Dear boy,

You are not alone in the clammy hands department, especially when under pressure, like a two-day job interview.  What you can control, however, is the firmness of your handshake.  Grasp others’ hands like you care.  Pump them like you mean it.  When you put out your floppy, wet hand, you signal that you are weak.  Not that I couldn’t tell from a first glimpse of your work or from you inability to engage in a non-annoying conversation; however, the handshake confirmed all of my misgivings.  The weakness does nothing for your artsy persona.  You claim to use Warhol as a model, but I’d bet a million dollars Warhol would eat you for dinner, while filming said event.

As for your work, I will admit I’m no genius myself, but when I write something, I actually go out, do research and write.  I don’t pretend this blog or some journal entries should become the body of my work.  This is plain fun and nothing more. How on earth you got book deals for the nonsense you call writing, which is really just self-absorbed rubbish, I will never know.  Honestly, it’s people like you and publishers like them, who make me never want to take a pen to paper again.

Because the fates were aligned, and because I had nothing to do with your hire, you have landed a job that you do not deserve now nor would I think you would deserve ten years from now.  Be a man.  I’m obviously not saying become a macho man (you couldn’t if you tried) or a chauvinist.  Just stop pretending that recording inane conversations is writing.  Sit down, write, and for the love of god, get a firmer grasp on your outward persona, including your pathetic handshake. When you get a book deal that involves writing, real writing, I’ll take back most of what has been said. Now be a good boy, and run along.

Sincerely,

Not a fan

We recieved such a great response to last week’s newsletter that we had to add a part 2 and focus again on gestures, a form of non-verbal communication. Have you ever been scolded for not covering your mouth while yawning or talking during your dinner? Since these gestures are natural, we are often not aware of their impact on others.

Many of these courtesies and nonverbal cues can be traced back to the Middle Ages, to the era of kings and queens, chivalry and knights in shining armor. Some were created to be courteous, some were meant to be symbolic, and some were simply matters of logic. Let’s learn the significance of some of these…

The Story Behind The Handshake
An empty hand presented forward to another person, and receiving the same response, was the easiest and most recognizable way to show the other person that you weren’t holding a weapon! Therefore, a handshake meant they were going to talk instead of fight.

Let’s Salute
If a knight in a suit of full armor wanted to talk with a friend, he would have to remove the barrier, i.e., lift his visor. His hand thus ended up at his forehead to lift the visor. A salute indicated lifting the helmet visor, so that the knight could talk instead of fight.

Yawning? Cover Your Mouth!
This has two logics to it. On a religious level if you yawned, with your mouth wide open, the Devil could reach right in and yank out your soul. Secondly, in the Middle Ages bathing was considered unhealthy, so most of the peasants and nobility stank badly. So it seemed logical to cover one’s mouth while yawning.

Raising a Toast
Toast and clinking of glasses together was originally done so that when the glasses clinked, the drinks sloshed together on impact. This meant that whatever was in one drink passed into both glasses. So if someone was planning to drug a friend, he too would get some!

Keep Your Elbows Off The Table!
Why is it rude? First thing to bear in mind is that back in the old days people sat down to dinner, squeezed into a long table that was set into a row. This meant that each person was packed very tightly in between the people on either side of him, and simply didn’t have much room to eat. The elbows weren’t allowed on the table because if someone had their elbows on the table, the other people couldn’t eat.

Consult with Protocol, Inc. for more information and history on nonverbal communication.  We love hearing from you by email and would appreciate you subscribing to our newsletter by adding your name and email by clicking here “Sign Up for the Polished Professional“and send this newsletter to your friends who care about their professional image. 

Let us know if our organization would like a discounted holiday workshop in November or December.  A Protocol, Inc. gift to you!

Thank You for that handshake…
u have no idea how much it meant for me…
even though u may have done it without much intentions…
or just to be nice…

it means alot to me really…
Thank You…

whether u meant it or not…

it helps me redeem a little piece of my soul…
i have done much wrong…
and i hope this is the first step on a path of redemption…

today is an end of a chapter…
talks of the future…
what it will brings…
what we can expect…

all the uncertainties…
talks of whether i would remain…
should i remain…
am i needed…

those are the questions i keep asking myself…

i feel i am no longer useful…
or was not useful from the start…
it is not about the people…
just feeling maybe everything is in better hands…

do i want to carry on…
should i carry on…
can i carry on…

most importantly…

do people want me to carry on…

reminiscence about the past…
about all the promises and hopes…
so distant…
yet they felt so good at that time…

we have achieve a little bit of things we hoped for…

Thank You for picking things up when i derailed…

was a little emotional when it was my turn to speak…
even though i have thought of what i said the night before…
even though as everyone take turns…
i was quietly rehearsing it in my mind…
a little sad and touched…

cause i know every word is true…
i have been lucky…

just a lucky person who stumbled upon a great opportunity…

did i deserve the place…

or was i simply lucky…

lately i cannot tell anymore…

feel a little redundant…
yet a part of me still want to go forth…

do the rest feel the same…

humans are strange creatures…
we can only think what we think…
but we endlessly try to think what others think…
we hypothesize…
we assumed…
we hoped…

is it all necessary?…

do what ur heart tells u to…
or…
do what u think others want u to?…

i am beginning to feel confused…

if someone would just tell me i have overstayed my welcome…

kind of feel like a 80 year old not knowing whether my family feels that i am a burden…

am i a burden to this family?…

then again…

no offense whatsoever to all elderly…
it was merely a reference in bad taste…

maybe a bit of feeling down has to do with sleeping little during the past 2 days…
its the weekends…
and after an exhausting week i have craved for respite…
but i did not get much rest…

only slept a few hours cause i was preparing things…

and Sorrie to have left u to do almost everything…
i wanted to go earlier to help…
but i realised i did not have the time…
i shouldn’t have slept that few hours…

i need more perseverance…

i am posting these up cause i feel it is interesting…
for the first time i had my mms conferencing…
while we try to find the perfect gift…
it was quite interesting this scavenger hunt of ours…

hahaha…

anyway i really hoped everyone enjoyed the little gifts…
there were much effort especially from him…
remember to thank him~!

and sorrie about the dinner…
i will treat u all one day i promise~!…

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, “What is Politics?” Dad says, “Well son, let me try to explain it this way:

I am the head of the family, so call me The President.
Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.
We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.
The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.
And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.
Now think about that and see if it makes sense.”

So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.

So the little boy goes to his parent’s room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny’s room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy says to his father, “Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.”

The father says, “Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about.” The little boy replies, “The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.”

who knew it would be
so hard to make oaths in blood?
let’s use spit instead.

One of the largest pieces to time management is planning a beginning and an end to a project.  Most of us have no problem getting started, but at times it seems that we never really “close that sale.”  Even a seasoned salesperson can talk past the close, and find themselves out of a sale or too afraid to ask for it.  So many of my clients come to me and ask me, when is the best time to ask for the sale?  How much selling must I do for someone will buy from me?  What is the best way to increase sales?

This is as easy as ABC… “always be closing!”  Today’s clients are sophisticated buyers and already know what they want.  Your job as salesperson is to find out what is important to the customer and then give it to him with your product or service.  A keen salesperson is also a good listener.  Many salespeople make the mistake of talking over their clients or injecting their own needs.  So every time you really answer a client’s concern with a solution then ask point blank, “would you like to purchase now?”

Of course the seasoned salesperson will ask for the sale using different words so as to not sound pushy.  As a rule, staging your next sale should consist of three things: (1) listening to the client’s needs, (2) answering the needs with information and sizzle, and then (3) asking for the business.  If you get a ‘no’ at first continue with steps 1-3 until you have satisfied the client and gotten the sale.

The Guardian.co.uk’s landmark compilation of stories of 40 years of the Internet — and by those who make up the Internet: people like you and I — presents the most attractive Internet timeline just yet.

Scanning through online aggregator’s snippets, specifically of favorite, minimalist popurls.com’s site, led me to the 40-year tapestry of stories in short but very engaging prose. The linear web of accounts outlines the most important and updated milestones in the ‘Net’s continuing story that I simply feel compelled to share it here, especially to the generation that may not understand the exhilaration associated with (nor recognize the sound of) a digital modem handshake: the generation reared in broadband speed and e-games or playing “house” for hours in their chairs clicking away on their keyboards, or being highly dependent on online search engines — if not their cellphone keypads — for their homework.

 

---

…the first message (only the “L-O” of the word “L-O-G-I-N” travelled from UCLA to SRI before the first ‘Net crash…

 

 

---

 

Vinton Cerf et al. published a proposal to link up Arpa-like networks. (It) is notable for containing the first published use of the word "internet"

⇔

The year 1969 is notable for many significant events.

In the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos was reelected for another 4-year term; The Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati (then, a municipality of Rizal Province, now, a city of Metropolitan Manila) had its campus groundbreaking and admitted its first batch of students[1].

In the Middle East, Moammar Khaddafy staged a coup and ousted Libya’s King Idris. In Asia, “the United States, governments of South and North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong met for the first plenary session of peace talks in Paris, France” [2|"American Assistance to the South"], yet Cambodia was at the receiving end of the USA’s B-52 bombs[3] as exposed in the New York Times by William Beecher the same year.  Meanwhile, Andy Warhol and Gerald Malanga co-founded Interview Magazine[4], The Boeing 747, which we grew up to know as the “Jumbo Jet”, took off ground for the first time [5] (as did France’s Concorde in its test flight). Dorothy Fisher became the first female heart transplant recipient under Dr. Christian Barnaard [6], and the first manned spaceflight lands on the moon [7].

Oh, that generation’s version of homeschooling, Sesame Street, premiered in the US the same year, too, and many Filipinos of the 70s, including myself, learned English grammar and alphabet from people interacting with puppets. In the flesh and beauty arena, dusky 18-year old Gloria Diaz made headlines for winning the Philipines’ first Miss Universe crown.

(if video above does not load, watch it here)

In the same year, Seiko unveiled the first quartz watch [8], the microprocessor chip was born [9], and UNIX was developed by Bell Labs [10].

⇔

This post is populated by information made possible in one sitting without getting off my chair, as I, like many from today’s generation who I mean to address, and from the generation ahead of mine, am a beneficiary of all the events mentioned above; but, more profoundly, by this much less significant event in 1969 that is now capable of calling back the past at one’s behest.

The Guardian.co.uk calls it’s project A People’s History of the Internet and starts with the ARPANET research project that was borne out of the Cold War.

These days, many attribute the Internet as this generation’s “great leveler”. It is  just 40 years old, yet, like many of the darkened areas of the world maps back in those days, the internet — as technology and way of life — has still to touch the world’s majority population.

I wonder what people’s history will be like, how the ‘Net will play out in the next 40 years, if we only look back to any of the these significant events, and learn, particularly from those that deal with conflict, crises and territoriality, to build a better world for others from here.

Kishore meeting Dalai Lama

There is one thing in business that is more important than anything else. That is the handshake. When you shake hands with someone, that person is automatically inferring things about you. Are you a dominant personality or are you a submissive personality? How can someone tell this about you just from a simple handshake? First way to tell is the almighty dominant handshake. If you shake hands with your palm facing down and the receiver has to rotate his/her hand to a palm up position, the person with the palm down is dominant in this handshake. Often times when you are met with this kind of handshake the person offering their hand in this position will quickly squeeze your hand hard. This is an attempt to quickly dominate and subdue you. The dominant handshake is most often going to be offered to you by someone in a superior position to you such as a boss. You will have to make a judgment call when your boss gives you a dominant handshake, but I would be more apt to level the playing field with the boss.
The next handshake is the submissive handshake. A submissive handshake is one in which your palm is up. The palm up represents an, “I give up gesture”, which is submissive. The dominant position is being offered to the person. If the person offering the handshake is in a neutral position with their hand and you give them yours palm up, you are saying to the on a subconscious level that you can be dominated. Try this maneuver once at work with a co-worker of equal rank and position and see what happens. The person being forced into a dominant position will pick up on this and start talking to you differently. Usually the submissive handshake is accompanied with a cold fish type squeeze.
The last handshake position is referred to as a neutral position. This handshake is given to people you feel equal with. For instance, when you first meet someone new you will generally offer your hand with your palm facing out to the side. This says to the person being offered the handshake that this person wants to be equal with me and they will feel more at ease with you. It is this position that will tell everyone that you are not to be pushed around or dominated. So how do you fix a failed handshake situation?
With the dominant handshake being offered and with a submissive handshake being offered you can easily correct them with one maneuver. Simply use your left hand to two hand grip the initiator/violator and turn the hands into a neutral position. By doing this simple measure, you have leveled the playing field and have avoided offense. To the handshake initiator it just says that you are a warm and inviting person, they most likely will know that they are no longer dominant but are disarmed by the two handed shake. For more handshake techniques and tips follow the link below.

Technorati : Handshake, Submissive, neutral, squeeze
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Flickr : Handshake, Submissive, neutral, squeeze

I always like to see or hear about good soccer captains in action, especially at the youth level. This past Sunday, I was fortunate to witness 2 such captains.

The first example involved a U15 game I center refereed. The captain for the away team was a phenomenal athlete, scored a hat-trick which included an incredible diving header and a dummy that he dummied to himself similar to Pele’s attempt the 1970 World Cup (see below). Yet he was extremely humble, very well-mannered, and did everything in his power to always avoid making contact with the opposing goalie.

The other example involved my daughter’s U18 team.

My daughter was having words with some of the opposing players during the game. After her team won 1-0 and the teams met to shake hands, one of the opposing players deliberately retracted her hand from my daughter. When this happened, my daughter looked back said some not-too-choice words. Then she was intentionally showered with water.

My daughter was already in a bad mood. She was lectured to by the referee during the game and she did not get as much playing time as she thought she deserved. Then she was showered by her own captain. That was the last straw. She collected her bag and went to sit in the car. Who could blame her?

To the captain’s credit, she sought out my daughter. She first found my wife and shared with her what had happened.  The captain witnessed the whole incident … the retracting of the hand and the words that followed. Knowing my daughter, she was concerned that the situation could potentially escalate and turn ugly. With little time to react, the she decided to literally and figuratively cool things down.

My wife directed the captain to our car where my daughter and she talked it out and put the incident behind them.

Though her method was unconventional, I want to give the captain her ‘props’. During the traditional handshake, she was doing what all captains should do … reading the situation and looking out for their teammates. She did not let the situation get out of control because of a disrespectful act. And most importantly, she sought out my daughter to explain her actions and make sure my daughter was OK. Had that final conversation not taken place, my daughter would have carried that resentment with her for a long time. As it turns out, my daughter now respects the captain even more, as do my wife and I.

Good job captains. Keep up the good work.

If you have good examples, it would be great if you shared them with us.

• When a stranger trusts us, the brain reacts the same way as when we are around friends or family. The reason, (presented by neuroscience) – Oxytocin, a brain chemical.
• Oxytocin, helps us to make the assessment as to if a person is trustworthy or not. Combined with past experiences, memories, and sensory input, including touch, if the stranger meets the criteria designated by past trustworthy people, oxytocin in released and that person in trusted and a bond is formed.

• Trust is linked to pleasure, oxytocin will cause the release of dopamine. With repeated encounters the “trust test” happens more quickly, and the social bond grows stronger with that person, due to the affect of dopamine.

• Oxytocin increases empathy. Allows us to see other’s view points.

• Touch prompts the brain to release oxytocin.

• “Our feelings about someone else, and the pleasure we feel in cooperating, is the foundation for trade with others. And it all starts with a handshake.”

From an article by:

Kuchinskas, Susan. (2008, Sept. 29). The Power of a Handshake: How Touch Sustains Personal and Business             Relationships. The Huffington Post.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-j-zak/the-power-of-a-handshake_b_129441.html

For more about Oxytocin: http://www.wellsphere.com/wellpage/sources-of-oxytocin

So, my family has been known to get carried away. On occasion we have been known to take something silly and run way to far with it. My sister recently discovered a list we made a few years ago while having lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant. We’d just gone to see one of those sub-par superhero movie. (It’s hard to remember which, because there are so many of them). Our conversation drifted from sub-par superhero movies to to sub-par superpowers. The resulting brainstorm session yeilded the following list of superheroes, villains, and a few that we’re really not sure about, all of whom are equipped with mysterious but rather lackluster special powers. While the moral character of your average superhero may range from transcendentally righteous to heinously evil, these not-so-super heroes range from slightly convenient to mildly annoying. Sure, Superman just stopped that missile from hitting a bus full of schoolchildren, but we can all agree that the Temprighture is the real hero of the day for reheating my latte.

Superheroes

• Confettiman: Shoots confetti like Spiderman.
• Genulaughman: Makes courtesy laughs sound sincere to the person telling a corny joke.
• Temprighture: Dips his finger into a drink and makes the drink the perfect temperature to sip.
• Radioman: Can tune the radio perfectly to the station for the clearest signal.

Supervillians

• Tablerocker: Walks into a room, and one leg of every table and chair is slightly shorter than the other three, making it wobble.
• Tiltawirl: Walks into museum, and makes all the paintings slightly crooked.
• The Sneeze: When he looks at you, you sneeze every time you say the word “the.”
• Snortman: When he tells a joke, everyone who laughs, inadvertently snorts.
• Awkward Introduction man: Can’t decide whether to handshake or hug.

Not quite sure

• Caralarmer: Sets of the alarm of every vehicle he walks past.
• Rhymeman: Everyone in the room speaks in rhymes.
• Popeye: In his presence, a faint “pop” noise can be heard any time anyone blinks.
• Gollyman: Every time he points at you, you say, “Golly!”

It is said –

If you want to get the feel for something you need to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.

Touch is one way we learn.

Our skin is the largest organ of the body.  It’s sense of touch allows us to translate information tactilely rather than visually.

Touch soothes people as we introduce ourselves in a new situation.  It conveys confidence, warmth, friendship, your relaxed with yourself.

Tips are larger for the Waitresses who touch the customer…this doesn’t work for waiters, though.

Touch gives you an understanding of your body’s placement in space.  Take that touch, turn it into a handshake and it’s been shown a handshake improves, relationships and popularity and in the business world ,sales.

When shaking hands, Eye contact with that shake is very important, if you extend your hand first, this shows you have confidence and

2-1/2 shakes is the ideal # of up and downs…

the sound when you log onto the net is called a handshake….it’s two machines talking to one another….

It originally meant “I come  unarmed”.  Scholars say the first recorded handshake was in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings when soldiers grasped each others arms to check for weapons….

The handshake equalizes status.  It was the Quakers  who popularized it as an egalitarian gesture rather than the more popular gestures of the day such as kissing, bowing and sweeping one’s hat,

This connecting opens up the opportunity to accept that person.  When you accept you open your heart.  An open heart is where change occurs and leadership grows from, because…fact…the  heart organ is made up of the same tissue as 65% of the brain.  The Handshake Project encourages you to listen to these heartfelt thoughts.

A firm handshake with direct eye contact is the common greeting in the republics of the former Soviet Union. However, among close friends, many residents greet good friends with a “Russian bear hug”, which would be to hug someone heartily and then kiss the person two or three times on alternating cheeks, with sometimes a final kiss directly on the lips. This is behavior accepted both towards men and women. However, in Uzbekistan, to add a kiss jwould be inappropriate.

Czech Republic

Always shake hands while in a formal or informal atmosphere. This applies to both your arrival and departure

Denmark

When meeting someone, a firm, brief handshake is common. Children will offer to shake your hand, and are taught to make direct eye contact with their host for the first time. Always shake a woman’s hand before the hand of the gentlemen in a group situation. Please stand to shake hands with another person if you are seated.

France

In France, a light, quick handshake is common. You shake hands frequently in France, particulary upon arrivals and departures. To offer a strong, pumping handshake would be considered uncultured. When you enter a room, be sure to greet each person present. A woman in France will offer her hand first.

Germany

It is impolite to shake someone’s hand with your other hand in your pocket. Children are often scolded for putting their hands in their pockets because this is seen as a sign of disrespect.

Ireland

When you meet someone in either the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland, a firm handshake is appreciated.

Italy

Italians are very demonstrative. When greeting each other, you may kiss each other’s cheeks, embrace warmly and offer a long handshake.

Norway

Handshakes in Norway are brief, but firm. Avoid putting your arm around someone else, or even patting them on the back.

Sweden

Upon meeting someone in Sweden, offer a firm handshake and retain good eye contact.

Switzerland

Switzerland hosts a combination of French, Italian and German nationalities, thus, the cultural mores and gestures of each of these countries influence Swiss society. However, you should offer a firm handshake to whomever you are introduced to, including children.

Bangladesh

Bangladeshis will shake the hand of a Western man, but if the Bangladeshi meets a woman of either nationality, he or she will just nod their head while being introduced.

People’s Republic of China

The Western custom of shaking a person’ hand upon an introduction is becoming widespread throughout China. However, often a nod of the head or a slight bow will suffice. If your Chinese host does not smile upon introductions, don’t worry. The Chinese culture is rooted in the attitude of keeping one’s feelings inside rather than displaying emotions openly and publicly.

Fiji

Fijians usually greet one another by nodding their head and then flicking their eyebrows upward. Otherwise, a handshake is customary with visitors.

India

A Western woman should not initiate a handshake with a man in India. Many Indian women will shake hands with a foreign woman, but not a foreign man

Korea, South

During introductions, the more senior person offers to shake hands first, but the more junior person bows first.

New Zealand

The original inhabitants of the area known as Polynesia were the Moriori, whose culture still is present in the nation of New Zealand today. The traditional greeting among members of the Maori tribe is to rub noses

Philippines

Filipinos often greet each other with the “eyebrow” flash which is a quick lifting of the eyebrows.

Tahiti

It is customary and polite to shake the hands of everyone in a group in Tahiti. Kissing Tahitian friends on the cheeks still signals the French influence among the Tahitian islands

Thailand

The traditional greeting in Thailand is the “wai” wherein the hands are placed together in a prayer-like position and the headed is slightly bowed. It is similar to the “namaste” in India. The “wai” symbolizes “hello”, “thank you”, “good-bye” and sometimes “I’m sorry”. The higher you hold your hands while performing the “wai”, the more respect you are conveying. Never raise your fingertips higher than your face.

Egypt

Men in Egypt tend to be more touch-oriented, thus a handshake may be accompanied by a gentle touching of your elbow with the other hand.

Israel

Warm handshakes are customary in Israel, and good friends will normally shake hands with friendly pats on the shoulders or back. Israelis generally do not embrace or hug each other when meeting unless they are very close friends.

Kenya

The most common form of greeting is the handshake, however some local tribes show greetings by gently slapping palms and then gripping each other’s fingers which are cupped

Morocco

Greetings are important in Morocco but they vary according to location. In bigger cities, good friends greet each other by brushing or kissing cheeks. Many kisses signals close and sincere ties of friendship. In rural areas, you may see handshakes accompanied by touching the heart with the right hand

Zimbabwe

The handshake is common and accepted. Local women and girls may even curtsy upon greeting

MANY FANCAMS!!!!

Handshake

Because of You

Nan

HANDSHAKE

NAN

NOT A SINGLE DAY + Familiar Face

credit: friendiibi@youtube

Nan + Dance (Full) HOT!!

It’s Raining

11 days

Nan 1

Solo dance 1

Solo dance 2

original source: Gimsumin
reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube (thanks hun!)

My Way

73emle @ naver // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

That’s love + My Women

73emle @ naver // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube (thanks hun!)

Nan + dance

Lovefeel77 // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

HANDSHAKE

uploaded by JungYuri0810@youtube

Not a Single Day Full

KW // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

“Love is” Full

KW // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

Love Story Full

Park Min Young // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

Park Min Young // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

tagstory // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

BJ + it’s Raining + my way + touch ya

Ohseongja // reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

Rainism

// reuploaded by: o0oLjnho0o@youtube

Was that possibly the best Brand Licensing Show ever? 

I have been attending Licensing shows here in the UK and in the USA for many years and whilst the scale of America is always impressive, I have to say that I was hugely impressed with BLE this year. 

We don’t have to jump back very far in history to a show that lacked cohesion, direction and professionalism. I’ll be fair and say the exhibitors did their best, but I had the feeling they felt they were only there to support the industry; they didn’t really want to be there and this reflected in energy of the place. Many observers were saying that the show was a “waste of time and effort” and that unless it changed it wouldn’t last long on the licensing calendar. I think this was a statement of fact at the time, the show didn’t have long left and personally I would approach the idea of attending with a mixture of indifference and apathy – not a nice state of mind, but seemingly it was reflected on the faces of everyone I met! 

I have to congratulate Advanstar on their monumental effort in turning this show around. It has been no mean feat and one which appeared doomed when they took over the reins a few years back. 

So what’s changed? 

BLE has always been a great place to network but I felt that in the past it was just a “hello and goodbye”, but yesterday it was “hello, how are you, how can we help each other, let’s stay in touch and goodbye” – terrific and a huge mood change.

I can only speak for myself, but it wasn’t the quality of the stands or the number of exhibitors that stood out, it was the quality of the audience and the energy they created. The “buzz” was spot on.  People were ready to talk business, to listen as much as talk, to shake hands and to participate. The whole thing felt like companies are ready to “partner” and willing to “develop” and seemingly in a way that benefits the whole. 

I hope it’s the way of the future because I liked it. I hope it isn’t going to be short-lived because “we’re all having to be more approachable in these tough times”. I sincerely wish that it will always be thus and that the business will groom itself on its new sense of camaraderie. 

BLE 2009, great place to be!

In detail, as far as the brands go, there is little to report. The show is dominated by Character licensing, but look carefully underneath and there are terrific brands which have long term, sustainable, strategies. Most reading this will know about the great films being launched in 2010 and these will generate the usual quick wins for toy companies et al. Many will be aware of the top characters of the TV world and what’s likely to be big in the next 12 months – for me I believe Ben 10 will last a long, long time especially with the work Turner and Bandai will put into it. 

To wrap, I personally believe that this show is not just about the brands, the detail of the “sell”  and the exhibitors stands, because to say so would be to miss the essential essence of what was happening at BLE 2009. Of course many meetings were arranged on the pretext of doing business, but that wasn’t the whole point; It was making contacts, putting faces to names, building partnerships, shaking hands and making friends. 

Long may it continue to be this way!

I’ve never known anybody to confuse me with a neat freak. As a 23-year-old bachelor, I make no apologies for the squalor in which I live. I’ve got a sink full of dirty dishes at home, piles of dirty clothes strewn haphazardly across my room, and a bathroom inhabited by a quasi-sentient strain of soap scum I have nicknamed “Earl.” Having dealt with serious, legitimate illnesses in my time, the prospect of catching a flu or a cold is laughable to me, and despite my sordid living arrangements, I’m actually sick less frequently than my neat freak compatriots. Chalk it up to well-exercised immunities.

So it should probably come as no surprise that I have stopped well short of biting on the panic associated with the H1N1 pandemic. My desk at work is as dirty as the day I moved into it, I wipe my nose on my sleeve after sneezing, and I shy away from the nasty Purell stuff like it’s made of hydrochloric acid. My daily regimen of calculated slovenliness has never put me at risk for the flu before, so why should I change just because a generation of hypochondriacs has had its fears stoked by easy access to WebMD and the 24 hour news networks?

But while I haven’t caved, a recent blurb in The Boston Herald seems to indicate that the NBA has. According to the report, “Players and coaches have been asked to greet each other via more sanitary means of contact, like fist pounding, or maybe chest bumps.”

I had to read that sentence several times before it really sunk in. The time-honored tradition of shaking your opponent’s hand is to be replaced with… a fist pound? Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the pound. It’s not my first choice of greetings or congratulations. I always felt like you could tell a lot more about a person by their handshake, but how much variety is there in a fist bump? Some people like to blow it up afterward, and I’m told President Obama’s fist bump with his wife Michelle during his first televised presidential campaign speech was referred to alternatively as a ”terrorist fist jab” and “fisting” by Fox News.

But fisting concerns aside, isn’t the NBA overreacting a little bit? After all, this is a sport where really, really sweaty men routinely rub up against one another in the natural course of the game. And anybody that’s ever been in any locker room ever should well know that they are a cesspool of illness and disease. Were the handshakes really the tipping point when it comes to transmitting swine flu? Or is the NBA playing the part of the doting mother, doing all the obvious, wrong things in an attempt to protect her progeny?

Personally, I think this whole swine flu angle is just a clever ruse on the part of the NBA to retroactively forgive their cover boy Bron Bron for his temper tantrum in the wake of the Cavs’ Game 6 elimination in the playoffs last season. He wasn’t being a poor sport by not shaking hands with the victorious Orlando Magic, he was addressing public health concerns! He’s not an entitled twat, he’s a champion for good hygiene!

Someone needs to fist David Stern for this one.

[Originally posted on OPENSports.com]

I am really impressed with how Michelle Obama handled Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi.

She knew that sleazy old man wanted to hug but she steadfastly refused.  Brilliant.

It probably helped that her armspan is longer than his.

On a related note, maybe there should be a dementia test for leaders of countries who pass a certain age.  Berlusconi has, on more than one occasion, referred to President Obama as “suntanned.”

If you didn’t know by now, all Black People have an inherent sense of creativity. This extends to many facets of Black Culture, none so obvious as the Black Handshake.

But why must Black People over-complicate a simple greeting like a handshake? Well, because they can. That and it makes an otherwise simple gesture and distinguishes it as being exclusively Black, so that when other Non-Black People see a really impressive Black Handshake they will be instantly envious of Black People and will render simple handshakes as deeply unsatisfying.

Some scholars even believe that the Black Handshake could ultimately lead to the end of racism. Yes, really. You see, Non-Black People are so enamored with Black Handshakes that they will do almost anything to learn how to perform them, even putting their prejudice views aside in favor of being taught this unique handshake. Then they can show it off their new-found skill to all of their friends as proof that they have actually spent time with Black People outside of a work environment (an amazing achievement for any Non-Black Person).

The British Prime Minister forcefully pushes the man next to him out of the way to give what looks like a Master Mason handshake (bottom right).