Johnny Colt

Check out my article on Johnny Colt!

http://feelgoodstyle.com/2008/09/29/johnny-colt-goes-green/

Lisa

Musicians Donate Art for War Child International Benefit

R.E.M., Modest Mouse, Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Jarvis Cocker, The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, and Fleet Foxes are just a few of the artists whose handmade signs featured in Under the Radar’s Protest Issue will be auctioned off beginning September 30th to benefit War Child International.

Earlier this summer, Under the Radar magazine published its Protest Issue, which featured an array of musicians sharing their thoughts on today’s political climate. Along with interviews, Under the Radar conducted photo shoots with those artists, each holding protest signs of their own making. Beginning September 30th, Under the Radar will host a 7-day eBay auction of the protest signs featured in the issue. All proceeds will go to benefit War Child International. (www.warchild.us), a nonprofit that helps children in areas of conflict across the globe. This auction provides individuals with an opportunity to purchase a one-of-a-kind piece of art while also contributing to a worthwhile cause.

Musicians whose art will be featured in the auction include The Protest Issue’s cover stars R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla, The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy, and Spoon’s Britt Daniel, as well as Billy Bragg, British Sea Power, Built to Spill, Jarvis Cocker, Death Cab for Cutie, The Dresden Dolls, The Duke Spirit, Elbow, The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Fleet Foxes, Foals, Michael Franti, Sharon Jones, Talib Kweli, Jamie Lidell, Metric, Moby, My Morning Jacket, Neon Neon, Noah and the Whale, OK Go, Peter Bjorn and John’s Peter Morén, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Rilo Kiley, Rogue Wave, Shout Out Louds, Stars, St Vincent, Supergrass, and more.

To view all the signs up for auction, visit: www.undertheradarmag.com/protestauction.html

Animals & Rachael Ray

Last week, in my own hometown, an abandoned, starved dog was found in one of those depositories for donated clothes. Left in the bin without food and water for almost a week during a 90 degree hot spell, "Sally" named after the Salvation Army bin she was found in, is a survivor. Check out the dog and the story at this blog. She licked the faces of her rescuers. I wish stuff like this didn't happen and Rachael Ray is trying to help at-risk dogs like Sally.

Rachael Ray Helps At-Risk Animals
How Cool Is That?

Looking for healthy food to feed your dog that also helps at-risk animals? Daytime host, best-selling author and pet lover Rachael Ray launches a new line of super premium dog food and treats called Rachael Ray Nutrish. Ray's proceeds from each sale will be donated to support Rachael's Rescue which is dedicated to helping at-risk animals through adoption, medical care and educational programs, along with training and outreach initiatives.

Rachael Ray Nutrish includes two varieties of all-natural dog food featuring real meat at the first ingredient - Real Chicken and Veggies and Real Beat and Brown Rice. There are no by-products, fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives; and each recipe contains

• antioxidant nutrients like vitamin E and selenium to support a healthy immune system
• a healthy fiber blend including oatmeal for easy digestion
• Omega Fatty Acids, with a dash of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) to support healthy skin and a shiny coat
• high-quality proteins to support healthy organs and lean muscle mass
• calcium for strong bones and healthy teeth

.

"I love my dog Isaboo and as a member of my family I need to make sure that she eats as well as the rest of us," says Ray. "With the launch of Nutrish, I now have the opportunity to share with other pet lovers some of her favorite meals, flavors, and special treats."

Check it out!

Elliott Yamin

Elliott Yamin opens up about his diabetes and how he's using his fame to help others.


Elliott Yamin was a third-place finalist on season five of American Idol. Soon after his audition, viewers learned that Yamin, who hailed from Richmond, Virginia, came into the competition without any vocal training. More impressively, this rhythm and blues performer was practically deaf in his right ear due to his battle with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, a condition he was diagnosed with when he was 16. He was considered the underdog in the competition and the media didn’t hold back -- viciously criticizing his imperfect teeth (a result of his diabetes). Yamin outlasted much of the competition, finishing third and releasing a very successful first single.

Thankfully, Yamin recognized the power in his celebrity and shared his battle with diabetes with the world in hopes of raising more money for research. He partnered with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to bring awareness to the disease. He and I had the chance to talk some time ago for another project and I wanted to share this interview with you.

I realized I could be a positive voice once I got to Hollywood, but I didn’t realize the true magnitude of the show and the exposure I was going to get from it right way.

When he was younger, Yamin admits he wasn’t always the positive, easy-going persona he grew into later, the personality that America fell in love with.

I struggled really hard in the early stages of my diagnosis and I’ve seen some hard times, all self-inflicted of course.

Elliott admits to not taking care of his health when he was younger. He was 16 and he was working part-time at a scale company, often feeling lethargic, but the teen blamed it on what most teens need at that stage in their life, ‘more sleep.’ His health deteriorated and he found himself urinating almost every half-hour. Finally concerned enough to tell his mother, Claudette Goldberg, who was a Type 2 diabetic for years, Claudette broke out her glucometer (a blood sugar measuring device) and uncovered the truth about her son – Elliott’s sugar level was extremely high and she needed to get him to the hospital immediately. He stayed there for three days. Diagnosed with diabetes at an age when most teenage boys are focused on jobs, school and girls, Yamin found his diagnosis hard to handle.

That’s a tough age to begin with anyway, just to be 16. Most of my friends were getting their driving licenses and I was learning how to give myself insulin shots with a syringe.

The teenager fought through his mixed emotions – the discontent, the denial, the anger.

I didn’t want to believe that I had it. I just didn’t understand how I could just go from feeling okay one day and then the next day just having a life-long disease. It was a tough pill to swallow for me at first because I just didn’t want to believe that I really had to take care of this the rest of my life.

The denial led into rebellion and, when he was 17 years old, he stopped taking his life-saving insulin for a week, leading to yet another hospitalization. Yamin had also suffered from numerous diabetic seizures as a result of low blood sugar and reactions to his insulin.

Today, thanks to medical research and inventions, Yamin no longer needs to give himself daily insulin shots. Instead, for the last seven years, he wears an insulin pump, a device for delivering the medication directly into his system. The pump is worn outside the body, usually attached to a belt or waistband. Insulin is pumped from a reservoir through a catheter inserted under the skin of the abdominal wall. Handling his diabetes while tour was difficult, affecting both his sleeping and eating schedules. The pump is more conducive to that lifestyle, he says, and he hasn’t had a seizure since in years. Today, Yamin advocates for research funds.

There’s never enough until there’s a cure. I think we could always be doing more and we could use the money that’s raised a little more wisely.

I want to find out exactly how research is being conducted and how we’re spending the money and why we’re not getting any closer to a cure.
His fans reacted positively to his efforts by donating to the JDRF in his name.

My fans are interested, and they aren’t even diabetics, but everyone knows a diabetic it seems. It’s become more prevalent over the past 10 years obviously, so they got really behind me.

He suggests fans learn about the disease through the JDRF website (www.jdrf.org).

Just like people learn how to save people when they’re choking, there are things you can definitely learn to help a diabetic out when their blood sugar gets low and they can’t help themselves, so just learn about the symptoms and you know,” he advises.

Today he advises other teens going through what he went through to treat their diagnosis as a new challenge.

Life is always full of challenges; some have more obstacles than others. You have to really just set your mind to it and make sure you stay on top of it. I didn’t do that. I was more rebellious and I just didn’t want to believe I had it. And that’s the thing I wished I could’ve changed. I wasn’t that headstrong at that age either, so that played an important, that played a role in it too. But I would just say just to face it head on and learn as much as you can about it and just pay attention to the details because it’s a very meticulous disease. But as long as you do that, you can live a long, healthy life and do whatever it is you set your heart to do, you know.

There are things greater and bigger than the music business. I’m always going to be a grounded person and I’m always going to remember where I come from and how it all started and to me, I just feel a certain responsibility. I can’t help it. I have to do positive things with these opportunities that I’m given. To me, it’s very fulfilling to me. It’s almost as if I’m supposed to be doing this. You know, this is what I’m on this earth to do, is to bring joy to people via music. And there’s so many important things that that allows me to do as well.



Photo: Elliott sings "Promise to Remember Me," at the Children's Congress in June 2007 in Washington, D.C.

Ethan Zohn and Soccer

Just because someone goes onto a reality show and wins, doesn't mean you'll then find him on the gossip sites, partying or evading taxes. Ethan Zohn is none of those things. He's also become a friend of mine and someone I truly admire for his dedication. After winning the $1,000,000 on the third season of Survivor, he co-founded Grassroot Soccer, which uses soccer to raise money and awareness to fight HIV/AIDS. In August, 2008, he began a 500-mile soccer dribble from Masssachusetts to Washington, D.C. He absolutely has his heart in the right spot and he never stops -- for the kids and for his cause. You never hear much about him in the magazines/newspapers because while they are looking for the latest reality star who has become a mess or become trashed or whatever, Ethan has been busy doing good stuff -- really good stuff.

Here is his latest charity event. If you can make it, please do so. It's a very worthwhile cause.

Lisa

Thanks for the memories!

Property from the Estate of the Legendary Bob Hope to be Sold in a Live Televised/Online Auction Benefiting The Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation

“Golf is my real profession, show business pays my green fees” – Bob Hope.

“Collector and museum quality” items from the life, career and estate of the legendary Bob Hope will be sold during a live televised and real-time online auction conducted by Julien’s Auctions (www.juliensauctions.com) on October 18th and 19th, 2008 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Proceeds from this auction will benefit the Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation. Mr. Hope’s extraordinary career spanned Vaudeville, Broadway, radio, television and film, and his numerous USO tours to entertain U.S. military troops earned him the admiration of generations of fans around the world.

Highlights in this historical auction from the life and career of Mr. Hope include: a one page letter dated October 23, 1943 from Bette Davis to Mr. Hope; a red and white feathered Indian headdress worn by Mr. Hope on the cover of Life Magazine on May 11, 1962; a Movado watch inscribed “To Bob Hope in sincere appreciation – The Cleveland Press Christmas Show 1944”; and a turquoise western suit made by Nudies of North Hollywood, worn by Mr. Hope on several television shows including Barbara Mandrell, Mandrell Sisters Show and Ann Margaret Rhinestone Special.

No golf collection would be complete without an artifact from the personal collection of Mr. Hope. Highlights from Mr. Hope’s golf collection include: a complete set of golf clubs from various makers (woods 1 – 6, irons 3 – 9 and a brass head putter); his Dunlop Bogie Buster golf bag; a Tiffany and Company sterling silver golf club given to Mr. Hope for his 95th birthday by NBC; 24k gold plated golf tees; two Chrysler Classic ball markers bearing Mr. Hope’s image; a white, pink and blue striped golf shirt; Izod® cardigan sweater; a red sports jacket made by Arthur Cross; a light blue pair of dress pants with “Second Mile Golf Classic” embroidered on the back pocket and his Du Pont Corfam leather golf shoes.

Registering to Bid
Registration is required to bid in this live auction and can be done either in person at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, or by visiting www.juliensauctions.com before the sale or by calling (310) 816-1818. Online bidding registration can be completed via Auction Network online.

Placing Bids
There are four ways to bid in this sale:
• Bid through Auction Network on Internet using real-time and absentee bidding
• Place bids in the room by attending the auction
• Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative, who sits in the room and conveys the bid to the auctioneer
• Enter Absentee bids. Absentee bid forms are printed in the back of each catalogue, and are also available by calling Julien’s Auctions or online at www.juliensauctions.com

Nigel Barker

Maybe you know Nigel Barker from his amazing fashion photography work, or perhaps you know him from his role as a judge and photographer on America’s Next Top Model. But he’d like you to know him for his passionate commitment to protecting and saving animals – a passion that started when he was a young boy and dreamed of being a zoologist. Although life took him in a different direction, his success as a model and photographer allows him to return to his love for animals and help them on a much bigger scale today. Nigel works with The Humane Society of the United States' Protect Seals Campaign and Protect Sharks Campaign. He is also a spokesperson for a charity out of Haiti called EDEYO, as well as for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Do Something charities.

Raised in a big brownstone in London, England, Nigel’s mother instilled her passion for animals in him.

I grew up surrounded by animals. My mother loved dogs, and we had many, many dogs as kids. And when I say many, I mean dozens of dogs. And now thinking back, I’m thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, why did we have that many dogs!?’ But as a child, you don’t question anything, and I’ll tell you what, I loved it. My mother reminds me how I would literally sleep in the alcove under the stairs with all the dogs.

Why?

I was just fascinated and was fascinated by the Jungle Book story and growing up with wolves. In pictures, you can see me with some kind of lizard, or beetle, or stray in my hand or in my arms; I wanted to become a zoologist. I think my biggest hero at the time was David Attenborough, who is well known as the voice behind most of the fantastic English documentaries about wildlife, and all the behind the scenes of pretty much every wildlife show. I really wanted his job, but my parents were paying for a rather expensive education at a boarding school in England and my dad taught me that if I went on to (study) zoology, surely the only job I would have would be a zookeeper, which he didn’t think was, quite frankly, a good enough job for me to have. At the time, I was upset by that.

Nigel applied for medical school and was accepted into Guy’s Hospital in London, but took two years off to model.

My mother and my girlfriend at the time entered me into a modeling competition in England, and I didn’t win, but I got into the top three. I thought that I’d take a year off and see how I do, make some money, and that would help pay my way through school.I had a taste of the fashion world that I’d never thought of before

Nigel enjoyed photography and after the fashion industry changed in the 1980s to a more grunge and heroin chic looks, Nigel moved on to become a well-known photographer, but his passion for animals came calling again and he decided to work with The Humane Society.

I felt like this was my calling. People are interested in listening to what I have to say. I thought, ‘Wow, I can actually do something that will help these animals that I’ve always loved so much.’ Using photography, I can take pictures and not just talk, but use imagery as a powerful tool in helping to persuade and educate people in what they are, who they are, how they live, and what needs to be done. And that’s really how I got to be where I am.

How did it affect you when you saw see the seals for the first time?

I’ve always been aware of the hunt, but you forget because it was banned in America and in so many places. The main places you find seal fur are in Norway, Russia, China, etc. When I first went onto the ice it was a massive event for me, and for my whole team. It’s an incredible sight to behold. There are five million seals birthing – the largest mammalian migration on earth. It’s the most extraordinary sight. You fly over it, find an area to land and you’re wearing a survival suit just in case you fall into the water and freeze to death -- just about everything to get your pulse racing. And it’s certainly more exciting than shooting any number of supermodels, I gotta tell you that (LOL) -- (the seals are) very nice to photograph, and pretty much beautiful from every angle, too.

(But) despite how attractive these seals are, (awareness) doesn’t seem to be working, and nothing seems to be helping them, because this hunt is still going on decades later. So it doesn’t really matter how much massive clout you’ve got, so you have to do something else. So I thought well, what can I do? And I thought that young people have the power to do things, to change things. So let’s motivate these people, let’s move them, and then see what we can do, and attempt to use the young fan base I’ve garnered from a show like Top Model.

And I felt very responsible because being in the fashion industry, it’s the industry that uses this fur. So it’s even more reason why I need to make a stand. Being a father, I have a little boy and we are expecting a second and I wanted my son to grow up in a world where we treat animals, and our planet in general, with respect, that they deserve and it needs.

Do you find you have a harder time convincing people about saving sharks?

Yes and no. The bottom line is you’ve got to know your subject. If you’re just going to talk on something because it’s cute, like seals, you’re going to get a certain number of people who are going to agree with you just because they just love animals and love very cute things. But if you know your subjects, and the facts are there, then it’s actually much more powerful than just having a pretty picture or being connected with a cute thing. And with sharks, the facts are there.

Nigel talks about this New York Times article.

And they said that this is due to the lack of top predators, and over-fishing of top predators in the ocean, (such as) blue fin tuna sharks and swordfish. These are the repercussions of taking out sharks. For example, hammerheads are almost completely endangered.



The Humane Society asked me to design t-shirts. For the seals, we designed one that said, “Make a fashion statement, save a seal.” For the shark it says, ‘Extinction bites, save sharks.’ On the back it says, ‘A shark is a shark. A human can be humane.’ The Society said the shark had too many teeth. I said to them, I’m not here to pretend that something is not what it is. This is life. And just the manner in which we deal with life and understanding it, I think if we pussyfoot around and pretend that things aren’t what they are, then you don’t garner respect. And we need to be real about this -- this is a serious thing that we’ve got to solve, because our world’s oceans are in a serious state right now. Stuff we’ve had around for literally millions of years is disappearing -- cod supplies are almost bottoming out and bluefin might be extinct soon.

I realize they aren’t killing all of the sharks --probably 300 sharks or something were caught during that tournament. It’s about what it does to people when you see sharks treated in this manner. (The whole point of this tournament) is to capture the biggest shark, bring it back, hang, draw, and quarter it in public, in a very kind of carnival, sort of festival scene where everyone gathers round to watch this animal being weighed, strung up, and then butchered in front of everybody. It’s very macabre. Children want to go home and the dad is fascinated, just like they were fascinated by Jaws. Some of the people who were protesting were the actors and actresses from the original movie, who are now in their 70s.

Somehow as humans we have this hierarchy as to what’s more important than something else. But for me, it’s about treating animals as a whole and with respect. They don’t realize the kind of harm these tournaments causes. As a result, people don’t like sharks, because they’re scared of them. We need to protectthem, because if you take them out, it has a cascade effect on the ecosystem.

And I just want people to know what they are for what they are, and understand that yes, they could attack you. And yes, it’s possible that there are going to be shark attacks, but ultimately, there was only one shark death last year in the U.S. It’s no great number. With the Monster Shark Tournament, or any shark tournament, is the sort of villainizing of sharks, and the lack of respect for these animals. Not to mention, of course, they’re looking for the biggest sharks, and the biggest sharks are the sexually mature sharks. With depleted supplies of sharks out there, we really need to be protecting these mature ones. Sharks take up to 15 years to reach sexual maturity, so when you take one of them out, it has a much worse effect than just taking the babies out, unfortunately.



Nigel's blog is a worthy read. For more information click here.

Nigel and I will talk once again about his trip to Haiti...look for that in the near future.

Nick Jonas and the "Walk in Nick's Shoes" contest

While a little different from my traditional celeb-do-gooders news, I thought it was smart of teen pop sensation Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers to use his condition to create awareness about juvenile diabetes and funds for juvenile diabetes research. I know I'm promoting a product here, but I'd like to create awareness for this worthy cause too.

Win Chance to Meet Nick Jonas in Los Angeles and be Part of "Team Jonas" at Diabetes Fundraiser

Bayer Diabetes Care and teen pop sensation Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers invite people with diabetes to enter the "Walk In Nick's Shoes" (W.I.N.S.) sweepstakes and four Grand Prize winners will meet Nick Jonas in Los Angeles and have the opportunity to be part of "Team Jonas" at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for the Cure in Los Angeles on November 1. The W.I.N.S. sweepstakes kicks off the launch of Bayer's new CONTOUR® blood glucose meter. Earlier this month, Bayer and Nick Jonas announced their partnership to provide young people and their families with the motivation and support they need to help simplify life with diabetes. The sweepstakes runs from August 25-October 1, 2008.

"It's going to be really exciting to meet the winners who will walk with other young people and their families to raise awareness and funds for juvenile diabetes," said Nick Jonas. "I'm lucky to have great support from my family, friends and fans. By working with Bayer to help people see life in my shoes, I hope that we can motivate others to better manage their diabetes."

Nick understands that so many of the approximately 150,000 of young adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the U.S. may feel embarrassed about their condition and he is striving to change that perception by sharing his own story. Nick, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 13, wants to inspire other young people with diabetes to achieve Simple Wins: small, everyday victories for managing the disease that can lead to big differences over time. For Nick and his demanding schedule, that means using the CONTOUR® blood glucose meter with new testing features that allow him to personalize it to match his lifestyle.

"Every one of us who travel with Nick carry a CONTOUR® meter to make sure we're there to support him whenever he needs it," said Denise Jonas, Nick's mom. "The meters are easy for everyone to use, we can personalize their features and they come in some great colors. Nick's personal favorite is Pacific Blue."

Each of the Grand Prize winners of the "Walk In Nick's Shoes" (W.I.N.S.) sweepstakes will receive a four-day/three-night trip to Los Angeles, CA for the winner and one guest. The trip consists of round trip air transportation to Los Angeles, standard hotel accommodations for three nights, ground transportation and a daily allowance. Grand Prize winners will also receive a Fit4D diabetes coaching program that includes a coach who will accompany the winner during the walk, a one-to-one diabetes coaching package for four months and eight months of fitness coaching. Additionally, ten First Prize winners will receive a pair of sneakers autographed by Nick Jonas and 100 second prize winners will receive a t-shirt. To enter the W.I.N.S. sweepstakes, log on to www.NicksSimpleWins.com.

The new CONTOUR® meter is now available in four vibrant colors: Pacific Blue, Royal Purple, Green Apple and Graphite Gray. The new CONTOUR® is the only meter that offers patients the flexibility to choose, either, "Basic" or "Advanced" levels of testing, to keep the management of their diabetes as simple and specific as they would like. The new, personalized features include programmable testing reminders and pre- and post-meal markers that provide information on how a meal can affect blood glucose, a feature particularly helpful for self-adjusting insulin users.

The sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the U.S. age 13 or older who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Permission of parent (or legal guardian) will be required for entrants under the age of 18. A random drawing will be conducted on or about October 3, 2008 from among all eligible entries. Grand Prize winners will be required to provide a letter from a physician confirming winner's diagnosis of diabetes and stating that she or he is physically able to participate in the Los Angeles JDRF Walk for the Cure. For the official rules of the W.I.N.S. Sweepstakes, to learn more about Nick's personal experiences and to read his blog about his latest activities, young people with diabetes and their families can log on to www.NicksSimpleWins.com.