ARTICLES and Columns

COLUMN: We often hear it said that we should be grateful for the things that come into our lives. That an attitude of gratitude can move mountains and that it is important to thank the Universe for our daily bread, our clothes, our health and the other fine things that we are blessed with. Mostly we say the words in rote memorization for those things that we know we should remember to say thank you for and that is a good thing. As the old Jewish proverb says, "when we smile the heart follows."

COLUMN: For some people, giving their pet a pill is an easy task. They are able to mix their pet's supplement or medicine in food and the pet gobbles it right down. This is the exception NOT the rule. In most instances, giving pets supplements or medication does require some effort and the first step is to prepare yourself mentally that you will need to take control of the situation.

COLUMN: Many people seek out holistic care for their pets as a last resort after their pets have been diagnosed with a serious health condition such as cancer, kidney disease or liver disease. Owners often feel sad that they hadn't explored alternative care earlier and are looking for the "magic pill" that will restore their pet's good health.

COLUMN: The tradition of Valentines Day with its Hallmark fueled frenzy has taken on a life of its own. Studies show that many people, especially men hate Valentine's Day. This is particularly true of men who feel like they can't get a handle on what is expected of them during this time. Traditions that play out mechanically add stress, guilt and depression to relationships.

COLUMN: From the beginning of time we have been attracted to each other and to the continuing cycle of life, to gain sustenance, grow and play out a destiny together. This attraction leads to admiration, love, and in due course to higher vibrations of light energy. At love's first blush, our combined energy is a powerful thing to behold.

COLUMN: In September 2006, Peter Frampton released his first all-instrumental album, called "Fingerprints." For the project he was able to bring together not only...

COLUMN: To the sultry strains of Carlos Santana / Rob Thomas, stunning Naomi Lang (Karuk Tribe), 2002 Utah Olympic ice dancing star, melts the "Latin On Ice" Special on the Style Network Friday, Jan. 12th at 5pm ET and on Sunday, Jan. 14th at 10am ET.

COLUMN: We are at the threshold of a great evolutionary and cultural change, and this journey will take us to a place we have never been before. Some are saying that the world, as we know it, will end forever. Maybe so, but not in the way one thinks. Since the beginning of time we have heard prophetic messages about world destruction, along with an array of doom and gloom.

COLUMN: The recent trip of Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey, with all the surrounding controversy that the event managed to generate, brought to the center of attention some of the most pivotal issues of history that have shaped and are shaping our Western world. Based on the fact that the Pope's trip to Turkey represented a rare journey by a Pope to a Muslim country, the issue of Islam and the West seemed to have received the greatest interest.

COLUMN: I would like to share my journey with indigenous elders and cultures throughout the United States, Mexico and Africa that led to the development of a worldview I have been implementing in my life for 25 years. I believe indigenous cosmology is important and relevant in the world today and would like to share these ideas with you. The field of quantum physics now "proves" what indigenous peoples have known for millennia.

COLUMN: Everyone from beauty queens to politicians wants World Peace. What most don't know is that peace begins with us! Peace isn't about what is going on in the Middle East, peace is how we relate to every individual we meet on a daily basis.

COLUMN: We spend our entire lives looking for ways to get what we want and to feel good. The fact of the matter is that it's actually pretty simple. Here we have two choices in life: living a love-based life or living a fear-based life. Many feelings encompass these two areas. The first is anything that brings pleasure: peace, joy, acceptance, and those things that feel good.

COLUMN: Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth, Massachusetts is a day when the hopes, dreams and troubles of our nation will find expression. Plymouth has become the symbol of our highest aspirations and our most grievous transgressions. Symbols are important to focus the mind and emotions. A symbol can uplift us, it can take us down; it can bring us together, and it can separate us.

COLUMN: Ours is only a suggestive language attempting to grasp and describe concepts that are beyond words. Our ability to conceptualize is derived from the words we use and the construct we have created to analyze and categorize experiences. The concepts proposed here are outside of the commonly agreed upon construct and beyond any words we might have to describe them.

COLUMN: From the standpoint of wishing well to others, we have come a long way baby. In the 80's we were rather casual as we suggested that people have a "great" day, and in the 90's we were admonishing them to have an "attitude of gratitude." Today we say many things to promote peace and good will to each other in the course of our daily lives. Salutations, greetings and closings have taken on new meaning as we move from jet setting competition, to a spirit based collaboration that's welcoming.

COLUMN: In all the heated and at times violent confrontations that have taken place over the issue of a seemingly out-of-control illegal immigration from Mexico into the United States, charges of racism have been raised against those who voice strong opposition toward this socially devastating invasion.

COLUMN: Scott G has been paying attention to the taglines in ads. Somebody needs to, because marketers are making a ton of mistakes in this important area of communication. Taglines often seem to be a cute little part of advertising but can actually be a deft tool of marketing. More appropriately called theme lines, they are supposed to help cement the most important brand attributes into the minds of consumers. When they work, it seems like magic.

COLUMN: While traveling in Central America, the subject of banditos reared its head to send shivers down everyone's spine. This is a subject that is near and dear to those who travel internationally. Whenever we discuss third world countries, we get stuck in stereotypes. Third world countries have banditos. Third world countries devalue their women.

COLUMN: Why write a six-word sentence when it's more fun to use 82 words and a bunch of gobbledygook? Scott G pokes fun at the way some businesses pontificate about themselves online and off.

MUSIC REVIEW: I was pretty excited to hear about the new disc "Fingerprints" from Peter Frampton, a seminal guitar god from the '70s who became enormously famous for his "Frampton Comes Alive" album and for his formant-tube guitar "talk box" sound on that record 30 years ago. I hadn't really thought about him much lately except when my iTunes jukebox cycled around to his tunes. So, getting the new disc was like hearing from an old friend again.

INTERVIEW: Matt Forger speaks out to Scott G about everything from working with Michael Jackson to producing new artists like Mutant Radio. According to Matt, a pop song is a three minute fix of an emotional drug. We are connected through our humanity, and most successful songs speak to this.

COLUMN: Following the announcement of a patent for the video enhanced gravemarker, Scott G ponders the next phase of cemetery chic. Might there be an iTomb in your future? Hats off and a twenty-one gun salute to television commercial producer Robert Barrows, recent recipient of U.S. Patent 7089495 for an invention called the Video Enhanced Gravemarker (VEG).

COLUMN: Companies need to do a better job of policing themselves when signing up new customers on the Internet and through mail campaigns, otherwise...

COLUMN: Three personal managers of independent artists outline pathways for success in an increasingly competitive marketplace. "An artist's music must be something I love," stated Jennifer Yeko of True Talent Management. "It has to be music I want to hear in my personal life as well as when I'm working."

Just when you think it's safe to go shopping on eBay for used gear, like a vintage tube mic, or analog keyboard, the phishing artists have to ruin my day. Phishing, is the practice of trying to fool you into going to a website pretending to be a legitimate site, like a bank or eBay, or to contact somebody about a product or service through "real looking" email communications.