Harold Ramis America's Favorite Writer Passes at 69

Harold Ramis is my favorite writer even though I never read one word of his on a page. He's my favorite nonetheless, and that's true for many Americans. In fact, it's a safe bet that someone somewhere on the planet is quoting Harold Ramis at every moment of every day. Ramis wrote (or co-wrote) some of the best film comedies of all time including Caddyshack, Animal House, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, National Lampoon's Vacation and Meatballs among others. He also wrote hilarious radio and album skits for National Lampoon Radio Hour with Bill Murray and John Belushi that many people have never heard of.
Go to any job site or bar where the average age is over 35 and real off some quotes from Ramis movies--guaranteed in no time people will join in. Personally, I can quote at least a hundred lines, and if I watch the films again,I can quote closer to a thousand in real time. Can you do that for Shakespeare, King and Rowling? Harold Ramis made us laugh with the same lines time and time again with humor that never grew old.

-And I say, "Hey, Lama, how about a little something, you know, for the effort." And he says, "Oh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice. (Caddyshack)

-This is a hybrid. This is a cross of Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensimillia. The amazing stuff about this is, you can play 36 holes on it in the afternoon, take it home and just get stoned to the bejeezus-belt that night on this stuff. (Caddyshack)

-This crowd has gone deadly silent, a Cinderella story outta nowhere, a former greens-keeper, now about to become The Masters champion (swings club). It looks like a miraculous... it's in the hole! It's in the hole! (Caddyshack)

-I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them. (Caddyshack)

-Chicks dig me, because I rarely wear underwear and when I do it's usually something unusual. (Stripes)

-I've always been kind of a pacifist. When I was a kid, my father told me, "Never hit anyone in anger, unless you're absolutely sure you can get away with it." I don't know what kind of soldier I'm gonna make, but I want you guys to know that if we ever get into real heavy combat... I'll be right behind you guys every step of the way. (Stripes)

-Well, let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. According to this morning's sample, it would be a Twinkie... thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds. (Ghostbusters)

-I think you're all fucked in the head. We're ten hours from the fucking fun park and you want to bail out. Well I'll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun, and you're gonna have fun... We're all gonna have so much fucking fun we'll need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles! You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of your assholes! (Vacation)

-Hey, hey, easy kids. Everybody in the car. Boat leaves in two minutes... or perhaps you don't want to see the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth, which is only four short hours away? (Vacation)

God bless you, Harold Ramis. You passed away today at 69 from complications due to an infection, but you forever infected us with your comic genius and classic films. You live on in our hearts, our minds and definitely on the tips of our tongues.
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Autographed Books

Autographed books make one-of-a-kind gifts. These novels and how-to guides are available for special delivery. Amazon.com Storefront for paperbacks.

The Little Universe
Jim's Life
Better You, Better Me
How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks All for Free
Get On Google Front Page
How to Make Your Own Free Website: And Your Free Blog Too
 
For orders anywhere in the world, email the author with a request and for PayPal instructions.

Orders in the USA can also be processed through Amazon with a note to the author including the reader's name and preferred inscription (or leave blank for author's choosing).

Amazon.com Storefront for paperbacks.
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Manning or Brady vs Kaepernick or Wilson, Old School New School Super Bowl XLVIII

This is what NFL fans want: the best teams and QBs heading into the league championships fighting for a spot in the Super Bowl. And now we have it with a guarantee of a classic pocket passer vs a young and mobile superstar.

Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady is arguably the best QB match-up in league history. If Manning plays another season, he'll easily break Brett Favre's all-time touchdown record (in 3 fewer seasons), plus he could also break the passing yards record if he plays 2 more seasons. At age 37, he's having his best year ever in touchdowns, points and passer rating with one goal in mind.

Brady trails Manning in passing stats, but will likely retire with more head to head victories and Super Bowl rings among other accolades. If Brady wins this year's Lombardi Trophy, that would make 4 total and cement his name in the Greatest Ever conversations (even though he's already there, along with Peyton). Brady has a chance to make his 6th trip to the Super Bowl and win his 3rd SB MVP, and would be the only QB to make those claims.

Does the Colin Kaepernick vs Russell Wilson match-up pack the same punch? Not yet, but it has potential. The 49ers and Seahawks have teams that should be contenders for years to come. Both QBs have played 2 full seasons (not counting Kaep's back-up role to Alex Smith in 2011). Neither of these young QBs are poised to put up the career passing stats of Manning-Brady, but they will easily dwarf them in rushing stats in just a few years, assuming they stay healthy. (Hey, pocket passers get hurt too.) In the event that the Seahawks or 49ers win it all, Kaepernick or Wilson will also have a fair chance at more Super Bowl rings than Peyton Manning (as will little brother Eli).

What do I love most about Super Bowl XLVIII? Old school vs new school--pocket passers vs mobile QBs. Manning or Brady vs Kaepernick or Wilson is intriguing to say the least. If it's Wilson, we know he'll run some even if it's to create space to throw around a taller line. If it's Kaepernick, we hope he'll run, knowing on any play he could bust a move of any distance to the end zone. Manning probably won't run more than 10 yards if he has to, but he might throw 7 touchdowns. Brady won't run more than 5 yards, but if it's 1st and goal on the 1-yard line, expect the QB sneak at least two, maybe three times. That's happened. Forget the run with the old-timers, and watch the passing clinic of "Dilfer dimes" both of these future Hall Of Famers will conduct.
All of these teams hope to establish a running game with good reason. LeGarrette Blount, Marshawn Lynch, Frank Gore or Knowshon Moreno each could be the deciding factor in these final games, as could a long list of potential receivers.
Back to the old school-new school question. Can a running QB really make it in the league? Fran Tarkenton, John Elway and Warren Moon were all pretty mobile and had HOF careers, though they were not nearly as mobile as Kaepernick and Wilson. Michael Vick had the mobility and then some, but probably not quite the level of success these young QBs are striving for. RG3? We'll see. Kaepernick has a strong and accurate arm, so that should help immensely. Wilson is playing with poise and intelligence to match his athleticism, and a passer rating even higher than Manning-Brady.
How to pick a winning team this year? Obviously there are at least 100 other players who will have a say in Super Bowl XVIII. For some reason, it seems tough to get past the big 4.
Who's your pick to win it all?
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小宇宙·译言古登堡计划 [Kindle版]

Don't know what it means--certainly looks fascinating. Now available for Amazon China:

才华横溢的女科学家洛思有一个伟大的梦想：模拟宇宙大爆炸，见证星体的形成，观察生命伊始的情况，甚至目睹人类未来的发展。她日夜辛勤地工作，终于在理论上实现了关键性突破，距离实现梦想近在咫尺。但天有不测风云，她遭遇车祸身亡。
洛 思的丈夫亚当斯继承了她的遗志，联手企业家弗兰克，力图实现她的梦想。这个神奇的项目吸引了各路人马的加入：胆大心细的巧手工匠乔恩，经验丰富的女工程师 杰西卡，天赋异禀的极客少年伊恩，还有洛思大学刚毕业的女儿惠特尼，以及人工智能吉姆。而这些人之间，也不可避免地又产生了一番情感纠葛……
他们能实现洛思的遗愿吗？人类的未来和社会的发展又将如何？一切的谜底，将在本书揭开。
作品简介:
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Alana Woods Interviews Jason Matthews

Alana Woods is an accomplished Australian author, editor and reviewer. Recently she posted the following interview on her website, http://www.alanawoods.com/.

My guest this week needs no introduction, to the indie author community at least. He’s considered close to being a superstar by the many he has helped towards publishing with his self-help books. But he’s also a novelist with two huge-in-scope works of fiction to his credit. 

Alana: Jason Matthews, welcome, it’s a real pleasure to have you here today. Before we talk about your many activities and books could we find out a little about you. You live in California; have you always lived there?

Jason: Thank you, Alana, for the very kind reception. I was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Unfortunately my parents divorced when I was a baby, and my mother, sister and I moved around quite a bit. We also lived in Massachusetts and Ohio while spending summers with Dad in Colorado and Oregon. I returned to North Carolina for college and then moved permanently to California in 1991. I love this state.

Read the entire interview here: http://www.alanawoods.com/apps/blog/show/36206342-alana-woods-interviews-jason-matthews-author-of-the-little-universe

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Gavin DeGraw's I Don't Want To Be Hits a Chord

This song stirs something. I believe Gavin DeGraw would agree: we all came here to be us and that is what's special. It's not about our accolades, titles, how much money we make, how famous we are, or how perfect our bodies are--it's about doing our special thing, whatever that might be.

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Chinese Ebooks Adds The Little Universe

If it's a little universe then it must be a very small world, which is good for people who like to travel, read and share new thought. Written with that in mind, The Little Universe now has a new residence--in China.
The Mandarin Chinese translation just came out for readers who enjoy Chinese ebooks online, http://www.amazon.cn/.
A star-sized thank you to Mengdi Cao, Shan Zhong, Hanjing and Wenyi for the excellent translation and attention to detail. (Amazing how many concepts can get lost in the cultural differences.)

Also thank you to Xijun for creative artwork, which really compliments the story. These are among the first drawings for the story, which are currently only available in the Chinese novel.
Thank you to my agent and book's editor, Runa Jiang, for making this happen.
Thank you also to Fiberead, http://www.fiberead.com/, the translation publishing company that enabled it all.
If you like to read Chinese ebooks, we've got a book for you.

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Amazon India Kindle Readers and Bloggers get Free Ebooks

Get free ebooks (novels and how-to guides) for a limited time during Amazon's India expansion. The coupons work for all file formats (pdf, epub, mobi, etc) whether you read on Kindle, a smartphone, other devices or online.

The books have their Amazon India link and a Smashwords coupon code that makes them available at 100% discount until September 8th.

The how-to guides are perfect for self-publishing, blogging, making websites and rising on Google:

How to Make, Market and Sell Ebooks - Smashwords coupon code SN39L ($7.99 - yours free)
How to Make Your Own Free Website: And Your Free Blog Too - Smashwords coupon code UK87L ($4.99 - yours free)
Get On Google Front Page - Smashwords coupon code FW76B ($4.99 - yours free)

Enjoy these novels described as new adult genre with surprise twists:

The Little Universe - Smashwords coupon code RS89S ($2.99 - yours free)
Jim's Life - Smashwords coupon code YK94R ($2.99 - yours free)

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Amazing Human Potentials for Creativity

Human beings are amazing with potentials for creativity. The internet constantly pushes it to higher levels.

From James Maberly's, Cultivating Intuition: the Power of Original Thought;

I was visiting Zimbabwe and whilst there, chanced upon a workshop run by Francois Le Roux, a classical cellist, encouraging young advanced musicians to play their instruments intuitively; to ‘improvise’ as he called it. Slowly but surely he coaxed a number of them up to play their instruments with him, without guidance, just listening to their own creative intuition and freeing themselves from the necessity of following a written score. 
I watched, mesmerised as he drew from these youngsters the most magical sounds, all of their own creation. Tense with anxiety, their first few notes were jarred and awkward but once they realised that they could actually do it, their bodies began to weave with the music and they found a momentum and energy that was delightful to watch. What I was witnessing was each of these young players accessing their own intuitive genius, their own natural creativity unleashed.

10 minutes of amazing human potentials for creativity unleashed.

What do you think about all this? Leave a comment.

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DMT Ayahuasca Would You Try These Drugs?

Actually you already have trace amounts of DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) in you. It's naturally abundant in plant life and found in many mammals. The Pineal Gland, in the center of your brain, secretes some DMT during REM state of sleep when dreaming occurs. It's also believed to excrete during Near Death Experience, which may account for the visions some people report during NDEs. Modern science is still unsure of its exact purpose, though they relate it to neurotransmitters and hormones like serotonin and melatonin--while mystics and even a few doctors such as Rick Strassman, study it, use it for rituals and refer to it as the Spirit Molecule.

Why do we want to experience altered states? Deep question--won't get answered in a few paragraphs. Some people try drugs out of simple curiosity, common choices like alcohol and marijuana where the prevalence in society makes us feel safer. Other drugs may be relatively known but scare most people away as with methamphetamine and heroin. The horror stories and overdoses aren't worth the risk for the majority of us. Then there are drugs that fall into grey areas, especially psychedelics like LSD or mescaline, where the average person is intimidated but might be coaxed into trying.

DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) and Ayahuasca (an Amazonian brew containing DMT) are among those grey area drugs--many have never even heard of either while others are curious but would probably have major reservations before experimenting. That's understandable since takers often describe life-changing trips. Even among enthusiasts, DMT is a profound mystery. Commonly reported effects include: fast response, buzzing sounds, geometric patterns, visitation by angels-insects-aliens-spirits of the natural world, portals to other dimensions, connection to infinite wisdom and moments of enlightenment. Some Amazonian Indians use the drug through the plant-based brew, Ayahuasca, as a part of ritual designed to bring awareness for personal purpose and to the nature of life itself.

This is why DMT and Ayahuasca may be so intimidating, from the reports of deeply spiritual, life-changing experiences. Do I really want to delve into the purpose of my existence? Do I really want an experience that might change who I believe I am? These are not easy questions for any person to face head on. See the two videos below: the first is a general intro to DMT, and the second is in-depth and really well done documentary on Ayahuasca at 25 minutes by Alexander Ward.

Intro video on DMT:

Very interesting documentary experience with Amazonian Ayahuasca:

Would you try these--have an experience to share? Leave a comment.

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Reincarnation? Do You Believe in Past Lives?

How do you feel about reincarnation, life after death, being born again or remembering past lives? A polarizing topic for many, belief or doubt over reincarnation may point to what we want to believe more than anything.
The video below is a fascinating story of a very young child, James Linegar, and his puzzling memories especially from ages two to four of airplanes, aircraft, friends and events during World War II.

If you believe in reincarnation, why do you suppose it happens? Leave your thought or comment.

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Happy Anniversary Love

What's better than a delicious dinner at a great restaurant? Dinner with your lovely wife on your anniversary.


Thank you to my wife, Jana, for years of love and support. Thank you to the staff at Ciopinot in San Luis Obispo, CA for an extraordinary dinner. Enjoying that lobster tail? Looks yummy.

Thank you to whoever invented crème brûlée and pistachio gelato and vodka cream drinks for desert. We left very happy indeed.

Thank you to the kids for staying at home and eating a frozen pizza with a movie and having a great time with it.

Here's to many more.

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