A silly holiday video

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Spread the word! Get the flu shot! Anyone from 6 months and older should get a flu shot every year. Don't be left out. Do it today!

Baltimore this weekend

I'm traveling to Baltimore this weekend (via Greyhound and a $2 round trip fare--unbelievable--let's hope I don't hit traffic. But if I do, someone else is doing the driving!). If anyone has beer and/or eats recommendations, send them to me. thanks.

Cheap eats!

Hey! Here's a deal if you live in Nassau County:

https://www.grublifemetro.com/deals/136

I've eaten at City Cellar and it's a nice dining experience. Nice atmosphere, food is good, and if you're in the mood for a trip to Target, it's right across the road.

Only 2 days left

Michael Hawley visits Hofstra

Just a week ago Michael Hawley gave a talk at Hofstra University.  Here's the PR info:

The week begins with a keynote address by digital pioneer, Michael Hawley of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab.  Dr. Hawley has had an extraordinary career as a computer scientist, musician, entrepreneur, and activist, including important collaborations with George Lucas at Lucasfilm, and with Steve Jobs at Next Computing.


Michael Hawley's Bhutan book 
News story on the Bhutan book

In his talk, Hawley focused on what he called the development of the "City Planet"--that would be us on earth--and how this continuing migration to cities is changing (for the better for the most part) our life on the planet. 

Libyan You Tube mix

This video is apparently making the rounds in North African and the Middle East.  I'm sure many would consider it pornographic; the true pornography is Qaddafi's murder of his own people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBY-0n4esNY

I want to be a bodybuilder!

This is too funny--especially if you ever spent time in a gym working out with weights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CrLECXeBBQ

Great show at the Bowery Ballroom.  It was Patti Smith's 64th birthday and although it was a long wait for her to come on, she rewarded the wait with a great show.  Standing for 4 hours in one place to secure a good line of sight definitely took a toll on my body.  When I bought the tickets my wife asked incredulously, "How old are you?"

I have to admit concert going is not my strong suit.  I had a very pleasant experience over in Hoboken (less crowded, smaller venue, lower wait time) and thought I could reproduce it at the Bowery Ballroom--not so easy.  The most wonderful part of the entire evening was the lack of smoke: how many times in my youth have I endured the same tortuous process only to have it aggravated by clouds of tobacco smoke?  Too many!

How do you spell blizzard?

Mayor John Lindsay's name has come up in relation to the response by NYC (and I might add Nassau County) to the most recent blizzard to hit the NY-metro area.  It dumped 20 inches of snow in Central Park and much of the city is still paralyzed days later.

All three NYC airports were shut down, most forms of public transportation came to a halt and it does seem as though the government's response has been less than exemplary.

My kids, on the other hand, loved it:
Pictures of the blizzard

The NY Times also invited folks to submit their photos at:
NY Times' readers's photos

Liz Phair in Hoboken

I don't go to many rock 'n roll concerts (in fact I can count on one hand the number I've been to in the last 20 years), but last night I went to Maxwell's (http://maxwellsnj.com/) in Hoboken to see Liz Phair. My buddy and I took the PATH and then walked 3/4 of mile to the venue. It was a warm, rainy night--could be the last hurrah of fall--a few degrees colder and it would have been blizzard conditions. In any case, it was a terrific show. If you don't believe me, check out:

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2010/12/liz_phair_rocks_maxwells_in_ho.html 

Here's a little flavor of the show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9wGqMDB4qs

Cornel West in Denver opening American Public Health Association Conference

What a great opening! Inspiring and on target.

CDC Social Marketing Efforts

Here's one of many social marketing campaigns developed by the CDC in Atlanta:

Interesting story about zoos (Leonard Lopate show):

Ignoring the warning signs at our peril

Beneath the din being created by know-nothing candidates running for political office, there lies vast apathy about the political process in the US.  We can't have it all and we're missing the boat on what needs to be done.  Do we have the political will?  I'm increasingly pessimistic.  I'm afraid the midterm elections will sink us further into recession and doom the US to a long, long period of stagnant growth and high unemployment.  However, if you don't believe me, check out:
The Coming Storm
and
Thomas Friedman: October 27, 2010

Heavy reliance on test scores for teacher evaluation is misguided | A Statement on Education

Here's something you can support that questions the over-reliance on standardized tests to evaluate students AND teachers.

Heavy reliance on test scores for teacher evaluation is misguided A Statement on Education

Modern myths around the house

As the following articles suggest, old habits die hard. The two in particular that I've been trying to kill in my house are: changing the oil every 3,000 miles and using too much detergent in dishwashers and washing machines. If you want to read the articles, here are the URLs for them:

Soap Article

Oil change article



Enjoy!

Get your flu shot

I'm OK...are you OK?

As I was driving back to work today, there was an interesting piece on the Brian Lehrer Show (NPR).  He was interviewing the authors of a new comic book entitled, "The Adventures of Unemployed Man."  They requested villain suggestions from the listeners.  Anyway, I checked out the website and found it to be a timely publication:

http://unemployedman.com/



Check it out.