"Hand of Man" by Magnolia Mountain

Seems like Blue Grass and folk music are returning.  Glad to see it.  Great song about mountaintop removal from Magnolia Mountain.  Meaningful and well worth watching.

Bohemian Rhapsody TV Ad for Cosmopolitan Las Vegas - Great Stuff!

I rarely succumb to TV ads since I produced and directed them for so long, but this one is great. Kudos to Fallon for this innovative use of the Queen hit.

Make a Difference You Can See With a Micro-Loan Through Kiva

A while back I found an organization that engaged in micro-loans to people trying to achieve their dreams.  Kiva makes loans to people all over the world to help them build their businesses, plant crops and fulfill their potential.  I love the idea of helping budding entrepreneurs no matter where they are, and it only took $25 to start.  To date I have lent money to almost a dozen people and groups, all of which have repaid the loans and hopefully are on their way to achieving success.

I am not bragging, just telling a story about an organization  that has affected me deeply.  When I looked at the pictures of the people my loans helped, I was touched.  It is rare that you can actually see what your money is doing.  Try it, it doesn't cost you much and the small amounts of money add up to a big difference in so many people's lives.

Check it out here at Kiva.org.  Your loans along with those of many other lenders add up to a major force toward self-sufficiency and and end of poverty.   Let me know any stories you have after you try it.  I would love to hear them.

Bonjour Paree - 50 Years Later

This silly but classic Fred Astaire and Audry Hepburn vehicle always makes me smile.  It's corny but fun and always makes me long for Paris.  Love that city!

Hand-Held Genome Sequencer - The Age of the Tricorder is at Hand?

Sequencing the human genome was a task that took major computers and lots of time.  Like all technical advances the process got streamlined and became faster and faster.  Now a company called Oxford Nanopore Technologies is starting trials of its MinION, a miniaturized disposable gene sequencer that will retail for under $1000. 

Though I am not a scientist by a long shot, this excites me greatly.  My dad was a researcher in the field of Microbiology and Hematology and I spent many hours in his lab watching the experiments and actually helping out once I was old enough.  The idea that a hand-held device can do what once took a super-computer astounds me. 

Considering the advances with such medical devices as a pocket sized ultrasound scanner and other miniaturized devices it seems that Dr. McCoy would be right at home.  In fact the X Prize folks have set their sights on exactly that kind of idea.  The latest award will be for a working Tricorder! I often tell my partner, we are living in Star Trek. 

President Obama Sings Again! Sweet Home Chicago.

Blues Night at the White House ended with the President taking a few licks at the Blues Brothers theme song.

Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler! Happy Mardi Gras.

How can you have Mardi Gras without Iko Iko?  This is a clip of the Dixie Cups in a revival show taped during the 1970's singing their hit from 1964. 

Rick Santorum is Meddling in Women's Health Care Again! Opposes Prenatal Care and Testing.

Rick Santorum just can't keep out of women's vaginas, or at least what goes on in them.  On a recent speaking tour he said Obama Care would provide prenatal care and that means prenatal testing and that equals more abortions!  Nice to see a news person push back on his crap.  Way to go Bob Schieffer.