GOP primary debate, students up early and Jon Stewart

-

Whatever one thinks about the presidential candidates who debated during the evening of Thursday, August 6, it's nice to see them gather in Cleveland this evening. In many ways, the city has come a long way and just like so many other American cities, this town has its challenges. It's good to see my old stomping grounds get the national and even international attention that it has been getting this year - and will most likely next year when it hosts the 2016 Republican National Convention. Indeed, not all the news coming from Ohio's North Coast is positive, but at the end of the day, it's good to be 'Cleveland Proud' tonight.

CDC: Students up too early

The Centers for Disease Control says that adolescents are up too early for school. This has been always been a push/pull things since high school students get the opportunity to go to work right after school. Since they can work for say, four hours, students have plenty of time to get home, grab dinner and study. On the other hand, teens need their sleep. It's a dilemma indeed. The recommendation is for students to start at 8:30 a.m. CDC findings say that the average start time is 8:03 a.m. Still, if teens get to school at 7:00 a.m., they get out not far after 2:00 p.m. - plenty of time to work, study and sleep. The problem is that we're in an uber-24/7 electrified society - so sleep is a tough thing for teens today. I confess that it was a tough balancing act for me back in the day.

Stewart bows out
Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is officially dropping the 'Jon Stewart' part of its title. Stewart had a great run by mixing comedy with the national/international conversation. I'm beyond impressed with how Stewart and his staff worked LexisNexis to find text that led to mash-ups of video clips to make profound points. That must be one stellar research staff. There's no doubt that this program has been a game changer in modern discourse. I hope that Stewart can bring those talents to the big screen. I think he did an amazing job with Rosewater - so I have a feeling we will see Stewart walk off with an Oscar for something incredible one day.




Comments

Post a Comment

Most viewed

Condos. Cutting-edge restaurants. Trendy shopping.

-
There’s a whole other side to Orlando beside the massive Disney World in nearby Lake Buena Vista. If the ordinary Disney trip doesn’t interest you this year, try an extraordinary visit to Orlando and its neighborhoods. You’ll quickly learn that the area is full of historic districts and ethnic diversity. (more)
Read more

Take time out for Virginia’s Shenandoah region

-
About 30 years ago my family made a classic 1970s trek to Washington, D.C. Even though the sights and sounds of D.C. left an impression on me, it was the trip through Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley that introduced me to the region’s natural beauty. Dressed in our blue “Virginia Is For Lovers” T-shirts (which I kept for several years after), we rolled down the windows of our spacious Oldsmobile to take in the scenery. Click here for the full story.
Read more

Flashback: Billy Joel's Sax Player (Mark Rivera profile-March 2007)

-
It is 2:30 in the afternoon at Midtown Atlanta's Four Seasons Hotel and Mark Rivera is pacing his hotel suite bursting with ideas. The task of keeping up with Rivera's thoughts is daunting to say the least. The words explode from him like a Fourth of July fireworks show on steroids. From stories of working with John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Peter Gabriel and most notably -- becoming Billy Joel's ever-conspicuous sax player/backup vocalist, Rivera is on a big, white, puffy cloud every time he conjures up those legendary memories. Who wouldn't be? The challenge for Rivera on this balmy late-February afternoon is to fit those anecdotes and personal thoughts on the future and state of the world into a half-hour conversation which must conclude before he boards a bus to Birmingham for his role in that evening's Billy Joel show. Indeed Rivera will be back in his Atlanta hotel room in about 48 hours, but there will be no time for follow-up questions. He will be handling...
Read more