Happy Valentines Day America! What's in your heart this Valentine's Day?

This is a repost from earlier Valentines Day posts.

“To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.” 
~~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet,
Act IV, Scene 5 Valentine's Day
as ruefully mentioned by Ophelia in Hamlet (1600–1601

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most countries.

The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love was in Parliament of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Chaucer wrote: 
"For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make."
 ["For this was on Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."]

This poem by Chaucer was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. (When they were married eight months later, they were each only 15 years old).Have you marked your calendars for giving back this month? February is the month of love and of "giving back," be it supporting a cause or simply going the extra mile for someone. The energi PR firm in Canada is dedicating Valentine's Day to "Acts of Love & Kindness" and closing the office on Friday, February 14th to continue it's strong message of corporate social responsibility.

ACTS of LOVE & KINDNESS performed by energi PR on Friday, February 14, 2014 can be followed online on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #energiPRALK.

ALK (Acts of Love & Kindness) was conceived in 1994 by Patrice Tanaka, chief counselor and creative strategist at PadillaCRT and was later adopted by more than 50 public relations firms in the US through the Public Relations Society of America. energi PR approached Tanaka and sought her blessing to bring ALK up to Canada as part of its corporate social responsibility program.

The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius.

Legend states that before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her.

Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church.

The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, however on July 6th in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and July 30th, in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae). Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The flower crowned skull.

The modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784):

The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.


According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines. Also, many send Valentines Day chocolates and other candies.

New traditions have evolved with the internet. Millions of people today use digital (e.g., eCards, eCoupons, etc.) to send Valentine's Day greeting messages. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010. Below are two sets of Valentines Day card collages, to view detail, zoom in 150% to 200%.

Do you plan on volunteering this month and on Valentines Day? Are you participating in any social responsibility initiatives for the month of February? Please share in the comments section and do include links to any of your Valentines Day giving back themed campaigns.

Other Resources 
♦ Closed for the day: Gone volunteering, NewsWire.ca http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1296689/closed-for-the-day-gone-volunteering
♦ 10 things for happier living: do things for others, actionforhappiness.org, http://www.actionforhappiness.org/10-keys-to-happier-living/do-things-for-others?gclid=CO-V0fuup7wCFZDm7AodiXoAQQ
♦ Becoming Ginger Rogers, How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO, Patrice Tanaka http://www.prsa.org/Conferences/HealthAcademy/Archives/2012/Sessions/2012BecomingGingerRogers#.UusLS_ldV7M
♦ Valentines Day Ecards http://www.americangreetings.com/ecards/valentines-day?source=aggoogle548
♦ Greeting Card Association http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting_Card_Association
♦ No better place to say "I Love You" than Times Square, TimesSquare.org http://www.timessquarenyc.org/events/valentines-day/index.aspx
♦ Guy Kawasaki Google Plus, https://plus.google.com/+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA#+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA
♦ Valentines Day Recipes & Cooking, FoodNetwork http://www.foodnetwork.com/valentines-day/package/index.html


All photos courtesy of Wikimedia and screen shots taken from video and websites. All other photos will be credited as required.


Please visit this blog frequently and share this with your social media and professional network. Thanks.

Happy Valentines Day America! What's in your heart this Valentine's Day?

This is a repost from earlier Valentines Day posts.

“To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.” 
~~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet,
Act IV, Scene 5 Valentine's Day
as ruefully mentioned by Ophelia in Hamlet (1600–1601

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most countries.

The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love was 632 years ago in Parliament of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Chaucer wrote: 
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
 ["For this was on Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."]

This poem by Chaucer was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. (When they were married eight months later, they were each only 15 years old).Have you marked your calendars for giving back this month? February is the month of love and of "giving back," be it supporting a cause or simply going the extra mile for someone. The energi PR firm in Canada is dedicating Valentine's Day to "Acts of Love & Kindness" and closing the office on Friday, February 14th to continue it's strong message of corporate social responsibility.

ACTS of LOVE & KINDNESS performed by energi PR on Friday, February 14, 2014 can be followed online on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #energiPRALK.

ALK (Acts of Love & Kindness) was conceived in 1994 by Patrice Tanaka, chief counselor and creative strategist at PadillaCRT and was later adopted by more than 50 public relations firms in the US through the Public Relations Society of America. energi PR approached Tanaka and sought her blessing to bring ALK up to Canada as part of its corporate social responsibility program.

The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius.

Legend states that before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her.

Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church.

The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, however on July 6th in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and July 30th, in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae). Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The flower crowned skull.

The modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784):

The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.


According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines. Also, many send Valentines Day chocolates and other candies.

New traditions have evolved with the internet. Millions of people today use digital (e.g., eCards, eCoupons, etc.) to send Valentine's Day greeting messages. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010. Below are two sets of Valentines Day card collages, to view detail, zoom in 150% to 200%.

Do you plan on volunteering this month and on Valentines Day? Are you participating in any social responsibility initiatives for the month of February? Please share in the comments section and do include links to any of your Valentines Day giving back themed campaigns.

Other Resources 
♦ Closed for the day: Gone volunteering, NewsWire.ca http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1296689/closed-for-the-day-gone-volunteering
♦ 10 things for happier living: do things for others, actionforhappiness.org, http://www.actionforhappiness.org/10-keys-to-happier-living/do-things-for-others?gclid=CO-V0fuup7wCFZDm7AodiXoAQQ
♦ Becoming Ginger Rogers, How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO, Patrice Tanaka http://www.prsa.org/Conferences/HealthAcademy/Archives/2012/Sessions/2012BecomingGingerRogers#.UusLS_ldV7M
♦ Valentines Day Ecards http://www.americangreetings.com/ecards/valentines-day?source=aggoogle548
♦ Greeting Card Association http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting_Card_Association
♦ No better place to say "I Love You" than Times Square, TimesSquare.org http://www.timessquarenyc.org/events/valentines-day/index.aspx
♦ Guy Kawasaki Google Plus, https://plus.google.com/+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA#+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA
♦ Valentines Day Recipes & Cooking, FoodNetwork http://www.foodnetwork.com/valentines-day/package/index.html


All photos courtesy of Wikimedia and screen shots taken from video and websites. All other photos will be credited as required.


Please visit this blog frequently and share this with your social media and professional network. Thanks.

Happy Valentines Day America! What's in your heart this Valentine's Day?

This has been updated from a previous posting.

“To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.” 
~~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet,
Act IV, Scene 5 Valentine's Day
as ruefully mentioned by Ophelia in Hamlet (1600–1601

Are you still looking for that special gift idea and want to give back to someone? 

Gifts can be so very hard to find but you still have 3 days to give that special thoughtful gift.

There are so many ideas for V gift giving. 

Here are some ideas:
Personalized Heart in Sand Framed
314 VAlentine's Day Gifts
Valentine's Day Gifts from Gifts.com
Love Wins In 2017: Here are 25+ Valentine's Day Gifts That Give Back, Forbes

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most countries.

The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love was 632 years ago in Parliament of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Chaucer wrote: 
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
 ["For this was on Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."]

This poem by Chaucer was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. (When they were married eight months later, they were each only 15 years old).  

Have you marked your calendars for giving back this month? February is the month of love and of "giving back," be it supporting a cause or simply going the extra mile for someone. The energi PR firm in Canada is dedicating Valentine's Day to "Acts of Love & Kindness" and closing the office on Friday, February 14th to continue it's strong message of corporate social responsibility.

ACTS of LOVE & KINDNESS performed by energi PR on Friday, February 14, 2014 can be followed online on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #energiPRALK.

ALK (Acts of Love & Kindness) was conceived in 1994 by Patrice Tanaka, chief counselor and creative strategist at PadillaCRT and was later adopted by more than 50 public relations firms in the US through the Public Relations Society of America. energi PR approached Tanaka and sought her blessing to bring ALK up to Canada as part of its corporate social responsibility program.

The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius.

Legend states that before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her.

Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church.

The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, however on July 6th in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and July 30th, in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae). Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The flower crowned skull.

The modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784):

The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you. ~ Gammer Gurton's Garland, 1784

According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines. Also, many send Valentines Day chocolates and other candies.

New traditions have evolved with the internet. Millions of people today use digital (e.g., eCards, eCoupons, etc.) to send Valentine's Day greeting messages. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010. Below are two sets of Valentines Day card collages, to view detail, zoom in 150% to 200%.

Do you plan on volunteering this month and on Valentines Day? Are you participating in any social responsibility initiatives for the month of February? Please share in the comments section and do include links to any of your Valentines Day giving back themed campaigns.

Other Resources 
♦ Closed for the day: Gone volunteering, NewsWire.ca http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1296689/closed-for-the-day-gone-volunteering
♦ 10 things for happier living: do things for others, actionforhappiness.org, http://www.actionforhappiness.org/10-keys-to-happier-living/do-things-for-others?gclid=CO-V0fuup7wCFZDm7AodiXoAQQ
♦ Becoming Ginger Rogers, How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO, Patrice Tanaka http://www.prsa.org/Conferences/HealthAcademy/Archives/2012/Sessions/2012BecomingGingerRogers#.UusLS_ldV7M
♦ Valentines Day Ecards http://www.americangreetings.com/ecards/valentines-day?source=aggoogle548
♦ Greeting Card Association http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting_Card_Association
♦ No better place to say "I Love You" than Times Square, TimesSquare.org http://www.timessquarenyc.org/events/valentines-day/index.aspx
♦ Guy Kawasaki Google Plus, https://plus.google.com/+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA#+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA
♦ Valentines Day Recipes & Cooking, FoodNetwork http://www.foodnetwork.com/valentines-day/package/index.html


All photos courtesy of Wikimedia and screen shots taken from video and websites. All other photos will be credited as required.


Please visit this blog frequently and share this with your social media and professional network. Thanks.

Happy 165th to Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick - October 18, 1851

“There she blows!-there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!” 
~~ Herman Melville, American author, quote taken from his book, Moby Dick, chapter 133: The Chase -- First Day (b. August 1, 1819 – d. September 28, 1891)

Hard to believe, Herman Melville’s classic, "Moby Dick," was not well received in 1851 by British reviewers and bombed big time. Who would think that it was a native New Yorker author, Herman Melville coined "There she blows ~ There she blows ..."  Image above screenshot taken from Google doodle, celebrating Moby Dick's 161st as posted on October 18, 2012 at Google.com.

Classified as American Romanticism, in Britain it was first published by Richard Bentley in London on October 18, 1851 and on November 14, 1851 in the U.S.

"Moby Dick" sold only 500 copies in the United Kingdom, compared to 6,700 for Melville's first book, "Typee."

According to The Christian Science Monitor“shortly after Melville's death in 1891, his publisher reprinted several of his novels, including "Moby Dick."

These new editions excited New York's literary scene. Like long-smoldering embers, this underground movement kept Melville's name alive.

Eventually, the flame spread. So much discussion surrounded "Moby Dick" that many people gave the book a second chance.”

Other Resources 
► The Christian Science Monitor, Herman Melville books: At first, 'Moby Dick' was a total flop
►Moby Dick on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick

Please share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks!

Happy 164th to Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick

“There she blows!-there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!”
~~ Herman Melville, American author, quote taken from his book, Moby Dick, chapter 133: The Chase -- First Day (b. August 1, 1819 – d. September 28, 1891)

Hard to believe, Herman Melville’s classic, "Moby Dick," was not well received 164 years ago (1851) by British reviewers and bombed big time. Who would think that it was a native New Yorker author, Herman Melville coined "There she blows ~ There she blows ..." Image above screenshot taken from Google doodle, celebrating Moby Dick's 161st as posted on October 18, 2012 at Google.com.

Classified as American Romanticism, in Britain it was first published by Richard Bentley in London on October 18, 1851 and on November 14, 1851 in the U.S.

"Moby Dick" sold only 500 copies in the United Kingdom, compared to 6,700 for Melville's first book, "Typee."

According to The Christian Science Monitor“shortly after Melville's death in 1891, his publisher reprinted several of his novels, including "Moby Dick."

These new editions excited New York's literary scene. Like long-smoldering embers, this underground movement kept Melville's name alive.

Eventually, the flame spread. So much discussion surrounded "Moby Dick" that many people gave the book a second chance.”

Other Resources
► The Christian Science Monitor, Herman Melville books: At first, 'Moby Dick' was a total flop
►Moby Dick on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick

Please share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks!

Tamsen Fadal's book launch party for 'The New Single' at URBO in NYC 6/2/2015

YAY. The "see what you missed" video of the Book Launch Party for Tamsen Fadal's latest book, THE NEW SINGLE, is up and running on YouTube. Enjoy and share with your fellow FB friends, networks and other social media.

Tamsen Fadal, producer, author and ​seven-time Emmy®-winning Anchor, PIX 11 News has launched her latest book "THE NEW SINGLE: Finding, Fixing & Falling Back In Love With Yourself."

The launch party, held on Tuesday, June 2nd, is at NYC's URBO located in the heart of Times Square. Event coverage photos are posted on Facebook, click here and enjoy!

In "The New Single," Fadal shares her experiences and advice for finding, fixing and falling back in love with yourself and aims to empower women all over the country. No stranger to love and dating books, she has already authored 2 previous books on dating and love. Based on her very own steps she took to get herself back after her publicized divorce, "The New Single" explains the importance of finding those small, simple things in life that really matter including loving yourself first. Fadal wrote this book to share what has helped her fall back in love with herself, heal as a person but especially to help others going through the same experiences.

THE FIRST 90 DAYS ARE CRUCIAL

The first 90 days after a split or divorce are so crucial because you are still in pain and not over it -- Fadal believes you are so "raw after a break-up because you don't know what to do ..." "The New Single" is an excellent roadmap for anyone needing to bounce back after a break-up or divorce. “The New Single,” is not just about, dating and relationships or divorce and break-ups. It is more of a self-help guide on how to avoid toxic, repetitive relationship patterns that hold you back combined with Tamsen's real life lessons-learned as well as stories from other women in similar situations. Also included are meaningful tips for moving forward and getting that much needed confidence and feeling of empowerment back.

It's exciting and inspiring to cover this event and interview guests on the red carpet at URBO (located in the heart of NYC's Theater District), and to celebrate Fadal's latest book, "The New Single," among many fellow fans, friends and familiar faces.

YAY, the event coverage photos have been posted on Facebook. Also be on the lookout for the "see what you missed" video which will be posted onto the Examiner.com article and this AllThingsDigitalMarketing blog post. So please visit frequently and stay tuned for more.

SPECIAL GUESTS INCLUDE
◊Tamsen Fadal, seven-time Emmy®-winning Anchor, PIX 11 News at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. & Author of THE NEW SINGLE: Finding, Fixing & Falling Back In Love With Yourself.
◊Dorinda Medley, “Real Housewives of New York.
◊Shannon Elizabeth, film & television star of “Dancing with the Stars” and “American Pie” fame.
◊Tommy Tune, nine-time Tony®-winning Broadway, film and television star, choreographer, dancer, theatre director and producer.
◊Andrea McArdle, Tony®-nominated singer/actress, Broadway's original Annie.
◊John Muller, Emmy®-winning WPIX-TV Anchor 5, 6 and 10pm news.
◊Scott Stanford, Five-time Emmy®-winning Lead Sports Anchor, PIX 11 Sports Desk & Host, WWE.
◊Mr. G, WPIX-TV Meterologist 5, 6 and 10pm news.
◊Frances Rivera, Co-Anchor, MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts.
◊Maurice DuBois, five-time Emmy®-winning Anchor, WCBS News & CBS News.
◊Liza Huber, former star of Passions, Founder & CEO, Sage Spoonfuls.
◊Donna Hanover, former First Lady of New York City, author, television personality, and Honorary Co-Chair of Women Who Care.
◊Kathy Wakile, author of national best seller, Indulge, of “Real Housewives of New Jersey” fame.
◊Tim Morehouse, U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist; Founder & CEO, Fencing in the Schools; Goodwill Ambassador, Special Olympics World Games.
◊Rita Cosby, Three-time Emmy® winning Special Correspondent, Inside Edition and Host, WABC Radio & best selling author.
◊Rich Graziano, President & General Manager, WPIX –TV.
◊Kaity Tong, WPIX-TV Weekend Anchor.
◊Diana Falzone, FOX News Correspondent.
◊Jill Nicolini, WCBS -TV Entertainment Reporter.
◊Scott Rappaport, WCBS Reporter.
◊Felicia Finley - Broadway star of Mamma Mia! & The Wedding Singer.
◊Teresa Priolo, Reporter, Fox 5 News & Good Day New York.
◊Felicia Finley - Broadway star of Mamma Mia! & The Wedding Singer.
◊Vikki Ziegler, Host of Bravo's Untying The Knot, Celebrity Divorce Attorney.
◊Chuck Nice, Comedian, television and radio personality, Host, Top 10 Countdown and HGTV’s Buy Like a Mega-Millionaire.
◊Bonnie Fuller, Editor-in-Chief, HollywoodLife.com.
◊Rob Shuter, Host of VH1's The Gossip Table.
◊Shamina Rai, Correspondent for ZEE TV.
◊Narmeen Choudhury, WPIX Reporter.
◊Peter Shankman, entrepreneur, marketer, investor, blogger, Co-Founder of Shankman/Honig & creator of the HARO Project.
◊Steven Scott, actor/comedian/host.
◊Melanie Notkin, best-selling author of Otherhood.
◊Cooper Lawrence, Radio Host & Best Selling Author.
◊Milly Almodovar Thompson, Senior Beauty Editor, Cosmo For Latinas.

Resources
♦ How Tamsen Fadal got over her nasty, public break up, NY Post http://nypost.com/2015/05/30/how-tamsen-fadal-got-over-her-nasty-public-breakup/
♦ Tamsen Fadal on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tamsenfadal/posts/10153260102413879
♦ TamsenFadal.com, http://www.tamsenfadal.com/
♦ WPIX's Fadal seen looking 'cozy' with Steve Guttenberg http://pagesix.com/2015/01/15/wpixs-fadal-seen-looking-cozy-with-steve-guttenberg/
♦ Tamsen Fadal on Wikimedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamsen_Fadal
♦
To purchase "The New Single" on amazon click here. Please share this on your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks you enjoy! Thanks for visiting.

Photo of Tamsen Fadal and book cover courtesy of James Grant PR.

Happy Valentines Day America! What's in your heart this Valentine's Day?

“To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.”
~~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet,
Act IV, Scene 5 Valentine's Day
as ruefully mentioned by Ophelia in Hamlet (1600–1601

Are you still looking for that special gift idea and want to give back to someone? Gifts can be so very hard to find but you still have 3 days to give that special thoughtful gift.

Why not give the book that is "red all over" (pun intended), and filled with heart, humor and everyday business insight, "The World Without Pants: WordPress and the Future of Work" by Scott Berkun. It's available on Amazon in hardcover, kindle and also at Barnes & Noble hardcover and nook.
Photo of book cover courtesy of Scott Berkun

Here's a link to my book review on the AllThingsDigitalMarketing blog post September 2013.

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most countries.

The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love was 632 years ago in Parliament of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Chaucer wrote:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
["For this was on Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."]

This poem by Chaucer was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. (When they were married eight months later, they were each only 15 years old).

Have you marked your calendars for giving back this month? February is the month of love and of "giving back," be it supporting a cause or simply going the extra mile for someone. The energi PR firm in Canada is dedicating Valentine's Day to "Acts of Love & Kindness" and closing the office on Friday, February 14th to continue it's strong message of corporate social responsibility.

ACTS of LOVE & KINDNESS performed by energi PR on Friday, February 14, 2014 can be followed online on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #energiPRALK.

ALK (Acts of Love & Kindness) was conceived in 1994 by Patrice Tanaka, chief counselor and creative strategist at PadillaCRT and was later adopted by more than 50 public relations firms in the US through the Public Relations Society of America. energi PR approached Tanaka and sought her blessing to bring ALK up to Canada as part of its corporate social responsibility program.

The most popular martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius.

Legend states that before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her.

Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church.

The Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, however on July 6th in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and July 30th, in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae). Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The flower crowned skull.

The modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784):

The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.


According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines. Also, many send Valentines Day chocolates and other candies.

New traditions have evolved with the internet. Millions of people today use digital (e.g., eCards, eCoupons, etc.) to send Valentine's Day greeting messages. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010. Below are two sets of Valentines Day card collages, to view detail, zoom in 150% to 200%.

Do you plan on volunteering this month and on Valentines Day? Are you participating in any social responsibility initiatives for the month of February? Please share in the comments section and do include links to any of your Valentines Day giving back themed campaigns.



Other Resources
♦ Closed for the day: Gone volunteering, NewsWire.ca http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1296689/closed-for-the-day-gone-volunteering
♦ 10 things for happier living: do things for others, actionforhappiness.org, http://www.actionforhappiness.org/10-keys-to-happier-living/do-things-for-others?gclid=CO-V0fuup7wCFZDm7AodiXoAQQ
♦ Becoming Ginger Rogers, How Ballroom Dancing Made Me a Happier Woman, Better Partner, and Smarter CEO, Patrice Tanaka http://www.prsa.org/Conferences/HealthAcademy/Archives/2012/Sessions/2012BecomingGingerRogers#.UusLS_ldV7M
♦ Valentines Day Ecards http://www.americangreetings.com/ecards/valentines-day?source=aggoogle548
♦ Greeting Card Association http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting_Card_Association
♦ No better place to say "I Love You" than Times Square, TimesSquare.org http://www.timessquarenyc.org/events/valentines-day/index.aspx
♦ Guy Kawasaki Google Plus, https://plus.google.com/+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA#+GuyKawasaki/posts/8SaRPXr8cEA
♦ Valentines Day Recipes & Cooking, FoodNetwork http://www.foodnetwork.com/valentines-day/package/index.html


All photos courtesy of Wikimedia and screen shots taken from video and websites. All other photos will be credited as required.


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Happy 178th to Mark Twain, author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great!”
~~ Samuel Langhorne Clemens, pen name Mark Twain, American humorist and author of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (1876) and sequel, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” (1885) (b. November 30, 1835– d. April 21, 1910) ; known as the “Father of Literature.”


Would you believe the author of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” known as the “Greatest American Novel” of all time was born 178 years ago today? And would you believe that his advice on family and public etiquette as well as inspiring wit and wisdom from greatness, getting things done, and morals, to dress, health, food, and childrearing, etc., are forever relevant. Twain, perhaps the greatest, genius storyteller put himself in everything he did.

Image above courtesy of Wikimedia.org.

Born Samuel Clemens Langhorne in Florida, Missouri, on November 30, 1835, to Jane (née Lampton; 1803–1890), a native of Kentucky, and John Marshall Clemens (1798–1847), a Virginian by birth. Twain was born two weeks after the closest approach to Earth of Halley's Comet and when he was 74 years old (1909) Twain was quoted saying:

"I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet …"

Intriguing that Twain would die of heart attack one day after the comet's closest approach to Earth on April 21, 1910, at his home in Redding, Connecticut.


Interesting that although Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he lost a great deal of money in investments. He filed for bankruptcy, and with the help of Henry Huttleston Rogers, principal of Standard Oil, gradually resolved his financial issues.


Twain’s first great success as a writer, was in 1865 when he wrote a short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" which brought him national attention.

There is speculation about his pen name. Before deciding on his pen name "'Mark Twain" he used different ones – “Josh" until 1863 and pen name "Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass" for a series of humorous letters. Twain stated that his famous pen name of Mark Twain was not only his idea but also from a captain who used the name “MARK TWAIN” the call made regarding safer condition of the Mississippi River– two fathoms (12 feet or 3.7 metres), as written in his book “Life on the Mississippi.”

However biographer George Williams III claims that he used “mark twain” in reference to a running bar tab that he frequently incurred while drinking at John Piper's saloon in Virginia City, Nevada.

Friend and future Twain biographer Albert Bigelow Paine reported shortly after Twain’s death at his home in Redding, Connecticut that although doctors listed his death as “angina pectoris,” he died of a broken heart.

Despite Twain’s successes, his life was filled with tremendous sorrows – the loss of his only son at 2 years old, Langdon (1870 – 1872), a daughter in her early 20s, Suzy (1896 at 24 years old), another at 29 years old, Jean (in 1909), his wife Olivia of 34 years (1904 at 59 years old).

His surviving daughter, contralto concert singer, Clara (2nd born of Twain’s 3 daughters), was by his side during his death.

Other Resources
► http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2922241?uid=3739832&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102835806393 Mark Twain’s Non de Plume http://www.marktwainhouse.org/man/clemens_family_tree.php Mark Twain’s Family Tree, The Mark Twain House & Museum
► Mark Twain: A Biography by Albert Bigelow Paine, University of Adelaide Library
► http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/books/twain-obit.pdf Mark Twain is Dead at 74. End Comes Peacefully at His New England Home After a Long Illness," The New York Times. April 22, 1910
► http://www.twainquotes.com/19621121.html Mrs. Jacques Samossoud Dies; Mark Twain's Last Living Child
Works by Mark Twain
▌▒ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2967.Helpful_Hints_for_Good_Living Helpful Hints for Good Living: A Handbook for the Damned Human Race
▌▒ marktwainproject.org Mark Twain Project Online
▌▒ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Books_by_Mark_Twain 38 Facsimile copies of 1st editions
▌▒ http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/t#a53 Works by Mark Twain at Project Gutenberg. More than 60 texts are freely available.
▌▒ http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79-21164 Works by or about Mark Twain in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
▌▒ http://books.google.com/books?id=4KZhv9y8sMIC&dq=intitle:letters+inauthor:mark+inauthor:twain&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=0&source=gbs_navlinks_s Mark Twain's letters ed. by Albert Bigelow Paine (2 vol 1917) vol 2 online
▌▒ http://www.ucpress.edu/series.php?ser=mtl Mark Twain Library, University of California Press. This series re-prints texts from the Papers and Works for students and the general reader.
▌▒ http://www.ucpress.edu/series.php?ser=mtw The Works of Mark Twain, University of California Press. This series prints authoritative critical editions of Mark Twain's published works.
▌▒ http://www.ucpress.edu/series.php?ser=mtp Mark Twain Papers, University of California Press. This series publishes Mark
▌▒ Twain's private papers–his letters, notebooks, unpublished literary works, and autobiography.
▌▒ http://www.ucpress.edu/series.php?ser=jf Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain, University of California Press. The Jumping Frogs series of books brings neglected Mark Twain treasures—stories, tall tales, novels, travelogues, plays, imaginative journalism, speeches, sketches, satires, burlesques, and much more—to readers.
▌▒ http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/twain/menu.html A True Story, Repeated Word for Word As I Heard It. From The Atlantic Monthly. Nov. 1874: 591–594. Boston: Atlantic Monthly Co., November 1874. Boston: Atlantic Monthly Co., November 1874.
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Happy 162nd to Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick

“There she blows!-there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick!”
~~ Herman Melville, American author, quote taken from his book, Moby Dick, chapter 133: The Chase -- First Day (b. August 1, 1819 – d. September 28, 1891)

Hard to believe, Herman Melville’s classic, "Moby Dick," was not well received 162 years ago (1851) by British reviewers and bombed big time. Hard to believe native New Yorker author, Herman Melville coined "There she blows ~ There she blows ..." Image above screenshot taken from Google doodle, celebrating Moby Dick's 161st as posted on October 18, 2012 at Google.com.

Classified as American Romanticism, in Britain it was first published by Richard Bentley in London on October 18, 1851 and on November 14, 1851 in the U.S.

"Moby Dick" sold only 500 copies in the United Kingdom, compared to 6,700 for Melville's first book, "Typee."

According to The Christian Science Monitor“shortly after Melville's death in 1891, his publisher reprinted several of his novels, including "Moby Dick."

These new editions excited New York's literary scene. Like long-smoldering embers, this underground movement kept Melville's name alive.

Eventually, the flame spread. So much discussion surrounded "Moby Dick" that many people gave the book a second chance.”

Other Resources
► The Christian Science Monitor, Herman Melville books: At first, 'Moby Dick' was a total flop

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Tom Hanks recites slam poetry about sitcom “Full House” last night on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” show in NYC at Rockefeller Center

"Full House, house full of men ... Danny, Jesse, Joey, father, uncle, friend ... Uncle Jesse whose hair is never messy. Watch the hair hugh? Have Mercy on uncle Jesse. Three men raising 3 girls. Or are the girls raising them? Wake Up, San Francisco... No women in this full house, this house full of men ... This male dominated house. Cut it out!"
~~ Tom Hanks, American actor, producer, writer, director, Oscar and Golden Globe awards recipient

Tom Hanks' visit last night to "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" at Rockefeller Center in NYC was anything but the usual celebrity guest appearance to promote his latest, another Oscar-worthy film, “Cloud Atlas.”


Much more than a 3-minute recital, Hanks poetically performed slam poetry about "Full House," popular '90s sitcom that chronicles the life of a San Francisco widower who commissions his two buddies to help raise his three daughters.

Dressed in the usual “poetic black turtleneck,” Hanks poetics covered themes from famous episode about eldest daughter D.J. concert tickets to famous buzz words -- “Good Morning, San Francisco,” “Have mercy,” and “Cut it out!”


See what you missed by visiting this link: Tom Hanks performs slam poem about “Full House” on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”


Did you watch Hanks performance last night?

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