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I AM...

I am whatever YOU think I am until YOU get to KNOW me. This is true for everyone else too, of course.. so don't make assumptions about anyone or pass judgment; ask questions. You might just make a new friend.

Followers

Saturday, October 30, 2010

GHOSTBUSTERS


Ghostbusters" is a 1984 song recorded by Ray Parker, Jr. as the theme to the film of the same name starring Bill Murray andDan Aykroyd. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 11 in 1984, and stayed there for three weeks. It also peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on 16 September 1984, where it stayed for three weeks. The song is performed in the key of B major.
According to Parker, he was approached by the film's producers to create a theme song for the film. Unfortunately, he only had a few days to do so and the film's title seemed impossible to include in any lyrics. However, when watching television late at night, Parker saw a cheap commercial for a local service that reminded him that the film had a similar commercial featured for the fictional business. This inspired him to write the song as a pseudo-advertising jingle that the business could have commissioned as a promotion. The line "I ain't scared of no ghosts" came from a 1937 Mickey Mouse short, Lonesome Ghosts.
Parker was later the defendant in a copyright-infringement lawsuit which claimed "Ghostbusters" was too similar in musical structure to "I Want a New Drug", written and performed by Huey Lewis and the News (more specifically, the guitar riff which runs through the song). "I Want a New Drug" was a U.S. top-ten hit earlier the same year. The two parties settled out of court. Details of the settlement (specifically, that Parker paid Lewis a settlement) were confidential until 2001, when Lewis commented on the payment in an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. Parker subsequently sued Lewis for breaching confidentiality; the lawsuit is ongoing.[1] Ironically, Lewis had at one point been asked to record a theme song for the movie, but turned it down for other commitments.[citation needed]
In later years, AutoNation adopted the theme for their advertising campaign. In the United Kingdom, the song is parodied with Parker himself being featured in a commercial advertising direct enquiries line 118 118.
The song re-entered the UK Top 75 on 2nd November 2008 at #49.
Lindsey Buckingham claims to have been approached to write the Ghostbusters theme based on his successful contribution to Harold Ramis's National Lampoon's Vacation(the song "Holiday Road"). He turned down the opportunity as he didn't want to be known as a soundtrack artist. He mentions this on the "Words & Music" interview disk.
A music video for the song featured a young woman, played by Cindy Harrell, who was being haunted by a ghost portrayed by Parker, roaming a nearly all-black house interior with vibrant neon designs outlining the sparse architectural and industrial features. It also contained footage from the film Ghostbusters, and featured cameos from many celebrities of the day, including Chevy ChaseIrene CaraJohn CandyMelissa GilbertNickolas AshfordJeffrey TamborGeorge WendtAl FrankenDanny DeVitoCarly SimonPeter FalkTeri Garr and Casey Kasem; all of whom exclaim the "Ghostbusters!" line of the song when shown.
The video concludes with Parker and the stars of the film, in full Ghostbuster costume, dancing down the streets of New York City. The Ghostbusters also performed the similar dance in the closing credits to the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series as well as in a trailer for the 2009 Ghostbusters video game.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

WOW WHAT AN E-MAIL!

Each of you is important.  If I had some blue ribbons like those in the story below,
I'd give one to you and some extra to pass on to others.  Even without those ribbons,
we can pass on kindness, helpfulness, support, and other kinds of unconditional love.






























Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Are We Looking At Copycat Youth Suicides | Focus On The Rainbow

I had been thinking about the reaction to this commentary all day on Monday, but after reading of yet another teen suicide I could not help but ask myself the question, are we now seeing an epidemic of copycat suicides. I offer no answers in this posting just a very unsettling question which I put to readers and those of scholarly minds and investigative authorities.

I can’t recall so many teen or near teen suicides, both LGBT and not, in such a short time frame as we have had since the beginning of this school year. And when one is brought to the brink of so much despair and reading about others is it possible that some are now looking at that final answer to their various dilemmas as a way to go on and be remembered through the media and reminders of what brought them to that final act of desperation.


This question of mine is not new. On January 23, 2008, Daniel Finkelstein wrote an op-ed piece at The Times titled “Does the Internet cause copycat suicides?” in which he wrote in part, The first thing to understand is that copycat suicides are not something new. In fact there is an academic name for them – the Werther Effect – and this name shows that these strange deaths have happened for many years.

Goethe’s novel Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther) was published in 1774. And its publication was followed by many reports of young men shooting themselves. Why? It was widely believed that these suicides were copies of the death of the novel’s hero.
When academic David Phillips studied copycat suicides in the early 1970s, he coined the term Werther Effect.

While doing some background for this posting, besides the above I found a three page PDF of an article written in 2003 by a  Dr. S. Stack then with the Department of Criminal Justice, Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and titled, “Media coverage as a risk factor in suicide“. It starts off with the following, A total of 293 findings from 42 studies on the impact of publicized suicide stories in the media on the incidence of suicide in the real world were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Studies measuring the effect of either an entertainment or political celebrity suicide story were 14.3 times more likely to find a copycat effect than studies that did not. Studies based on a real as opposed to fictional story were 4.03 times more likely to uncover a copycat effect. Research based on televised stories was 82% less likely to report a copycat effect than research based on newspapers. A review of recent events in Austria and Switzerland indicates that suicide prevention organizations can successfully convince the media to change the frequency and content of their suicide coverage in an effort to reduce copycat effects.

If what we are witnessing are indeed some form of copycat suicides this raises the bar to an even higher level of concern for our LGBT youth and all youth in general who may be suffering at the hands of bullies or some other sort of persecution whether verbal, physical or via the Internet. Let’s hope there are wiser minds than this simple writer who can evaluate and come to some sort of solution before more young people are lost through acts of so final desperation.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

LOVE IS...

Love is judgmental,
Love is not lending a hand to a stranger in need

Love is painful,
Love is not knowing the sacrifices are worth it

Love is biased,
Love is not recognizing someone's pain and being there for comfort

Love is difficult,
Love is opening your heart to those who want to give

Love is selfish,
Love is putting another's heart second to your own

Love is blind,
Love is not looking in the mirror and know you are someone special

Love is complex,
Love is an insincere smile

Love is  distant,
Love is a heartless hug


Love is the one true gift we have to share with anyone,
anywhere, in an unlimited supply. How's your 'love supply'?


Monday, October 25, 2010

THANK GOD I FOUND YOU-THEN & NOW


On this day, the third anniversary of our relationship, I must say that I still feel immensely blessed, fortunate and humbled by the love that we share for each other. Three years ago we began on this journey and I must say it is one that I have not regretted taking. Our Love continues to grow from strength to strength and I consider myself to be very fortunate.

This journey thus far has taught me a number of things about myself and about the key ingredients needed for a relationship to be successful (I by no means think it is a one fits all formula or that it would work for everybody, just stating my perspective based on my experience), these include: open and honest communication, sacrifice, time and effort, compromise and unconditional love. Love isn’t the fairytale that is portrayed in the movies and requires effort and commitment to nourish and sustain it. It is also important to have common goals, a common vision and to articulate these with one another.

Baby, I love the balance that you have brought to my life with your love, wit, compassion, intelligence and profound sense of confidence and awareness. You have shown me how important it is to not take life so seriously and how to recapture that youthful playfulness that sometimes elude me. I am grateful for the love that you have shown me through these years, and the time has gone by rather quickly and seamlessly. You have enriched my life and have given further purpose to my existence here on earth.

I think the words of the song ‘’Thank God I found you’’ (Mariah Carey), best sum up my feelings for you.

Thank God I found you
I was lost without you
My every wish and every dream
Somehow became reality
When you brought the sunlight
Completed my whole life
I’m overwhelmed with gratitude
Cause baby I’m so thankful
I found you.

BABY I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH AND I AM GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE IN MY LIFE. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AND I WISH AND HOPE FOR A LOT MORE ANNIVERSARIES TO COME.

YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING AND I LOVE YOU.

By Noel Isaacs

Sunday, October 24, 2010

¿WHY NOT NOW?



We all know that we did NOT choose to be born; we did NOT choose our parents we do NOT choose the country of our birth and/or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing; and while it is true that we all are born, live, suffer and die, the thing that distinguishes someone like me, from a religious person is what we do in between. Many have the un-testable belief in the afterlife that it almost seems as if they don’t care about pain of this world. Compared with the eternal bliss/torture of Heaven or Hell, pain in this world is but a stubbed toe. Can someone tell me why SO many religious people have a DEEP-SEATED belief that in order to do well in the world, they have to suffer n’ sacrifice?



I know that this commonly held idea stems from a certain mentality, inherited from ancestors who came before us who may have experienced this as true. But isn’t this often the way in which false beliefs take hold and don’t let go, even though they are no longer relevant? We must all live our own lives, in our own time, and learn what is true for us, because very few truths prove valid for all people all the time.

Keeping our minds clear of false notions is not an easy task, as it requires us to first know our beliefs. Very often, these beliefs have settled deep in our unconscious minds where they simply sit unquestioned. Nevertheless, they have an effect on our hearts, our minds, and our reality. These beliefs act on us, creating situations and relationships that we regard as fate, when they are, in fact, simply our unconscious minds manifesting in the external world. As a result, we may not even be aware that we are carrying the burden of a poverty STRICKEN spirituality, and we may wonder why we are not manifesting abundance, especially since it is MY belief that we deserve it! The time to look deeper within ourselves to discover the obstacle(s) rises and set with the sun each day, yet we do NOTHING about it!

Is it time to take on the day, and conquer the night! The life that lives mostly in the dark stays in the dark, oblivious to the ‘idea of the light’ with growing self awareness. All the answers to move into the light of awareness and consciousness are found by using the invisible ‘light switch’ called ‘your choice’ that hides in the talking head, and the waiting, ignored heart. I get that in order to evolve, it is important that we examine the contents of our minds and hearts and get to the root of what we believe about reality. Generally, our concerns of the moment can be trusted to guide our inquiries. If we are not manifesting and maintaining the abundance we know we deserve, then this issue is calling us to look into the hidden corners of our psyches and root out any remaining beliefs that tell us we must suffer and sacrifice in order to do well. Our efforts will take us one more step away from this energy-sapping belief that we no longer need.

Within this realm of choicelessness, doesn’t it hurt choosing NOT to live? Nearly all religions seek conversions of people to pay for its religious salesmen to have a means of income. Why can’t we see that? Why is it SO hard for the many followers to see that their religious leader isn’t living like a pauper? From where I am sitting, they have NOTHING to offer that is not within you! I wonder if religious leaders are afraid of empowering their followers and enforcing that life is being ‘sourced’ by them.

Spirituality should feel good; and religious experiences that leave one feeling depleted, sad, and make excuses are not based in love. Religions are the ‘WalMart’ of fake spirituality for those looking for a cheap, quick fix, and not willing to take the time and effort to look within themselves where all the answers lie. I am sure they are weak from that transcendental experience that goes NO WHERE! I know that I am trying to undo years of teachings, but I will ALWAYS implore people in this world to build their spirituality around qualities like love, awareness, where no one is the monopoly! It is SO important that we know ourselves in a manner NOT dictated by someone else. BREAK FREE OF THAT SAFETY NET, BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO SEEK THE LIGHT & ASK YOURSELF, WHY NOT NOW?

Saturday, October 23, 2010

ALL MY LIFE

"All My Life" is a R&B love ballad recorded by Jodeci members (and brothers) K-Ci and JoJo. It was released as a single from the duo's album Love Always.
It was K-Ci and JoJo's second number-one song, following 2Pac's "How Do U Want It" (on which they were credited as featured vocalists). "All My Life" had earned enough airplay to debut on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number fifteen on March 28, 1998, when the single was released to retail stores. It later jumped to number one and stayed there for three weeks.
Shayne Ward recorded a cover version for his debut album, Shayne Ward.
Nelly samples the song in his single "Wadsyaname", as does Plies in his single "Medicine" featuring Keri Hilson.
The opening violin of the song is sampled from "P.S. I Love You" by Frank Sinatra, while the piano part interpolates "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

5 MISTAKES YOU MAKE TO SCARE HIM AWAY

1- Being too easy to please

The truth is that men LOVE compliments! We adore being told we’re hot, irresistible and look sexy. But throw out too many niceties too early on, laugh at all of our jokes (even when we both know they’re not funny), and always want to do what we want to do, and we’ll begin to think you’re being insincere. We’ll also think that you’re only trying to achieve one thing: to get into our pants. While that probably is your endgame, coming off like you have no opinion or spine instantly turns you into one of two things:the TOO-nice guy or the desperate gay man...and no man wants to date either. Instead, make us work for our compliments. We love a challenge and compliments go so much further when we feel we’ve actually earned them.

2- Being too focused on sex

We know you have an endgame with us. In fact, we’d be mightily insulted if you didn’t want to sleep with us after the first date! However, if you rush us or push us into a sex guilt-trip, we more than likely would give it up...then wonder whether you like us for our personality or for our assets. If you really like a guy and are interested in forming a long-lasting relationship with him, hold off on the pressure. 
3- Being possessive too soon
You know what it’s like: You’re sitting at home while your hot new boyfriend is still out drinking with a bunch of his friends. It’s getting late and since you haven’t heard from him for a couple of hours, you try to get hold of him. But you can’t. So you start obsessively calling, texting and stalking his Facebook page. Unfortunately, he’s not going to think it’s cute; he’s going to think it’s creepy. Wait for him to contact you and then listen and nod politely when he regales to you stories about his crazy antics from the night before. Even if you are growing green with envy over the fact that he was hanging with other men, you need to act like he’s entitled to have a life of his own. And if you do this, he’s going to want to spend even more time with you anyway.

4- You’re cheap

Even though we can pay our own bills and can afford our own expensive dinners(most days), we judge how much a man likes us by how often he pulls out his wallet. Sorry, that's just how it is! Of course you don’t have to take him to the snazziest place where a bottle of wine is more than the cost of your weekly rent, but taking him on a date where you pay for his meal (and don’t complain about it), will show him that you’re the sort of man who knows how to take care of a man. Believe it or not, some men are drawn to men who can protect and provide for them. While we’re happy to pay every third or fourth date, making us pay up too early sends signals to our brains that you’re not the sort of man we can have a future with.

5- Talking about exes

Though our brains are wired alike yours, we don't always thrive on competition. We don’t think it's the ultimate challenge to help you get over your ex (sometimes anyways) and get on top of us instead. On the contrary, many of us will actually shy away from you if you continue to tell us either how wonderful your ex was, how upset you are that he dumped you, how toxic your old relationship was, or how glad you are to finally be rid of him. Instead of being a turn-on, all this ex talk instantly screams that you have way too much baggage for our comfort levels. Not to mention the fact that it's boring for us to have a man whine on and on about a relationship that doesn't involve us. Get over it!