Saturday, September 30, 2006

Homemade Hillbilly Jam

One of my most favoritest bands in the whole world is Big Smith. Named after the famous brand of overalls, Big Smith gave me more fun nights out than any other single entity of my college days, with the possible exception of my fraternity.

Anyway, a documentary filmmaker created a 80 min. movie detailing the family history of the men of Big Smith and it's titled, "Homemade Hillbilly Jam." It's a fantastic showing of the music and cultural influences handed down through generations in the Ozark Mountains.


This played for the first time Thursday night here in St. Louis, though it's been shown around the world in all sorts of film festivals. If you get a chance and if the show comes to your town, definitely check it out!

Homemade Hillbilly Jam

One of my most favoritest bands in the whole world is Big Smith. Named after the famous brand of overalls, Big Smith gave me more fun nights out than any other single entity of my college days, with the possible exception of my fraternity.

Anyway, a documentary filmmaker created a 80 min. movie detailing the family history of the men of Big Smith and it's titled, "Homemade Hillbilly Jam." It's a fantastic showing of the music and cultural influences handed down through generations in the Ozark Mountains.


This played for the first time Thursday night here in St. Louis, though it's been shown around the world in all sorts of film festivals. If you get a chance and if the show comes to your town, definitely check it out!

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Why I Would Buy Life Insurance from Tom Hanks

Forbes just came out with a list of the top 10 most trustworthy celebrities.

http://images.forbes.com/home/technology/2006/09/25/trust-celebrity-politicians-tech_cx_lr_06trust_0925celeb.html

Now, this is all complete bunk since none of us are actually buying things from celebrities (other than through endorsements and even then, not sure anyone on this list actually advertises for anything), but this is still sorta fun.

However, the first thing that struck me is the number of African Americans on the list. The underlying prejudice in America doesn't seem visible on this list.

Secondly, read this article! I think it gives such a fascinating look into why Tom Hanks would make a great used car salesman!

www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Big Pink Bunny

A few months ago, I told you about my friend, John O'Leary, and his nomination for the Energizer "It Keeps Going and Going and Going..." award. Well, he won!
Thanks to all the Engel's Ensights readers who took the time to go to John's site or to energizer.com to vote for my friend.
For more info on John, his story and the eight foot tall pink bunny that showed up on his lawn, check out:

www.rising-above.com

Potty Mouth

Last night, I had dinner with my buddy, Jordan.
Jordan is 17 and wise far beyond his years.
Our discussion revolved around profanity and he made a point I'd never really thought of.
"People don't realize that when they use profanity,
it sounds different to the person saying it than it does to the person hearing it."
He went on to say that when someone curses,
the words hit harder on the listener than the user may feel.
Hence, be careful with the language.

Now, admittedly, I have a pretty bad potty mouth.
However, Jordan made such a great point
that it's really going to cause me to think when choosing my words.

Monday, September 25, 2006

New Book Is Almost Here!

I'm currently in Florida and finishing up the last tweaks on the new medical book,
"The Other End Of The Stethoscope: 33 Insights For Excellent Patient Care."
Today, it went in the mail back to the printer and (cross your fingers), in three weeks the copies should arrive, just in time for the Oct. 27 book release event!

Also, thanks to all who have helped to promote the Oct. 27 event!
I appreciate all of your hard work and advocacy on my behalf!

Saturday, September 23, 2006

SAVE THE DATE!!

You, yes you, are invited!
Friday, October 27th, 7:30 p.m.
Edward D. Jones Auditorium
12555 Manchester
Saint Louis, MO 63131
(270 and Manchester)
The long-awaited book release event for the second edition of my autobiography,
"After This...An Inspirational Journey for All the Wrong Reasons."
But, since your old buddy Marcus is an overachiever, this will not only be the book release event for "After This..." but the book release event for my second work,
"The Other End of the Stethoscope: 33 Insights for Excellent Patient Care!"
On this night, yours truly will do a 45 minute lecture and guitar/vocals performance where I'll play many of the songs and musical influences that helped form these books. I would love it if you (yes, you!) can be there!

Maybe Joan Baez Had It Right

One of the most powerful songs on the original compilation from Woodstock 1969 was Joan Baez's song "Joe Hill." My apologies if this isn't the exact title and I'm not even sure if she's the one who wrote the tune. Anyway, it's a powerful song about the power that comes from organization. I.E., one person has a voice, but a group of people with the same message can make a lot more headway.

So, Thursday night, Baltimore Orioles fans proved this. Make no bones about it, the Orioles have sucked big time for the last decade or so. And fans are fed up with their birds not being contenders. So, nearly 1000 fans dressed alike and walked out of Thursday night's game at Camden Yard. And what did it do? It showed the rest of the MLB just how much they care and want their birds to win-but it was also to show O's ownership they're ready to pay higher ticket prices to see a winning team.

Can you imagine this site? 1000 fans, all dressed in black, exiting the stadium at once-wow! And yet, this week, two "world leaders" who spit out anti-American rhetoric visit NYC and the protest has a couple of dozen people show up. Does this speak to our sheer stupidity as Americans? Props to the O's fans for organizing themselves, and shame on the rest of us for being shown by baseball fans exactly how we should band together.


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Friday, September 22, 2006

More Ways To Get Marcus

*drum roll, please*

Introducing, the new and improved aspect of Engel's Ensights: the RSS! So, yeah, RSS is now easily available from your Marcus Engel blog. Download all the goodies and more easily keep up with the happenings in the world of Marcus, as well as the random musings that maybe, maybe just may make some sorta profound point!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Weirdos Like This Give People Like Me a Bad Name

The following is from an article from the Springfield, MO News Leader. I spent five great college years in Springfield and never once had any type of discrimination due to my Seeing Eye dog. However, people like this push the limits - and end up giving service animal owners (like moi) a bad name.
Care to debate this with me? I'd love to hear from someone who thinks this is even remotely acceptable. And further, what a stupid name for a monkey!

Woman's monkey barred from restaurants
News-Leader

A Springfield woman filed a complaint with the federal government Friday after the Springfield-Greene County Health Department declined to reverse a decision barring her from taking her monkey into businesses that serve or handle food.

see full article: http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006609160372

www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

More Info on Sara

Thanks to all who responded to yesterday's Marcus Engel Newsletter.

For those who want a link to Sara's web site, well, you're out of luck. As of the last time we spoke, she doesn't have one. However, I know she'd want to send you to the Holocaust Museum here in St. Louis. Here's the URL for that and, if you see her there, give her a hug for me!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Save the Date! Save the Date!

You, yes you, are invited!
Friday, October 27th, 7:30 p.m.
Edward D. Jones Auditorium
here in St. Louis at 270 and Manchester

The long-awaited book release event for the second edition of my autobiography,
"After This...An Inspirational Journey for All the Wrong Reasons."

But, since your old buddy Marcus is an overachiever, this will not only be the book release
event for "After This..." but the book release event for my second work,
"The Other End of the Stethoscope: 33 Insights for Excellent Patient Care!"

On this night, yours truly will do a 45 minute lecture and guitar/vocals performance where I'll play many of the songs and musical influences that helped form these books.
I would love it if you (yes, you!) can be there!

Eastern Washington University

Thanks to Eastern Washington University for hosting my keynote last night! I had a blast and I hope all the freshmen and Greeks got something positive from our time together! Thanks to Michelle Pingree for being such an awesome contact person, as well as for helping to supply a bunch of my books to the students! Extra special thanks goes to Asuris Northwest Health and Brady Cass for putting 100 books into the hands of EWU students! Thanks everyone! And good luck with the beginning of the 06-07 year!

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Grace

This morning, I flew out of Oakland and, even with arriving at the airport nearly 90 min. before the flight; I barely made it on the plane. Over 45 minutes was spent simply sitting in the lobby waiting for an assistant to come along and help me find the gate. I had plenty of time to kill, so it wasn't an issue until the last few minutes. The reason for such a delay was simply an overload of folks needing escorts. Next to me sat an elderly woman who knew less about flying than I know about what goes on inside the NSA headquarters (that's NSA as in National Security Administration, NOT National Speakers Association). Yet, those arranging escorts and "helpers" were so good to this woman – and all passengers for that matter. Slam packed, stressed out and completely swamped, they showed such grace under pressure. This is precisely what one wants to see in customer service and it's great to see it hand delivered to a customer in such need.

www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay...

I'm in the Bay area right now, hanging with my high school bud/college roommate, Ben. This is one of my favorite places on earth and I'm soaking up the San Fran flavor before heading up to Spokane, WA to speak tomorrow. Pardon my lack of blogs over the next few days, but I'm having too much fun to come up with anything all that profound at the moment!

Friday, September 15, 2006

FemiWhat?

I just heard a radio clip of Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem discussing their new radio talk show aimed at women. Steinem’s feminist literature has been much of the cornerstone of the entire feminist movement. While I'm never huge on militancy, I have to respect her drive and determination to create an equal society.

Now, in the radio clips I heard, Fonda stated how modern radio has left today's woman feeling overlooked. Today's women, do you feel that way? I'm asking because I am not one. However, if Fonda thinks this is so, and she claims her show will help change that "feeling."

Now, here's where it gets interesting – she claims her show will be accepted by women because it's radio and women can listen while they cook, sew and take care of their children. Folks, this is so off the wall I cannot possibly make it up! The first two items out of her mouth are the most degrading, stereotypical and infuriating roles that women have been lumped into throughout time! And this is a show to help women? Please! The Who said it best: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Save the Date! Save the Date!!

You, yes you, are invited!
Friday, October 27th, 7:30 p.m.
Edward D. Jones Auditorium
here in St. Louis at 270 and Manchester

The long-awaited book release event for the second edition of my autobiography,
"After This...An Inspirational Journey for All the Wrong Reasons."

But, since your old buddy Marcus is an overachiever, this will not only be the book release event for "After This..." but the book release event for my second work,
"The Other End of the Stethoscope: 33 Insights for Excellent Patient Care!"

On this night, yours truly will do a 45 minute lecture and guitar/vocals performance where I'll play many of the songs and musical influences that helped form these books.I would love it if you (yes, you!) can be there!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Look for the Signs

On a day when the school shooting in Canada tops the media, here in St. Louis, we also had an incident involving students and guns. At a local high school, Westminster Christian Academy, a suicidal teenager brought a gun to school. The police were called in, the gun was waved in such a manner to threaten the officers and the student was shot in the leg.

If the student was truly suicidal...did no one see this coming? I had the honor of speaking to the students at Westminster around two years ago. This is a top-notch facility. Private, clean, well-behaved students, crime free, the whole nine yards. With such a positive environment, how did no one notice this suicidal teen?

In almost every case of suicide, afterward, friends say they did, in retrospect, see some signs – but they didn't know what the signs were nor how to deal with them. All I can hope is that we all take a little further time to learn to be cognizant of the actions of others.


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

GRIDIRON!

Happy days are here again, now that college and pro football are back in season! After watching the UT vs. Ohio State game on Sat. night, then the STL Rams vs. Denver yesterday, it's official: fall is here!

Monday, September 11, 2006

This is not happening...

Five years ago today, I was sitting on my couch, listening to Steve Earl's "Guitar Town" and teaching myself to play the tune on my 12 string Taylor guitar. Then, I got the call. I didn't think what I was hearing could possibly be right, so I ran downstairs and flipped on the TV, only to hear Peter Jennings describe the scene as the second tower fell. And I thought again, "This is not happening..." but it was.

Through all the memorials and news stories of today, take a few moments to just sit and think and remember the exact moment you heard the news. And how sick you felt. And how scared you were. And never, ever forget that that could happen again.

www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Friday, September 08, 2006

Hair Products

So, today I had my hair cut and styled by my favorite stylist, Becca. Ever since I left behind the days of haircuts being done by one of my buds with a trimmer in the garage, I've gone to Becca. So, who cares, right? Well, I do, obviously, but today, she said something that made me smile.

See, I first went to Becca about a year ago. I asked her what product was designed for a wafro like mine. I took her suggestion and have been sold on this product ever since. So, today, I thanked her for that recommendation and told her, "That is the best stuff I've ever used!" She was so happy I told her and said, "Thanks for letting me know that! It's always so great to hear that something I suggested works well!" Becca's appreciation for my recognition of her recommendation was such a genuine reaction. I love genuine reactions! So, take some time to thank those who've helped you or have given you suggestions – you might just make their day!


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Misguided Defense

This week, there was a hefty civil settlement awarded to a female employee of a college. The female employee sued the school for failing to protect her from a security officer who repeatedly sexually harassed her and, in what sounds like one of the scariest things I've heard lately, aimed an unloaded gun at her head and slowly pulled the trigger. An awful situation and one where the officer in question should (and was) dismissed from his duties.

Now, the oddity of this situation is this: the college is a public institution. As a public institution, it is funded by the tax dollars of you and I. So, during the trial, the college's representative pled to the court NOT to award the settlement because it'd drive up the cost for taxpayers. Beg pardon? Uh, can we discuss the issue at hand?

This is one of the major factors in why the settlement was reached. And, when the college made such a stupid move, they deserve to be punished financially.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves: not focusing on the issue at hand. If an individual smokes in bed and the house catches fire, that individual does NOT have the right to complain that the landlord should have had a sprinkler system installed. Unfortunately, we see this all too often. Don't be that guy...or that college!


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Lost Dogs and Terror

In the four years I've had Carson, there have been at least two instances when he's turned into a "real" dog; I.E., he's forgotten that he's a well trained Seeing Eye dog and acted like a normal, happy-go-lucky lab. Twice in recent memory, he's found a path to the outside world and went exploring – he didn't get very far since he felt the need to stop and sniff everything, but for the few moments from realization to his safe return, my heart simply stopped.

So, I'm in Florida right now and streamed in my favorite STL radio station on the ol' laptop. First thing I hear is an unfamiliar voice. Normally at this time of day, the airways of 97.1 FM are filled with the rantings of Laura Ingram; a young, conservative, dynamic radio host out of D.C. However, there's some odd dude sitting in her place. Why? Because her yellow lab, Troy, pulled Carson's disappearing trick.

First off, right now, I feel for the girl. Second, how cool is it that that Laura called in to work, took the day off and is now combing the neighborhood looking for her pup? We're not talking a normal job here – we're talking national media which bends the ear of millions of Americans. To put that responsibility on the backburner to search out her dog shows her absolute love and commitment to her pet. Best of luck in your search, Laura!


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Speaker's U

Today, I spoke with an aspiring speaker. As she looked for tips and pointers about this biz, I suggested she attend the Speaker's University conducted by my chapter of the National Speakers Association here in St. Louis. This is an all day event on Oct. 14 that will help emerging speakers get the vital info they need; not to mention helping non-aspiring speakers to hone their presentation skills. These events have been priceless for my business and, if you're local and would like to attend, please view:

www.nsastlouis.org

for more information. Hope to see you there!

Monday, September 04, 2006

Seeing Something Different

"This dude is nuts," I thought, sitting in front of the TV in the living room of my Kappa Sigma fraternity house. It was the late 90s and I was watching, for the first time, "The Crocodile Hunter." Ain't no sane person going to go play with venomous snakes and scorpions and the like. Yet, here was this Aussie doing just that. And, even more strange, he was doing it with so much enthusiasm - cautious, but not fearful.

As I watched the show, it started to become all too apparent that Steve Irwin was a one-of-a-kind. Why? Because he plays with crocs and dangerous animals? Yeah, but more than that, because he sees things (namely dangerous creatures) from a totally different angle. You and I would possibly see a diamondback rattler in the wild and head for the hills. Not the croc hunter! He'll walk up, be sure he's safe, then point out the beautiful markings on the snake's back, the intricacy of the placement of the rattles, the powerful muscle form under the snake's smooth skin, all types of things that ARE beautiful, but that are overshadowed by the one thing snakes are known for: danger!

Well, Steve met his match this morning in a freak accident in Australia. As you might expect, he died doing what he loved - exploring and documenting wildlife, no matter the danger involved. We should all be so lucky to pass in such a way.


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Little Miss Sunshine

Have you seen "Little Miss Sunshine"? No? Then get yourself to the theater ASAP!

Yesterday, I sat through a Saturday matinee to watch this new flick. It was the first time I'd sat in a commercial movie theater since Pacino in "Insomnia" in 02. Generally, I have way too little attention to dedicate 120 minutes of my life to a movie, but something just told me I had to go see this show (yes, it was a girl).

Anyway, here's the scoop: a dysfunctional family travels cross country in a junky VW bus to take the youngest child, Olive, to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California. In addition to being the cutest kid since Olivia on "The Cosby Show", Olive is the kind of kid we can all learn from. In fact, everyone in the fam teaches some sort of lesson. Wait! Did I say they're dysfunctional? Yes... and they are! But, by the end of the movie, their dysfunction turns to function. Not in some happy ending sorta way, but in a manner where they realize that life goes on, dysfunction or not.

While this flick is a bit of a copy of the classic Lampoon's "Vacation", it's still definitely worth your hard earned $8. And, if you've seen it, drop a comment - I'd love to know what you thought of it!


www.marcusengel.com
www.myspace.com/marcusengel

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Book of the Month

Several weeks ago, I linked my blog to the web site of J.T. Chandler, a gentleman located in CO who seems to have a very similar view of life. Well, after checking over his site and being impressed with his content, I sent him a copy of my book. We made contact because J.T. wanted to feature an article I'd written. Thus, reciprocation!

Now, I just learned that my autobiography, After This...
has been named as the book of the month.
Visit:
www.jtchandler.com

to learn more!
Thanks, J.T.!

Friday, September 01, 2006

USDA Earth Team Volunteer Program

Thanks to the folks at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Earth Team Volunteer Program conf. yesterday! You guys were so much fun! It's been a long time since I've had that much fun with an audience and I hope the rest of the conference went as well! Special thanks to Sarah Szachnieski for being such a great contact person through this whole process!