How MySpace Makes Me Literate

Yesterday, I got a message through MySpace from an old fraternity brother from college. Other than answering his message, I took a look at his profile. Scott is a highly intelligent guy, so when I took a look at his list of fav reads, I got some ideas. I took down two or three titles that sounded like they'd be right up my alley and they have been added to my "to read" list; something that grows longer by the day!
Earlier today, Ii was looking around for some other old friends from college and came across another list of favorite books, this time, though, they were from a girl I used to camp with. When two or three of her favs matched with my taste, I wrote every other title down that I haven't already read. Thus, with two quick views of profiles, I have nearly a dozen new titles to check out. Who'd have thought a web site that wastes so much time could, in fact, end up making all off us smarter?

Tired Kids

In an effort to get to know my soon-to-be-new home, I spent some time watching an Orange Co, FL town hall meeting on local TV. The mayor of Orlando(sorry, haven't learned his name yet) made a comment about the crime in O-Town. As we all know, juevenile crime is usually rooted in boredom-if there's nothing to do, kids will find some trouble to get into. Thus, the mayor is a proponent of after school programs, midnight basketball leagues, those sorts of youth-aimed activities that have proven successful in other parts of the country. The mayor brought it a bit closer to home by saying that when he was a kid, his mother had a montra: A tired boy is a good boy.
So, being human, I immediately thought of myself. I am NOT a good boy when I'm tired. Iin fact, I'm pretty much a grade A jerk when fatigue starts to set in. I guess I'm sorta like an infant in that way! But, his point is well-taken: give kids stuff to do, they'll keep their noses clean.

Link to Yesterday's Newsletter

If you read my newsletter about the "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes" program put on by Saginaw Valley State University, you may be one of the folks who commented on what a great idea they had. Well, it's a great program, but the walk is really the brainchild of another. You can find out about the history and hosting one of these events at:

www.walkamileinhershoes.com

Do Killers Read Billboards?

In Newark, NJ, the teacher's union has put up billboards reading, "Stop the Killing!" after 2006 saw a record 106 murders. Businesses in Newark have complained that the adverts are driving away business. Frankly, if I were speaking in Newark, I doubt I'd want to be a guest of a hotel with such a sign on the property...would you? Second thing that struck me is this: Why is a teacher's union spending $$$ on billboards which aren't(I assume) real effective in persuading a gangbanger from pulling the trigger? Don't teachers' unions have more important things to purchase than advertising space? And when is a potential murderer going to be heading out to do a killin' and say, "Ya know, that billboard is right! I don't think I'll blow Johnny away after all!"
This whole concept is just stupid. Am I the only one who thinks this is a prime example of morons who control the purse strings?

Disability 411

A few weeks ago, I posted a link to an interview I'd done with Ron Graham, the administrator of Access Ability blog. That podcast has now been edited and passed along to the Disability 411 blog and podcast and can be found at:

38_Disability411_MarcusEngel

for more info on Disability 411, visit:
Disability411 Podcast - http://disability411.jinkle.com/

for more info on Ron's work, visit:
http://www2.blogger.com/profile/09183453197257493485

Enjoy!

The Nicest Home in the Projects

Last night, I got sucked into one of those lame plastic surgery medical shows. Only this time, it wasn't being done on some anonymous housewife from the 'burbs, but on a quazi-celebrity. Remember The Apprentice and the girl, Omarosa?(Yes, I reallize I spelled this horribly...well, actually, it might bbe right since I can barely pronounce her name, much less spell it). Anyway, she was the villian on The Apprentice and was known for her 'tude. Not only was the ex-Apprentice star going under the knife, but she was going in with her mother who, too, would be privvy to the sharpthings docs use. Now, as on all good medical plastic surgery shows, the producer tries to make you feel kinda sorry for the person going under the knife. Makes sense, otherwise we'd just always remember this chick as the nasty mean girl! So, the producer has the two beauties-to-be talk about their lives together. One thing Omarosa said that struck me was when she talked of her childhood. Her father was violently killed when she was young and her mom moved the kids to the projects, worked two or three jobs and did everything she could to help the family survive. Omarosa said(and I paraphrase), "We lived in the hood, but we weren't 'the hood.' Mom showed us that we could live in a place, but we didn't have to have the mindset of that place. So, we had the cleanest house and the best yard of anyone else in the projects."
Friends, the "villian" shows a little character here, doesn't she? We all have environments that are tough to get out of, but environment doesn't equate to where one is in his/her mind.

Confessions of a Theta

Recently, there's been a story in the news about a sorority at DePauw University in Indiana. This article from a writer with the Chicago Tribune sums up my feelings exactly. If you're not familiar with this story, I trust the author will give you the high points. Props to Angela (the writer) for such a great article and mindset!


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-070317theta-perspective,1,1699704.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed

Bacchus Area #7 Conference

Just returned from the Bacchus Area #7 Conference held at Saginaw Valley State University. It's been a few years since I've been to the land of Wolverines, auto production and the hated Detroit Red Wings... but, with as great of a time as I had at SVSU, I might switch hockey allegiance (okay, not really, but it WAS a great time!)...

Special thanks to Tony Thompson for the opportunity to present to such a great group of students. Also thanks to my new friends from Notre Dame and Western Kentucky University! It was great having dinner with you guys!

If you're a college student in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky, please consider getting involved with Bacchus and especially the area #7... you'll surely find a quality group when working with these folks!

New Press Release!

If you've read my autobiography, "After This...", you may remember the scene where I met Ron, a student at the Seeing Eye, Inc. while I was training with Dasher. Ron and I soon learned we had lost our sight in two separate car wrecks - but wrecks that took place on the same night, 2000 miles away from one another. Well, as we've stayed close over the years, our careers have similar tracks. A press release was released recently that discusses what we individually do, and you can find it at:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/03/prweb513138.htm

Showing Drunk People to Kids

I caught just a few minutes of The O'Reilly Factor tonight, but those moments gave me a lot of food for thought. Dennis Miller was Bill's guest and the topic of discussion was the wildness and orgies and intoxication of college spring break. Keep in mind their discussion was littered with pics of scantily clad co-eds doing beer bongs and shots. Miller said he took his 16 year old to Austin, TX for the kid's high school spring break. Not to let the son get drunk, but in order to expose him to alcohol consumption. My first question was that he took him to Austin-a kick butt city, yes, but not exactly the hot spot for college students nationwide to travel to for their own spring break. So, Miller took the kid into throngs of drunks all partying it up. At first I was a little appalled, but his logic made good sense.(I paraphrase here), "In two years, my son will be going on spring break himself. I want him to see this through sober eyes and when I may still have a little inffluence over him."
Wow. Just wow! Think about it-most people who saw spring break forthe first time did it with beer goggles wrapped around their eyes. But Miller's son got to see the drunken craziness through the eyes of a 16 year old sober kid-a kid who had the protection of a parent nearby. And that's gotta make some sort of impression. There aren't too many people who would walk onto Bourbon Street for the first time, sober as a judge, and see partiers with piss and vomit all over their clothes and think, "Wow! I want to do that!" Same story for people having to do the "half-carry" of their pals down the street. Drunks, when seen through sober eyes, are really, really pathetic. And, while upon first hearing, I thought Miller's idea wasn't so hot, when it all sank in, I think the man gave his kid a lesson he couldn't have gotten anywhere else.

I've Sunk To A New Low

Tonight, I watched American Idol. Not only do I hate reality TV, I loathe American Idol. Do I sound harsh? Let me explain... See, I find it really sad that most Americans can't name their senators, but they spend hours every week chit chatting with their co-workers about how drunk Paula Abdul was. I mean, which is more important-trying to understand the basics of important things(i.e., world politics, the struggle between Islamic extremists and the modern world, the state of the economy, etc.) or how off-pitch some yahoo from Milwaukee was on last night's episode. Yes, I realize this makes me a snob. I don't care. Friends have told me they love Idol because every person on there has the chance to realize his/her dream! Fair enough...except that many of the contestants are already realizing their dream of being a pro vocalist. True, they may not be selling out stadiums for solo shows, but they aren't exactly like your local bus driver who happens to have a great voice and gets a chance to show off. And really, I think the main reason so many people love this show isn't the singers at all...but because Simon is such a harsh, critical jerk. When someone sucks, he has no problem saying, "You suck!" Granted, if someone wants to go on national television and play the fool, who am I to complain?
So, why did I watch tonight? Well, my future sister in law is a performer. One of her backup singers happens to be in the finals. Figured this was as good of time as any to lose my Idol virginity. And I did. And it was moderately entertaining...but now I'm off to counteract the damage that reality TV has done...anyone know where I can get a Wall Street Journal?

Nova Southeastern

Thanks to Nova Southeastern University for hosting me this evening! As if I need any more of a reason to come to Fort Lauderdale, you guys were a great group to hang out with! Special thanks to Arlene Giczkowski for being such a great client, for taking such an active interest in awareness and for being so ambitious to take on such a big week of events! Thanks to all who hung around and asked questions-feel free to shoot any more my way via E mail or MySpace! And, who'd have thunk I'd get to meet Miss America in the audience?! Will the benefits of this job never cease?!

What Are You? A Communist?

A couple of days ago, I was introduced to the friend of a friend. This was totally social, so I was just being my normal, potentially obnoxious self. Okay, not reallly, but I DO sometimes like to be a bit edgey when I meet new folks in social situations. This was no exception!
Upon our intro, the friend of my friend blurted out, "I don't like your dog!" To which I replied, "Good thing he's my dog and not yours then, eh?" Said person follows it up about how she used to like dogs, but then she got bit and now she's afraid of all dogs. I kinda sorta get this, but I still asked, "You don't like dogs? What are you? A Communist?" Why? Because I don't trust people who don't like dogs. I can understand being wary of strange dogs from events in one's past, but to just flat out not like dogs? Yeah, I don't trust those people.
So, as I thought about this, I was thinking about the ways I've been hurt in the past. My sight was taken by a 29 year old white male. Do I therefore steer clear of 29 year old caucasian men? No. Mainly because this woulda been pretty hard three years back when I -WAS- a 29 year old white male. And then there's that girl who broke my heart when I was a freshman in high school. Due to the emotional torment, do I now steer away from women? Hmm, why don't we ask my fiance? And then there was the businessman who bilked me out of several thousand dollars when I was just beginning my speaking career. Do I stay away from businessmen in the industry due to that one dude? Hardly since, well, I AM a businessman in the speakers' world.
Again, if someone has a traumatic experience in the past, I can understand being wary of letting oneself get hurt again. But to categorize anything, anyone, any dog...well, it ranks right up there with communism: good in theory, bad in practice.

Irish

Okay, I'm not Irish. Not even close. I do, however, love the Pogues! And U2. And the goofy albums of Irish drinking songs! But tomorrow, everyone who can possibly be Irish will be celebrating St. Pat's. Including me. Irish culture goes hand in hand with strong drink. And in America, our dependence on transportation in private vehicles is as intertwined as Guiness and Bass Ale. Enjoy the festivities, but please be careful out there. If you're smart, you won't need the luck of the Irish to get home in one piece-just a little planning.

Bye Bye Mr. Hyde!

Some libraries around the country are taking the classics and, well, putting them on the B list. Fox News reported tonight from a library in Buffalo, NY that is shuffling their inventory of books around to keep their selections current. Thus, if any book hasn't been checked out in two years, they'll place that book in a separate storage area so as to make way for more popular reads.
Granted, I'm a businessman, so I often think about supply and demand, but one of the reasons great classic novels are being put in the back room is to make room for computer corrals. I'm kinda torn over this-I love the idea that anyone and everyone can have access to the net if they so choose, especially those who cannot afford their own machine and internet access. Therefore, the library is meeting the needs of those citizens...and, isn't this the sorta thing we pay taxes for?
But it just makes me sad that the great classics of the English language are seen as archaic and not worth the time of the public. This year, I'm keeping track of every book I read. Why? BBecause there is just so so so much great lit out there that I want to see what I've been skipping. And, if Mr. Hyde and his pal, Dr. Jekyll, aren't on that list? Well, there'd at least better be some Hemingway. Or Faulkner. Or Steinbeck. Or Dickinson. I hope there'll bbe some of the greats on your list, too.

Communication Skills from Cooter

When I was in high school, I held a job as a bona fide grease monkey. The Texaco along I-70 an hour outside of St. Louis was where I spent some of the hottest, dirtiest and funnest days of my teenage years. Being a service station in rural America, we saw everyone, Deadheads to church buses, farmers on John Deeres to mid-life crisis husbands in Lambroughinis and everything else under the sun. In the 18 months I worked at this location, I had the "privledge" to call the Highway Patrol no less than three times, too. Never a dull moment at the ol' station with the star!
So, being an old veteran of service stations, I was nostalgic when we were in a Tuffy automotive in Orlando today. The whole feel of aged grease on the floor combined with the clatter of air guns and lug nuts made me want to grab a case of 10W-40 and get to work!
However, as we waited for our car to be checked over, I witnessed one thing I did NOT want to experience again-idiotic customers. Picture this: a woman who seemed well into her 40s, talking with her husband on speaker phone. At her feet is a toddler who is being scolded for having bare feet on the lobby floor. As she explained to her husband(loudly I might add) how the car had started acting funny while she was running out for cigarettes, everyone in the lobbby could tell this was soon going to get ugly. After she ranted to her hubby about how she didn't have any diapers and the baby had (and I quote) "a poopy diaper", the mechanic working the desk started to explain to her what the probblem with the car was. The thing is, she wanted to hear none of it-all she could do was raise her voice and reitterate how every part in that car had just been replaced, they were all new, it shouldn't have probblems. The guy running the counter was an absolute master of communication. He let her spit her venom about how angry she was, justified her feelings by saying, "Right, right..." and nodding at whatever she said. Then, he simply explained to her something that is hard for folks to understand when they have no knowledge of cars-yet he did it in such a way I wish I would have known this when I had my hands on tires all day. He simply said, "Ma'am, you had parts replaced on your car. This is like if you go to the doctor for a cold and the doctor gives you medicine. If you wake up the next day with appendicitis, it had nothing to do with your cold. Same thing here. The new parts will cure the problems you were having, but this is a whole new problem." And, believe it or not, that shut her up...well, sorta. She still had to carry on for a while about how she needed a ride home, how the baby had a poopy diaper and how she needed to get her cigarettes out of the car. All the while, the mechanic at the desk was professional, articulate and, even though he had every right NOT to be, he was polite and courteous.
Speaking from experience, myself included, mechanics aren't generally known for their communication skills. And yet? Even though she'll never know just what a quality employee this guy is, the rest of us sitting in that lobby are now sold customers.

Old School

A couple of days ago, I received a message via my MySpace account (www.myspace.com/marcusengel) from Lindsay Capobianco, a teacher at my alma mater, Montgomery County R-II High School. She and another teacher, Julie Cobb-Ellis are using my book, After This..., as required reading for their classes. Apparently, the students are digging it and, if teenagers are purposefully trying to read my book, that is about the biggest compliment I can receive! I'd just like to publically thank Mrs. Ellis-Cobb and Ms. Capobianco for believing my words have relevance to the lives of their students. As always, whether you're a student in one of these classes or anyone else, I love to get feedback from readers! Drop a note to:

marcus@marcusengel.com

An Unefficiant Emotion

If you're a fan of mysteries, the CSI type, check out Jeffrey Deavers. If you've seen the major motion pic, "The Bone Collector" with Denzel Washington and she who has adopted half of Africa, then you've seen Deavers' work. His Lincoln Rhyme series features a quadraplegic detective, conveniently named Lincoln Rhyme, who is an expert in forensics. Due to Rhyme's disability, he has to explain all he knows to his rookie detectives which is quite helpful if you happen not to be an expert in forensics!
Anywho, currently reading the latest Rhyme novel, "The Cold Moon." In this book, I was struck by one of the murdering characters, a figure known as "The Watchmaker." Said Watchmaker is meticulous, exact and deadly-exactly what you want in a good murder character! Today, as the police were about to catch The Watchmaker, he was puzzled by how they had found him out-but he did not get angry. To a person with such a mind for details, he knew getting angry accomplishes nothing. I love his quote, "Anger is an inefficiant emotion." He's right. And, even though we know that on an intellectual level, it's tough to control. Even though this character may be on the way to murdering bunches of people, I've gotta give him some props for giving me a little something to think about!

Renaissance Financial

On Friday, March 9, I was invited to present a keynote for the employees of Renaissance Financial in St. Louis. You guys were an awesome bunch of folks to work with and I can't thank you enough for your interest-even after a long, LONG day of speakers and information! Special thanks to Greg Keller, Tim Walkenhorst, Carrie Serra and Shannon Kuhlman for helping to make everything run so smoothly! Also, special thanks to Renaissance Financial itself for purchasing mass quantities of my books to distribute to employees and clients!

Thanks again!

Thanks, Karyn!

When I was fresh out of college and just starting into this speaking thing, there was a speaker in my NSA St. Louis chapter who'd just received her Certified Speaking Professional designation. Karyn Buxman was larger than life to my newbie self. Now, several years later, Karyn is helping me get my feet more firmly planted into the realms of health care. I had a phone convo with her yesterday in which she gave me pearls of wisdom from a veteran, tried and true standpoint. For those bits of knowledge, I want to publically thank her and provide my readers with her web site:

www.humorx.com

Karyn is an R.N. and a fabulous, fabulous speaker. Her topics and information can be found on her site, and for my dollar, she's one of the funniest humorists out there! Check her out...and thanks, Karyn!