Shakira's 10 best songs

In 1990 a 13-year-old girl name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll recorded her first album with Sony Columbia. That first album and her follow-up album didn't do very well cause her career to remain stagnate. With this kind of a start many people would have given up on their dream but Shakira was not like most people. She took a few years off, went back to Sony's studio, and took control of her own career. Since then she has gone on to become one of the best selling Latin singers.

With her unique style that mixes Latin & American pop, Disco, and Rhythm & Blues her songs appeal to just about every taste. If you ask any of Shakira's many fans what they consider to be her 10 best songs you would probably several different answers. The following list combines some of those list into a top 10 of what most fans would consider her must haves for any collection:

1. Hips don't lie With almost double the downloads of any of her other songs this is the must have for any serious Shakira fan. Listening to the song and watching the video you can understand its popularity.
2. She Wolf Get ready to get your groove on as the techno beat of “She Wolf” bring the animal in you. The song tells about a woman stuck in a dull relationship and finally feels the need to break out of her cage.
3. Waka Wake (This time for Africa) The drumbeat and hand clapping of the song will have you on your feet. This upbeat song that was the anthem of 2010 world cup of soccer should be close to the top of any collection of Shakira songs.
4. Beautiful liar This powerful songs that deals a bad relationship would be a great song to have on your play-list. The song starts oh with a haunting melody and has a body rocking beat that will have you swaying to the music.
5. Whatever, Wherever Weather you listen to it is Spanish or English this song about love overcoming time and distance makes for a great addition to your collection. This was one of the first songs Shakira did in English along with her native tongue. Among Shakira collaborators on this song is Gloria Estephan.
6. Empire A wonderful ballad that speaks about how a strong love can build empires and move the Universe. This is a great song to have on your MP3 players so you listen to it when your on the move.
7. Underneath your clothes This seductive soft Rock song will be a good addition to anyone's collection of Shakira songs. When you listen to this song it might be a good idea to wait until your around your significant other.
8. Gypsy Shakira once said of this song that it talks about the way she lives. This song is not as high energy as many of Shakira's song and shows more of the take charge side of her that we do not see that often.
9. Don't Bother This song shows more of the Rock side of Shakira. In this song that she once referred to as a “feminist anthem” it speaks of a girl that decides to move on with her life after her ex leaves her. An empowering song that is a must have for any Shakira fan.
10. Illegal In this song we see Shakira as a more vulnerable woman when she catches her boyfriend cheating compared to the move on attitude in both “Gypsy” and “Don't Bother”.

The year in space

2015 was a great year in space. NASA took us to the edge of the Solar System and made some big discoveries, both Spacex and Blue Origin have made some major strides forward, and there have been a few setbacks.

The year started off with SpaceX sending a supply shipment to the ISS (International Space Station) and attempting to be the first privately held company bring back and land the first stage of a rocket. The re-supply part of the mission went off without a hitch as the Dragon craft soared to the ISS. Bringing back the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket didn't go as well when it made too hard of a landing on the drone ship and exploded.

Midway through January NASA's MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) spotted the European Space Agency's Beagle 2 Mars lander. The lander came down on the Red Planet in Jan 2004 but was unable to send a signal back to Earth. For the next 11 years it was assumed that the lander crashed and was destroyed.

After a couple of previous attempts SpaceX finally launched NASA's DSCOVR (deep space climate observatory) satellite into space. Once the satellite was deployed it would monitor the solar wind and send back early warnings of a solar flairs. During the mission SpaceX was scheduled to make a second attempt at landing the first stage of their Falcon 9. The attempted landing was scrubbed due to unfavorable weather.

The biggest story in March 2015 was that NASA's Dawn spacecraft had gone into orbit around the dwarf-planet Ceres. Once in orbit the craft sent a confirmation message back to NASA and started using its equipment to do an analysis of Ceres.

The big story in April was that SpaceX made their second attempt at landing the first stage of their Falcon 9 rocket. The result this time was not much different as a malfunction cause the rocket to hit the edge of the drone ship and the Falcon 9 fell into the Ocean.

May was a relatively quiet month in space as there were no SpaceX launches and NASA's New Horizons was still on its way to Pluto where it would do a flyby in July.

One of biggest stories in June was when the European Space Agency's Philae lander woke up after 8 months in hibernation. In November of the previous year the lander made news when it set down on Comet 67P/Churganov-Gerastenko. The craft missed its mark and was unable to recharge its batteries.

June literally went out with a bang when a SpaceX Falcon 9 exploded shortly after liftoff. The unmanned SpaceX craft was scheduled to make a mid-year supply delivery to the ISS. As a result of the tragedy all future launches of SpaceX craft would be postponed while an investigation was conducted.

One of the biggest stories in July was when NASA's New Horizons made its flyby of the dwarf-planet Pluto. As it went past Pluto the craft would use its sensors and cameras to gather data for transmission back to Earth.

The big story in August was Japan sending a resupply mission the ISS. The unmanned H-2B craft lifted off from the Island of Tanegashima on July 19. The mission would take replacement parts, medical supplies, food, and other items lost in the SpaceX explosion.

The big story in September was the newly received pictures of the dwarf-planet Pluto. The photos showed a much different terrain than what anyone expected of the dwarf-planet. They showed mountains made of ice.

In October it was all about pictures from space. There was the “selfie” that the Curiosity Rover sent us from Mars. Scott Kelly also sent us many spectacular pictures that he took from the ISS. Not to be left out NASA's Cassini craft sent us some pictures of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

November was a big month as we finally heard some of the findings from NASA's MAVEN (Mars atmosphere and volatile evolution). The orbiter was sent to help us understand what happened to the atmosphere that encompassed ancient Mars. It turned out that space itself could be part of the culprit that stripped away the atmosphere over time.

As November came to a close Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin became the first privately held company to land a rocket. The New Shepard rocket was launched in the desert in Texas. It travelled to the fringes of outer-space then brought back down for a perfect landing.

December marked the return of the Hawthorn, California-based SpaceX, In a two part mission Elon Musk's company made history by deploying 11 satellites and returning the first stage of their Falcon 9 rocket.

These and other stories made for one of the busiest years in space.

Jordin Sparks'10 best songs

In 2007, a 17-year-old girl from Arizona burst on the national scene after winning the 6^th season of American Idol. Her career, though, looked like it might end not long after she recorded her first album. In 2008 all of the singing had taken its toll on Ms. Sparks and she was diagnosed with an acute vocal cord hemorrhage. That diagnosis caused her to cancel several touring dates and put her career on hold to give her vocal cords some rest. Luckily, she was able to resume her career the following year and go on to enjoy an award winning career as an actress, singer, and songwriter.

In her career Ms. Sparks has given us dozens of beautiful songs. In the following list are just 10 of the best songs of her career:

1.  Battlefield

A wonderful song that talks about the tensions we often experience in our relationships when we come to an impasse. The simplistic beat mixed with Ms. Sparks voice makes this a must have for any fan.

2.  One step at a time

Ms. Sparks uses her silky voice to give us advice that would should all follow to achieve our goals. The song it has a beat that makes you want to get up, clap your hands, and move to the rhythm.

3.  Tattoo

Get ready to jump up and sway to the beat as Ms. Sparks sings one of her most powerful songs. The lyrics speak of something that most, if not all, of us can relate to when we meet someone we know is not good for us but we just can not seem to forget them.

4.  Now you tell me

A lovely ballad that speaks of someone telling you they really love you after you moved on because they never seemed to care about you before you broke up. This is the easy going type of song that makes you want to pull up your favorite chair and just relax as you listen.

5. Tell him that I love him

A moving ballad to talks the love triangles many of fall into a some time in our lives. This would be a good song to listen to when you are eeling lonely and missing a loved one. 

6.  Beauty and the Beast

A magnificent version of the title song from the Disney classic. Listening to this song will take you back to a simpler time when fairy tales were a big part of your life.

7.  One wing

A wonderful song about not giving up when you think you have done all you can to reach your dream. This song will make you believe you have the power to reach your goals as long as keep trying.

8.  S.O.S (let the music play)

A rocking song that will have you moving to the beat. The song also sends the message that sometimes we need to fight to keep the ones we love.

9.  Christmas time to me

Ms. Sparks a marvelous job on this song of longing to have loved ones near on Christmas. The song brings visions of the type of old-fashion Christmas gathering you might see in a Norman Rockwell setting.

10. Skipping a beat

A song that really speaks to any of us that have meet that one special person that gets our heart racing by just the sound of their voice. The rocking beat of the music makes you just want to take that special person in your arms, tell them how you feel, and sway to the music.

Happy 47th anniversary Apollo 8

It was 47 years ago yesterday, Dec 21, that astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders climbed into the command capsule of Apollo 8. There would wait as the countdown took then closer to launch. Then at 7:51 am EST (4:51 am PST) the engines of the Saturn V rocket roared to life and Apollo 8 lifted off from platform 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Their destination to reach lunar orbit before returning to Earth.

For the next three days the Apollo 8 craft journeyed to the Moon. Once the craft achieved a lunar orbit, on Dec 24, the astronauts circled the Moon 10 times. During those lunar orbits we were treated to a live Christmas Eve broadcast where astronauts read the first 10 verses of the biblical book of Genesis. The broadcast was the first time that an Apollo craft transmitted from space.

Once the craft made its scheduled lunar orbits the crew broke orbit to go back to Earth. It was another three days before the craft would re-enter Earth's atmosphere. A few minutes after the craft was back in orbit of the Earth the capsules parachutes deployed for the final descent. At 7:51 am PST on Dec 27, 1968 the capsule splashed into the Pacific Ocean. The capsule was then hoisted on to the USS Yorktown were the hatch was opened up and the brave astronauts were welcomed back to Earth.

Apollo 8 was only the second manned mission since the horrific Apollo I tragedy. It was also a groundbreaking mission that for the first time showed that we actually had the capability to finally reach the Moon. There would be two more missions of rehearsals until NASA finally landed on the Moon with Apollo 11.

Originally the mission was slated to be Apollo 9 and set to launch early in 1969. The mission that was to be Apollo 8 was suppose to test the new lunar module. In late 1968 when it was apparent that the lunar module would not be completed in time the front office at NASA made the call to switch the missions. This meant that the crew of Borman, Lovell, and Anders would need to speed up their training to be ready approximately 3 months early.

Before Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell had manned the Gemini 7 mission. On that mission they conducted the first rendezvous in space when they coupled up with the Gemini 6 craft. 14-days in orbit around the Earth. Gemini 7 and Apollo 8 would be the only two flights for Mr. Borman. James Lovell though would go on to command the infamous Apollo 13 mission.

Apollo 8 was the only time that William Anders would go into space. He was chosen to be one of the backup crew for Apollo 11. That would be as close as he would get before retiring at the end of 1969.   

SpaceX brings Falcon 9 back from space

On Monday, Dec 21, at 8:39 pm EST (5:39 pm PST) those that gathered in Cape Canaveral, Florida, or watched SpaceX's live feed, were awed by a rare sight when they saw a rocket ship return to Earth. It was only the second time that a privately held company successfully landed the first stage of a rocket. The first was last month when Blue Origin launched a craft into space and then brought their New Shepard rocket down for a landing.

SpaceX employees at the company's Hawthorne headquarters gave high-fives, cheered and chanted “U.S.A., U.S.A.” after the rocket touched down on a concrete pad about 10 minutes after the liftoff at 5:29 p.m. Pacific time.

“Welcome back, baby!” Musk tweeted after the landing.

The successful landing was the third attempt for the Hawthorn, California-based company. The first attempt was after a Jan 10 launch when they tried to bring the Falcon back from space and land it on a barge. The Falcon 9 failed to make it onto the barge due to a malfunction and crashed. The second try at landing the Falcon 9 was after a successful mid April launch. Once again the rocket didn't hit it's mark on the drone barge and fell into the Ocean. SpaceX was scheduled to make a third attempt in June but the craft exploded shortly after launch.

For the six months since that June accident SpaceX suspended all future launches until they fixed the problem. Right after that failure the engineering staff went to work on design flaws in the rocket. The rocket used in the Monday launch was quite different from the rocket that exploded in June. Those changes included upgrading the rocket booster to 9 Merlin 1D engines, a cooled liquid oxygen fuel, and making the rocket taller.

Happy 43rd anniversary Apollo 17

It was 43 years ago today, Dec 19, that the last manned moon mission splashed down. At 19:24 UTC (11:24 am PST) Apollo 17 capsule entered the Pacific Ocean approximately 4 miles from the USS Ticanderoga, the recovery ship, thus ending its 12 day mission that would include doing a geological survey of the Moon and bring back samples. When the command capsule touched down in the Pacific Ocean it marked the end of the Apollo space program.

The mission started on Dec 7, 1972 when astronauts Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt climbed up to the command capsule. There they waited as the countdown was announced that would end with them lifting off into space. At 12:33 pm EST the Saturn V rocket carrying the three astronauts blasted off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

On Dec 11, 1972 the three astronauts went into to orbit around the Moon. While Ronald Evans remained in orbit in the Command Module, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt rode the Lunar Module to the surface. For the next three days Cernan and Schmitt would be the last two Earthlings to walk on the lunar surface. There they would carry out the geological survey and other objectives.

After completing their mission Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt climbed back aboard the Lunar Module. It was then at 5:54 pm EST they lifted off the Moon's surface to rendezvous with the Command Module to travel back to Earth. Once the two module were linked up again the three astronauts headed back to Earth.  

Flatt & Scruggs' 10 best songs

In 1948 Lester Flatts and Earl Scruggs became the founding members of the Foggy Mountain Boys. For the next two decades the group became known as the premiere Bluegrass band. Their award winning music earned them a huge following of fans, a ticket to membership in the Grand Ole Opry, and their own television show. Flatts and Scruggs broke-up in 1969 and went their separate ways to have success in their individual endeavors. Today the musical influence of Lester Flatts and Earl Scruggs can still be felt throughout the music industry.

The following list is some of the best of Flatts and Scruggs:

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

This is a must have in any collection of a fan of Flatts & Scruggs. This is the song that is most closely associated with the duo.

Rolling in my sweet baby's arms

Along with the great banjo & guitar playing of Flatts & Scruggs it also shows some of the talented fiddle, mandolin, and slide guitar playing of the other members of the group.

Salty dog blues

This song also features some solos by some the talented members of the Foggy Mountain Boys.

Cabin on the hill

This songs shows a more spiritual side of their music. It is one of the few songs that doesn't showcase Earl Scruggs' banjo play.

Orange blossom special

This has gone on to be considered one of the classic Bluegrass songs. When you listen to it you can almost feel the vibration of a train as it rolls down the tracks.

Bang your alive

This song from their “The story of Bonnie & Clyde” album ask the age old question of why do certain people turn out the way they do.

Like a rolling stone

Flatts & Scruggs put their own spin on the Bob Dylan song.

The Barrow gang will get you little man

Another great story song from their “The story of Bonnie & Clyde” album.

White house blues

Tells the story about the death of President William McKinley.

On my way to Canaan's land

Another good spiritual song done well with a spin that makes it unique.

Pearl, Pearl, Pearl

One of their classics from one of their appearances on “The Beverly Hillbillies”. The song has them dueling as they sing about the days they were both courting Pearl.  

Last minute gift idea for the techie on your list

If you are like many of us you always have a few people that you just can not figure out just the right Christmas present. You rack your brain trying to figure out what would be a good gift. You know they like technology but you are on a budget. All you can think of are the gadgets you know you can not afford, such as, a laptops and smartphones. While some of those bigger items might be off your there are still plenty of items, such as, lower-end tablets and accessories that you can buy for them that will not break your budget. The technology fanatic on your list will be thrilled that you thought enough of the to buy any of these.

Many of the items in the following list can also be found in brick & mortar stores like Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot and others that sell electronics.

• Tablets: For under 50 dollars you can still find a big selection of tablets for the young technology buff on your list. These are not going to be the top of the line tablets but still great for reading, playing games, watching videos, taking selfies, and more.
• Bluetooth keyboards: If the person your shopping for has a mobile device a great idea for a gift is a Bluetooth keyboard. Most of the keyboards are going to run between 20 and 40 dollars making them a great item for the budget. Some of them even fold for better portability.
• Bluetooth headphones: Bluetooth headphones make a great gift for the technology fanatic on your list. Just last year you would have been hard pressed to ind anything for a reasonable price but now with technology improvements there are plenty of options to fit any budget.
• Bluetooth mouse: A Bluetooth mouse makes a great accessory for anyone that has a tablet, laptop, or desktop. Most of the options out there will fit into your budget at the 20 to 40 dollar range.
• Portable chargers: Anyone that has a mobile device is going to want a way to keep their device going during their travels. While just about every mobile device comes with an adapter they are always getting lost, broken, or just burned out over time.
• Mobile carrying cases: Once the technology fanatic on your list has their devices and accessories they will need a way to carry all of it.
• Selfie Sticks: Taking selfies has become big over the last few years. So a selfie stick would be a great present for anyone with a smartphone. Most of these are very budget friendly at the 20 to 40 dollar range.
• Tablet cases: If the person your shopping for already has (or is getting) a tablet they will want a protective case to keep it in. The selection of cases keeps growing and most of them will fit into the 15 to 30 dollar range that fit well in any budget.

Get to know he Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir

Since ancient times music has been our most powerful form of communication. We use music to tell stories, to fall asleep and wake up, to boost our energy during workouts, and so many other times in our lives. In biblical times David, before he became King of Israel, used music to calm King Saul during bouts of mental illness.

One of the most powerful types of music is Gospel. It is the music of praise, hope, and celebration that can seem to penetrate us to the core of our being. One of the best of today is the Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir that blends over 100 voices together to produce some of the most gripping music in the Gospel genre.

In late 2006 Charles Moore, formerly of the Georgia Gospel Mass Choir, went to work sending out emails, making phone calls, and searching throughout the State of Arkansas. By the following year he put together the 132 member Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir. Since the inception the choir has toured the country, record 3 albums, been nominated and won several awards, been feature on the Bobby Jones Gospel show, and appeared with Celine Dion.

In 2013 the Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir did a fundraiser for local Van Buren High school to send their theater troop to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. The was to be an invaluable at the world's largest preforming arts festival.

“We’ve had to think outside the box when it comes to fundraising, so when the idea of a benefit concert came up, I immediately thought of the Arkansas Gospel Mass Choir,”said Chuck King, one of the concert’s organizers. “The ticket sales for the concert will go entirely toward sending our aspiring young actors to the Fringe."

It was 47 years that Pearl Harbor was attacked

It was 74 years ago today, December 7, that the Empire of Japan attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor. For almost 2 hours 353 aircraft and a couple of mini-subs laid siege on the base. By the time the assault was over 8 battle ships were either crippled or sunk; 2,403 were killed; 1,178 were wounded; and an untold number of airplanes at the nearby Army Air Corps' base Hickman Field were destroyed.

While the attack was devastating to the Pacific fleet it was not the major blow to the United States the Japan was hoping to inflict. The primary targets were the two aircraft carriers, the USS Lexington and the USS Enterprise, that had been deploy to take aircraft to both Midway and Wake Island. Of the eight battleships that were hit six of them, the USS California, USS Tennessee, USS Nevada, USS West Virginia, USS Maryland, and USS Pennsylvania were able to be repaired and placed back into service.

Even though we focus on Pearl Harbor it was not the only United States base attacked on December 7, 1941. A few hours after the Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces also attacked United States' bases at Midway Island, Guam, and the Philippine Islands. Even though the commanders at those bases had advanced warning about possible attacks they were still caught off guard by the invading forces.

The attacks on Pearl Harbor and other sites were the culmination of tensions that had been building between Japan and the United States since shortly after the end of World War I. Those tensions grew when the United States backed China, in their war with Japan, with military support. Then, when the United States imposed a fuel embargo those tensions were at a breaking point.

United States Navy commissions the USS Jackson

On Saturday, December 5, the city of Gulfport, Mississippi had the privilege of christening the USS Jackson. The christening takes place nearly 2 years after the ship was launched; December 14, 2013; out of Mobile, Alabama. Performing the ceremony was former Mississippi Governor and current Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

"I hereby place United States Ship Jackson in commission. May God bless and guide this warship and all who sail in it," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, standing on a raised platform before the impressive USS Jackson.

The USS Jackson will be the third Independence-class littoral combat ships. The USS Jackson has one very unique feature that distinguishes it from its sister ships. The difference is the USS Jackson does not use props for propulsion the way other ships do. Instead it uses water-jet to make it more maneuverability and agile.

The USS Jackson began its journey at the Austal USA's Modular Manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama. That is where construction began on August 1, 2011 and it stayed until the United States Navy took delivery of the ship on August 11, 2015. On that day it was Capt. Warren R. Buller II, commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron, that took delivery of the USS Jackson.

"We are pleased to receive the future USS Jackson into the LCS class," Buller said. "Jackson will operate out of Mayport, Florida, while conducting full ship shock trials, prior to joining her sister littoral combat ships in their homeport of San Diego in late 2016."

Once the USS Jackson its final destination it will be used in shallow coastal water to detect mines, subs, and to pursue small craft. With a top speed of 47 knots (54 miles per hour), the USS Jackson should not have much of a problem chasing down any vessel it comes across.

Target website crashes on cyber Monday

A few years back Target ran an ad where a woman taps on the doors repeating the words “open, open, open”. This morning people logging onto Target's website were probably tapping there screens and repeating the same phrase.

For the early birds try to snatch up Cyber Monday deals the website was probably running smoothly. As Reuters reported by 10:00 am EST (7:00 am PST) that had changed. That is when traffic on the site increased to the point that Target.com went crashed or as spokesperson Jenna Rock put it almost almost crashed.

"As we experience spikes in traffic, our systems place guests in a queue and prompt them to access the site later," she said. "We apologize to guests who experience any delays, we appreciate their patience, and encourage them to try again in a few minutes by refreshing their browser."

Whether it actually crashed or was being metered the result was the result was the same. People expecting to catch all the 15% deals where logging onto the site only to see a sign telling them hold tight over delays being caused by a high volume of traffic. If they were lucky enough to get into the site their frustration wasn't over as they found that certain items would not load in their carts. Instead of being able to just put the items in their carts they would get the following message, "There's a line for this item. So sorry for the delay."

To let Target know how they felt some of the frustrated customers took to the micro-blogging site Twitter. One of the customers was Tim Hunter who wrote, “hey @Target , great online sales that I can't see because your site can't handle the traffic.” 

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin makes history

Yesterday, November 23, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin did sometime that no other privately held space company has been able to accomplish. They were able to bring their New Shepard rocket back to Earth after traveling into outer space. This means that now they will be able to re-use the New Shepard rocket to reduce the cost of future flights.

“Now safely tucked away at our launch site in West Texas is the rarest of beasts -- a used rocket,” Bezos said in a statement. "Full reuse is a game changer, and we can’t wait to fuel up and fly again.”

This is not the first time that Blue Origin attempted to bring their rocket back to Earth. The first time was in April of this year when they launched their New Shepard craft into space. After that flight they were able to bring the capsule back safely but where unable to bring the rocket down due to a hydraulic problems. After the failure the engineer re-designed the hydraulic system.

Jeff Bezos' dream for Blue Origin is for the company to eventually carry tourist in orbit of the Earth. With the success of this test the company is one step closer to accomplishing that goal. There will probably be more test flights to come before the company is finally ready for those tourist flights.

“It is, however, important to clear up the difference between "space" and "orbit", as described well by https://what-if.xkcd.com/58/ ,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote in a tweet. In an earlier tweet Mr. Musk did also congratulate Mr. Bezos on his accomplishment, “Congrats to Jeff Bezos and the BO team for achieving VTOL on their booster”.

Eventually, the New Shepard spacecraft will be able to carry six tourist into a sub-orbit around the Earth. With this goal in mind the New Shepard capsule is made with extra large windows that are equipped with multiple layers of a fracture-tough transparent material that will allow 92% of the visible light shine through.

Celtic Woman's 10 best songs

In 2004 Sharon Browne, owner of one or Ireland's largest music labels, and David Downe, creator of Riverdance, co-created an Irish super-group called Celtic Woman. The faces of the group have changed several times over the years. Even with all the change they have maintained the sound that ha made the Celtic Woman a worldwide favorite.

With 16 albums to their credit it makes picking a few of their best a difficult chore. Here is a list of 10 that of some of their best:

• Scarborough Fair: The shortened version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic never sounded better. The Celtic Woman's Lisa Lambe adds her angelic voice backed up by some haunting pipe flute play to make this one of the most romantic recording of the ballad.
• Bridge over troubled water: A stir version of another Simon & Garfunkel classic. A stirring version as the women of The Celtic Woman sing with a youth choir and are backed up by chorus of stringed instruments brings out the message of support & love in the song.
• Fields of Gold: The Celtic Woman's Lisa Kelly one of the most emotional versions of this song about a fleeting love. It is hard to top the original by Sting but this version comes close.
• Amazing Grace: Possibly one of the best versions of the spiritual classic. This version starts out with some of the finest bagpipe play you will hear. Then, the women start singing as their voice blend to make for a moving rendition.
• Danny Boy: The ladies' voices and violin blend together in wonderful harmony to make a very touching version of this 100-year-old Irish classic.
• Caledonia: A beautiful rendition of this 1970's folk song about a native of Scotland that longs to return home.
• Beyond the Sea: The Celtic Woman does a great job with the 1950's standard. When you listen to them sing you can get the sense of waiting on the shore for a loved one to return from a long voyage.
• Little Drummer Boy: The Celtic Woman do wonders with these Christmas carol a boy that attends the Nativity and finds that the greatest gifts come from the heart.
• Dulaman: A wonderful song about seaweed and the men that use to collect it from the cliff around Ireland.
• Brahms Lullaby: The Celtic Woman's Chloe Agnew does one of the most heartfelt renditions of Brahms Lullaby.

Netflix to air documentary series starting Chelsea Handler

Ever since Chelsea Handler ended her television show in August of last year many of us have been wondering when we will see her again. The wait is almost over until we once again see our favorite blond comedian. The video streaming service Netflix has just announced a 4-part documentary called “Chelsea Does” that will air in January 2016.

"I haven't had a lot going on recently," she says in her first Netflix promo. "So I decided, 'Screw it, why not do something completely different?'"

The documentary will certainly be a big change from what we normally see from the wise-cracking, critical, and often raunchy Ms. Handler. In each of the episodes we will see a more serious Ms. Handler as she talks about drugs, racism, Silicon Valley, and marriage. Even though she will be doing a serious talk on the documentaries there most certainly be plenty of the humor we have all come to enjoy from Ms. Handler.

When the Television Critics Association asked Ms. Handler why she is doing the documentaries she said, "With me, it's important that everything be out there," she said. "I don't have a problem making an idiot of myself. So I can be thoughtful or I can be a jackass. That's good television."

When the documentary series airs it will marks 2 years since Ms. Handler signed a 7-year deal with Netflix. As part of that 7-year deal Netflix will also be airing a talk show starring Ms. Handler. There are not too many details about the format the talk show will take other than to say it will cover a wide variety of topics. One thing that will certainly be part of the show is the type of humor and banter we have grown use to in her earlier show “Chelsea Lately”.  

5 things you didn't know about Carlos Mencia

In 1990, Carlos Mencia started out his career when he entered an amateur open mike night at the Laugh Factory. He did well enough that he soon became a headliner at comedy clubs throughout Los Angeles. From there he has become an award winning comic that has been on such iconic shows as “In Living Color”, “The Bernie Mac Show”, and “Night at the Improv”. His career expanded to include sold out show across the nation, a show of his own, acting on both television and in movies, and a writer. In his 25 year career he has worked along side some of today's biggest stars like Jim Carey, Samuel L. Jackson, Forest Whitaker, and America Ferrera.

He has been accused of plagiarism

Over last decade Carlos Mencia has been accused of plagiarism by a few a comedians. Among those accusers the most determined has been Joe Rogan who has often used his podcast to talk about Mr. Mencia and others that he also considered plagiarist. The most famous of the times Mr. Rogan accused Mr. Mencia was a chance encounter when Mr. Rogan was introducing the next act at The Comedy Club. Mr. Mencia burst out on stage and a verbal confrontation ensued between the two of them.

His remark after Hurricane Katrina got him in trouble

In 2009, Carlos Mencia was scheduled to appear among a group of celebrities at Mardi Gras. Before the parade it came to light that Mr. Mencia had made some derogatory remarks about Hurricane Katrina that had recently devastated New Orleans. Because of those remarks Mr. Mencia was taken off the list to appear in the parade.

Orpheus Captain Sonny Borey said in a statement Thursday that the club became aware of "certain remarks Mr. Carlos Mencia has made in regards to New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina."

He Co-owns a restaurant chain

In 2010, Carlos Mencia became a co-owner of Maggie Rita's Tex-Mex Grill & Bar. The chain had already open a few restaurants in New Orleans but when they wanted to expand into Texas they turn to Mr. Mencia for funding. Sadly, the ones that Mr. Mencia co-owned closed their doors in 2013.

He has been married for more than a decade

In 2003 Carlos Mencia married Amy Mencia (could not find her maiden name). Mr. Mencia frequently has his wife Amy do cameos in his show “Mind of Mencia”. Mrs. Mencia is also the host for her husband's show and the wardrobe coordinator. In 2007, the couple had their first, and so far only, child.

He was on “Celebrity ghost story”

Carlos Mencia was on an episode of the show “Celebrity ghost story” that aired back in December of 2012.

Happy 46th anniversary Apollo 12

It was 46 years ago today, November 14, that NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched, Apollo 12, their second manned moon mission. It was an overcast day full of rain and wind when the three astronauts; Richard F. Gordon Jr., Charles “Pete” Conrad, and Alan L. Bean; climbed aboard the Apollo capsule. Everything went fine with the preflight check as the count-down commenced. At 8:22 am PST (16:22 UTC) the Saturn V rocket blasted off from the launchpad into the sky over Cape Canaveral, Florida. Just seconds after the rocket cleared the tower something unexpected happened.

“What the hell was that?” asked Gordon. Twenty seconds of confusion ensued, and then another disturbance occurred.

The answer to Mr. Gordon's question was lightning struck the Apollo 12 command module. The massive discharge caused the fuel cells to detect an overload and they went off-line. With the fuel cells off-line the command module had to rely on batteries. That meant that they now were trying to power a 75 ampere load on 28 amps provided by the batteries. This was causing several malfunctions and all the warning lights where flashing. That was not the worst though.

About 30 seconds after the first strike they suffered another lightning bolt. This one the “8-ball” altitude indicator. The astronauts and mission control were thinking they would have to abort the mission less a minute into the flight. Just then John Aaron; electrical, environmental, and consumable engineer; remembered his training on how to handle the situation. He relied the solution to the crew of Apollo 12 that plug in the proper sequence to get everything back on track to continue the mission to the moon.

Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. had a rough road to travel on his way to NASA. As a youth he struggled in school with a dyslexia problem. He was expelled after failing his junior year of high-school. His mother was able to get him into a new school that helped him work around his dyslexia. After that he excelled in his academic studies enough that he was accepted to Princeton University with an ROTC Navy scholarship. He went on to become a Navy aviator, flight instructor, test pilot, and one of the “Mercury Seven” astronauts.  

5 things we love about Albert Brooks

Having parents that are both in the entertainment business it was only natural that Albert Brooks, birth name Albet Einstein, would grow up with the show business bug. It wasn't before Albert showed sings of catching that bug. In his late teens he began a 4 and a half decade career as a comedian, writer, voice-overr artist, and director. In that career he has been on just about every talk & variety show, and has over 35 acting credit. The movie he is probably most remembered for is 1991's “Defending your Life” that he also wrote and direct.

Mr. Brooks has had some hits & misses in his career but has always kept us laughing. The following are five things that make Mr. Brooks one of our favorite comic personalities:

He is one of the best at his craft

As fans of Mr. Brooks we knew how good he is on screen. Then in 1987 Hollywood recognized what we all knew when he was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in “Broadcast News. In the movie Mr. Brooks played writer/reporter Aaron Altman who was involved in a love triangle with his two co-workers at a news station.

He is carismatic

This side of him really showed through in the relationship between Mr. Brooks and Merle Streep in the movie “Defending your life”. Then his carismatic showed in real life when in 1997 Mr. Brooks married Kimberly Shlain, a website designer. A year after they were married they had their first child, a son, Jacob. A few years later the couple had their second child, a daughter, Claire.

He tells Vanity Fair magazine, "I think we give each other a huge amount of freedom to be who we are. There's so much trust that nobody thinks twice about it. And if I need to be in my cave, and I'm trying to write something, it's understood. There's no clock punching... I was very fortunate when I met Kimberly - things gelled."

He looks at subjects from different angles

One example of this is his book "2030: The real story of what happens to America". In the year 2030 people are living longer because cancer has been eradicated. As the saying goes “beware of what you wish for because it might come true”. .

He is bring attention to brain injury in the NFL

Mr. Brooks has joined forces with Will Smith, Ridley Scott, and several other Hollywood heavyweights to make a flim to bring attention to concusion and the aftermath. The movie is to be a dramatization of the real story of the doctor that discovered a corrolation between concussions and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). CTE is a brain diorder that has been found in several retired NFL players that suffered multiple concussions during their career.

He was in the Disniy movie “Finding Nemo”

In the both the 2003 movie “Finding Nemo” and its upcoming sequal “Finding Dory” he has been the voice of Marlin, Nemo's father. Even though the character was a fish he portrayed the caring father figure that endears him to adults and children. 

At 15 the International Space Station is getting a remodel

It was 15 years ago today, November 2, that NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko step foot on the ISS (International Space Station). Not long after those three took up residence as they began expansions of the ISS. Over the next decade plus there have been several more expansions cared out by dozens of crew members that have spent time on the ISS. Now, the ISS is roughly the size of a football field when its solar arrays are extended and has living space for 6 crew members at a time.

"When I first saw the station I thought, 'Oh my word, it's huge.' It looked so majestic," astronaut Doug Wheelock, who has visited the station twice and has spent months living there, told ABC News. "The outside is kind of a stark metallic. It's like a castle in the sky."

Back when when those men first occupied the ISS the NASA astronauts where being transported in the Space Shuttle. In 2011 the last of the Space Shuttles was retired and since then our astronauts have ridden on the Russian Soyuz capsule. In the next two years that is going to change when both Boeing and SpaceX will making the first test flights of their Space Taxis that will end the United States dependency on the Soyuz capsule. In preparation for the first flight of those taxis the crew on the ISS will need to remodel the docking stations on the ISS.

The remodeling project was set to start earlier this year when one of the adapters for the docking station was made part of a SpaceX supply mission in June. Sadly, the mission that adapter was on ended in tragedy when the unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 exploded not long after it was launched. The loss of the adapter was a setback to NASA but they are still optimistic the remodeling will be done on time.

the 10 best Gospel artist ever

When most people hear the term “Gospel music” they think of the standing up in church to sing songs like “Amazing Grace”, “Jesus loves me”, and “Make a joy noise”. They don't think abut Grammy award winners, multi-plantinum artist, or best selling author. Truth is the is so much to Gospel than just the church congregation singing hymns.

The following are just some of the biggest names in Gospel. Even if you are not a listener of this genre you have probably heard of some of these artist. A few of them you might even be surprised to hear they sing Gospel.

• Sandi Patty: When you talk about Gospel singers Sandi Patty is going to be at or close to the top. She started singing in the church when she was 2 years old in the late 1950's. It wasn't until 1978 that she hit the national scene and has become one of the biggest Gospel singers in the world and dubbed simply “The Voice”.
• Aretha Franklin: You probably think of Aretha Franklin as the “Queen of Soul” but she was also one of the great Gospel singers. In 2012 she was inducted into the Gospel music hall of fame.
• Clark Sisters: Jacky, Elbernita, Karen, and Dorinda have been one of the biggest Gospel acts for almost five decades. They have sold 10's of millions of copies of their albums.
• Mahalia Jackson: Known as the “Queen of Gospel”, Mahalia Jackson was the voice of Gospel for over 4 decades from the late 1920's to the early 1970's. In the 1960's she also meet and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Kim Burrell: For the last two and a half decades Ms. Burrell has been a multi-award winning singer of both Gospel and Jazz.
• David Phelps: For just over a decade Mr. Phelps rich tenor voice has made him one of the biggest names in Gospel/Christian music.
• Yolanda Adams: For slightly over four decades Ms. Adams has used her rich vocals to top the Gospel, R&B, and Soul charts. Along with her singing she has a morning radio show that can be heard on 39 stations.
• Cathedral Quartet: For three and a half decades from the mid 1960's through the 1990's the Cathedral Quartet has been a multi-award winning gospel group. They have seen members come and go over the years but they remained at the top of their game until the group parted ways in 1999.
• Gaither Vocal Band: Since 1981, and still going, the Gaither Vocal Band has been a multi-award winning Southern Gospel group. For awhile the group featured David Phelps before he went solo.
• Jeff & Sheri Easter: For the last two and a half decades Jeff & Sheri Easter have been a multi-award winning duo in the Gospel genre.

Best Halloween concerts in Seattle

In the original Celtic origins there was much more to the day's celebration. To them the celebration that we would later come to know as Halloween meant honor the those that died, celebrating the coming new year, and protecting us from evil. Today, Halloween is known as a time for trick-of-treat, watching scary movies, and going to costume parties. Even though some of the original meaning has changed over the centuries, Halloween still remains a day of celebration. One of the biggest parts of any celebration is music.

The following are some of the best concerts for celebrating what Halloween was then and what is has become today:

Hallows at the cathedral

On the night before Halloween, 8 pm, and on Halloween, 2 pm & 8 pm, you will have three chances to hear the Seattle's women's chorus put on an emotionally charged concert. The music ranges from classic to pop and from romantic to spooky. Ticket prices for the concert will be between $15-$45. Location is at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Seattle.

Psycho with the symphony

You might have watched Alfred Hitchcock's “Psycho” many times on Halloween but not like you will at this Benaroya Hall showing. With the Seattle Symphony playing the sound track and seeing it on a big screen will make the movie more terrifying. Tickets for this concert & movie event run from $31 - $112. Showing times are at 8 pm on both October 30 & 31.

All Hallow's Eve

If you are look for a Halloween concert that is more budget friendly then head on down to the Teatro De La Psychomachia at 1534 First avenue. There you will be treated to night of music for just about every taste. The concert stars at 8 pm on Halloween and is free to the public but donations of $5 - $15 are suggested.

Cabaret Macabre

Just the name alone says this is a must for Halloween. If you are over 21 then the Columbia City Theater at 4916 Rainier avenue is the place to go for a night of music, burlesque, drinking, and dance. Tickets for the event are $17 if you buy them in advance or $20 at the door.  

best free kid-friendly Halloween events in Seattle-Tacoma

 Sometimes Halloween can be a scary time to let our little ones go out and walk the streets. So, we are always looking for safe places that they can go and still enjoy the fun of the holiday.

The following are a few places around the greater Seattle area that you can take the little ones. All of these events are free and in a safe environment. So, if any of these are near you then get the kids dressed in their favorite costumes and head on out..

BAM-O-WEEN

On the Saturday before Halloween, Oct 24, the Bellevue Art Museum is offering a free Halloween themed hands-on art & craft event. It will give your children a reason to get dressed up in their costumes and create their own spooky decoration. The event runs from noon-3:00 pm.

HOWL-o-ween at Islandwood

One of the biggest traditions for Halloween is for the kids to carve their Jack-o-lantern. On this Sunday, Oct 25, Islandwood on Bainbridge Island is free workshop where your children can carve their pumpkins and get lessons from the staff. Their will also be plenty of other activities, such as, face painting and games that will keep the little one entertained. You will need to provide your own pumpkin and carving tools. The event last from 1 pm- 4 pm.

Springfree Trampoline Halloween Party

Who says you need to wait until it is dark out before trick-or-treating. If you are in the Issaquah area they don't think you make the children wait that long. Just get them dressed in their costumes and take them down to 1875 Poplar Way. There they will be able to get their early candy fix, jump on trampolines, have snacks, and watch the Reptile Man. The even runs from 2 pm-3 pm on Halloween.

Costume carnival at the museum

It can get a little to scary and dangerous out on the streets at night for your little ones. So, Seattle's Children's Museum is offering an alternative for the 10 & under crowd. They are welcome to trick-or-treat, go on a scavenger hunt, play games, and more. The fun begins at 4 pm on Halloween and last until 8 pm. The museum is located at 305 Harrison St. at the bottom of Queen Anne Hill.

Pumpkin decorating party

On Saturday, Oct 24, at 3 pm you can bring the little ones to Ray's Cafe where they can get & carve a complimentary mini-pumpkin. They will be provide with kid-friendly carving kits that they can use on the covered, heated deck to make their Jack-o-lantern.  

Some of the most haunted places in Seattle-Tacoma

Most of us love a good ghost story. We sit around on stormy nights telling them, we read books about them, and even like to watch movies and television show about ghost. Some of us even go as far as looking for haunting locations to go visit around Halloween hoping to spot a ghost.

If you are one of the people that always wanted to go to ghost-hunting you are in luck because there are plenty of places around the greater Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area that should satisfy your ghostly needs.

Thornewood Castle

One of the most famous places to visit is Thornewood Castle located just south of Tacoma in the city of Lakewood. It was featured in Stephen King's “Rose Red” miniseries.

The history of the Castle goes back to the 16^th century when it was built in England where it remained until the early 20^th century. In 1907, Chester Thorne purchased the Castle and had it torn down to be relocated over here in Washington State.

It is said that the ghost of Chester Thorne can still be seen roaming the halls of his beloved Castle. Along with the ghost of Mr. Thorne some of the past residence from when the Castle was in England may still be roaming the hallways of Thornewood.

The Castle is now a bed & breakfast and is open for tours and other events.

Pike Place Market

If you live around downtown Seattle you might want to take your ghost-hunting Pike Place Market. One of most predominate spirits said to haunt the marketplace is that of Kikioblu aka Princess Angelina, the daughter of Chief Sealth, whose house occupied part of the site in the latte 1800's. The Market is said to also be haunted by other Duwamish Indians and some of the people that built the historic marketplace.

Cadillac Hotel

The Cadillac Hotel was built in the heart of historic Seattle right after the fire of the 1880's that destroyed the old city. For decades strange happenings at the old hotel have lead some to believe that former residents might still be around.

The Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery

When you are looking for ghost there is no place better than a cemetery. Located at 1200 East Howe Street in Seattle is The Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery that is dedicated to Civil War Veterans. There have been those that have sworn they have seen some of the spirits of those Civil War Veterans patrolling around the Cemetery.

Old Tacoma City Hall

The Old Tacoma City Hall has been the scene of many strange events. There have been reports of works being locked out off their offices and objects flying around the building. Could it be past disgruntled employees or maybe residents still fighting the city?

The 5 most common Facebook scams

Identity theft, computer hijacking, credit card fraud, and destructive malware to destroy our data. Scams have always plagued us on the Internet and World Wide Web. The people that run these scams are always out to target the largest number of people at one time.

For this reason social networks have been the main target. Facebook being the largest of the social networks has been especially lucrative for scammers. The following are some of the most prevalent scams to watch-out for as you interact with your Facebook friends:

• Subscription fee hoax: Every few month there are these post going around telling us that Facebook is going to charge us for our accounts. The truth is Facebook does not now and will not start charging its users. This is phishing scam intended to get personal information.
• Free offer scam: We see these quite often where you can click on a link to get a free smartphone, tablet, or some other gadget. If you click on these they either take you to a third party site to get you to sign up for thing, download malware on your computer, or trick you into giving out personal information.
• Privacy policy scam: This has been going around the last few months. Usually, you will see a post telling you about a new policy change that will put your privacy in danger. Sometimes, the people that run the scam even go as far as contacting victims with a personal message. In either of these is just a way of trying to get personal information and possibly take over your account.
• Clickjacking scam: These have been around for a long time. You run across a video, celebrity's picture that promise some outrageous story, or any number of enticements. By clicking on these you could be downloading malware or tricked into doing any number of unwanted actions.
• The dislike button: There was a story not too long saying that Facebook will be introducing a new “Dislike” button. The story is true but the scam going around telling people they can download the “Dislike” button.

5 things you didn't know about Flatt & Scruggs

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs started playing together when they were both members of Bill Monroe's blue grass band. A few years later they redefined blue grass when they formed their own band the Foggy Mountain Boys. For 21 years the band was a big influence on both country and folk music. The Foggy Mountain Boys broke up in 1969 when Lester Flatt and Earl Scrubbs split up over creative differences. After the parting of ways Lester Flatt formed the Nashville Grass band and had success with it until his death in 1979. Earl Scrubbs went on to put together the Earl Scruggs Revue that lasted until his retirement in the mid1980's. In his later years Mr. Scrubbs did do some touring with other banjo players.

The following are some more facts about these two country legends:

They hosted a television show

From 1955 until the duo separated ways 1969 they hosted “The Grand Ole Opry Show”. On it they had a mix of downhome humor, cooking tips on the live commercials they would do during the show, and feature various artist like Uncle Josh Graves and Curly Seckler and others that were experts in various instruments.

They appeared on the “The Beverly Hillbilies”

Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs would occasionally guest star on the television show “The Beverly Hillbillies”. They also played the theme song for the show. The song went on to be the first television theme song to go to number 1 on the billboard chart.

They are in the country music hall of fame

In 1985 the duo's contributions to blue grass had garnered them an induction into the country music hall of fame. Those contributions can still be still be seen in country music with tribute bands and a style of playing the banjo that was popularized by Earl Scruggs.

The Coen brothers paid homage to Flatt& Scruggs

In the 2000 movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” the Coen brothers paid homage to Flatt & Scruggs. When writing the movie they named the band “Soggy Bottom Boys” as tribute to the Flatt & Scruggs' band “Foggy Mountain Boys”.

Earl Scruggs toured with Steve Martin

Steve Martin is known for his comedy but he is also a great banjo player. In 2009 he teamed up with Earl Scruggs and other banjo players. The newly formed group went on tour hitting the talk show circuit and put on concerts. 

DARPA test artificial arm that gives ma his sense of touch back

Any of us that saw the 1980 sci-fi movie “The Empire Strikes Back” will remember at the end of the movie we see Luke Skywalker aboard the medical ship getting his hand replaced with a realistic looking prosthetic. We were all amazed at how Luke could feel the pain of the needle as it poked each finger of the artificial hand. We wondered how long it would be before actual artificial limbs would be able to restore the sensation of touch? Apparently the answer to that question is 35 years.

Now, 35 years after that movie, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) has created such an artificial arm that can restore the sense of touch. The arm was successfully tested earlier this month allowing the recipient to feel the sensation of touch after a spinal cord injury he suffered a decade ago.

“We’ve completed the circuit,” Justin Sanchez, Darpa program manager, said in announcing the most recent results of the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program earlier this month at a conference in St. Louis, according to a press release from the agency.

The arm, that was developed at John Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory, works by a sending electronic impulses through an array of sensors that are connected directly to the brain. Those signals are then sent through the spinal cord to the artificial limb. The process created by the sensor array mimics the same electronic pulses sent through a healthy nervous systems.

“Prosthetic limbs that can be controlled by thoughts are showing great promise, but without feedback from signals traveling back to the brain it can be difficult to achieve the level of control needed to perform precise movements,” he said. “By wiring a sense of touch from a mechanical hand directly into the brain, this work shows the potential for seamless bio-technological restoration of near-natural function.”

After successfully attaching the arm they tested it much the same way that the robot medics test Luke Sywalker's hand back in that 1980 movie.
“At one point, instead of pressing one finger, the team decided to press two without telling him,” said Sanchez, who oversees the Revolutionizing Prosthetics program. “He responded in jest asking whether somebody was trying to play a trick on him. That is when we knew that the feelings he was perceiving through the robotic hand were near-natural.”

5 things you didn't know about Damon Wayans

Damon Wayans has been entertaining us as a stand-up comic, writer, actor, and producer for over 30 years. He started his career in the early 1980's but it was when him and his brothers created the show “In Living Color” that Damon Wayans was thrust into the spotlight. It was on that show that Mr. Wayans was free to show his comic talents with characters like “Homey D. Clown, Head Detective, Handi-man, Reverend Ed Cash, and more. After that show ended he went on to star in several movies and television shows that he usually co-wrote with his brothers.

Eddie Murphy gave him his big break

Damon Wayans had already had a good stand-up career going but it was in 1984 that he had his first big break. That year Eddie Murphy gave him a small role in the movie “Beverly Hills Cop”. In the movie Mr. Wayans played a worker at the Beverly Hills hotel that lets Eddie Murphy's character Axel Foley have a few bananas, off of a food cart, that Detective Foley used to stick in the tail pipe of the police officers sent to drive him out of town.

He has a company that creates apps

After going to a tech show and getting several business cards Mr. Wayans saw a need for an app. He formed a company with some developers to create “Flick dat” as a way to create business cards, that can have embedded video, and share thm on your smartphones. His company also has an app called “Diddeo” that turns your smartphone into a editing studio.

He has four children and one grandchild

Damon Wayans has four children from his 16 year marriage to Lisa Thorner that ended in 2000. Two sons, Damn Jr. and Michael, and two daughters, Cara Mia and Kyla. As of 2014 Mr. Wayans is also a grandfather to Ava Marie Jean the daughter of Michael and his girlfriend Vanessa.

He was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes

In 2013 Mr. Wayans was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. After the diagnosis he was forced to cancel some of his tour dates when he was told not to fly. Since the diagnosis he has also had to make some other changes to his life. One of those changes was beginning a paleo diet to reduce his sugar intake. “No fruit, alcohol, soda, cake,” he says. He was off insulin within a month.

“I honestly don’t know if (my doctors) were impressed,” Wayans says. “I was at the hospital, and they said, ‘Don’t worry about nothing. You can still eat whatever you want, just take your insulin.’ I’m from the streets of New York. I know a drug deal when I hear one.”

In 2010 he became in author

In 2010 he wrote a fictional novel about a woman who's life is changed for the better when the Red-Hat Society, a real women's organization, come to her aide. The book has several good reviews including one by a lady of the real Red-Hat Society.