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

           

     

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).

       

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

     

2. A rug’s cousin…
3. A movie award…
4. Egyptian jewelry…
5. Opposite of plentiful…
6. A big box…
7. Boy’s name…
8. Girl’s name (eight letters)…
9. Mickey Mouse…
10. Into the sun flyer…
11. Rene the philosopher…
12. A ship’s storage…
13. A body part…
14. Headwear…
15. A large body of water…
16. It is the 6^th element…
17. A traffic lightener…
18. A side dish…
19. Lucy’s sidekick…
20. Heart specialist…
21. A market push around…
22. Two night time show hosts…
23. 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

    

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

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

           

               

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.

       

 

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

                    

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:

1. You must see or experience any topic (movie, book) that includes a vote…
2. You, then, must defend your favorite in a mini-discussion…
3. The best five presentations are then voted on by all…
4. Five points for the best in your opinion and then backward in votes from there…
5. Votes are totaled to determine what is to be featured on this column…
6. 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

                                      

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

      

    

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

 

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

        

           

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!

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

                    

       

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.

              

Lyrics
We may not yet have reached our glory
But I will gladly join the fight
And when our children tell their story
They’ll tell the story of tonight…

This is the link to the recording studio version of the song. You will enjoy Ben’s and Lin-Manuel’s recording process and revel in the final product.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aQykuIaJVI

           

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Features Danish Television At Its Best!
Don’t Wish For Rain! Not Now! Not Ever!
And Whatever You Do, Don’t Drink The Water!

      

Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice is a great lead-in to this first show from Denmark created for Netflix. It is called The Rain and predicts the end of the world, but not from fire or ice. Frost’s poem has always been a great classroom selection that generates endless writing and discussion about the cause of the end of the world. This series’s 8 episodes may create the same stir in the adult world.

      

Alba August (Simone) and Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen (Rasmus) star as siblings who are locked in a bunker for seven years while waiting for their scientist father to return. He may have the answer to this deadly rain. As their food runs out, brother and sister are forced into a world that has been ravaged and is still being ravaged by deadly rain.

In search of their dad and the answer to this destructive rain, they meet Mikkel Boe Folsgaard (Martin) an older and wiser displaced soldier that joins them on their quest…as they pick up all sorts characters and story branches along the way. Some of these branches are familiar, while others offer intriguing and deceptive twists and turns.You have to read subscripts, but they move the story in rapid fashion. It is a decent binge (May 4) and season 2 is in the works.

Fire And Ice
by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.

    

But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice

Is also great
And would suffice.         

          

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Pick For The Best Of Mexico’s Theater And Music!
This Ballet Is A Night Of Enchantment, Wonder, And Performance Magic!

     

The Ballet Folklorico De Mexico has just celebrated its 100th anniversary with a worldwide tour that stretched from Mexico to London. In the past, they have performed in 80 countries worldwide and have a spin-off group of some of their best performers in Toronto. The ballet’s performance themes are based on the traditional dances, music, and costuming of Mexico. The two hour performance of over sixteen numbers will have you dancing in the aisles, even if you don’t know the steps.

        

Silvia, of Mexican origin and the best writer in our work-way, shared this link for the ballet’s two hour Festival of Mexico: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-9zELMqdms). Cook up some Mexican treats, cross your legs in front of the screen, and marvel at the 60 piece orchestra and expertise of the actors, singers, and dancers. If you are ever in Mexico City, the troupe performs there three times a week. Keep an eye out for their next tour schedule, also. It may be close to your humble abode!

       

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s New Puzzle Challenge!
It Is Our Mission To Improve Brain Function World-Wide!
Back Issues Have A Number Of Challenges, Also!

        

I am smirking because I have already completed Tom Palumbo’s latest two-minute puzzle. 8,857 of our 22,900 LinkedIn friends tried the last puzzle. Have fun with the new challenge Let’s Talk Philadelphia readers!…Jack

      

Rearrange the pairs below in easy-to-recognize historic and everyday people, places, and things. You may not change the order of the paired letters when you rearrange them into a word. If you are the teacher in the classroom, these are cut-out pairs of letters that the students can, of course, cut out, then move around before making up challenges of their own.

Example: HO  SE  RE  AS   =   SEASHORE  

KI EY MC NL
ON NA LE PO

AN GE LL MA
RE SH MO RU
       

AD BR RD FO
AN RC JO DA

GE MO NI RO
IS AT NT LA

EN VA UR NB
NN AL HA IB

   

ER NN BA EK
IN AA KL FR

MI ON HA LT
SE LL BA BA

RR TO OW MO
WN DO WN TO

     

    

6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s New Book Review
Hans Andrew’s New Book Is A Great Teaching Companion!
It Fits In Perfectly With Succession Planning Workshops!
Every Teacher Should Take One After Reading Hans’s Book!

      

Hans Andrews was an active educator in the roles of secondary school teacher, counselor, university professor, dean of instruction, and community college president. Hans has turned his experiences into three major areas needing major improvements in his publications on his Matilda Press business website.  He felt all three areas had been left behind by far too many K-12 schools and universities:  (1) accountable teacher evaluation; (2) recognition for our best teachers; and (3) dual-credit which he developed as the first program in Illinois 30+ years ago!

       

Hans feels every school district should be interested in his book, Recognition vs. Merit Pay For Our Best Teachers, as there are far too many of our very good teachers, counselors, special education, music and art teachers, adjunct teachers, and others going wanting in terms of recognition from their schools.  All three of his books are found on his Matilda Press website (named for his Grandmother Matilda Nelson who helped raise him):  http://www.matildapress.com  The books are also available on web book stores such as Amazon. Hans’s ideas would benefit every member of the workforce, not just the educational community.

7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Internet Sign-up Sites!
There Are Hundreds Of New Sites Each Week!
We Think You Will Enjoy These Classics!

      

Hey Internet!…What should I sign up for on the Internet is asked by every businessman, educator, student, and housewife? What would be most beneficial to my my home, business, and family activities? This interested group goes on to say that after signing up, they don’t want to be bothered by countless irrelevant emails, circulars, can’t miss deals, and spam. The sites that follow are good recommendations for anyone that wants to stay informed, up-to-date, and wants to advance in their profession or ne endeavors.

        

1. LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) is a free professional site with multiple categories and group memberships. The site allows you to select business groups, national associations, and former colleges and universities you attended each offering you general information for your job and specific information for advancement in your profession. You can participate in group discussions, leave discussion questions for all to respond, or take seminars and lectures in a number of areas. The groups post jobs throughout the country, too. The LinkedIn groups Let’s Talk Philadelphia joined include: National Business Incubators Group, Temple University, The University of the Arts, The Black Journalist’s Association, The Educational Network, The School Principal’s Association, and Educational Leadership. When you go to the site, you will have a menu of thirty groups you can join. Pick the groups in your professional area or general area of interest. If you want to expand your knowledge base pick something far afield from your areas of expertise.  

1. SurfNet Kids (www.surfnetkids.com) has been reviewed a number of times in this column. Barbara Feldman, an award-winning journalist, created the site. Anything that you want to know about education, current events, school subjects, and history appears on her column. It is perfect for the researcher, student, teacher, or home schooling parent. There are activities that you can join for each day of the week or archives that you can explore on every subject area. If there is an event that is presently happening, it is featured on the daily calendar with all kinds of articles and links to understand the event to the greatest degree. Email sign-up is free and you will relish the weekly newsletter articles.   

1. Book Page (http://www.bookpage.com) is the online companion to the 25 page monthly circular found at the entrance to most local libraries. You can have fifty sent to your school library for free. The magazine contains author and illustrator interviews, reviews of books, CD’s, and movies, and features in research, current events, and library science. The Book Page newsletter is free and has any easy email sign-up.Ask your community library to sign up. also.    

1. New York Times Education Network (http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/NIE/index.html) is the perfect addition to anyone’s desktop of information. Sign up for their classroom or home addition with the link on the left. Sign-up appears in their Index Bar at the top of the page. My students like their blog. It breaks down sometimes hard to digest information into little understandable chunks. The blog is filled with daily and archived information and can be found at (http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com). Using The New York Times in the classroom or home will enhance the study of current events, literature, reading, the arts, and the sciences. Your parents will be impressed that The New York Times is part of your educational program.
        

 

204. Paul Lawrence Dunbar, The Tunnel, Anna The Detective, And Celeste Hunter!

         

        

Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Top Picks In Business And Entertainment!
What Can You Contribute To The Next Column?!

      

Thank you for joining us on the 204th 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, especially compared to the readership we generated by handing out our latest issue in a one page newsletter at the corner of Broad and Walnut Streets in 1994 Philadelphia. This was, of course, before the Internet’s reach made everything we do universal.

     

       

1. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Television Series Pick Of The Week!
Public Broadcasting (PBS) Wins Again With The French Series: The Tunnel!

            

The Public Broadcasting Service (1970) is celebrating its 48th year in operation this October. Your local PBS station and its many spin-offs pride themselves on selecting viewing pieces with interesting and sometimes quirky characters, fascinating locations and periods in time, great information, and thought provoking topics.

    

The Tunnel (2016-2017), a French production, fits perfectly into this selection mold. Clemence Poesy (20 European fashion magazine covers) and Stephan Dillane (the French Mel Gibson of years past) are detectives on the opposite sides of the England to France Euro Tunnel. Dillane (England) is straight forward detective. Poesy (France) has more quirks than ships in the United States navy.

            

The two detectives are forced to work together on murders, sabotage, missing persons, espionage, and a storage bin filled with the political goings on in France and England. One murder victim was placed in the Euro Tunnel on the spot that marked where England ends and France starts. Half the body on one side, half on the other. Jurisdiction fights for, amusingly, who should investigate the case quickly followed. You will understand the amusingly when you see this episode. English and French are spoken in the series, so there is some subscript reading that is necessary when French is spoken. The series can be found on your local PBS station and on your On Demand channels like Netflix. You will quickly fly through all the episodes and ask where is season three.

             

     

2. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Movie Discovery From Russia!
Detective Anna Shines While You Read Subscripts!
Aleksandra Nikiforova: Is She A Child Or Woman?!

     

The Detective Anna, straight from Russian television, is worth putting your nightstand glasses on to read the subscripts. The detective series takes place in 1890 Russia in the previously sleepy town of Zatonsk. The advent of European fashion, photography, mediums, mysticism, and the bicycle are just as interesting as the mysteries.

     

The nineteen year old Anna Mironova (Aleksandra Nikiforova) has visions that help solve the town’s murders and mysteries. Iakov Shtolman (Dmitriy Frid) is the new 39 year old detective that has just taken over the Zatonsk police force. He has trouble understanding Anna’s new abilities. Anna’s uncle is a phony medium that is paid handsomely for his seances. He sees Anna’s gifts and helps her hone the gifts he wished he had. Naturally, the two stars aren’t American household names. They are, however, worth a search on your television bonus channels. The time period in Russia and the advent of so many new things we take second handily now makes for a good watch. We are trying to get a copy of Night Swallows. Aleksandra Nikiforova stars in this story of women pilots in Russia in World War II. Maybe you will find it before we do? Amazon Prime is a good starting point for this search.   

       

3. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Music Pick!
Celeste Hunter Is A Voice To Relish And Remember!

          

Indie Radio Stations are just to the right of mainstream radio. Their music, performers, and messages are just as enjoyable and enlightening as mainstream offerings. Celeste Hunter is a favorite across a large number of stations and their record spinners. You Tube has a forty minute and a twenty minute interview with her from two different radio station celebrities. It is always enjoyable to hear how a performer creates his or her music and what are their present and past influences. Celeste’s down home, pointed ideas will help any performer in picking the directions and themes for their work.

          

I’ll Love You, Anyway was written by Celeste Hunter and maybe coming to a venue near you. It is a good start to investigate her music. The song won the number one Indie Song of 2016. The lyrics are tantalizing and are featured in three different videos. This is very unusual in the recording business. Maybe researching Celeste Hunter will bring you to a number of Indie stations you can add to your traveling and home choices. These Indie stations’ music presentation choices range from jazz to soft rock to classics in all categories.

4. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Graduation Gift Suggestion!
Candy Chang…Before I Die I Want To:!
Every High School And Graduating Class Should Leave This Gift!

            

A keynote speaker at the Rutgers University Business School Graduation in Camden, New Jersey mentioned a community project by Candy Chang of New Orleans. Ms. Chang took the loss of a friend, inner struggles, and general misgivings…and posted this message on the wall of an old building: Before I Die I Want To:…she left eighty spots to be filled in with chalk by passer-byes. She had no idea if she would get any response. Her next day inspection showed all eighty spots filled in while extra messages were, also, left on every vacant spot on the wall.

    

This one little reach-out has now spread across the world to malls, small buildings, train stations, and giant office building walls. Every one of this year’s high school and college class graduating classes should create an electronic portfolio of their thoughts and post their messages on a similar wall. They should, then, adopt (with permission) a wall somewhere in their community to post their serious, funny, and life challenging messages. Every student should, also, carry a lifelong Before I Die slip of paper with three Before I Die thoughts on it. These slips should be revisited at every reunion or during a tough time that life throws at the graduate. There will be tough times!

    

Please go to Candy Chang’s webpage for a full explanation and links to hundreds of Before I Die I Want To boards around the world (http://candychang.com/before-i-die-in-nola). Send us your pictures and extensions to this life directing idea.

        

5. Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Newest Brain Enhancer Challenge!
Flip-Flops For The Individual Or For The Next Office Meeting Warm-up!

        

Sumo Jack and 7,230 of our 21,980 connections on LinkedIn enjoyed the challenge of Tom Palumbo’s last two-minute puzzle. The new two-minute mind enhancer follows. It is a great individual brain starter or perfect for an office meeting warm-up as members of your office staff call out the answers in less than two minutes. A Flip-Flop is a word that when the first letter is removed and placed at the end of the word, it creates a new word. Here are the clues for our two-minutes of Flip-Flops’ contest. Clues are provided and some Flip-Flops will be solved with the first clue, while others will be discovered backward with the second clue. Good Luck and see if you can discover two Flip-Flops of your own at the end of this challenge.

            

Example:

Clue 1…Clue 2
Give off…small insect     Emit-Mite

         

• An automobile…circle part
• Beg…a big jump
• A body part…a planet
• A purple fruit…unwanted body growth
• Touch lightly…likely
• Type of smile…piece of jewelry
• Dog pest…plant growth
• Engine mist…sport groups
• Not high…a bird
       
  
• A drink…consume food
• Your title…a religious word
• A witch is…dreadful
• School dance…frolic
• English carriage…inclined walkway
• Possesses…fire residue
• Frightens…An embrace
• French pastry…a girl’s name
• Lively…A small elf
• The answers to this challenge appear at the end of this column!!! 

               6. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Salutes This May’s Royal Wedding!

  Princess Diana’s And Grace Kelly’s Weddings Are In The News!
  We Decided To Feature The Beauty Of Grace Kelly!
  
  Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Old Time Movie…To Catch A Thief!
  Grace Kelly And The Blue Dress! Take Notice Meghan Markle!
  Cary Grant’s Captivating and Mischievous Light Brown Eyes!                        

  Here is a nice warm-up for Meghan and Harry’s wedding! If you enjoy watching movies from the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, you can watch them in two forms. Classic means you are watching the movie in its original untouched format…black and white and grainy in many cases. Retro (your second choice) in many cases means you are watching a completely restored movie…color added where it never was or color enhanced in high definition (HD) where color existed.

      

  The newly reconditioned To Catch A Thief (1955) in its high definition glory will immediately be placed on your old movie best five. The movie is truly a piece of visually restored wizardry. Cary Grant is a retired jewel thief that meets Grace Kelly and her jewel enriched mother on the French Riviera. Grant has to prove with Grace’s help that he is not committing a financially enriching series of jewel thefts. Robbie, his movie name, was previously known all over Europe. Fifteen years ago Robbie was noted for his jewel-stealing-magic and light footed roof-climbing stealth. Up to this point retirement had suited the former jewel thief quite handsomely.

      

  Forget the jewel theft themes and the great Grant-Kelly partnership, the fashion in this one rivals that in any movie or royal wedding. If you Gogol a blue dress search, and there are a large number of blue dresses in this world, Grace Kelly’s To Catch A Thief movie dress appears in them all. It was one of five classic dresses she wore in the movie that everyone in 1955 wanted. Movie watchers enamored with the featured outfits immediately ran to the stores after this one. Will this week’s wedding outfits cause the same stir? The movie feels like it was made yesterday and the heists, fashion, and repartee will keep you watching with interest and will encourage graceful munching on your movie snack pack! See if this week’s wedding ensembles rival Grace Kelly’s selections.
  

       

  7. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Goodbye To April’s Salute To Poetry Month!
  

        

  Let’s Talk Philadelphia’s Best Authors And Poets
  Paul Lawrence Dunbar Is A Fitting Salute To The End Of Poetry Month!
  

  Paul Laurence Dunbar was an African-American poet, novelist, and playwright. In thirty-three short years he framed the African and American experience for millions. His themes ranged from dreams to religion to everyday life. Here are few stanzas from our poem favorites:

  Emancipation

       

  Few are the years since that notable blessing,
  Raised you from slaves to the powers of men.
  Each year has seen you my brothers progressing,
  Never to sink to that level again.

  Dreams…Love

     

  The wind is soft above,
  The shadows umber.
  (There is a dream called Love.)
  Take thou the fullest slumber.

  Religion

        

  Ring out, ye bells!
  All Nature swells
  With gladness at the wondrous story, —
  The world was at lorn,
  But Christ is born
  To change our sadness into glory.

  Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio. It is a fitting tribute to Dunbar’s legacy that the University of Dayton manages his (www.dunbarsite.org) homepage.
  
  8. Let’s Talk Philadelphia Continues To Grow!
  

         
  
  This year (2018) is the 24^rd Anniversary of Let’s Talk Philadelphia. What once was a newsletter shared in University Of The Arts’ lectures and classes, professional development presentations up and down the east coast, and in book publications for Good Apple Publishing is now a Word Press column that is read across five continents and the eight sections of Philadelphia. Let’s Talk Philadelphia is distributed through multiple re-listing sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. 22,000 LinkedIn members enjoy the weekly two minute puzzle challenge as much as the articles. 500+ readers and re-listers subscribe to the column.

       

  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. Remember to include the links where you can be found. Let your friends know about our column and its sign-up feature…an email address box in the bottom right hand corner of the column when it opens on their computers.

  Thank you!
  Tom Palumbo, Editor

  Answers to Flip-Flop

• An automobile…circle part/car arc
• Beg…a big jump/plea leap
• A body part…a planet/heart earth
• A purple fruit…unwanted body growth/plum lump
• Touch lightly…likely/tap apt
• Type of smile…piece of jewelry/grin ring
• Dog pest…plant growth/flea leaf
• Engine mist…sport groups/steam teams
• Not high…a bird/low owl
• A drink…consume food/tea eat
• Your title…a religious word/name amen
• A witch is…mean/evil vile
• School dance…frolic/prom romp
• English carriage…inclined walkway/pram ramp
• Possesses…fire residue/has ash
• Frightens…An embrace/scares caress
• French pastry…a girl’s name/Eclair clair
• Lively…A small elf/esprit sprite

203. Tomb Raider, John Denver, Poetry Month, Keala Settle, And NYC’s Waitress!

                                 

A. Let’s Talk’s Best Office Topics Of The Week!
Broad And Walnut Streets In Philadelphia Has It All!
What Does Catch A Worldwide Audience’s Attention!
Let’s Talk’s Five Continents Of Readers Says It All!

       

Thank you for joining us on the 203rd 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, especially compared to the readership we generated by handing out our latest issue in a one page newsletter at the corner of Broad and Walnut Streets in 1994 Philadelphia. This was, of course, before the Internet’s reach made everything we do universal.

       

We hope you share this column with family, friends, and office mates. Philadelphia is a great place to visit for its history, food, entertainment, educational institutions, sports, creative arts, museums, and communities.
Summer Up With Us! Then Go to Paris And New York!
As Our Kids Say: “Philadelphia Is More Funner Than Fun!”

      

1. Let’s Talk’s Best Movie Of The Week!
Lara Croft’s 2018 Tomb Raider Is Not Your Mother’s Tomb Raider!
Academy Award Winner Alicia Vikander’s Bow And Arrow Hits The Mark!
Vikander Swashbuckles With Brain Power And Brawn!

      

The new Lara Croft adventure takes movie goers back to the time Lara (now Alicia Vikander, formerly Angelina Jolie) did not brandish two blazing, hit the mark guns.
Her father, Dominic West (The Affair), left a very young Lara twelve years ago to find the tomb of an ancient Japanese sorceress who was buried alive with 1,000 warriors. Her release will destroy the world and give power to those who want to become more powerful.

     

Years after Lara’s father’s disappearance, Lara discoveries and deciphers a book load of clues, maps, and strange moveable devices. Her mission, then, becomes to cross oceans from England in the quest to find her, not heard from, father, if he is still alive. She will do all this and save the world from the ultimate evil. The stunts and locations are superb, as is the supporting caste of Walton Coggins (villain), Daniel Wu (Lara’s guide and savior on her quest), and Kristin Scott Thomas (Lara’s helper or blocker). Stay for the outtakes where Lara is presented her pistols and for the hint of new movies to come.

     

2. Let’s Talk’s Best Philosophy Tip To Start Your Day Of Reading!
Paracelsus A Mystic, And This Quote’s Author, Is Worth Your Research!

         

I went in search of my art,
Often in danger of my life,

I have not been afraid to learn the things to me proved useful,
Even from vagabonds, barbers, and executioners.

      

For we know how much a man will search for the one he loves,

       

How much the more then,
Will the lover of wisdom go in search of his divine mistress.

        

3. Let’s Talk’s Best Music Of The Week!
This Week’s Top Five Are Meant To Grab Your Heartstrings!

Keala Settle, the bearded lady star of the movie The Greatest Showman, is now on every talk show with her international hit song This Is Me. The song has made the Top Twenty in ten countries around the world. The song’s lyrics remind everyone, in stirring fashion, that negative things people say about you can be drowned out by reminding yourself…this is me and I am proud of who I am. The testimonials to how this song has changed lives appear on every song site and are heart wrenching. Please, give it a listen!

        

The all time leader in Internet song testimonials is John Denver’s (Henry John Deutschendorf Jr.) song Some Days Are Diamonds. This song is not as well known as many of  Denver’s classic hits (Take Me Home, Country Roads; Annie; Thank God I’m A Country Boy). However, it is one of his best by far. Denver tells you it is time to look in the mirror and if you don’t like what you see…change that person and image. Hundreds have shared over the years how this song changed them!

            

Three other must listens to round out this week’s top five are:
Adam Lambert’s and Fiona Lewis’s Girl Crush,

       

Blake Shelton’s and Christine Aguilera’s Just A Fool and,
anything by Midland. This country group just received 50,000,000 hits on the songs from their new album featuring their old time country sound.

       

4. Let’s Talk’s Weekly Brain Enhancer!
It Was Greek To A large Group in 70AD.
You Use A Palindrome Every Day. Wow!