By: Ken Boone This morning, I decided to take a look at my blog, just to see how far much I've been procrastinating. Imagine my horror when I found out that my last post was published on January 2, 2021. That's not cool when you consider that at the beginning of each episode of my podcast, I invite listeners to read my posts that are supposed to come out every other week. I should be embarrassed because I read the musings of another blogger who writes between 800-1200 words every day, including weekends. I know it takes a while to build up that type of stamina, but my laziness is inexcusable! I'll try to do better going forward. The podcast I host is relatively successful. That's because I've gravitated toward the political. In my defense, I try to walk a few steps in my adversaries' shoes, trying to explain the unexplainable. Leaving bitterness out of my "rants" has hit a nice chord with listeners on both sides of the aisle. While I intentionally avoid the nastiness in my rhetoric, I still feel the pull to occasionally "go there". There are other podcasts I produce that take on the discord head on, which keeps the temperature high, and makes for a great listening experience. I love recording them, love sharing them, and even love playing them in my car. But then there is what's behind Door #3. Approximately once per month, I have the pleasure of recording my favorite podcast host. She also happens to be my wife, Celia. In addition to all of the other positives she brings to my existence, she serves as my mood stabilizer. Listening to her lay down the vocal tracks of her show, "ISO Peace & Healing", I get to hear her soothing voice as she talks about subjects ranging from finding a God that works for you to making big changes in your life. And I get to hear them before anyone else! While she has strong opinions about what is wrong with this country, along with a well thought out allocation of blame, she chooses to keep those opinions and thoughts off of her social media pages and definitely out of her show. She's aware that controversy sells, but she prefers to take the path less traveled, and look for the good in her fellow man. In other words, she strives to view the world through love-colored glasses She has a modest, but faithful, listener base who catch every episode as soon as they are published. I wish there were more of you out there who would stop by for a listen. I assure you that it will be worth your while! Check out this episode of Celia's "ISO Peace & Healing" podcast, titled "Self-Soothing / Super Heroes" (link below). Originally published on April 3, 2020, it lays out steps we can still take to bring us serenity in these uncertain times. It also serves as a reminder of all of the sacrifices made by others to keep things running as normal as possible. #MuchMore2Say #DescantMMG
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MM2S006: Season 1, Episode 6
By: Ken Boone What do I have in common with comedian George Burns, singer Anita Baker, and actor Lorenzo Lamas? We were all born on January 20! In fact, the Anita, Lorenzo and I were born in the same year! January 20th is also Inauguration Day, the day we swear in the President of the United States! So that means every four years, I get a special birthday gift. Some years I accept the gift with open arms, while other years, I want to make a beeline to the Returns & Exchange Window! Let me give you a little back story – I grew up believing that I was extremely poor. I wasn’t rich, of course. But I wasn’t a broke as I was led to believe. As a result of this perception of poverty, and since my birthday was less than a month after Christmas, I typically got shortchanged in the gift department. Now, I didn’t emerge short-handed, but there were a lot of “I’ll make it up to you next year”. I don’t know if George, Anita and Lorenzo suffered the same slights, but if they did, I feel their pain. The country has had 15 Presidential Inaugurations since I’ve been on this earth. I was eligible to vote in the last 12 elections, although I only voted in five of them. After Carter lost to Reagan in 1980, I imposed a personal moratorium on voting… PERIOD! Why, because they said that every vote counts, and they lied. Hell… 1980 was a terrible year for me on many fronts (but that a different episode on a different show!) Like I said earlier, those birthdays that fell on Inauguration Day, when I was an eligible voter, were a mixed bag for me. My record is 6-6 for those of you who are keeping score at home. And that includes this year’s results! So, why is this birthday my most special one? Let’s see:
But I digress here. I just went downstairs to get a second cup of coffee and looked at the TV screen to see a sight I wasn’t sure I would see. That was a split-screen with an image of Marine One on the White House lawn on one side. On the other half of the screen was an image of Air Force One on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. But wait, there was more! The next image was that of a moving truck down at Mari-Largo. It looks like the same truck I saw at the White House earlier this week! While we all say a prayer for the families of the 400,000 Americans who lost their lives to COVID-19, let’s celebrate the lives of the fallen. Let’s also pray for the individuals who were injured or lost their lives in the attempted coup that took place of January 6th, whether you agreed with them or not. They are human beings. One last thing. Imagine the optics of a split screen with Biden and Harris getting sworn in on one side, and a tactical unit kicking in the front door of one of those individuals who thought it was a bright idea to storm the Capitol in hopes of overturning the results a legitimate election. Today's Quote: This quote is from President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on November 7, 2020: In the Prayer of St. Francis: For where there is discord – union Where there is doubt – faith Where there is darkness – light Then, as he ends every speech: Thank you all and may God bless you and may God protect our troops! Happy Birthday to me! And my wish?
By: Ken Boone, Host of the "Much More to Say" podcast It's been a while since I've written anything other than a podcast script. Please accept my apology and explanation. I, like most of you, have been obsessing over trying to get out of 2020 in one piece! Now, I typically don't quote the Bible when I communicate by either blogging or podcasting, but today I'll make an exception. Job 19:20 of the King James Version of the Bible says, "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth." Needless to say, 2020 was quite a wild ride that tested our health, finances, relationships, and spiritual and mental well beings. And for those of us who survived… congratulations and take a bow! But there’s still the question of “what happens next”? On one of my other podcasts, “Freelancer Survival Stories”, I start by asking the question, “how did we get to this spot”? A tidal wave of challenges is the easy answer. Here are my Top 4:
So, what does all of this mean? It means that 2021 is the year we roll up our sleeves and get to work. So far, we seem to be off to a good start. A number of Covid-19 vaccines are being rolled out! Our President-Elect has made restoring a potent labor force a top priority! A Covid-19 stimulus package has been passed and signed, with stimulus checks going out the door as of this posting! Oh, did I mention that we have a new President-Elect? For the past several months, I’ve been lending my voice in support of the independent artists and venues here in the USA. I’ve been sharing their posts on social media. Many of the artists have taken to live streaming events, and I’ve been more than happy to pass the word, and links, along to my followers. On the venue front, I’ve been supporting the National Independent Venue Association in their Save Our Stages campaign, where they lobbied congress to include aid in their Covid-19 relief bill. It was an uphill climb, but I’m happy to say that it worked! With rare bi-partisan support, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in the Senate, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) in the House, champion leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and 230 bipartisan cosponsors in Congress. The Save Our Stages Act will provide emergency relief to independent venues and promoters that have been devastated by the pandemic’s shutdown. This legislation will enable these mom-and-pop businesses to hold on until it’s safe to gather, reopen fully, and once again return to serving as the economic engines for their communities. The legislation provides critical help to shuttered businesses by providing a grant equal to 45% of gross revenue from 2019, with a cap of $10 million per entity. This grant funding will ensure recipients can stay afloat until reopening by helping with expenses like payroll and benefits, rent and mortgage, utilities, insurance, PPE, and other ordinary and necessary business expenses. WHAT’S NEXT NIVA hopes to work with the Small Business Administration to ensure the emergency relief is dispersed as Congress intended, that the instructions and process to apply for grants ensure that the process is implemented accurately, fairly, and as expediently as possible. Since it could take many weeks, even months for the funding to flow, the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund, with The Giving Back Fund as its 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor, continues to raise money to assist the venues at greatest risk of permanently going under as we wait for the grants to be issued. If you want to get involved in this organization, I urge you to go to the NIVA website: www.nivassoc.org or www.saveourstages.com As we enter the new year, let us not forget those we’ve lost in 2020. All of the unnecessary heartache inflicted upon people of all ideological stripes. Going forward, let’s try to listen to one another. Let’s try to repair the damaged relationships. Let’s try to focus more on the things that unite us and less on the things that divide. Today's Quote: "This is the first time in I don’t know how long that I’ve come even close to caring what happens next. I guess you could call that hope." Author Amy Reed Check out the latest episode of my "Much More to Say' podcast, titled "A Belated Stocking Stuffer" (link below). In it, I highlight some of the highs and lows of 2020, including the successful outcome of NIVA's Save Our Stages campaign! #MuchMore2Say #DescantMMG
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About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
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