Perceptive Insight 14

"In 1912, the London Symphony Orchestra was the first British orchestra to visit the United States, only narrowly avoiding travelling on the Titanic."

Perceptive Insight 12

"If you have an apple and I have an apple, we can exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." George Bernard Shaw

Christmas Police Chase

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AHA! I wish I'd come across these ads earlier - or maybe they're just being released now. In any event, I love the imagination despite what most people think about religion & Christianity. This is fun stuff! Remember - the UK has an official religion, but accomodates other religious expressions, too.

Click here for the mp3

Christmas Soccer Match

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LOL! Here's another one! This is the second rather imaginative radio ad from the UK. Like the USA most people throughout the UK (I guess the Western World in general, now) consider religion to be irrelevant. I wonder what effect these ads will have.

Click here for the mp3

Christmas Chart Countdown

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Sorry - couldn't resist. This is a very imaginative radio ad from the UK (that has a national faith, but like the USA most people consider religion irrelevant). I wonder what effect this will have.

ChristmasCharts.mp3

Simon Cowell's letter to himself

How many of you can identify with this? I mean, this might be a letter you write to yourself, with the names, dates, places, companies, and industry somewhat different, but the circumstances, feelings, reactions of others, and self-doubt are entirely your own. Ignore the Simon factor, and read what he's writing. You'll be surprised.

Needless to say, I have written a similar letter to myself recently. No-one knows, and no-one's seen it, not even Melissa my dearest companion & wife. In fact, I think I deleted mine. Anyway, perhaps there's hope. Perhaps there is direction. Perhaps God is still prepping me/ us for something way beyond our wildest dreams. Perhaps He isn't. But my journey has surely been one of the roughest ones out there. My own mother would often remark about her wonder at how I survive my (often self-made) trials and tribulations. They say there's nothing gained without risk and failure. Did you see that motivational video flying around facebook & youtube recently? Well, I need thirty-three more hands with ten fingers each to count the number of 'failures' I've experienced - projects that have fallen flat, ideas dismissed and laughed at, being made fun of in school, presentations at work that were ridiculed, and worryingly egocentric decision makers who consistently maintained their faux dignity by quashing every idea, move, project, report, application, business plan, marketing plan, and attempt to better one's life. I'm tired of trying to please everyone else, coz it's can't be done.

And, of course, going bankrupt thanks to being taken advantage of by a particularly clever intimidating self-centered real-life 'actor'. Humilitating in every respect.

But things are turning around. Melissa and I didn't have to pound the pavement, although things got pretty intense. We have each other, we have a wonderful home, and we have our faith (and all that goes with it. Like... people). Maybe I won't be the next Herbert Von Karajan. Maybe I will. Maybe there's no future in classical music. Maybe I'll get a record contract! Only one person knows, and He will only reveal everything in His own good time (and little impatient me gets frustrated sometimes!).

So, read this letter. Ignore 'Simon' and draw the inspiration it contains. I assume that's why it was published. Wow... I used to be an utter optimist, and there's a little glimpse of it again! Yippee!

I luvs you hun. Honest. I do!

In case you didn't hear...

I became a US Citizen on Friday! Although dual citizenship is not recognized by the USA (and most Western countries), they didn't take my UK passport away.

THANK YOU EVERYONE who helped me get to this point - it's been a very long and expensive journey doing everything by the book (over 7 years and almost $20,000), but well worth it. Special thanks to those who played a direct role: Mike, Rena, Gino, Barbara, Teresa, Judith, Gerald, Tracey, Ben, M&D, Jax Chapel folk, and of course... my dear wife Melissa - I'm so glad she puts up with so much 'me'.

Well, now on with the rest of our life together!

This photo was taken immediately after the ceremony in Newark.

Happy Anniversary!

25 years ago I arrived in the USA for the first time. In fact, my parents and I moved here for a three year term (my sister stayed in the UK to finish her last year of High School). It took me another 15 years to return to the US, but I remember that first day we arrived extremely well - finishing school before the summer holidays, flying backwards on a Royal Air Force DC-10, the immense heat when we got off the plane, Washington DC Metro system (a far cry from the London underground!), a black cadillac limo, and soon after... yellow school buses, and MARCHING BANDS!

Friday the 13th was always a good day. My mother was born on Friday the 13th!

Still, I think today's anniversary is worth a Silver Jubilee celebration, right?!

The arts will survive. Again

I couldn't resist. This topic has hit me several times in the past two decades and yet again, artists in the 'arts' are panicking. And rightly so. This article is totally biased (like most of them) but the very valid reader comments are most enlightening.

So yes, the arts are a victim of the economic crisis. They have been before. And they've survived because artists continue to do their thing DESPITE autocracy! And they'll survive this crisis, too. What I actually like is the fact that many artists will NOT retain their full-time, mediocre, publicly ego stroking efforts to be 'someone'. Like me. I'm now earning my living and doing really fun and exciting art (music) on the side. Boy do I WISH it were full-time, and I constantly pray for some benefactor to dump their excessive musical dollars on my doorstep, but that ain't gonna happen anytime soon. So, I 'earn a living' in corporate and utilize my music in the world.

Everyone should yell and scream and moan and groan and perhaps some lucky artists will actually see some sustenance through the latest ludicrous bailout/stimulus, but don't worry. The arts are going nowhere.