From the Inside Out

When I was a young girl, my father would read to my sister and I before tucking us into bed. We’d gather together each night, eager to hear the next story. Sometimes it was a Bible story or a tale from the “Bee-attitudes.”

Once in a while, it was something called “The Rest of the Story.” These readings typically started with an interesting, but not widely known, story about an individual. Each one was true and provided a fascinating account of that person’s life or struggle up the ladder. The most stunning part, however, was at the end where the identity of the person was revealed. That’s where the tagline, “And now you know the rest of the story” comes in.

Ever since those days, I’ve held a soft spot for Paul Harvey, who’s name will be forever attached to that signature tagline. I listened his radio broadcast often while growing up. And while I have to admit that in recent years I quit listening because there were too many ads intermixed into his broadcast and not enough news or stories, I still have a fond memory of my days listening to the “rest of the story.”

Sadly, Paul Harvey’s story came to an end this past week. He was 90 years old and had an impressive career. He was a radio legend with an immediately recognizable voice. At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. His syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.

In 2000, at age 82, he signed a new 10-year contract with ABC Radio Networks, and he was still active as he passed his 90th birthday. Amazing, indeed.

Harvey lived a full life. He was a pioneer in the talk radio world, and it just won’t be the same without him.

Paul Harvey, you will be missed!

Have you ever found yourself mindlessly doodling while sitting in a boring meeting or class? I do — a lot. I always thought it was just a tactic to keep my mind busy, plus I enjoy drawing. Now I’m learning that there are other benefits to doodling.

According to researchers in the United Kingdom, doodling helps your memory. Test subjects who doodled while listening to a recorded message had a 29 percent better recall of the message’s details than those who didn’t doodle.

For the experiment, a two-and-a-half minute listing of several people’s names and places was played for test subjects, who were charged with writing down only the names of the people said to be attending a party. During the recording, half the participants were asked to simultaneously shade in shapes on a piece of paper without attention to neatness. Participants were not told they were taking part in a memory test.

When the recording ended, all were asked for the eight names of those attending the party as well as eight place names mentioned in the audio. Those asked to doodle wrote down, on average, 7.5 names and places, while those who didn’t doodle listed only 5.8.

One of the study researchers, Professor Jackie Andrade, suggested that doodling may be sufficient to stop daydreaming, which distracts people and results in poor performance. However, the simple act of doodling seems to keep people focused without affecting performance on the main task.

So the next time the urge to doodle hits you, don’t resist. Go ahead, it’s good for your brain.

Forget the bullet-proof vest, buy a hair weave instead. Not only do they enhance your appearance, but they also provide added protection against bullets. Yes, you read that right…bullets.

This week in Kansas City, a 20-year-old woman had an altercation with an ex-boyfriend. As she pulled into a convenience store parking lot, a man flagged her down. He told the woman that her ex-boyfriend still loved her. She told the man that she didn’t feel the same — she had recently ended an 8-month relationship with the boyfriend.

Suddenly, she hears gunshots. Her ex was standing behind the car firing at her (so much for love, huh?).  The back window shattered and she felt something hit her as she sped away from the scene.

“In the back of my head, it was like bam! That’s how it felt. It was hot, you could feel it,” 20-year-old Briana Bonds said.

Police officers found a spent slug tangled in her hair, and say her tightly-woven weave prevented it from penetrating her skull. Unbelievable, yet completely true.

Other than having a headache, the woman walked away uninjured. The two men were taken into custody by the police.

Forget the body armor…

Forget the helmet…

Throw away the bullet proof vest…

All you need is a tight weave.

Call your stylist and schedule an appointment today!

As tired as I am of all the inauguration hype, I would be remiss if I didn’t document in my blog this historic moment. Today millions watched as the 44th President of the United States took the oath of office. What made this celebration so different is that it was the inauguration of the country’s first African American President, Barack Obama.

A million and a half people flooded the National Mall for the inauguration of Barack Obama. Many cried and cheered — almost like groupies at a concert. Co-workers in my company’s California office halted work to stop and watch the celebration. No, this was not your average, run of the mill inauguration.

While I’m disappointed to see a Democrat back in office, I am pleased to see how far our country has progressed in terms of racial equality over the past 60 years. I can’t say that I’m excited to see Obama holding the reins. I think many who voted for him got caught up in the hollywood hype and marketing buzzwords of “hope” and “change.” Do the majority of people really know what type of change Obama wants and what his policies are? I expect that many didn’t bother to do any research beyond what they heard in the overly biased media, but I digress. The decision has been made, and only time will tell what type of President Obama will become. I am skeptical, but maybe he’ll prove me wrong.

One thing is certain, Obama will need our prayers. He takes office at a particularly troubling time in our country — the economy is tanking, terrorists still loom large, and international relations are strained. Much wisdom will be needed to make the right decisions. I pray that he seeks God’s guidance first and the opinions of man second. I pray for God to protect him and his family. I pray that our country grows stronger under his leadership. And finally, I pray that Obama changes his mind about raising my taxes.

How would you like to get paid $100K to sit on a beach for six months and write a weekly blog? It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

According to the tourism department in Australia’s Queensland state, it is not a joke. They are looking for an “Island Caretaker” to stroll the white sands, soak up the sun, snorkel the reef, and report to a global audience via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.

The lucky candidate will be flown free of charge to the tropical Hamilton Island on the famed Great Barrier Reef. He or she will stay rent-free in a multi-million dollar three-bedroom beach home. The only qualifications are that this individual must be over 18, be willing to speak to the press periodically and be a “fantastic and charismatic” communicator who can speak and write English.

The job is part of the latest tourism campaign to help promote Queensland’s 18 billion dollar per year tourism industry during tough economic times. Getting the job won’t be easy, though. The website has already crashed once because of the large number of visitors to the site (more than 850,000 within the first day). There’s tough competition for what they are billing as the “best job in the world,” so be creative and outgoing if you plan to apply.

Candidates must submit a one minute video explaining why they are uniquely qualified for the job. Applications are open until February 22. Eleven shortlisted candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process and the six-month contract will commence on July 1.

Job-seekers can apply at: http://www.islandreefjob.com/en/

It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.