Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Michael Jackson had something for everyone--no need to blame Jamie

Well, I went to the Jamie Foxx web site and there is a virtual race war-of-words going on there. Some are accusing Mr. Foxx of being a racist after viewing the Black Entertainment Television Awards Show last week.
If any of you watched Michael Jackson’s memorial on Monday and heard Al Sharpton entire speech, then maybe you will get the hint that Mr. Jackson was indeed a black man. Don’t blame Jamie Foxx for that, for he too is a black man. There are some things relatable across the races and some things relatable to the races. Mike’s last CD was a testament to the love he felt for his community. His entire music catalog is a testament to how he loved music and his fans.
Invincible was played at every stepper’s set for years and still got some play before he died just because it was gooooood! We like and appreciate that Mike, so thanks. We liked all of his songs but some of those syncopated beats scream foot work and some scream other dance moves--stuff I‘m too old to do. We all like some things more than others. That is just the way people are made up. No one calls Foxx a racist when he is hosting the Country Music Awards. He is just as funny and shocking as ever. So I think the rub in all of this is that Foxx reminded folk that Michael Jackson was a black man.
Some of his fans do not want to take this fact into consideration. He was everything but to them. The truth is that he was a little black boy from Gary, Indiana--which is 85 percent African American--who grew up in Los Angles using his talent to his advantage. Was he more than just a black man? Yes, just as all black men are more than just a black man and just like all white men are more than just white men,
et cetera. We are all more than just our race. However, it seems being black sticks under the craw of many. I don’t know why but it just seems to make a difference. As assimilated as we are, it should not be but it is and it takes a great effort on a black person’s part to downplay anything that gets in the way of acceptance. Mike proved that. As blacks we are still making and counting firsts. Mike proved that too.
Let us not find a blame in all of this surrounding MJ’s death but take entertainment at face value and not make it a political action committee. If you want to fight for rights or anything else good that helps the human race, President Obama has several very fine outfits people can join.

P.S. Ladies no one will care if you work, are on government assistance, have had children out-of-wedlock or whatever. Those things are your personal choices and do not give nor take away your right to speak out. So please stop prefacing comments with ”I am a single mother…” No one cares and we are not giving out awards for choosing to birth and/or raise children. We used to but not anymore because everybody’s doing it.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Bear Grylls and Will Ferrell Join Forces in the Swedish Wilds during Special Episode of MAN VS. WILD for new Land of the Lost movie

Episode Marks Most Fully Integrated Partnership to Date Between Discovery Channel and Universal Pictures and Proves that Extreme Adventure is Harder on the Stomach Than Comedy

Marking the latest adventure in Discovery Channel's long-running series MAN VS. WILD, Bear Grylls invited Actor/Comedian Will Ferrell to join him for an extreme adventure in the Swedish hinterland, it was announced today. The early June episode is tied to Universal Pictures' upcoming comedy adventure "Land of the Lost," which stars Ferrell and hits movie theaters on June 5, 2009.

This special episode of MAN VS. WILD is the most fully integrated to date in an ongoing strategic partnership between Discovery Channel and Universal Pictures to create special shows that tie into opening movies. Previously, the two companies have worked together on tie-ins with recent Universal releases. These include a integration of Universal's "Frost/Nixon" with an episode of Discovery's CASH CAB; a tie-in of Universal's "Fast & Furious," which recently opened to $71MM--the highest box office weekend of 2009--with Discovery's DESTROYED IN SECONDS; and last summer with Universal and Marvel Studios' "The Incredible Hulk" with Discovery's DEADLIEST CATCH, Universal's "Wanted" with Discovery's FUTUREWEAPONS and Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" with Discovery's MAN VS. WILD.

In this first joint extreme adventure special, Grylls takes Ferrell through the paces of real life survival in the ice-bound mountain and glacier ranges in the far north of Sweden. Armed with only the most basic survival equipment, Grylls briefs his partner on the extreme conditions they'll have to confront over the next 48-hours...and what worst-case scenarios lie in store.

Common to all MAN VS. WILD episodes, Grylls shows Ferrell what it takes to find food in the icy coniferous forests, as they climb trees, improvise snow shoes from saplings, drink their own urine and even bite into reindeer eyeballs!

"Will did an amazing job in sub-zero very unforgiving conditions," said Grylls. "He trusted me when it mattered and we survived... And he has definitely had an adventure! He should be very proud of how he performed."

"To be able to participate in an episode of MAN VS. WILD was a thrill of a lifetime, even though I did get urine-drunk which is sad," said Ferrell.

"We enjoy every aspect of working with our clients on content integrations. The most successful partnerships given our non-fiction programming include customized opportunities that get our client's close to our content as organically as possible. This one is fun and should garner great interest for our show and for the movie," commented Joe Abruzzese, President, Advertising Sales, Discovery Communications.

"Pairing one of the toughest men alive with one of the funniest will be an absolute riot," said John Ford, President and General Manager of Discovery Channel. "Bear and Will share a snow shelter and eat reindeer eyeballs together. That says it all. I can't wait to watch."

"Our ongoing partnership with Discovery has been greatly successful for our companies, and the pairing of Bear and Will for MAN VS. WILD is our most innovative project to date," said Annah Zafrani, Vice President of Media Promotions, Universal Pictures. "We're able to connect 'Land of the Lost' to Bear's fans--people who love adventure and mysterious worlds. It doesn't hurt that, with Will, we have one of the funniest men on the planet... who is also game to be lost in the wild."

An ex-Special Forces soldier, Bear Grylls was trained as a survival expert in the British army, has a black belt in karate and is an experienced high-altitude mountaineer. Grylls has channeled his daring spirit into feats such as the highest-ever dinner party at a table suspended below a hot air balloon at 24,500 feet, and the first unassisted crossing of the frozen North Atlantic Ocean in an open rigid inflatable boat.

In addition, in 1998 at age 23, Bear became the youngest British climber to ever complete a summit and descent of Mount Everest. Last year, Bear returned to the Himalayas to conquer a new dream--attempting to fly a powered paraglider higher than Everest. Through this expedition, Bear and his team donated more than $2.5 million to charities, including $600,000 to the Global Angels Foundation, a charity that supports long-term projects for underprivileged children worldwide.

MAN VS. WILD is produced for Discovery Channel by Diverse Productions and executive produced by Steve Rankin. Dan Korn serves as Executive Producer for Discovery Channel.

Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, sucked into a space-time vortex and spat back through time. Way back. Now, Marshall has no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world--a place of spectacular sights and super-scaled comedy known as the "Land of the Lost." For more information, visit www.landofthelost.net.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Autism Study Finds Significant Benefit with Hyperbaric Treatment

In a medical world that tells parents of autistic children to "accept" the condition of their child, a new study brings not only hope, but actual help, to these families. Lead physician and researcher, Daniel Rossignol, M.D., treats children with autism. Seeing his patients improve with hyperbaric oxygen treatment led him to conduct the first large scale, double-blind, controlled study to examine its effectiveness. And, the results of this study demonstrate positive improvements.

Hyperbaric therapy traditionally involves inhaling up to 100% oxygen at a pressure greater than 1 atmosphere (atm) in a pressurized chamber. In the first randomized, controlled, double-blind multicenter trial, published in BMC Pediatrics and entitled "Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial." Dr. Rossignol and colleagues, from 6 centers in the USA, studied 62 children, aged 2-7 years, to assess the efficacy of hyperbaric treatment in children with autism.

The research trial concludes that children with autism who received hyperbaric treatment at 1.3 atmospheres and 24% oxygen for 40 hourly sessions had significant improvements in overall functioning, receptive language, social interaction, eye contact, and sensory/cognitive awareness compared to children who received slightly pressurized room air.

The children were randomly assigned to either 40 hours of hyperbaric treatment at 1.3 atm and 24% oxygen (treatment group) or slightly pressurized room air at 1.03 atm and 21% oxygen (non-treatment group). Clinical outcomes were evaluated by three different scales: the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC).

Dr. Rossignol said, "In our study, we observed significant improvements in several core autistic behaviors with the use of hyperbaric therapy at 1.3 atm compared to children receiving near-placebo treatment. These findings confirm what we are seeing in clinical practice--that many children with autism may benefit with the use of this treatment."

Director of the International Hyperbarics Association, Shannon Kenitz, said, "With autism on the rise, it is promising to see a study that has been conducted with the high standards endorsed by the medical community. Having this scientifically controlled and analyzed study that shows the positive effects of hyperbarics is truly what this community has needed. The study not only presents the benefit of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for children with autism, but also gives families the hope that so many other therapies have failed to do."

"The impact of this study on the autism community is significant. It brings validity to a successful intervention that needs to become part of mainstream medicine," commented Kyle Van Dyke, M.D., and Autism Specialist from Madison, Wisconsin.

According to Philip James, M.D., an expert in hyperbaric medicine out of the UK, this study is "An article of outstanding merit and interest in its field."

The growing concern regarding autism in this country is reinforced by the critically high ranking this study as earned by BMC Pediatrics. It is currently the most accessed article and projected to continue to climb in significance.

www.ihausa.org