claytonic

Hey gang -- need to ask a big favor for some prayers for my Mom. She fell this morning, and broke two bones in her pelvis, plus a bone in her arm, plus she had fluid in her lungs. It's not looking good at this point. You might not see me for a while....

I am not sure if I know how to pray anymore but I will do the next best thing and send lots of healing light and thoughts her way, so that she will be well enough to enjoy an special Mother's Day with you next week.

ETA: And the same for your mom, Couchie. Mothers are irreplaceable.

There is a video of Susan Boyle singing at age 22.

There is also a most fabulous site called Beatles Tube. It is a massive treat for anyone who is a die-hard Beatles fan.

http://findingclayaiken.invisionzone.com/i...60&start=60

[also... Queen Tube and U2 Tube]

SUSAN BOYLE

THE BEATLES

• the video
• the lyrics
  ...plus
• background information about the song
  .

I wish, I wish for a ClayTube...

CHARICE

Performing at the next David Foster and Friends event in Las Vegas on 9 May 2009, along with Clay and other artists.

Sunday May 10 (Mother's Day) is her 17th birthday, and what a huge transformation her life has become since her first performance on American soil in December 2007, on the Ellen Show. Hardly anyone knew of her in North America back then, and now just 17 months later, pretty much everyone knows who she is and that Oprah and David Foster have taken her under their wing.

First performance on Oprah, at age almost 16

Very recent performance in the Philippines, a duet with her mother, Raquel, at age almost 17

The Soaring Spirit of Charice Pempengco

Phil Bolsta created this comprehensive account of Charice's career. It includes an interesting interview with Falsevoice, the YouTube Channel operated by a guy in the Philippines who watched her performances on Little Big Star, a local singing competition in the Philippines. It includes videos of her important performances and a short movie of her life story, a heart-warming Cinderella story. Phil constantly updates the site and has had a number of people assist him with accuracy of information and translation of interviews that were done in Tagalog.

ETA:

Can't find 6.48 minutes for this video? Then keep this link for when you need a seriously gut-wrenching laugh to counter a seriously bad day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedd2FiZTqM

TIP: Stick with it, don't let the first couple of minutes completely determine the outcome.

Not sure if this is non-political but since it isn't directly about politics, I'll put it here...

I received these two emails within hours of each other. I haven't fully digested any of it, but a quick scan has me wondering if I have suddenly caught the 'flu because my head starting aching while I was trying to take in the contents...

please watch this or at least understand what ís really going on !! drug companies already prepared 300 million vaccines for north america, you think they are going to leave them sit on the shelf !! please spread the word everywhere, Dr Leonard Horowitz is probably one of the greatest guys on the planet to tell the truth about this.....

To:

Hello Friends,

This is another take on the Swine Flu an URGENT FLU REPORT from Dr. Leonard Horowitz... this article just sent to me by a friend. Please watch the short 10 minute video at the link below... ou will find it VERY informative.

Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:06:38 -0400

Hello Ladies and Gents,

Please pass this on to all your contacts worldwide......ask them to read this short attachment and to watch the 10 minute video at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBeKB7aKzOs

Its simple facts, numbers and names....which is the evidence most require when wanting answers but it clearly puts 2 and 2 together! I love Dr. Horowitz as he seems to be making the most noise about the truth of vaccines along with Dr. Carley....I have two of Lens videos.....5 hours of facts, names, dates, papers, etc to back up all he says......but we don't really need those anymore, it is so clear.....Mother Nature did not create this virus!

These viruses are created by men in labs people, and wanting to distribute unto people for nefarious reasons, the least of which is maintenance of control over the populations and to take lives for profit......If you don't want to die by them, then you need to stand up to them.....

There are other ways to strengthen your immunity and to fight these creations of mad men.....learn about them.

Get to know your own body.....get to know Nature and how She works, and God........Know your inner and outer Garden.

A quote: "The most chilling evidence against Dr. Robertson’s EU research team, besides him being the gatekeeper and chief promoter for multi-billion dollar flu vaccine stockpiling deals, and besides his collaborators being caught red handed here by hard science and common sense, is his stated position that he believes it is wise to "prime" populations worldwide by releasing viruses he and his colleagues are creating. This warning comes from a April 27, 2006, scientific discourse in which Dr. Robertson, and members of his WHO (World Health Organization) working group, recommended his "biosimilars" (lab created) be 'used to prime the population in advance of the pandemic reaching the UK.' In other words, the doctors that hold infectious disease responsibility for the world have already decided to loose their viruses on unwitting populations in advance of threatened outbreaks."

Ingrid Naiman says: "Horowitz is not a warm and fuzzy guy, but he connects dots really, really well and so you will see the inside story"

From: WC Douglass realhealth@healthiernews.com

Media pigs misinforming public about so-called "epidemic"

Dear Friend,

Those filthy swine... The swine flu "epidemic" is only a few days old, and Big Pharma is already plotting to make a fortune.

European drug maker Roche announced it was scaling up production of Tamiflu, giving a boost to its stock price and sending millions into the Roche coffers. GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the anti-flu drug Relenza, is also seeing its stock price climb, as investors hope this swine flu is the biggest thing since the bubonic plague.

There's only one problem here – it's not going to happen. You read the Daily Dose because I always give you the straight scoop, and because I'm not afraid to tell you when the mainstream has it wrong.

And they have it wrong on swine flu. It won't be an epidemic – it'll barely even be a ripple. I've run medical clinics in Africa – I know what an epidemic looks like.

And this isn't it.

The media is blowing swine flu out of proportion so it can feed its 24-hour news cycle – the same media, mind you, that had us convinced that avian flu was going to destroy the planet a few years ago.

But here are the facts about swine flu – it has affected so few people in America that it's hardly worth discussing. There are 64 confirmed cases in America as I'm writing this – not 6,000 or even 600. There are 64.

Of course, the media is fixated on the 100 or so people who have died in Mexico from the swine flu. But let me clue you into something that no one seems to be discussing – health care in Mexico is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. I know – I've been there more times than I can count.

Disease spreads rapidly through Mexico because large areas of the country lack clean water and basic sanitation. Seeing a doctor – let alone a qualified doctor – is a luxury unavailable to most of the population. Of course the flu is killing people in Mexico – so are a lot of other diseases that are successfully treated in America. People in Mexico still die from diarrhea, for Pete's sake!

Yes, they have apparently had some cases of bad swine flu in Mexico. They've had lots of dengue fever and chagas, too, but you don't need to stay up at night worrying about it. Beating the swine flu isn't any different from beating the regular flu. Wash your hands. Avoid large crowds if you can. Get plenty of rest and fluids if you start getting sick.

And don't be afraid to eat pork or any other meat, for that matter, as it's not the pigs who are getting sick. Of course, I'm not recommending you eat Mexican pork – or any food produced in Mexico, for that matter. Hopefully the tainted peppers outbreak of 2008 taught us that. But don't change your diet because of some so-called swine flu epidemic.

It's no epidemic. It's no public health catastrophe. It's good theatre – and nothing more.

I don't know what "read the room" means.

If everybody in the "room" (in this case, the board) is having fun smutting or whatever, making dire pronouncements and kind of telling people how to post (or not) is generally going to get ignored at best.

Read the room is something entertainers do all the time, and adjust their act accordingly.

Go with the flow.

Bad timing, I guess, but then they don't have to pay attention since I am not addressing the vast majority of them. I am not going to be bullied by anyone, and I mean ANYONE.

If bullying is condoned, then I want it stated on the board, not in PM.

Whatever -- I'm done with the topic. I'm not the only one to discuss your issues with.

LdyJ

Bottle

KAndre

If you can't trust any of the mods then you sincerely have a problem that has no answer.

I have often told ya'll to spill your guts about issues you have... but please read the room. That's my only advice.

I don't know what "read the room" means.

Ok if you don't have time to PM about your issues then don't bring them to the board.

Maybe I'm just in on all the private jokes but I don't know the heck you're talking about. Seemed like a good afternoon to me..and we're right in the middle of smut.

I'm sure everyone here has some issue with the board... no way around that... but there's a way to work it out and this ain't it.

I think you know perfectly well what I am talking about and I think you know why I think it is futile to discuss this topic in PM.

And I'll leave it at that.

Apologies, sincerely, to anyone who is clueless, but if you are, then you are one of the lucky ones because this isn't something you want to be in on.

Well you had your say. I'm confused and so are others but as you wish. I'm not a mind reader so I consider it said and done and don't know what got accomplished.

To everyone I hope you know my PM door is always open.

Yes, just like those who have no idea what the 'private jokes' are about, they can't read minds either.

I hope what got accomplished is that people with a predisposition to certain behaviors think about what they are doing, and STOP doing it. I am not talking about heated discussions and differences of opinion, because I don't hesitate to express my opinion, but even when I strongly disagree with someone, I always respect them as a human being, and because I respect them, I always think about what they said and sometimes adjust my view, even if just a little. I consider pretty much everyone on this board as intelligent women so I always take on board what they have to say. What I don't do is to target one person to ignore EXCEPT to take shots at them. There is a big difference.

If you can send some examples to LdyJ and I, that would be great. Thanks.

Otherwise, people can just read the guidelines and know what kind of place we all want and live by them. Self policing IMO is the way to go.

I don't wish to turn this into a project, and I have my reasons, which may not may not be obvious. I just prefer to get my message across because I want this to be the first and last time I mention it.

Could admin please request that private jokes, sniggering and bitching, if it must be done, be done off the board.

That kind of behavior where only a handful of people "get it" is disgusting, childish and not fun tor the person targeted. I could say a whole host of other things but I will take the high road in this regard. I am just disappointed that it doesn't seem possible to have an unpopular opinion or simply be different from the crowd without certain individuals resorting to back-stabbing and bitching in PM, then brought to the board as a 'private joke'.

It doesn't matter how popular a person is, how nice they are to most people, what their position in life is, how talented or intelligent they are, if they target one person, that makes them something that shouldn't be tolerated anywhere, be it the school-yard, workplace or indeed a fan-forum.

Thank you.

Here's a concert where these 3 people will be performing:

Clay Aiken

David Foster

Charice

I have been waiting and waiting for these three to share a stage. Yep, three of the most gifted artists that I am always raving on about to anyone who will listen [or pretend to listen]... but I can't go because I have commitments I can't do anything about.

Damn.

ETA: And if Clay and Charice end up doing The Prayer* or something, I will slit my wrists.... but then hope to recover sufficiently to search for clack.

The Prayer* ... Charice has done this duet with a number singers, including Bocelli and Tyler Hamilton. How I'd love to hear her sing it with Clay.

I have a VHS tape of Jennifer Holliday singing at the Clinton prayer service before the 1997 inauguration. It's in a box somewhere -- maybe I can dig it out and transfer it to digital if I can figure out how to do that. It was outstanding. She's my girl!

This is the only version I could find on YouTube. Does it look familiar to you?

Jennifer Holliday - I Believe I Can Fly

For anyone who is interested, here is Jennifer Holliday in the role she became famous for, and won a Tony Award for. In an interview, JHUD said she watched this video.

'82 Tonys--Dreamgirls "And I'm Telling You"

claytonic,

were you on the debate team in high school?

Just askin'

I would need time to try and remember school, since it was so long ago.

Actually, I also wondered about you and school. Are you able to remember if you deliberately ignored certain girls in high school unless there was an opportunity to attack them, and most especially when you realized you could piggy-back on someone else and high-five along with them so that your victim is flattened to your heart's content? Just sayin'

Nope. I always said things to their face. I do generally try to subscribe to the 'if you can't say something nice...' school of thought, though.

Please explain to me where the high five, or the attack, or the 'flattening' is? Unless of course you're displaying that laying-in-wait implication you just made about me and venting a little, there was nothing but a little amusement at the debate style last-word-itis going on.

Hm, sounds like your memory is a problem too, perhaps you need to go back and think about your school days, you know, in the school-yard, chatting with the cool-girls, waiting for an opportunity to help attack the un-cool girls, whispering behind their backs, all that kind of stuff. There's a word for it, if only I could remember it...

Speaking of Jennifer Hudson she had a special guest at one of her concerts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtDFHXjJ7SU

the guy holding the camera can't stop saying OMG OMG

I saw that video the day after it happened and I was totally gobsmacked. As much as I love Jennifer Hudson's version from the movie, for me, the only person who owns And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going is Jennifer Holliday.

Actually, there is also a video of Jennifer Holliday doing the same duet with Bianca Ryan. Poor Bianca was totally overwhelmed, you can see how nervous she is.

He wouldn't kick a Mongolian throat music singer off the show if he thought that was something he could make money from.

Britney Spears mimed her way through her guest performance on X-Factor. The fact that the comparatively inexperienced contestants had to sing live and she was this icon doing a lip-synch to her single, well, everyone on the show, including Simon, was asked "what do you think about that?". Everyone, including Simon, responded very tactfully, Simon giving glowing comments about Britney and how wonderful to have her on the show. It was obvious the contestants had been coached about what to say. So, yes djs111, I think you are dead right.

Steve Brookstein writing "explosive, tell-all" X Factor book

http://www.heatworld.com/Article/10053/Ste...l-X-Factor-book

Steve Brookstein, the first-ever winner of X-Factor has been dropped by his record company and he is not at all pleased!

3. Idol hate. Without Idol the world wouldn't have Clay. Sure the show is manipulative and can be ugly on occasion (the case for every reality show I know of), but it's Idol and sometimes a star really is born. As far as the principals are concerned, Idol could be around long after Simon, Paula and Randy are retired.

Totally agree with every word... the show is definitely manipulative but television is an illusion and it is always about ratings which = money. The audition of that little boy, Shaneen, in Britain's Got Talent was totally staged. And it got the reaction Simon wanted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqgTFwxIXhc...PL&index=20

Regardless of the unhappy ex-contestants and/or winners, I cannot be too annoyed with Simon for giving us artists like Clay, Kelly, Leona Lewis, Paul Potts, Susan Boyle and numerous others. Because of the way the shows are structured, it also means many living legends in the music world have the opportunity to showcase their work to a generation who may not have known their songs. Without Idol, the world would have been deprived of Clay, and Clay would have been deprived of his birth-right .... to sing and teach a very big classroom about what truly matters in life.

When Clay said he would be recording soon, my heart went pitty pat.

mine too!!

ETA: If you know WORD really really well (tables) ..can you PM me?

KAndre is the expert on Word, although I am not sure she wants everyone to know that The first problem I had with Word2007 was that some people who hadn't upgraded, couldn't open my files, and I had to convert them to Word2003. But that was a couple of years ago, I just remember wondering why on earth my files weren't working then the penny dropped.

claytonic,

were you on the debate team in high school?

Just askin'

Clay looks fantastic in those pics - love the sweater. It's so him. I bet he had a blast mentoring the kids in this.

I would need time to try and remember school, since it was so long ago.

Actually, I also wondered about you and school. Are you able to remember if you deliberately ignored certain girls in high school unless there was an opportunity to attack them, and most especially when you realized you could piggy-back on someone else and high-five along with them so that your victim is flattened to your heart's content? Just sayin'

when I win the lotto Scarlett... you are all set. Wait.. don't we have a lotto winner here? Claytonic may want to start the pot

Idol Rankings and it's the competition among fan groups burned me out and tuned me out of idol years ago. Who sold more records. Whose tour grosses are the highest. Who has more awards. The bottom line for me is the measure of my man and all these idols will be decided in 20 years or 30 years, not some particular moment in time. And certainly the one sided view of success of record sales, which largely benefit the record company and not the artist,

will be just one measure

.

And whether he appears on Idol this season or not won't be part of any measure.

Well, I can't argue with you on that sentiment because I agree entirely HOWEVER, the industry isn't so loyal... it places substantial weight on statistics and awards.

This is true, of course. Many times conglomerates place way too much emphasis on the sales aspects, or the awards aspects, of a career. And unfortunately, careers can be built (or fall) because of that.

But I think what couchie is getting at (and I'm sure she'll correct me if I'm wrong) is that sales really aren't everything. Success can't always be considered just simply sales -- it can be as simple as having a child who loves you. Or being able to share a love of children through charitable foundations. Or being able to raise awareness of GLBT issues to people who never would have taken the initiative to find out about it.

Therefore, Clay is successful to me and always will be. And I would venture a guess that he'll be remembered for much of that in 20 to 30 years as well.

That's kinda my point. My other point is Jennifer in five years might not be able to buy a contract once more. I mean her sales aren't overwhelming - in fact, if she had those sales 5 years ago she would have been considered a failure. Don't see on earth she'll be catching Daughtery or Clay any time soon as Claytonic suggested unless Daughtery or Clay will never record again and not sale another album for the next 10 years..it's not like people make albums every year. I count her success more on her acting side. But I wasn't actually speaking about the industry at all. I'm not naive. I understood that Clay did good things for Spam sales but TO me I was more interested in seeing him grow and expand as an entertainer. So I was just talking about what's important to me and what I find interesting. Comparing idols is just something I abhor. I couldn't stand it 6 years ago and I can't stand it now. It's just so meaningless and next year it will all be different, the year after that will alll be different once more.

so this swin flu.. how much should we be concerned or should I turn of the news. Geeze.

ETA: Twitter... am I being sold a load of bull? I can't get away from hearing about twitter..but I jut finished my project and there are not that many people with a lot of followers. Or is that not the point and it's just fun to follow what friends are up to?

As I said, I don't think I missed your point in the first place, since I agreed with it!

I don't know about Jennifer Hudson, she may not pass Clay and Chris but she is very much on the up right now. Her first love is singing, not acting, and while again I agree with you that she will get more work acting, having her face "out there" more and more means her singing career will be supported as well.

As far as stats go, record sales in 2009 is entirely different to record sales in 2003, entirely. The record industry knows this, and I think we've discussed this before, that money to be made in music will be in live performances and the record labels will broaden the role they play for an artist they sign up but they are still going through a transition. I know someone who has thousands of albums on CD, and he never paid for a single one because downloading or burning a CD is a piece of cake, and more and more people are not really buying music except for their favorite artists because they want to support them. With the economy the way it is, even those who would normally buy records rather than download, aren't doing it, and what they are saying is that they will get a free download and save their money for tickets to a tour. And the record companies KNOW this. ETA: And by the time the economy recovers, even those who were previously regular record buyers will probably continue the trend of the free download-trade-for tickets to a live gig, since new albums and tours often go together. Ticket sales will then be the determining factor on how an artist is doing. In the UK right now, XFactor artists, including winners (they don't have Idol anymore) are losing their recording contracts AND having their concert tour dates canceled or drastically pruned, even after combining tour dates with another artist to try to save the tour. It's not a great time for any industry.

Idol Rankings and it's the competition among fan groups burned me out and tuned me out of idol years ago. Who sold more records. Whose tour grosses are the highest. Who has more awards. The bottom line for me is the measure of my man and all these idols will be decided in 20 years or 30 years, not some particular moment in time. And certainly the one sided view of success of record sales, which largely benefit the record company and not the artist,

will be just one measure

.

And whether he appears on Idol this season or not won't be part of any measure.

Well, I can't argue with you on that sentiment because I agree entirely HOWEVER, the industry isn't so loyal... it places substantial weight on statistics and awards.

For example, Jennifer Hudson had the SAME voice in 2004 as she has now yet no one offered her a record deal until AFTER she became a sensation in Dreamgirls and won the Oscar, among numerous other notable awards. She is now on tour promoting only her very first album. ETA: Remember her exit from the show ... it had huge coverage with the likes of Elton John and Barry Manilow - and many others - in her corner. Yet, no record deal.

If OMWH had produced more impressive sales figures, perhaps Clay might have been given what he wanted for his recording career instead of an "either this or that" condition ... (what I assume happened, however amicable it may have been).

EATA:

Treenuts, DONE, as per your post below re the poll.

*ETA - the guests are on Wednesday's shows, so Clay will

not be on this week or next unless something changes. Sometimes they do tape performances to be shown later--Cook, Jennifer Hudson, and others were taped weeks ahead of time

.

That's exactly why I was certain that if Clay doesn't appear as a guest, it would mean they didn't ask him, because I just couldn't see them not accommodate whatever his situation may have been, and I couldn't imagine that Clay would refuse, knowing how much exposure he would get and how much it would mean to his fans to see him on television again.

As far as I know, Clay is still their highest selling male contestant and highest selling non-winner, although I feel Jennifer Hudson is likely to change the Idol stats somewhat, pushing Clay and Daughtry down, but that won't happen just yet as Clay and Daughtry have some big numbers. So Clay is still their most successful non-winner and most successful Wild-card contestant, that's good enough reason to show him off.

Clayzy, onya!! (Aussie for "good on you")

I just tried to look up the stats on American Idol and was amazed to see the list of ex-Idols in musical theatre:

Idols in musical theatre

Many American Idol finalists, though they didn't develop lucrative music careers, left their marks on the Great White Way and starred in many popular Broadway musicals.[citation needed] Some of those people include:

* Tamyra Gray - Mimi in Rent, Priya in Bombay Dreams

* Vanessa Olivarez - Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray

* Clay Aiken - Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot

* LaToya London - Nettie in The Color Purple (National Tour)

* Diana DeGarmo - Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, Brooklyn in Brooklyn

* Fantasia Barrino - Celie in The Color Purple

* Constantine Maroulis - Robbie in The Wedding Singer, Drew in Rock Of Ages

* Anthony Federov - Matt in The Fantasticks (Off-Broadway)

* Ace Young - Kenickie in Grease

* Taylor Hicks - Teen Angel in Grease

* Ruben Studdard in Fats Waller's Ain't Misbehavin (National Tour)

* Frenchie Davis - Seasons of Love soloist in Rent and a performer in Fats Waller's Ain't Misbehavin (National Tour)

* Josh Strickland - Disney's Tarzan

* Anwar Robinson - Tom Collins in Rent

* Trenyce - a performer in Fats Waller's Ain't Misbehavin (National Tour)

* Amy Adams - The Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (National Tour)

* Adam Lambert - Understudy for Fiyero Wicked (Los Angeles)

Source: Wikipedia

On March 20th, Paul Grein at Chart Watch published an interesting list about American Idol artists. There are 15 former contestants that have sold 500,000 or more albums. Of the top five, only three won the crown of American Idol. The following is the list of top Idols in sales of albums.

1. Kelly Clarkson 9,836,000

2. Carrie Underwood 9,408,000

3. Clay Aiken 4,896,000

4. Daughtry 4,413,000

5. Ruben Studdard 2,487,000

6. Fantasia 2,309,000

7. Jordin Sparks 1,053,000

8. David Cook 1,029,000

9. Kellie Pickler 990,000

10. Josh Gracin 780,000

11. Bo Bice 735,000

12. Taylor Hicks 719,000

13. Jennifer Hudson 669,000

14. David Archuleta 665,000

15. Elliott Yamin 630,000

There are many more Idols that have recorded albums. Many have had moderate success and some have sold less than 5,000

There are some interesting facts that show up when you see a list like this.

Clay Aiken has sold more albums than any other male singer in Idol history. He has also sold more albums than any other singer that didn't win the competition.

Country artists seem to have had more overall success than any other genre.

Idol contestants have sold LOTS of albums and there are a lot of very talented young artist that have come through the the Idol Machine.

Congratulations to each musical star. They are seeing their dreams come true.

Source:

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_wat...ni-association/

Off to see Ruben and co. in "Ain't Misbehavin'". See you peeps later.

Hey, give us a review! I don't actually follow Ruben's career at all but I have a soft spot for him, he always seems like such a nice guy and he has always been loyal to Clay as far as I know.

For KAndre and anyone else planning to jet away ......

http://findingclayaiken.invisionzone.com/i...mp;#entry105247

I posted some stuff about luggage security and/or lack of. Just really scary.

Because Oz is really geographically located in Asia, we have large numbers of travelers going to Asia for a quick trip, but unfortunately also a number of Aussies stuck in jail in popular Asian tourist destinations, claiming someone tampered with their luggage because "stuff" was found in it. It's just not worth the risk of being complacent about luggage security.

ETA: Happy belated birthday to ldyjocelynMAMA ... 88 is a very nice number ....

EATA:

If you loved Flawless on BGT, you will love this. Amazingly ... the choreography, which is outstanding, was the work of one of the guys.

All male dance - Diversity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn2llpvQhDU...feature=related

So You Think Your Luggage is Safe?

How to Unlock Your Luggage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj1RRsT1Xmw

These "tips" are scary, and are a reflection of "modern" travel and luggage.

The matter of making sure your luggage cannot be tampered with is critical, I repeat CRITICAL, especially when traveling to certain parts of Asia.

ETA:

If you Google Schapelle Corby you may get an idea of what kind of nightmare she ended up in. She claims someone tampered with her luggage as a large quantity of cannabis (marijuana) was found in her surfboard bag at Denpassar airport in Bali. She was convicted and is serving 20 years in jail in Bali, which was considered a good outcome by some because she could have been given life imprisonment or death. I tend to believe she was innocent, and initially, polls indicated that a high percentage of people did so as well, but now there are some doubts about her innocence, mainly because of family connections. She has written a book about her ordeal and I have no doubt a film will be made about this, and am certain a script has already been in the works for some time.

While Schapelle is a high profile case, there are numerous other ones. I feel sorry for the families of the many young people currently on death row in Asian prisons. (I don't agree with capital punishment but I also don't tolerate drug traffickers).

EATA:

<snip> "Why do Qantas airlines now offer travellers, departing Australian airport terminals, the new plastic wrap system for their luggage? It strongly suggests that you can't afford to trust their baggage handlers for fear of becoming a victim like Schapelle Corby. "

Source: http://www.freeschapelle.net/

ALSO:

ETA: During the media furore over Schapelle's situation, an anonymous couple gave an account of their experience. They said that after arriving in Bali and unpacking in their hotel room, they discovered some 'stuff' in their luggage. They sought advice and were told by their lawyer to simply flush it down the toilet and never to mention it. The situation was such that even if one tried to do the right thing, it could create all kings of complications and suspicions. I don't recall the exact details of this story but I just know that the couple's luggage had been tampered with and IF their luggage HAD been scrutinized and the 'stuff' found, they would be been detained, locked up and pretty much considered "guilty until proven innocent". Disclaimer: This isn't advice about what anyone should do, it is just information to indicate how serious it can get, and to not be complacent about it.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I think I got through and found all Clay's answers and I just love him. I laughed. I laughed some more. I chuckled.

I loved that he loved many ATDW songs.

.hope we get Broken Wings one of these days. And eeeee to ALAWH behing his favorite..we have a connection.

I absolutely loved what he did with those songs on ATDW the first time I heard them and never could figure out what the fuss was about ... regarding it being a non-original song album. It was like, so what.... to me.

. Loved how happy he sounds. Love Jaymes. Loved that he mentions all of his friends with love. Loved that he shared things we never knew about him. I love when he scoffs at rumors. I don't think I ever heard the one about RCA turning down Spam helping them out a little bit. BWAH. The whole piano playing thing cracked me up. I remember somebody said back then that he wasn't playing.. I think they got jumped on. heh. I think I helped

Love that he's working on something. Love teacher Clay. He's hilarious and entertaining. And he went out with a bang.

Clay is a very, very interesting balance of extreme complexity and extreme simplicity, simplicity in terms of his ultimate values. Complex in terms of, well... not quite sure how to put it....

The youngest that I nanny for had her 10th Birthday Party tonight. She is so happy to be in double digits

she asked her friends to bring new stuffed animals for the children's hospital. It was so sweet! The girls all bought animals they picked out and some even made cards to go with the stuffed animals. Her friends also made donations in her name to the hospital. They donated $75.00!

Thanks for sharing that, so very heartening to know there are 10 year olds who are still having a childhood and childhood values while having an awareness about the less fortunate and how they can make a difference. You must be very proud of her.

Clay has started a questions thread in "The Man" section of the OFC message board, and is currently answering questions. He's set up specific guidelines (not too personal or rude; questions only in the thread - no discussions) and is currently answering random stuff. Nothing too deep, but some fun tidbits.

I wonder if he will respond to my telepathic message to him about being able to make a quick trip to North America and therefore he should just drop everything he is doing and organize a tour of only the US and Canadian cities I want to visit.

ETA:

Rachel Ray's hot cooking tip - How to remove the silk from the corn:

WARNING: NOT SUITABLE for children or impulsive smutters