Personal Ramblings - Nostalgia - The Bronx - Freedomland 1963

I went here as a kid........

Thought For Day - Old Stories

"Don't let your old "stories" prevent you from creating new ones"


Tony Estigoy

Thought For Day - Pessimist Don't Blaze New Paths

"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to uncharted land or opened a new heaven to the human spirit."

Helen Keller

Thought For Day - Being Happy is a Habit

"Being miserable is a habit. Being happy is a habit. The choice is yours."


Tom Hopkins

Personal Ramblings - A Write Up

A friend and line producer Michael Mandaville posted this on his website www.citizensoldierhandbook.com. to share my website with his readers. Appreciated. Thanks Michael.....



A friend of mine, John Duffy, set out various goals for himself and has accomplished quite a few over the years in the challenging Film Industry. His site, GlassThreeQuartersFull, is a fine example of optimism spreading on the internet, not only as a testament to his determination to guide his own Emotional state toward a Positive Outcome but help others along the way. He uses music, quotes, ideas and thought. Check it out. Here are three quotes from his site.

'What's the difference between a hero and a coward? They were both scared to death. It's just one stepped forward and one stepped back. Deal with it. Work it out and move on." Lionel Richie

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." Lance Armstrong

"A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle. " Kahlil Gibran

Personal Ramblings - Check out Friend's Book - Citizen-Soldier

Check out a friend and fellow line producer Michael Mandaville's book "Citizen-Soldier"and website


http://www.citizensoldierhandbook.com/

http://url4t.com/YC1

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos # 2 -Wings to Fly

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos # 1 - I Believe in You

Saturday's Motivational Video - Leadership

General Colin Powell grew up in my neighborhood Mott Haven in the South Bronx.....

Thought For Day - Flexibility

"You need to have more flexibility in coming up with solutions than your clients have in coming up with problems."

Steve Linder

i would add you need to have more flexibility in coming up with solutions than your kids, family, associates or life has in coming up with problems.....

John Duffy

Thought For Day - Do You See What You Believe?

"Do you see what you believe or do you believe what you see?"

Sidney Baker, MD

This is a quote that should make you really think. Most people see what they believe most of the time, It's true in medicine and it's true in politics and it's true in life. It's hard and takes work to challenge yourself to break free from your filter of beliefs and see what is there. How often do we acknowledge we have assumptions and beliefs about most things. How often do we take the time to consider all the alternative ideas and beliefs on a subject and what experiences leads people to hold them.

An example is vaccinations. Either you're for them or against them but have you really tried to understand the other side, Could if be possible that both sides have some valuable ideas and maybe the truth is in the middle or maybe 75% of one side and 25% of the other? Or maybe your view or side is mainly right but you can appreciate the humanity and good intentions of most of the people on the other side if not all.

Try looking at things from different perspectives, from a distance, from the future or from the past point of view. Question authority and assumptions even or maybe especially yours.

And try to remember the humanity of people with different life experiences and points of view. And consider the slim possibility that maybe you're not right about everything all the time. I know it's hard to go there when you believe you are never wrong but what if you are and were. Hmmmmm

John Duffy

Life Management Tool

Here is a Life Management Tool I adapted from a few people and use daily. It is numbered in the order of the priorities in my life. Feel free to adapt it and re-prioritize based on your life. Hope it is useful.....

Thought For Day - No Time

One of the biggest excuses people make for not doing something is "they don't have enough time".

We do what is important to us.

Did you forget to eat yesterday? Did you forget to sleep yesterday? Did you forget to go to the....?

No I bet you didn't. And I bet you didn't forget to watch TV. Did you? But did you forget to workout or read a book that will improve your skills or offer you new opportunities? Hmmm I know , You don't have the time.

I think you know what you have to do. The question is will you do it. Are you a will do or a will not?

Cmon time to make it happen......

John Duffy

Thought For Day - Get Some Bones

"To succeed in life, you need 3 things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone."

Reba McEntire

Thought For Day - Deal with Today

"What happened yesterday was yesterday and what's gonna happen today is gonna be today.If you can just get that in your head, then the rest you can deal with."

Lionel Richie

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos # 2 - People Who Died

Rest in Peace Jim Carroll

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos # 1 - Catholic Boy

I read Jim Carroll's book "Basketball Diaries" when it came out in the 70's and I was in my 20's. I related to parts of growing up in an Irish-American family and going to Catholic schools. It was a powerful book that I turned a few friends on to at the time.
RIP James Carroll

Saturday's Motivational Video - The Big Questions

I met W Mitchell at a Tony Robbins seminar in Maui 17 years ago. Meeting him put all the challenges I was going through in perspective. Never again would I complain or whine about any problems or difficulties I faced. My new belief would get tested many times since that day but I would never forget W Mitchell. He became a model for me of what is possible.

Thought For Day - Heroes and Cowards

'What's the difference between a hero and a coward? They were both scared to death. It's just one stepped forward and one stepped back. Deal with it. Work it out and move on."

Lionel Richie

Thought For Day - Never Quit

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."

Lance Armstrong

Thought For Day - Act

"A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle. "

Kahlil Gibran

Thought For Day - Don't Let Them Bring You Down

" If you can't take a person up with you, don't let them bring you down with them!"

Les Brown

Thought For Day - Will and Will-Nots

"Life is not about the haves and the have-nots, but about the wills and the will-nots.

What are you willing to do that you haven't done in the past? What step are you willing to take that others aren't taking? It's rarely about "can you?" and almost always about "will you?""

Larry Winget

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos # 2 - Push It to the Limit

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos # 1 - American Dream

Saturday's Motivational Video - Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire

Don't Back Down

Sept 11 2001 - Never Forget - 8 Years Ago

Sept 11, 2001, My city, New York and my country, America was attacked by Islamic Terrorist. 2,974 innocent people lost their lives that day. I took it personal as I believe many of us did. It changed me profoundly forever. I came back to New York City and visited Ground Zero that December and I felt the incredible loss and pain but also saw the strength and resilience of my fellow New Yorkers and fellow Americans. Hard to believe it has been eight years ago......

I will never forget and hope we always remember....

I will participate in a walk and rememberance today in Los Angeles to honor and remember all those lost and fallen heroes of Sept 11, 2001

Tribute to all the victims of 9/11

Sept 11 2001 - 102 Minutes That Changed America - 8 Years Ago

102 Minutes That Changed America airs Sept. 11 at 8pm/7C History Channel
Watch it.....

Thought For Day - Not Everyman Lives

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives"

William Wallace

Thought For Day - One Moment That Changes Your Life

"Most successful people can identify one minute, one moment, where their lives changed, and it usually occurred in times of adversity."

Anonymous - Thanks to H-Pileci

I remember the moment that changed my life. Do you have a moment like that?

Thought For Day - Courage to Ask

"You get in life what you have the courage to ask for"

Oprah Winfrey

Thought For Day - Constant and Never Ending Improvement

"Make it so today is not like yesterday, and tomorrow will be different forever"

Tony Robbins

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos 2009 # 2 -Piece of My Heart

Lt Dan Band

Sunday's Eclectic Music Videos # 1 - Life Is Beautiful

Personal Ramblings - Different Paths, Different Stories

What does a young woman raised in California and the daughter of a religious cult leader, a young woman raised under the Orwellian communist regime of Bulgaria, a young woman raised on the wrong side of the tracks in the Deep South, a man raised in the Brownsville projects of Brooklyn New York, a homeless man living on the streets of New York, an American ex-communist and an Irish man living in New York have in common?

For one thing they all have written memoirs about their unique lives that I am planning on reading this month. I've all ways been fascinated by stories of peoples lives whether in books or movies that expand my understanding of their world. Life and humans are so varied and yet have so much in common. I learn to appreciate our common humanity rather than our differences.

This year as I have been pursuing writing a memoir I have been reading as many memoirs that I can. I have read over a dozen already.
I have my own unique story to tell and struggle to capture it. And I also read and read and read. The books I intend to read in the next month are the following:

Prophet's Daughter - Erin Prophet
Street Without a Name - Kapka Kassabova
The Cracker Queen - Lauretta Hannon
City Kid - Nelson George
Land of the Lost Souls - Cadillac Man
Commies -Ronald Radosh
A Long Stones Throw - Alphie McCourt

Saturday's Motivational Video - Success Is Easy

Thought For Day - Start Today

"A year from now you will wish you had started today."

Karen Lamb

Thanks to Loren Slocum

Personal Ramblings - 2009 Film Festivals / Markets /Events

I'll be attending a few film festivals / markets and events in the next few months. Here is some info on them:

LA irish Film Festival Sept 23-27

http://www.lairishfilm.com/

G.I. Film Festival Road Show Sept 26

http://www.gifilmfestival.com/losangeles

Showbiz Expo Oct 17

http://www.theshowbizexpo.com/

AFI Fest Oct 30 -Nov7

http://www.ifta-online.org/afm/afifest_alliance.asp

American Film Market Nov 4-11

http://www.ifta-online.org/afm/about.asp

Thought For Day - Share Your Gifts

"Some things in life are too important not to share."

Mercedes

What things in life do you share?

Thought For Day - Get Out of Your Own Way

"As long as a man (or woman) stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way".

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thought For Day - A Better Man

“When, in life, you find yourself on opposite sides of an issue from another person or group of persons, I encourage you to engage in the kind of rigorous debate upon which our great country was founded. However, I hope also that you will be mindful never to let those differences become a chasm which you cannot cross for the sake of a greater good. Indeed, ‘a better man’ is one who understands that he can put aside differences without surrendering his beliefs.”