Text, Email or Write

Last week I did a "What's Bugging You" report on the vanishing practice of handwriting letters.

I blamed our reluctance to put pen to paper on technology such as instant messages, email and online social networking like Myspace and Dogster. Even my dog, Willamena, insists on having a page because her boyfriend, Otis, has one.

Don't get me wrong. I like the ease and immediacy of keeping in touch and getting to know new people. I just want both! But I can't remember the last time I received or mailed a letter. I started thinking about it while I was digging through an old popcorn tin of letters, all about 20-years-old. With it, I have a  stamp collection, cool postmarks from all over the world, pictures and interesting letters from people, some I have to admit I don't even remember. However, young people who rely on the internet to communicate with pen pals and write love letters aren't going to have the memories. I mean, really, when is the last time you printed an email that you ended up saving? Plus I only keep sent pictures as long as they stay in my inbox.

I started thinking about the issue again yesterday after receiving an email from a Peter Kovar in Germany. Attached was this picture to the left, with a message reading: hi heather,
my name is peter kovar and i'm a university lecturer in germany.
i find your e-mail adress by seaching a picture of my own. do you know something of your regional provenance?
i wrote this e-mail simply because of your friendly picture and your name.
i send you greetings from germany
peter kovar

I think getting an email from someone with my same last name in Germany is pretty cool. It didn't come with a postage stamp, but it did prompt me to look again at the region my family is from.  I thanked him for the email and told him my Kovars were from Ublo, Moravia Czechoslovakia. He wrote back saying that's the basic area his family is from as well.

I'm not sure how long his picture will remain in my inbox. I'll try to find a way to save it like I try to save some email addresses that somehow have disappeared whenever I need them. But another thought about those old letters: I wonder what I wrote in return and if anyone still has mine? Oh, no! Maybe instantly deleted text messaging is the way to go.

Five Years Later

Its one of those moments in history where you will never forget where you were when you heard.

I was getting ready to spend the day covering the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary. When the first plane hit, I started worrying how the "accident" would affect my planned political coverage. Things unfolded pretty quickly after that, and ultimately the New York City Primary Elections were re-scheduled for September 25th, 2001.

Everyone remembers where he or she was on September 11th, 2001. It's known as a day that changed the lives of Americans forever. So it seems appropriate on this five year anniversary to take a look at where we are today. Yes, the country is still involved in war and security measures have been tightened. However, are we any different as individuals than we were five years ago? For the families who lost loved ones in the attacks, I'm sure their hearts will never be the same. I can't begin to understand the loss for them or their struggle to ensure a proper memorial. Can the average American name at least one of the nearly 3,000 people killed that day?

Needing to do a little meditation on the subject, I jogged along Riverside Park from the Upper West Side to Chambers Street yesterday. It was a nice sunny breezy day that had rollerbladers, bikers, families and all kinds out enjoying the view and the weather. Steps from the World Trade Center site, families were in the park in high spirits. One of the most touching images was a little girl singing while shaking some sort of tambourine over her head, and behind her I could see a crane with the American Flag still hanging on it. I haven't been to the area in at least two years. But instead of the fence memorial with posters and teddy bears and messages, it seems the area has picked up life. I noticed many new residential high rises surrounding the site. Of course the site itself is still empty. But it's cleaned up. There is even this website dedicated to renovation in the area.

Anything so painful is bound to be controversial. The planning and rebuilding hasn't come easy. Memorials have been placed around Connecticut to commemorate the lives ended that day. This picture is an artist's rendering of a memorial proposed for Greenwich. The statue would be placed where the Twin Towers were visible from Connecticut. Robert Perless has an exhibit at the  Flinn Library.

Looking back five years, thinking about where we are today, makes me wonder what it will be like in 2011.

What's Your Sign?

A loved one is in need of a good listener -- and possibly a shoulder to cry on.yesterday's horoscope The other one said two satrs, I can’t remember why, though Yeah, htoday I was planning on spending the entire day cleaning the apartment, doing laundry, gettingcaught up on work. But look- thanks to my horoscope- I don’t have to do half of what I need to. Gptta jave fun too! And no need trying to convince myself how fun laundry and cleaning out the closet so I can put it up is Not with ahoroscope begging me to have fun today!septemebr 23 All work and no play is no fun, so seek a balance between these two forces today

More than ever before, you're finding it easy to stay true to your toughest goals in life. No matter how silver-tongued that little devilish voice inside you may be, nothing can pull you off your track today! This laser-precise focus serves you well, keeping you out of trouble -- without depriving you of having a lot of fun. All work and no play is no good. As long as you seek a balance between these two forces, you'll be fine. http://horoscopes.astrology.com/ i think this is yesteday's two star ruling: CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You will be torn in a couple of different directions that will have financial implications. Be very careful how you proceed. Fend for yourself and don't expect anyone to take responsibility for something that concerns you. 2 stars today. UGH she doesn't like me. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You won't be able to count on others. Prepare to make things happen on your own. Make some changes to your circle of friends and you will rid yourself of problems that you can do without. It may be difficult initially but relief will be the end result. 2 stars

http://www.uclick.com/client/mny/el/2006/09/23/index.html

AND its a phone

You know when it's time to get a new device with which to make calls while text-ing and checking your emails. The difficult part is deciding WHICH device to buy. Want a full type pad so you can easily type or navigate online? Need a camera so you can send pics to friends or to flickr so you can use them on your blogs like this?

www.flickr.com

Or maybe you want one of those phones to use as an MP3 player.  My old phone finally broke in half in December. I knew the new Treo I thought I wanted was coming out soon, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a phone at that point. I went to the Verizon store to see what I could get for as little as possible just to get me to the Treo release date. Unfortunately, since I was right in the middle of my service agreement, I couldn't get any of the advertised deals. That $69.99 phone was for new customers. It was $199.99 for me, a faithful five-year subscriber.

The service rep offered me an alternative. She said to use one of my old phones until it was time to renew my service. That would only be a thirty-dollar connection fee. I had two or three old phones lying around. But since I knew I never going camera-less again, I had donated them.

I think I gave them to Keep Stamford Beautiful. The organization raises a little money by selling donted devices to a recyling company. If your old phone is still in working order, you can make a few bucks by selling it yourself.

However, as I learned, having a working back up on hand isn't a bad idea. Luckily my good pal and coworker Eric Greene had just upgraded and had a phone that was compatible with my service provider, and he let me borrow it. I also could have bought a used one on Craig's list. At least this way I knew the person to whom the information still saved on the phone belonged. Eric, I promise I didn't call any of those numbers! Actually, Eric did a good job of deleting old information. Recently there have been articles in the media warning people about the information and secrets donated old phones may still possess. However, a group that recycles phones has a website called wirelessrecycling.com and it shows you how to get rid of information that just deleting doesn't take care of.

This is a good site I found for comparing all the phones out there from the different providers. Check it out if you are in the market but aren't sure what to buy. However, beware! The latest model is always around the corner! Since I waited until my plan was ready to be renewed this past month, a phone I liked even better than the Treo came out, the MotoQ. So far so good! I can even update my blog from it. (Or at least I'm supposed to be able to - I'm still learning how to dial with it along with the 800 other features I might learn one day.)

Once you finally decide which device to buy, all you have to do is choose your ringtone. Then which ringtone for which friend, for the alarm, and for the unknown calls. Because, after all, that little PDA, MP3, texting monster and camera - is also a phone!

Wrapping Up Summer

As hard I try I find most weeks there really isn't balance between work and personal responsibilities. The week I am satisfied with how clean I've kept my apartment, exercised, played with the dog and made time for family and friends; well, honestly, work was just basic work. Yet the weeks when I have great accomplishments at work, including looking ahead and scheduling future projects, I find laundry doesn't get done. Or there are dishes in the sink or just some pile of unattended to paperwork all over the desk. But so what? I've found that is how I balance, not day to day, not even week to week. Just sometimes more effort is needed at work, other times at home.

We're all busy. And I'm finding that summer is actually ending just as busy as it began. I remember summer starting out with events every weekend. Now the same is happening. After this upcoming Labor Day Holiday, every weekend in September I have a charity event or two I'm planning to attend. Now that I think about it, the list moves into October. I'll be building another scarecrow out at Plasko's Farm in Trumbull and eating cider donuts before I realize summer is over. And wait a minute, I still never took that Spring Break! Oh, no, I never made it out to Jones Family Farms before blueberry season was over. But pumpkin pickin' is right around the corner there. Oooh- but if you hurry out to Silverman's Farm peach picking runs through mid-September and apple harvest is underway through mid-October. ( I still might be able to squeeze this one in my What's To Do schedule.)

However, despite eveyone's hectic schedules, have you noticed how some people still find ways to give of their time? There are different levels of this. Of course we have the amazing people who spend countless hours organizing charity events or raising money to help find cures for disease. There are also the people who volunteer in their communities, such as those at the local animal or food shelters, or at hospitals or with children. But we also have the people who just do nice things. Did you ever see the website that my co-worker weatherman Paul Piorek kept for his son and little league team? Paul took the pictures, wrote the stories and kept everything up to date. The people who do all these types of things should be very proud of what they accomplish. Even if they aren't getting a thank-you every day. I just wonder how in the world they ever get their laundry and dishes done.

In between walking my dog and blogs, here are some events I'm involved with over the next few weeks. September 10th, the Graff Diamond Cup at the Greenwich Polo Club.

September 17th and 18th, the 14th Annual Michael Bolton Charities' Benefit Concert and Celebrity Golf Classic.

September 23rd through the 25th, the Consumer Tech Fest at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport.

October 1st, the Alzheimer's Memory Walk 2006 Alzheimer's Memory Walk 2006 at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk.

All of these much more important and fun than folding that pile of laundry.

Is that my Phone Ringing?

You are driving along, and all of a sudden you hear your cell phone ring. Wait, is that your cell phone? Hopefully you have your hands-free device all plugged in and you aren't scrambling to find your phone when you realize the ringing is just on the radio.

You may have also pulled over looking to get out of the way of an ambulance, then realized the sirens were coming from a song or a radio ad. I've even heard car crash noises on the radio that have made me step on the brakes.

Distracting noises on the radio is the latest "What's Bugging You."

Janet Stuelpner is a viewer from New Canaan. She wrote in to tell me sirens and car noise bug her. She says "I think that advertisers should be more careful in their choice of sound when making an ad for the radio. Some things just don't lend themselves to the car radio when in motion. This is the kind of thing that will drive listeners to Sirius or XM radio where there are no commercials."

My photographer and I did a little experiment. We drove around in our news car over several days with the camera rolling on the radio. The first day we did it non stop for an hour, the second day, only half a hour. I have to admint both days we flipped around a bit, but only during songs we knew had no sirens or bells in them. In that time, we didn't hear any commercials or songs with sirens. However, we did hear one commercial with cell phone rings and another with a car horn.

Advertisers are probably aware of the scare tactic of the siren. Advice I found online from the Washington State Association of Broadcasters warns advertisers that though there isn't a law against such sound effects, it doesn't necessarily make it okay in every circumstance to use them.

The FCC has a rule (former Section 73.4240; deleted effective 11-28-83) which prohibits the use of "sirens and like emergency sound effects in broadcast announcements."

Local radio stations typically play the ads that come to them unless they are offensive or indecent. Eric McDonald is the Program Director at Fairfield County's 96.7 the Coast. He says the only thing the FCC enforces in relation to content is indecency.

The Radio Advertising Clearance Centre of London warns advertisers against certain sound effects. RACC advises that sound effects of ambulances, police sirens, screeching tyres, car horns, vehicle collisions etc. are used ‘in context,’ ie. where relevant to the advertised product or advertisement scenario and in cases where listeners can reasonably expect them to be, or recognise them as, part of an advertisement.

Where draft scripts indicate such sound effects, we advise agencies and stations that extreme care in production is needed to help ensure that the sound effect is not likely to create a safety hazard to those listening whilst driving. In practical terms, this care could take the form of ensuring that the sound effects are brief, muted and under accompany voiceover(s).

The Radio Authority and a few stations themselves have received some listener reaction about a police siren sound effect which appeared on its own at the beginning of a national advertisement broadcast in July.

You can find people complaining about sirens in ads all over the internet. Here people would like a law. Here people would like a law against certain sound effects.

Here is a New York Times article on thinking your cell phone is ringing when it isn't. Another chatroom of ad-noise haters. And just for fun, a forum for commericals people hate for whatever reason.

However, if you are driving and hear a siren, don't assume its the radio.

In Connecticut the law demands that regardless of the the way you are traveling, you must pull parallel to the right as far as possible and come to a complete stop until the emergency vehicle has passed.

Bless You and Bee Well!

If you've been sneezing or sniffling or have had a sore throat over the past week, you might be suffering from allergies. Yes, welcome to ragweed season. It typically starts mid August and runs until the first frost. Hey - at least one reason to look forward to the colder temperatures.

Your symptoms could be more severe this season, according to local allergists, because of all the rain we had earlier in the year. Another reason rain bugs us! However, cold-like symptoms aren't the only ones associated with allergies. Absentmindedness, constipation or diarrhea, depression, irritability, dizziness even a difficulty with concentration  have been linked to allergies.

Along with an appointment with your doctor, there is a natural product that is said to help with symptoms, and that is local honey. Recently I spent some time with several local bee keepers, and I'm hooked! However it is important to point out that to benefit from honey, you need to consume local or regional unpasteurized honey. Andrew Cote of Silvermine Apiary explained to me most of the honey you buy in the grocery store comes from several different countries, mixed together then pasteurized. He says heating like that destroys all the healthy enzymes in honey. He quips, "It's sugar water. You might as well drink corn syrup."

BENEFITS OF LOCAL HONEY

Sweetening your tea or coffee with local honey could help you build up an immunity to what you are allergic to, since its in the honey. Its almost like a flu or allergy shot.

Honey has been used for its healing properties for more than four thousand years.  Honey was found in the tombs of egypt. The mummies were embalmed with honey and propolis, another product from the hive. Honey is also used to treat skin disorders and to heal cuts and burns. How to use honey to heal a cut and more, from a private health care provider in the UK.

Plus, honey is an excellent home remedy for obesity. It mobilizes the extra deposited fat in the body allowing it to be utilized as energy for normal functions.

LOCAL BEE KEEPERS

Cote, his brother and his dad all have bees around southwestern Connecticut that travel miles collecting local nectar and pollen. Marina Marchese is another bee keeper in southwestern Connecticut. Actually, there are several. Here is a list from the state of Connecticut.

Marchese is the bee keeper responsible for Red Bee Honey. She also uses her honey to make soap, insect repellant and other items. She does so right in her Weston kitchen. You can order online.

Marchese also taught me how to eat honeycomb. You just spread it right on a cracker, bread, slice of fruit or just about anthing. It tastes great with a piece of cheese and olive or nut. You never have to eat Oreos again!

While you don't want to eat half a jar every time you have a pot of tea, if there is even a slight chance a  64-calorie tablespoon a day will promote weight loss and help with absentmindedness, depression, irritability, dizziness and concentration - associated with allergies - I can't think of a better way to start the day.