How to help Oklahoma tornado victims

If you're looking for ways to help residents of Oklahoma, ravaged by a monstrous tornado Monday, the following relief organizations are working in the area:

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has several shelters open in Oklahoma and Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles have begun delivering hot meals throughout the affected areas. The Red Cross is also working to link loved ones in Moore who are OK through a website called Safe and Well. Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, donate online, or donate by phone at 1-800-RED CROSS.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is activating disaster response teams and mobile feeding units to help residents and rescuers in Moore, as well as in other locations in the Plains and the Midwest that were impacted by tornadoes. Donate online or text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10 to the Salvation Army's relief efforts or make a donation by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. If you're sending a check make sure you put the words "Oklahoma Tornado Relief" on the check, and mail it to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 12600, Oklahoma City, OK. 73157.

Operation USA

Los Angeles-based international relief agency Operation USA announced it's providing emergency aid where needed to community-based health organizations across Oklahoma. Donate online, by phone at 1-800-678-7255, or by check made out to Operation USA, 7421 Beverly Blvd., PH, Los Angeles, CA 90036. You can also donate $10 by texting AID to 50555. Corporate donations of bulk quantities of disaster-appropriate supplies are also being requested.

Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief

Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief says it has deployed at least 80 volunteers to respond to severe weather in Oklahoma. Those interested in helping can make a tax-deductible donation to the BGCO's Disaster Relief ministry online or call (405) 942-3800. You may also send checks to: BGCO Attn: Disaster Relief 3800 N. May Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73112

...courtesy of Alia E. Dastagir, USA Today

So Inspirational:  OKLAHOMA TORNADO VICTIM FINDS DOG

There was magic and love in the air on the Finale of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice"

Trace Adkins is the first to win All-Star Celebrity Apprentice for his charity, The American Red Cross. The challenge:



In second place came Penn Jillette of the magic act, Penn & Teller for his charity, Opportunity Village which believes that people with intellectual disabilities and their families should have choices in where and how they serve. Opportunity Village provides a variety of programs for men and women, boys and girls, with all levels of disabilities the chance to lead a life that had previously been unattainable.
















And because I can watch the magic of magic as often as eating, following is a wonderful magic act with Penn & Teller in the audience trying to discern how "Piff the Magic Dragon" performs his trick. Enjoy!

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats...a story of the power of love...

Dear Rumpelstiltskin: A passage from The Art of Hearing Heartbeats:

My beloved Mi Mi:

Five thousand eight hundred and sixty-four days have passed since I last heard the beating of your heart.  Do you realize how many hours that is? How many minutes? Do you know how impoverished a bird is that cannot sing, a flower that cannot blossom? How wretched a fish out of water?
It is difficult to write you, Mi Mi.  I have written you so many letters that I have never sent.  What could I tell you that you don't already know? As if we needed ink and paper, letters and words, in order to communicate.  You have been with me through each of the 140,736 hours--yes, it has already been that many--and you will be with me until we meet again.  (Forgive me for stating the obvious just this one time.) When the time comes, I will return.  How flat and empty the most beautiful words can sound.  How dull and dreary life must be for those who need words, who need to touch, see, or hear one another in order to be close.  Who need to prove their love, or even just to confirm it in order to be sure of it.  I sense that these lines, too, will never find their way to you.  You have long since understood anything I might write, and so these letters are in truth directed to myself, meager attempts to still my desire.


Synopsis

When Julia Win's father disappears one morning without a trace, the day after her graduation from law school, her family is left unsettled and confused.  It's not until a few years later that her mother finds a piece of the puzzle--an unmailed love letter to a Burmese woman named Mi Mi.

Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father's past, Julia puts her career and her life on hold to travel to the village where Mi Mi once lived.  Her journey takes her to the small mountain village of Kalaw, where she is approached by a man who claims to know her father, and who seems to have an uncanny knowledge of Julia herself.  Intrigued, she returns to meet him every afternoon and listen to his incredible tales of her father's youth--of his childhood blindnesss, his education at a monastery, and most of all, about his passionate relationship with a local girl.

At first Julia is unwilling to believe that the romantic boy in this poignant story has anything to do with her reticent father, but soon she can no longer withstand the almost mystical invoking of mysterious past events, entwined as they are with the influence of the stars and with a love larger than life.

The Art of Hearing Hearbeats is a magical and uplifting tale of hardship and resilience and the unyielding power of love to move mountains.

                                                                         ~~~~~~

Thank you for your love which is forever a part of me...and mine, yours...where no one is hurt, for love would not allow it...

The Empty Chair

Since my mother's passing January 9th, I've been grieving for the loss of my best friend.  In the book, The Empty Chair, Handling Grief on Holidays and Special Occasions, is a lovely memorial...
for anyone who has recently lost a loved one.  I hope it brings comfort as it did for myself and family members on Mother's Day.

A CANDLE LIGHTING MEMORIAL FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING

An important part of the grief process is to pay tribute to and remember on this special occasion the one who has died.  This memorial tribute is designed for use with four candles, arranged either in a circle or in some other manner in keeping with your own personal taste.  This tribute can be used alone by an individual or in a small family setting.

                                                            ~~~~~~

As we light these candles, we remember Gerlinda, who was important to us.  On special occasions and holidays past, you created a wealth of memories with us.  We are mindful that a significant change has occurred with your death.  You were so special to us, and now you are no longer here.  How we wish you could return.  We feel an empty place in our hearts and lives that had been filled
with your presence.  Now we grieve for all that had been--all that used to be with you--and all that we did not want to end.  The harsh reality that you will never again share a holiday or this special occasion with us is painful to acknowledge.  We agonize and grieve for you.  We know in doing this that we will slowly heal.  But we will never forget you and how you enhanced our lives and contributed to what we have become because of you.  Therefore, these four candles honor your presence on earth.  We light one for our love for you, another for our memories of holidays or special days past, another for our grief in the present, and one for our hope for the future.

As we light this first candle, we are warmed by our love for you and the love we shared together.  You hold a treasured placed in our hearts and minds as a person we laughed with, argued with, perhaps at times were angry with, and yet someone we could reconnect with and feel close to.  You gave us joy in the relationships we shared with you.  Thank you for sharing your life with us.

This second candle represents our memories of holidays or special days past--the traditions we created together, the things you did to add to the uniqueness of the day.  We thank you for the gift your life brought to our lives.  We created meaning for the holidays and special days together.  Now that you are dead, the traditions will never be quite the same.  There remains an unfilled place--an empty chair--because you are no longer with us.  We need to say good-bye to the possibility of things being the same and recognize that with your death our lives will be different.  Thank you for contri-
buting to our wonderful memories of meaningful holiday celebrations.

We now light the third candle, which represents the grief we experience as we contemplate living the rest of our lives without you.  We treasure the fond memories, but we understand that we no longer have a relationship with you beyond those memories.  You have left this world, and we are left in this world without you.  We resolve to find ourselves complete in and of ourselves.  You are in a better place; we will make this place better for ourselves as you would have wanted.  We will find the courage to persevere in the work of grieving so that we confront our sorrow and move through the pain to the other side of grief.

The fourth and final candle we light signifies our hope for the future.  We resolve to start again--to feel new life surging through our hearts.  We will go through the fire and the pain, but eventually our mourning can turn to dancing.  There will be a new beginning, the start of a new volume in our lives.  This new beginning may be muted and unclear right now, but with work and trust and hope, the sun will again be bright.

For you, mother, the person who graced our lives for a time, and for our hope for the lives ahead of us, we light these four candles in your honor and with our hope.

Joyce Diane Brothers (née Bauer; October 20, 1927 – May 13, 2013)

Candy Girl at Bayonne Pool with The Four Seasons

I was a young girl of 12 years when The Four Seasons' Candy Girl aired. I and my friends would go wild when we heard The Four Seasons, esp. when they sang Candy Girl. You see, my nickname was Candy among my friends. My brothers, sister, friends and I would dance every summer around the jukebox at Bayonne Pool, Bayonne for years. Six years exactly, until I became one of its camp counselors for two summers before going to college.

Exemplary of a Pisces fish, I spent nearly all day in the pool except to eat and dance around the jukebox. What wonderful, happy memories being Candy Girl at Bayonne Pool with The Four Seasons.

And to this day, I dance around the house with The Four Seasons, Candy Girl, et. al.! :))


**petra michelle**

For those who love funny, American Film Institute announces the "100 Funniest American Movies of All Time."

SOME LIKE IT HOT sizzles at #1, TOOTSIE, DR. STRANGELOVE, ANNIE HALL and DUCK SOUP Complete The Top Five Movies



SOME LIKE IT HOT, the 1959 classic starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon which was written, directed and produced by Billy Wilder was ranked #1. Following SOME LIKE IT HOT in the top 10, in order, were: TOOTSIE (#2), DR. STRANGELOVE (#3), ANNIE HALL (#4), DUCK SOUP (#5), BLAZING SADDLES (#6), M*A*S*H (#7), IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (#8), THE GRADUATE (#9) and AIRPLANE! (#10).

Interesting facts about AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs include: Cary Grant is the most celebrated actor with eight films in the top 100; The Marx Brothers and Woody Allen star in five; Spencer Tracy, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Bill Murray each appear in four films. Katharine Hepburn and Margaret Dumont share the title of most represented actress in America's funniest movies, each with four films. Five Woody Allen films made the list, including the film ranked #4, ANNIE HALL, making him the most represented director; George Cukor, Charlie Chaplin and Preston Sturges all directed four films; Mel Brooks directed three films, all of which placed in the top 15. Woody Allen and Billy Wilder both wrote five films on the top 100 list. Four films, including both the #1 and #2 funniest films, involve cross-dressing — SOME LIKE IT HOT, TOOTSIE, MRS. DOUBTFIRE, and VICTOR/VICTORIA. "Recognizing the subjective and historical nature of comedy, AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs salutes the films that have enriched America's film heritage," stated AFI's President Emerita Jean Picker Firstenberg. "Often overlooked for major film awards, it was time funny films had the last laugh. AFI hopes this list will continue to spark interest, dialogue and appreciation for this great American art form."

# MOVIE YEAR
1 SOME LIKE IT HOT 1959 2 TOOTSIE 1982 3 DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB 1964 4 ANNIE HALL 1977 5 DUCK SOUP 1933 6 BLAZING SADDLES 1974 7 M*A*S*H 1970 8 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT 1934 9 THE GRADUATE 1967 10 AIRPLANE! 1980 11 THE PRODUCERS 1968 12 A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 1935 13 YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN 1974 14 BRINGING UP BABY 1938 15 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY 1940 16 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952 17 THE ODD COUPLE 1968 18 THE GENERAL 1927 19 HIS GIRL FRIDAY 1940 20 THE APARTMENT 1960 21 A FISH CALLED WANDA 1988 22 ADAM'S RIB 1949 23 WHEN HARRY MET SALLYÉ 1989 24 BORN YESTERDAY 1950 25 THE GOLD RUSH 1925 26 BEING THERE 1979 27 THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY 1998 28 GHOSTBUSTERS 1984 29 THIS IS SPINAL TAP 1984 30 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE 1944 31 RAISING ARIZONA 1987 32 THE THIN MAN 1934 33 MODERN TIMES 1936 34 GROUNDHOG DAY 1993 35 HARVEY 1950 36 NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE 1978 37 THE GREAT DICTATOR 1940 38 CITY LIGHTS 1931 39 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS 1941 40 IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD 1963 41 MOONSTRUCK 1987 42 BIG 1988 43 AMERICAN GRAFFITI 1973 44 MY MAN GODFREY 1936 45 HAROLD AND MAUDE 1972 46 MANHATTAN 1979 47 SHAMPOO 1975 48 A SHOT IN THE DARK 1964 49 TO BE OR NOT TO BE 1942 50 CAT BALLOU 1965 51 THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH 1955 52 NINOTCHKA 1939 53 ARTHUR 1981 54 THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK 1944 55 THE LADY EVE 1941 56 ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN 1948 57 DINER 1982 58 IT'S A GIFT 1934 59 A DAY AT THE RACES 1937 60 TOPPER 1937 61 WHAT'S UP, DOC? 1972 62 SHERLOCK, JR. 1924 63 BEVERLY HILLS COP 1984 64 BROADCAST NEWS 1987 65 HORSE FEATHERS 1932 66 TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN 1969 67 MRS. DOUBTFIRE 1993 68 THE AWFUL TRUTH 1937 69 BANANAS 1971 70 MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN 1936 71 CADDYSHACK 1980 72 MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE 1948 73 MONKEY BUSINESS 1931 74 9 TO 5 1980 75 SHE DONE HIM WRONG 1933 76 VICTOR/VICTORIA 1982 77 THE PALM BEACH STORY 1942 78 ROAD TO MOROCCO 1942 79 THE FRESHMAN 1925 80 SLEEPER 1973 81 THE NAVIGATOR 1924 82 PRIVATE BENJAMIN 1980 83 FATHER OF THE BRIDE 1950 84 LOST IN AMERICA 1985 85 DINNER AT EIGHT 1933 86 CITY SLICKERS 1991 87 FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH 1982 88 BEETLEJUICE 1988 89 THE JERK 1979 90 WOMAN OF THE YEAR 1942 91 THE HEARTBREAK KID 1972 92 BALL OF FIRE 1941 93 FARGO 1996 94 AUNTIE MAME 1958 95 SILVER STREAK 1976 96 SONS OF THE DESERT 1933 97 BULL DURHAM 1988 98 THE COURT JESTER 1956 99 THE NUTTY PROFESSOR 1963 100 GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM 1987

The special is AFI's third salute to the 100th anniversary of American movies, following the first two critically-acclaimed network specials, AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies and AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, which sparked discussions of America's film history among millions across the nation. A wide array of funny films — from slapstick comedy to romantic comedy; from satire and black comedy to musical comedy; from comedy of manners to comedy of errors — were nominated for this distinction. AFI distributed a ballot with 500 nominated films to a jury of 1800 leaders from the film community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers, etc.), critics, historians and film executives.

The jurors were asked to consider the following criteria while making their selections: Feature-Length Fiction Film: The film must be in narrative format typically over 60 minutes in length; American Film: The film must be in the English language with significant creative and/or financial production elements from the United States; Funny: Regardless of genre, the total comedic impact of a film's elements that creates an experience greater than the sum of the smiles; Legacy: Laughs that echo across time, enriching America's film heritage and inspiring artists and audiences today.

 As part of its continuing effort to increase awareness and appreciation of American film history, AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs is supported by an AFI website, in-theater trailers and a video retail program which launches today. General Motors, Blockbuster, U.S. Postal Service, Warner Bros., Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, 20th Century Fox, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Walt Disney Pictures are sponsors of AFI's continuing commemoration of the centennial of American movies.

AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies and AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars were each viewed by more than 11 million people, winning their respective time periods. Multiple-Emmy Award-winner Gary Smith ("The Tony Awards," the 1993 and 1997 Presidential Inaugural Gala) is the executive producer and director of AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs for Smith-Hemion Productions. Former AFI Board Chair Frederick S. Pierce is the executive producer for AFI. Bob Gazzale, AFI's President & CEO, serves as director, AFI Productions.