Many people mistakenly believe that what makes us human is an opposable thumb. While that may be part of what separates us from the animals, it doesn’t actually make us human. Cut off a person’s thumb and he or she is still a person. So, what is it that makes us human? It’s a set of qualities that brings out our humanity. These qualities include our sense of identity, our compassion for one another, our ability to solve problems and our ability to learn from history and stories.
Continue readingMonthly Archives: March 2020
Stay the F— Home: Activity #4 Read
If you’re like me, you have a stack of books you haven’t read yet. Congratulations! You now have time enough at last (Thanks, Rod Serling! affiliate link) to tackle all of those reads that have been waiting for you for all these years! If you don’t have a stack of books, that’s okay. You can go to Kindle Unlimited (affiliate link) and discover so many new books for free! It’s like having a digital library. (I don’t even think you need a kindle device, just the kindle reader downloaded to your device!)
Continue readingSpeakers’ Club Online Mar. 21, 2020
I know that some of you are more worried about other things, but the coronavirus is a real thing. Since the government has shutdown schools at every age level, it’s better for us to meet virtually. If I have done everything correctly, the link below should take you to a meeting room where we can talk. (Just remember that everything you say or do on the Internet stays there forever.)
Continue readingStay the F— Home: Activity #2 Aerobicize, Everyone!
You’re going to want to stay healthy while you’re in self-isolation, and there are few better ways than dancing by yourself (Thanks, Billy Idol and Gen X; affiliate link). Find some good music and break out those dance moves. You can even dance like no one is watching… because no one is, and if they are, they shouldn’t be because your self-isolating! People need to respect that. Dancing increases the endorphins and improves the immune-stress response. You’ll feel good, and you’ll really be able to cut footloose (Thanks, Kevin Bacon and Kenny Loggins; affiliate link).
Continue readingStay the F— Home: Activity #1 Videos Killed the Radio Star
If you are in self-isolation or quarantine, now’s the time to catch up on all those YouTube videos (I have a channel; you can subscribe.) you’ve wanted to see, and several you didn’t. Turn off your ad blocker, and find all of the creators who have been lucky enough to monetize their videos, and watch like crazy! (Or find those that have fewer than 1,000 subscribers, subscribe to them, and then watch all of their videos, so that they will be able to monetize their videos at some point in the future.) By starting with those who have monetized their YouTube, you’re doing two things at once:
Continue readingWhat Is Self-Isolation?
If you’re considering self-isolation, you probably have some knowledge about the coronavirus and some questions about what it means to self-isolate. While the information about coronavirus is still evolving. Self-isolation is one of the techniques that specialists are telling people to practice in order to slow the spread of the virus. It also protects other people from catching the virus. If you’re waiting for results from a test, have been in contact with someone who has coronavirus, or are just traveling back from a country that has coronavirus, you need to self-isolate.
Continue readingSt. Patrick’s Day 2020 Penguin Parade
When events started getting canceled and St. Patrick’s Day 2020 parades country-wide became victims of the pandemic, I wanted to do something to help those who love St. Paddy’s Day. Of course, I had to use what I had, so my wife and I put together this penguin parade! The video will go live at 9am West Coast time on March 17.
Continue readingDisney in Arbat, Moscow, Russia
It always neat to see how Disney has been appropriated in other countries. As we walked the area, we saw a lot of Disney in Arbat. The Mary Poppins Hotel is a chain of sorts in Moscow. Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen were at the local toy store. Mickey Mouse stood outside of a children’s place, and the Cheshire Cat in its 1951 “Alice in Wonderland” style floated above more traditional Alice characters at the door of an Irish Pub. Check out photos of Bulgakov’s house in Arbat.
Continue reading‘Ride of a Lifetime’ Offers Iger’s Lessons Learned at Disney
Disney CEO Bob Iger shocked the business world by announcing his decision to step down from the company’s top position. He led Disney through some of its largest expansions – both in terms of intellectual property (IP) through acquiring Pixar, Marvel, LucasFilm and 21st Century Fox, and parks built or expanded, including Shanghai Disneyland and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. In his book “The Ride of a Lifetime” (affiliate link), Iger allows the reader to see what he has learned during his tenure at the Disney Company, where he started at the bottom and worked his way up.
Continue readingDefend Creatives from the Financial Effects of Covid-19: Author Edition
When events, destinations, and sports companies shut down, it can be a strain for everyone. Fans don’t have anything to do. Players and stars have empty schedules. Concession workers, parking attendants, and cashiers have no jobs. While some of those who might suffer from a lack of paycheck won’t be getting paid during the country’s response to Covid-19 (aka novel coronavirus), Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said he would take care of the people that normally worked the arena during his basketball team’s games. However, there are some events who don’t have big money backers, and those events are often attended by independent authors, artists, and craftspeople who depend on the sales from the event to make ends meet.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 