Outside In Song of The Week

Back on Monday night, I saw Peter Tork with his band, Shoe Suede Blues, at the Paradise Lounge in Boston.  I had a great time!  Peter, of course, is a former member of the Monkees!

Here's Peter and Shoe Suede Blues perform with Aura3 in Pathogue, NY, back on 4/21/07. 

"I'm Not Your Stepping Stone"




Btw, Sign The Petition to Get The Monkees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Kretch07/petition.html

The Mercury Controversy Goes On and On

Interesting article by Arthur Allen in Slate Magazine regarding the debate over whether or not mercury in vaccines causes autism.  It's called "Why There's No Dispelling The Vaccines-Cause-Autism Myth."

Allen writes about the debates and the contingent who believe that the mercury in vaccines (more commonly known as thimerosal) creates the autism in children.

The truth is we still don't know what really causes autism, but we are looking at every angle.

Sleep Apnea Patient Featured in "Sicko"

A Colorado couple participated in the new Michael Moore documentary "Sicko" which is about the state of the healthcare industry in the United States.  Donna and Larry Smith have had their share of health issues and the financial problems that come with it.  Treatment for Donna's uterine cancer and Larry's artery disease and heart problems led them to file bankruptcy.  Donna also suffers from asthma and sleep apnea.

Donna was able to go to Cuba with Moore and others for medical exams and treatments because Larry was not well enough to travel.  Once there, the doctors conducted a sleep study for her sleep apnea, which her own insurance could not cover.  She was given new glasses, and the doctors reduced the number of medications she was taking.

Both Donna and Larry have been supportive of Moore and "Sicko."  They have attended a few premieres for the documentary.

When Ivan Met Gordon

Ivan Corea, the head of Autism Awareness Campaign, recently met with the new British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, about the welfare of children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.  Corea appealed to Brown about a world class education for those children.

The Autism Awareness Campaign is focusing on a cohesive national strategy on autism and a 10-year plan to help parents, cares and people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

Autistics Can Read Nonverbal Cues with Training

A new study says that autistic people can be trained to learn how to read facial expressions and tone of voice.  They took two groups of boys ranging from 7 to 17.  One was a typically developing group of boys while the other group was a group of boys with autistic spectrum disorder.  The boys with ASD were told to focus on facial expressions and tone of voice.  When they were tested again, they showed improvement.

Petition for The Monkees

There is an online petition for getting The Monkees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2008.  I already signed a petition for this last night at the Paradise Lounge in Boston where Peter Tork and his band Shoe Suede Blues did a concert.  An awesome concert.

If the Beatles can make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, why not the Monkees?

Just Sign Here:

http://www.petitiononline.com/Kretch07/petition.html

"Listen to the Band" from 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee TV Special

"Together" from "Prom Night" - The new One Life to Live musical

It's another reason why I love my favorite soap, "One Life To Live."  They do musicals.  The newest one is  "Prom Night."  This is better than "Babes Behind Bars."

Here's the hit tune:  "Together"

A Star for George!

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2008 recipients of the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week.  The late George Harrison is slated to get his own star next year.  Congrats, George!

Other recipients include: Stan Lee of Marvel Comics (Way to go, Stan the Man!), Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Howie Mandel, Susan St. James and the late Brian Keith of "Family Affair."

Check out the Walk of Fame's website for the complete list of recipients: http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/icons/walk_fame.asp

"Crackerbox Palace" by George Harrison (Yes, that is George's house)

Watch Out For Those Trees!

A new novel called Up High in the Trees is told from the point of view from a child who shows symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome.  The eight-year-old child named Sebby Lane narrates his family's grief over the sudden death of his mother who was pregnant at the time when a car struck and killed her.  It's an interesting look at family tragedy through the eyes of this special child.  The major theme is about grief and coping with a loss.

The setting of the book takes place in Massachusetts.  It's interesting that the main character, Sebby, is one who acts as though he has Asperger's Syndrome, but none of the characters mention that Sebby has the disorder.  This is a lot like Mark Haddon's novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, where the main character is autistic. 

Something to read for summertime.

New Documentary: Billy The Kid!

A new director named Jennifer Venditti has created her very first documentary titled "Billy The Kid," which is about a 15-year-old high school student called Billy Price.  She met him purely by accident at his school while she was going to shoot a short film.  When she noticed that Billy was the social outcast because of his Asperger's Syndrome, she decided to focus on him as the topic.

The goal Billy and Jennifer share is that this documentary will help someone like Billy.

Thanks, you two!

Outside In Song of the Week

It's the first day of Summer! This coming Saturday night in Boston (6/23), The Lovin' Spoonful are opening for Johnny Rivers at the Hatch Shell.  It's part of WODS-FM's free summer concert series.  They made into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 2000.  A real major honor for them.  Congrats!

"Summer In The City" by The Lovin' Spoonful

Oliver's Miami-Dade Story

Officials in the Miami-Dade School district are planning to create an autism task force to help parents and their children with autism/Asperger's with their education.  They want to gather together parents, advocates and experts in organizing what would be a good curriculum for these students and which school would suit them best.

The idea to set up a task force comes from the increase of students being diagnosed with autism/Asperger's in the Miami-Dade district in the last two years and the year-long legal battle surrounding one male student with Asperger's, Oliver Lauredo over his individual education plan (IEP).  His parents want him to attend a smaller school that will suit his needs and his doctors agreed, but the school district disagreed that the school that Oliver was already attending was suitable and refused the transfer request.

The Clintons Spoof The Sopranos

Fun with Bill and Hillary:

Beach Boy Hits 65!

Happy Birthday,
Brian Wilson
of the Beach Boys!

"Sloop John B" (Original Video) by The Beach Boys

DaVinci Coded as Autistic

In an article called "New Discoveries Reveal a Real Life Da Vinci Code" an author named Derek Blair declares that Leonardo Da Vinci was autistic in his own non-fiction book titled, Discovering Da Vinci's Daughter.  The 24-year-old writer/photographer from Lake Forest, California, discovered while writing his book about the famous painter/inventor that he himself has Asperger's Syndrome.  His book also talks about the possibility that Da Vinci had a secret daughter.

Derek Blair believes a lot of people will be surprised by his book, including Dan Brown who wrote the fiction book, The Da Vinci Code.  Blair goes into the similarities between himself and Da Vinci in the chapter about Da Vinci having autism.

Sounds interesting.

Move Over, Mulder & Scully! The Truth about the Jewish Mother is Out There!

A new book by the "Ask Sadie" columnist, Marnie Winston-Macauley, is out there called Yiddishe Mamas: The Truth about the Jewish Mother.  Marnie lives out in Las Vegas where she writes her "Ask Sadie" syndicated advice column, and she was a former television writer for the daytime drama, "As The World Turns."  Her newest book delivers the truth about what exactly is a Jewish Mother.  Her extensive research included interviewing mothers of people in the world of entertainment, sports, politics, arts and sciences.  Consider this book the ultimate information guide about the Jewish mother.

Marnie wrote about the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome in her column last year and I made an entry about it in this blog.

Read an excerpt at Amazon.com

Also, check out Marnie's website: ask-sadie.com

Now He's Not 64 Anymore!

HAPPY 65TH BIRTHDAY,
PAUL MCCARTNEY!

Last Thursday, Paul McCartney performed live from New York's Highland Ballroom.  Here's a few highlights from that concert.




"Birthday" by Paul McCartney

AANE Adult with AS Conference on July 7

The Asperger Association of New England (AANE) will be holding an Adult with Asperger's Syndrome Conference on July 7, 2007 (Ringo Starr's Birthday).  The conference is titled "KNOW YOURSELF: THE KEY TO A BETTER LIFE" that will feature Stephen Shore and Zosia Zaks as keynote speakers and will be held at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts.  It starts at 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  There will be an ice cream social at the end of the day (Possibly, this will be a birthday party for Ringo).

For more details:  check out AANE or call 617-393-3824

Happy Birthday, Joe!

Happy Birthday,
Joe Martelle
(One of my favorite Disc Jockeys and also my radio mentor)


Joe Martelle back when he was working at WROR (98.5) FM in Boston in the 1980s.


Joe Martelle (right) with his partner, Andy Moes (left) when they did the "Joe & Andy" at WROR during the 1980s.

Outside In Song of the Week

Happy Birthday,
Boy George!
Lead Singer of Culture Club &
he's a better singer than Donald Trump who is also having a birthday today.

"Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club

The Unemployed Four - "Boston Legal" Drops Four Actors

Four actors on the ABC TV show, "Boston Legal," have been let go.  They are Rene Auberjonois, Mark Valley, Julie Bowen and Constance Zimmer.  John Larroquette of "Night Court" fame will be coming in as a new regular next season.  Christian Clemenson who plays Jerry, the lawyer with Asperger's Syndrome, has been upgraded to series regular.  Tara Summers, an actress recently seen on FX's "Dirt," is the other new cast member who will play an associate who works at Crane, Poole and Schmidt.

Sorry to see Rene Auberjonois go.  He's very talented.  I met him once at a Star Trek convention back in the mid-1990s when he was playing Odo on "Deep Space Nine."

Sleep Apnea More Common in African-American Women

A recent study shows that obstructive sleep apnea is more common in middle-aged African-American women.  A questionnaire was given to 269 subjects who were in the average age of 48 years old.  It was conducted through the University of Pennsylvania.  The sleep apnea score among African-American women were more than double the score among Caucasian women.

A Nest In New York

Public School 112 in East Harlem, New York has been nationally recognized for its work with special needs children.  They have a special "Nest" Program that places children with Asperger's Syndrome in a classroom with regular students.  The results have been beneficial for everyone.

I love New York!  (I can say that because I am the Uncommon Bostonian).

Thank God for Tony Soprano!

Tony Soprano managed to whack Paris Hilton out of the spotlight this week.

Way to go, Tony!

The Sopranos Intro

Even Tony himself is not sure.

Don't Stop Believing by Journey (Live in Concert)

The Beatles Art Show

This past weekend was The Beatles Art Show at Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  It featured art work by the Beatles and other artists.  Ringo Starr's artwork was the most represented because the sales would go to the Lotus Foundation, a charity created by both Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach, his wife.  The foundation sends money to many charities around the world.  What I saw there was very beautiful and surreal, like a Beatles song.

The art show was co-sponsored by WZLX-FM in Boston, the classic rock station.  The host of "Breakfast with The Beatles" Cha-Chi Loprete invited his 8-year old friend, Quinn Sullivan, to perform a few Beatles songs at the show on Saturday afternoon, June 9.  Quinn knocked them dead.  Way to go, Quinn!



The Beatles Art Show will be in Las Vegas next month for the Beatles Convention (July 1-3).  Check it out.

WZLX's Breakfast With The Beatles web page

WECB Radio Reunion at Emerson College!

During the first weekend in June, I attended Alumni Weekend at Emerson College.  This gave my old college the chance to show off the new building that was recently opened in the fall of 2006.  This new building, called Piano Row, has a gym in the basement.  It's the first time that Emerson has ever had a gym.  It even has it's own scoreboard.



The welcome dinner was held in the gym.  I had my very first Lobster dinner.  It was good.  My fellow Class of '86 alumni, Bob Stone, showed me how to break apart the shell of the Lobster and even told how to tell which sex it is.  Mine was a female.

The next day I attended the panel called Radio's Uncertain -- but  Exciting -- Future" hosted by my former teacher and current General Manger  of Emerson's WERS-FM Jack Casey (Class  of '69).  On the panel were Howard Liberman ( '68) of Drinker, Biddle, and Reath; Jeff Greenhawt ('68), VP of Sunshine Wireless Company, Inc.; Barry O'Brien ('70), President of Barry O'Brien  & Co., and Chance, a Emerson junior who works at EITN, Emerson's Internet radio station.  It was an hour long conversation about radio's past, present and future.
 

After the panel ended, The WECB 60th Reunion Party in the Lobby of Sewall Theatre commensed.  It was great seeing a lot of my fellow WECBers at this gathering.  We talked about memories of being at the AM station, and I had a birthday card for Joe Martelle, the late Andy Moes' partner on the "Joe & Andy" show and host of "Saturday Night Live at the Oldies."  Joe couldn't make it because he was busy finishing his book, How to be a Successful On-air Radio Pro.  The biggest surprise I got was that one of my fellow alumni told me that he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome a few years ago!  His condition is milder than mine.  What a shock!

My Houston Trip

Recently, I went on a trip to Houston, Texas, for my cousin's high school graduation which took place on May 26 at St. Agnes Assembly Hall.  Chloe went Carnegie Vanguard High School and is heading to Houston Baptist University in the fall.  It was great to see my Texas relatives again.  The last time I was in Houston was way back in 1999.  My vacation was during the Memorial Day weekend.


Gil  (Chloe's dad), Isabella (Chloe's half-sister), Chloe, Herbert Joe (our great-uncle), Hailey (Herbert Joe's granddaughter), and myself.

On Sunday (May 28), Uncle Lloyd, Aunt Gwen (Lloyd's wife), Chloe, Aunt Lou (her mom),  and myself went to lunch together.  Afterwards, we went shopping at Borders where Chloe used the gift card I gave her to buy a car care book and a book about John Lennon of the Beatles.

Lou, me, Lloyd, and Chloe

On Monday (Memorial Day), I flew back to Boston.  It was a short trip, but I enjoyed it a great deal.  I am looking forward to visiting again and staying longer.

Happy 90th, Dean!

A Belated Happy Birthday,
Dean Martin!

Who would have been 90 years old on June 7 this week.

"That's Amore" by Dean Martin from the movie, The Caddy, with Jerry Lewis

Outside In Song of the Week

One week ago tonight, I went to the Pavilion on Boston's waterfront to see Earth, Wind & Fire perform.  It was spectacular.  I ran into my friend Winnie and her husband John who happen to be ushers that night.

I really enjoyed myself there and sang along when they played my favorite song:

"September" by Earth, Wind & Fire

Clinton Loves Bush!

At Class Day at Harvard University (June 6), former President Bill Clinton confessed to the graduating students that he loves his predecessor George H. W. Bush during his speech.

"I love the guy.  I'm sorry to all the die-hard Democrats in the audience, but I do."

Read all about it in The Harvard University Gazette article called "Clinton Lends Class to Class Day."

Sleep with CPAP More

According to an article called "Longer Treatment Benefits Sleep Apnea Patients" in DentalPlans.com, using the CPAP for 7.5 hours will show great results in alertness during the day.  They cite a study recently conducted at the National Institues of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.  However, most patients average about 5 hours of sleep.

It's tough to get to bed early.  I know I've tried, but I have so many things to do (like typing in this blog).  I have to take Melatonin to help myself fell sleepy in the evening.  My doctor has been urging me to get to bed early, but it's hard.  Earlier this evening I had a stressful experience regarding my car.  The "Check Engine" light came on as soon as I started driving it.  So I had to leave it at the auto shop tonight and will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what's wrong now.

That alone will cause a sleepless night.  Time to take the Melatonin.

The Graduate with NVLD

Here's a great article written by a Newton mother in the Newton Tab called "Graduating with Untold Honors."  Karla Hailer-Fidelman writes about her oldest son who has a nonverbal learning disorder.  He was diagnosed when he started attending Newton North High School.  With the help of his teachers and his strong determination, he is graduating this year with his peers.

Congrats!

Home Run for Taylor!

Taylor Shaft, a high school junior in Minnesota, is an assistant to his varsity baseball team who happens to have Asperger's Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Chronic Static Encephalopathy.  He has vast knowledge of baseball and is always there for his team to assist them with setting up equipment or helping them with strategies.  His contributions has earned the respect of both the players and coaches.

Bravo, Taylor!

Barak Obama Warns About Quiet Riot

Illinois Senator Barak Obama warns people about Quiet Riot.  Come on, Barak!  They were a great 80's heavy metal band. ;)

"Cum On Feel The Noize" by Quiet Riot

Hey, Dude! Paul's New Album is Out Now!

Today in stores is Paul McCartney's latest album, "Memory Almost Full."  Rush out and buy it.  That will make Paul very happy and help him with paying the alimony.  At 64, all he needs is cash.

"Dance Tonight" by Paul



Message from Paul

Temple and Eustasia's Excellent Adventure!

Temple Grandin and her mother, Eustacia Cutler, spoke at The Orange County Mental Health Associations's Conference on Autism in Fishkill, New York, on Friday, June 1, 2007.  Over 550 people were in attendance at the event.  Temple Grandin has autism and was able to earn a doctorate and write books on autism and cattle handling.  Eustacia Cutler talked about her experiences with raising Temple when she was a child.  Their stories helped raised awareness and showed a positive message about autism at the conference.

Thanks, Temple and Eustacia!

Winning the Leacock!

Congrats to Andrew McCormick Johnson for winning the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for his story called "The Wartime Memoirs of an Anglo-Canadian Windbag."  The 16 -year-old has Asperger's Syndrome located in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.  Many were impressed with his using a British accent when reading his story before the judges.  Andrew was shocked to learn that he was the winner.

Andrew wins $1000 and an invitation to a party where he gets to meet the province's best authors of humor.

Outside In Song of the Week!

It was 40 years ago today when the Beatles released their "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.  Instant classic album for them. 



"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by the Beatles from "Yellow Submarine"