Marinated Shrimp, Bok Choy, and Musrooms

Marinated shrimp are combined with Chinese greens (bok choy) and mushrooms in this simple stir fry that shows off the natural flavor of shrimp and vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 3/4 pound shrimp
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 pound Chinese greens (bok choy)
• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, or 6 Chinese dried mushrooms or dried Shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil for stir-frying, or as needed
• 2 thin slices ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chicken broth, sodium-reduced if possible
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water

Preparation:

1. If using frozen shrimp, defrost in the refrigerator. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add the rice wine or sherry, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cornstarch, stirring in one direction (this is to make sure the marinade spreads evenly.)
2. Chop the bok choy stalks diagonally and the leaves across into 1 inch pieces. Wipe the mushrooms with a cloth or soft brush and cut into thin slices. If using Chinese dried mushrooms, soak in hot water for 20 minutes to soften. Drain the softened mushrooms, remove the stems and cut into quarters.
3. Preheat the wok and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until aromatic, then add the prawns. Stir-fry until they turn pink. Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan.
4. Add a bit more oil if needed so that there is about 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the wok. Add the bok choy, mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir-fry for 1 minute (Note: add a small amount of water or rice wine if the vegetables are a bit dry). Add the chicken broth, cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add the shrimp back into the pan. Add the sugar, soy sauce, and pepper. Give the cornstarch/water mixture a quick restir and add in the middle, stirring to thicken. Cook, stirring for another minute and serve hot.

Of course if you don't like Shrimp, you can substitute any meat, chicken, fish, or pork for the shrimp.

Posted via email from WellCare

From Baby Mouse Wine... to Large Spiders & Snakes in Alcohol - All Ready to Drink!

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Just about every culture in the world has a traditional alcoholic drink made from the plants and other ingredients that could be found locally and some of these beverages are very old indeed.

Mead, often referred to as honey wine, can range from mild ale to strong wine in terms of its alcohol content. The origins of mead are lost in the mists of time, but it appears in the history of cultures throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Some regard mead as the ancestor of all fermented drinks.

(Polish Mead, images via 1, 2)

Moutai, commonly referred to as China’s national liquor, was first made in China over 800 years ago:

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Chicha, a drink derived from maize in several South American countries is one of the oldest beverages on the planet. Chicha has probably been around for thousands of years, and was consumed by the Inca, but today traditionally prepared chicha is only produced in a handful of small towns and few villages in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica.

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Although maize is most commonly associated with chicha, throughout the Andes the word can also refer to numerous fermented drinks, made from other types of grains or fruit. Another old drink is pulque, a traditional Mexican alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the maguey plant. The drink was has a long history and this monkey pulque jar dates from the Aztec period:

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A popular drink in Central Asia, kumis was first mentioned by Herodotus in the fifth century BC. A fermented drink made from mare’s milk, Kumis is a mild beverage, only containing up 2.5% alcohol:

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If alcohol mixed with horse milk isn’t exactly to your taste, how about breakfast in a bottle of booze? Bakon Vodka, produced by Black Rock Spirits of Seattle is indeed flavoured with bacon (below left). Or how about vodka with chillis (below right)?

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Here is an interesting "Aunt Sonya" (Kosher?) Vodka from Russia, and a pickle-ready feast with a "Birch Porch" vodka:

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As well as bacon as an ingredient in liquor, meat has featured for many years in bottles of Mezcal from Mexico. The worm is actually the larva of one of the moths that live on the agave plant. No one is sure where the tradition of adding the worm to the bottle came from, but it is possible that it serves to prove that the alcohol content is high enough to preserve the worm in a pickled condition.

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Lizard wine from China might not sound too appealing, but apparently tastes a little like brandy, improves eyesight and as a bonus can protect against evil spirits (below left).

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Another wine with supposed medicinal qualities, helping with everything from coughs and colds to liver disorders, is baby mouse wine from Korea (above right). Yes, it really does contain newborn baby mice, which are drowned in rice wine, before the bizarre mixture is stored somewhere dry and dark for up to a year before it is considered drinkable.

Just like baby mouse wine, snake liquors from South East Asia are also considered cures for a variety of ailments, including impotence, back and muscle pain and hair loss (below left). These drinks usually contain highly poisonous snakes, such as cobras (below right):

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If snakes aren’t really for you, how about scorpions and spiders? This distilled rice grain vodka from Thailand, complete with a farm raised scorpion, is banana flavoured and sweetened with sugar cane (below left).

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This Thai rice whiskey contains a large non-venomous spider (above right) and is apparently an acquired taste. Or how about this Mekong River Eel Wine from Laos? -

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If you prefer your liquor devoid of creatures of any kind, Bau Da Vietnamese rice whiskey is made from plain boiled rice and comes in this rather attractive container (above right).

The World’s Strongest Drinks

In terms of sheer alcohol content, Everclear is considered the world’s strongest drink. A grain alcohol, Everclear can contain 95 % or 75.5 % alcohol or 190 and 151 proof respectively. Vodka tends to be 40 % alcohol or 80 proofs. Drinkers rarely consume Everclear on its own and it is usually only used as an ingredient in cocktails:

Bacardi 151 (above right) has an alcohol content of 75.5% or 151-proof and is also used in cocktails. The spirit is flammable and used in flaming drinks such as B-52’s. Bacardi also really do use a flame arrester on the bottle.

Raicilla is often called Mexican Moonshine and is usually more than 100 proof. It is generally known as a homegrown version of tequila or other similar Mexican drinks, but has begun to be produced commercially in recent years.

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Absinthe is another highly alcoholic beverage, with an alcohol content of between 45% and 74%. An anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, Absinthe is usually green, but can also be colourless. Because of its strength it is usually diluted with water. Absinthe originated in Switzerland and became very popular in late nineteenth and early twentieth Paris among artists and writers, who were all thought to be fans of ‘the green fairy’, as the drink was often known. Absinthe spoons originated at that time, used to dissolve a sugar cube in a glass of absinthe to sweeten it and take away some of the bitterness. Such spoons, some of which had logos or brand names on them, are now collector’s items:

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By 1915, absinthe had been banned in many countries as an addictive drug, mostly due to presence of small amounts of thujone, blamed for the harmful effects of drinking absinthe. However, there appears to be scant evidence that absinthe is any more dangerous than other spirits. In the 1990’s, several European countries began making absinthe again. Here are a few examples of absinthe from the Czech Republic, which often have a high alcohol content and there’s even a cannabis flavoured brand.

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If you’re interested in sampling any of these mind boggling strong drinks, or indeed any of the above weird concoctions, maybe your drink could be served in a bottle like this one, which is possibly especially designed for taking shots:

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Here is a flask disguised as binoculars... to see double, or doubly clear? (order it here):

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So there you are, a look at the weird, the wonderful, the unusual and the plain bizarre liquors of the world. Cheers!

(image via, see more here)

Drink responsibly. You know.

(original unknown)

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous

Discover Your Purpose

Discover your purpose, and sustain yourself and others with it

A lot of people struggle with this elusive idea of purpose. It seems so big and scary. And we avoid trying to figure it out because we’re afraid we’ll screw it up, or that we’ll confine ourselves by having a narrowly defined purpose.

The truth is, purpose doesn’t have to be either of those things. You really can’t mess up your purpose (you can always change it, right?), and purpose should be something empowering and expanding. Not something that restricts you. If it is making you feel confined, it’s probably not the right purpose anyway.

So, how do you find your purpose? And how can you support yourself while following it?

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous

Duty Now For The Future (Music Business)

---Bob Lefsetz

SIXTIES

The Beatles and the British Invasion prove there’s a huge appetite for music amongst the baby boomers.  An era of experimentation is ushered in, aided by FM radio.  It’s about the statement.  If you want to know what’s going on, you buy records and listen to the radio.

SEVENTIES

The sixties hang over until about 1973, when the labels are acquired by conglomerates, Lee Abrams programs FM hits and music explodes until corporate rock kills it and disco surges and then they’re both dead.

EIGHTIES

Music is saved by MTV.  The power of television eclipses the power of radio.

NINETIES

The Tommy Mottola era.  You let the media do your promotion.  You create two-dimensional acts that are hyped to high heaven by print, TV and radio, driving customers to buy overpriced CDs.  No act lasts, but revenue is staggering.

2000

Napster.

It’s like the train hit a brick wall.  Or rode ride off the cliff.  And the old players are still bitching about it.

MTV played no music.  Radio had too many commercials.  People only wanted the single and stole all the music they needed.  And the end of the music world was predicted.  But this is not what’s happened.  Despite lack of recording revenue, more people are making more music than ever before.  And more people are listening to more music than ever before.  Music is accessible to all.  THIS IS A BAD THING?

2000-2010

The major labels bitched themselves into irrelevancy. They own radio and TV, which is like owning the "Perry Como Show" when everybody’s tuned into FM.  And since the "Como Show"’s ratings are declining, they make everybody who appears sign a contract coughing up a percentage of all their revenue.  It’s unfair.  And who wants to watch the "Como Show" anyway?

Touring…  Blend the demand of the early seventies with the ubiquity of the nineties and the economic run-up prior to the 2008 crash and everybody thinks there’s an unending demand at inflated prices.  But there’s not.  Music doesn’t drive the culture, like in the late sixties and early seventies.  Media is self-programmed today, no one can get everybody to pay attention.  And the economy sucks.

So we’ve got a recording industry and a touring industry that are desperately trying to hold on to what once was, endlessly telling us it’s the best system ever, as if IBM took out ads saying how great the IBM Selectric typewriter still is.  As if Sony advertised the Discman, never mind the cassette Walkman.  As if every Apple product didn’t supersede the one manufactured by Sony and Samsung didn’t make the best televisions.  Evolution has changed the landscape.  And left us with chaos.

CHAOS

This is what has everybody frustrated.  The old model is decaying.  And old media chroniclers are up in arms about it.

But we can now view trends.

1. Files have replaced CDs

Quote all the SoundScan statistics you want.  Then call Eric Garland at BigChampagne.  Illegal trading of files far outstrips physical sales, to the point where the latter are essentially irrelevant.  End result, everybody’s got a lot of music, and this is good.  The only piece of the puzzle left is to move the public to paid services providing everything all the time for a low price.  Emphasis on low price.  The majors refuse to win this war, refuse to collect a little if it insures they won’t collect a lot. But rental/streaming/rented tracks living on handsets is the legal solution that’s imminent.  Just like digital books.

Kindle made inroads.  The iPad tipped the scales.  Now Amazon sells almost twice as many files as hardcover books.  And this is a good thing.  No manufacturing and no wasted hours controlling/maintaining/evaluating inventory.

2. No one wants the new music of old stars

But there’s a desire to hear something new.  But the oldsters will not start over, they will not play to empty houses, they’re afraid to give up what they’ve already got, just like the labels, therefore although they book the majority of revenue, they’re irrelevant.  Headed straight for the scrapheap.  Going to their shows is like reading year old newspapers or your school annual.

3. New music

The old powers are trying to perpetuate the old ways.  But despite hype in major media, most people don’t bond to today’s evanescent radio stars.  You know how we can tell?  No one wants to see them live!

4. Truly new music

We’re in the midst of a revolution, that’s what you can’t see amidst the chaos.  People have not stopped making music.  Everybody has access to recording equipment, everybody has access to distribution, leading to an incomprehensible marketplace.  But for how long?

Search was baffling until Google.  Now no one complains they can’t find what they’re looking for online.

In a matter of years you’ll be able to find all the great new music.  Algorithms won’t be irrelevant, but human opinion will be key.  In other words, the musicians doing it for the music first will beget online sites where it’s about the music first instead of profit/selling advertising.

5. Credibility/Trust

The new acts are not imitating the American Idols, nor are they imitating the pop stars du jour.  First and foremost, there’s nothing to imitate in the "Idol" paradigm. Everyone’s singing old songs.  To fewer people!  You can reconfigure "Idol" all you want, but it’s history, and even "X Factor" will be its own private backwater, because people don’t want homogenized, soulless crap.  If you think they do, you believe we still live in the nineties.  And you can’t imitate the pop stars, because the average person has no access to the hit producers.

No, the modern musician is writing his own material and recording in his bedroom or basement.  Sure, some are dunning you to listen, most are crap, but the underlying scene is healthy and portends a new golden era.

It’s all about technology.  Now there’s no intermediary who gets to say no.  Just like there’s no intermediary to insure success.  You make your music and if it’s good, your friends like it.  And then their friends.  Word spreads online.  But because of the cacophony of information, traction is tenuous, development is slow.  The end result is only the most dedicated persevere.  Those who whine loudest retreat to graduate school or the dullness of a day job.  Whereas modern day Bruce Springsteens play in bars waiting for their Jon Landau to recognize their excellence and spread the word.  One blog post by the right person and you’re suddenly on your way.  If you’re great.

6. Great

That’s all we’re interested in.  There’s too much information and too little time.  You’ve got to be great to keep our interest.  Which is why the Zune can’t compete with the iPod.  Why have pretty good if you can have great?

Acts have been woodshedding for years.  Lifers know it’s about the music more than self-promotion.  Anybody who laments they can’t get signed, that no one will back them financially, that they’re not on television, should be ignored.  This is the last gasp before giving up.  Legends don’t bitch, they put their heads down and keep on keepin’ on.

2010-2020

People will pay for music.  Revenue to labels and musicians could be lower, but it won’t pay to get it for free, it will be too easy and too cheap to pay.

Acts won’t charge a fortune for personal appearances.  Old acts on their way out can rip you off, substantial acts girding for the future have to charge reasonably, so concertgoers will take a chance, so fans will keep on coming.  It doesn’t matter what Irving Azoff and Michael Rapino and Randy Phillips and Jerry Mickelson have to say.  They’re too old.  The aged infrastructure will fall by the wayside and be replaced by a younger generation which doesn’t put money first.  Because there’s just not enough cash in music.  If you want to get rich, be an athlete, go to Silicon Valley, become a banker.  Music is akin to archery or dressage or some other obscure Olympic sport.  You do it for the love of it.  But the public admires passion, they’re drawn to people who do it for the right reasons, and the underlying power of music allows it to blow up in the way an obscure sport cannot.  Then again, extreme sports have put a dent in Little League and all the hyper-competitive youth sports of yore.  It’s now about self-expression, being a member of the group.  This is the opposite of the old wave music business, where elder fat cats tell you how to do it and they build stars surrounded by posses that insulate them from the real world.

CONCLUSION

The bad news had to come before the good.  Seeds have been planted that are going to flower into a healthy music scene.  Where people are drawn to new acts expressing themselves from the heart beholden to no one.  And intermediaries won’t be gatekeepers so much as conduits, akin to the trusted deejays of yore.

Doesn’t matter what the RIAA says.  Nor Lucian Grainge or Irving Azoff.  Or me.  That’s what the old wave doesn’t understand.  The technology has empowered the public.  Change is happening organically.  It cannot be stopped.  And just like open source software employs the crowd to create something great for free, the crowd will determine what will be successful in the future.  It won’t be top down marketing, but bottom up.  It’s won’t be about dousing a building with gasoline and lighting a blowtorch, but assembling kindling, lighting a match, nurturing the flame, gently placing more twigs on the fire, growing it to the point where it’s almost self-sustaining.

The glasses are coming.  We’re all gonna be able to focus and see.  The great acts will triumph.  Sure, crap will still exist, but unlike in the nineties, it will be the sideshow.  The main attraction will be acts that are all about the music, not dancing, not appearance, not the show, but what you hear in your ears.  After all, isn’t that what music is all about?

Posted via email from Music Business Information

MUSIC OR THE ECONOMY?

---by Bob Lefsetz

No one knows for sure.  Is business bad because ticket prices are too high for acts that have been on the road too often playing old material while new acts are ever-harder to develop or is it just that the economy sucks?

It's unclear.

But you can't trust the prognostications.

"Pollstar" says revenue in the first half of 2010 is off 17%.  Live Nation cries foul, claiming that the grosses of the Eagles weren't included, and that brings the number down much lower...and are the statistics even accurate to begin with?

One thing we can all agree on is it's much harder to develop an act with no medium, not radio, television or any one Website, having dominance.

Then again, more people are listening to more music than ever before.

I don't think the economy is the main factor.  Other retail industries are not off as much.

THE DARK SIDE

Used to be the touring industry was a subsidiary of the labels.  Not literally, but labels created demand and promoters mopped up on the road.  Now the labels are close to impotent and crying that they deserve road income.  But because of their lessened importance, no one is listening to the labels, they're listening to the promoters, and if labels were always scummy, promoters have historically been bottom of the barrel.  What I mean by that is at least labels pay by check and the checks don't bounce.  Whereas touring has always been about cash, and you're always worried, especially now that checks are prevalent, that you're going to get stiffed.

In other words, do you work for Live Nation because you can get paid?  Remember Jack Utsick?  Everyone was afraid to book a national tour with his company for fear it would blow up.  It did.

LIVE NATION

Each and every acquisition Rapino has made has not borne fruit.  One can even argue that it was a bad idea to purchase House of Blues, never mind Trunk, etc.  Pursuing dominance, streamlining to own the concert industry, Rapino has ended up with too much capacity and not enough profit.  Some say he never should have gotten rid of the legitimate theatre and motor sports divisions.  We can second guess his efforts all day long, but the point remains, none of his purchases have paid off.  Makes you wonder, right?

As for Irving...  Best manager ever.  Best Chairman?  Mmm...  He built MCA Records essentially from scratch, but it took Al Teller to make it truly profitable.  And Giant Records never really found its way.  Can he steer Live Nation to profitability?

Then again, he controls all the acts.  Fuck with Irving, and you incur his wrath.  His problem is he's got too many unwieldy, sometimes diametrically opposed assets.  His strength is he's got all those assets.  For all those who want Live Nation to die, you'll be stunned at the Holy War you will unleash.

THE COMPETITION

For all the talk of a Live Nation monopoly in touring, agents can book an entire arena tour using independent promoters.  Live Nation is not necessary, which speaks to Rapino's point that he's got to pay or someone else will.  The only problem is everybody else is not public, they can afford to pass.  Whereas Live Nation's got overhead and is a public company.  The best way to solve Live Nation's problems would be to refuse to overpay for talent.  But that might make investors nervous.

Then again, SFX/Clear Channel/Live Nation has never worked.  Billions were written off.  The company was spun-off.  It appears the road to success is via new products.  Irving keeps telling us he's got them in the pipeline, that we're gonna be wowed.  We'll just have to wait and see.  The music business is full of hype, and hype means less than ever before, but Irving controls all those artists, and he can get a critical mass to say yes whereas his competitors cannot.

AEG

While trumpeting the success of Bon Jovi, the Internet is rife with discount offers.  Most recently, the Groupon offer for the Bon Jovi/Kid Rock show in Chicago (http://www.groupon.com/chicago/deals/bon-jovi-and-kid-rock-at-soldier-field):

We can debate demand all day long, but we know two things...

1. AEG overbooked.

2. AEG is ignorant when it comes to the Web.  Fuck up online and everybody knows.  Just like everybody knew overnight about Napster and started stealing music, everyone knows about concert deals in a matter of minutes.  Begging the question how savvy AEG truly is.  In a world where Zynga is triumphant, does Randy Philips even know what Zynga is?

PROBLEMS

All-in ticketing.

The acts don't want it.

The acts love Ticketmaster, it takes the heat.  See, we price our tickets low, it's Ticketmaster ripping you off!  But Ticketmaster is kicking back to the promoter, so he can make a profit.  So where's the truth?

The truth is the promoter has two sets of books.  One for the artists, another for themselves.  They're at a loss in one and a profit in the other.  The acts drove them to this.  Then again, promoters have overspent, which brings us to buying...

TICKETING COMPETITORS

There's just not enough money in it.  Gripe about Ticketmaster all you want, but at least its system works.  Live Nation went with Eventim and it was a disaster.  So who's going to invest in the infrastructure to create a system that works, that can sell that many tickets quickly, at such small margins?  Yes, you want a competitor that will sell tickets cheaper, when a competitor would have to charge more!  And costs include not only infrastructure, but generous deals for facilities and promoters.  And needless to say Ticketmaster will compete for that business.  But more importantly, where is the deep pocket that's going to pony up all that cash for such a meager return?  Speak with venture capitalists, they want exorbitant profits, and they're just not there in ticketing, certainly not without raising fees.

BUYING

Some think the problem with Live Nation is in the buying.  That they're overpaying and they're not allowing local decision-makers to do their jobs.  In other words, is all promotion local?  Prior to now, superstars would sell out everywhere.  Now we've seen even the Eagles can't fill stadiums.  End result, concert promotion is no longer solely about money, but creativity.  Which acts do you put in which buildings on which day at which price?  It can't be done on a centralized/national basis, because no one individual has that knowledge.  In other words, you've got to trust Michael Belkin and Danny Zelisko to do their thing, let them promote, no one knows their markets better.  Or, their contracts run out and they go independent and eat your lunch...  Because now that everything doesn't sell out, and buying requires intense innate knowledge, he who runs nationally is in trouble.  We've seen this happen in radio.  Centralized programming allows you to cut costs and make a short term profit, but your audience decreases, because people no longer like the product.

SOLUTIONS

Irving Azoff has to get everybody on the same page.

Or else chaos will continue to reign.

Live Nation is the biggest buyer of talent, Live Nation is the only entity that can effect change.  And never forget that Live Nation controls so much talent.  All-in ticketing?  Must be instituted to regain consumer confidence, but few agents and acts are willing to get on board.  It's got to get done.  And only Irving can bring ticket prices down.

THE FUTURE

Live music will continue to be played.  It's just a matter of which acts will be presented and by whom.

Demand is key.

But acts must be willing to leave something on the table, not go after every last dollar with endless touring at high prices. Then again, legacy acts need to tour every year for the income...they literally need the money.  So how you fix that problem...

And the problem of consumer confidence.  How do you get people to buy early at a high price?  Only by making all seats available and instituting either price protection or refusing to allow discounting.

As for airline seat pricing, the so-called "dynamic pricing"...  That's fucked.  It shouldn't be about extricating the most dollars from the marketplace and putting it in the hands of artists, it should be about insuring that hard core fans get good seats at fair prices.  Paperless ticketing allows this.

America for too long has been about winners and losers.  The gulf between rich and poor is so wide you can't even see across.  And now we want to institute this in the concert business?  Music was always cheap.  It was for everybody.  Didn't matter how big your bank account was, you had equal access.  And unless you resort to Bulldog gigs, few customers at exorbitant prices, and that certainly didn't work, you're gonna have to draw a lot of people.  So those people have to have a great experience.  People play the lottery because they think they've got an equal chance of winning.   What if every week a rich person won?  Or $1000 lottery tickets had much better odds than $1 ones?  How many would play then?  It's all about the aggregate.  This is what screwed up the labels.  They wanted few people to pay a lot.  Whereas it's about getting a lot of people to pay a little.  In other words, you don't want to be the airline industry, but the cell phone industry.  And in wireless, you don't get a better connection if you pay more.  And in wireless they're always looking forward, to better service, i.e. 4G and new products, i.e. data as opposed to voice.  In music it's all about new acts.  But where are these new acts?  And it's about a better experience.  Better food, treating the consumer with respect as opposed to ripping him off.

Live Nation is riddled with problems.  But the company is an easy target.  Everybody in the food chain must look at himself for solutions to gain traction.  From the acts to the managers to the agents to the promoters.  Right now, no one trusts anyone and it's all about the dough.  Once upon a time it was about the music.  Decades ago.  But thankfully, the big players in music are getting older by the minute and nimble-minded youngsters will eat their lunch.  Just watch.

Posted via email from Music Business Information

Do We Just Need to Contact the God Within Us?

====By Billy Graham

Q: I think we all have a little bit of God living within us, and that it's wrong to say we're sinful or bad. We're basically good, because we are part of God, and what we need to do is get in contact with the God who is within us. -- Mrs. H.G.

A: You are partly right; when God created us He put something of Himself within us -- what the Bible calls our soul or spirit. This sets us apart from every other creature, and gives dignity and sanctity to every human being.

But both the Bible and human experience tell us that something has happened to us -- and that "something" is sin. Evil is real, and evil has invaded our lives; our headlines give witness to this truth every day. A baby or young child doesn't have to be taught how to be selfish; it comes naturally to them. And no one -- even the best person -- measures up to what we know we should be. The Bible puts it bluntly: "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10).

This is why we need Christ, for only He can cleanse us from our sins and bring us back to God. God is holy -- but we are not. God is perfect -- but we are not. Only through Christ can we come back to God, for He took upon Himself the judgment we deserve. He did this because God loves us. The Bible says, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Don't be deceived, but face your own need for God's forgiveness. Then by faith

Posted via email from Religion

Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

NOTE: Ingredients for a changed serving size are based on a calculation and are not reviewed by the author or tested. Please also consider scaling up or down cooking containers as needed.

• 2 tsp peanut oil
• 1/4 tsp red-pepper flakes
• 2 thin-cut, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces or strips
• 1/3 cup asparagus tips
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1/4 medium onion, cut into bite-size pieces or strips
• 1/3 cup frozen snow peas
• 2 tbsp sliced almonds
• 2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

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Directions

1.

Combine the peanut oil and red-pepper flakes in a medium-hot skillet. Add the chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, still stirring often. Serve over brown rice.

Posted via email from WellCare

Is God opposed to people trying to get rich and be successful?

---By Billy Graham

A: No, God isn't necessarily opposed to wealth or financial success; some of the most outstanding and godly people in the Bible were also people of great wealth -- men like Abraham or Job in the Old Testament.

But the Bible does warn us about the dangers of wealth, and I urge you to take those warnings seriously. What are its dangers? First, the desire for wealth can easily take the place of God in our lives. In other words, instead of loving God and putting Him first, we love money and all it stands for -- and God gets crowded out of our lives. Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters.... You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matthew 6:24).

A second problem is that greed and envy easily take over our lives when we make money our goal. But when that happens, we become selfish and grasping, and we lose sight of the needs of others. Money then becomes our master instead of our servant, and we begin using people for our own selfish ends. The Bible warns, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).

Don't allow this to happen to you, but instead make Christ the center and foundation of your life. Only He gives us lasting peace, and only He gives us the security we need -- both for today and for eternity. And if God gives you wealth, commit it to Him and ask Him to help you use it to bless others.

Posted via email from Religion

Where Did The Idea of Hell Come From?

---Billy Graham

Q: Where did the idea of hell come from? I don't believe there is such a thing because God is for life and for love, not destruction and hate, like some people seem to think. -- C.F.

A: It might surprise you to learn that the person in the Bible who spoke the most about hell's reality was Jesus. He repeatedly warned us not to take it lightly: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

Is hell just an idea someone dreamed up -- or is it real? The Bible's answer is clear: Hell is real just as real as heaven. You and I will live forever because God gave each of us an eternal soul or spirit. Death isn't the end; when we die, we will enter eternity either with God in heaven, or separated from Him forever in the place the Bible calls Hell.

Yes, you're right up to a point; God is a God of love. But He is also a God of justice. Do you honestly believe God will overlook the horrors committed by a Hitler or Stalin? Do you honestly believe God will overlook the evils and injustices that ravage our world? The Bible warns, "All will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness" (2 Thessalonians 2:12).

These are sobering words. But the Bible tells us something else about hell: You and I don't need to go there! Jesus Christ came to destroy sin and death and hll and when we put our faith and trust in Him, haven's door opens before us. Don't be deceived, but turn to Christ and accept the salvation He offers you today.

Posted via email from Religion

FIGHTING BACK....

Woman 2, thugs 0 after home invasion

Oklahoma break-in turns deadly when 'victim' pulls gun and fires

---

Posted: July 24, 2010
11:00 pm Eastern

By Bob Unruh
© 2010 WorldNetDaily

Entertainment center smashed while intruders were attacking Okahoma woman (Photo by Steven Conrad of Conrad Images)

One gun isn't enough.

That was what Linda Smith (a pseudonym) was thinking after two thugs broke into her Oklahoma apartment. One was holding a weapon (she initially thought it was a knife but it turned out to be a screwdriver) at her throat, and the other was pacing back and forth while holding her purse and demanding her money and valuables. She screamed, and was told if she screamed again, she'd be dead.

She was doing as police recommend in robberies – comply with a robber's demands. But her Lady Smith & Wesson .38 special, which she carries by permit, was hidden in her purse – and the purse was being held by one of the attackers.

Then the situation, suddenly, got much, much worse: One of the robbers demanded that she take off her clothes.

"Come on, what are you waiting for," he told her as he started to yank on her sweatpants, trying to take them off.

Here's everything you need to know about firearms and ammunition

Smith pleaded for her safety and distracted the attackers by telling them she would get her money, which was "in my purse."

The robbers inexplicably allowed her to drop to her knees and crawl across the floor to her purse, which the second attacker had dropped.

(Story continues below)

She reached inside, and the first shot was clear of the muzzle and into the torso of one of the attackers before she even pulled the weapon clear of the purse. Four more shots followed shortly and, in the end, one of the attackers was dead and the second was hospitalized facing a murder rap for having participated in a felony in which someone died.

Smith, in an exclusive interview with WND, explained she comes from a family that believes in self-reliance and courage.

"I choose to carry a concealed firearm, because even though I am immensely grateful for the protection from our police departments, I realize they're not God, so they can't be everywhere at once.

"Deadly situations can happen in the blink of an eye," she said. "If you are not proactive … you are a vulnerable target."

Smith, an Endowment member of the National Rifle Association, said she's carried a gun for almost half a decade, but never dreamed she'd be in a situation where she'd have to use it to defend her life. But she's glad the training she's had over the years kicked in at a time when it saved her from injury, or possibly much worse.

"Ironically, I thought I was really prepared," she told WND. "I remember that night and saw my life flash before my eyes. Darreon Carter, the man who was attempting to rape me, had me pinned down to my couch, with a knife at my throat. I knew I didn't have access to my gun. I thought to myself, I really need to have a firearm for my home, and directly on my person."

Mess left by two attackers shot when they invaded Oklahoma woman's apartment and she shot them. One died. (Photo by Steven Conrad of Conrad Images)

Rachel Parsons, an official for the NRA, said, while Smith's case is among the more dramatic, there are similar scenarios that have been reported. But even more, there are many crimes that simply are not carried out because of the possibility that a "victim" is fully armed, she said.

"We see every day in newspapers across this country times when law-abiding people are able to protect themselves because they have concealed-carry permits," she said.

"Numerous studies [show] having a concealed-carry permit, having a firearm and the ability to use one, has thwarted crime without the firearm ever having been fired," she said.

"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

All the gun laws, regulations, rules, restrictions, plans and advisories in the world are not going to change the fact that criminals have guns, she pointed out.

"By definition, criminals break the law. All of these regulations do absolutely nothing [to stop] criminals," she said.

Jason Willingham, a public-information officer with the Tulsa Police Department, told WND that officers encourage people to cooperate with robbers if they find themselves in the situation of losing a wallet or cash.

"However, if it's a situation where a rape is going to take place, or a kidnapping, we definitely encourage people to fight," he said. "You do not want to go willing. Scream. Make people wonder what's going on."

"Obviously, in this situation she did exactly … the right thing," he said.

While the prosecutor had not yet made a formal decision regarding her case, Willingham told WND that Oklahoma not only has a "make my day" law allowing residents to use deadly force inside their homes, but also a "stand your ground" law allowing force to be used against an attack outside the home.

He said the surviving attacker probably will face a murder charge under a state law allowing that charge when a person embarks on a felony and someone dies.

He said the two perpetrators are "well-known" to the Tulsa police "for criminal activities."

He said he had reviewed the 911 tapes made of Smith's call to police after the shooting.

"It's amazing. She's calm and collected. You always wonder what would happen in such a situation," he said.

According to records, the attack happened early on the morning of July 15, and one of the intruders, Darreon Carter, 18, died hours later in a hospital in Tulsa. The other, Daniel Holman, 23, was facing charges while still in critical condition.

Capt. Travis Yates of the Tulsa Police Department told the Tulsa newspaper it seemed to be an "opportunity crime."

"Somebody saw a woman walking up to an apartment, and they decided to commit a crime, and here we are," he said.

The attack developed only about 24 hours after another home invasion was reported in the area – and that one left a resident dead. Willingham, however, told WND it was unrelated to the Smith ordeal.

On the Tulsa World forum page, Smith came in for virtually unchallenged praise:

• "The scumbags got what they deserved and I hope it is a lesson for the rest of them out there."

• "God bless this shooter."

• "Pay attention to this one. This is what is going to have to start happening to let all these no good punks [know] that you won't stand for it and are taking your freedom back. … You come to take whats [sic] mine 'I will shoot you.'"

• "KEEP SHOOTING!!!"

• "Buy a gun. Learn how to use it. Kill intruders. Any questions?"

• "A perfect example of why we need the concealed carry! this is my kind of woman! fight crime! shoot back!"

• "Lock and load people, it's a different world out there."

• "I love the great equalizer."

• "This story makes me feel all warm and fuzzy."

Smith told WND she had come into her apartment after a late-night run for errands – she keeps unusual hours because of shift work at a hospital. She had one more item to fetch from outside but never got the chance because, within 20 seconds of her entering, the suspects followed.

She recalled with clarity the five shots, including those in which she picked out the attackers even though her boyfriend, black like the attackers, was struggling with them. He had been visiting and came in from the next room after the shots rang out.

He reported to Smith later that one of the attackers actually had a headlock on him when she fired, knocking the assailant off of him.

He had jumped into Smith's defense as both attackers were beating Smith's face and head, trying to knock her out to break her "death grip" on the weapon.

"We need to stand up and we don't have to be victims," Smith told WND. "We don't have to passively stand by and allow criminals to overtake us."

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous

THE NEW 360 DEAL

• Own your masters and publishing
• Purchase the services you need
• Use and integrated marketing approach
• Create multiple revenue opportunities
• Control your career

Posted via email from Music Business Information

Evolution of True Blue Flans

Most of us want to sell something – want to get people to commit to plopping down the hard won cash in an exchange of value. That’s certainly one of the reasons millions of business folks have jumped into online networks and social platforms – to gain access to the hundreds of millions that hang out there and prospect for customers.

But while social technology has made it much easier to gain access to people, I think in some ways it’s actually made it harder to get those same people to commit to buy (or at least it hasn’t really made it easier.) While selling in the old days (2 years ago) was still very much about getting someone’s attention and making them an offer, it has now become much more of an intentional act of gaining trust and helping prospects evolve towards a customer commitment.

The Evolution of Commitment looks a bit like this:

• It’s pretty darn easy to get a fan or a follower, but what’s that really worth by itself?
• Using social media platforms to drive fans and followers to read your educational content furthers their engagement
• Encouraging that reader to subscribe to your email newsletter or how to series is the link to gaining permission to make offers
• Creating opportunities for subscribers to participate by evaluating, sampling and trialing your products and services is the key to demonstrating value worth paying for.
• And finally now you’ve got them hooked and it’s time to pay up – but wait, why would I pay for something I can get for free in so many other places?

The response in the last point above is the dilemma of the free online world that people have grown accustomed to. Scads of smart marketers have mastered the pre commitment dance of know, like and trust, only to fall flat when asking for the ultimate commitment – money.

So what does it take to get fans and followers to commit, take the act of paying for your offerings?

I asked some of my followers on Twitter that very question and receive responses like:
“there needs to have been serious “can’t live without” value on the free version that would make me test out the paid version.”

“the idea that what i’m paying for has real life value, isn’t free somewhere else, or won’t lose half it’s value in < 1yr."

"add'l features get me from free to paid, as does a great free experience."

"It has to inspire me, be enjoyable and/or fulfill a true need."

As I look around at some of the successful freemium models, Basecamp, Evernote, and those that have experience challenges going to a paid model, Ning, I’m struck with the impression that commitment comes from an experience that so exceeds expectation, so motivates people to talk, and is so valuable that people actually feel bad not paying for the experience or come to understand their life will be better by making the commitment.

That’s a pretty high standard, but the clear message is this – people will buy anything that’s free, even crap, but they won’t commit unless it’s remarkably free and freeing.

But think about that for a moment – isn’t there a similar bar for any commitment? What gets someone to say yes to a marriage proposal? What gets someone to commit to giving up smoking? What gets someone to go after a job at a company with no current opening?

Commitment, and it’s semi-evil twin non-commitment, is all around us every day. What can we learn from it to bring to our business, culture and marketing? I think there is much to explore on this topic.

Posted via email from Music Business Information

Our Deepest Fear

Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson is one of my all time favorite inspirational poems.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And when we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous

Country Music: 'Our Tours Are Doing Great'

By Glenn Peoples

While some pop and rock concerts have disappointed in 2010, the general opinion is that country concerts are having a great year. “There's not a single country artist out there that's not doing well," said manager Clarence Spalding (Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn) told the Tennessean.

The average ticket price for some of country’s biggest stars are actually quite low. The average ticket prices of Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw, according to the article, are $61 and $49, respectively. In contrast, the Jonas Brothers’ average ticket price at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena was $91. The concert sold only 3,500 tickets (for an 11,000 concert configuration) before being canceled, according to an arena official.

This sentiment was heard from many executives at last month’s Billboard Country Music Summit in Nashville. "I think the country music business is as strong as it's even been," said Brian O'Connell, President, Live Nation Country Music. "Right now, in 2010, I couldn't be any happier with the way things are going."

All other things being equal, a lower-priced ticket will sell better than a higher-priced ticket. And given the current economic climate, rising ticket prices are not helping the concert industry. Live Nation, for one, says it plans to remedy this problem. In its presentation to investors and analysts last week, company executives went to great lengths to stress that ticket prices will come down in the near future. Investors appear not to have complete confidence the company will be able to restrain artist costs and ticket prices. Live Nation’s stock dropped 21% over Thursday and Friday and was down nearly 3% in early Monday trading.

Posted via email from Music Business Information

5 Must-Know Tips For New Artists

By Chris M. Walsh

This year's New Music Seminar in New York wrapped today after a series of panels which included "The Creative Conundrum - Increasing Your Odds With Radical Differentiation," a 90-minute no-bull look at how new artists can break their careers wide open.

Yes, that's easier said than done, as the discussion's moderator, Billboard's editorial director Bill Werde, pointed out that 94,000 albums were released last year. So, how does one rise above the clutter of the thousands of other releases? A round-up of tips from the panel:

Make A Personal Connection With Fans
Artists must create "religious" moments with fans - it can be on a record, it can be live, it can be online, etc. - but to truly break through and expect fans to come back for more more, artists must make an emotional connection. "If you can create a special experience in front of 30 people in a club," said panelist Tom Jackson from OnStageSuccess.com, "and you change a life at a show, you have a shot at this."

Whatever You Do, Make Yourself Stand Out
Hip-hop producer Just Blaze received 300 demos the last time he went to a conference, he said. The two he remembers? One that he received on an iPod Shuffle (a brilliant move, albeit incredibly expensive) and the artist who took an candy-themed approach to the CD packaging, complete with Kool-Aid and Fun Dip artwork. "That made a difference. Things like that grab my attention and I thought 'this person's presentation was so different that maybe their music will be just as different.'"

Artists Must Be Marketers and Entrepreneurs
Too many artists are waiting for a lucky chance meeting with Jimmy Iovine, said reality TV personality and People's Revolution PR founder Kelly Cutrone. "Madonna is an average singer but a brilliant marketer," said Cutrone, adding that Lady Gaga showed up in her office in 105 degree weather dressed as Kiss' Ace Frehley. "That stood out."

Find Your Lane
"If people want Southern rap they'll go to T.I., if they want East Coast they'll go to Jay-Z, if they want West Coast they'll go to Snoop or Dre. Those slots are already taken," said Just Blaze. The point? Find your niche and stick to it. "Make your mark in one spot then branch out."

Work On Your Craft
At the end of the day, if you have everyone's attention, the music has to deliver the goods. "Learn your craft," said the E Street Band's Little Steven. His comment that artists must first go back to the beginnings of their genre and "learn the roots," drew the panel's biggest applause.

Posted via email from Music Business Information

How Long Will CD's Survive

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

July 20, 2010 4:40 p.m. EDT

If you think the musical compact disc is dying or dead, you're probably younger than it is.

"Show me a teenager buying a Susan Boyle album on CD and I'll show you someone buying a gift for their grandparent -- for Christmas," jokes Billboard senior chart manager and analyst Keith Caulfield. "There is definitely an age component to the consumption of music."

As the music industry as a whole struggles in a down economy and direct download business models like iTunes flourish, the compact disc -- which was commercially introduced in 1982 -- has the appearance of going the way of vinyl.

And contrary to the recent declaration of singer Prince -- who said that the Internet is dead and released his latest CD for free via European newspapers -- there's some evidence that consumers aren't as enamored with ripping the cellophane off that new CD as they once were.

According to data from Nielsen SoundScan, in 2007 CDs accounted for 90 percent of album sales in the United States, with digital accounting for the other 10 percent. Just two years later, that number had shifted to 79 percent CDs and 20 percent digital, with the remaining percentage point being made up of vinyl and other media.

Billboard's Caulfield said that so far this year, about 44 million digital albums have been sold, compared with 40 million during the same time frame last year. But while digital sales have increased slightly, CD sales have dropped from 147 million last year to 114 million this year for the same time period.

Caulfield stops short of speculating on a date when CDs might be phased out, but he does see similarities with the history of other media.

"Vinyl was the predominant configuration from the '50s and the '60s all the way up through the early '80s, and then cassettes became the predominant format from the early-mid '80s to the very early '90s," he said. "Then CDs became the predominant format and cassettes really didn't go away until a few years ago. It's kind of a natural progression, to a degree."

That's not to say that some artists aren't still selling well. Country group Lady Antebellum has so far racked up 2.4 million in album sales -- both CD and digital -- making them the top-selling act so far for 2010. In second place is teen phenom Justin Bieber, with 1.4 million.

"When an artist like a Drake or Eminem sells a bunch of albums, that shows that there are a lot of people that really want to spend money and give money to the artist that they are really, truly a fan of," Caulfield said. "The younger an artist skews in terms of who they appeal to, you'll see a larger share of their album sales tilt towards digital."

One obvious benefit of digital downloads is their ability to scratch an immediate itch. Caulfield observes shows like Fox's "Glee" make songs almost instant hits because "they have already heard and liked the song by the time they download it." Paul Grein, who writes the "Chart Watch" column for Yahoo.com, agrees, seeing hope for the music business in the success of "Glee" and "American Idol," which have helped spike downloads.

Despite the CD's decline, Grein believes the format will be around for the foreseeable future.

"I think it's becoming less of a mass-market item and kind of a niche product that caters to a small but loyal following," he said. "But there are enough cases where we are seeing albums that are selling in big numbers that I think they will be around for a while." Younger-skewing artists, such as singer-rapper Ke$ha, enjoy a larger slice of the digital pie than older-skewing artists such as James Taylor, he says.

Indeed, the format isn't the point, he said. In 100 years, recorded music has gone from cylinders to shellac 78s to vinyl LPs to cassettes, CDs and now digital downloads. Through it all, listeners still crave tunes.

"Music is definitely still in fashion," he said. "It's all around us

Posted via email from Music Business Information

Why Do I Still Have Temptations?

--by Billy Graham

Q: I gave my life to Jesus at a summer church camp two years ago, but why do I still have temptations? I thought those would go away when I accepted Jesus, but they haven't. -- P.D.

A: If Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil, don't you think you and I will be tempted by him also? Becoming a Christian doesn't shield you from temptations; in fact, they may grow stronger (at least for a time), because the devil will do everything he can to make us turn away from Christ. But Jesus didn't give in to the devil's temptations -- and neither should we. (You can read about Jesus' encounter with the devil in Matthew 4:1-11).

How should we deal with temptation? Let me suggest three ways. First, face it -- that is, realize it for what it is: an attempt to turn us away from God and His will. Don't say to yourself, "Oh well, it doesn't really matter; everyone is doing it." Instead, face the fact that you are being tempted to do something wrong.

Second, flee from it. If certain situations always tempt you or cause you to stumble, avoid them like you'd avoid a poisonous snake! Paul told his young friend Timothy to "Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness" (2 Timothy 2:22).

Then finally, fight it -- fight temptation by turning to God in prayer, and with the truth of God's Word, the Bible. Jesus could have used His supernatural powers to banish the devil from His presence, but instead, He simply quoted the Bible -- the same resource God has given us. I'm thankful you have given your life to Jesus. Now grow in your faith, because the closer we are to Christ, the farther we are from the devil.

Posted via email from Religion

How to be Insanely Productive and Still Keep Smiling

Do you want to be more productive? Maybe you do, but I’m sure you don’t want to feel stressed, overwhelmed, or unhappy – which happens to many super-productive people. But there is good news:

You can be insanely productive – and still smell the freesias, savor a Pinot Noir, or enjoy a languid hug.

A few weeks ago Leo Babauta said to me, “Mary – you’re one of the most productive people I know. And you still keep smiling and seem so relaxed. How do you do it?”

Most stuff I’ve read about productivity is about doing things differently. Like getting up at 4 a.m. each morning, or drinking eight liters of water a day, or keeping a notebook under the pillow. Sorry, folks – I don’t do any of those things.

High productivity isn’t about doing, it’s about being.

If you want to be highly productive – and still enjoy life – you need to look at how you live, and how you use your mind. Check out the following five suggestions:

1. Make peace within.
   Most people live in a constant state of inner conflict and suffer from a barrage of negative thoughts that sabotage productivity.

   Here’s a scenario: Imagine that your car has landed in a ditch. A group of helpers gather, attach ropes and start to pull the car out. Unfortunately, they’re not all pulling in the same direction. Some try to pull the car toward the road, whereas others try to pull it deeper into the ditch. It’s absurd.

   That’s exactly what happens when we’re divided within: everything is a struggle, nothing much happens, and it’s frustrating. But what if your mind, body, and soul are all aligned?

   When our energy is aligned, we are in a state of flow.

   When we’re at peace within, and immersed in the task at hand – without negative thoughts sabotaging our productivity – action becomes effortless. We’re able to achieve much more in less time. And with more enjoyment.

   Tip: Wear an elastic wristband. Whenever you notice negative thoughts, change your wristband to the other arm. This will help you to create and maintain peace within.

2. Go to your edge. Regularly.
   Most people use only a fraction of their capacity and try to save personal energy. For example, we’re tempted to rest when we feel tired in order to recover our zest for life. Wrong move! The more energy you spend, the more you have.

   Tiredness can signal many things. If you’re healthy, it may mean that you are bored, frustrated, lack movement, or need more oxygen. Or maybe conflict within has sapped your energy. It’s important to go to your limits regularly. Take up running, martial arts, swimming, or other activities – there are many way to exercise vigorously.

   Tip: If you feel exhausted or lethargic, go for a brisk walk in order to rev up your energy and restore your spirit.

3. Take action.
   Most people aren’t productive because they don’t take action. They have dreams and even plans – but they don’t follow through. Negative thoughts can derail action. It may be that you have doubts about your ability, or that you listen to others who doubt you.

   Tip: Look at what you would like to achieve and ask yourself, “What is the smallest step in the direction of my dreams that I can take right now?” Then take that baby step. Now.

4. Do what you love.
   Think about how you spend your time. Do you enjoy your work, or is it a grind? I’ve changed my life, and what I’m passionate about has now become my work: I teach my Zen students, and also work together with Leo to mentor bloggers in the A-list Blogger Club .

   A few days ago my partner David knocked at the door of the little cabin in the garden where I work:

   “Mary,” he said, “ do you realize it’s 10 o’clock at night – and you’re still working?”
   “I’m not working!” I shot back. “I’m enjoying myself!”

   Yes, when the boundary between work and play gets blurred, you may actually work more – but it feels like you’re just having fun.

   Tip: Follow your dreams – even if it’s only for ten minutes a day.

5. Love what you do.
   We can’t always do what we love. But we are free to love what we do. From a Zen perspective, there is a way to turn even the dullest chore into pleasurable activity through mindfulness.When we pay tender regard to our present experience – letting go of all thoughts and judgments – even the most mundane action can become pleasurable. Mindfulness doesn’t mean watching yourself, it means being fully present, moment by moment.

   Tip: In order to become mindful, notice sensations of the moment. What sounds can you hear? How are your feet connected with the ground? What does your skin feel like?

Finally, a key question you need to ask …

If you want to be productive and still enjoy life, there is a key question you need to answer: why be productive?

I mean, why not just chill out on the couch, eat potato crisps, and watch TV reruns? That might be fine. But what about the oblong box we’re all going to end up in?

I remind myself every morning that life is short and mine may be over by nightfall. That gives me the the desire to taste and enjoy each moment. It also adds a measure of calm urgency because I want to leave a mark upon the world. Do you?

If so, mindful productivity will help you create a life that offers both pleasure and productivity. You’ll achieve more, and you’ll still keep smiling. That smile will light up not only your own life, but also the lives of those around you.

You don’t have to be a super-hero. Simply make peace within and live each moment fully. That’s all.

Posted via email from Kleerstreem's Posterous

The State of Internet Music on YouTube, Pandora, iTunes, and Facebook

BY Austin CarrTue Jul 20, 2010

"More people are engaged with music than ever before," said Tom Silverman, chairman and CEO of Tommy Boy Records. "It's a hockey stick going up; it's an incredible opportunity that so far has eluded us." Silverman was speaking this morning at the New Music Seminar in New York City, where he and Eric Garland, CEO of Big Champagne (who also unveiled the Ultimate Chart today), gave a State of the Music Industry address. Even if you aren't a player in the industry and only an avid music listener, the figures that Silverman and Garland culled will surely surprise you. Here are a few of their key findings.

A shift from albums to singles

Of the some 100,000 albums released last year, 17,000 of them sold only 1 copy; more than 81,000 albums sold under 100 copies. In fact, just 1,300 albums sold over 10,000 copies, an astonishing figure given that these numbers combine physical and digital album sales. And for physical sales alone? Only 2% of new albums on Soundscan sold over 5,000 copies--that's a skydiver's plummet from the golden era of the music industry.

"The music business historically has been built around albums," explained Silverman. "This album-centrism is like saying the sun revolves around the Earth. We don't listen to albums now; we listen to collections of songs."

Of course, the reason for significant single-growth and slowed-album sales is due in part to iTunes hawking every song as a single for 99 cents. "Historically, the price of an album was five times greater than a single," said Silverman, who believes setting the price at a tenth of an album's cost was a mistake and that even $1.29 is too low. "It should've been a $1.99, and then we would've seen higher digital album sales because it would've been a bigger discount for buying an album." But both Silverman and Garland agreed that this is changing, citing the fact that about 14% of all of Universal Music's digital sales are for complete albums, which suggests that the $9.99 price-tag is becoming approachable for consumers.

Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter: Track your FFF number

According to Garland, industry folks today are obsessed with "FFF numbers"--that is, an artist's friends, fans, and followers. "It's a race, but to what end?" he wondered. Garland showed through a series of charts how Twitter and especially Facebook are ballooning in popularity for artists like Lady Gaga, while once popular Myspace's numbers are stymied.

However, Garland points out that Facebook recently forced most users into converting their profile favorites into "fan" data, which arbitrarily inflated the social network's numbers. For example, Garland tells the story of how when Susan Boyle's performance first blew up, a friend of his added the YouTube star to his Facebook profile. When Facebook imported this data though, he instantly became a "fan" of Susan Boyle. "[He] had no interest in it--[he] liked her for like 30 seconds, once!" Garland relates. "It doesn't really indicate any consumer activity--it's automated," added Silverman.

Garland's story serves as an indicator of just how difficult it is to figure out the influence of an artist through his or her FFF number. After all, even if Lady Gaga starts losing friends on Myspace, that's less of an indication of her popularity, and more a sign of Myspace's falling use.

Google and YouTube more important than iTunes?

Interestingly, it wasn't Apple that Garland viewed as the most important name in music, even though the company's iPods, iPhones, and iTunes indicate otherwise. "YouTube is increasingly the category killer," argued Garland. "When people ask me what is the biggest name in music in my opinion, they want me to say Apple. I usually answer: YouTube."

Garland told audiences that if you actually look to where people are listening to music--not even just looking at videos--consumers are turning more and more to YouTube, which he calls the "largest catalog of on-demand music on the Internet." If only Google could make this service profitable, right?

Internet radio: Pandora

Garland and Silverman pointed out that Pandora is now the most popular Internet radio service, with a 52% market share, close to 60 million registered users, and more than 1 billion stations.

And in a sign of just how much the Web has impacted music, Silverman told the crowd that Pandora now represents 1.7% of all radio listening--really a shocking figure to think about. Obviously, traditional music media is going away. But is the music industry ready for the change

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Kurt Cobain’s only daughter launches art exhibition....

By Laura Davis

Friday, 16 July 2010

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• In pictures: 10 high-flying celebrity daughters

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She was only two years old when her father, the lead singer of iconic grunge band Nirvana, committed suicide aged 27.

In his last letter to his imaginary friend Boddah, he wrote “I have a goddess of a wife who sweats ambition and empathy and a daughter who reminds me too much of what I used to be, full of love and joy, kissing every person she meets because everyone is good and will do her no harm. And that terrifies me to the point to where I can barely function. I can't stand the thought of Frances becoming the miserable, self-destructive, death rocker that I've become... Please keep going Courtney, for Frances. For her life, which will be so much happier without me.”

When Frances Bean Cobain was only 11, she was placed into care of her grandmother after her mother Courtney Love was admitted to hospital struggling with drug addictions. Although she was returned to the custody of her mother, this year a California Superior Court in Los Angeles appointed Wendy O'Connor, Kurt Cobain's mother, and Kimberly Dawn Cobain, Kurt's sister, as co-guardians of Frances, as Cobain requested legal emancipation from her mother. Her guardians maintained that Love was incompetent of handling Cobain's financial affairs and now upon her eighteenth birthday in August, Cobain will inherit a sizable portion of the Cobain Estate.

You would only have to look at the suicide theme of her sweet sixteenth to see that Frances had a troubled childhood, but like her father, she has turned to the arts to express herself.

Under the pseudonym Fiddle Tim, Frances has launched an exhibition showing mainly charcoal drawings of disturbing images, including the main piece which is a portrait of punk musician G.G. Allin who died of a heroin overdose in 1993, aged 36.

The exhibition “Scumfuck” is currently being displayed at La Luz De Jesus Gallery in East LA until the end of July.

Posted via email from Music Business Information