There’s something wonderful about silence. In our modern lives, we so seldom have any of it. When was the last time you did anything — other than see a movie in a theater–without some additional soundtrack–no traffic, no talk radio, no music, no cellphones.  Silence, or at least some muted-volume version of life, is for me way up there as a much valued commodity, which no one has enough of, but is often under-valued. The original TV show “Get Smart” had a silly device for secret conversations between Maxwell Smart and the Chief called the “Cone of Silence.” It always cracks me up, but it makes a point: there are times when you just need some silence.

Story time

Let me paint you a picture. As a freshman at University of Texas at Austin, I lived in the Jester dorm (a somewhat ironic title, but the actual name of the place, no joke)–ten floors, 3,000 of your best friends.  Consequently it was very noisy and I found it hard to sleep, having grown up in what by comparison was the ultra-quiet suburbs. The freshmen neighbors with whom I shared a wall were fond of cranking their music after midnight. I like music, and I like loud music–a lot–but I also realized that I would not be able to survive and thrive on less than 4 hours of sleep each night.  My neighbors also had a habit of bouncing a rubber ball, a Spaldeen to be exact, against the wall at random hours of the day or night. Try reading or sleeping with “pah, dah, pause, dah, pah, pause” –wall, floor, catch, floor, wall, catch–for an hour. (Side note:  neither of these “party hearty” guys made it to sophomore year, but I digress.)

To cope with this noise level, I bought a pair of good headphones, not ear buds, full enclosed earphones. With them on, I could hear practically nothing of the outside noise. Even better, with the Classical FM station on low volume, wearing these in bed at night was something akin to an isolation chamber, but without the mind- and body-altering effects as seen in the 1980 sci-fi/cult/schlock film “Altered States,” in which William Hurt is magically transformed into a caveman by peyote.  With the headphones on, I slept well, passed my classes, graduated and went on the graduate school.

Story No.2

Later in life, I began to work more seriously as a professional writer and editor. I edited a few big books (100,000+ words) for an art museum, reviewing and revising the work of university professors and museum curators. At the same time, I set up a home office and began to work on projects there.  At the time, my kids were little and everyone who has kids knows that containing their volume at home is not really possible without Draconian measures. I remembered my college  strategy for coping with noise, but writing with music on proved too distracting. So I got a pair of ear protectors, like the ones used on a shooting range or flight line. When I put them on I would tell my wife, “I’m going into the ‘Cone of Silence’ for about an hour, so if you need to talk to me about anything important, please come see me face-to-face.” That worked, mostly. It required some give-and-take from all concerned. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am sorry to confess that this spillage of my work obligations into my personal life did not help my parenting or my marriage.)

But the main point is this: sometime you may need to establish your own Cone of Silence to deal with distractions. In the office, I’ve seen people use headphones in cube-land. For those that have an office door, just close it when you need to focus, and to be polite, put a sign outside that says simply “Please knock.” People will realize that you are working on something for which you need to focus and they will generally save non-essential interruptions for a time when your door is open.

For many writers, artists, graphic/web designers and even some computer programmers, they require a quiet place to work, apart from coworkers or family. That’s why people who have the means have private offices within their homes or a shack in the country. In some big cities, there are businesses where you rent a desk. Ginny Wiehardt, a Fiction Writing Guide at About.com, has posted a list of such places around the nation and the world at http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/startingtowrite/tp/urbanspaces.htm (thanks Ginny!) The key point here is that carving out a place and time to focus is a universal desire that you share with many other people.

You just have to make a step forward to try. Try headphones, ear protectors, a private room, a rental desk. The main things is to afford yourself a Cone of Silence that works for you. Send more ideas and examples!!

Actor William Schallert (Get Smart, The Patty Duke Show) joins Ed and Frankie to discuss his many roles in film and television, including his work with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, John Sturges and Don Siegel:

http://media.podcastingmanager.com/9/3/5/3/3/142636-133539/Media/090709tvc29_2.mp3

Character actor William Schallert, a familiar face (and voice) for anyone who’s grown up watching television, will be our special guest on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, premiering Monday, Sept. 7 at 10pm ET, 7pm PT on Shokus Internet Radio, with a rebroadcast Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 11pm ET, 8pm PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.

Though often remembered for his regular roles as Patty Duke’s dad, Dobie Gillis’ teacher or the Admiral on Get Smart, William Schallert has played a wide variety of characters on stage, screen and television, in comedies and in dramas, for more than 60 years, including recent appearances in such top shows as True Blood, According to Jim, How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives and the HBO movie Recount. Along the way he has worked with some of the top names in the entertainment industry. We’ll be talking about that and more when Bill joins us in our second hour.

In our first hour, Andrew Lee Fielding will join us as we look back at the career of bandleader Kay Kyser. Andrew’s book, The Lucky Strike Papers, is a history of such early network TV variety programs as Your Hit Parade, The Freddy Martin Show and Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge; his mother, Sue Bennett, was a featured singer on the Kyser show, as well as other musical variety shows of that era.

Ed Robertson
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Mon-Sun 10pm ET, 7pm PT
Shokus Internet Radio
Every other Tuesday at 11pm ET, 8pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes and FeedBurner

No se si se nota pero aun estoy de vacaciones. Y no es por falta de ganas sino por falta de tiempo el hecho de que aun no me haya lanzado con asiduidad a postear con frecuencia.

Esta semana que finaliza estoy de canguro con mis hijos y, como bien sabe todo aquel que ha pasado por este momento, tiempo -lo que se dice tiempo- no me queda mucho. Hasta que no volvamos a la rutina de horarios, escuela y trabajo (o sea, la semana que viene) mi posteo es escaso. Y no es motivo tampoco el que no esté conectado, porque el ordenador lo estoy tocando poco, pero en cambio no me desengancho del movil. Porque al final dispongo de un iphone, en periodo de prueba, y estoy flipando con la cantidad de cosas que se pueden hacer desde esta versión moderna del zapatofono de Maxwell Smart.

Las aplicaciones para iphone de Facebook (v. 3.0, gratuita) y Tweeter (Tweetterrific, 3€) son tremendas y posibilitan la interactividad por las redes sociales de forma excelente… Demasiado buenas, incluso.

Con la tonteria, a lo que si me estoy dedicando es a Tweeter, útil como fuente de informacion y de contactos (mejor que Feisbuck?). Y sencillo de narices: aqui sigues (follow, following) o te siguen (followers), sin tener que hacer “amigos”. Lo recomiendo encarecidamente. Por ejemplo, yo estoy siguiendo a diversos medios de comunicacion (el pais, elmundo, publico, catalunya radio, ny times, huffington post, financial times, secciones de tecnologia y medios de los mismos), instituciones (la moncloa, el parlament de catalunya, red.es y reguladores como el Ofcom o la FCC americana), politicos, bloggers y, por supuesto, musicos y gente del espectaculo: gene simmons, el hijo de gene simmons, david lynch, ben stiller, dave navarro, eric avery, perry farrell y jane’s addiction, los riverboat gamblers y a su cantante, sharon osbourne, slash y duff, lucinda williams, dave rude de tesla, sebastian bach o ginger de wildhearts, alex de la iglesia, john cleese, risto mejide, mauro entrialgo… Algunos escriben directamente y con asiduidad, y otros de manera muy formal y por intermediarios, supongo. Por si te decides, contactame en Tweeter en @felixortega.

Y todo esto que te acabo de contar (estoy exhausto, los dedos me duelen de teclear en la pantallita del movil, me agobia poner acentos…) lo escribo desde la aplicacion WordPress de iphone, justita en comparacion con las anteriores (temo que no permite subir fotos o videos, ni establecer links) pero ya ves que util en cualquier caso.

Photos Don't Lie! Space Alien Met With President Bush

On This Date In History: In July of 1947, the United States Air Force first reported that personnel had found parts of a flying disc near Roswell, NM. A furor of space invasion fever took ahold of America. So the USAF changed their story to say….uh….its a weather balloon. How one can confuse a disc with a balloon is not clear. But, it was their story and they stuck to it….after they didn’t stick with the first story. Many didn’t believe them. So fifty years later, on this date in 1997, they tried to explain it again.   This time they said it was a result of several aircraft accidents combined with some balloon experiments that involved life sized dummies.  I don’t think too many people still believe them and certainly not those who have made a small cottage business out of the tale.  If the story would go away, who would go to the Space Aliens diner or buy all of those space alien t’shirts?

Man on Left Not Space Alien

And certainly the UFO sightings have not gone away as they continue to this day.  In 2008 there were several reports from Stephenville, TX of extremely fast moving aircraft that was indescribable to numerous witnesses.  Just a couple of days ago, in North Devon, UK witnesses reported strange lights in the sky.  But, those reports were possibly explained by a toy store owner, of all people.  Apparently they had sold a lot of Chinese lanterns that are used for weddings and other events.  In good weather it is said that they can float a few miles into the sky before falling back to earth.  But, earlier in June 2009, the crew of a Mexican airliner reported a UFO racing across their flightpath.  They reprted it as “spherical traffic.”  Gotta like that.  Apparently, there have been an increasing number of UFO reports from flights in and out of Mexico City.

Kiev ca 4000 BC...I love this guy

Tracking UFO’s has really been great sport on the internet.  Here’s a guy who updates UFO reports all across the USA. How about a photo gallery of UFO’s? Here’s another that claims to have the “Latest UFO Alien Paranormal News.” Now one might speculate that all of this reporting that really picked up after the Roswell Incident in 1947 is simply a result of more human activity in the atmosphere in the form of balloons and aircraft as well as military experiments that ballooned following World War II and the discovery of the utility of aircraft in warfare and commercial purposes.  That probably explains a whole bunch of these sightings.   Trouble is that many say that UFO reports were coming in almost as long as man has been around.  This site shows a bunch of ancient artwork that is supposedly some sort of circumstantial proof rather than an artisian’s creative mind.  My favorite is the one from Kiev with the guy who looks like he has a trash can on his head.  Then there have been observers who for years have claimed that there is a UFO painted on the Mona Lisa.

Chief Didn't Buy Max's Stories, Do you Buy What the USAF Offered Up?

There is no question that there are UFO’s in that they are simply objects that are unidentified.  Sorta like Global Warming.  Data shows that recorded temperatures are getting warmer within the limitations of data collection but the question really is whether or not we are causing it and if we can or should do anything about it.  Well, the objects are unidentified and the question is whether or not they are other-worldly or if they are simply unidentified explainable events like the Chinese lanterns in Great Britain.  But, when the government comes up with four explanations for something like the Roswell Incident like Maxwell Smart (“would you believe life sized dummies?”) giving multiple explanations to the Chief, then it raises lots of red flags and the smell test can’t even be measured, let alone passed.

Internment of Japanese Done At Urging of Earl Warren

On this date in 1969,  the US was without a Chief Justice. Earl Warren resigned his position. He is well remembered for his commission investigating the JFK assasination. His conclusion left almost as many people in disbelief as did the Roswell incident, giving rise to cottage industries invoking the name of conspiracy. He had been a Republican governor of California who was appointed Chief Justice by President Eisenhower. But, he ended up not being the type of justice Eisenhower had thought, leaving Ike to exclaim that it was “the biggest damned-fool mistake I ever made.”

One thing about Warren that many popular culture sources do not reveal is that while Warren was Governor of California during WWII, he had strongly advised President Roosevelt to pursue the course of internment of Japanese Americans. Thats why its always good to check multiple sources or read several books on a particular topic as there are some authors who only want you to know what they want you to know. Some call it lies by omission.

Tornado Probability

Weather Bottom Line:   The story is generally the same with a little wrinkle.  The ridge will break down sufficiently to perhaps allow for some thunderstorm activity this evening as a weak frontal boundary sneaks down.  The difference is that the data has taken off the table the notion that there will be a shortwave coming through the flow.  That was the main catalyst for strong storms.  As it stands now, we will just have the boundary itself running into the moist environment with the heat of the day to work with.  For that reason, the SPC has narrowed the severe risk area a bit to reflect the timing of the boundary in relation to night time cooling.  A stronger front on Sunday or so may be a bit more exciting.

DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   0757 AM CDT THU JUN 25 2009
   
 

Hail Probability

  VALID 251300Z – 261200Z
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE MID MS VLY ENE TO THE
   LWR GRT LKS…
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER WRN PARTS OF THE CNTRL
   PLNS…
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS OVER PARTS OF CNTRL AND NRN
   MT…
  
   …SYNOPSIS…
   DOMINANT UPR RDG WILL REMAIN OVER THE SRN/CNTRL PLNS THROUGH FRI. 
 

Wind Probability

  IN THE WAKE OF AMPLIFYING TROUGH NOW OVER THE UPR GRT LKS…AND
   DOWNSTREAM FROM TROUGH NOW OVER BC/WA…EXPECT THE RDG TO
   TEMPORARILY BUILD N ACROSS THE NRN PLNS.  ON THE IMMEDIATE NE SIDE
   OF THE RDG…WEAK IMPULSE THAT CROSSED THE DAKOTAS YESTERDAY IS NOW
   OVER IA.  THIS FEATURE SHOULD TURN MORE SSE TODAY AND REACH THE LWR
   OH/LWR TN VLY TONIGHT.  IN THE WEST…BC/WA TROUGH APPEARS TO HAVE
   DISLODGED LONG-LIVED LOW OFF THE SRN CA CST.  THE CA LOW SHOULD MOVE
   ACROSS CNTRL/SRN CA LATER TODAY…AND SHEAR NE ACROSS THE GRT BASIN
   TONIGHT/EARLY FRI.
  
   WITH THE PRIMARY BELT OF THE WLYS REMAINING IN CANADA…FEATURES AT
   LWR LVLS WILL REMAIN FAIRLY WEAK ACROSS THE U.S.  TWO DIFFUSE
   CONFLUENCE AXES ARE APPARENT ATTM OVER THE N CNTRL STATES…
   EXTENDING FROM SRN MN/IA/WI/NRN IL ENE INTO WRN QUEBEC.  THESE
   FEATURES ARE LOOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH UPR GRT LKS UPR TROUGH AND
   SHOULD MOVE GENERALLY ESE THROUGH THE PERIOD.  THE WRN PARTS OF
   THESE BOUNDARIES WILL REDEVELOP N AS A WEAK WARM FRONT ACROSS CNTRL
   NEB AND THE WRN DAKOTAS LATER TODAY AS A FAIRLY WELL-DEFINED FRONTAL
   SYSTEM EVOLVES OVER THE NRN RCKYS/NRN HI PLNS AHEAD OF BC/WA
   IMPULSE.
  
   …MID MS VLY ENE TO THE LWR GRT LKS…
   AFOREMENTIONED LOW LVL CONFLUENCE AXES/WEAK COLD FRONTS LIKELY WILL
   SERVE TO FOCUS DIURNALLY-ENHANCED STORM DEVELOPMENT.  BECAUSE
   CONVERGENCE ALONG THESE FEATURES WILL BE WEAK AND PARTLY DISRUPTED
   BY OUTFLOW FROM PREVIOUS CONVECTIVE SYSTEMS…AND BECAUSE THE
   STRONGEST LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT WILL REMAIN IN CANADA…
   STORM DEVELOPMENT MAY BEGIN SOMEWHAT HAPHAZARDLY AS SFC HEATING
   IRREGULARLY DESTABILIZES THE REGION.  BY MID TO LATE AFTN…HOWEVER
   …EXPECT THAT SEVERAL LOOSELY-ORGANIZED CLUSTERS OF STORMS WILL
   HAVE EVOLVED FROM PARTS OF ERN IA/IL AND SRN WI E INTO PARTS OF
   IND…LWR MI…OH…NW PA AND WRN NY.
  
   AMPLE INSTABILITY WILL EXIST FOR STORMS WITH SVR HAIL/WIND…
   ESPECIALLY FROM IA/IL/MO INTO SRN MI/OH…WHERE SBCAPE SHOULD BE AOA
   3000 J/KG.  STRONGER MEAN FLOW AND FORCING FOR ASCENT SHOULD
   COMPENSATE TO SUPPORT LONG-LIVED/POSSIBLY ROTATING UPDRAFTS FARTHER
   N/E ACROSS MI/SRN ONTARIO AND NY.
  
   PERSISTENT FORCING FOR ASCENT /PARTICULARLY UPR DIVERGENCE/ AND
   STRENGTHENING WSWLY LOW LVL FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH AMPLIFYING UPR
   TROUGH SUGGEST THAT SOME OF THE STORMS/STORM CLUSTERS WILL REMAIN
   ACTIVE INTO TONIGHT OVER PARTS OF NY/PA.
  
   FARTHER SW…A SEPARATE…MORE DIURNAL CLUSTER OF STORMS MAY EVOLVE
   OVER MO…IN ASSOCIATION WITH IMPULSE NOW IN IA.  WIND AND STABILITY
   FIELDS SUGGEST THAT SUCH A CLUSTER…WERE IT TO FORM…SHOULD MOVE
   MAINLY SSEWD.  EMBEDDED STORMS COULD YIELD A FEW SPOTS OF SVR
   WIND/HAIL GIVEN HI PWS AND STRONG SFC HEATING EXPECTED.
  
   …WRN PARTS OF THE CNTRL PLNS…
   LOW LVL WAA SHOULD INCREASE OVER WRN PARTS OF THE CNTRL/NRN PLNS
   LATER TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT AS WEAK WARM FRONT REDEVELOPS NWD AHEAD
   OF APPROACHING UPR TROUGH.  CURRENT WV IMAGERY IN THE REGION
   PROVIDES MIXED SIGNALS REGARDING POTENTIAL FOR SVR STORM
   DEVELOPMENT.  VARIOUS WEAK DISTURBANCES ARE APPARENT IN BAND OF FLOW
   ON WRN FRINGE OF UPR RDG…BUT HEIGHTS MAY RISE SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF
   BC/WA TROUGH.
  
   NEVERTHELESS…GIVEN MOISTURE ALREADY PRESENT OVER REGION AND THE
   LIKELIHOOD FOR STRONG SFC HEATING/DEVELOPMENT OF TERRAIN INDUCED
   CIRCULATIONS TODAY…IT SEEMS THAT A CONDITIONAL RISK FOR SVR
   AFTN/EVE WILL EXIST FROM NE CO/SE WY INTO WRN NEB AND PERHAPS SW SD.
    GIVEN 25+ KT DEEP WLY SHEAR AND STRENGTHENING SLY LLJ…SOME OF THE
   STORMS MAY EVOLVE INTO A SMALL CLUSTER OR TWO THIS EVE…MOST LIKELY
   IN NEB.  THIS ACTIVITY MAY YIELD A CONTINUING THREAT FOR DMGG WIND
   AND POSSIBLY HAIL THROUGH EARLY FRI.
  
   …MT…
   STRENGTHENING COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH BC/WA TROUGH WILL MOVE ESE
   ACROSS CNTRL MT TODAY/TONIGHT.  ALTHOUGH LOW LVL MOISTURE WILL BE
   SPARSE…STEEP LOW TO MID LVL LAPSE RATES…INCREASING
   CONVERGENCE/FRONTAL ASCENT…AND DPVA SUGGEST A GOOD CHANCE FOR
   STORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG FRONT LATE THIS AFTN/EARLY TONIGHT.  LARGE
   TEMPERATURE-DEW POINT SPREADS AND FAIRLY STRONG BACKGROUND WIND
   FIELD /40-50 KT WSW FLOW AT 500 MB/ COULD YIELD A THREAT FOR A FEW
   SVR WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLY SVR HAIL.
  
   ..CORFIDI/GRAMS.. 06/25/2009

Presented by Paragon Booking

[FINAL UPDATE (hopefully): Paragon Booking has posted the NEW LOCATION FOR SKA IN THE PARK 2009
QBONKERS
9364 MAGNOLIA AVE
RIVERSIDE, CA 92883
Hopefully everything will go smoothly from this point onward.]

[2nd UPDATE: Paragon Booking, who is organizing Ska in the Park has posted on their MySpace Blog that the city of Riverside has "shut me down." But they are reaffirming that Ska in the Park has not been canceled, just "redirecting." They will be posing an update on their MySpace blog tomorrow and we will continue to keep you updated.]

[UPDATE: Suburban Legends has Twittered (Tweeted?) that "SKA IN THE PARK this Saturday has been moved from Riverside to The Fox Theater in Pomona, CA [editor: QBonkers in Riverside]. SL goes on at 2:45pm!”]

Paragon Booking has released the set times for Ska in the Park, going on June 27 at the American Legion Riverside Post 79 The Fox Theater in Pomona, CA Q-Bonkers Billiards in Riverside, CA,  with tickets going for $20 (less than $1 per band). Most of the bands are scheduled to play for 20-45 minutes. Suburban Legends are scheduled to go on at the not so prime time of 2:45pm – 3:30pm on the Main Stage and will be followed by Chase Long Beach from 3:40pm to 4:10pm.

Don’t forget to show up early to support the new guys, as doors open at 11am. Voodoo Glow Skulls are closing the show at 10:15pm, and even if they play for an hour, everything should be torn down and packed up by midnight. Full list of bands and their set times are listed below.

Main Stage

• Stupid Flanders 11:20-11:40
• The Pocketeers 11:50-12:10
• Illegal Beagle 12:20-12:40
• Defunked 12:50-1:15
• Maxwell Smart 1:25-1:55
• Half Past 2 2:05-2:35
• Suburban Legends 2:45-3:30
• Chase Long Beach 3:40-4:10
• The Skeletones 4:20-5:00
• RiceRokit 5:10-5:40
• The Dendrites 5:50-6:20
• The Guilty Parties 6:30-7:00
• Buddha Bomb 7:10-7:40
• Starpool 7:50-8:25
• Knock Out 8:35-9:10
• The Debonaires 9:20-10:05
• Voodoo Glow Skulls 10:15-

Side Stage

• The High Tops 11:10-11:30
• The Revivers 11:40-12:00
• Off Target 12:10-12:30
• The Boss Beats 12:40-1:00
• Taco Tuesday 1:10-1:35
• The Bashments 1:45-2:10
• Skamikaze 2:20-2:45
• Dr. Skavra 2:55-3:20
• Task Force Panda 3:30-3:55
• In Key Drop Outs 4:04-4:30
• The A Ok’s 4:40-5:05
• Nine 5 One 5:15-5:45
• Pilot Touhill 5:55-6:25
• Red Store Bums 6:35-7:05
• The B Sharps 7:15-7:45
• Assorted Jellybeans 7:55-

Ska in the Park MySpace Blog

Hello thrillseekers! One of my regular listeners contacted me to say that after tuning into the show each week they felt as if they had been on a rollercoaster. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be a compliment but, hey, it’s not called Theme Park for nothing!! What I love about a program that investigates a different  theme each week is that it necessitates me listening to music that I wouldn’t have otherwise.  This week’s show did that for me with all kinds of songs about shoes – from sneakers to high heels, boots and shoes of every colour. But, more importantly, it took me on a musical trip that stretched from jazz and blues right through to hip-hop – and I loved every minute of it. So, this is how this week’s ride went:

We opened the show with BETTY LOU’S GOT A NEW PAIR OF SHOES by John Caferty & The Beaver Brown Band. They played the music on the Eddie and the Cruisers film soundtrack. I don’t think it was a great movie but the soundtrack did very well. And then it was one of my favourite tracks of the show: Kirsty McColl with IN THESE SHOES?  Kirsty sadly passed away in a controversial accident a few years ago. Here she is appearing on a UK television program in 2000.  

Some great funk followed with STEPPIN IN HER I. MILLER SHOES from Betty Davis, (ex wife of Miles Davis). Now if you haven’t heard of the I. Miller Shoe Company let me enlighten you. Israel Miller started his career as a designer and maker of shoes for the theatrical profession in New York. The I. Miller Shoe Company took over a large building in Times Square that he had remodelled in 1926 with decorative sculptures on the building’s façade. The building was a tribute to the theatrical profession with statues depicting Ethel Barrymore, Marilyn Miller and Mary Pickford. The store’s slogan, (and I love this), was “The Show Folks Shoe Shop Dedicated to Beauty in Footware.” Another tidbit: In the mid 1950’s the I. Miller Shoe Company hired artist Andy Warhol on a retainer as their chief illustrator. You can still find examples of their shoes for sale on sites such as E-Bay and they, and the catalogues, are highly sought after. 

Adam Ant sang GOODY TWO SHOES: ”don’t drink, don’t smoke, goody, goody two shoes”. My guess is that Adam Ant is miles away from being a ‘goody two shoes’ but that’s what makes the song so memorable I guess. Check out this wonderfully kitch clip from the Solid Gold TV show of 1982. Ten points to Adam for the dance moves.

The Gorillaz impressed with GET THE COOL SHOE SHINE and then it was NEW SHOES by the very gorgeous Paolo Nutini from his 2007 album, These Streets: “Hey, I put some new shoes on,
 And suddenly everything is right, 
I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody’s smiling, 
It’s so inviting…”. Yes, Paolo I couldn’t agree more. Buying a new pair of shoes is the answer to all the world’s problems. Well, it’s as good a theory, as any, for being a shoe-a-holic, so I’ll stick with it. Here he is performing the song live at Bush Studios in the UK. Very talented…. and good looking too, which can’t hurt.

One of the defining tracks of Acid Rock was Traffic’s HOLE IN MY SHOE, so that got a play. And then it was time for some Blues and you can’t get better than Ruthie Foster singing DEATH CAME A-KNOCKIN’ (TRAVELLIN’ SHOES), Joe South & the Believers with the classic, WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES and Bobby Blue Bland with TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES.

My discovery this week was an album called Van Lear Rose. This was a collaboration between Loretta Lynn and Jack White of the White Stripes. It’s a Grammy award-winning album that was intended as a musical experiment, blending the styles of Lynn and White. The title refers to Lynn’s origins as the daughter of a miner working the Van Lear coal-mines. Until this week I have to confess that I hadn’t heard of the album but I am now a big fan. I played LITTLE RED SHOES - an outstanding track spoken, not sung, by Lynn. Amazing.

A very young Roy Orbison covered Carl Perkins’ BLUE SUEDE SHOES with his band, The Teen Kings, and then Robert Parker cranked out a hit from the 60s called BAREFOOTIN’. Graham Parker and The Rumour appear to know all about SOUL SHOES and the Presidents of the United States have a thing for PUFFY LITTLE SHOES, whatever they are….

I’m a big R&B fan and adore Chuck Willis’ rendition of HANG UP MY ROCK AND ROLL SHOES and Tommy Tucker’s HIGH HEEL SNEAKERS, so they had to make the list. And then Patti Griffin dedicated her song, BURGUNDY SHOES, to her Mother. We followed that with the Jenny Lewis track LET MY SHOES LEAD ME FORWARD from her terrific 2005 album Love and Youth. Here’s the clip, an animation, featuring 500 pairs of shoes. It was directed by Johannes Nyholm, Perisak Snalls and Andreas Nilsson. Brilliant fun.

I’m a new convert to Hip-Hop, (let’s face it, its not my era!) but when Rapper Slug from Atmosphere sings: “Those are your shoes, these are my shoes, we’ve got issues”, it does speak to me.  Yes, we all know that the right or wrong shoe can define a relationship. The song’s name?   SHOES (of course).

I couldn’t omit the fabulous Nancy Sinatra from the list and THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKING brought back lots of memories. And it was great to discover that MAXWELL SMART is still talking into his shoe-phone when we played a nice little extract from Get Smart.

Ella Fitzgerald contributed the very cute GOTTA PEBBLE IN MY SHOE, Paul Kelly told us that YOU CAN PUT YOUR SHOES UNDER MY BED, (I bet he says that to all the girls), and the very lovely Katie Melua sang a great ballad - BLUE SHOES.

Steely Dan’s song  BAD SNEAKERS is just as much about Pina Coladas as it is about shoes. Elvis Costello, apparently,  is into RED SHOES. Here’s the Buddy Holly look-alike belting out RED SHOES on Top of the Pops in 1977. Loving the comments superimposed towards the end of the song. Take a look.

The Disco era wouldn’t have been complete without our last song this week: KC and the Sunshine Band with BOOGIE SHOES. A suitably upbeat finale that had us all up dancing.

Here’s the complete playlist:

Betty Lou’s Got A New Pair Of Shoes - John Caferty & The Beaver Brown Band

In These Shoes? - Kirsty McColl

Two Shoes - The Cat Empire

Steppin In Her I Miller Shoes  - Betty Davis 

Walk In My Shoes Feat Lupe Fiasco - Emily King

mr bowling shoe giver outer – Vintage radio commercial

Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant

Let’s Dance - David Bowie

Get The Cool Shoe Shine - Gorillaz

New Shoes - Paolo Nutini

Hole In My Shoe - Traffic

Take off Your Shoes - Bobby Blue Bland

Death Came A-Knockin’ (Travelin’ Shoes) - Ruthie Foster

Walk A Mile In My Shoes - Joe South & The Believers

Little Red Shoes - Loretta Lynn

Blue Suede Shoes - Roy Orbison

Barefootin - Robert Parker

Soul Shoes - Graham Parker & The Rumour

Puffy Little Shoes - The Presidents Of The United States Of America

Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes - Chuck Willis

Hi-Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker

Burgundy Shoes - Patty Griffin

Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward - Jenny Wilson

Maxwell Smart Clip from Get Smart

These Boots Are Made For Walking - Nancy Sinatra

Shoes - Atmosphere

Gotta Pebble In My Shoe - Ella Fitzgerald

You Can Put Your Shoes Under My Bed - Paul Kelly

Blue Shoes - Katie Melua

Red Shoes - Elvis Costello

Bad Sneakers - Steely Dan

Boogie Shoes - K.C. and The Sunshine Band

Next week: each song will be about RADIO!

Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM Tuesdays 2-4pm, (Sydney time). Also streaming on www.bayfm.org

Reseña

Cuando atacan la sede de CONTROL, la agencia secreta de espionaje de EE.UU., y se ponen en peligro las identidades de sus agentes, el Jefe no tiene otra opción que ascender a su entusiasta analista Maxwell Smart, que siempre había soñado con realizar trabajo “de campo” junto a su ídolo, la mega estrella del cuerpo: el Agente 23. En su lugar, asignan como pareja de Smart a la única agente cuya identidad no se ha visto en peligro: la adorable pero letal y veterana Agente 99. A medida que Smart y 99 están más cerca de desenmarañar el plan maestro de KAOS, descubren que el espía clave de esa organización, Siegfried, y su compinche, Shtarker, planean sacar un beneficio de su red del terror. Sin experiencia práctica y con el poco tiempo del que disponen, Smart (armado únicamente con unos cuantos dispositivos tecnológicos para espías y su desenfrenado entusiasmo) debe derrotar a KAOS si quiere que todo salga bien.

—Esta pelicula NO tiene SUBS, si alguien desea la peli con subs puede pedirla en Pedidos.

–Calidad muy buena-

DESCARGA/DOWNLOAD

Parte 1

Parte 2

Parte 3

Parte 4

Parte 5

Parte 6

Parte 7

Parte 8

Parte 9

I may not be as smart as Obama, but I got good reflexes for a white guy???

I may not be as smart as Obama, but I got good reflexes for a white guy???

We gave up throwing shoes in the 19th century!!!

We gave up throwing shoes in the 19th century???

Major Shiite Arms Cache seized near Iraq / Iran Border!!!

Major Shiite Arms Cache seized!!!!

I Threw a Shoe at Governor Yuck Fou!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I threw a shoe at Blagojevich, hit him right between the eyes and he ain’t  bin right ever since!!!

Got Blago right between the eyes!!!

Don’t make me hurt you Newt!!!!

Don't make me hurt you Newt!!!!

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• The Story Behind The Iraqi Journalist Bush Shoe Throwing Incident

Are you old enough to remember the TV series Get Smart?  If not, then maybe you saw the recent remake in the theater.  Maxwell Smart was a bungling spy who always seemed to muddle his way through every episode.  His quirky nature and crack support team were his only weapons.

Every time he got into a tight spot, he would just plow forward.  Always confident in his ability and ever reliant on his faithful sidekick, 99.

When ever he would get out of a tight situation or come close to catching the bad guy he would say; ‘missed it by that much!’  Then he’d put is fingers just an inch apart to add emphasis to how close he was to success.

I loved that show and it reminds me a lot of the way I feel sometimes in the real estate business.  Sometimes I negotiate a deal and I just miss getting it.  But if the numbers aren’t right, I walk away.  I’m always mindful of the fact that you should never fall in love with the property, you should fall in love with the numbers.

If the numbers aren’t right, then walk away!  And sometimes for me, just as it was for Maxwell Smart, the bad guy will come back around!  I have to chuckle when I see a deal that I made an offer on 6 months ago come back around.

The bad guys pop up out of the wood work, but this time they want to play ball.  I put my crack team on it!  I send out my own special 99 to scout the deal all over again and see if the numbers are the same.

What I’m trying to say, is that it’s okay to miss out on some deals.  Many times being as patient as Maxwell Smart and having a crack team around you will make the difference in making a profitable deal and just missing getting taken by the bad guys!

I like old Maxwell.  He was confident and unafraid, but he was smart.  He had his team and plowed forward, but he also made sure to always come out on the safe end and he continually left the bad guys scratching their heads.

You to can be the Maxwell Smart of real estate.  Get out there and get started.  Find your 99, a team member that will watch your back.  You don’t have to be perfect, smooth or cool, you just have to get out there.  Then make some offers and be mindful that the sellers are the bad guys and it’s your job to make a bad situation good. 

Most importantly, if the numbers aren’t right, WALK AWAY!  Trust me, 6 months later the bad guys will come back looking for you and this time you might just be able to turn them to your way of thinking!

Michael Gross is the President of Dividend America Mortgage and has been in real estate for over 20 years. He has been a builder, a Realtor, an appraiser, and currently he is a lender and an active real estate investor. He uses all of his experience and knowledge to show individuals how to properly use a mortgage as a tool to help create greater wealth through real estate investing. For more information on residential and small commercial loans please call 770-350-7373 or email mgross@dividendamerica.com

Of course you would. These days, the Internets make almost anything possible.

É um absurdo, eu sei. Agente 86 (Get Smart) chegou aos cinemas, saiu de cartaz e já foi lançado em DVD e não publicamos nenhum papel de parede com imagens do filme. Para corrigir essa falha, fiz este wallpaper de cima. Para baixá-lo, basta clicar nele. Também aproveitei a estréia de Eu, Meu Irmão e Nossa Namorada filme estrelado por Steve Carell, o Maxwell Smart do cinema, para publicar este texto sobre o comediante.  para ler mais e ver fotos do filme Agente 86.

Estreou esta semana no Brasil, com atraso de um ano, Eu, Meu Irmão e Nossa Namorada, longo título para o simples Dan In Real Life, filme romântico estrelado pela belíssima atriz francesa Juliette Binoche – que atuou em filmes como Paris, Te Amo (Paris, Je t’Aime) e Chocolate (Chocolat) – e Steve Carell, um dos atores de comédia mais festejados do momento.

Neste filme ele interpreta um jornalista que tem uma famosa coluna de auto-ajuda e está prestes a assinar um contrato que lhe dará ainda mais visibilidade. Viuvo, ele é um pai zeloso que cuida sozinho de suas três filhas, mas não obtém tanto sucesso quanto desejaria. Certo fim de semana Dan viaja com as filhas para passar alguns dias na casa dos pais, numa saudável reunião de família. É nessa viagem que ele se apaixona perdidamente por uma mulher que, casualmente, encontra numa livraria… até descobrir que ela é a nova namorada de seu irmão. A partir daí Dan passa a enfrentar um grande dilema. Mas não espere situações histriônicas. Steve Carell não precisa exagerar para ser engraçado ou romântico. Sua atuação sempre está no tom correto para seu personagem, seja ele o pai viúvo deste filme, o agente atrapalhado Maxwell Smart, de Agente 86 (Get Smart), ou o tio suicida de Pequena Miss Sunshine (Little Miss Sunshine).
 
Ator, produtor e escritor, Steve Carell começou a despontar para o mundo em 2005, no filme O Virgem de 40 Anos (The 40 Year-Old Virgin) que, ao contrário do que possa sugerir o título, não é uma dessas comediazinhas juvenis que banalizam o sexo. Ele estava deixando The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, programa de humor onde atuou durante 6 anos, e acabara de ter uma participação em A Feiticeira (Bewitched), como o Tio Arthur nesta desastrosa adaptação cinematográfica da saudosa série estrelada por Elizabeth Montgomery. Neste mesmo ano Carell foi chamado para ser o astro da versão estadunidense da famosa série inglesa The Office, na qual permanece até hoje com grande sucesso.

No ano seguinte, Carell participou do premiado Pequena Miss Sunshine e, como nem tudo é perfeito, em 2007 estrelou uma grande bobagem chamada A Volta do Todo Poderoso (Evan Almighty). Ainda neste ano é o protagonista de Eu, Meu Irmão e Nossa Namorada e, no ano seguinte, aparece em seu mais importante papel cinematográfico até o momento: o atrapalhado Agente 86, do Controle, atuando ao lado de um elenco de primeira que inclui Anne Hathaway, como a Agente 99, Alan Arkin, como o Chefe, o simpático canastra Dwayne Johnson, como o Agente 23 e Terence Stamp.
 
Entre os próximos projetos do ator, estão o segundo filme do Agente 86, uma comédia romântica com Tina Fey, a queridinha de Hollywood do momento, e uma produção recentemente divulgada baseada nas histórias de Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, o autor de Sherlock Holmes, chamada The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard. É uma comédia que se passa durante as guerras napoleônicas. Vamos aguardar para ver o que Steve Carell está aprontando.
 
Indicações de links: Visite o ótimo site oficial do ator, com vídeos, muitas informações e centenas de fotos em boa resolução. Veja também a página do ator na TV Guide e seu verbete na Wikipedia. Veja o trailer de Eu, Meu Irmão e Nossa Namorada e conheça o site oficial do filme no Brasil.

As fotos que ilustram este texto são dos filmes Eu, Meu Irmão e Nossa Namorada e Agente 86, e podem ser baixadas em ótima resolução.
Leia as postagens sobre Agente 86 neste blog e  para baixar um papel de parede.

How many states are there?

With special guests, Sponge Bob and Patrick!

Spy movies reviewed by the family:
Quantum of Solace
Get Smart
The World is Not Enough

Victory Games published the James Bond RP in the mid-80’s.  When I think of gaming with super spies this is the one I remember.  Although out of print, I have found copies still for sale at online RPG stores.  I also found the basic game available as a pdf.  There is a Savage World conversion of the Victory Games Bond RPG.  Top Secret, the super spy game from TSR ceased production in 1992 before TSR was bought out by Wizards of the Coast.  Sadly I could not find any RPGs based off of The Wild, Wild West; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; Get Smart; Jason Bourne, or any other spy genre.  I’ve heard rumors that Evil DM Productions has a Savage Worlds spy genre scheduled for this summer.

Spies as a concept are timeless.  Your side/country/kingdom is always wanting to know what the opposing forces are up to.  Going back to the Bible (whether you accept it as historically arcurate or as an example of literature), we find that Joshua sent spies to scope out the tactical situation for the upcoming battle with Jericho.

So how to include spies in your adventure, aside from running a spy game that is?  One way that I’ve always wanted to try.  If one of your players is becoming dissatisfied with their character, you could take them aside and tell them that they are a spy for the opposition.  Between you and the player start dropping subtle clues that not everything is kosher.  Don’t think this works? Star Trek Deep Space Nine went for a few episodes in which Doctor Bashir had been replaced by a Changeling.  It might be a way for the player to become interested in the character again.

Agent Barret, Stargate SG-1’s reccurring CIA Agent is proof positive that I could easily add spies to my ongoing Stagate campaign.  Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow and Nick Fury are recurring characters in the Marvel universe and could be dropped into any superhero campaign. 

Another method of incorporating spies into your campaign is to have your PCs infiltrate the opposition for a game or two.  It might be fun to see if the PCs can pull off an infiltration.

Savage Worlds stats for not one but two super spies for you to use.

James Bond: Legendary
Race: Human
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d12, Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Skills: Boating d6, Climbing d8, Driving d10, Fighting d12, Gambling d12, Guts d10, Intimidation d10, Investigation d10, Knowledge (about whatever the scenario is) d10, Lockpicking d10, Notice d10, Persuasion d10, Piloting d8, Shooting d12+2, Stealth d10, Streetwise d10, Survival d10, Swimming d6, Taunt d10, Throwing d8, Tracking d10
Charisma: 30; Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 7;
Hindrances:  Arrogant, Overconfident, Heroic, Quirk – Womanizer
Edges: Charismatic, Alertness, Very Attractive, Marksman, Level Headed, Steady Hands, Harder to Kill, Nerves of Steel, Trademark Weapon (Walter PPK), Connections
Gear: Walter PPK, Hi-Tech Aston Martin (with the usual refinements), whatever Q has given him for thmission at hand

Maxwell Smart: Veteran
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d8, Investigation d6, Notice d6, Shooting d6,
Charisma: 10; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6;
Hindrances:  Overconfident, Clueless, All Thumbs, Quirk – catch phrases “Sorry ’bout that Cheif” – “Missed it by that much” – “That’s the second biggest …. I’ve ever seen”
Edges: Great Luck
Gear: Shoe Phone, Hi Tech Swiss Army Pocketknife

In that all time great TV series Get Smart, the forces of good are tied to Maxwell Smart’s spy organization called “Control”, who naturally battle the enemies of all things good “Kaos”.

The great institutions of our age have become great through their ability to create order and control amongst their diverse members. Of course, one person’s attempt to exert control is another’s loss of freedom.

The rise of social networking sites has brought into question the preordained view of control, order and debate. As significantly, the same sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter offer new opportunities for those same organisations and people to build deeper and richer relationships with those who follow.

But there’s a catch, you can’t build the deeper relationship without the institution having to give up its long ordered sense of control, particularly over debate. A good example of this would be the recent Presidential election where around 5 million people “friended” either a presidential or vice presidential candidate. And in becoming a “friend” either on Facebook or through MySpace or even directly on the candidate’s own site, they have the right to contact me and communicate with me, and likewise I have the same right to communicate with them. So if I disapproved of Barack Obama’s choice of Joe Biden as VP, or disapproved of John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin I have every right to express it on their site – and for all to see.

The same applies to community leaders, churches and businesses, where I can express either my support or concern about their actions provided I have a demonstrated relationship with them.

For most institutional leaders this represents a threatening proposition. Church leaders, politicians and other public figures then have to provide either a greater account of their actions, or at least be willing to allow differing views. The strange thing is that this is the essence of leadership, being able to build coalitions and create a space for the diversity and differences amongst followers.

In a strange way, a leader’s capacity to allow others to “speak truth to power” also provides a reflection on the leaders capacity to self question and willingness to benefit for the richness of different perspectives.

Of course some political parties, employers and community groups think they can control debate by banning their members from talking to the media – but the fact is the media is everyone now- and whilst most people might not talk to their local newspaper or TV station, the use of social media provides an avenue to talk to their friends and community. The groundswell can’t be stopped.

Whilst this can be threatening for leaders, it also has a rich upside. It builds deeper and richer links between leaders and followers and throughout and across organizations. For example, the employee who “friends” the CEO on a site like Facebook might see the CEO’s personal interest in a charity or community group, his or her favourite sporting team and their devotion to their family and, at another level get a richer perspective of what makes them tick. Conversely, the CEO who is thinking of cutting back his labour force might really see the families and faces that depend on the weekly pay check and think twice.

Li and Bernhoff in their book Groundswell argue that resisting this change in power dynamics is useless, indeed in reflects an old paradigm that has already been washed away. Like Barbra Streisend’s attempt to get her beachfront home pixilated out of Google Earth, those who attempt to defy the groundswell will discover that it is like trying to bail out the Titanic.

Of course social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter do change boundaries in relation to privacy and being able to negotiate those boundaries will be a challenge for all… and indeed a topic for a future blog

Stay well.

PDR

You may be too young to remember this show.  I am 50 and remember it.  So if you do not remember it….well, sorry.  But here is the point of it and then the modern day equivalent.  The star, Maxwell Smart was an agent for the Government.  He was a goofball……Modern day equivalent…well, like me and my buddy Mike Ellis.  But God has a plan for people like me and Maxwell Smart….goofballs and screw ups.

He says in the first part of the book James….If any of  you lacks wisdom, all you need to do is to ask for it.  God gives wisdom in 3 ways,…..The scriptures here say He gives it  to all…(if any of you lack wisdom)  He gives it generously…..a lot of it…..He gives it without finding fault with us…(He gives it without finding fault).   Just read this verse really quick. 

Got some stuff you need wisdom on today,….like your marriage, your future, your job, your need for a spouse, your boss, a business, relationships, your parents, some item of unforgiveness……how to pay the rent, a child who is rebellious, your own rebellion or disbelief, maybe an addiction or addictions?  I have asked God for this for, well, many of the things I have just listed above….and I am still working on them and God on me despite my own disobedience…..how about you?

louie @ lmercer6@cfl.rr.com