWR4d3FJQ

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet “King of the Wild Frontier”. He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the Texas Revolution, and died at the Battle of the Alamo.

Crockett grew up in East Tennessee, where he gained a reputation for hunting and storytelling. After being made a colonel in the militia of Lawrence County, Tennessee, he was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821. In 1825, Crockett was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he vehemently opposed many of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, most notably the Indian Removal Act. Crockett’s opposition to Jackson’s policies led to his defeat in the 1831 elections. He won again in 1833, then narrowly lost in 1835, prompting his angry departure to Texas (then the Mexican state of Tejas) shortly thereafter. In early 1836, Crockett took part in the Texas Revolution and was killed at the Battle of the Alamo in March. (Source: Wikipedia)

BLOG

I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts, since it encourages me to continue these posts. Leaving a comment is easy, just click on “Leave A Comment”, which is immediately below the title of this week’s post. And if instead of seeing “Leave A Comment”, you see “# Comments”, just click on that and scroll down to leave your comment.

If you think this blog has any merit, please pass it on to your friends, as well as liking my Facebook page.

MY BOOK

http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-tired-of-being-ordinary-are-you-wm-allen/1120528064?ean=9780990388692

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Im-Tired-Being-Ordinary/Wm-Allen/9780990388692?id=6429711012885