24th

What a Christmas present!!!

Dating Site for Eclectic Interests

I have ideas for a dating site. It probably is being done currently, but because I'm "in relationship" for the foreseeable future, looking for sites like this has fallen off the radar for me.

There are dating sites for:
- straight and gay
- black, white, brown and all colors
- interracial
- religion
- divorced
- animal lovers

You get the idea. Most sites seem to cater to lifestyles. I'd like to see a dating site that focused on specific things. Some possible themes:

Love Boat - boating enthusiasts who want to find love

Film Lovers - find the love of your life based on similar tastes in movies

TV Love Guide - find that special person that loves the same shows you do

Menu Matches - for those who want to meet someone who eats the same foods that they do

I'm sure there are even more eclectic ideas. Please share your thoughts.

The Return of the Balboa!

I am sooooo stoked to see the upcoming Rocky film. I thought I was over it; but when I hear the familiar trumpets start, I'm in!

Do I Look Like These People?

I read Beautiful Soul's myspace blog and she had tried this online face recognition program. Her results were better than mine.

If you want to try it, know that you have to sign up (free) before you see your results. But then again, maybe you won't want to after you see my results. I mean, do I look like a blonde starlet to anyone?




Go to http://www.myheritage.com/ to try it yourself. I'd be interested in seeing it in the comments if you're brave enough...

Video the Vote 2006!

Learn more about Video the Vote 2006 here. Help to make sure everyone knows what going on.

Eat To Live

I, like many other Americans, am overweight. Based on the Body Mass Index scale, for a guy who's 6'1", I should weigh about 175 - 180 lbs. I'm at 225 lbs. I was ten pounds heavier but I've been trying some new things. Like not eating pizza every night (although I still think it is the perfect food). And I picked up a book.

The book, Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. has been enjoyable to me for serveral reasons. The first is related to me being a vegetarian. Many of the wieght-loss plans and "ways of eating" assume that one eats meat and plenty of it. Dr. Fuhrman's plan is essentially a vegetarian food plan. Eat as many raw vegetables as you want and stay away from animal products.

This actually leads me to another cool point - you don't have to starve yourself. Believe me, you can get full on celery, broccoli and carrots. What about protein, you ask? Believe it or not, according to Fuhrman, most raw, unprocessed vegetables trump meat for protein-per-calories percentage. For example, one cup of frozen broccoli has more proteins-per-calorie than one Burger King cheeseburger:

1 Cup frozen broccoli - 5.8 g protein - 52 cal - 45% protein

1 BK cheeseburger - 18.0 g protein - 350 cal - 21% protein

Dr. Fuhrman endorses a more efficient way of providing nutrition to the body. It's a 6 week plan; I kinda think the book is really a lot of pages for such an easy method. Certainly, if you have pre-existing medical conditions, this may not be for you. But I'm finding it very easy to pretty much stick to the plan. The book has a lot of explanations in the first five chapters about nutrition and what is and isn't the realities of protein, calories and carbs. The back end of the book contains recipes and an extensive f.a.q.

Let me know if you've read this book or another like this one that focuses on vegetables and beans.

Wilson's Real Pit Barbeque (Fairfield, CT)

Tonight I ate at Wilson’s Real Pit Barbeque and, man-o-man, it was tasty. I’m a vegetarian but I eat chicken once in awhile. The cool thing is that all the sides like collard greens, beans and such are vegetarian! No joke. I don’t know how he gets collards to taste like that without bacon or ham, but he does. "He" is Ed Wilson (hence “Wilson’s”). He’s done the amazing thing of bringing great authentic barbeque to Fairfield County. It’s actually amazing how many BBQ places there are around here. If you’re in the area, you should make the time to stop in and have some good food. The link to the webpage is here.

New Wonders

 

 According to news reports (like this one), there is only one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World remaining (hint... it's in the picture). Yes friends, the times they are a-changin'. History books will have to be revised, for sure!

 

Anyways... apparently, there was an effort to name a new seven wonders and the list came down to these 21 choices (to be whittled down to seven at some point):

1 Acropolis, Athens, Greece

2 Alhambra, Granada, Spain

3 Angkor Wat temple, Cambodia

4 Chichen Itza Aztec site, Yucatan, Mexico

5 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

6 Colosseum, Rome

7 Easter Island Statues, Chile

8 Eiffel Tower, Paris

9 Great Wall, China

10 Hagia Sophia church, Istanbul, Turkey

11 Kyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan

12 Kremlin/St.Basil's, Moscow

13 Machu Picchu, Peru

14 Neuschwanstein Castle, Fussen, Germany

15 Petra ancient city, Jordan

16 Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

17 Statue of Liberty, New York

18 Stonehenge, Amesbury, United Kingdom

19 Sydney Opera House, Australia

20 Taj Mahal, Agra, India

21 Timbuktu city, Mali

 

I've got a question. Why does it have to be a location? I mean, why can't it be an idea or scientific breakthrough or whatnot? I happen to wonder about a lot of things.

I humbly submit Planet Doug's 7 Wonders of My World:

1 New Jersey

2 Obscene Salaries for Professional Athletes

3 The Commercialization of Children

4 Rain after I Wash My Car

5 Jellybeans

6 The Internet

7 Why is there still Poverty?

 

Do you have any wonders in your life? Leave a comment. Thanks.

While You Were Sleeping

Thanks to 06solareclipse, we have a time-lapse view of the Northern Lights. It's both beautiful and scary; the way nature works is awesome at times. It's only a minute or so, so I hope you take a peek.

24 Wins!

My favorite show won big at the recent Emmys. 24 is a FOX broadcast network series. Here's Kiefer Sutherland accepting his Best Male Actor in a Series award...



And here's an example of his acting on 24 (one of my MySpace buddies!)...

Nancy Pelosi on David Letterman

From DemShow on YouTube, here is a clip from US Democratic Party Leader Rep, Nancy Pelosi. She should be the first woman president. She speaks a lot of sense here...

Busy Monday Make for Tired Weekend

I can already see that, based on today's activity at work, it's going to be a busy, fast week. The weekend looks to be as involved. I have my fun. But it's bumpy getting through the weeks occasionally.

Sometimes, I really have to force myself to realize how well I have it. There are probably many people who would love to have as many things going on between jobs, starting a business, maintaining a long-distance relationship, keeping up with family, volunteering and such. I just have this thing where I usually want to be doing anything except what I should be doing at any given time. I think it's because of the ADD. I need waking time alone to center myself and it seems harder and harder to come by. I have to give you parents credit. I think I understand how you guys just dream of getting through the day to have at least a little time to yourself.

Yesterday, I found myself with some time and, for the first time in awhile, I watched a movie. It was V for Vendetta. It was really good; it was one of those movies that make you think. I look forward to having that kind of time again.

Saturday's Wrap-Up

Okay. Today was a pretty good day. Worked at my part-time job; had a couple of Boca Burgers at the house I'm cat-sitting at; talked to some people on the phone. Not much but not bad.

I know I'd go crazy if every day was as slow as this one was. But, as I listen to the rain fall, I'm glad I got a chance to slow down. I know it won't be this way come Monday. And I even got to watch some of the Deadwood and Amazing Stories DVDs.

Everybody's workin' for the weekend!

Where's the Time Gone?

Wow. Go to a couple of conferences, take a vacation, put in overtime and (really) start a new business... I guess I have lost track of time.

For those who mange to view the blog, I apologize for the lack of updates. But I'm here to tell you "I'm back!"

More tomorrow...

Doug

Sighting of a New Star?

This 11 year old girl does what we all want to do at some point in our lives... blow a whole bunch of people away with our incredible skills. Bravo! From the television show America's Got Talent.

An explosion of ink

This story was sent to you by: Doug

--------------------
An explosion of ink
--------------------

By Brian Lockhart
Staff Writer

June 3, 2006

STAMFORD -- Paul Salerno's business was blown to smithereens Thursday, a dream come true for the comic book store owner.

"Everybody's just thrilled," Salerno said.

In the real world, his store A Timeless Journey remains open for business at its Summer Street location.

But in the 532nd issue of "The Amazing Spider-Man," which shipped this week, Salerno's shop becomes a casualty of an explosive battle between superheroes and villains in the fictional Stamford of Marvel Comics.

All that remains is Salerno's soot-covered sign, which sharp-eyed local fans can find lying amid rubble on page 6 of the book while Spider-Man and Iron Man discuss the neighborhood's destruction and its ramifications.

The Spider-Man comic book is part of an ongoing Marvel summer event called "Civil War." As The Advocate reported in April, the politically charged story finds the publisher's iconic characters split on a governmental initiative to force them to register their names, alter egos and powers in response to the Stamford tragedy.

The suggestion to use Stamford came from Marvel writer Jeph Loeb, who grew up near Riverbank Road and attended the former Riverbank Elementary School, taken over by the Mead School in the mid-1990s. The school is at the epicenter of a devastating explosion that claims many civilian lives and turns up the scrutiny on costumed vigilantes.

It was Salerno's desire in that article to discover a "twisted Timeless Journey sign" in the series' illustrations that resulted in his store's small cameo.

"The day after you ran that article, I got a call from (Marvel). They asked if I was serious about what I had said and asked for digital pictures of the sign and storefront," Salerno said.

He said Marvel made no promises but he has eagerly flipped through every comic in the Civil War storyline to catch a glimpse of his shop.

The issue of Spider-Man was illustrated by Ron Garney, whom Salerno has hosted at his store in recent years for autograph signings.

Marvel spokesman Jim McCann said it was too late to include A Timeless Journey in the first issue of the Civil War limited series, "but we were working on Spider-Man that dealt with a lot of aftermath."

McCann said he forwarded the photos Salerno provided to the book's writer and artist.

"We left it up to them but said it would give a nice bit of authenticity and a nod to our retailers," McCann said. "It came back and looked great -- as great as a blown-up building can look. I'm glad it panned out."

"I've sold a ton (of the comic book), obviously," Salerno said. "I'm out of them now because I didn't know. I ordered 150 for next week."

Copyright (c) 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-spiderman2jun03,0,4864835.story

Visit the Advocate online at http://www.stamfordadvocate.com

Sent to you from PhysicsWeb by a friend

Article sent by Doug (nospamdzymurgy@cyberdude.com)

PhysicsWeb (May)

How to make an object invisible

Theorists believe that metamterials could be used to make objects invisible

URL: http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/10/5/16/1

Comments: Closer, closer still...

Keep up-to-date with the latest news in the physics industry, subscribe to Physics World. For more information visit http://physicsweb.org/subscribe

[ HuffingtonPost.com ] Recommendation: School To Punish Students For "Illegal Or Inappropriate" MySpace, Blogs...

nospamdzymurgy@cyberdude.com has just sent you a piece from HuffingtonPost.com

A HuffPost post about a soon-to-be trend of schools monitoring and disciplining "illegal and inappropiate" behavior on the internet blogs and sites by students.

School To Punish Students For "Illegal Or Inappropriate" MySpace, Blogs...

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/archive/../../2006/05/23/school-to-punish-students_n_21528.html

High school students are going to be held accountable for what they post on blogs and on social-networking Web sites such as MySpace.com. The board of Community High School District 128 voted unanimously on Monday to require that all students participating in extracurricular activities sign a pledge agreeing that evidence of "illegal or inappropriate" behavior posted on the Internet could be grounds for disciplinary action. ... Read the rest at HuffingtonPost.com

© 2006 HuffingtonPost.com, LLC

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My Carol Burnett/CBS Memories circa 1971-72

I was just looking back at my posting with the Carol Burnett clip with the Carpenters. Turns out that clip is from 1972; I would have been 10 years old around then. Saturday night was the big night to watch TV. I could stay up until 11PM and that was fine with me! I would get to watch TV without anyone tellong me to do things. And better yet, everyone wanted to watch CBS... so no arguments. But Carol was on Wednesday nights that season. Mission Impossible was the 10 PM show on Saturday nights.

This clip is from the Fall of 1971 (thanks newvillefan):

Saturday Night CBS Lineup '71 - '72:
8:00 All in the Family
8:30 Funny Face
9:00 The New Dick Van Dyke Show
9:30 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
10:00 Mission Impossible

In 1971, Carol was on Wednesdays at 8 PM; then Medical Center at 9 followed by Mannix at 10. TV was magical for me then. All I knew was that the shows were on every week. We didn't know every detail about the stars. We could just watch and enjoy.


It was quite the treat because we only had three national stations; not 700 like we have now.

I'm getting old, aren't I?

Doug

The TV IV

Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody

These guys were like gods when I went to high school. I can never hear this song enough...

Book Review: Making ADD Work

I've got so many things I have to do or should be doing that it seems crazy that I'm taking time to read books. But I do. All the sudden I'm on a book frenzy. I usually read non-fiction; currently, I am reading Making ADD Work: On-the-Job Strategies for Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder by Blythe Grossberg, Psy.D. I've been struggling with a combination of a little mid-life crisis mixed with recently diagnosed ADD (with OCD coping mechanisms - yikes!) and this book has been coming in handy so far.

Dr. Grossberg tells you upfront that you are not a freak for having Adult ADD. In fact, she uses examples of how very successful people who have ADD work through or around it. I'm in the first part "Improving Your Work Skills" which addresses organization and time management, maintaining concentration, networking and maximizing one's strengths. There are two other parts: "Finding the Right Career Path" and "Getting Help".

I've found it very useful already; it has helped my productivity at work. Now I just need to bring some of that home! You can read more reviews for the book here (Amazon link).

For a great blog for ADD, check out Jennifer Koretsky's Experiencing ADDvantages: The ADD Management Coach Weighs In.

What Would Jesus Want Us To Do

I'm a Christian. Yep. I said it.

I know many people have bad feelings about religion(s), God, belief in God and Christians. Some of it comes from very painful memories and experiences. And, as a Christian, I'm sorry. The things some of you have had to endure under the guise of "Christianity" are horrific at best. It doesn't seem right; you know it wasn't right. And you're right.

Some people like to rail because it's the cool thing to do. To those people, I'd ask that they think about what they say. It's one thing to have experience rejection or hurt from a supposed follower of Christ; it's another thing to rail against the government and hit well meaning people in your crossfire.

There are days I'd have to admit I'm ashamed to admit I am Christian. Not because I believe in and love Christ... but because my brothers and sisters who have made such loud proclamations without compassion. These are the people who hook themselves to an issue and don't bend. They get in bed with Big Government and want a Taliban-like theocracy.

I don't pretend to be Super-Christian, but I can see the viper in the bed. Government and others in power have compromised the message and have given power to those who say they follow Christ, but actually follow world power. These people innocently believe, at first, that anyone who professes belief in Christ to be honest and loving. Many of these people have no time for the grays; only black and white.

And you know what? The problem doesn't lie with those people. You heard me right. The problem lies with those Christians that have not stood up and spoken out against the ridiculous shoutings of a frightened group of people.

I think it is time for compassionate Christians to take back their name.

How do we do this? One only has to look to the new testament to find out what Christ would have us do (Matthew 25:31 - 46):

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Welcome the strangers
Tend to the sick
Clothe the naked
Visit the prisoners

This is love in action.

And I believe that it is not enough to say what is wrong; in fact, in a lot of instances, it is not our place. If we Christians could concentrate on just these six areas that Christ himself spoke about, I can't help but believe this world would be that much closer to heaven. Even many of those who do not believe but have compassionate hearts could not argue with this line of thinking.

Will there be mistakes made? Probably; we are human. But I'd rather make a mistake out of love than indifference and intolerance.

Is it safe? Hell no. But it has been mentioned to me that a comfortable Christian is not Christian at all. To follow Christ is very radical; no doubt many would have a very hard time leaving their comfortable lives behind. I still struggle with it.

But I believe that practicing Love In Action will give me a joy that no creature-comfort could ever give me. I won't be in the position of judging others... I'll be loving others.I won't be above others... I'll be with others, attempting to bring heaven a little closer to the here-and-now.

Doug

Restaurant Review: The Nauti Dolphin in Fairfield, CT

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Restaurant Review: The Griffin Book & Bean in Sturbridge, MA (Nasson Reunion-Day Two)

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Nasson Reunion: End of Day One

Be gentle... I listened to my audio blog and it sounds particulary wimpy. But I had had a few...

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Upcoming Speaker at the Greenwich Boys and Girls Club March 24th

I've been working with groups to improve the lives of youth in my part of the world. To understand what needs to be done, sometimes it's necessary to learn about the forces that work against kids having a happy, safe growing environment. The following is just such an opportunity. What is it that drives a young person to join a gang? What can we in the community do to give kids another choice? This is even more relevant as the reports of a nationwide increase in gang violence is in the news.

GANGS: Story of a former Street Gang Member

"The Life Story of Malaki Mapp"

March 24, 2006

7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

At the Greenwich Boys and Girls Club, 4 Horseneck Lane, Greenwich, CT

Malaki Mapp will speak about his experiences in a street gang and how those experiences affect his life today.  He will give you an opportunity to see what gang life can't do for you.

For more information call 869-3224. Sponsored by the Greenwich Police Department and The Silver Shield Association.

Music to Stimulate Babies

You may have heard about the subject of playing certain types of music to stimulate the positive growth of babies (prenatal and newborn). The Make Way for Baby site states,

"Mothers who set aside time to relax daily by listening to music also help their babies feel calmer and happier. Pregnant women and babies share hormones, so there is a close connection between the emotional well-being of the mother and that of the child she carries."

Many experts use the music of Mozart and other classical composers as examples of the types of music that would produce such an effect. But, as I was thinking this morning, I wondered if other music might be more appropriate. For example, how cool would a kid be if his or her mother listened to Al Green while they were in the womb? Would a kid be more wimpy if the mother listened to the Goo Goo Dolls? Would the newborn be more inclined to join a gang if mom jammed to gangsta rap?

Maybe, if we really wanted to infect the next generation with peace, expectant moms should be listening to John Lennon's Imagine or Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World. Or maybe they could just invite them to get on the Love Train:

People all over the world (everybody)
Join hands (join)
Start a love train, love train
People all over the world (all the world, now)
Join hands (love ride)
Start a love train (love ride), love train

The next stop that we make will be soon
Tell all the folks in Russia, and China, too
Don't you know that it's time to get on board
And let this train keep on riding, riding on through
Well, well

People all over the world (you don't need no money)
Join hands (come on)
Start a love train, love train (don't need no ticket, come on)
People all over the world (Join in, ride this train)
Join in (Ride this train, y'all)
Start a love train (Come on, train), love train

All of you brothers over in Africa
Tell all the folks in Egypt, and Israel, too
Please don't miss this train at the station
'Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you
Well

People all over the world (Sisters and brothers)
Join hands (join, come on)
Start a love train (ride this train, y'all), love train (Come on)
People all over the world (Don't need no tickets)
Join hands (come on, ride)
Start a love train, love train

Ride, let it ride
Let it ride
Let it ride
People, ain't no war


People all over the world (on this train)
Join in (ride the train)
Start a love train, love train (ride the train, y'all)
People all over the world (come on)
Join hands (you can ride or stand, yeah)
Start a love train, love train (makin' love)
People all over the world ('round the world, y'all)
Join hands (come on)
Start a love train, love train

Lyrics by the O'Jays. Reprinted without permission.

What do YOU think about this?

By the way, I read a really cool article in USA Weekend. It's on NPR's This I Believe series. The essay is titled "I am not my body!". You can read it here.

Ciao for now,

Doug

Webclippings - Saturday Morning

Below is a link to an article I thought was positive, hopeful and informative this morning. It started me thinking good-think.

I'm taking it easy on the ankle this weekend and doing some cyber-catching up.

I've got to say, as much as it sucks to have really twisted my ankle, it's given me some new insights as well as slowed me down enough to think about life and friends. God didn't sprain my ankle; God just gave me the brains to see what profits I can make on lemonade (if you get my drift).

It would be cool if you were viewing this on Firefox, Navigator, Opera or any other browser because you could open these link via tabbed browsing. That way, you wouldn't leave me [cry for help]. Anyway, here's the link:

- from the HuffingtonPost.com, Raymond J. Leary writes about Japan's Gutsy Response to Iran's Oil Threats

I'm also listening to Whole Wheat Radio. I hear a lot of the indie music artists that are on MySpace there. And you can download podcasts as well. It's more folk than headbanger.

Take care,

Doug

New Ways to Get Fed

I took the suggestion from Blogger Central and hooked up with Feedburner. Now, you can subscribe via Atom site feed as well as other popular RSS feeds through Feedburner. Just check out the links on the side and you're cookin' with gas.

We're live!

Doug

Your Touch Inspires Me (MySpace repost)

Your touch

Inspiring

I find I'm left

Desiring

You are a gift, a muse, a star

And as brilliant as you are

I am left speechless and in wonder

Your love

Embraces me

Your kiss

Encases me

You are an anchor to my dreams

In this sea of love, it seems

It is towards you my love does stream

Doug
Copyright 2006

The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Fall (a MySpace repost)

I slipped in the parking garage at work and really sprained my ankle. Ow! [Note - official date was Thursday evening, 3/9/06 - Doug]

In pain, I drove myself to the ER and got a pair of crutches and an air cast. Oh yeah... and a prescription of vidacin(sp?). The kicker was that on the same kind of surface in the garage the next day (yesterday) I slipped again - crutches and all. Yep, it hurt a lot.

They paint the cement with this gray protective paint that gets slippery when it's humid or dirty and wet. People are quick to suggest that I should sue. But I'm not inclined to. I just hope that they'll reconsider redoing the way they cover that area. Because I'm not the only one that has taken a header in this garage.

Ciao for now,

Doug
Copyright 2006

SOMEBODY - Update! (Opens May 6th, 2006)

I'm in a new film by Paul David Anthony called Somebody. Below is a link to the site. There you'll find a download for the press conference as well as a movie trailer. Enjoy!



SOMEBODY

Doug

Headshot - watercolor 

Headshot - charcoal 

Headshot - photo 

Official Doug 

Welcome to my Planet

Hi. My name is Doug and I'm a MySpace survivor.

I will be posting original stuff here pretty soon and reprinting stuff I've written or drawn. I thank you in advance for taking an opportunity to check out my blog. I will try to keep it interesting and family-friendly (though I really wouldn't think that this site would be interesting or appropiate for anyone under the age of 8).

Blogging now...

Doug