Thursday, July 31, 2008 College Students on Food Stamps POST A COMMENT When I think back to my 20's and working my way through college with a part time job...(* sighs) I do remember learning to stretch each dollar...'doing more with less. And yeah, even going hungry a few times. 'but thankfully, it never got so bad that I would imagine ever forming a Facebook group called "I Ain't Afraid to be on Food Stamps." - so, times have changed. With inflation fears mounting -- due in large part to the crippled housing market; 'we can expect to see growing gas prices & food costs... 'Even heard last night on ABC's Nightline that even 'rich-folks -- with plenty of available cash on hand -- are not spending right now. So much for that theory of trickle-down economics that says if you give Tax breaks to the rich they'll keep spending to grow the economy. Seems everybody's cutting their spending bracing for the worst-yet-to-come-ahead. So not so crazy to read "with things the way they are, a lot of students just can't afford to eat," reports the Gainesville Gardian. And they are lining up to local food banks just to get something to eat. "There is a stereotype that well, if they're in college, they can afford to eat," said a food pantry director. "But there are some - (college) - students who have hardly any disposable income, and because of that, the food budget suffers. They either eat really badly, or they just don't eat enough." I want to say learning to do more with less helps build character --for the generation ahead -- but, it's really hard to listen to any rosy theories on a empty stomach. Source: Gainesville Guardian Labels: College Students, economy, Facebook, Food Banks, Poverty Divide, rich and poor divide posted by Henry Cruz at 12:20 PM Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Digging for Happiness POST A COMMENT I've been trying to keep up with reading one book a week - although, it usually turns into two books a month. This week it's about the trappings of fame, from Playwright Theresa Rebeck -(known for her black comedy)... In her first novel: Three Girls and Their Brother — 'which has been described as "a fizzy satire of celeb-obsessed NYC about flame-haired teenage sisters who get photographed for The New Yorker and soon become megastars...." The book has annoying-first-person points of view from four-of-the-most-annoying self-absorbed teenagers imaginable -- think Paris Hilton but void of any humanity; or a really bad episode of that aw full CW show "Gossip Girl." The story starts off with a picture of three sisters and an article in the New Yorker declaring them the “It Girls of the Twentieth Century” - It has very little description and almost all dialogue...so, it moves very very fast if you can get past the annoying characters that is. The only thing that saves this book is the writer's bits of humor...I mean these Three girls pretty much live in this empty-bubble of blah and then get seduced by "fame"...and still remain dead inside. It's one thing to look at tabloid pictures of Paris Hilton being famous for no reason at....'but can you imagine living in her head for more than a minute? But, like the rest of us slobs these characters keep-on digging for happiness...albeit, in a shallow, brainless kinda way. ** Speaking of digging for happiness: Here are a few happiness tips - (from Hesketh Pearson’s The Smith of Smiths): ** In a letter dated 1820, Smith wrote to an unhappy friend...and offers tips for cheering up 1st. Live as well as you dare. 2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75 or 80 degrees. 3rd. Amusing books. 4th. Short views of human life—not further than dinner or tea. 5th. Be as busy as you can. 6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you. 7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you. 8th. Make no secret of low spirits to you friends, but talk of them freely—they are always worse for dignified concealment. 9th. Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you. 10th. Compare your lot with that of other people. I like think we can find happiness -- outside of fame -- and keeping busy, comparing your lot with that of others seem like good tips for a muggy summer day. Source: The Happiness Project Labels: The Happiness Project, Trends, what I'm reading posted by Henry Cruz at 3:01 PM Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Food Memories: Devoid of Fanciness! POST A COMMENT A friend of mine went to one of them fancy four star restaurants -- (that cost an arm and a leg) -- this past weekend, and complained how the food was really bad: "Not up to it's reputation....'too salty, badly prepared and way too costly." It got me thinking, why do people associate good food with high prices? On the Charlie Rose show last week I heard a great line from a famous chef about good-clean-food: "Sorta, maybe like a dive-bar," said David Chang, chef / owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar (NYC), on describing a quest for taking the elitist-stigma out of high rated restaurants. "Why can't that place --(meaning a simple dive bar)-- maybe serve the most delicious food in the world?...to love food in America you have this stigma of being elitist, and that shouldn't be the way." That pretty much sums up my feelings when I go out to eat in a restaurant. It's less about going to a fancy place, where you wear a suit and tie to...or the great ambiance...My motto is take me where the cab-drivers go to for a great meal...'cause doesn't it all come down to the simple and clean food... Menu prices doesn't have to be way-too-expensive -- or showcase an elitist environment to be a great meal...there are local places you can get a great meal experience...I'll be listing a few of my favs' here and over at HungryForChange.com Labels: Charlie Rose, Chefs, Health, Healthy Foods, HungryForChange.com, NYC, Obesity, Restaurants, Whole Foods posted by Henry Cruz at 2:13 PM Monday, July 28, 2008 Teens who Kill POST A COMMENT "It's a sad thing that the story isn't about how our society could create such a diabolical, cold-blooded, 15-year-old-child killer," writes one Newsweek reader - (this in response to the cover story of a teen murder case). For a moment, put aside the fact that the male victim King (15) wore makeup, dashed around in high heels, and often hit on boys because he thought he was Gay. Was King even really gay -- (since as pointed out in the story he had never even been kissed)-- or maybe he was just acting out? The most troubling points of the Newsweek story is -- aside from that hot button topic of the shrinking closet -- (with kids today coming out as young 10 years old because it gets them some attention)... How did King's assailant, a medicated and troubled teen, Brandon McInerney get his hands on a gun?...and could King's murder have been prevented by those around him? I mean, where are Brandon's parents? I have to wonder how killing King solved anything here...'this wasn't a case of self defense; It was indeed a cold blooded murder of a defenseless child that looks like it could have been prevented. Source: Newsweek Labels: Education, medicated nation, teen sex, Teens who Kill posted by Henry Cruz at 12:38 PM Sunday, July 27, 2008 Oil Addict: 'rough & costly road ahead POST A COMMENT 'Flashback-Hello-2-the...1970s - when folks called for the 55 mph Speed Limit to conserve on Oil. As fuel costs trickle-down into other areas...that idea for new energy alternatives don't sound so bad. As the Washington Post points out -- two recent factors suggest even rougher roads ahead: 1. That recent announcement from Mexico that it will cut it's crude output by 15 percent... 2. Also news from India's Tata Motors -- "to begin producing a new $2,500 "people's car" called the Nano in the fall. The company hopes that by making automobiles affordable for people in India..." Run the numbers, "supply and demand," will continue to drive world oil prices...and drivers will not see "gas prices retreat to the levels they enjoyed for much of the last generation." Also...while "The high price of oil has sparked recent efforts by technology experts...to come up with ways to wean the world economy off its addiction..." "Developing countries like China and India, however, are in no hurry to embrace this new vision. They want to join the ranks of economic powerhouses and question why they should be forced to temper their aspirations..." Hear that sound? -- It's those huge-SUV makers...'going outta business. Now, if we can only find a decent car battery; 'cause that electric car sounds real good right 'bout now. Source: Washington Post Labels: An Inconvenient Truth, Business-101, economy, emissions, environment, hybrid, Oil Prices, Trends posted by Henry Cruz at 12:49 PM Saturday, July 26, 2008 Fashion Police makes a booty-call? POST A COMMENT 'guessing the police down in Flint, MI. don't have much crime to worry about if they're wasting time cracking-down on how-much-Crack-you-have-in-your-Fashion -- (no, 'not talking about a new illegal-crack-drug craze here) -- it's about how much booty-crack -- should be allowed when wearing those sagging pants -- ('usually by teens in low-riding pants) -- 'exposing some rear boxers. "I don't know why they're wasting time on fashion," offered Delon Williams (14), of Flint. Others call "the policy stupid and a waste of time." One dude said: "saggers are unwittingly emulating a fashion based on a negative lifestyle born of gangs and jail." - yeah, maybe some kids seen the style in a Hip Hop video...but, should it be outlawed? "(Stopping) saggin' is not going to lower the price of gas," said one Woman. Some sensible minds are prevailing however: Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, proclaimed the policy unconstitutional, saying "Cops have taken the city's ordinance too far." I'm Sure, there are a few unsightly things that could be illegal...'put me down for saggy balls on display; or too much bikini-camel-toe on the beaches...but, don't ya think our streets are pretty safe by attacks of some low-riding pants? For more proof on how safe...'Just look at this video clip -- from an overseas TV station -- clearly they're all just having some fun: Source: Newsweek Labels: Fashion, Flint MI, Hiding in Hip Hop, Police, Saggers, Stupid Laws, unjustified verdict posted by Henry Cruz at 5:01 PM Friday, July 25, 2008 There's a comicbook in my cell phone... POST A COMMENT Here's a stupid-idea - (unfortunately backed by some really clever folks)...'make a comic book that you can watch on your cell phone. I'm all for new technology, but Mobisodes?? - why not just make this for youtube? Maybe I'm out-of-touch...but, I don't see people sitting around watching their cell phone?? Sounds like a waste of talents -- (sorry Mr. King...this one blows). Labels: Cell Phones, Comic strips online, Marvel, Mobisodes, stephen king posted by Henry Cruz at 11:12 PM Thursday, July 24, 2008 A little Greener with Emeril... POST A COMMENT I've been watching some cooking shows recently - love-me Martha, but I recently caught a new show on cable (on discovery's planet green) -- with a much toned-down and watchable Emeril -- (he's that nutcase whose usually yelling and being way too overly excited -- for no reason over on his Food network show)... I like this show because it takes regular - food challenged folks -- takes them shopping and cooks up a meal with a 'green edge. As someone that is also trying to have a lighter carbon footprint -- with one baby step at a time, it's a great show to ease you into that transition. Labels: Emeril Green, green living, HungryForChange.com, Whole Foods posted by Henry Cruz at 4:03 PM Sunday, July 20, 2008 Will Outsourcing become the bogeyman? POST A COMMENT As we see more small businesses shift toward Globalization -- (thanks to the Internet) -- those smaller Mom-and-Pop Multinationals gotta deal with that sticky question of outsourcing work to stay afloat - (meaning sending jobs outside the US)... 'especially true online, with a need to stay competitive and resulting in a better bottom line with "savings for customers and any shareholders." As reported in Business Week recently: Lower wages are not the only motivating factor..."the performance of the provider on quality...is much higher than here in the US." Small businesses -- "from car dealers to advertising agencies are finding it easier to farm out software development, accounting, support services, and design work to distant lands...Sites such as Guru.com, Brickwork India, DoMyStuff.com, and RentACoder also report fast growth." Hmmm, sounds like the world will live as one after all. Source: Business Week Labels: brain-power, Business-101, capitalism, co-create, Outsourcing, rich and poor divide, web trends, Wiki-way posted by Henry Cruz at 4:04 PM Wednesday, July 09, 2008 Diaries: Hungry For Change! POST A COMMENT Big news -- from nutritionists -- keeping a food diary when you're managing your weight -- actually works. This latest findings are "part of a weight-loss maintenance trial...'after analyzing the data on weight loss to see which factors made a difference, researchers concluded that the more days a person kept a careful record, the more weight he or she lost." -- in some cases up to twice as much as others who didn't keep a daily record. My web-partner and I launched an online commnunity to motivate users on Food -- that has a daily-diary: HungryForChange.com, 'which is one option to keep track of what's going in...ultimately, there's no easy fix to dieting...but, all roads lead to making "life-style" changes that include better quality foods going in...and not so much of it. Source: U.S. News & World Report Labels: Exercise, Health, HungryForChange.com, Obesity, protein, Well-Balanced Life posted by Henry Cruz at 7:56 PM Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Oil Dependent: Blows in the Wind? POST A COMMENT 'Might take an 80-year-old to show this old hungry dog some new tricks -- 'solving our countries $700 billion-a-year dependency on foreign oil. T. Boone Pickens' plan suggests replacing gasoline use with natural gas...and eventually with wind... "Things were fine until the price went vertical on us," said Mr. Pickens. He calculates that, spending $140 a barrel for crude, adds up to $700 billion a year...all going into foreign pockets. The "hurdles to the Pickens plan...include building the infrastructure to dispense natural gas as a vehicle fuel, building new power plants to replace natural gas-fired plants, overcoming possible opposition from oil companies and politicians..." Funny, that Pickens himself has been investing in vehicular natural gas for years and now has plans to build a massive wind farm in the Panhandle. But he offers "that's not the reason for his campaign." "I'm 80 years old. I'm worth $4 billion. I don't need to make any more money," he said. Instead, he said, this is about patriotism and his reputation as a man who "sure puts his money where his mouth is." - and maybe a little bit to-do with money...but, at least it's one option on the table to a problem that wont be going away anytime soon. Source: Hispanic Business Labels: Business-101, capitalism, Culture, economy, emissions, environment, fuel economy posted by Henry Cruz at 1:30 PM Sunday, July 06, 2008 Light of Day? POST A COMMENT In the midst of my own "Finish-the-script" screen writing class... So, I've been reading a few screenplays each week to learn the nut-and-bolts of how to write 'em -- I came across this cool book at the library: "Screen Plays" - that book examines the whole script to screen process with 25 examples of "how the stories we see in movies get made". It's interesting what ideas get made...and definately worth a look to see how an idea changes when it passed through so many hands. 'Also noticed the business aspects of Hollywood is such "IN"-boy's-club"...and the few outsiders that get "in" feel like they have a won the lottery. Labels: Books, feature screeplay, screenwriting posted by Henry Cruz at 3:50 PM     ARCHIVES October 2005 . November 2005 . December 2005 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007 . November 2007 . December 2007 . March 2008 . April 2008 . May 2008 . June 2008 . July 2008 . August 2008 .