Benny's World

Thursday, December 07, 2006

John Williams Interviews John Edwards about "Home"

John Williams, radio talk show host in Chicago, interviewed John Edwards last week when Edwards was in town, promoting his book. Lots of talk about the messes in Iraq, we could do for Dafur (get NATO troops), and the importance of re-establishing moral leadership in the world.

And, serious consideration about running for President. smile

Here's a sweet and short video by OAC blogger Wee Gordie about JRE related to Home. Music is to "Love Me Like a Rock".





Tags: John Edwards, Home: the Blueprints of Our Lives, John Williams, Chicago, Wee Gordie, Bobbie Edwards, Presidental Races 2008, benny's world

Signs for When You May Need a Blogger's Break

I saw a link on Scobleizer...some of these rules may be for many of us.

bloggers block - one of the first signs to me that I might need a day (or ten) off from blogging is when I run out of things to write about. You know the feeling - you stare blankly at the screen unable to string a sentence together for hour on end. If you’ve got nothing to say - it’s probably best to say nothing.

when everything you do is ‘blogable’ - at the opposite end of the spectrum to bloggers block is where everything you do, say and think becomes a potential post. You start seeing ideas for posts in your breakfast cereal, start blogging about conversations with your wife, write rants on the postman being late….. If this is happening to you it might be time to step back from blogging a little and get a life :-)

when it intrudes on family - it might seem obvious but I’ve come across a number of bloggers whose family life has come close to breaking down as a result of what bordered on blogging addiction. When blogging intrudes upon real life relationships it’s time to take a good long look at things.

when you have unrealistic expectations - one of the problems with the blogosphere is that it can be a place where hype is ’spun’ and where people develop unrealistic expectations of what blogging can do for them. I see this all the time in the ‘pro’ blogging space and would strongly advise those looking at ‘going pro’ to take their time, not rush into any extreme actions (like quitting jobs) until you’ve got a realistic understanding of what’s involved. If you find the reality of your blogging and the unrealistic expectations don’t match up you might want to take a break to reevaluate.

when it intrudes on your health - sometimes our body has a way of telling us to ’stop’. I learned the lesson the hard way earlier in the year when my eyes gave out for a week or two and I thought I was going blind. Give your body (and mind) a break every now and again to rest. at the end of the week - I come across more and more bloggers who blog long hours 7 days a week.

Give yourself at least one complete day off from blogging a week - if you can’t bear the thought of not posting for a day write in advance and set posts to go off while you take some time off.

at vacation time - sounds obvious that you’d take vacations - but I know some bloggers who blog while they’re away on holidays from net cafes. Periodic longer periods away from blogging are good for you, your family/relationships and believe it or not they can also be good for your blog and blog readers (here are 7 things to do with your blog while you’re on vacation).

when your sleep suffers
- I know I know - bloggers do their best work late at night when they should be sleeping - but when you find yourself lying in bed at night wondering if your server is still up, dreaming up new post ideas, checking your blackberry for incoming comments or scheming up linkbaiting ideas - maybe it’s time for a break from your blog!


I actually take those breaks from blogging on my blog. On other blogs..another story. :-)

Tags: blogging, blogs, bloggers, Scobleizer

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Edwards Looking Closely at a 2008 Run

Edwards taps Bonior to lead future presidential campaign

By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Former Rep. David Bonior, a one-time leader in Congress who has close ties to labor unions, has signed on to manage a future John Edwards presidential campaign.

Edwards hasn't announced a repeat of his 2004 presidential bid yet, but an Edwards adviser said Thursday that Bonior will run the effort if Edwards decides to run. In the meantime, Bonior has signed on as a senior adviser to Edwards' leadership PAC, the One America Committee.

Bonior represented Detroit's northern suburbs for 26 years in the House, rising to be the No. 2 Democrat before stepping down in 2002 for an unsuccessful campaign for Michigan governor.

Bonior was a leading advocate for labor unions, a constituency that Edwards has aggressively been working to build support since losing the vice presidency as John Kerry's running mate in 2004.

Since leaving Congress, Bonior has been a professor of labor studies at Detroit's Wayne State University and chairman of American Rights at Work, which promotes employees' rights to unionize.

LINK

Tags: John Edwards, David Bonior, 2008 Presidential Race, labor unions, One America Committee, benny's world

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Tribute to JT

I've loved James Taylor's music for over 35 years. Tonight on the PBS is a wonderful tribute to him and his music.

My favorite song related to JRE and the campaign of 2004 (and as both are North Carolinans): "Secret O' Life".

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time
Any fool can do it
There ain't nothing to it
Nobody knows how we got to
The top of the hill
But since we're on our way down
We might as well enjoy the ride

The secret of love is in opening up your heart
It's okay to feel afraid
But don't let that stand in your way no
'Cause anyone knows that love is the only road
And since we're only here for a while yeah
Might as well show some style

Give us a smile now
Isn't it a lovely ride
Sliding down
And gliding down
Try not to try too hard
It's just a lovely ride

Now the thing about time is that time
Isn't really real
It's all on your point of view
How does it feel for you
Einstein said that he could never understand it all
Planets spinning through space
The smile upon your face

Welcome to the human race
Isn't that a lovely ride
Sliding down
Gliding down
Try not to try too hard
It's just a lovely ride
Isn't that a lovely ride
Oh mama yes
See me sliding down
And gliding down
Try not to try too hard
It's just a lovely ride

Now the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time


Oh wow, Carole King is singing her song that made him famous, "You've Got a Friend". Cool.

Tags: James Taylor, North Carolina, John Edwards, benny's world