My first book cover! Thanks, Dr. Susan

We’re huge fans of Dr. Susan Bartell.  It’s the reason that when we decided to do a second edition of the show, the Health and Lifestyle Edition, we invited her to be our Health Editor.

Not only does Dr. Susan have a clinical practice, but she also is a workshop leader, a keynote speaker and a media expert.  Oh, yeah… and an author.  Six books and counting.

Her latest book is actually TWO books – The Top 50 Questions that Kids Ask – one book for Pre-K through 2nd Grade and one book for 3rd through 5th grade.

Of course I was thrilled when Dr. Susan sent me a galley of the books and asked me what I thought.  (They are brilliant books).  But that thrill held nothing in comparison to the one I received when I found out that my endorsement was used on the back of the books!!

What an honor!  What a surprise!  My first endorsement on a book cover.  (Click on the book cover to see a larger version and read what I wrote)

I hope you’ll take a look at these books and perhaps decide to get a copy for yourself, or another parent that you might know. New mothers and fathers will be happy to learn WHY their kids ask the questions they do, and experienced parents will be glad to find out they didn’t screw their kids up!

Click here to find out more about Dr. Susan and see why we’re so crazy about her!  And click here if you’d like to hear one of our interviews with her.

And click here to find out who we have coming up on the show in the days ahead.  Sure hope you’ll join us!

Ciao,

Pam

Yes, I will be seeing this movie

You may want to have a couple of drinks before you watch this.  Dancing dogs, flying cats and William H. Macy.  Yeah.  Actually, you might think you are already drunk just watching it!

Click here to watch the trailer for Marmaduke, the movie.

Laughter, the Best Medicine – Clowns Without Borders

The tectonic plates of the world have been restless lately and we’ve seen the results of this activity with large earthquakes. First it was Haiti and then Chile and this morning a 6.0 earthquake hit eastern Turkey.

Our first response when we hear about these disasters is to grab our checkbooks and give to relief efforts. That’s a start, but once all the basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter are fulfilled, there is still more to do.  What else?  We have to bring laughter.

Yes, laughter.

Think about it – laughter helps us forget our worries, even if it’s just for an hour. It gives us hope and raises our spirits.  It makes us healthy. And who needs that more than tired men, homeless women and orphaned children?  Laughter is healing.

Pricilla Mooseburger

That’s why Clowns without Borders is so important.  Their goal is to bring  the special medicine of laughter to children… to relieve the suffering of those who live in areas of crisis, refugee camps and conflict zones.  They do this so people can gather and celebrate and laugh and forget the tensions that darken their lives, even if it’s just for a moment.

Current projects for Clowns Without Borders include trips to Haiti, Egypt and Ethiopia. They offer workshops and performances to large and small audiences and work with local charities and performing artists with hopes of empowering the people through clown acts and physical theater.

What’s not to love?

Listen Tuesday on the Health and Lifestyle Edition of the show as I talk with world-famous clown Pricilla Mooseburger. She was one of the first female clowns in Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey and she talks about how she has made a living by making people laugh.

David Oreck

Then Thursday join me for a chat with Vacuum King David Oreck. He’s a master at marketing and a believer in the human spirit.  Just go to www.ACloserLookRadio.com at show time (1pm PT/4pm ET) and click on the big red button.

Plus, while you’re at the website, I hope you sign up for our newsletter.  Each week you’ll find out about our exciting lineup of coming guests, see insider photos and get links to interesting websites and videos. AND… it’s totally free! (of course)

Till next time…

XX
P

Coffee Grounds and a Big Ol’ Hug for You!

First it was the gas prices, the food prices, then the economy.  In the past two years we’ve been challenged to adapt to bad news and rising food prices and stretch our dollars.

Content Queen for our A Closer Look family – Anna Alexander – lives in a city with a strong DIY culture so it was no surprise to her that when food prices skyrocketed, people in her community banned together and started community gardens.   Local composting classes are packed with people who want to learn how to turn their food waste into dirt to grow food or fertilizer their plants.  Her husband recently completed a Master Composting class and and the two of them are writing a book on how to start composting. She compiled this Top 5 list of how composting benefits not just you but everyone!

You will save money – Since we have started composting, we have reduced the amount of garbage we throw away and thus reducing our need for weekly pick up.  Since switching to an every-other-week schedule, we have saved around $100 a year on our garbage bill. Once you have the finished product, you can use it for dirt in your garden and grow your own vegetables and save money and reduce your carbon footprint.

Your neighbors will love you – One of the hardest ingredients for any composter to find are “browns.”  These are leaves, grass, etc.  and in the winter they are hard to come by.   This year we raked up all the leaves in our yard, our neighbor’s yard and even raked up leaves in a nearby park.  I don’t think of raking as a chore anymore. Rather it’s an ingredient for my garden and compost bin.

Your local barista will love you – Coffee grounds are one of the best ingredients for your pile. You don’t have to grind them; they are mushy and already broken down. Make friends with your local barista at a busy coffee shop and ask them to keep the coffee grounds for you.

Those rotted vegetables in your fridge? Compost! – I’m sure Martha Stewart never lets food in her fridge turn to mush. But I do. I forget about the scallions in the bottom draw and that half head of cabbage I keep meaning to use. Yes, it’s gross and slimy but it’s already broken down and can be dumped in your pile.

Good Exercise -Compost is going to happen whether you turn your pile or not. However, turning your compost pile gives it air and accelerates the breakdown of the organic matter. It is also an excellent upper body workout. You lift and bed and sift and can work up a good sweat. It saves money on gym fees!

Want to learn how to start your own community garden? Click here: http://www.communitygarden.org. Or check out this Community Garden website from the city of Portland, OR: http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=39846

Check out http://www.columbiasprings.org/mcr/index.html for more information on composting and check back here  for more information on where you can buy Anna’s book on composting.

And listen in to our interview with Eric Garland this week when he talks about where fuel prices are going to go, and what that will do to our economy, our culture and the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Join us Thursday, February 11th at 1pm PT/4pmET.  Go to our website for instructions on listening in.

And HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!  May lots of love come your direction.

XX

Pam

Sweet Swag Suites!

Anita Talbert

Hollywood columnist Anita Talbert is also the premiere producer of Hollywood Award Suites in Hollywood. She has produced a plethora of fabulous gifting suites for the stars prior to the top Hollywood Award shows including the Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmy’s. (all trademarked, of course!)

Ms Talbert’s 2009 Oscar-Valentine Suite was the top-rated suite in the city with the highest caliber of vendors, stars and media. Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas came last year as well as William Shatner and his wife and a host of other stars.  Stars who have attended her other suites include Marie Osmond, Javier Bardem, Paris Hilton and many, many more. We can’t say who, but a very famous star bought a $10,000 diamond bracelet in one of her suites!

This year Anita is producing the Oscar Suite of 100 Stars on February 25 at the posh Beverly Hills Hotel. This will provide vendors a rare opportunity to showcase their products, fashions and services to a huge attendance of stars and media, bigger than her last year’s suite.  Of course, we are going to be there!!

What’s great about the suites is that they allow vendors a one-on-one opportunity that would ordinarily cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars to meet the stars we read about, see on TV and in film and have them pose with them and their products. These photos can be used on websites, at consumer shows and any for any promotional purposes, just not for explicit advertising or endorsements.

It is very prestigious to have photos with the stars, to be able to say you were part of a major Oscar Gifting Suite to the stars and that you and your company were in Hollywood for the most exciting events in the world. To be a part of the Gift Suites is really a chance to take your business to the next level.

We talked with Anita and she told us that she still has a few vendor openings for people who think their products or services are unique, unusual or just must-have-able!

If you would like to participate as a vendor in the Oscar Suite of 100 Stars, please contact Anita at neets22@ca.rr.com. Her website is http://www.hollywoodawardsuites.com. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you and your business!! And… we might just see you there!

New Year – New You! Find Your Dream Job

Lose your job recently? Think you might be in the wrong job?  Wondering if perhaps you haven’t found the purpose and passion that you know is inside your soul?

Well then, I hope you tune in to A Closer Look this week because Career counselor and intuitive Sue Frederick guests! And we’ll be taking calls!  Sue has helped some of the biggest wigs on Wall Street find new career paths after the economic blow-up.  I bet she can help you and me!

Sue has been featured in People Magazine and quoted in the New York Times. “If your career has recently ended, now is the time to think out of the box about what you’ve come here to do. This is your great opportunity for reinvention.  In order to tap into the great abundance that still abounds on this planet, try these six steps.”

1.   Shut up! Quit telling your sad story to everyone. Take a deep breath and recognize the gift in this opportunity to reinvent yourself. It’s not the end of your world, it’s the beginning. Quiet the fear thinking and tap into your higher intuitive self where you’ll find guidance you can trust.

2.   Be grateful for this opportunity to reinvent, and be honest about how unhappy and off-path you’ve been. Make a list of the secret career dreams you’ve stuffed away because you’ve been so exhausted in your old career.

3.   Remember who you really are. Chances are good that you haven’t been living and working true to your authentic self and what you came here to do – or you wouldn’t have hit this bump in the road. Stop hiding. Claim your real talents and gifts and realign your work so that you’re making a living directly from those talents.

4.   Look around you at this new world and ask: What needs do I see in the world that inspire me to take action, think out of the box, and use my gifts to make a difference? (Whatever idea excites you most is a clue to your next career.)

5.   Stop asking: “Who do I think I am to try to a new career?” Start asking: “Who do I think I am to ignore the work I came here to do? Who do I think I am to ignore the gifts and talents I brought with me? Who do I think I am to ignore the purpose of my life story?”

6.   Surrender what you know. The new direction reveals itself only when you’re open and have let go of your old story. When you have a new idea, take one baby step at a time and surrender the outcome. The rest will unfold gracefully as long as you don’t get in the way.

Frederick’s books such as Dancing at Your Desk, and her career sessions and teleseminars, provide powerful tools that help people align their lives with their mission to find true success and abundance.

I hope you’ll catch the show this Thursday, January 7th at 1pm PT/4pm ET.

For more information, go to www.ACloserLookRadio.com

Jim Murray and the Future of Journalism

I admit I don’t know much about sports, but growing up I was a Dodger girl.  I never watched football (unless LSU played, because both my mother and father were alumni) and I never read Sports Illustrated.  And when the LA Times was dropped on the front porch every morning, there was a race amongst us kids to see who could get the funnies first.  If it wasn’t me (it never was), I would pull out the sports section and read the Jim Murray column.  Because you don’t have to love sports to love good writing.

Jim Murray passed away in 1998, but his iconic writing remains available through books and newsletters.  His widow, Linda McCoy Murray, created the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation 10 years ago to honor his legacy and to inspire and encourage young people to get involved in journalism. The Foundation has given away hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to college students across the United States since its inception.

We had the great fortune to have Linda join us on A Closer Look on August 20th.  She told us about Jim, his love of sports, his skill with language.  But Linda has her own sports background.  Having worked with the Indiana Pacers and during the start of the American Basketball Association, she gave us inside scoop on the early days.

Plus, we talked about the future of journalism. Will print go away?  How will media change to deal with new technology?  Will news ever fit into the “paid” model? How are young people gearing up for the future of journalism?

Linda is vivacious, smart and a whole lot of fun!  If you missed the interview, click here to go to the archive and catch the show.

Linda and I are also working together to create a symposium about the future of journalism that will include veteran journalists and Murray Scholars, and that will be covered on the radio show.

What do you think? Where IS the future of journalism?  Are you willing to pay for the news you get online?  Do you still want some of your news in print form? And if so, what type of news is that?  With the immediacy of broadcasting and internet reporting, will

long-form sports reporting go away?  Where will the future Jim Murray’s exhibit their work? Radio/television/newspaper/magazine/online … or??

Either comment for us here, or send us your comments at  news @ pamatherton .com

Till next time,

Pam

The Color of Dead People’s Eyes

You just never know what you are going to learn each day.  Like last Thursday… when CSI Director of Photography James L. Carter told us that after someone is dead a certain period of time, the color in their eyes fades away.  Consequently, actors have to wear contact lenses to give their eyes that “dead” look.

Who knew?

That’s not all he told us.  We found out the Brian DePalma that no one knows.  We found out how persistence is important, and how it paid off for him.  And we talked about how verrrrry cold those metal tables are in the morgue.

Here’s a link to the interview, if you missed it… and here’s a link to his Cinematography demo reels.  THESE you must watch!  James is up for an Emmy for CSI… and we’re hoping he takes home the statue.

Tomorrow I’ll be hosting Linda McCoy-Murray.  She’s the widow of Pulitzer-winning columnist Jim Murray, and a sports queen in her own right.  She also founded and is CEO of the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation… which has given thousands of dollars in scholarships for print journalists.  We’ll talk about the state of print journalism, women in sports, and the irrepressible Mamie Van Doren!  What??

I hope you’ll join us for the show.  It airs on Thursdays at 1pm PT/4pm ET and if you go to the show website, you just need to click the big red button to get to the right place.

We’re working on the schedule now for upcoming shows and I’m just about confirmed with the guy who teaches the FBI how to negotiate with hostage takers.  We’ve got the lovely Patricia Kennedy due up on September 10th, and many more surprises in store!

XX

P

Where have I BEEN?

I know, I’m asking myself the same thing!  I am going to studiously ignore my absence and just dig right in with a new post.

Last week Moonwalking Astronaut Buzz Aldrin was on the show!  And we asked questions that were supplied from YOU!  A big thank you to Jacque Whittle’s class in Shalimar, Florida for their questions.

(BTW, did you know that Buzz Aldrin just wrote a children’s book?  Yup, it’s called Look to the Stars.)

For more about Buzz, including his rap video, the video of Making the Rap video, articles from National Geographic from the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, and from 1969… go to www.ACloserLookRadio.com/aldrin.php.  You’ll also find a link to the interview that we did with Buzz.

Do you remember when we were filming Believe in Me in New Mexico?  Our Director of Photography was James L. Carter.  Well Mr. Carter has continued to express and impress.  He’s currently up for an Emmy for his work on CSI!  We’ll be having him on the show this week to talk about dark mood lighting, working with new actors and filming dead bodies!  And of course we’ll talk about working with animals (he did My Dog Skip), filming in fire (he did Ladder 49) and so much more.  Did you know he got his start working as a production assistant on Carrie???  This guy is full of history and a whole lot of fun!!

For more about James L. Carter, go here: www.ACloserLookRadio.com/carter.php.

Our schedule is just packed for the days ahead:

If you love sports, you’ll know the name Jim Murray.  He’s an icon in the world of sportswriting.  He passed away in 1998, but his work is still timely. The lady who knew him best, Linda McCoy-Murray, will be our guest on August 20th to talk about Jim, about sports in general, about the future of journalism and so much more.

We get quite serious on August 27th as our guest is documentary filmmaker Skye Fitzgerald.  His new film, Finding Face, is about how Cambodian women are disfigured with acid in acts of violence.  It’s an important issue and we are proud to bring it to our listeners.

September 10th we welcome back philanthropist Patricia Kennedy.  As the Founder of StepUp4Vets, she’s been working tirelessly to raise funds to help fill the gap of need for our returning servicemen and women. We’ll talk about the new projects she’s working on, and who she’s pinned lately with the PeaceOneEarth medal.

Plus, soon we’ll be debuting our Five Minute Shots… a new way to get information out to you when you just don’t have an hour to get the show.  We’ll talk about technology, law, health and business… and of course, bring you stories of human interest to inspire, inform and encourage.

Oh… and we’ve recently upgraded the website!  If you haven’t been in a while, we encourage you to visit.  Check out the archive and catch a show you may have missed!

Thanks for being a part of A Closer Look Radio… and thanks for listening!

XX

Pam

Producer Nicholas Worries about our Heavy Footprint

For decades, Southern California companies were responsible for dumping chemicals, including DDT, into the Pacific. Only in the year 2000 were they found liable for the destruction they had caused. Many coastal and island populations of wildlife had declined rapidly, some perilously close to extinction. The Catalina Bald Eagle is among those horror stories.

Read more about the positive work taking place to save Santa Catalina Bald Eagles http://www.catalinaconservancy.org/ecology/actions/eagles.cfm

I spent the weekend in Catalina in order to reinvigorate myself, and find some well deserved peace and quiet. I became acquainted with the conservancy efforts taking place on the island, and was overwhelmed by how fragile island environments are. I also realized how large of a footprint I leave, specifically, on the environment based on things I take for granted. I found a helpful article by Gabe Travers on simple steps to help save the environment.

“Going Green” doesn’t have to take a lot of time or a lot of money. Dr. Lissa Leege, who heads up Georgia Southern University’s sustainability programs, offers five easy ways to help save the environment and save money.

1. As each incandescent bulb burns out in your house or office, replace it with a compact fluorescent bulb. CFLs use one-fifth the energy of incandescents and last 10 times longer, allowing you to save 670 pounds of carbon dioxide and $55 over the life of a single 60-watt bulb equivalent.

2. Replace old shower heads in your home with new, lower-flow shower heads. By law, all shower heads are now required to release no more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute – a significant savings over the older five-gallons-per-minute models.

3. Choose water from the tap over bottled water. Eight of 10 plastic water bottles end up in crowded landfills, and the oil required to make a year’s supply of new bottles in the U.S. is enough to fuel 100,000 cars a year.

4. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. They are much sturdier than the film plastic bags and they’ll never end up as litter in a river!

5. Give someone a nice travel mug to carry to Starbucks. That will save 10 cents a cup, but better yet it will save landfill space and trees by not trashing 365 cups a year.

Let’s all do what we can to lighten our footprint.  Till next time…

Nick