Dinah Clifford

Perhaps you have seen some blogs post music surveys that ask ‘what five CD’s should everyone own?’

I wanted to fill that out, but ended up with about 15 different lists because, frankly, what makes music important to me is that it differentiates, that it is not completely universal. No music is popular with everyone; there are always contrarians who hate—say—Sergeant Pepper, Debussy’s La Mar, or Nevermind.

So I thought I’d take the concept of music everyone should own, and give it a practical application.

The goal is to have a short list of CD’s you could play for any group and have something for everyone—so that everyone would hear one song they loved and at least minimally enjoy the rest. You want to have different genres so that your aunt or grandmother will say ‘who is this? I love it.’ to one CD and another so someone you bring home from a bar will say, ‘oh yeah,’ or perhaps even ‘I’m feeling this.’

The trick is to straddle the line between populist and connoisseur. You don’t want obvious classics that work solely on nostalgia, but you don’t want sound experiments that are just showy extravagances either. (So KC and the Sunshine Band and Captain Beefheart are both out.)

We’ll up the number from five to six, because that seems the number of CD’s that many players will hold. So, I have my list, in fact, I have a few. But you go first. Post your list of six CD’s you’d put in the mixer for a foolproof ‘Music for Any Occasion’ selection. I will give you a caveat: when I say anyone, I mean English speakers from the United States. If we start bringing pygmies or the French into the equation, it will become too unworkable. And morons—you are not responsible for someone who only listens to death metal, dance, or Lucinda Williams. (Not that there is anything wrong with any of them in moderation.)

Choose carefully, because while there is no one correct answer, there are potentially many, many incorrect answers.

This is a thought-piece, not a fully thought through opinion. Your contributions in the comments are appreciated.

In the 1990s, when an American traveling in a foreign country said he was from the United States, the response was normally about Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, or Pamela Anderson (even though she’s Canadian).

Now, when one mentions the United States, the response is about Bush.

The United States is equated with politics. Forgotten is that Angelina Jolie, Microsoft, Google, most films, many commercial products, and much of the popular music played around the world originate in the United States.

Many Americans blame President Bush and unilateralism for tarnishing America’s image. However, I think something greater is going on. In the absence of Cold War political poles, the world is more politicized.

As much as the US is being equated with politics, the same thing is happening to other countries.

France is associated with Chirac, Sarkozy, and the banlieu.

Lebanon = war.
Israel = war.
Iraq = war + sectarianism.
Saudi Arabia = Islam + oil.
China = Communism + capitalism.
Russia = Putin + oil.

During the Cold War, international politics fell between two poles: the US and the Soviets. Americans could not see Russia without seeing politics, and most likely the opposite was true. But among allied countries, culture mattered more than politics.

Governments and peoples were secure in their political alliances. In democracies, the major political parties agreed on the grander political alliances, even if they differed on domestic issues.

Now, alliances change with elections. Decisions about war and strategic issues abroad change dramatically between political parties. There is little political security. And to add to this, it seems like culture, too, is under attack.

Americans, like most other peoples, should not worry excessively about their country being perceived entirely through a political lens. However, no country should desire to be in the position of Germany, a country most strongly associated with a man and his party than with anything else.

Good Morning:

Yesterday I had the good fortune to meet with Tim Davis. Tim Davis is a sales consultant and comedy coach and is the only personal and business coach who combines stand-up comedy techniques with cognitive behavioral techniques to conquer life’s most important moments. During our discussion, Tim shared with me dozens of views and ideas on how to be a more effective networker in today’s fast paced world. I have broken down what I consider to be the top 5, in no particular order, to share with you:

Write an Article - I know that everybody says to write an article and have it published in a trade publication. Sounds easy enough - right? I know myself that writing an article that anyone else wants to read, let alone publish, is not the easiest thing to do. The key, according to Tim, is to write about something that really makes you angry, depressed, or livid - not annoyed, blue or upset. Something that you feel strongly about and something that you can write with a passion. When you write with passion, it comes across as exciting. When you don’t, it is boring.Cold Calling - I know this is probably everyone’s least favorite thing to do. It certainly is for me. The main thing is to just do it. Dedicate yourself to making 20 new calls a day. Make 10 in the morning between 8:00 - 9:30 AM and make another 10 in the afternoon between 3:30 and 5:00 PM. These are the best times to reach people. Be funny, be innovative and be different.Networking Up - This is one of the most fundamental principles in networking. We have all been to networking events and we have all seen that guy in the corner, leaning against the wall, sipping his drink. Hell, maybe we have even been that guy - I know I have. Is this the guy we want to network with? No, we should stand back and find the person, or persons, in the room who are the most active. The people who are walking around introducing themselves and, most of all, introducing other people to each other. These people are called connectors. You want to get to know connectors because they can introduce you to other people you need and want to know. Make a list of the most important people in your industry with respect to how they can help your business grow. Seek them out, engage them and bring value to the relationship with them. Over time, you will go from being a connectee to a connector.Get Rid of Labels - I am not talking about the labels that warn us not to remove them from the mattress. I mean the labels we tend to place on other people. For example, when I am on the freeway and someone cuts me off, my tendency is to label that person as a jerk (or some other colorful name). Or, if someone was to say something I don’t agree with, I might say, that person is an idiot. What I really mean is that person is driving like a jerk and what that other person said is stupid. This is the difference between criticism and critique. The problem with labeling is that when we do it, we innately believe that everyone else must be doing it as well. This prevents us from performing and ultimately prohibits us from being successful. If everytime I was going on a sales call, making a cold call, or talking to some one at a mixer, I was afraid that some one else was standing on the sidelines saying “What a loser that guy is…” or “What an idiot” I would probably never get out of bed. If I don’t label, I am not afraid of labeling.Keep Networking - The key question is, “Okay, all this sounds great, but when do I have time to network? Most networking events are before and after work, when do I have a life?”. The answer is keep networking. You should always be networking. The key is to network effectively by utilizing some of the techniques I previously discussed. Make a point each day to put a set amount of business cards in your pocket (10, 15, 20), and make a commitment to hand them all out before then end of the day. When you’re standing in line at the grocery store, waiting for your Latte at Starbucks, eating lunch, whatever. Always Be Networking!!!I hope this helps. Please let me know if you try any of these techniques. I would love to hear how they work for you.MorganCopyright 2005 - Tout Media, Inc.

Yesterday in a U.S. District Court in Virginia, the drug company Purdue Pharma L.P., it’s CEO Michael Friedman, it’s top lawyer Howard Udell and it’s chief medical officer Paul Goldenheim all pled guilty. They were charged with giving their salesmen false information, which was then passed on to doctors and the general public.
The company makes the pain-killer OxyContin (the brand name for oxycodone). The company and its executives misrepresented the drug as being less-addictive and less prone to abuse than it really is.
Known on the streets as “Hillbilly Heroin”, the drug was made to be taken as a tablet and digested over a 12-hour period. However, many users were crushing the tablets into a powder, which was then injected or snorted, giving the user a heroin-like high.
By underplaying the drugs’ serious effects, the company is responsible for the addiction of thousands and the deaths of hundreds of people. The company and its executives have been fined a total of $634.5 million.
U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said, “With its OxyContin, Purdue unleashed a highly abusable, addictive, and potentially dangerous drug on an unsuspecting and unknowing public. For these misrepresentations and crimes, Purdue and its executives have been brought to justice.”
This is representative of the kind of giant pharmaceutical companies that Republicans have been protecting in Congress. These companies care little for the American public, as long as they can keep on raking in windfall profits.
Just last week, Congress refused to allow the American public buy less expensive drugs from other countries. This forces Americans to pay higher prices for the same drugs than people in other countries have to pay. This is just wrong.
These giant drug companies are willing to sell their drugs in other countries at a discount price, but demand that Americans pay outrageous and inflated prices. Their congressional stooges say it is a safety issue. Nonsense! It’s all about windfall profits and huge campaign donations.
Is it any wonder that Americans have little faith in Congress?

Consumption of biofuels by country. Click to enlarge.

Consumption of transportation biofuels in the 25-member European Union jumped 78% from 2005 to 2006, rising from 3 million to 5.38 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe), according to the Biofuels Barometer published by EurObserv’ER, a renewable industry consortium. That increase resulted in biofuels representing a 1.8% share of the total consumption of transportation fuels, compared to a 1% share in 2005.

In 2006, biodiesel represented 71.6% of the energy content of biofuels dedicated to transport, far out ahead of bioethanol (16.3%) and other biofuels (12.1%). Of the “other” biofuels, pure vegetable oil accounted for 629,809 toe (11.7% of total biofuel consumption) and biogas for 13,940 toe.The consumption of crude vegetable oil is primarily driven by Germany, where it is legally considered a full-fledged fuel, according to the report.

Biodiesel consumption is growing the most rapidly, with an increase of 71.4% between 2005 and 2006, compared to a 57.5% growth in bioethanol consumption. Consumption of the
other biofuels was multiplied by 3.4 in a single year.

Germany continued to be the largest European consumer of biofuel in 2006, accounting for 2.8 million tonnes of biodiesel, according to the AGEE Stat, the statistical organization of the Ministry of the Environment. The 2.8 million tonnes of biodiesel represents 2.408 million toe. German consumption of vegetable oil was 0.71 million tons of vegetable oil (628,492 toe) and 0.48 million tons of bioethanol (307,200 toe).

This consumption corresponds to a 6% share by energy content of biofuels, the largest for an EU country.

France remained the second largest European biofuel consumer in 2006. French consumption increased by 62.7% to reach, according to the Ministry of Industry, 682,000 toe (i.e. 1.6% of French domestic fuel consumption). Biodiesel represents the biggest share (78%, far ahead of bioethanol with 22%).

Those rabid radical socialists* over at Businessweek are at it once again, filling the world with their anticapitalist manifestos. This one is about the Consumer Products Safety Commission, which has been crippled by budget cuts and chronic underfunding.

Here are the details:

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting buyers from injury and death from some 15,000 kinds of products. Yet while the CPSC has never been more vital, through much of its 33-year history the agency has been chronically understaffed and underfunded. Overseeing 400 recalls a year, most at companies’ requests, the CPSC’s compliance team has less time to initiate its own investigations, which tend to reveal the most serious risks…You would think an agency with such an important role would be a high priority for Washington. Yet its budget is just $62 million, one-seventh the size of the Food & Drug Administration’s funding for food safety alone. The CPSC also operates under rules that prohibit staff from publicizing information about product complaints until the manufacturer O.K.’s the release. Besides handing over a lot of control to companies, this process routinely delays public disclosure of hazards, say critics.”

The magazine notes that while both Democratic and Republican administrations have neglected the commission, the agency has particularly lost power under President Bush. Additionally, Bush has not helped the situation when he “put forward a former lobbyist for the manufacturing industry, the very group CPSC is meant to oversee, as a nominee to chair the agency earlier this year.”

*If you don’t get the sarcasm here, you need to find a sense of humor.

Cluster of European RFID Projects) to bring together 13 major RFID projects it has funded.

The group, whose total funding from the EU tops 150m euros, was set up to facilitate networking of different projects in Europe using RFID, to co-ordinate research activities, establish synergies, avoid overlap, and to leverage expertise, talents, resources to maximise impact.

BRIDGE (Building Radio Frequency Identification for the Global Environment) has now been running for a year of its three-year life cycle, and is making progress in delivering on 15 work packages.

BRIDGE focuses on business-based research, and the provision of information services and hardware, including sensors and tags, and software development. An increasingly important element of BRIDGE’s work is communication, getting the RFID message out to SMEs who may be unfamiliar with the technology and how it can benefit their business.

Two of the key work projects with which BRIDGE is currently involved cover making RFID applications more secure, and developing RFID applications for the European textile industry.

The Security project, WP4, seeks to secure the sharing of RFID data across different supply chain boundaries and provide mechanisms to control access to the data.

The work aims to develop lightweight implementations of standardised encryption measures to establish secure authentication of tags to readers (perhaps to prevent cloning or to establish proof of origin), for tags to readers (for access control) or for encrypted communication (to guarantee confidentiality or privacy)

To access the additional security functionality, the group has proposed a security layer built upon the EPC Gen2 communication protocol that will be fully compatible with existing RFID infrastructure.

The project, led by BT Labs, also comprises participants from AT4Wireless, Benedicta, Caen, Confidex, EH, Fudan, Raflatec, SAP, Graz University of Technology and GS1 UK.

The Textile Industry project, WP7, plans to promote the use of EPC/RFID technology in the European textile industry, working with partners such as Kaufhof, Gardeur, Carrefour, El Corte Ingles, AIDA Centre, GS1 Spain and GS1 Germany.

RFID is being considered as a solution to help European companies reduce their supply chain costs, optimise time-to-market and provide better service to customers to counter increased competition both inside and outside Europe. WP7’s target is the delivery of an EPC/RFID implementation guideline to help SMEs and large clothing companies adopt EPC/RFID into their processes.

Other Bridge projects cover hardware development, anti-counterfeiting applications, pharmaceutical traceability, supply chain management, reusable asset management, item-level tagging, and innovation and policy.

These are the organisations involved in BRIDGE

GS1 Member Organisations: GS1 UK, GS1 Spain, GS1 France, GS1 Germany, GS1 Poland, GS1 China.

Research laboratories: Auto-ID Lab Cambridge, UK; Auto-ID Lab Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Auto-ID Lab ETH Zurich/St Gallen, Switzerland; Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain; Technical University, Graz, Austria.

Solution providers: BT, SAP, AIDA Centre, CAEN, Confidex, CETECOM Spain, UPM Raflatac, VeriSign UK, Melior Solutions, Unisys, Domino Printing Sciences, JJ Associates.

Business end users: Carrefour, Nestlé UK, Benedicta, Kaufhof, Sony, El Corte Inglés, Gardeur.

For more information on BRIDGE, visit www.bridge-project.eu

For more information on CERP, visit www.rfid-in-action.eu/cerp

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Route 666
Dir: William Wesley
Tagline: On the road to Hell, there is no turning back.
Year: 2001
Info: IMDB “Route 666″

Hmmm, how do I start to say shit? For some reason it’s alright for US Marshalls to break laws, favour dead hardened criminals to live witness’ and just be a pretty typecast dullard but I don’t really see it in the real world. There is a lot wrong with this film and it doesn’t start with the acting.

The Hills Have Eyes
Dir: Wes Craven
Tagline: The lucky ones died first…
Year: 1977
Info: IMDB “The Hills Have Eyes”

Ok, a lot of people LOVE Wes Craven but I’m just not quite at that stage yet. He’s always banging on about the monster inside us all and what we’d do protect our family and that, but quite frankly I see it everyday in the news. This is alright to watch as you’ve guessed the films outcome from the cover, but for some deep unknown reason inside I wanted the hicks to kill ‘em all!

Black Christmas
Dir: Bob Clark
Tagline: If this movie doesn’t make your skin crawl… It’s On Too Tight!
Year: 1974
Info: IMDB “Black Christmas”

First off I would just like to thank Devon Steele. Not only for having a cool name but for drawing my attention to this film a year ago, I finally got round to seeing and it is a good slasher flick (even though I don’t like slasher flicks). The ending is predictable apart from the few mistakes you didn’t expect but is a total creep out. I think I’ll open up a can of cliche and say “WATCH IT ALONE, in a dark house at night.”

Select the next 3 films to review. Just write down you three requests in the comment box below or email horrorpodcast@googlemail.com Whatever you voted for last week is rolled over to next so these votes are just add-ons.
Mirror Mirror / The Haven / Dark Heritage / Black Cadillac / Dead Scared / Curfew / Skeletons in the Closet / The Grim Reaper / What Waits Below / The Mummy 2 / Def By Temptation / Primal Species / Vengeance of the Dead / Hollow /
Don’t make me write that out for nothing! But were getting closer to having seen them all. Only 14 to go. Ooh I’m so excited I don’t know what to do next!

For the full opinion, of these three movies, listen to the Podcast. Subscribe now.
Season 2 Episode 14 = http://www.allaboutmedia.co.uk/horror/horrorpodcast.xml

My recent journey out at night to see the legendary Leslie West and Mountain at Wilbert’s was a bit of a disappointment. Not only was the audience in short supply, but the artist must have felt affronted as well because he only played for a little over an hour. He got the classics in but in the end, he was only a mere shell of his former self.

It was the first eight-track I ever owned; ‘Best of Mountain,” and because it was the first, it got played at least a hundred times before I purchased John Lennon’s ‘Mind Games.’ It’s funny how certain songs or albums can get inside you and be played over and over with out burning-out.

How would you rate Sting today? (picture) It was a decent concert last winter at the convo center, but seemed to be lacking the punch that we all know he’s got inside of him.

A friend and I were discussing vintage artists and their ability to stay relevant. The ‘Stones’ super bowl performance was just miserable for example. What happened to Dylan between 78-95? I came across the ‘Last Waltz’ on HD last week for the very first time. What a classic! I was mesmerized by it. It took me back to my roots and re-awakened the musical junkie within. That stage was just full of raw energy and talent. Kudo’s to Scorsese in what must have been one of his first movies; actually a documentary.

Begs the question; what makes great artists sustain? Can only the exuberance of youth and frustration lead to true passion in music? Is it possible for great artists to keep at peak performance after accumulating untold wealth and comfort?

James Blunt. The first new artist I’ve experienced in a while that is coming right from the soul. Proves the sixties wasn’t the only basis for great music. Hope he stays tuned in.

‘Bring me a shot of whiskey… and a little bit of loving… too.’

When my mother saw the weather forecast for last weekend, she sent an email to family members: “Is anyone interested in a picnic?”

On Sunday, the temperatures went into the seventies. We met at Pretty Colour Lakes, bringing sandwiches and fruit, wearing shorts and t-shirts. The sun felt hot as it shone down through the leafless branches, and soon we were drawn away from the picnic tables and to the lake. We weren’t the only family who had the idea for a Sunday picnic – the usually quiet park was filled with children playing in the wet sand, teenagers wading in the water, adults relaxing in the sun.

As we walked the path around the lake, a trail shaded by cedar trees and smelling of mulch, we passed a teenager fishing, some kids skipping stones, a couple walking their dog, and a group of friends sunbathing on the bank. Even though signs at the park strictly forbid swimming or even wading, the water was too tempting to resist. I could hear joyful splashes as dogs and people leaped into the cold lake.

It was hard to retreat from the carefree summer atmosphere of the park and return home to the usual Sunday night chores. I emptied the ice chest we had brought and left it in the kitchen, knowing we’d be using it again soon. My husband and Shaggy Hair went out to take out the garbage and came back in the house looking puzzled.

“We found the garbage cans in the ditch, still filled with garbage,” my husband said. He seemed surprised by this turn of events, as if he had not been driving past those same garbage cans every time he backed out of the driveway all week long.

“Yeah, the snowplow knocked them in last week, and they were buried for a few days.”

“Was that snowstorm only a week ago?”

“Yeah.”

The breeze came in through the open door. My bare arms and legs had tanned already, and Shaggy Hair’s face was pink with sunburn. The snowshovels propped up against the doorway seemed entirely superfluous.

With-a-Why, Shaggy Hair Boy, and Blonde Niece.