I am learning that serious discussion on this blog takes a definite backseat to humor-and this being a beautiful Friday in August, who has the patience to read (let alone WRITE) something heavy and serious?
Not me. And probably not you, either.
My best responses have been to the Worst Best Man Ever (yesterday) and the Worst Music Video Ever (some time ago)
In our continuing quest to entertain, I give you the Worst Dancers Ever! Check out this video-a performance at some kind of Christian gathering. With absolutely NO intent to make fun of the message (or mission) of these committed participants, my advice would still be to stand still and read the Bible rather than what you will see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHtwOzdkNjA
Every time I see this, I laugh. Something about how UNCOOL they look, but how confident they are that COOLNESS is literally OOZING from every pore of their bodies.
If you can beat this one with a video you’ve found-I am open to featuring it in a future blog!
Have a great weekend-and I will be taking a week off next week. Talk to ya on the flipside! If you would like my blog in your e-mail box daily (after I return) just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
Friday, August 14, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Worst Best man Ever
Yesterday’s blog was two things:
1) LONG
2) SERIOUS
It’s hard to discuss health care in a funny or brief way.
So today,I plan to keep things:
1) SHORT
2) FUNNY
Enjoy the following video clip of the World’s Worst best man. Key that phrase into You Tube’s search engine and you will come up with some horrid speeches at various receptions---and then there is THIS.
Can’t be topped, very funny-and something that will never be forgotten by anyone in attendance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga-ULeG09QY
If you are the offending party…WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY SAY?
“Hey, sorry ‘bout that!”
My guess is this poor fellow never made it to the reception-and if he did-and it was in the same location, he was probably tossed into the drink as well!
Put my blog in your e-mail box weekdays for free by letting me know you’d like to subscribe: tim.moore@citcomm.com
For better or worse, til death do us part.
1) LONG
2) SERIOUS
It’s hard to discuss health care in a funny or brief way.
So today,I plan to keep things:
1) SHORT
2) FUNNY
Enjoy the following video clip of the World’s Worst best man. Key that phrase into You Tube’s search engine and you will come up with some horrid speeches at various receptions---and then there is THIS.
Can’t be topped, very funny-and something that will never be forgotten by anyone in attendance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga-ULeG09QY
If you are the offending party…WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY SAY?
“Hey, sorry ‘bout that!”
My guess is this poor fellow never made it to the reception-and if he did-and it was in the same location, he was probably tossed into the drink as well!
Put my blog in your e-mail box weekdays for free by letting me know you’d like to subscribe: tim.moore@citcomm.com
For better or worse, til death do us part.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tim Moore's Simple Health Care Solution
So, everyone is talking about it (and some are SCREAMING about it)
The “it”, of course, is health care-and as emotions rise, so too does the rhetoric on both sides (are there only two?)
Everyone has a solution-and I am no different.
First, I should disclose that my knowledge of the health care industry is on a par with my knowledge of, say, MOLECULAR PHYSICS. Anyone not intimately involved with the health insurance business or hospital administration (about 99% of the U.S. population) that tells you THEY know what they are talking about is either:
a) lying
b) crazy
c) delusional
d) all of the above
Now that we have that established, it seems to me that the health care problem is one of simple math—albeit on a massive scale. First of all, we are ALL paying for the uninsured via sky high costs, passed along to us by an insurance industry all too willing to look the other way as health care providers give us a financial enema.
One of my employees needed to call an ambulance after having chest pains. The emergency team arrived, worked on him outside of One City Center-and then transported him to the hospital for tests. He spent the night in the hospital.
The bill? Almost $10,000! Yes, TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS! $1,300 of which was the less-than-one-mile trip via ambulance.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Call me a dummy, but can we please create a price range for goods and services-WITH PLENTY OF PROFIT built in (to create incentive) without GOUGING?
I applaud the President’s efforts-if only to bring to the forefront the horrid mess that our health care system is. Opponents tossing out scare tactic language like “socialized medicine” are having their intended effect-frightening people into a position of defending a status quo that even they don’t like at all-and may soon not be able to pay for.
When the CEO of a health insurance company has his bonus based on denial of claims, he is essentially robbing the system of premium dollars meant to pay for health care-NOT for padding the profits of the companies who are holding all of the cards.
Let’s try this:
1) Create a value (cost) for each and every medical procedure/test/material expended in the administration of health care. Its value must incorporate the true cost of manufacture or amortization of medical equipment or value of services based on REASONABLE expectations in a free-market economy where competition MIGHT exist (which it doesn’t now-at least not at the consumer level)
2) Multiply these items/procedures/tests/services values by the number of them performed in the United States in a one year period.
3) Take this number and increase it by 50%-the expected reasonable increase in medical demand if all Americans were insured (and were thus not inhibited about seeking health care as cost would not be an issue)
4) The figure you are left with is the TRUE COST OF HEALTH CARE FOR ONE YEAR FOR ALL AMERICANS. If a panel of experts feel that a 50% increase in demand/costs are either aggressive or conservative, let them adjust the figure upward or downward accordingly.
5) Work up an insurance premium structure that is inclusive for ALL AMERICANS given the TOTAL COST of HEALTH CARE in #4 above. This premium structure should allow for a healthy margin for risk-taking insurance companies and should also include a sliding scale for cost of living adjustments (COLA). Increases should be tied to inflation or a true increase in the cost of manufacturing an item or delivering a procedure. The problem is NOT the total cost of health care. It is the disproportionate distribution of these costs. They are being borne by insured consumers-subsidizing those who are not using (and this is key) a COST STRUCTURE which is a MYSTERY. Why does a bed pan made of plastic cost $35? Its intrinsic cost is less than a dollar-yet the price can be anything-because we have no control.
6) Discounts for non-smokers, healthy lifestyles, etc could be incorporated into the system as incentive for people to save on health care costs by adopting healthy lifestyles. Thus, premiums could be more affordable if we make changes in our habits that promote health. Our current system chases the horse after it has already left the barn. How about a system that rewards HEALTH?
Who loses in this scenario?
Well, insurance companies make less in profit. Medical facilities like hospitals also earn less, but their costs are covered. Fraud is prohibitively retarded by exposing the complete chain of costs from supplier to consumer. So far, I see no one shedding a tear.
People choose their doctor, their procedures, their hospital. Insurance companies compete for business based on their efficiencies, much like car insurance. People are REQUIRED to carry auto insurance, but the government doesn’t dictate the company you use or the service bonuses you may elect to. All that is “dictated” is the MINIMUM coverage (which for health care should include catastrophic)-just as auto liability minimums have had a positive effect for drivers injured by previously uninsured motorists.
100% coverage.
100% accountability.
100% choice for consumers.
Am I missing anything here?
Don’t tell me that government shouldn’t “interfere” with the free market system.
Rubbish.
If our recent economic near melt-down taught us anything, it is this:
Capitalism without regulation is simply not an option. The same profit motives that created “derivatives” and shaky mortgages not backed by equity demonstrate that an industry left to itself will serve its own self interest-and if it fails, the U.S. Government will bail it out. The Securities and Exchange Commission exists to protect investors. The FDA exists to protect consumers from companies that would bring their products to market without sufficient safety testing. The FAA exists to serve travelers and institute minimum safety requirements. There would not have been a NEED for an Environmental Protection Agency if “free market capitalists” factored in social responsibility. The fact is that they didn’t. They polluted the air and water. Financial institutions polluted our economic system. And the health care industry has corrupted our access to affordable, quality health care.
Just as the SEC will impose new safeguards to prevent a recurrence of predatory lending (with the enthusiastic support of Americans everywhere), Uncle Sam will eventually have to reign in the companies who control access and cost for health care.
Let the debate begin! The ONLY thing I am opposed to is the RUSH of Congress to get SOMETHING passed. A bad bill may be worse than none at all. And no one knows how better to screw things up than lawmakers, working on emotions and political pressures rather than common sense.
Mid-term elections will affect the process-and the quality of whatever emerges from Congress, which is sad. I am hopeful, however, that progress will be made. There is simply too much at stake.
No videos today…this thing was long enough. If you’d like my blog in your box, let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
Here’s to your health!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Shopping As A Sport
I talked to my nine-year old son this morning, happily on his way to the store with his older sister.
He was excited to go shopping, the subtext being that he expected to receive something from the trip. A small toy, a new pair of crocs, certainly something to eat. What kid wouldn’t want to go on such an excursion?
My worry is that no matter how innocent any isolated trip may be, there is a pattern—and a message—that I don’t want my kids to have ingrained in them. Namely, it is the notion that happiness is derived from THINGS. The best way to deal with boredom is to buy something.
I have noticed that “going shopping” has graduated from being a utilitarian endeavor (“I’m OUT of this, so I need to get THAT”) into a social experience and activity where the pursuit of “stuff” has merged with excess free time to create what for many people is a hobby or pastime.
“When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping” is a funny statement, but perhaps all too true. “Shop-aholics” are common in our culture—and the idea that spending money for materials goods may alleviate stress or provide a temporary “high” has some evidence of being fairly accurate. Of course, it is all an illusion. The thought that our innermost needs can be satisfied by THINGS is a pathetic statement of our culture-one that glorifies consumption and encourages comparison of different people based on their possessions. We need a more spiritual approach to affluence and the definition of success.
The Mall of America opened on this date in 1992 in Bloomington, Minnesota. So big that a roller coaster entertains folks inside and so varied that it has become a VACATION DESTINATION!!! Over 40 MILLION people visit each year!
Below is a short video “tour” of the Mall of America:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0WCMzxgz0k
I too, enjoy shopping-and I like buying things as much as the next guy. I don’t mean to imply that I am somehow immune from the tendencies to fixate on inanimate objects. It’s the idea of seeing this behavior in my children that drives me to ask—“Am I that bad too?”
Focusing on family, on people and human needs OUTSIDE our own is perhaps the most effective-and productive way to break the cycle of chasing things for the sake of acquisition alone.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
It’s free-no shopping required!
He was excited to go shopping, the subtext being that he expected to receive something from the trip. A small toy, a new pair of crocs, certainly something to eat. What kid wouldn’t want to go on such an excursion?
My worry is that no matter how innocent any isolated trip may be, there is a pattern—and a message—that I don’t want my kids to have ingrained in them. Namely, it is the notion that happiness is derived from THINGS. The best way to deal with boredom is to buy something.
I have noticed that “going shopping” has graduated from being a utilitarian endeavor (“I’m OUT of this, so I need to get THAT”) into a social experience and activity where the pursuit of “stuff” has merged with excess free time to create what for many people is a hobby or pastime.
“When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping” is a funny statement, but perhaps all too true. “Shop-aholics” are common in our culture—and the idea that spending money for materials goods may alleviate stress or provide a temporary “high” has some evidence of being fairly accurate. Of course, it is all an illusion. The thought that our innermost needs can be satisfied by THINGS is a pathetic statement of our culture-one that glorifies consumption and encourages comparison of different people based on their possessions. We need a more spiritual approach to affluence and the definition of success.
The Mall of America opened on this date in 1992 in Bloomington, Minnesota. So big that a roller coaster entertains folks inside and so varied that it has become a VACATION DESTINATION!!! Over 40 MILLION people visit each year!
Below is a short video “tour” of the Mall of America:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0WCMzxgz0k
I too, enjoy shopping-and I like buying things as much as the next guy. I don’t mean to imply that I am somehow immune from the tendencies to fixate on inanimate objects. It’s the idea of seeing this behavior in my children that drives me to ask—“Am I that bad too?”
Focusing on family, on people and human needs OUTSIDE our own is perhaps the most effective-and productive way to break the cycle of chasing things for the sake of acquisition alone.
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
It’s free-no shopping required!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Smile...You're On Candid Camera!
There are cultures around the world that believe photographs essentially “steal” your soul by capturing the image on paper. As such, people in these cultures are loathe to having their picture taken.
Then there’s me.
I don’t really care if someone snaps my mug. I don’t believe that my soul is “captured”. It’s just that there are people who are photogenic-and then there are those, like me, who look like an ape after the cage door slammed on their foot. Kind of a deer-in-the-headlights thing, but with some measure of pain included.
This is not about handsome or not. I know that I haven’t been mistaken for Brad Pitt at any time in my life. It’s more about “affecting a look” for the lens. For me, the smile is plastic-and often (especially in bright sunlight or if there is anticipated flash) I have my eyes half closed.
Very attractive.
Add in red-eye and you have the complete “perfect storm” of photographic hell. Looking “natural” and “posing” are polar opposites in my world.
Some people always look good-completely natural-in front of the camera. I look like a doofus. Enter Alan Funt.
The only thing better than photographing people who are not professional models-is to FILM them without their knowledge making fools of themselves. Top it off by showing it to a national audience and you have “Candid Camera”-the original “catch them unaware” TV show, hosted by the aforementioned Mr. Funt. Going through life with that last name may have contributed to his sadistically funny affection towards making other people look like idiots. This was the guy in high school who snapped the wet towel in the locker room, endearing himself to one and all, I’m sure.
“Candid Camera” debuted on this date in 1948, running until 1950—and then again from 1960-1967. Here’s a vintage clip-you have to click the link as embedding has been disabled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCpx0yHK7g0
I would be such a great candidate-for being unsuspecting—and looking goofy!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
Just leave your camera at home!
Then there’s me.
I don’t really care if someone snaps my mug. I don’t believe that my soul is “captured”. It’s just that there are people who are photogenic-and then there are those, like me, who look like an ape after the cage door slammed on their foot. Kind of a deer-in-the-headlights thing, but with some measure of pain included.
This is not about handsome or not. I know that I haven’t been mistaken for Brad Pitt at any time in my life. It’s more about “affecting a look” for the lens. For me, the smile is plastic-and often (especially in bright sunlight or if there is anticipated flash) I have my eyes half closed.
Very attractive.
Add in red-eye and you have the complete “perfect storm” of photographic hell. Looking “natural” and “posing” are polar opposites in my world.
Some people always look good-completely natural-in front of the camera. I look like a doofus. Enter Alan Funt.
The only thing better than photographing people who are not professional models-is to FILM them without their knowledge making fools of themselves. Top it off by showing it to a national audience and you have “Candid Camera”-the original “catch them unaware” TV show, hosted by the aforementioned Mr. Funt. Going through life with that last name may have contributed to his sadistically funny affection towards making other people look like idiots. This was the guy in high school who snapped the wet towel in the locker room, endearing himself to one and all, I’m sure.
“Candid Camera” debuted on this date in 1948, running until 1950—and then again from 1960-1967. Here’s a vintage clip-you have to click the link as embedding has been disabled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCpx0yHK7g0
I would be such a great candidate-for being unsuspecting—and looking goofy!
If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
Just leave your camera at home!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Scared Of Heights? Remember This One?
Mention the World Trade Center Twin Towers and most people will think only of their demise on September 11, 2001. If you had brought them up in conversation on this day 35 years ago, chances are you would be discussing what EVERYONE was-namely, that some nut-job walked a TIGHTROPE strung between the two structures!
It’s hard to imagine why anyone would wake up one day and say, “Hey! I’ve got an idea! Why don’t I walk a wire strung 1,350 feet above busy streets and risk death with no net!”
That was the essential thinking of one Philip Petit (whose last name obviously also denotes his brain size). Using some kind of crossbow device, he shot a wire from one Tower to the next-and then did his thing, snarling traffic below on August 7, 1974 as disbelieving onlookers gawked at the spectacle of an idiot risking his life.
I don’t know if Petit had a family, but I find it hard to imagine being so cavalier-when ONE wrong move (not to mention a strong gust of wind) would send you to certain death-and perhaps kill someone else below on the street.
Of course, I am glad he didn’t die, but had he, I must admit I would feel little sympathy for a man who took it upon himself to be a splat stain. I frankly don’t know why Evil Kneival (sp?) tried to jump the Grand Canyon in a rocket-or the thousands of bonehead attempts to do this or that-for headlines and glory.
Check out the video below-CBS News reporting on the incident-with a young Roger Mudd doing the anchoring duties:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAVj2IVC9ko
Now if THAT didn’t give you goose bumps, then maybe you are a candidate to perform the next death-defying high-rise stunt. Just do the favor of letting me know ahead of time so I won’t be walking below you during the attempt! If you’d like my blog in you box daily, let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
It’s hard to imagine why anyone would wake up one day and say, “Hey! I’ve got an idea! Why don’t I walk a wire strung 1,350 feet above busy streets and risk death with no net!”
That was the essential thinking of one Philip Petit (whose last name obviously also denotes his brain size). Using some kind of crossbow device, he shot a wire from one Tower to the next-and then did his thing, snarling traffic below on August 7, 1974 as disbelieving onlookers gawked at the spectacle of an idiot risking his life.
I don’t know if Petit had a family, but I find it hard to imagine being so cavalier-when ONE wrong move (not to mention a strong gust of wind) would send you to certain death-and perhaps kill someone else below on the street.
Of course, I am glad he didn’t die, but had he, I must admit I would feel little sympathy for a man who took it upon himself to be a splat stain. I frankly don’t know why Evil Kneival (sp?) tried to jump the Grand Canyon in a rocket-or the thousands of bonehead attempts to do this or that-for headlines and glory.
Check out the video below-CBS News reporting on the incident-with a young Roger Mudd doing the anchoring duties:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAVj2IVC9ko
Now if THAT didn’t give you goose bumps, then maybe you are a candidate to perform the next death-defying high-rise stunt. Just do the favor of letting me know ahead of time so I won’t be walking below you during the attempt! If you’d like my blog in you box daily, let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Paul McCartney At Fenway Park
If you said it was a “religious experience”, there would be those who would cry “blasphemy!”
OK…so maybe it wasn’t a divine moment, but to integrate being inside Fenway Park (in right Center Field, actually) with seeing a Beatle perform live as I had the chance to last night-was as close to an out-of –this-world event as I may ever be part of!
I saw Sir Paul at the Fleet (now TD Banknorth Garden) a few years ago. Being my first time-and in an enclosed arena where sound bounces off the walls, it may have been better from a sheer concert perspective. However, an outdoor show under the moon and stars on a beautiful August night in Boston is hard to top! Add fireworks during “Live And Let Die” and you have the whole package!
I credit The Beatles for me being in the business I am in. Perhaps I could not sing or play the way they did, but from my earliest age, I wanted to be CLOSE to it, CONNECTED to it. Playing their music on the radio was enough. Being in the broadcasting business has allowed me to go to so many shows and MEET so many famous people.
I have yet to meet a Beatle. Of course, that possibility is sadly down to two-and I actually had a chance to meet Ringo in Los Angeles several years ago, but circumstances arose that kept me from shaking the hand of one of the Fab Four. I am at peace with the notion that meeting Paul is likely NOT going to happen.
Besides, what to you say to a living legend who has seen and heard it all? “I love your music?” How about, “I’m a big fan of yours!” You get the point. Seeing his impact on my life , I would probably be reduced to a babbling blob of goo.
It’s just as well-I might have a heart attack if I were faced with the opportunity.
Below is a video clip from Paul McCartney’s show last night at Fenway. As the Sox were losing to Tampa Bay, we were groovin’ to Paul on our own Field Of Dreams:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaN2reqftZ0
If you’d like my blog in your box, let know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
OK…so maybe it wasn’t a divine moment, but to integrate being inside Fenway Park (in right Center Field, actually) with seeing a Beatle perform live as I had the chance to last night-was as close to an out-of –this-world event as I may ever be part of!
I saw Sir Paul at the Fleet (now TD Banknorth Garden) a few years ago. Being my first time-and in an enclosed arena where sound bounces off the walls, it may have been better from a sheer concert perspective. However, an outdoor show under the moon and stars on a beautiful August night in Boston is hard to top! Add fireworks during “Live And Let Die” and you have the whole package!
I credit The Beatles for me being in the business I am in. Perhaps I could not sing or play the way they did, but from my earliest age, I wanted to be CLOSE to it, CONNECTED to it. Playing their music on the radio was enough. Being in the broadcasting business has allowed me to go to so many shows and MEET so many famous people.
I have yet to meet a Beatle. Of course, that possibility is sadly down to two-and I actually had a chance to meet Ringo in Los Angeles several years ago, but circumstances arose that kept me from shaking the hand of one of the Fab Four. I am at peace with the notion that meeting Paul is likely NOT going to happen.
Besides, what to you say to a living legend who has seen and heard it all? “I love your music?” How about, “I’m a big fan of yours!” You get the point. Seeing his impact on my life , I would probably be reduced to a babbling blob of goo.
It’s just as well-I might have a heart attack if I were faced with the opportunity.
Below is a video clip from Paul McCartney’s show last night at Fenway. As the Sox were losing to Tampa Bay, we were groovin’ to Paul on our own Field Of Dreams:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaN2reqftZ0
If you’d like my blog in your box, let know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Marilyn Monroe Legend Lives On
What is it about Marilyn Monroe that still enthralls us? Certainly her beauty was a factor, but there have been many beautiful starlets who haven’t come close to the near idolization that Monroe commanded-and still does.
She was found dead on this date in 1962. Forty-seven years later, her death (and life) is still shrouded in mystery. Although her demise was ruled a “probable suicide”, the fact that she was nude, with a telephone is one hand when found seems to lend more intrigue to the case.
Perhaps the fact that she was a tragic figure made her interesting to America. A decent actress perhaps, but not critically acclaimed, her marriages to playwright Arthur Miller and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio gave her a “bigger than life” persona that never translated to personal happiness.
By 1961, she was under the constant care of a psychiatrist for depression. In recent decades, there have been several conspiracy theories about her death. One contends that she was murdered by John and/or Robert Kennedy, with both of whom she allegedly had love affairs.
Check out this two-part video on the death of Marilyn Monroe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiYSwUhCnx0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fX3_hmePsw
The bottom line is that we will probably never REALLY know what happened. The tragedy is that a young and beautiful woman who seemingly had everything a person could want: looks, fame, fortune and more—could be so unhappy.
Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us “regular people”-that striving to achieve these empty goals won’t fulfill us-that our sense of self-worth and contribution need to come from within-and not the external symbols that we tend to associate with “success”.
If you’d like my blog in your box, let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
She was found dead on this date in 1962. Forty-seven years later, her death (and life) is still shrouded in mystery. Although her demise was ruled a “probable suicide”, the fact that she was nude, with a telephone is one hand when found seems to lend more intrigue to the case.
Perhaps the fact that she was a tragic figure made her interesting to America. A decent actress perhaps, but not critically acclaimed, her marriages to playwright Arthur Miller and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio gave her a “bigger than life” persona that never translated to personal happiness.
By 1961, she was under the constant care of a psychiatrist for depression. In recent decades, there have been several conspiracy theories about her death. One contends that she was murdered by John and/or Robert Kennedy, with both of whom she allegedly had love affairs.
Check out this two-part video on the death of Marilyn Monroe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiYSwUhCnx0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fX3_hmePsw
The bottom line is that we will probably never REALLY know what happened. The tragedy is that a young and beautiful woman who seemingly had everything a person could want: looks, fame, fortune and more—could be so unhappy.
Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us “regular people”-that striving to achieve these empty goals won’t fulfill us-that our sense of self-worth and contribution need to come from within-and not the external symbols that we tend to associate with “success”.
If you’d like my blog in your box, let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Anne Frank And Family Captured
I had the good fortune to travel to Europe when I was 12 years old. We visited London, Paris, spent most of our time in Ireland (the home of our ancestors)-and Amsterdam.
While in The Netherlands (which I was still calling “Holland” while trying to find a pair of wooden shoes to fit my pre-teen feet), my parents took my sister and I to the house in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family were holed up-trying to avoid the Nazis.
At the time, I had certainly heard of Anne Frank-knew about the diary she kept-but I hadn’t read it—and, like most people, I suppose, was woefully under informed about the Holocaust.
Although much of my trip has faded in the nearly 40 years since I was there, the trip to the Anne Frank house has remained with me. Seeing the bookcase give way to a secret passage to the attic still gives me chills.
It was on this date in 1944 that the Nazi Gestapo, acting on a tip from a Dutch informer-captured Anne and her family. After two YEARS in hiding, they were sent to a concentration camp, where Anne and nearly all the others perished. For some reason, the diary was not confiscated-and its survival gave voice to the victims of the Holocaust following it being published in 1947. Her father Otto was a survivor—and felt that her story should be shared with the world. An instant bestseller, it has been translated into 50 languages.
Below is a short video clip of the place where Anne Frank lived for two years in hiding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8EL6lR_7X0
It is difficult to imagine the emotions of those people, day after day living in terror-having to remain completely silent for hours on end during the day when the building was occupied. Imagine what it must have been like to be discovered after all that time in seclusion!
Anne made her last diary entry on August 1, 1944. Three days later, it was all over. Shipped to Auschwitz concentration camp—and then to Bergen-Belsen. Anne and her sister Margot caught typhus in the deplorable conditions and died in early March 1945. She would never know that the words she penned in hiding would be read and remembered by millions of people the world over.
I know there are people who believe the Holocaust never occurred. Whether out of sheer ignorance in the face of indisputable evidence-or disbelief that human beings could inflict such horror on others is immaterial. It happened-and Anne Frank was one of the few who could articulate the experience –through the eyes of a young person whose life was suddenly turned upside down—because of her ethnicity.
As a Catholic Irishman, I will never know the feelings, the depth of understanding that the Jewish people have borne. I can understand, however, the simple story of a young girl who grew into womanhood in an attic in Amsterdam.
While in The Netherlands (which I was still calling “Holland” while trying to find a pair of wooden shoes to fit my pre-teen feet), my parents took my sister and I to the house in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family were holed up-trying to avoid the Nazis.
At the time, I had certainly heard of Anne Frank-knew about the diary she kept-but I hadn’t read it—and, like most people, I suppose, was woefully under informed about the Holocaust.
Although much of my trip has faded in the nearly 40 years since I was there, the trip to the Anne Frank house has remained with me. Seeing the bookcase give way to a secret passage to the attic still gives me chills.
It was on this date in 1944 that the Nazi Gestapo, acting on a tip from a Dutch informer-captured Anne and her family. After two YEARS in hiding, they were sent to a concentration camp, where Anne and nearly all the others perished. For some reason, the diary was not confiscated-and its survival gave voice to the victims of the Holocaust following it being published in 1947. Her father Otto was a survivor—and felt that her story should be shared with the world. An instant bestseller, it has been translated into 50 languages.
Below is a short video clip of the place where Anne Frank lived for two years in hiding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8EL6lR_7X0
It is difficult to imagine the emotions of those people, day after day living in terror-having to remain completely silent for hours on end during the day when the building was occupied. Imagine what it must have been like to be discovered after all that time in seclusion!
Anne made her last diary entry on August 1, 1944. Three days later, it was all over. Shipped to Auschwitz concentration camp—and then to Bergen-Belsen. Anne and her sister Margot caught typhus in the deplorable conditions and died in early March 1945. She would never know that the words she penned in hiding would be read and remembered by millions of people the world over.
I know there are people who believe the Holocaust never occurred. Whether out of sheer ignorance in the face of indisputable evidence-or disbelief that human beings could inflict such horror on others is immaterial. It happened-and Anne Frank was one of the few who could articulate the experience –through the eyes of a young person whose life was suddenly turned upside down—because of her ethnicity.
As a Catholic Irishman, I will never know the feelings, the depth of understanding that the Jewish people have borne. I can understand, however, the simple story of a young girl who grew into womanhood in an attic in Amsterdam.
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Wedding Dance Seen Around The World
Only in our YouTube age could the “private” celebration of a rather unconventional entrance to a wedding EXPLODE into a worldwide phenomenon.
I had HEARD about the “dancing wedding” as it was called around offices nationwide. Before I got the chance to search for it on YouTube, I saw a reenactment on-of all places-- The Today Show! NBC, always at the cutting edge for the web-made-mass-appeal, invited the bride, groom and entire wedding party to perform the same entrance on the program. Smart.
This, of course, prompted me to finally link to the original video on the web. Very entertaining-although you can tell that some of the older guests are not entirely impressed with the less-than-traditional approach to a church wedding.
What do you think?
Personally, I say, “Hey, it’s THEIR wedding! Let them do what makes them happy!” Of course, both bride and groom need to agree. Imagine if, say, just the groom and his attendants did the chicken dance down the aisle to a surprised and horrified bride hoping for a solemn start to wedlock! Not a good way to launch the ol’ nuptials, if you ask me!
If you haven’t seen the video, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0
My guess is that these two people have a happy adventure waiting for them. A sense of humor is always an asset, but ESPECIALLY in a marriage. We should check in with them 10 years from now to see if they are still together. But then again, NBC and “The Today Show” have probably already thought of that!
If you’d like my blog in your inbox daily, let me know!
Tim.moore@citcomm.com
I had HEARD about the “dancing wedding” as it was called around offices nationwide. Before I got the chance to search for it on YouTube, I saw a reenactment on-of all places-- The Today Show! NBC, always at the cutting edge for the web-made-mass-appeal, invited the bride, groom and entire wedding party to perform the same entrance on the program. Smart.
This, of course, prompted me to finally link to the original video on the web. Very entertaining-although you can tell that some of the older guests are not entirely impressed with the less-than-traditional approach to a church wedding.
What do you think?
Personally, I say, “Hey, it’s THEIR wedding! Let them do what makes them happy!” Of course, both bride and groom need to agree. Imagine if, say, just the groom and his attendants did the chicken dance down the aisle to a surprised and horrified bride hoping for a solemn start to wedlock! Not a good way to launch the ol’ nuptials, if you ask me!
If you haven’t seen the video, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0
My guess is that these two people have a happy adventure waiting for them. A sense of humor is always an asset, but ESPECIALLY in a marriage. We should check in with them 10 years from now to see if they are still together. But then again, NBC and “The Today Show” have probably already thought of that!
If you’d like my blog in your inbox daily, let me know!
Tim.moore@citcomm.com
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