Smooth Jazz and More's Blog!!

Podium Picks for 2012 US Figure Skating Championships

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

This year, the best America has to offer in figure skating travels to San Jose, the home of legendary skaters Rudy Galindo and Peggy Fleming. Both Galindo and Fleming captured national titles in men’s and women’s divisions respectively. It’s also a monumental occasion, as 9-time ladies champion Michelle Kwan will be inducted into the US figure skating hall of fame during this week’s festivals. But the main even will be the skating competition, which stands to be one of the most competitive in recent years.

Here’s our picks on who will stand on the podium this weekend.

Men – This year, look for a three way race between Jeremy Abbott, Ross Miner and Adam Rippon. Abbott is currently ranked 6th in the world and will be challenged by Miner, who is skating in his first competition as a Senior. Rippon had a productive Grand Prix season, finishing fourth twice.

Who to watch: Max Aaron will also be skating in his first Nationals as a Senior and has Grand Prix experience. 2008 Bronze medalist Stephen Carriere will look to regain his spot on the podium.

1. Jeremy Abbott
2. Ross Miner
3. Adam Rippon

Ladies – Alissa Czisny is one of the most promising skaters since Sasha Cohen retired from competition. She hopes to continue her climb into the top ranks of her division, but she’ll have lots of competition to fight off. Mirai Nagasu won at Nebelhorn last year and will be hot on Czisny’s tail. Ashley Wagner finished third twice and continues to improve. The big question is the skating of Rachael Flatt, who has struggled this season in competition.

Who to watch: Other than the skating of Rachael Flatt, look out for Caroline Zhang, who won the 2007 World Juniors and was a Bronze medalist at 2009 Nationals. Also keep an eye out for Joelle Forte, who has continued to skate well in regional and sectional competition through the years, and is looking to make an impression.

1. Alissa Czisny
2. Mirai Nagasu
3. Ashley Wagner

Pairs – The US continues to struggle in pairs and they will have problems again this season. Evora and Ladwig struggled during Grand Prix competition, but are still ranked in the top 15 in pairs. Their biggest challenge will be from the team of Denney and Coughlin. The duo took a slight step back last year, taking Bronze. The other team that stands to make a move are the team of Vise and Baldwin, who received some valuable International experience this season.

Who to watch: Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay had to withdraw during last year’s Nationals due to injury. They will look to regain their form. Also, keep an eye out on Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker, who came in forth last season.

1. Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig
2. Caydee Denney and John Coughlin
3. Tiffany Vise and Don Baldwin

Dance – Davis and White have dominated this division since 2009. They’ve taken that domination and became the number one team in the world. Their only real competition is the brother-sister combination of Maia and Alex Shibutani, who have steadily climbed the ladder, winning in Japan and coming in second in China in Grand Prix competition.

Who to watch: Madison Chock and Evan Bates came in third at Finlandia this season. Lynn Kreingkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt have plenty of experience (since 2006) and will try to grab a spot on the podium.

1. Meryl Davis and Charlie White
2. Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani
3. Madison Chock and Evan Bates

Blackout Day For Websites In Opposition to Online Piracy Bills

2012-01-17T23:59:00.001-05:00

Thousands of websites will stand in solidarity by blacking out their content for a day to protest a series of bills pending in Washington that would seriously curtail Internet freedom online. Our main website, smoothjazzandmore.com joins Wikipedia, Mozilla, WordPress, TwitPic, Reddit, Major League Gaming, Boing Boing and many others websites declaring their intent to go dark all day Wednesday in order to demonstrate just how damaging censorship of the Internet could be.

One bill called the "Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)" (H.R. 3261) would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within six months. The bill also gives immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against websites dedicated to infringement, while making liable for damages any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is dedicated to infringement. That bill is currently stalled in Congress.

The other is called the "PROTECT IP Act (PIPA)" S. 986 would give the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to "rogue websites dedicated to infringing or counterfeit goods", especially those registered outside the U.S. The government would, in essence, shut down the IP address of a website suspected of having weblinks with copyrighted content. That bill will be voted on in the Senate on January 24th.

The bills have the support of the entertainment industry, some industry unions such as AFTRA and the Screen Actors Guild, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a number of record labels, to name a few.

President Obama said he would not support the bills if it came to his desk. In a statement, the president replied, "Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small."

This is yet another attempt by the entertainment industry to cut their losses with the help of the federal government. Entertainment lobbyists have flooded Washington with millions of dollars to Congress members in order for them to pass laws that overreach the boundaries of the Constitution. It is unthinkable that a bunch of lawyers would turn the Internet into their own personal censorship pool. It's something that would be done in China, in Iran, in North Korea, not in the United States. Until the undo influence of lobbyists is eliminated, irresponsible legislation will continue to be proposed in Washington that will further irradiate the fundamental freedoms the country enjoys.

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To fight against SOPA and PIPA, contact your Congressmember and Senator in Washington.

Go to AmericanCensorship.org

Martin Luther King's Dream...On Life Support?

2012-01-16T11:04:00.000-05:00

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

It's been almost 50 years since the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his I have a dream speech. Since that moment in time, his motivation allowed the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the creation of Medicare (both in 1964), and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. His strong opposition to the Vietnam War changed the course of the conflict, and his never-ending support for the elimination of poverty in America gave way to programs that would end the suffering.

But since his death in 1968, his goals for an America free of bigotry and hate have been stalled. The election of Ronald Reagan began an unprecedented re-distribution of wealth from the bottom to the top. Social programs were either eliminated or scaled back. Social Security, which was largely solvent, was raided in order to give the wealthy tax breaks, not to mention the increased deficit in the country's budget.

If Martin Luther King Jr. would have been alive to see his 83rd birthday, no doubt, he would be highly disappointed by the state of his vision for a better country. Despite the election of the first African-American president, the country is still deeply divided, even more so now than in years past. Racism still rears it's ugly head through the Tea Party. Ultra-right wing forces who've created the group have threatened to send the country back it's pre-1964, where there would be no Medicare, no Civil Rights and no Social Security.

They've also enacted voting legislation severely curtailing the rights of minorities in 32 states. The Supreme Court's "Citizens United" ruling has given large corporations unlimited spending power to influence elections through advertising without any accountability. This year's election will determine if this country will move forward, or be sent backward to another dark period in time.

If there's one thing I think Dr. King would have been most encouraged by, it would be the creation of the Occupy Wall Street movement. He would have been proud of the fact that his message of non-violence for social change was adopted successfully by the movement. Which is why it's so important to "protect the dream." We need to make sure that Dr. King's vision of social justice is carried out for this generation and the next.

Pimp My Workspace, Pronto!

2012-01-13T14:00:00.001-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

You've probably heard of the MTV's show "Pimp My Ride", where a car in poor condition becomes restored into a completely different vehicle. Well, the one company has decided to go one step further and give a poorly organized work cubical a complete makeover.

The website is called "Pimp My Cube" and they're offering a $1200 dollar makeover to a person that can show off the worst organized cubical on the web. The company is asking all participants to videotape their workspaces and show off their office/cube/workspaces.

Here's one example by a contestant.

All videos submitted should be enjoyable and not so much too serious and much as it will be entertaining. Prizes offered range from a new computer system, to a new desk, chair and decorations to a complete entertainment package, which will include a high end stereo and an espresso machine.

This Pimp My Cube Contest stands to be one of the most interesting competitions ever organized. I'm not so sure if some companies would be brave enough to sanction such a competition, given the possible embarrassment that may happen. The contest ends at 12 noon on January 31st.

Just go to pimpmycube.com and vote for the most hideous cubical!

Ken Russell's "The Devils" - A Short Review

2012-01-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

Filmmaker Ken Russell died last year at the age of 84. Known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style, Russell walked the boundaries of art. His most recognized works were the 1970 film "Women in Love" and the 1975 film "Tommy", based on the rock opera by "The Who". Russell's most controversial film was the 1971 release, The Devils.

Cardinal Richelieu and his power-hungry entourage seek to take control of seventeenth-century France. But in order to do so, they need to destroy Father Grandier, a priest who runs the fortified town that prevents them from exerting total control. The role of Grandier was played by the British actor Oliver Reed, who gives a spirited performance as the doomed priest.

So they seek to destroy him by bringing false charges against him, accusing him of being a warlock in control of a devil-possessed nunnery. The leader of the convent is a mother superior, played by Vanessa Redgrave, who is sexually obsessed by him. A mad witch-hunter is brought in to gather evidence against the priest, ready for the big trial.

"The Devils" faced an enormous backlash from the MPAA and the Catholic church, due to its disturbingly violent, sexual, and religious content. It was banned in several countries, and heavily edited for release in others. The film never received a DVD release in its original, uncut form in various countries, and is largely unavailable in the home video market. The version shown below is missing four minutes of footage from the original cut.

This, being the 40th anniversary of the film's release, "The Devils" should get more exposure because of the political and religious climate taking place in the world. If anything, whether it's through religious means or by government, the premise that power corrupts doesn't sit well with some people, and it's those people who needs to be exposed as who they are.

If you're a religious church goer, be forewarned. You will be repulsed!

Recording Industry's Honorary Grammy to Steve Jobs is Downright Hypocritical!

2011-12-23T00:22:00.000-05:00

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple who died in October, will be receiving a posthumous award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Academy made the announcement on Wednesday, indicating it was giving Jobs a special "Trustees Award" Grammy at their annual awards ceremony on February 12, 2012.

"As former CEO and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs helped create products and technology that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books," the Recording Academy said in a statement.

"A creative visionary, Jobs' innovations such as the iPod and its counterpart, the online iTunes store, revolutionized the industry and how music was distributed and purchased," the statement added.

I find it highly, highly hypocritical for the Recording Industry to be doing such an honor, considering the Academy has been steadfastly against digital technology since it's inception! The industry has been slow to embrace iTunes and other Apple platforms Jobs created. If you ask me, this is just a way for the Recording Industry to "save face".

SCREW THEM!

Forbidden Games - A short review

2011-12-15T11:27:00.000-05:00

In 1952, French director Rene Clement created one of the first movies to deal with the horrors of war. Forbidden Games is a powerful and heartbreaking film about a orphaned girl who becomes attached to a boy whose family has taken her in and together, the two attempt to cope with the death and destruction of war in their own special way.

Roger Ebert recommended the film from his "Great Movies" review on his Facebook page. He wrote, "Here is a film about children using their powers of fantasy and denial to deal with death in wartime. A modern film would back away from the horror and soften and sentimentalize it. It would become a 'children's film.' But in all times children have survived experiences that no child should have to endure."

It is a timeless classic, that will touch your heart.

Watch it on YouTube!

Learning to Play Piano...the Easy Way!

2011-12-10T22:39:00.000-05:00

It's always been a lifelong dream of mine to play the piano. But piano lessons are time comsuming, confusing and very expensive. I've just recently come across a website that may just make my piano ambitions come true.

Yoke Wong is the self-proclaimed "Piano Mother". She's posted a series of videos on YouTube on how to easily learn piano. According to the free piano lesson posted in the video below, you an easily create music simply by following a 1-4-5 chord progression. This progression can be used to create a song that's familiar to many listeners. The pace can be increased or decreased with practice.

Many of Yoke Wong's piano lessons are simple and easy. In using the 1-4-5 progression method, I was able to play piano with ease. There are other free video lessons on the website that will interest the ambitious beginning pianist. They include piano theory, sight reading, improvisation and many other music comprehensive lessons. You can also purchase full-length lessons on DVD starting at $39 dollars.

Check out her website at pianomother.com.

Internet at Home

2011-12-10T20:54:00.001-05:00

Contribution by Darren Saunders

My family’s life has completely changed since we got clear internet service. Because I have three children, I was really worried about giving them too much access to the internet. I put off getting service at home because I didn’t want to deal with parental controls and all of the scary things that are online. I was worried that my kids would get on to Facebook and get themselves into big trouble. I feel terrible now for not giving my wonderful kids more credit. They have been totally responsible and haven’t given me any reason to regret my decision. Most of the time they are doing research for school assignments or reading educational materials. It is also going to be a huge part of my oldest daughter’s application process for college. I am starting to feel really awful about trying to keep the kids away from the internet for so long. I think I was being way too paranoid and they really would have benefited from having access at home. It has also been nice for my husband and I to have internet access at home. We have always used the internet at work but now we can also take care of all of our personal business at home, which is really convenient.

Podium Picks for 2011 Grand Prix Final

2011-12-09T01:16:00.000-05:00

Figure Skating's last competition of the year is happening this week in Quebec City, as all of the big names in the sport taking part in the ISU's Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. It will be hard to figure out who will come out on top, but one thing is for sure, look for the best competition to take place this weekend. Here's who we think will come out on top.

Men - After winning his last two competitions (Skate Canada & Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris), Canada's Patrick Chan stands to come out on top in his home country. Barring any missteps on the ice, Chan should be able to take Gold. However, look for solid competition from Japan's Daisuke Takahashi and American Jeremy Abbott. Both have one Grand Prix victory each this season. Who to look out for? Javier Fernandez of Spain who took silver in his two Grand Prix competitions this season.

1. Patrick Chan (CAN)
2. Daisuke Takahashi (JPN)
3. Jeremy Abbott (USA)

Ladies - The big surprise this young season is 14 year old Elizaveta (Liza) Tuktamisheva of Russia. In her first Senior Grand Prix, she grabbed the top spot in both Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard. In the latter, she defeated current number #1 Carolina Kostner of Italy and American Alissa Czyny. Her competition will get tougher, as Japanese skater Akiko Suzuki stand to give her a run for the gold. (Mao Asada was a last minute scratch due to an illness in the family.) Look for an exciting competition and a preview of the upcoming Worlds in 2012.

1. Elizaveta Tuktamisheva (RUS)
2. Akiko Susuki (JPN)
3. Alissa Czyny (USA)

Pairs - The current number #1 ranked pairs team Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy had a misstep at the NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Japan; finishing 3rd to the Russian team of Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov. But they regained their form and won at Rostelecom Cup in Moscow last month. Look for the Chinese pair of Dan & Hao Zhang and the Japanese team of Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran to give them trouble. One dark horse is Megan Duhamel & Eric Radford who took bronze in their two Grand Prix events this season.

1. Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy (GER)
2. Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov (RUS)
3. Dan & Hao Zhang (CHN)

Dance - This is the other big competition of the weekend, with all 6 teams participating having the potential of winning Gold. Meryl Davis & Charlie White have stepped up to the increased competition and were able to prove their worth as the defending world champs, winning each of their competitions. Their primary competition may not be the French team of Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat or Canadians Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir. It may be in their back yard with fellow Americans Maia & Alex Shibutani, who won their first Grand Prix event in Japan last month.

1. Meryl Davis & Charlie White (USA)
2. Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (CAN)
3. Maia & Alex Shibutani (USA)

The Spook Who Sat By The Door - a short review

2011-12-05T20:47:00.000-05:00

The 1973 film, "The Spook Who Sat By The Door" was based on the novel by Sam Greenlee about a black CIA agent who quit to return to his Chicago neighborhood to create and train a band of "freedom fighters" for a revolution. The political atmosphere in the United States during the time of the book's publication was particularly contentious as civil rights, women’s rights, and gay rights movements became visible in the public sphere.

The film was so controversial, it was put under wraps by the film's distributor United Artists soon after its release. It wasn't seen in theaters or even cable television for nearly 30 years. It finally made it's DVD debut in 2004. Unlike future 'blaxsploitation' films of the day, the movie is entertaining and thought-provoking.

Below is a low-quality version of the film I found on Google Video.

Enjoy!

Remember When...

2011-11-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

With thanks to Vernon McGriff from his Facebook page!

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If you are 36, or older, you might think this is hilarious!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill.... Barefoot... BOTH ways...yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of forty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

1) I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

2) There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

3) Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe!

4) There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!

5) Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

6) We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it!

7) There weren't any freakin' cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a damn call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY GOSH !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are.

8) And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent.... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

9) We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'... Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen.. Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

10) You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?!

11) There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!

12) And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

13) And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!

And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place!

See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1970 or any time before!

Police Departments Continue To Attempt To Suppress Videotaping

2011-11-23T22:03:00.000-05:00

In September, an Illinois state judge dismissed charges against a man who faced a potential sentence of 75 years in prison for recording police officers and attempting to tape his own trial.

Circuit Court Judge David Frankland declared the charges against Michael Allison unconstitutional. He replied in his ruling, "...a statute intended to prevent unwarranted intrusions into a citizen’s privacy cannot be used as a shield for public officials who cannot assert a comparable right of privacy in their public duties. Such action impedes the free flow of information concerning public officials and violates the First Amendment right to gather such information."

Illinois has an eavesdropping law that is meant to be enforced for phone calls. But police and district attorneys have taken it a step further, attempting to link the law to videotaping. Katz vs. the United States established that citizens have the right to do this. But in cases like this, it shows how desperate some DA's are to protect their police departments from any citizen who may videotape them doing criminal acts.

The Twilight Saga: The Royal Scam!

2011-11-21T10:11:00.000-05:00

There are scams...and then there are scams!

I haven't written a blog entry about this topic until now, only because the franchise doesn't deserve the satisfaction of any more publicity.

The "Twilight" series of movies based on the books written by Stephenie Meyer was supposed to generate the imagination of the viewer watching. But I found that it's no more than a what I call "bubble gum for the brain", with no entertainment value whatsoever.

The stories, all created to target teenage girls and young women, are rehashed from different ideas already created from legendary characters. Vampires have been tolled around from movie to movie, storyline to storyline, treatment to treatment, all the while, being subjected to the most ridiculous scenarios by Hollywood's brain trust.

If you must subject yourself to an additional two hours of mind-numbing irrelevance, have the courtesy of bringing "No-Doz" with you.

Bram Stoker must be rolling in his grave right about now.

Medicare Part D...The Big "Donut Hole"!

2011-11-16T12:04:00.002-05:00

If you asked the average American what medicare part d is, they probably wouldn't have the foggiest idea. Here's what it's about.

Individuals who have Medicare are eligible for prescription drug coverage under a Part D plan. Beneficiaries of the plan can obtain Part D in two ways, #1. if they join a Prescription Drug Plan through a private insurer, or if they join a Medicare Advantage plan. In 2006, Medicare Part D was passed into law by then-President George W. Bush. It was supposed to make it more convenient for seniors to subsidized the cost of prescription drugs.

However, Medicare part D is greatly flawed, in that the federal government is prohibited from negotiating the price of prescription drugs with pharmaceutical companies. By contrast, the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is allowed to negotiate drug prices, pays 58% less for drugs, on average, than Medicare Part D. For example, Medicare pays $785 for a year's supply of Lipitor (or Atorvastatin), while the VA pays $520.

Former Congressman Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, who was one of the bill's co-authors and steered the bill through the House, retired soon after and took a $2 million a year job as president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the main industry lobbying group.

Another, Medicare's boss at the time Thomas Scully, who threatened to fire an assistant if he reported how much the bill would actually cost, was, in fact, negotiating for a new job as a pharmaceutical lobbyist as the bill was working through Congress. In all, a total of 14 congressional aides quit their jobs to work for the drug and medical lobbies immediately after the bill's passage.

As a result, Medicare Part D stands to cost the government nearly $520 billion dollars in excess, costs that are not accounted for in then-President Bush's budget. President Obama wants to close the loophole by proposing a plan to reduce costs for recipients from 100% to 50% of these expenses. The cost of the plan would be borne by the drug manufacturers for name-brand drugs and by the government for generics.

Of course, the GOP-led house is against the proposal.

Podium Picks for 2011 NHK Trophy

2011-11-10T10:14:00.003-05:00

This week's competition takes us to Sapporo, Japan; where skaters are preparing for the next phase of the Grand Prix circuit. This is also the first skating event in Japan since the disaster in March which cancelled the World Championships. Here are our picks.

Men - Daisuke Takahashi will look to improve his number 2 ranking in his home country and his third place showing at Skate Canada. His biggest competitor will be Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic, who is currently ranked ninth and competing in his first Grand Prix event. Watch for Brandon Mraz, who may try his newly certified quadruple Lutz.

1. Daisuke Takahashi (JPN)
2. Tomas Verner (CZE)
3. Samuel Contesti (ITA)

Women - Finland's Kiira Korpi makes her Grand Prix season debut after recovering from injury all summer. She's have lots of good competition from Japan's Mao Asada and American Ashley Wagner. Watch for Akiko Suzuki to continue her great Grand Prix success after winning silver at Skate Canada last month.

1. Mao Asada (JPN)
2. Akiko Suzuki (JPN)
3. Kiira Korpi (FIN)

Pairs - Germany's Savchenko & Szolkowy breezed through last month's Skate America and will look to solidify their number one world ranking. Their main copetitor will be Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, who easily took Cup of China last week. Other teams to look look for are Japan's Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran and Americans Caydee Denney & John Coughlin, who placed fouth at Skate Canada.

1. Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy (GER)
2. Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov (RUS)
3. Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran (JPN)

Dance - Without the top three dance teams in competition, Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje stands to gain in Sapporo this weekend. But they'll have to contend with Americans Maia & Alex Shibutani. Both are ranked fourth and fifth in the world standings. The third spot will be a toss-up between Japan's Cathy & Chris Reed and Nelli Zhiganshina & Alexander Gazsi of Germany.

1. Maia & Alex Shibutani (USA)
2. Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje (CAN)
3. Cathy & Chris Reed (JPN)

This Holiday, Shop and Save For College.

2011-11-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

Would you believe it's approximately six weeks before Christmas? Holy cow! The last 10 months have been crazy! I'm not even sure if I'm ready for the holidays! In any event, it's time to do some research on websites that will give you the best holiday shopping deals available.

One website I found was Upromise, a subsidiary of Sallie Mae. According to it's website, Upromise claims to be the largest private source of college funding contributions in the United States, with $575 million accumulated in its members' "college savings accounts" through a high-yield savings account or tax-deferred '529' plan. Members accrue account credit or rebates through purchases from various grocery stores, online retailers, travel, restaurants and gas stations.

Currently, members are eligible for special online deals from 800 partner sites and nearly 9,000 restaurants. Merchants offering deals range from small companies to some well known, including Dell, Disney, Expedia, Sprint, Apple and a who lot more. This month, you can find some black friday deals on their website. With all the money you spend, a potion of your purchase will go to a good cause.

So, with the holidays approaching, consider signing up for Upromise's program for college savings.

There's Discipline...and then there's Child Abuse!

2011-11-05T23:01:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, I received my fair share of beatings when I did wrong. Yes, I was bad, at times, and I deserved it. My father was the disciplinarian. Usually, it was with a belt on the behind. A couple of whacks on the behind usually did it, and I didn't turn into a criminal.

This week, a story broke from Arkansas about a girl who was taken to the extreme with corporal punishment. Hidden camera video of the beating took place in 2004 and the severity of the beating is beyond comprehension.

Be forewarned! This video released on YouTube is graphic. I only watched two minutes of it and was appalled by what I saw.

What makes it even more mind-boggling is, two tings. Number one, the girl was a special needs child. Hillary Adams has cerebral palsy since birth. She developed a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views.

Number two, the man who administered the beating was a family law judge. Judge William Adams was, of all things, responsible for hearing child abuse cases for an Arkansas county. If that's not irony, then I don't know what is.

The video has since gone viral and thousands of people have come to the girl's defense. The mother in the video, who is heard in the background, has since divorced her husband, it was explained on a Facebook support page that she herself was a victim of abuse herself and was also severely manipulated into assisting the beating. She has since apologized long before the video surfaced.

Hillary also said that her father, who wouldn't face charges in the beating, "is not fit to be anywhere near the law system if he can't even exercise fit judgement as a parent himself. Do not allow this man to ever be re-elected again...his "judgement" is a giant farce."

With discipline, there has to be a learning moment. You just can't continuously beat a kid without letting then know exactly why it's happening. It must be swift and reinforced with love. Beating a kid constantly and without good reason leads to severe mental issues and in Hillary's case, this beating went above and beyond discipline and into the realm of child abuse.

We hear about child abuse. We see what child abuse might be like on Lifetime's movie of the week. But we never see it in real life and in real time. This incident should be a wake-up call to all decent people who know the difference between discipline and child abuse.

Hillary's Facebook Page

Pay-Per-Click Advertising Model Helps Smooth Jazz and More Survive

2011-11-05T14:09:00.000-04:00

Ever since starting our website in 2001, Smooth Jazz and More has been looking for ways to help generate revenue. As you may know, we don't have sponsors and we rely on different options to bring money in and help us stay on the air.

One of the ways we've tried is through Pay-Per-Click advertising.

Pay-Per-Click, or PPC for short; is an Internet advertising model used to direct traffic to websites. Advertisers will pay a publisher, or in my case, a website; a specified amount of money when a visitor clicks on an ad on a home page. One of the things that is key to creating a successful ad campaign online is to create the right "keyword".

Advertisers will typically bid on phrases that are relevant to their target market. For visitors to our website, the most common keyword or phrase would be "Smooth Jazz". If you Google the phrase, you'll see the top websites visitors have gone to. Our website is not one of them. However, if the Google the phrase "Smooth Jazz and More", you'll find our website is at the top of the search listings. So, creating the right keywords and phrases are important to being seen.

There are three big PPC advertisers on the Internet; Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter. However, there are other Internet PPC companies out there. One is called, "BizzClick". The company is based out of Edinburg, United Kingdon with offices in London and New York.

Customers are directed to the company's Advertiser page and Publisher page on the main page. There, they are given the overview of the company, latest news and testimonials of previous clients. They offer clients a 24/7 support team, personal managers for each client, and a large variety of tools to create the best advertising campaign. "BizzClick" also has loyalty program for frequent users.

Now, I did some research on the company and found that they did have some issues with generating Trojans and viruses on their website, this according to industry forums. The company disputes the allegations, but with all websites, you should proceed with caution.

We're going to continue using Pay-Per-Click advertising for the foreseeable future, as it has become a very effective tool for us. We encourage visitors to our website to click on our advertisements so we can get the most money possible from our client's PPC campaigns.

Podium Picks for 2011 Cup of China

2011-11-02T20:31:00.000-04:00

The third leg of the Grand Prix season takes us to Shanghai, where the 2011 Cup of China takes place this weekend. Here are our picks.

Men – Ranked 9th in the world, American Jeremy Abbott will take on Russian Artur Gachinski, who is ranked 6th and 5th ranked skater, Nobunari Oda of Japan for the top spot. Look for fellow Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu to contend. China, who is not traditionally great in men’s singles, will look to Nan Song to represent the country.

1. Nobunari Oda (JPN)
2. Jeremy Abbott (USA)
3. Artur Gachinski (RUS)

Ladies – Fresh off Skate America, Italy’s Carolina Kostner will look to improve on her second place finish a few weeks ago. She’ll get competition from American Mirai Nagasu, who also just competed in last week’s Skate Canada, finishing 5th. The other notable is Japan’s Kanako Murakami, who is ranked 9th in the World. Watch for American Christina Gao who competes in her first Senior Grand Prix event.

1. Carolina Kostner (ITA)
2. Mirai Nagasu (USA)
3. Kanako Murakami (JPN)

Pairs – This stands to be a tough competition for teams other than the Chinese. The strong pairs skater teams of Wenjing Sui & Cong Han, Dan & Hao Zhang and Xiaoyu Yu & Yang Jin may see a clean sweep on the podium. The one team that may beat al three are Canadians Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch, who finished strong at Skate America, finishing third. Look for Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig to gain more experience.

1. Wenjing Sui & Cong Han (CHN)
2. Dan & Hao Zhang (CHN)
3. Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch (CAN)

Dance – Last year, the brother/sister team of Maia & Alex Shibutani surprised many with their strong showing at the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships. Can they continue the magic, as they try to capture Gold this Grand Prix season? Their main competitors are Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev of Russia and China’s Xiaoyang Yu & Chen Wang. Watch for Americans Emily Samuelson & Todd Gillies, who skate their first competition after ditching their former partners.

1. Maia & Alex Shibutani (USA)
2. Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev (RUS)
3. Xiaoyang Yu & Chen Wang (CHN)

Previewing The New FX Drama, "Untitled Jersey City Project"

2011-10-31T04:01:00.003-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Untitled Jersey City Project for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Continuing the tradition of breakthrough dramas, FX has released previews of a new drama in the works called, "Untitled Jersey City Project". Like many of their previous shows, "Untitled Jersey City Project" stands to do to the urban development world what FX did to the police underworld (The Shield), plastic surgeons (Nip/Tuck) and the firefighting profession (Rescue Me).
Executive Producers for the show have release short excerpts of the show in 2 minute intervals. In this episode, we see a man and a woman in a car discussing business. All of the sudden they're attacked by a man. Flash back to a restaurant, where the same man, known as Frank and another man, Ray meet with the same woman, who happens to be a newspaper reporter who are discussing her not so favorable feature on their troubled Waterfront Stadium Project. Unbeknownst to her, the man she bad mouths is standing behind her.

Without giving away anymore details, this show looks like a cross between The Sopranos and L.A. Law. The premise of the show seems to be very dark, very film noir-ish, almost like a modern day version of Elia Kazan's "On The Waterfront", which actually takes place in the same area, only 60 years later. More excerpts can be found on YouTube.
FX has not scheduled "Untitled Jersey City Project" as of this posting. Check your local listings for further information on when it will premiere! In the meantime, what do you think of the show?

Podium Picks for 2011 Skate Canada

2011-10-27T10:51:00.000-04:00

This weekend's competition is "Canadian-heavy" and may be tough for other competitors. But it's not impossible to win Gold, as was the case last year. Some really good skaters entering this year. Should be a good one!

Men - Last year's winner and current World champ Patrick Chan will be hard pressed to medal outside of his hometown of Toronto. Look for a strong field from current #1 Daisuke Takahashi and Belgum's Kevin Van Der Perren.

1. Patrick Chan (CAN)
2. Daisuke Takahashi (JPN)
3. Kevin Van Der Perren (BEL)

Ladies - This is the second competition that will try to weed out the pretender and the wana-bees. The Americans have a strong contingent, with Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner and Rachael Flatt leading the way. Look for Cynthia Pfaneuf to steal the show.

1. Cynthia Phaneuf (CAN)
2. Mirai Nagasu (USA)
3. Ashley Wagner (USA)

Pairs - The next Chinese pairs team will come out of this competition, with 2010 Junior champs Wenjing Sui & Cong Han looking to medal in Senior competition and up-and-comers Xiaoyu Yu & Yang Jin hopeing the join them on the podium. But will a Russian team like World runners-up Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov bring back their dominance? Look for Canadians Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford and Jessica Dube & Sebastien Wolfe to shine for Canada.

1. Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov (RUS)
2. Wenjing Sui & Cong Han (CHN)
3. Meagan Duhamel & Eric Radford (CAN)

Dance - Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are coming back from a season ending injury to Virtue after last year's Four Continents. Whether they can come back to top form that won them Olympic Gold will be determined. If they fall, look for fellow Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje and Russians Ekaterina Pushkash & Jonathan Guerreiro to contend for the top spot.

1. Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (CAN)
2. Ekaterina Pushkash & Jonathan Guerreiro (RUS)
3. Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje (CAN)

Bullying Needs To Stop!

2011-10-23T20:21:00.001-04:00

Kanata South councillor Allan Hubley and his son, 15-year-old Jamie Hubley. Jamie took his life last week after years of bullying by students. (Family Photo Courtesy of Ottawa Citizen)

CBC's "Battle of the Blades" dedicated their Sunday, October 23rd show to the memory of James (Jamie) Hubley.

Jamie was a 15 year old high school student from the Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) area. Last week, he committed suicide after relentless bullying at school and online. According to his family, he loved the sport of figure skating and was a member of the Glen Cairn Figure Skating Club. His dad said, "In Grade 7, he was treated very cruelly simply because he liked figure skating over hockey."

The figure skating reality show had their participants videotape messages in tribute to Jamie. They spoke from their hearts in hopes that they can bring awareness to the cruelty of bullying so that no family loses a child in this senseless way again.

Jamie's story touched my heart. I've been a fan of figure skating since I was his age, even though I never learned how to skate. I wouldn't dare tell friends that I loved the sport. Back in Brooklyn, skating was a luxury. No one could afford ice skates, never the less, all the practice time and competitions.

It's tough being a teen nowadays, with kids knowing much more now than I ever knew back then. Bullying has become worse with the advent of social media. We're seeing more and more incidents of bullying via Facebook, Twitter or other social media websites.

There's no excuse to bullying, except to do to make each other feel better by seeing other people suffer. If you stoop to that level and bully people, you are no better than anyone...you are a coward. Be better than that. Keep an open mind and realize there are differences in people.

If you're being bullied, know that you're not alone. Ask for help and tell your teacher or parents what's going on. Don't let anyone intimidate you, and most important, don't give up on your dreams.

At the family's request, donation are being made to the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa's Mental Health Walk-in Clinic in memory of Jamie.

Please donate by clicking here.

Sports Television's Newest "Eye Candy"!

2011-10-22T11:58:00.002-04:00

For as long as there has been television, there has always been ways for men to keep their interest. In football, there's cheerleaders. In NASCAR, there's the Sprint Cup girl in the winner's circle. In news, there's blondes in anchor chairs or you see them constantly on the TV screen, walking up and down the field (i.e. NBC's Michelle Tafoya, Fox Sports' Pam Oliver, ESPN's Suzy Kobler) waiting for the big story to break on the sidelines.

Well, get ready for the newest star in sports television, Melanie Collins.

Collins is a sports reporter and entertainment host for the Big Ten Network and Fox Sports. She's a 2008 graduate of Penn State University, where she majored in Sports Journalism. To her credit, she's a big sports fan who uses her knowledge and expertise to her advantage. She got her on-air start working for AccuWeather, where she delivered weather updates to over 100 different radio markets.

Her career has led her to different reporting assignments, including Turner Sports, NBA-TV, and E!. She currently hosts, "Big Ten Tailgate" on the Big Ten Network. In addition to her reporting career, she's also a model. Check out these gorgeous photos of Melanie. You can find more on her website, Melanie-Collins.com

Without question, Melanie Collins is a gorgeous reporter, who'll no doubtingly be making an impact on sports television for years to come!

Watch out, Erin Andrews!

Follow Melanie on Facebook or Twitter!

Going Back to College Online

2011-10-20T00:59:00.001-04:00

23 years ago, my brother Vincent completed his Associates degree at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York. Unfortunately, he was unable to attend his graduation due to him leaving for a stint in the US Navy. This year, he contacted the college's alumni association to inquire about finally attending their graduation ceremonies. After verifying his information and college credits, he was allowed to graduate with the class of 2011.

The ceremony took place at the Nassau Coliseum. Noting the special occasion, the president of the college, Dr. Donald Astrab, recognized Vincent in his address to the graduating class for not giving up on his dream after all these years. The class and the audience gave him a standing ovation. The event gave Vincent the motivation to continue his education and decided to pursue his Bachelor's degree. Because he works full-time, he must make time to study and decided to pursue his degree online.

I, myself thought about going back to school for my Masters degree. But with so much on my plate, it wouldn't be feasible. But not to get discouraged, I did some research on what online courses are out there. One school that caught my eye was Walden University's online degree programs.

Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Walden is a for-profit, specialized distance learning institution. They offer over 30 different curriculums, ranging from certificates, to Bachelors, to Masters, right up to Doctorates degrees. One of it's noted colleagues is former President Bill Clinton, who serves as an Walden's Honorary Chancellor of Laureate International Universities. He gave the keynote address at the University’s commencement earlier this year.

To learn about Walden and what it offers, go to WaldenU.edu.