Let's Talk Philadelphia...Thomas J. Palumbo, Ed.

212. Queen, Redford, Hypnotic Eyes, Frankenstein, Rock And Roll, And Heintzelman Networking!!!

Posted on November 1, 2018 by tjpalumbo

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Call-out For Articles And New Ideas!
Join The Discussion With A Unique Idea Or A Creative Project!

Let’s Talk Philadelphia, now, has 26,100 followers on LinkedIn. This is an eleven hundred follower increase since last month’s column. Your submitted project and work ideas will reach a large international audience. Please, join the yearlong celebration of outstanding writing, art, photography, businesses, and creative discussion by contributing a story, book review, movie critique, art piece, award notice, your photography, a challenging game, business tidbit, multimedia overview, travel tip, or theater write-up that world-wide readers will enjoy. Your ideas make us look better and should be sent to: Tom Palumbo at tjpalumbo@aol.com. Please send six photos with your two-paragraph description of your work. Please look at past column contributors to see how the wrote up their books, businesses, vocations, and avocations. Remember to include the links where you and your idea can be found. Thank you!

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Features Robert Redford And Bank Robberies!
The Old Man And The Gun! The Forrest Tucker Story!
Who Is America’s Most Notorious Bank Robber?!

If you were rating bank robbers, would you rate them on the number of banks they robbed or by the amount of money their bank robberies accumulated? Carl Gugasian is the American leader in bank robberies with fifty. His take was 3 million dollars. Forrest Tucker’s criminal record includes 35 banks robbed, 4 million dollars taken, and 15 successful prison escapes. Tucker was still robbing banks in his retirement community’s town at age 79…four of them! He died in prison in 2004.

Robert Redford (age 82) decided to make the 79 year old Forrest Tucker his last story as Redford announced his retirement from movies in June. Redford brought Sissy Spacek (girlfriend), Casey Affleck (FBI agent), and Danny Glover (fellow robber) along for Redford’s and Forrest Tucker’s final ride.

The movie is not a guns a-blazing treat that will play at your local giant Cineplex. You will find it at your local art house. It is unique to see Redford play old and slow with the same aplomb he has previously played suave and dashing. Why not join Redford and a stellar cast on a quiet evening for his final hurrah!

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Must See Film Of The Month!
Bohemian Rhapsody! The Story Of The Rock Band Queen!
This Movie Will Rock You! Body And Soul Rock You!
Give Rami Malek The Academy Award! Now!
Catch Malek In His Second Year As A Cyber Expert On I, Robot!

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bomi Bulsara in 1946 on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. He was sent to a private school in India for nine years before joining his parents in England in 1964. In 1969, Mercury graduated from the Ealing College of Art. He loved art and hung around with a classmate, Tim Staffell, who played in a band called Smile. Brian May and Roger Taylor were, also, Staffell’s band mates.

Tim Staffell left the band in 1970 and Freddie Mercury became their lead singer. He, immediately, changed the band’s name to Queen and rock history was to begin. John Deacon joined them in 1971. Until Mercury’s death from AIDS in 1991 Queen was only second to the Beatles in music history album and song production. Queen numbered 25 in all time top ten songs, while the Beatles had 27.

With three hundred million (300,000,000) albums sold 20,000 British Broadcast Company listeners recently voted Queen the greatest English band of all time over the Beatles. The new movie Bohemian Rhapsody, opening this week, will greatly increase their album and single sales.

Freddie Mercury stated that the song Bohemian Rhapsody was the story of an artist’s struggle with his fantasies. The movie Bohemian Rhapsody is that and the struggle to be different, to make your art, in this case music, known. Rami Malek is extraordinary as Freddie Mercury. He lipped synced the songs with the help of two other singers. This, however, didn’t take away from his performance of showing the struggles Mercury had with his music and sexuality. Lucy Boynton plays Mercury’s wife and greatest fan. She married him and, then, had to watched him cavort with the men who eventually gave him AIDS. The struggles with his band mates and music producers to be heard were epic, also.

The music in Rhapsody is outstanding, as you would expect, even if you are not a Queen or rock and roll fan. The movie’s soundtrack is composed of only original songs sung by Queen. Nothing is from the movies lip synced format. Visit You Tube and see 10’s of choirs from throughout the world singing Queen’s songs in the most creative ways. Our favorite is a Green Day concert where 125,000 audience members are spontaneously singing Queen songs before the concert and everyone knows the words. Here is the must see link (www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZnBNuqqz5g). Paste it in your address bar!

Queen just completed a 65 city world tour (US, Europe, and Asia) in June 2018. Adam Lambert took the role as lead singer joining Brian May and Roger Taylor. A side note is that Adam Lambert sang Queen for his American Idol audition. This audition and Lambert with Queen in a James Corden show’s sing-off are worth a google search and listen.

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Television Picks Of The Week!
Maggie Q Is Worth The Watch! Netflix Features Her Twice!
Nikita And Designated Survivor Are Her Best Performance Vehicles!

Maggie Q (Margaret Denise Quigley) was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father was Polish and Irish and her mother was Vietnamese. At the age 40, she has appeared in over forty movies and television shows. Teenagers like her for her roles in the Divergent movie series. Our picks, where she really sparkles, are Nikita the espionage series (four years on the CW) and most recently on Designated Survivor (two years on ABC). The political drama, Designated Survivor, was just canceled by ABC, but picked up for a third season of ten episodes by Netflix and Entertainment One who hold the distribution rights to the show. In both series she knows how to kick asterisks and take no prisoners.

Netflix now features the four seasons of Nikita and the two seasons of Designated Survivor. Start with Designated Survivor, as Maggie Q searches for the terrorists that killed the whole congress and the President in one horrific bombing. The perpetrators are closer than she expects. We were chastised last year for not including Maggie Q in the write-up with Kiefer Sutherland (the new President), Natascha McElhone (his wife), and Kal Penn (his press secretary) when the show opened. Maggie does seem to spend more time on screen than all the leads put together.

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Hypnotic Eyes Contest’s Tenth Year!
Does Green Beat Blue Every Time?! Or Does Piercing Black Win Out?!
This Issue The Women Will Reign Supreme! Next Issue Men Then Babies!

For the past ten years, work in the office has taken a terrible hit when it is time for our once a year Fascinating Eyes Contest. Each year we have formatted and rearranged the contest to search for:
a. Green eyes…red hair/Last year’s search
b. Mesmerizing eyes
c. Exotic eyes
d. Outfit and eyes

e. Eyes and shoes was suggested then laughed at heartily
f. Earring enhanced eyes
g. Parent and child matching eyes
h. Exhilarating eyes and so on as you can see!

If you need help in deciding who might garner your vote, the Style Craze column gives you thirty possibilities for your vote (www.stylecraze.com/articles/5-most-beautiful-eyes-in-the-world/#gref). Some of their suggestions have made it into our present and past exotic eyes’ pool. Please get your selections in by the end of the month, so we can give Let’s Talk Philadelphia the Look of the Month that you painstakingly researched for its contest. Don’t give us handbags and eyes, please! It, too, was suggested!

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Is A Rock And Roll Office!
Is Rock And Roll Dead? Rock And Roll Is Far From Dead!

Music Continues To Be A Great Voice For The Love Struck And More!

The scintillating discussions (often followed by major research) around the jukebox this week had two very big topics. Gene Simmons of Kiss generated the first topic of debate.

Simmons committed music blasphemy by saying “rock and roll is dead”. His statement was part of an article in Esquire Magazine. Maybe there isn’t any ‘rock and roll’ in the bubble that Gene Simmons inhabits.

Queen, The Foo Fighters and Green Day quickly responded to this irreverence with sold out shows around the world, especially three sold out (150,000) shows in a row at Wembley Stadium and a major appearances on the new season of Saturday Night Live (SNL). The Foo Fighters, also, reminded everyone in an interview that every year for the last sixty years someone has said that rock and roll is dead.

Here are our Rock and Roll Research Facts:
A). Seventy five percent (75%) of the Sirius stations that have musical venues play rock and roll
B). The Elvis Presley Channel is the most listened to channel on music radio
C). Seventy percent (70%) of the songs on the top 100 are rock and roll featuring the same percentage of groups and recording artists
D). The top five all time in record sales are rock and roll performing groups or singers
E). Joe DiMaggio said it isn’t so a number of times
So take that and Kiss-off Gene Simmons!

7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Knows A Thing Or Two About Dracula!
Catch The Television Re-watch On Your On Demand Channels!
Dracula Does Have Some Bit In It! Sorry For The Often Used Pun!

It is enticing, hypnotic, mysterious, thought provoking, and splendidly cast. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Dracula in NBC’s special re-watch series. As Alexander Grayson, an American industrialist, he has invented wireless light and has brought it to England. This business guise will help him as he makes war on the Order of the Dragon. The Order has been killing peasants, gypsies, vampires, and every other group it dislikes in Europe for over five hundred years.

Long forgotten members of this group thought they silver-staked and entombed Myers’ Dracula forever. The Dragon group’s present membership, in this 1896 time-stamped story, rules industrial England. Revenge served cold seems to rule the story. It was dished out an inordinate number of times in this first chapter of this well-done bloodletting saga.

While battling past enemies, the Order and anti-American resentment in England, Dracula, also, has to match wits with a multifamily establishment of vampires that has been living and feeding in London for years. Dracula and these families are both experts in keeping their insatiable and unquenchable thirst for blood hidden.

Jessica de Gouw from the Arrow television series is Dracula’s love interest. Dracula thinks she is a re-embodiment of his past wife. As Mina Murray, a blood squeamish medical student, it is everyone’s guess that she will soon be getting over her blood issues. Bram Stoker’s original book might give you added insights about Vampiredom, if you haven’t read it yet.

8. Lets Talk Philadelphia Now Knows Networking!
Our Thanks To Lisa L. Heintzelman!
Her Ideas Will Help You Make More Connections!
Her Ideas Will Streamline Your Networking!

Lisa’s Share Follows:

NETWORKING = RESULTS!

How are you investing your time and energy in networking to achieve the results YOU desire? It’s essential to identify your purpose for networking based upon your business goals and competitive edge. To effectively grow your business, your networking must be consistent, strategic, focused, and measured. How are you introducing yourself at networking events? Before people will buy from you, they must buy you. They must trust you and have confidence in your ability to deliver. We do business with people we know, like, and trust! As you share your 30-second Commercial be sure to focus on “WHY” do you do what you do, the problems you solve, and value you bring!

In an effort to enhance networking results, I have launched a “Maximizing Your 30-Second Commercial” online workshop through MyQuest. It’s a tool to create and maximize your introduction to develop relationships and drive sales success. Maybe it would be of value to you, your clients, or your networking partners. Here’s the link for more information – https://app.myquest.co/quest/maximizing_your_30_second_commercial.html

Work Smart . . . Achieve Results . . . Celebrate Often!

Lisa L. Heintzelman, M.Ed.
President, Illuminations Consulting
Partner, Potato Coop
4661 N. Progress Ave.
Harrisburg, PA 17110
717-571-4644

lisa@illuminationsconsulting.com
www.illuminationsconsulting.com
https://app.myquest.co/quest/maximizing_your_30_second_commercial.html https://thepotatocoop.com www.linkedin.com/in/lisaheintzelman www.facebook.com/illuminationsconsulting
http://a3267918.myambit.com

9. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Annual Salute To Halloween!
Building A Frankenstein Monster! One Body Part At A Time!
This Is A Great Family Or Classroom Activity!

Can you picture the poor teacher that has Frankenstein (you know the monster made with assorted body parts…Mary Shelley’s adopted son) in his or her class? His teacher knows Frankenstein is looking for more body parts, but at the same time, the teacher is responsible for teaching reading and mathematics to him.

The activity you are about to do is the same activity this teacher designed to keep Frankenstein’s attention. Frankenstein had fourteen correct on this challenge. He almost collected a whole body. See how many body pieces you can collect. You must immediately draw the body part. The clue (Column A) will give you a clue word (Column B) that contains a body part (Column C). Underline the body part and record what fraction (Column D) of your whole word is made up of that body part. Good luck fiendish people in building your monster. Hope you do better than Frankenstein did!

Clue Clue’s Answer Word Body Part Body Part Over Word Fraction

Clogged sink fixer plunger lung 4/7
Opposite of later ____________ ____________ ____________
Form of pearl jewelry ____________ ____________ ____________
Soil color ____________ ____________ ____________
Tea pot part ____________ ____________ ____________
Boat synonym ____________ ____________ ____________
Answering’s opposite ____________ ____________ ____________
Slow creature ____________ ____________ ____________
Manning’s/Brady’s sport ____________ ____________ ____________
Dear Sir: is a ____________ ____________ ____________
A mass of bees ____________ ____________ ____________
Condition of icy road ____________ ____________ ____________
Large cooking fireplace ____hearth___ __heart______ _____5/6____
A diamond’s key features ____________ ____________ ____________
Exchanging ____________ _____________ ____________
Prayer position ____________ _____________ ____________
Movie candies __ bears ____________ _____________ _____________
February follower ____________ _____________ _____________
Newborn’s bed ____________ _____________ _____________
Type of beans __kidney____ ___kidney____ _____6/6______

2011. Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Noomi Rapace, African Music, And Newborn Stars!

Posted on October 12, 2018 by tjpalumbo

Happy Birthday Selena!
We Add Our Greeting To The 26 Million Greetings You Have Already Received! Sing My Pretty, Sing!

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Heads To The Movies!
A Star Is Born! Really Reborn For The Fourth Time!
We Knew Bradley Cooper And Lady Gaga Could Sing And Act!
Now We Know Bradley Cooper Can Direct, Too!

If Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Lady Gaga were in the American Idol finals, who would you vote into first place? Have you seen Judy Garland’s (1954) A Star Is Born (free on You Tube), or Barbra Streisand’s 1976 Star version ($2.99) on Amazon, or the 2018 version with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga at your local theater ($500 for movie ticket, popcorn, and a soda…butter on your popcorn is extra)?
How does a high school student afford to take a date to the movies at present prices we have asked in many of our columns?

No matter how great we think our following description of the new 2018 A Star Is Born is, it can’t compare to this eighteen minute video overview of all four movies by a local Internet channel (www.youtube.com/watch?v=akaPSGMi03k). Paste this link into your computer’s address bar to be wowed! Really wowed! Their photos and in-depth discussions are unrivaled. We are still trying to track down the name of the lady reviewer.

The last three A Star Is Born movies are great, completely different styled musicals (Garland, Streisand, Lady Gaga). The original is a drama with then Academy Award winner Janet Gaynor. The basic themes are rising star/fading star, alcoholism/drug abuse, and faith in the music, family, and friends. The successful male leads discover the female lead in the strangest out of the way places…Lady Gaga in a gay club. Friendship is followed by love and marriage, followed by stardom, and, then, the parallel downfall of the fading male star, Bradley Cooper. In between, there is some really great music. When you see the newest A Star Is Born ask the projectionist to fast forward to the last song in a movie of all original songs with no lip syncs or voice overs.

Listen to I’ll Never Love Again (the extended version) on all your music channels before seeing the movie or on your way to the movie. The soundtrack is number #1 on the Billboard Top 100 charts and the video disc is prominently displayed at all your record stores. The movie followed Venom’s $86,000,000 opening here with a $42,000,000 opening. Star opened at number #1 in England. It would be great if a local theater showed all three of the musical versions. It would be a music and movie lover’s delight…

Don’t want to give my heart away to another stranger
Or let another day begin,
Won’t even let the sunlight in,
Oh, I’ll never love again. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHdVTYqgoC4)

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Newest Netflix Pick!
What Happened To Monday?!
Noomi Rapace Knocks You Over Seven Times!

Can you win the Academy Award seven times for your multi-faceted role in a movie? If so, Noomi Rapace is our nominee for her role in What Happen To Monday, a made for Netflix special. Netflix, now, has over 700 pieces of original programming. This is not counting 10’s of thousands of pieces of purchased properties. Publications from Esquire Magazine to Moviefon are claiming this glut of money and programming is ruining television quality. This isn’t true. It is giving you ten choices (basic cable, cable, On Demand, HBO, Max, Showtime, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, and more), if you don’t like something…where there use to be none. If something doesn’t immediately hit your likability range, the new choices are seemingly endless!

The What Happened To Monday series takes you to a one baby society where septuplets (Noomi Rapace) are born. Their mother dies in childbirth. Willem Dafoe, the father, goes through extraordinary machinations to keep this a secret from authorities before his death. The girls are named for each day of the week. Since they were babies, each sister only goes out one day a week. When they return home, they share with everyone what they did in an around the table idea sharing conclave. This meeting allows the next sister to smoothly fit right into the one life they have created and nurtured.

Seven sisters, now, much older, working one job, and trying to maintain one personality when there are seven different personalities are starting to implode. It is getting increasingly harder to avoid Glenn Closes’s thought and people police. When Monday goes missing, the turmoil follows. Fight back plans are movie creativity in action. There are many dystopian movies out there. This is one of the better ones. The Girl In The Dragon Tattoo creates an acting masterpiece in many ways for Rapace, too.

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Websites Of The Week!
These Two Sites Will Meet Your Viewing And Picture Pasting Needs!
Experience Pixabay And Just Watch!

A. Just Watch! (www.justwatch.com)
The Newest Go To Site For Free Movies And Free Television!
How Much Money Can Just Watch Save You?!
Send Half Your Savings To Us As A Thank You!

Do you think you can cut your movie and television bill in half? There are many answers on the Internet for doing this. Just Watch is the newest application site to accomplish this for you. Just Watch is a German company that has a thousand of your television and first run movie choices for free. Our first five searches found five new titles and an old series that we couldn’t find anywhere else for free.

Just Watch, also, has reduced prices for services we pay for each month. Their site is just a click away from savings and diminished search time looking for a favorite movie or television re-watch show. See if your watching schedule coincides to their reduced and free programming offers. We are sure you’ll get a number of coin saving hits.

B. Pixabay! (pixabay.com)
Your Free Photo And Graph Site Realized!
Your Five Favorite Categories Are Featured On Their Site!

If you are looking for free videos, pictures, cartoon, graphs, and illustrations to put into your Blogs, Emails, business presentations, PowerPoints, Instagrams, and Tweets, Pixabay has them all. The site has 1.5 million and growing selections to brighten and enlighten your work. These selections even seem to have a better clarity than the Google photographs you use and are not sure if they are royalty free.

Many of the one-of-a-kind photos found on this column were downloaded from the Pixabay site. There will, probably, be two million selections in the photograph, graphics, and video sections of Pixabay by the time you read this article.

Let’s Talk Good Writing!

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Shares Some Great Writing Help!
Grammarly or Diorio? We Chose Diorio!

Joe Diorio has over 30 years of experience in writing, editing, proofreading, public relations, and marketing. He’s worked for public relations agencies, Fortune 500 companies (IBM, DuPont), and some of the largest and best higher education institutions (University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University). He took an early retirement in 2017 and, now, focuses on freelance writing and editing work. Throughout his career, he has maintained that he has one marketable skill; he can write a simple declarative sentence…And because I use the dictionary I almost always spell all the words correctly…he says.

Nowadays, in addition to his freelance writing work, Joe is the editor of A Few Words About Words, a free monthly email newsletter focused on good writing habits…I like to take very simple, basic subjects – like the proper use of contractions – and explain them in friendly terms. You can see samples of Joe’s work at his LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-diorio-5b24724/detail/recent-activity/posts/. You can, also, sign up for his newsletters using the link at the bottom of each issue.
Joe’s column greatly helped our interns and experienced writers.

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Around The World In Music!
Olu Shegs Reaches Out With Three Albums And Three New Singles!
We Reach Out To Nigeria! African Dance Music Is Everywhere!

Hi Tom,

Thanks for featuring me on your column. I started my music career at age 8. I am now 30 and a professional recording artist called Superstar King. As a result of this unique name, my music has a rising global audience. The Superstar King moniker describes my diverse and creative musical abilities and my work in the music industry. I am a Disk Jockey (DJ), Producer, Singer, Rapper, Dancer, Music Record Label Executive, and Entertainment Mogul.

I am set to release my third studio album, Dancing Season Volume 1. You can enjoy a preview of my new album by pasting this address in your computer’s address bar: https://m.mixcloud.com/olushegs/dancing-season-dj-mix-by-olu-shegs/.

I have recently released three singles from an upcoming project, So Humble DJ Fix, Good Seed DJ Fix, Pretty Lady DJ Fix. You can listen to these songs on a large number of music venues:

iTunes/Apple Music: https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/olushegs/561579643

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1rPBBgnCaX06PFD1EmLfNL?si=pfmYhmHeTUOfLhHL3yW1Fg

Deezer: http://www.deezer.com/artist/11362276
Amazon Music: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=olu-shegs
Tidal: https://tidal.com/artist/8271205
Napster: https://cl.napster.com/artist/olu-shegs

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Puzzle Of The Week!
Nothing Left Cross-Outs Is A Language Oddity!
Nothing Left Cross-Out Words Are Challenging To Find!

Jack! Enough! You can hug me all you want! 5,436 of last week’s LinkedIn and WordPress puzzle doers get Tom Palumbo’s newest two-minute puzzle Doubles Cross-Out before you. Next week I will let you go first…

Doubles Cross-Out

There are a group of words in the English language that have the peculiarity of being composed of only letters that appear twice. In the word NOON, if you cross out the n’s and o’s (both double letters), nothing is left. Each clue below will generate a “nothing left” word. See how many you can determine from its clue.

EX. 12 AM…Noon
Car horn sound…
A baby bird sound…
Female cartoon character…Little __
Comparative of red…
Largest part of the body…
Lack of fruit disease in sailors…
A soft low heart sound…
Makes calm, satisfies, quiets…
A clumsy, non-flying, extinct bird…
Looks at, be aware of by sight…
A girl’s name…
A boy’s name…
French candy…
Title to land…
Hawaii’s state bird…
Well known women’s magazine…
European rock group…
New York prison…
Unwanted mouth substance…
A drum…

7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Call-out For New Ideas In Business And The Arts!
A New Audience Is Waiting!

Let’s Talk Philadelphia, now, has 26,000 followers on LinkedIn. This is a one thousand follower increase since last month’s column issue.Your ideas will reach a large international audience. Please, join the yearlong celebration of outstanding writing, art, photography, businesses, and creative discussion by contributing a story, book review, movie critique, art piece, award notice, photography, challenging game, business tidbit, multimedia overview, travel tip, or theater write-up that world-wide readers will enjoy. Your ideas make us look better and should be sent to: Tom Palumbo at tjpalumbo@aol.com. Please send six photos with your two-paragraph description of your work. Please look at past column contributors to see how the wrote up their books, businesses, vocations, and avocations. Remember to include the links where you can be found. Thank you!

8. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Puzzle Mania Explained!
Doubles Cross-Out, Nothing Left Answers

There are a group of words in the English language that have the peculiarity of being composed of only letters that appear twice. In the word NOON, if you cross out the n’s and o’s (both double letters), nothing is left. Each clue below will generate a “nothing left” word. See how many you can determine from its clue.

EX. 12 AM…NOON
Car horn sound…TOOT
A baby bird sound…PEEP
Female cartoon character…Little __LULU
Comparative of red…REDDER
Largest part of the body…INTESTINES
Lack of fruit disease in sailors…BERIBERI
A soft low heart sound…MURMUR
Makes calm, satisfies, quiets…APPEASES
A clumsy, non-flying, extinct bird…DODO
Looks at, be aware of by sight…SEES
A girl’s name…HANNAH, ANNA, DEEDEE
A boy’s name…OTTO
French candy…BONBON
Title to land…DEED
Hawaii’s state bird…
Well known women’s magazine…ELLE
European rock group…ABBA
New York prison…SINGSING
Unwanted mouth substance…TARTAR
A drum…TOMTOM

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged A Star Is Born, Australia, Barbra Streisand, Games, Games And Puzzles, Glenn Close, Hugs, JustWatch, Lady Gaga, Noomi Rapace, Philadelphia, Pixabay, puzzles, Selena Gomez, What Happened To Monday, Willem Dafoe, Writing | Leave a comment

210. Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Streisand, Bocelli, Sugarland, And A Simple Favor!

Posted on September 16, 2018 by tjpalumbo

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Lets The Music Play On, Play On!
These Are The Ideas That Didn’t Make This Week’s Issue!
Let Us Know If We Should Have Featured These Selections!

A. Singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran (five time Grammy Award winner) is all over the place this month with his world tour and two versions of his number 1 song Perfect (renamed Perfect Symphony). Sheeran traveled to Italy to record an Italian and English version with Andrea Bocelli at Bocelli’s home. They went on to perform Perfect at London’s 100,000 seat sold out Wembley Stadium. Sheeran then recruited Beyonce to do an all English version with him for his US tour. Both songs and singers can be seen in their stage performances with an Internet search. We, however, loved the putting together version of Perfect at Bocelli’s home. The Beyonce version has 20 million plays. The Bocelli version, where this link will take you, has 150 million plays: (www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiDiKwbGfIY). Drop it in your address bar, please!

B. Ozark is back for season two on Netflix. This eight episode binge watch pits Chicago natives Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and their two children against every villain a summer resort community in the Ozarks can attract. This villain group encompasses money launderers, drug users/sellers, the Mexican cartels, the Mafia, longshore hands in your pockets bosses, tainted local and state politicos, and old people with guns. Bateman, who directs many of the episodes, has to outsmart them all with his family’s help. Bateman and Linney want to build a riverboat casino to attract businesses to his new town. Everyone wants their piece of the action. Season one can be enjoyed on Netflix before tackling this resourceful family’s new exploits in Season two.

C. Tom Clancy has written 18 political/military thrilling books featuring Jack Ryan, a Washington analyst and desk jockey turned into a undercover investigator and secret agent…with a gun. Clancy has made Ryan a worldwide fictional hero. Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan books have been made into four movies. Chris Pine, Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck have portrayed Ryan in these big screen adventures. Amazon Prime has now made Jack Ryan into an eight part television series. John Krasinski plays Ryan in this series. Krasinski is thrown into Middle East terrorism when his desk job finds crazy Middle East and worldwide money transfers smacking of terrorism…which he reports to his superiors. Abbie Cornish and Wendell Pierce are mission bosses and great mission supports. If you start now, you can finish these two suggested series’s 24 episodes by the New Year. Jack Ryan is already renewed for next year.

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Needs A Simple Favor!
If You Need A Favor, We Can Swap Efforts!
A Big Time Movie Mismatch Works In The Audience’s Favor!
It Is Girls’ Month At The Movies From Widows To Colette!
Add Jennifer Garner’s Peppermint To Your Viewing List, Also!

Why does mismatching Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively work in the new movie A Simple Favor? Hopefully, you will take our advice and see this new thriller for the answer. We can help as you will see how to make the PTA Bake Sale thrilling and how mismatches work in real life and in the movies.

Your Mismatch Scorecard for A Simple Favor is as follows:

Blake Lively is five foot ten inches tall.
Anna Kendrick is five foot two inches tall.

Blake Lively is a phenomenal kisser.
Anna Kendrick hasn’t had a date in four years.

Blake Lively is a wheeler dealer in the big business haunts of the city.
Anna Kendrick lives for her small town school’s PTA meetings.

Blake Lively’s writer husband, Henry Golding, is a take home for the men and the women in the theater.
Anna Kendrick’s husband and brother died in a car crash four years ago.

Blake Lively’s 7 year old son can win any schoolyard battle!
Anna Kendrick’s 7 year old son is still hiding behind his mother’s skirt!

Blake Lively’s whole life is a mystery and enigma producer!
Anna Kendrick has trouble figuring out Tic Tac Toe!

Blake Lively only visits to her kitchen are to make an exorbitant amount of martinis for Anna and herself. They discuss sex a lot when Anna the non-drinker is drunk.
Anna Kendrick spends all day in her kitchen baking cookies and fooling with recipes for her dead mother and her individually performed and self produced Internet Cooking Show. Anna talks to her dead mother at the start of every show. Viewers will increase as the story unfolds. You will tell your friends about it, too.

Maybe, these two can really be good friends? Grandma said for every pot there is a lid or did she say when God makes them, he matches them? You will enjoy this mismatch match!

Follow this movie up with Jennifer Garner’s new revenge movie Peppermint. Frail will no longer be in any write-up descriptions of Jennifer Garner. She is supreme in this Kill Festival as a mother whose child and husband are killed by local gang members just for fun. Payback is a batch!…of great fight scenes! Go Jennifer!

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Sugarland Concert Review!
A Forty-five City Tour And They Saved The Best For Last!
Philadelphia And Jennifer Nettles Know How To Stage A Finale!

Sugarland is the multiple award winning writing and recording duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. They have been recording and performing together since 2002 when they were a trio with Kristen Hall. Their four year stint as singles (2012-2016) ended last year. In 2017 they re-teamed for a new album titled Bigger (46,000 copies sold in 2018) and the road show Still The Same.

Sugarland has sold over 14 million albums as a group and another million as singles. Bush’s album Southern Gravity produced the country chart topper Trailer Hitch while Nettle’s solo albums That Girl and Playing With Fire sold well with country and contemporary music audiences.

Nettles and Bush closed their 45 city tour in the Philadelphia rain last week at the Mann Park’s indoor and outdoor seating center. They could have mailed their last show in, but their encore rivaled their hour and a half regular show. It seemed the duo left nothing out in their ballad and uptempo portfolio. The audience sang most of their old and new songs as well as they did. Lyrics across the big picture screen would entice even more and new sing along-ers.

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Weekly Music Suggestions!
The Tori Kelly Story Deserves Your Research Effort!
From American Idol Rejection To A Best New Singer Grammy Nomination!
Andrea Bocelli Likes Her And Featured Her With Him On His US Tour!

How long after Simon Cowell tells you he can’t listen to your scratchy voice during your American Idol audition would you have quit the music business. How long after this scathing criticism would you have cried?

The answers will appear in Tori Kelly’s biography. The lead in this biography, however, would be: I produced my own album, sung the song Thinking Bout You (17 million views) on the Internet, and was discovered by my manager, Scooter Braun.

Tori Kelly has performed and written songs with everyone in the music business from Ed Sheeran to Chris Lane to Andrea Bocelli. She sang six songs with Bocelli on his recent five city tour US tour. Most of Bocelli’s woman accompanists ( Sarah Brightman, Celine Dion, Nicole Scherzinger) only sing The Prayer or Time To Say Goodbye with him. Tori sang these two classics and four more songs with the master. Thank you for this singing ability confirmation far beyond Simon Cowell’s opinion.

Take Back Home Girl from her album of the same name with Chris Lane has 50 million plays on You Tube. People must like a scratchy voice.

Andrea Bocelli is in Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 12, 2018. He will feature songs from his new album. It is Bocelli’s first album of new songs in ten years. If Only (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPUWGYez-jg) written by the same duo that wrote Time To Say Goodbye is for anyone that has recently broken up with someone or enjoys a great story in song. Past the link above in your address bar for a great song sung in an inspiring venue.

Andrea Bocelli’s best duet is not The Prayer sung with all the world’s top female singers or Dare To Live with Laura Pausini.
PS…Streisand’s and Celine Dion’s version of Tell Him is the second best song on the Partners album.

The winner is I Still See Your Face with Barbara Streisand from her album Partners (www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Bm6-vCxuE). Listen to the link provided. You will agree it is Bocelli’s best by light years. It is a sad story and great presentation by these two singing dynamos!

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Two Book Suggestion Of The Week!
Come Back for Me: A Novel by Sharon Hart-Green

Loss, trauma, memory, and the impenetrable ties of family are the elements that weave together Sharon Hart-Green’s panoramic new novel Come Back for Me.

Set in the aftermath of World War II, it is a gripping story about the redemptive power of love and self-understanding. Come Back for Me tells the story of two young Jewish characters; one is a Hungarian Holocaust survivor Artur Mandelkorn who is on a desperate quest to find his sister, Manya, after they become separated during the war. Intersecting Artur’s tale is that of Suzy Kohn, a young woman of Hungarian-Jewish origin whose seemingly tranquil life in 1960s Toronto is shattered by her uncle’s sudden death. As their stories come together in Israel following the Six-Day War, the reader travels through time and place to arrive, ultimately, to the connections between generations. Like Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, Come Back for Me deals evocatively with the scars left by tragedy and the possibilities for healing.

Originally published in Canada in 2017, Come Back for Me is now available in the United States. It’s been reviewed widely in the international press, and was named an Editor’s Choice Book by the Historical Novel Society. In addition, it was recently shortlisted for the Goethe Award for historical fiction. It is also becoming a top choice for book clubs and discussion groups. Furthermore, Come Back for Me is now being used as an educational resource in both middle schools and high schools in order to teach about the Holocaust and the strength of human resilience.

For more information, please visit: https://www.sharonhartgreen.com

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Shares A Reader’s Writing Joy!
These Leadership Skills Apply To Everyone’s Business, Not Just Education!
Here Is How Paul Bambrick Santoyo Told It To Us Through LinkedIn!

Dear Tom,
I am excited to share a personal joy—my two latest books have just been published:

Leverage Leadership 2.0: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools
A Principal Manager’s Guide to Leverage Leadership 2.0: How to Build Exceptional Schools Across Your District

Over the past 10 years, I’ve had the gift of working directly with many of you from all across the country (and globe!). These books tell your stories. Thank you for demonstrating a reproducible way that we can create great schools for all children. I hope these books will be fruitful guides for you and your colleagues. Here is a quick preview of the content of each book (you can read more in the attachment):

Leverage Leadership 2.0 answers a simple question: what do exceptional school leaders do that separate themselves from the rest? The answer is how they use their time. This book narrates the seven levers of leadership that will transform your school if you focus your time on them. The 2.0 version is a complete re-write of the original, incorporating lessons learned from the thousands of school leaders who have embraced the levers of leadership since it was first published in 2012. The book includes a completely new videos, leader guides, and Professional Development materials, all rooted in the reproducible practices of school leaders from Dallas to D.C. to Tulsa to St. Louis to New York.

A Principal Manager’s Guide to Leverage Leadership 2.0 attempts to fill a void in the field: a practical guide for principal managers emulating the best practices of the most successful principal managers from across the country. Included are videos of principal managers coaching principals and guidance for managers, district/state leaders, and leadership organizations to create the conditions for success for any group of schools.

Please consider passing this email along to anyone who might be interested in this book! If they or you wish to acquire the book, it is available on any major online retailer site (Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others). You can find more details in the attached press release or with the publisher:
https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Leverage+Leadership+2+0%3A+A+Practical+Guide+to+Building+Exceptional+Schools-p-9781119496625

7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Newest Two Minute Puzzle!
It Is A Great Meeting Kick-off With Teamwork Challenge!
Creative Minds Need A Friday Morning Jump Starter!
The Answers Are At The End Of The Column! Blue Binkies As Prizes!

Hey 7,247 of our last puzzle solvers. A free Blue Binky for 22 correct on Tom Palumbo’s newest two minute puzzle: Car Words! Promise…Jack!

Car Words

Each clue below will give you a word that has CAR in it in exact order (beginning, middle, or end).
1. Example…A severe blemish…SCAR

A rug’s cousin…
A movie award…
Egyptian jewelry…
Opposite of plentiful…
A big box…
Boy’s name…
Girl’s name (eight letters)…
Mickey Mouse…
Into the sun flyer…
Rene the philosopher…
A ship’s storage…
A body part…
Headwear…
A large body of water…
It is the 6^th element…
A traffic lightener…
A side dish…
Lucy’s sidekick…
Heart specialist…
A market push around…
Two night time show hosts…
Baby transport…

8. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Call-out For New Ideas In Business And The Arts!

Join the yearlong celebration of outstanding writing, art, photography, businesses, and creative discussion by contributing a story, book review, movie critique, art piece, award notice, photography, challenging game, business tidbit, multimedia overview, travel tip, or theater write-up that world-wide readers will enjoy. Your ideas make us look better and should be sent to: Tom Palumbo at tjpalumbo@aol.com. Please send six photos with your two-paragraph description of your work. Remember to include the links where you can be found. Thank you!

9. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Two Minute Puzzle Answers!
Hey puzzle solvers. Here Are Your Car Word Activity’s Answers!

Car Words
Each clue below will give you a word that has CAR in it in exact order (beginning, middle, or end).
1. Example…A severe blemish…SCAR

A rug’s cousin…CARPET
A movie award…OSCAR
Egyptian jewelry…CARTOUCHE
Opposite of plentiful…SCARCE
A big box…CARTON
Boy’s name…CARL/CARY
Girl’s name (eight letters)…CARLOTTA
Mickey Mouse…CARTOON
Into the sun flyer…ICARUS
Rene the philosopher…DESCARTES
A ship’s storage…CARGO
A body part…CARTILAGE
A large body of water…CARIBBEAN SEA
It is the 6^th element…CARBON
A traffic lightener…CARPOOL
A side dish…ALA CARTE
Lucy’s sidekick…RICKY RICARDO
Heart specialist…CARDIOLOGIST
A market push around…CART
Two night time show hosts…JOHNNY CARSON/CARSON DALY
Headwear…SCARF
Baby transport…CARRIAGE

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged A Simple Favor, Anna Kendrick, Beyonce, Blake Lively, Colette, Ed Sheeran, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, John Bellairs, Laura Linney, Ozark, Peppermint, puzzles, Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World, The House With A Clock In Its Walls, Tom Clancy, Wembley Stadium, Widows | Leave a comment

209. Angela Bassett, Ultraviolet, C. W. Peale, LinkedIn, And The Weekly Puzzler!

Posted on August 29, 2018 by tjpalumbo

An Editor’s Quick Note:

Let’s Talk Philadelphia just passed 25,150 followers on the international business and education site LinkedIn. LinkedIn has a half a billion members. Jessica Alba and her cosmetics firm have 1,100,000 followers on the same site. We hope to pass her number of followers next week.

The dilemma is…How do we do thank this giant group of readers who clicked on Follow when our site showed up on their computers and phones. Office suggestions included: a concert, a picnic, a ball game (soccer/football), a movie, a cruise, a 5K walk for charity, and bowling. A great deal of thinking has been going into this one!

If you have a venue or event suggestion for our Thank You, please let us know.

2. Yes! You Should Definitely See Mamma Mia Part 2!
There Is A Song And Laugh In MM 2 For Everyone!

Mamma Mia 2 is loaded with really great songs, two interesting stories, and a cast that includes Cher, Meryl Strep, Lily James, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and you will see what we mean by boatloads more…Hearing the opera trained Amanda Seyfried sing Abba’s One Of Us as she laments the loss of her boyfriend to business in London is worth the price of admission. Seyfried’s movie version is great. Abba’s version using this link (www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIKAe8Wi0S0) is spectacular. Cooper can’t make the opening, as well as, two of her fathers. The uninvited grandmother (Cher) makes it!

Mamma Mia 2 is two stories told simultaneously. The first story centers around Amanda’s mother’s (Meryl Strep’s) death. A year after her mother’s death, has Amanda (Sophie) rebuilding her mother’s restaurant/hotel Bella Donna and arranging an opening tribute to her deceased mother. Every member of the first movie and their friends are invited to this party and hard to beat songfest. In the second intertwined story, Lily James plays Amanda’s mother 25 years earlier (Donna) as she discovers Greece, gets pregnant as a single mother, and courts the three husbands, one of whom is Amanda’s father. The parallel stories are well constructed and revealing. The stories question whether Amanda is living her own life or repeating her mother’s life.

One of Us is far from Abba’s best selling songs. It is a nice listen before you see the new movie on the big screen, though. You Tube and Spotify have it as a movie scene and the lyric version sing along. Give the sing-along-a try. The movie version of I Kissed The Teacher sung by Lily James has a great lyric video, also. This, I Kissed The Teacher, song and its rousing graduation antics opens the movie.

And Now Angela Bassett!

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Discusses Angela Bassett!
Elle Magazine’s August Issue Features Ten Snippets Of Her Life!
We Try To Make Amends By Featuring Her In Our Column!

Anita from Syracuse, NY chastised us for failing to mention Angela Bassett in our recent Tom Cruise Mission Impossible write-up. Anita quoted Ms. Bassett’s career like her Agent. She sent us the August Elle Magazine which features 30 years of Angela’s life. Angela’s assisted living waitress job in Florida (1973) didn’t seem like a stepping stone to her Yale graduation (1980) and her seven years in New Haven theater. However, reading on will enlighten the closed eye wanderer immensely.

Five years off-Broadway lead to Miss Bassett’s Hollywood move/debut where starring in A Man Called Hawk with Avery Brooks propelled her onto the movie screen. Starring as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It? (1993) showed her great range at doing everything. Partnering with Whitney Houston in Waiting To Exhale (1995), and Whoopi Goldberg/Taye Diggs in How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) added comedy to her already impressive resume.

Fast forward past 38 other movies she has made before this year’s Black Panther and Mission Impossible, and you can see why, we were wrong in overlooking this impressive actress and even more impressive activist. Ms. Bassett’s Golden Globe Award in 1994 for Best Actress in What’s Love Got To Do With It has been followed by ten more acting awards. We will be following Angela Bassett’s new projects.

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia And Art History!
Charles Willson Peale’s Artistic Excellence In The 1700’s And 1800’s!
A Chronicler Of American History Through His Portraits!

Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) was Philadelphia’s and America’s leading portraitist in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. He painted every revolutionary war hero, most of the members of the first congressional congress, as well as, their families.

This art was displayed in his studio on the second floor of Independence Hall. There he founded the first Museum of Natural History. It was a big money maker in this time period for him…along with his art. The museum was a fluke after he painted dinosaur bones which more people came to see than his art. Astute business man that he was had him adding nature’s best and oddest to this, now, must visit collection.

All three of Peale’s sons went on to become excellent painters. Though revered for his Washington portraits, Peale’s Rachel’s Lament painted at his little daughter’s deathbed is one of the most discussed paintings in Art History. She died of smallpox.

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Marvels Over Polish Television!
Their Ultraviolet Detective Meets Internet Series Is Your Next Binge Watch!

If you think Kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, the Warsaw Ballet, and pierogies are the best Poland has to offer this month, then you haven’t seen Poland’s new entry Ultraviolet on Netflix. Ultraviolet is an informal phone and computer group that has an expert in every area. In Episode 1, Marta Nieradkiewicz plays Ola Serafin an Uber driver that sees a woman thrown off a bridge. No one believes she saw this. It is declared a suicide until she runs into the Ultraviolet group’s characters and their find anything and everything research skills. One suicide mystery solved along with nine more very different mysteries in the following episodes are worth a look!

The main Ultraviolet group has an Asian hacker, sisters (Regina/Dorota) in the fashion and snooping business played by sisters Karolina and Paulina Chapko, assorted members of the dark and bright web, and old people with unused expertise finding new adventures in their latter years.

Hearthrob Sebastian Fabijanski plays Michal Holender the police detective Ola continually nags/helps, until, he begins asking for her assistance in later episodes. The cases he, Ola, and Ultraviolets team up on are very different from the detective series themes we have seen again and again. Don’t let the subtitle reading sway you from seeing this series. Netflix’s The Innocents can wait until later.

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Features A New Vocational Training Author!
Angela Felice Mahoney’s Book Is Perfect For Teachers, Students, And Adults!
The Importance Of Career Readiness! And Starting Readiness Training Early!

Every school throughout the world stresses School To Career as a basic part of the curriculum offered to their students. Angela Felice Mahoney’s I Can Work! book is a great tool for beginning and supporting this discussion. It works in every classroom and in every teaching structure.

Angela Felice Mahoney, MEd is an educator and author who plays a critical role in supporting and preparing her students for active and contributing roles in their communities and the workforce. As she states, “I believe it is time to break the mold of what a job or employment looks like. I truly feel it is about looking at the task at hand and breaking it into pieces to fit the strengths of each individual person”. Angela believes beginning the vocational planning process at the middle school level is crucial. Her passion for education and community connections has evolved into much more than she ever imagined. Angela connects with fellow professionals and families from around the world, sharing her career readiness ideas and helping all feel successful!

The importance of pre-vocational planning and opportunity is ever growing, yet when and where to begin can be so overwhelming for educators, therapists and parents! The I Can Work! career readiness program is designed to help by introducing five areas of focus: Job Readiness, Clerical, Food Service, Grocery, and Retail. Additionally, emphasizing the importance of visual supports, video modeling and data collection systems all of which are designed to build a strong, consistent, vocational foundation for ALL individuals.

Angie Mahoney, Med
Life Skills Educator
Author of I Can Work!
http://icanwork.therapro.com

7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Shares The Art Of Raman B.
A Unique Process That Drives An Artist Explained!
A Visit To Raman’s Website Is A Multidimensional Treat!

My paintings and drawings celebrate the beauty of human body. I use stylized depiction of human form, sometimes realistic. I work fast and like to show the force of lines in my work. This force resonates with the power and grace of human body, athletic and dance postures. There is an emphasis on anatomy in my works as I was heavily influenced in early career by the works of Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Benini. I guess that’s the case with every art student when you come across these master’s works. There is sense of restlessness and immediacy felt in my works and that’s something that comes from my personal character.

I am an illustrator by profession. I get to tackle a lot of drawings in a day involving humans and animals, but it is rare that I involve animals in my paintings. This is because in city life we don’t get much time to interact and study animals and pets. They are not heroic, but cute. My art is all about valor, force, strength and struggle, chaos and rhythm.

Maybe I am finding rhythm in chaos or I am simply too messy. My process sometimes involves throwing diluted acrylics on canvas and finding hidden figures in it like we find forms in clouds and then taking it from there to do my thing of drawing limbs.I like to work with acrylics, charcoal and pastels. Oils are too slow for me, though, I always yearn to paint beautiful landscapes or portraits like the impressionist artists Manet, Renoir, and the ballet dancers like Degas.

8. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Monthly Puzzle Challenge!
It Only Takes Two Minutes!
And The Answers Are At The End Of The Column!
Hidden Gifts Are For Everyone!

Help! Please! My sister locked me out of the house, so I can’t do Tom Palumbo’s latest 2-minute puzzle Hidden Gifts. Good luck to you and hopefully to me…soon…Jack!

Hidden Gifts…A gift is hidden in each sentence below. The gift is spelled in exact order in one or more words. Challenge your office mates with this puzzle or a class of students who would then try to design something hidden in sentences with a theme of their own.

1. Example…That was not a very nice thing to say. (HAT)
2. His hoe seemed like it was broken into two parts.
3. The small twigs burned quickly in the hearth.
4. Removal of the brain clot hinged on creative teamwork.
5. Can Isabel try that neat trick you showed us.

6. The magic apples were eaten by the princess.
7. Mary’s lipstick was a funny shade of red.
8. Is your car in good condition, Jennifer?
9. The spur seemed too sharp to wear while riding her horse.
10. Nothing can stop ants from multiplying.
11. Donna’s car flew down the racetrack.
12. Our dog loves to eat everything on the table.
13. The outdoors and open places appeal to me.
14. Eating eight oysters made him very sick.
15. Phillip honed his skills at the workshop.

16. Billy can hear ringing bells every night.
17. The meat I eat usually has very little fat.
18. Bo attracted a good deal of attention in class
19. What if lower seats than front row balcony are requested.
20. My hedge trimmers are cordless and safe!
21. Jessie is really new at chess and tournament play.

9. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Street Artist Of The Week!
A Heart Can Share A Large Number Of Feelings And Emotions!
Amberella Shares Her Hopes, Dreams, Disappointments, and Artistry!
Amber Lynn (Amberella) 2016 Rad Girls’ Artist Of The Year!

Rachel Porter shared that while exploring Philadelphia, you might have noticed a series of medium sized hearts with a small message planted in the heart’s middle. These hearts appear on walls in different neighborhoods throughout the city. Mostly adorable, yet, these significant hearts and drawings come from Philadelphia street artist, Amberella. For several years, she showcased her heart art in Philadelphia and attracted quite the popularity with other artists and community residents with her designs. Each heart represents powerful emotions relating to love, heartbreak, and self-empowerment.

The creation of these hearts stems from a difficult relationship Amberella went through. This failed relationship put a host of thoughts in her mind. She began listing things to say and due to her love of hearts, she decided to place her thoughts on various sized hearts. While the hearts come from her past and present experiences, they are, also, for her fans to connect and relate to them.

Put three heart thoughts on your refrigerator, bedroom wall, or office board with words of empowerment and creative ideas of your own…followed by encouraging others to do the same! Even if you are not from Philadelphia, this heart share is for everyone.
Remember to add your artistry and graphics to your heart’s placement locale.

10. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Answers To Hidden Gifts!
What Was Your Time In Completing This Two Minute Puzzle?!
Everyone Misses #15. The Answer Is iPhone, Not Phone.

Hidden Gifts…A gift is hidden in each sentence below. The gift is spelled in exact order in one or more words.
1. Example…That was not a very nice thing to say. (HAT)
2. His hoe seemed like it was broken into two parts.
3. The small twigs burned quickly in the hearth.
4. Removal of the brain clot hinged on creative teamwork.
5. Can Isabel try that neat trick you showed us.
6. The magic apples were eaten by the princess.
7. Mary’s lipstick was a funny shade of red.
8. Is your car in good condition, Jennifer?
9. The spur seemed too sharp to wear while riding her horse.
10. Nothing can stop ants from multiplying.

11. Donna’s car flew down the racetrack.
12. Our dog loves to eat everything on the table.
13. The outdoors and open places appeal to me.
14. Eating eight oysters made him very sick.
15. Phillip honed his skills at the workshop.
16. Billy can hear ringing bells every night.
17. The meat I eat usually has very little fat.
18. Bo attracted a good deal of attention in class
19. What if lower seats than front row balcony are requested.
20. My hedge trimmers are cordless and safe!
21. Jessie is really new at chess and tournament play.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amanda Seyfried, Angela Bassett, Art, Charles Willson Peale, Cher, Colin Firth, Let's Talk Philadelphia, Lily James, Mamma Mia, Mission Impossible, Natural History, Philadelphia, Pierce Brosnan, Tom Cruise | Leave a comment

208. Lady Gaga, Denzel Washington, Anita Baker, Thomas Eakins, And Your Finances!

Posted on July 30, 2018 by tjpalumbo

Frances Palumbo
91 Years Of Special

Sorry You Didn’t Get To See Your Grandchildren!
They Are A Hoot!

Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Quick Notes: Topics That Didn’t Make The Column!

Willie Nelson, at age 85, is recording an album of Frank Sinatra standards!

Anything by Anita Baker (her Songstress album particularly) has to be in your great listening file.

The car speedometer needle has to be replaced with a speed box that tells you your exact speed. The dial can stay there for aesthetic reasons, but the exact readout box is needed. Corinne our office intern, that no one will ride with, because, she drives so slow got a I-95 camera speeding ticket. No way to protest it Corinne, because you have no idea what the situation was on the road.

Daryl’s House’s recording studio presentations (twenty available on you tube) continue to amaze. Grace Sewell’s (age 21) smokey Janis Joplin like voice is a must hear and watch. Grace is from Brisbane, Australia and now grabbing your music players and your providers (Spotify/Sirius) throughout the USA. She sings her songs and Daryl’s better than he does!!! A great combo! A great performance of music making!

Secret City and American Odyssey are the two best television binge watches of the week. They both give a startling picture of world politics far from the shores of the Americas. They can be found on Video CD, on Netflix, or on your On Demand channels. Good acting, political intrigues, and worldwide escapades/scenery will capture your imagination and bring you back for more.

Editors Note…This is Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s #208 issue using WordPress. The column originated at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 1994 as a one page classroom handout. After class, it was distributed on the corner of Broad and Walnut Streets to wary passers-by. This column is now read on six continents and has 24,611 LinkedIn followers…two of which will read this issue. Each issue is an eclectic mixture of topics in the arts, in entertainment, in business, and in education that would pique the interest of readers world-wide, not just Philadelphia. We encourage readers with interesting topics to share their two descriptive paragraphs and six pictures with the column (tjpalumbo@aol.com). This issue and past issues will feature the many who have shared their knowledge and creations on Let’s Talk Philadelphia. Join them with your submission. Every shared idea makes us look better and far more intelligent than we are!

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Second Weirdest Column Start! Ever!
This Individual Or Office Challenge Will Bring Out The Music In You!

A great way to win a lover over is to write a song or a poem about them. This will make them memorable, and, if you are famous, it is a way of immortalizing them. The best office game of the week was trying to come up with 20 songs on the coffee room tag board that feature a person’s name in the title with no other words accompanying the person’s name. The song had to pop into your head. You were not allowed to look them up. Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond was not a winner. A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash isn’t a winner, either…more than a name in both…

These ten songs were winners:
Roxanne by The Police,
Adnis by Jay-Z,
Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls,
Donna by Richie Valens,

Alejandro by Lady Gaga,
Nancy or Emily by Frank Sinatra,
Bernadette by The Four Tops,
Layla by Eric Clapton,
Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles, and
Vincent by Don McLean.

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Movie Rundown!
Denzel Washington…The Equalizer 1 (2014) And Now Equalizer 2!
Acting Skills To Emulate! Protecting Everyone, Everywhere!

The sales in movie tickets and CD purchases for Denzel Washington’s two part Equalizer series are approaching a half a billion dollars. In Equalizer One Washington is saving a young girl ( Chloe Grace Moretz) from Russian brutality. In the new version out this week, he has changed from a mild mannered reader to a destroyer of world-wide evil. You have to see part one to understand his back story and to see this major character change. Our local theater was smart to show both at the same time. They only charged one admission…Nice!…except for the $8 popcorn!

Is Denzel Washington at age 63 too old to play a love interest in stories? Is that the reason why he has resorted to shoot-them-ups in three of his last four movies? No! That was the resounding scream that left the mouths of two hundred women in the audience at the Equalizer 1 and 2 shown at the local cinema. It was surprising to see more women at the six o’clock opening than men. Every women interviewed, said, at the conclusion of his new movie, that they would gladly take Denzel home for dinner and a “pleasant after dinner discussion.”

The Transporter movie series with Jason Statham has been transferred to a television series with the same name. The Equalizer after two showings and ‘as yet to be thought about’ sequels is a good bet to be next. The box office for both exceeded all expectations.

In The Equalizer I, Denzel Washington has sworn not to re-live his violent black ops’ past. Faking his death put him in a supermarket job in Boston. Shaking the past off is seemingly impossible for him to do….even as a check out counter clerk, violence is all around him. He (McCall) comes out of his self-imposed retirement to defend a brutalized call girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). Teri cannot escape from the bondage of her Russian handlers. McCall can’t escape from the Russians and all the other problems he now begins to encounter. He can’t save everyone around him, but he is trying.

The office vote is in for best Denzel Washington movies following our weekly sharing structure. The winners for this topic were Philadelphia, The Pelican Brief (saving Julia Roberts), and Man On Fire (saving Dakota Fanning). This column features everything Philadelphia, so the first choice was expected, but the second two choices?

Young and old people should never be put in the same room for opinion sharing. This vote is an example of that mistake. If you haven’t seen the movie Philadelphia (1993), it is the first mainstream movie that discoursed AIDS and Gay Rights.

Our office votes are conducted as follows:

You must see or experience any topic (movie, book) that includes a vote…
You, then, must defend your favorite in a mini-discussion…
The best five presentations are then voted on by all…
Five points for the best in your opinion and then backward in votes from there…
Votes are totaled to determine what is to be featured on this column…
Veto power is not given to anyone on the staff…

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Art Site Of The Week!
Thomas Eakins: The Gross Clinic And Others In Two Minutes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxHZTwE_-0s!
Don’t Miss The 1st Art Gallery Lecture Series!

Thomas Eakins is a Philadelphia art tradition, if you can call a person a tradition? His exceptional work featuring a wide variety of Philadelphia scenes (The Rower, Gross Clinic) is shared and appears in museums throughout the world. He was one of the founders of the Realism Movement in art in The United States. He trained hundreds of painters in the late 1900’s at the Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts. His works and the works of mural artists (explained below) will be featured throughout this column.

Eakins’ House was built 1854 and became Thomas’s on the death of his father. It is located in 1700 block Spring Garden Street in downtown Philadelphia. The home is now the center of The Philadelphia Street Mural Program. PSMP is continuing Eakins tradition throughout Philadelphia and have maps and addresses of all their mural sites on their website. The Mural Program is training and supporting the works of artists and teams of artists all over Philadelphia. It is hard to walk anywhere in Philadelphia without seeing a mural depicting history, family, sports, or community.

4. Jeff Roth Knows School Crisis!
You Should Know Jeff And His Books!
School Crisis Team Training Is A Must For Every School!
http://www.amazon.com/School-Crisis-Response-Reflections-Leader/dp/0990892794/ref=la_B014L8L54G_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440860447&sr=1-1 (Amazon Book Link)…

Jeff Roth joined the Brandywine School District in Delaware where he initiated Operation Cooperation – a school-wide approach to conflict resolution. Jeff developed Instructional Support and Positive Behavior Support teams, helped initiate and lead the district Crisis Response Team, and was named School Psychologist of the Year. A couple of years after retirement, Jeff, often, found himself thinking about the most meaningful work of his career – responding to school crises. He felt a need to write about traumatic events he had experienced while leading the district response team. A trained crisis team can find order in chaos, cope with the unexpected, adapt as incidents unfold, and navigate situations that initially seem random and senseless.

School Crisis Response: Reflections of a Team Leader (2015) and Perspectives on School Crisis Response: Reflections from the Field (2018) describe real school crises with lessons learned and application of best practices to help prepare and strengthen school psychologists, counselors, social workers, nurses, teachers, administrators, and teams who provide extraordinary service when school communities face their most difficult circumstances. Both books are available on Amazon. These two books should be on every educator’s/teacher’s desk and in every parent’s home.

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Photographer Of The Week!
Susan Michal And The Stories Her Photographs Of Flowers Tell!

The book Flowers in Transition is an exquisite representation of over 150 images of flowers by Master Photographer Susan Michal, President of Photographers of America. The collection highlights the life cycle that flowers transition through in an explosion of color, texture and detail. The images beautifully showcase the delicate and often missed nuances of each bloom and are so life like that you can almost smell the flower as you view the images. Enjoy the beauty of one of God’s most beautiful gifts to the earth, The Flower, as you have never seen it before, through the eyes of Susan Michal. https://shop.susanmichalfineart.com/

Susan goes on to say…Since the first time I picked up a camera I have loved photography. I have always enjoyed photographing beautiful things. Having worked as a professional portrait photographer for over twenty years, I have always believed that personal work was important to my well being as a professional. I have devoted many hours to exploring different areas and techniques. Finding my niche in fine art was actually very simple. I have always loved the amazing and complex beauty of flowers. They speak to me! I can literally spend hours photographing a flower and not know where the time has gone. I especially love the transition a flower goes through during its life. In some ways it parallels the transitions I have watched my human clients go through over the years.

As with a newborn, if you miss the window of opportunity with a flower it may never present itself again. Daily I find myself dropping everything to photograph a flower when I see it change into an interesting state, because I know that ten minutes later it may look completely different. Recognizing that small window of opportunity and having the discipline to act on it, has been key to the success of the flower images.

I am very aware of the short life that flowers have, and have been very interested in photographing them as they transition through the stages of bud to full bloom and death. As flowers transition through different stages colors change drastically and the textures become intense. Many of my favorite images are of blooms well past their prime.

In the beginning of this project I was more interested in finding unique flowers to photograph, but very quickly I began to experiment with more common flowers and realized that every flower was an incredibly interesting subject to photograph. Some of my favorite images are of flowers I found along the roadside blooming wild, or in my studio garden. When you look at a flower through the camera lens you see things that you may never have noticed when viewing them with the naked eye. I love the complex textures the intense colors and the unexpected shapes. Some are soft and gentle in their beauty, some are bold, many are funny and some are just strange, proving that God has an intense sense of humor and a strong imagination.

The images here represent a small number of the thousands of images I have photographed since I began work on the Flowers in Transition project. To see more images visit: https://shop.susanmichalfineart.com/…The book, Flowers in Transition, is the perfect companion to the fine art prints available in this collection.

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Newest Puzzle Challenge!
Is Homonym Humming Actually A Way To Remember Homonyms!

Homonym Hunting

Homonyms are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently. Each hint below will generate a pair of homonyms. Put this task on your coffee room bulletin board and see if the staff can complete the challenge by the end of the week. It is, also, a good meeting starter. The answers are at the end of this column. Don’t look at them today! See if you can solve the one’s you didn’t get by returning to them tomorrow.

Example: Just price…Fair Fare

Cherished forest creature…
Damaged vegetable…
Hairless hibernator…
Noah’s mathematical boat…
Unadorned aircraft…
A time dear to us…
A rabbit’s fur coat…
The complete digging…

Main school head…
A dragged frog…
Hurting window…
One of Henry VIII’s wives…
Popular/frequented hotel…
Heading toward the pair…
Terrible tasting bird…

Undetermined female spell caster…
An evening for jousting…
Discarded king’s chair…
A great hotel room…
To abscond with heavy metal…
A loud group of cattle…
Spiritual for a man…
Made for a quartet…

7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Financial Guru Of The Week!
Dawn Santoriello Suggests The Best Parking Places For Your Money!
Dawn’s Friday You Tube Video Presentations Are Great Financial Up-Dates!

Financial Friday’s With Dawn: Her Weekly Show: Informal And Informative!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YdVg9jKL6Y (Dawn’s Show Location)

Each week we feature business ideas from LinkedIn’s 1/2 billion users/sharers that would appeal to a large audience and enhance our column. If Dawn can straighten out our business and home’s financial mess, she is a must contact for your home, family, and business finances.

Dawn has a wealth of information. We, particularly, liked what she said about Qualified Plans which we feature below. Are they a mistake or can they be shaped for you benefit?:

Dawn Santoriello said: Let me illustrate how Qualified Plan’s work:

If you came to me looking to borrow money and I gave you a check for $10,000 what are the two things you are going to ask me?

1) When do I have to pay it back?
2) How much interest are you going to charge me?

If I told you I don’t need the money now, but there will come a time in the future when I do…at that point I calculate how much I need and what interest you will have to pay me, are you going to cash that check? No way! But that is exactly what the government is doing with qualified plans.

I believe in putting money in a qualified plan up to the match, but not a penny more. Most people think they will be in a lower tax bracket and want to be. I say to them: do you really want to reduce your standard of living or do you just want to pay the least amount of taxes? They tell me choice two when they retire, but this isn’t always the case. If you are, then you are better deferring the taxes. I believe tax rates are going up or they will lower the top thresholds, so the government can collect more money. I don’t believe you will be in a lower tax bracket. There is the war to pay for, all the debt we are accumulating and once retired, and retirees typically don’t have many deductions because they were striving to achieve the “American Dream”. They drove to work every day in cars that were most likely financed and replaced every 3-5yrs, over funded their retirement plans at work, so they could get a tax deduction and make money to hurry up and pay off their house as quickly as possible so then they can really start saving for retirement. In doing this they received a deduction (QP) only to lose a deduction (home mortgage). This plan has many inefficiencies. Whose dream were they chasing? Theirs or Uncle Sam’s. Uncle Sam’s. See example:

Annual contribution to 401K/or IRA= $6,000 x 35 years=$210,000 total contribution
Assuming a 33.3% combined tax bracket

Tax savings: $6,000×33.3%=$2,000 x 35years=$70,000 total savings

35 yrs later account balance earning 7.5% for 35yrs grew to $1,000,000 and they are only going to withdraw interest.

They “saved” $70,000 in taxes only pay $500,000 in a 20 year retirement.

There are better vehicles to save money in and enjoy tax free treatment. Contact Dawn Santoriello, President of DS Financial Strategies at 215-660-0288 to find out how. Also subscribe to her YouTube Channel DS Financial Strategies for her show Financial Friday’s with Dawn.

The opinions expressed and material provided are for general informational purposes, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security nor the rendering of investment advice. Past performance is not an indication of future results and actual results may vary. Investing carries an inherent element of risk, including the risk of losing invested principal.

Dawn Santoriello is an Investment Advisor Representative of Caitlin John Private Wealth Management headquartered at 1024 E. Grand River Ave., Brighton, MI 48116. DS Financial and Caitlin John Private Wealth Management are separate entities and are not affiliated.

8. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Weekly Puzzle’s Answers!

Example: Just price – Fair Fare

Cherished forest creature…Dear/Dear
Damaged vegetable…Beat/Beat
Hairless hibernator…Bare/Bear
Noah’s mathematical boat…Arc/Ark
Unadorned aircraft…Plain/Plane
A time dear to us…Our/Hour
A rabbit’s fur coat…Hare’s/Hairs
The complete digging…Whole/Hole
Main school head…Principle/Principal
A dragged frog…Towed/Toad
Hurting window…Pain/Pane
One of Henry VIII’s wives…An/Anne
Popular/frequented hotel…In/Inn
Heading toward the pair…To/Two
Terrible tasting bird…Foul/Fowl
Undetermined female spell caster…Which/Witch
An evening for jousting…Knight/Nite
Discarded king’s chair…Thrown/Throne
A great large hotel room…Sweet/Suite
To abscond with heavy metal…Steal/Steal
A loud group of cattle…Heard/Herd
Spiritual for a man…Him/Hymn
Made for a quartet…For/Four

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Anita Baker, Flowers, Frank Sinatra, Games And Puzzles, Homonyms, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Leona Lewis, Philadelphia History, Photography, Realism In Art, Thomas Eakins, Will Shortz, Willie Nelson | 1 Comment

207. John Mayer, Auguste Rodin, Hearts Beat Loud, And Elvis Presley!

Posted on July 6, 2018 by tjpalumbo

Let’s Talk Philadelphia Brings It On!

The Sculptors, Musicians, Poets, Writers, Art Critics, And Historians!

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Music Picks For July Listening!
John Mayer Is An Excellent Discussion Starter!

John Mayer knows music and the themes the women who listen to his songs enjoy the most. He has dated the top stars in the news, in the music industry, and in Hollywood. Mayer has written songs for at least eight of his dating favorites. The song recipient list includes: Katy Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz, Minka Kelly, and Taylor Swift. Devoted fans, that listens to his new songs, think his new song New Light could be about them.

Mayer’s new album New Light and catchy cover song is a winner across all age groups. He claims in the song that as he approaches forty, he wants people (women) to give him one more chance to be seen in a new light. This is the plea thought of by anyone (man or woman) that has lost a love. We have included two links for your listening pleasure:
A. In the Broadway World link, Mayer explains how he created the New Light video with just a run of the mill Blue Screen establishment that makes wedding videos. (www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/John-Mayer-Releases-Green-Screen-Music-Video-For-NEW-LIGHT-20180524).

B. The You Tube link that follows contains a pull down of all the lyrics in New Light, so as he sings the song in his video, the listener can sing along, too. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PH7dK6SLC8) Everyone in the office enjoyed this selection…friends and foes of Mayer, alike. Give it your listening test.

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Second Music Reminder!
Elvis Presley’s Death Will Be Celebrated In The Beginning Of August!
Vegas And Memphis Reservations Can Still Be Made For the Festivities!

August is the month rock and roll enthusiasts throughout the world pay tribute to Elvis Presley, even though he was born in January. It is the 41st anniversary of his death. The events in Memphis at his Graceland home and the tributes in Las Vegas to commemorate his life and music are attended by tens of thousands. Memphis has home walk-throughs, museum tours, candlelight vigils, dress up as Elvis free buffets, memorabilia showings, movie screenings, and Elvis impersonator contests. The Las Vegas events are just as all encompassing and showy. Twenty-two years of columns following these events should leave us with a depleted database of interesting ideas.
Such is not the case!

Elvis Presley recorded over 800 songs. He sang and wrote another 400 that he did not record. He loved gospel, but never won any awards for his gospel songs. The Elvis Presley Channel (19) on Sirius XM plays them all. Presley starred in over 30 movies while eating his favorite treat…the peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich. He would have been an excellent good guy in the new Mission Impossible movie! Partner up Tom Cruise!

Priscilla Presley has crafted a well thought-out, classy, informative, headphone driven tour of his simple home at Graceland. Priscilla’s new entertainment center is as magnificent as you would expect. Elvis Presley is buried in back of the house with his parents. Every year, we point out the significance of presents that are left at his grave site and then given to local charities. Bring something on your visit for this mission! The two new Elvis albums that Priscilla just orchestrated with the London Philharmonic are music library keepsakes for all.

Can’t Help Falling In Love With You and Love Me Tender still hold the top two spots in our The Best of Elvis Presley’s Music office poll. A new recommendation, we think you’ll love, Just Pretend, has slipped into spot three thanks to Jennifer’s…hear this song on my headset antics…all week. You can hear Just Pretend sung live in concert on You Tube or from Elvis’s London Philharmonic album The Wonder Of You. Here are the links and lyrics. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVJuwO2vmjQ). You will see why Jennifer made us all fans of this song! The duet, video version with Helene Fischer on The Wonder Of You CD and presented here is inspiring. Very inspiring! (www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNKc88JxBV4)…The CD is a great purchase!

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Hard To Find Movie Of The Week!
Hearts Beat Loud!
A Nice Story! Good Music, Actors From Everywhere!

Hearts Beat Loud’s poignant story, stellar cast (Ted Danson, Toni Collette, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner), great music, and feel good vibes when you leave the theater will hopefully propel it out of the Indie film theaters throughout the United States into mainstream America’s movie houses.

Nick Offerman (Frank Fisher) owns a failing Brooklyn vinyl record store of 19 years. His daughter Kiersey Clemons (Samantha Fisher) helps him with the store. She is a high school senior on her way to fulfill her medical school dream. They are a bi-racial family. Frank’s deceased wife and Frank were rock band mates twenty years ago. They weren’t bad.

Samantha inherited her mother’s voice and Frank’s love of music. She writes songs any time she is not frantically studying…and working. Frank recognizes her talent and wants her to record and perform her songs. Neither he nor Samantha’s new love interest and budding artist Sasha Lane (Rose) want her to leave. Conflict and music making throughout bring in Ted Danson as a local bar owner and Blythe Danner and Toni Collette as love interests and advisors. Go out of your way to find this movie. Small town theaters can only make money on blockbusters. This one is worth the drive to a theater showing Hearts Beat Louder. We will bus you there if need be!

PS…Vinyl is making a big time comeback…
Don’t give those gems in the closet away.

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Celebrates 100 Years Of Auguste Rodin!
Visit The Rodin Museums In Paris Or In Philadelphia! Or Both!
We Have Cheesesteaks, They Have Crepes!

Rene Auguste Rodin, The Patriarch Of Modern Sculpture, died in 1917. The great activities put together for the 100th anniversary of his death by both of the museums dedicated to his work continue this year. The museum tours, lectures, and musical events draw giant crowds. Our suggestion, however, is to hold your wedding at one of these two museums. Kissing in front of The Kiss is done by everyone. But a wedding kiss??? Viola! Let’s Talk Philadelphia will plan the event for you for big bucks.

In the meantime, enjoy Rodin’s works in clay, marble, and bronze throughout our column. Rodin brought realism to his works and was first frowned upon in Europe for doing so. He was soon to be embraced by royalty to make them a patron of and in his work. Hopefully, out of the hundreds of works Rodin produced, we found pieces you will enjoy. After Paris, Philadelphia has the largest Rodin collection in the world. The Barnes Impressionist Museum and The Philadelphia Museum Of Art are just blocks away from the Rodin Museum. What an art lover’s trifecta!

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Poetry Site Is Drawing Huge Crowds!
Your Summer And All Year Long Writing Winner Is A Must Visit!
It Is A Great Haven For Teachers, Parents, and Students!
(catapultintopoetry.wikispaces.com)

Don’t forget to download 100 great poetry and creative writing activities for all ages before the site goes extinct at the end of July. Here is one of our favorite middle grade activities from the site. The site has similar activities for babies and college graduates. Poetry and creative writing lovers will understand. It will be a tearful shutdown in three weeks.

A Special Piece Of The World Of Poetry Lives!
The Ode To A Grecian Urn Retold!

Hey, poetry fans and teachers of creative writing!

Here is a change of pace activity to start the summer. The directions for beginning this writing challenge are as follows: Discuss with your child/summer school class the odes and dedications that were written by early poets. Review Ode To A Grecian Urn and Blake’s The Tyger (Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright) without killing this exploration with over analysis.

Give your child/students copies of some easy to understand odes and dedications. Have students review Blake’s The Tyger (Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright). Next, have your child/class mimic the style of a favorite ode by writing an ode about a music star, a fruit, a pet, or self choice topic as the theme. Use the examples below to generate some nice ideas of the directions someone’s writing might take.

Apple, apple, so shiny and bright.
Oh! What a taste so late at night.

O’ sour lemon
A taste bitter and true.
My puckered lips tell me
Not to forget you.

Can’t Miss Laughs Surrounding Odes To The Grape, Spinach, and Your Cat!

Grape
You have made happy lips, healthy eating, and filled stomachs.

A Spinach Ode
Spinach and other greens
How you have tormented me!
But healthy, I’ll grow up to be.

Ode To My Cat
Cat, cat, what a great friend.
To your litter box,
I will tend.

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Puzzle Of The Week!
The Towers Of Hanoi Puzzle’s History Is Worth Researching, Too!

I finished Tom Palumbo’s newest 2 minute puzzle in 2:27. It follows! Good luck! I am now working on the famous Tower of Hanoi Puzzle! A challenging pair! I put the answers at the end of the column. Give the puzzle two days before you look!…Emma

Changing Middles
Each clue will give you a Five-Letter Word with a consonant in the middle. Find clue one’s word, then change its middle to find clue two’s word.

Example: Spelunker’s Havens/Applied Attention…CAVES…CARES

1. Passenger Vessel…Body Part
2. Bicycle Part…Flower Leaf
3. Delight In…Go Against Insurgent
4. Keep For One’s Self…Shooting Star
5. Horseman’s Sword…A Person Banks Love
6. City Septic System…Cut

7. Egg Companion…Castle Royalty
8. Ocean Radar…Of The Sun
9. Cash…Droopy Faced
10. Cash Hoarding Person…Olympic Runner11. Lawn Care Necessity…Shaker’s Friend
11. Babe Ruth’s Product…Float Above
12. Girls…Knitted

13. Green Fruit Need To…Got Up From (Cross)
14. Deadly…Theme For Discussion
15. Paramour…Person Without Friends
16. Tripled In Math…Healed
17. Will Not Happen Word…Older’s Opposite
18. Writing Must…Electronic Calling Device
19. Most Common Bird…Famous Kiss Statue Maker

7. This the 207th issue of Let’s Talk Philadelphia using WordPress. Let’s Talk Philadelphia has joined 1 billion other site creators who use WordPress. LTP talks movies, theater, music, fashion, small business, sports, education, history, and the really unimportant things. The other 999,999,999 sites talk politics, religion, big business, and all the other meaningful things. We are looking for art, photography, businesses, and creative ideas to feature on the column. The column has over 24,000 followers on LinkedIn and 500 redistributors/subscribers. Send two paragraphs about your work and six pictures to Tom Palumbo at: tjpalumbo@aol.com. Please remember our audience is international and they are lovers of creative ideas.

8. Changing Middle’s Answers

Passenger Vessel…Body Part LINER/LIVER
Bicycle Part…Flower Leaf PEDAL/PETAL
Delight In…Go Against Insurgent REVEL/REBEL
Keep For One’s Self…Shooting Star COVET/COMET
Horseman’s Sword…Person Banks Love SABER/SAVER
City Septic System…Cut SEWER/SEVER
Egg Companion…Castle Royalty BACON/BARON
Ocean Radar…Of The Sun SONAR/SOLAR
Cash…Droopy Faced MONEY/MOPEY
Cash Hoarding Person…Olympic Runner MISER/MILER
Lawn Care Necessity…Shaker’s Friend MOWER/MOVER
Babe Ruth’s Product…Float Above HOMER/HOVER
Girls…Knitted WOMEN/WOVEN
Green Fruit Need To…Got Up From (Cross) RIPEN/RISEN
Deadly…Theme For Discussion TOXIC/TOPIC
Paramour…Person Without Friends LOVER/LONER
Tripled In Math…Healed CUBED/CURED
Will Not Happen Word…Older’s Opposite NEVER/NEWER
Writing Must…Electronic Calling Device PAPER/PAGR
Most Common Bird…Famous Kiss Statue Maker ROBIN/RODIN

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amazon Prime, Art, elvis presley, Games And Puzzles, Hearts Beat Loud, John Mayer, Katy Perry, Martin Luther King, Netflix, puzzles, Rodin, Sculpture, Ted Danson | Leave a comment

206. Oceans Eight, Tom Cruise, Suprematist Art, SAT Prep, And Puzzledom!

Posted on June 20, 2018 by tjpalumbo

Welcome to the 206th issue of Let’s Talk Philadelphia using WordPress. Let’s Talk Philadelphia has joined 1 billion other site creators who use WordPress. LTP talks movies, theater, music, fashion, small business, sports, education, history, and the really unimportant things. The other 999,999,999 sites talk politics, religion, big business, and all the other meaningful things. We make mistakes, they don’t.

Let The Discussions Begin!

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Movie Selection Of The Week!
The Oceans Eight Femalefest!
Sandra Bullock Has Years In Prison To Plan (5)!

Selecting A Team To Fit Her Scheme Is Mind-boggling!
She Watched All The George Clooney Movies With Oceans In The Title!
Frank Sinatra’s Cruise Liner Heist Original, Also!

There is a new King of Moviedom this week and her name is Sandra Bullock! Bullock’s Gal Gala’s 60 million dollar opening for the billion dollar Ocean’s franchise surpassed all the George Clooney and Frank Sinatra openings. Its total, also, was twice the take that anyone predicted. Go girls!

Rihanna, Mindy Kalin, Dakota Fanning, Cate Blanchett, Awkwafina, Sarah Paulson, and Helena Bonham Carter comprise Ms. Bullock’s heist team. Their goal is a 180 million dollar jewel necklace. The necklace is being worn by Anne Hathaway at an exclusive New York dinner function. Hathaway’s two bodyguards are inches away at all times. Each member of the team, as expected, has a particular skill set necessary to bring the robbery to fruition. Computer expert to pickpocket to dress designer to creative manipulator are the start of the skills gathered by Bullock in the beginning of the movie.

65% of the Ocean’s Eight’s audience were woman. These women were entertained with the themes of the caper. However, the movie makers were smart to add some great hairdos, jewelry, woman’s gadgets, and dress changes galore to enhance the entertainment even further. Hey, both guys and girls! You will be entertained by this movie. It might even make you forget about George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and Frank Sinatra. Ocean’s Eight’s opening this weekend in Europe and Asia did some surprising numbers, too.

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Newest Art Lesson!
Three Artists And Their Work Should Add To Your Knowledge Base!
Russia Excels In The Basics With 1900’s Suprematist Art
Kazmir Malevich’s Movement Is Seeing A Resurgence in 2018!

The Suprematism Painting Movement started in Russia in 1913. Kazmir Malevich was one of its Founding Fathers. The very basic tenet of the movement is using the circle, line, square, rectangle, and triangle to create art. The original nine Suprematists included two woman. The first four paintings in this article are Olga Rozanova’s works…one of the two woman pioneers of this movement.

Meanwhile, back in the United States in the early 1900’s Maxfield Parrish is leading a far different group of painters in examining the American landscape. Here are three artists (Rozanova, Parrish, Malevich) that might brighten a hallway or a room’s wall in your house or office. Their work and the work of their colleagues, displayed throughout this column, is certainly worth researching.

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Coming Soon Movie Preview!
Bring It On Tom Cruise!
Mission Impossible Is Ready To Fly Next Week!
Top Gun II Opening Next Year And Now Filming Is A Real Mystery!

Everyone is waiting for four things from the new Mission Impossible movie: non-stop action, kissing, switches and betrayals galore, and the scene where Tom Cruise at age 53 was hurt doing his own stunts.

You would think all this week’s new movie talk is about Tom Cruise’s new Mission Impossible movie. Not so, for some reason. The majority of the talk is about how Top Gun II: Maverick, which doesn’t open until next year, is going to carry out its new themes with characters that are 32 years older. Kelly McGillis, Cruise’s love interest in the first movie, is 63 years old, as an example.

Everyone is tight-lipped about next year’s Top Gun movie, so we will have to be satisfied with the Tom Cruise-Jeremy Renner stand-off next week in Mission Impossible. It will, also, be interesting to see if the kissing scenes with 35 year old Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson are believable. Don’t let Cruise’s religion or couch jumping stop you from seeing this new MI movie. Cruise always fashions great action, great disguises, great companionship with his team, and even greater fear in the despicable characters sent his way throughout his and his team’s latest mission. The previews have been superb! The movie should be a winner!

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Puzzle Challenge Of The Week!
Past Issues Are Loaded With Great Puzzle Challenges, Also!
Welcome To A Crazy World John!

Thank God, I am out in time for Tom Palumbo’s newest 2-minute puzzle. Tom has taken off the time limit to celebrate my birth. 4,900 LinkedIn-ers out of 23,550 followers tried his last puzzle. I’m new, but, I think I can compete…John…The answers will be given at the bottom of this column. Very few people get #2 and #13 right away. Don’t look at the answers right away. Come back tomorrow and see if one or more characters that you didn’t get today now jump into your mind. This is a great list to put on your office bulletin board to see if your mates can get them all by the end of the workweek.

If you are a classroom teacher, have your students write five clues for historical people and five clues for people in music, television, children’s books, poetry, sports, or a subject of their choice to challenge their classmates after doing this activity.

Can you identify the characters from the clues below?
Each clue will generate a famous person from American history.
Write the clue word down to get your brain rolling through history.
Breezing through years of famous people in history is a hoot!

Example:
E. Two thousand pounds…ton…George Washington

1. Sandy Koufax’s position…
2. A large chuckle…
3. Holds a chain together…
4. Opposite of wrong…
5. A place to take a bath…
6. A hot dog for short…
7. A place drinks are served…
8. You can write with this…

9. Mel an old time baseball player…
10. An insect who lives in a colony…
11. A father’s male child…
12. A type of precipitation…
13. The opposite of new…
14. An egg layer…
15. Opposite of fancy…
16. This bird rhymes with park…

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Business Tip Of The Week!
Insurance Is A Must! Why Then Is Life Insurance Neglected?!
The Search For The Affordable And The Most Beneficial Life Insurance?!

Luke Goedecke is our office’s insurance guru. We are always asking him for information for our column that doesn’t sound like the big sales push. Here is what Luke told us about life insurance. In his words:

Life Inѕurаnсе hаѕ bееn оnе оf thоѕе subjects mаnу оf uѕ don’t like tо tаlk about. This іѕ еntіrеlу undеrѕtаndаblе, bесаuѕе іt involves our mоrtаlіtу оr thе mоrtаlіtу оf someone wе lоvе. Sо fоr mаnу оf us, wе рut it оff because wе don’t wаnt tо thіnk something bаd wіll happen tо us or оur lоvеd оnеѕ. And аftеr аll, Life Insurance іѕ сеrtаіnlу nоt frее іѕ іt? Whеn I wаѕ growing up іn thе 50’s and 60’s, іt ѕееmеd like people іn thеіr 60’ѕ wеrе рrеttу close to the еnd оf thе lіnе. Tоdау, lіvіng into your 70’ѕ, 80’ѕ аnd 90’s ѕееmѕ commonplace. In fасt оnе оf thе bіggеѕt fears wе hаvе today іѕ соnсеrn аbоut оutlіvіng оur ѕаvіngѕ.

Whаt іf I told you that you соuld start уоur оwn рrіvаtе реnѕіоn рlаn, hоuѕеd within the shell оf a lіfе іnѕurаnсе роlісу? Whаt if I tоld you thаt your plan could роtеntіаllу еxреrіеnсе mаrkеt like rеturnѕ and lосk іn уоur gаіnѕ? What if I tоld you thаt money dероѕіtеd аbоvе thе асtuаl роlісу соѕtѕ, including іnѕurаnсе costs саn grоw tаx deferred? Whаt іf I told уоu thаt this ѕtrаtеgу соuld роѕѕіblу create dіѕtrіbutіоnѕ іn Rеtіrеmеnt, Income tаx free whеn dоnе properly? Oh аnd by the wау, as your mоnеу grows tо tаkе саrе оf уоu іn Rеtіrеmеnt, you also hаvе lіfе іnѕurаnсе рrоtесtіоn іf ѕоmеthіng happens.

Thе ѕtrаtеgу I аm rеfеrrіng tо, uses what іѕ саllеd аn IUL. Indexed Universal Life іѕ hоuѕеd wіthіn the ѕhеll оf a life іnѕurаnсе policy. Thіѕ is nоt Tеrm іnѕurаnсе, Whole Lіfе or Vаrіаblе Life Insurance! What is ѕо dіffеrеnt аbоut thіѕ product іѕ, it ѕіmрlу gives the саѕh value in уоur ассоunt the роwеr of Zero whісh means іt will nеvеr еxреrіеnсе аnу mаrkеt lоѕѕ…еvеr аgаіn! Addіtіоnаllу, what you hаvе wоrkіng for уоu, that іѕ not available in just аbоut аnу оthеr Retirement Strategy; іѕ tаx аdvаntаgеd grоwth along with a fее structure thаt would mаkе just about аnу trаdіtіоnаl 401k, 403b оr IRA fее structure lооk lіkе hіghwау robbery! Grеаtеѕt of аll, when dоnе соrrесtlу, аrе thе lіvіng bеnеfіtѕ оf bеіng able tо take уоur dіѕtrіbutіоnѕ іnсоmе tаx free. This is unlіkе a traditional 401k, 403b or IRA whісh are 100% tаxаblе.
http://iulsuccess.com

Reach out to us today…Luke Goedecke…845-399-4014…Assistance is available in all 50 states…

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Search For The Last Laugh!
Canadian Readers Say This Humor Bit Is The Answer!
They Called It Open Roads…We Lost Their Photos!
Ours Don’t Compare…We Tried!

Reader’s Digest had a segment called Humor In The United States. Each issue had five or six bits of humor from throughout the United States. Our staff members think a Humor In Philadelphia section should be included in, at least, one of our two monthly columns. John and Jenny from Canada sent us thirty-five little humorous anecdotes to add to our column. Here are the top ten anecdotes in our opinion to start our Let’s Talk Philadelphia humor quest.

1). The best place to be when you are sad is on grandma’s or grandpa’s lap.
2). When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4). You can’t trust dogs to watch your food.
5). Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.

6). Families are like fudge…mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
7). Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.
8). Laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.
9). Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
10). It’s frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Songs Of The Week!
You Have Heard Them One Hundred Times!
But!…None Better Than This!

Eurovision 2018 has just completed its International song contest featuring this year’s 46 top performers and songs from Europe and Australia. The Eurovision website has hours and hours of great listening from the last thirty years. After reviewing their selections and winners, here are three easy to listen to and embrace standards that should add to your listening pleasure.

For Good
Kristen Chenowith And Idina Menzel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ0pXUb5jVU

The Prayer
Charice And The Canadian Tenors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozOsIGe5cYA

Despacito
Luis Fonsi…Daddy Yankee
http://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/most-viewed-youtube-videos-music

The link above has the top fifteen songs, so far this year, determined by You Tube listens. Despacito has 4.5 billion listens for Luis Fonsi not counting the Justin Bieber rendition with him that went to number one in five countries.
Fonsi leads all You Tube views with Despacito. Check out the thrillist link above to see if your favorite song is in the top fifteen? It needs billions of hits!

8. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Monthly Book Review!
Scholastic Aptitude Test Help!
Making The Getting Into College Angst Disappear!

Erin Cockrell has two new books out. One book is for college bound students and one for those trying to understand Amazon.com. Her second book hasn’t arrived in our office, so we are sharing the review of her first book. Both books can be found on her website. Here is how Erin described her test work book and supporting website:

Hey Tom,
It was great talking to you.
I spiced up the paragraphs per your suggestion:

Make a perfect score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for FREE (or almost free).

If you or someone you know has school-aged children, then please download my book. As an SAT Prep Content Writer/Author, I want to let parents and students know there are highly effective and free (or nearly-free) SAT prep materials available to those who know where to look. I recommend this book to all parents of 2nd graders through 12th graders.

Stress-Free SAT on a Shoestring Budget: How to Get a Perfect Score Cheaply And Without Sweating it.

http://amzn.to/2BJm78C

The longer you wait to start preparing, the more expensive and stressful SAT preparation gets…Hope this book saves you or your loved ones from spending lots of money and prevents SAT testing anxiety for everyone.

Visit my website for Do-It-Yourself SAT Prep Videos: https://www.besttutorforschool.com/sat-prep-for-free
Amazon.com Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/ErinCockrell/e/B079RDJZYY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

9. History Answers!

Example: Two thousand pounds…ton…George Washington

1. Sandy Koufax’s position…pitcher…Molly Pitcher
2. A large chuckle…laugh…Gilbert Layfayette
3. Holds a chain together…link… Abe Lincoln
4. Opposite of wrong…right…Wright Brothers
5. A place to take a bath…tub…Harriett Tubman
6. A hot dog for short…frank…Ben Franklin
7. A place drinks are served…bar…Clara Barton
8. You can write with this…pen…William Penn

9. Mel an old time baseball player…Ott…Lucretia Mott
10. An insect who lives in a colony…ant…Ulysses Grant
11. A father’s male child…son…Thomas Jefferson et al
12. A type of precipitation…hail…Nathan Hale
12. A type of precipitation…snow…Phoebe Snow
12. A type of precipitation…sleet…Robert E. Lee

13. The opposite of new…old…Benedict Arnold
14. An egg layer… hen…Patrick Henry
15. Opposite of fancy…plain…Samuel De Champlain
16. This bird rhymes with park…lark…Lewis And Clark

10. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Don’t Forget Section!

Don’t forget to send your business ideas, art, photography, and humor finds to tjpalumbo@aol.com for inclusion in our next column!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Abstract Art, Anne Hathaway, Baby John, Games And Puzzles, George Clooney, Kate Blanchett, M. C. Escher, Maxfield Parrish, Ocean's Eight, puzzles, Rihanna, Sandra Bullock, SAT Prep, Suprematist Art, Tom Cruise, Top Gun, U. S. History | Leave a comment

205. Manuel-Lin Miranda, Robert Frost, Mary Cassett, And The Mexican Ballet!

Posted on May 24, 2018 by tjpalumbo

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Twice-Monthly Greeting!

Welcome to the 205th issue of Let’s Talk Philadelphia using WordPress. Let’s Talk Philadelphia has joined 1 billion other site creators who use WordPress. Our five continent readership has far exceeded all expectations. The column has featured a wide variety of topics since 1994.

In addition to Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s look at television, theater, books, fashion, business news, art, and photography, we feature contributions and creative ideas from people from all over the world. Each column introduces a wide range of themes. Reading five years of back columns on this site is just as enriching as exploring the most recent years.

You can join the yearlong celebration of outstanding writing, art, photography, fashion, business, and creative discussion by contributing a story, book review, poem, movie suggestion, art piece, fashion tip, award notice, photography, game, business, multimedia, travel, or theater write-up that world-wide readers will enjoy. Your ideas should be sent to: Tom Palumbo at tjpalumbo@aol.com. Please send six photos with a two-paragraph description of your work. This constraint is a tough one. Please, remember to include the links where you can be found.

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Song Choice!
Dear Evan Hansen And Hamilton Stars Unite In Song And Purpose!
The March For Our Lives Initiative Benefits!

The recent, horrific, slaughter of 17 young lives in The Parkland Florida School District encouraged two Broadway Theater mega-stars, Ben Platt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, to record the song Found Tonight and donate the money from their new record to The March For Our Lives Initiative. Elements from the song the Story Of Tonight from the play Hamilton and elements of You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen were combined to make Found Tonight. The single raised over a million dollars for the March On Washington. The record continues to raise money for programs across other states. Your purchase will enlighten your music sense and you will help a large number of communities continuing to join this mission.