Category Archives: Uncategorized
COVID 19 LAWYER (Issue #1) by Gary Smolker
We are building the future today.
These are unprecedented times.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk has defied a local shut down order that prohibited his Tesla manufacturing factory to continue operating in a small town in Alameda County, California.
Elon Musk has threatened to take his Tesla manufacturing operation – which employees 11,000 workers – out of the State of California if he is not allowed to run his Tesla factory where it is presently located in California.
Elon Musk said he is willing to be arrested for breaking the local shut down rule.
Elon Musk appears to believe: Sometimes you do have to fight. Where that’s true, you should fight and win. There is no middle ground: either don’t throw any punches, or strike hard and end it quickly.
Elon descries his staff this way: “If you’re at Telsa, you’re choosing to be at the equivalent of the Special Forces. There’s the regular army, and that’s fine, but if you are working at Tesla you’re choosing to step up your game.”
Lessons Learned
“Success is never accidental.” — Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter and Square
“Real technologists wear T-shirts and jeans. Never invest in a tech CEO that wears a suit.” — Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, made the first outside investment in Facebook, funded companies like SpaceX and LinkedIn
“It’s as easy to do something big as it is to do something small, so reach for a fantasy worthy of your pursuit, with rewards commensurate to your effort.” — Stephen A. Schwartzman, Chairman, CEO. and Co-founder of Blackstone
President Donald J. Trump
President Trump recently sent me a $1,200 Economic Impact Payment after Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
In the West Wing of the White House staffers are now required to wear face masks unless they are sitting at their desk.
Vice President Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller, and one of President Trump’s valets tested positive for COVID 19 last week.
Three members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force are self-quarantining after potential exposure. They are Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Stephen Hanh, head of the Food & Drug Administration.
President Trump must be thinking about hunger, hunger signals, food shortages, and the upcoming elections in the United States, especially voting in the next presidential election.
- Before the pandemic there were 36 million people getting food stamps.
- It is estimated that an additional 28 million to 40 million more people need food stamps now.
- Before the pandemic one in five children in America went hungry – did not have enough to eat. Eighty percent of the children in the Los Angeles Unified School District were given free meals: breakfast and lunch at their school.
- Food banks are now overwhelmed. Lines stretch for over a mile around the block.
- Farmers are slaughtering their cattle, their hogs and their chickens; there is no market for what they produce due to restaurant lock downs, stay in place orders, etc.
- There have recently been COVID 19 outbreaks in 115 meat, pork, and chicken food processing facilities across 23 states, 5,000 plus workers infected, 20 deaths resulting in food processing plant shut downs and/or slow downs.
- Who will win the next presidential election?
Why I Will Not Be Eating In A Restaurant Soon
I can eat at a friend’s home.
I remember pleasant days in Sicily
It was a different time, a pre-pandemic time.
I can eat Sushi at my daughter’s home in Massachusetts, with my daughter, her husband, and their two children.
There are places that make me realize how tiny I and my problems are.
It’s impossible for me to forget the grandeur and refinement of the works of art I saw in Sicily.
Hope Is A Way of Life
Nelson Mandela was a member of the Thembu royal house, descended from King Ngubengcuka (c. 1790 -1830) who united the Thembu nation before it was subjected to British colonial rule.
University of South Africa (UNISA) is one of the largest distance education institutions in the world, and the uni8versity through which Nelson Mandela achieved his LL.B degree. After he was forced to end his studies through the University of London, he continue through UNISA and graduated, in absentia in 1989. He was able to practice as a lawyer before he was imprisoned, as in those days, only a diploma in law was necessary.
In Robben Island prisoners were made to sit in rows in the prison courtyard and smash stones into gravel.
Every great story on planet Earth happened when someone decided not to give up, but kept going no matter what.
When South Africa’s first democratically elected government came to power in 1994, the government reorganized the ten existing Bantustans, or homelands, and the four existing provinces into nine smaller fully integrated provinces. The four provinces that existed from 1910 – 94 were reorganized into new provinces.
Copyright (c) 2020 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
“White Crow” – a Movie Review by Gary Smolker, Movie and Value Critic
STORY
The “White Crow” is a dramatized biography of male Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev.
DRAMATIC INTENSITY
The high-point of the movie is when Nureyev defects to the West.
This scene takes place in a boarding area in the Paris Airport.
After being told by his Russian handlers he is being sent back to Moscow Russia instead of being allowed to board the plane to London with other members of the Kirov ballet group Nureyev refuses to get on another plane he is ordered to get on.
BUILDING TENSION
The scene in which Nureyev defects to the West is the longest slowest scene in the movie.
Nureyev tells a French male ballet dancer – who came to the airport to say good bye to Nureyev – that Nureyev will be killed if he gets sent back to Russia.
MOVIE CRITIQUE
A movie review may critique the way the story is told in a screenplay, the characters in the movie, the actors, the director, etc. etc.
This is a special movie.
All technical aspects of this movie are excellent: excellent screenplay, excellent actors, excellent acting, excellent director, excellent directing, etc. etc.
What makes this movie special is the stories told within the story – the story of what went on in the lives of each of the characters during the period of time the movie takes place.
Gary Smolker, Movie and Value Critic
Copyright © 2019 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
THE POWER OF MUSIC ACCOMPANIED WITH A LIGHT SHOW by Gary Smolker
Values
Music is about our values.
Music is about our values as a country.
Music is about our values as an individual.
Our music is about who we are.
Friday Night June 15, 2018 Performances of
Chicago and REO SPEED WAGON at the Forum in
Inglewood, California
Friday night, June 15, 2018, I went to a Rock & Roll concert at the Forum in Inglewood, California.
REO Speed Wagon and Chicago each put on outstanding shows/performances.
Spiritual Power of Music
Throughout the concert the psychological and spiritual power of music was palatable.
Each song REO Speed Wagon and Chicago performed was performed with the emotional oratorical power of an outstanding preacher determined to resist oppression preaching a sermon re-reinforcing the strength of the human spirit reflected in the slave spirituals:
“Go down, Moses
Go down to Egyptland
Go tell ol’ Pharaoh,
Let my people go!”
Psychic and Spiritual Sustenance
- Music gives people psychic and spiritual sustenance.
- Music always fuels a rising tide of conscience and consciousness – social consciousness and racial consciousness.
- Music is a mighty force for social reform.
- The Music Performed at this concert promoted a personal sense of dignity, self-respect and pride.
Grace and Speed
REO Speed Wagon played meat and potatoes Rock & Roll with a message: “Don’t give up. Press on!” with “Blue Lights” and a blue light show going on in the background.
While performing, the REO Speed Wagon bandleader commented, “Listening to Rock & Roll keeps you young.”
Colors convey feelings, values, relationships, contrasts, dramas and tensions.
The REO SPEED WAGON Light Show
Color is a means of expression.
Color effects us.
Goethe wrote that “… a blue surface seems to recede from us … it draws us after it.”
Blue is linked with eternity, the beyond, supernatural beauty, religious transcendence, the spiritual and mental as contrasted with the emotional and physical and with detachment from the earthly.
Blue draws us into a meditative mood.
Blue cools and calms. It is the color of moonlight.
The Mind and Mood Altering Show Put on by Chicago
After the psychedelic images above were put on the screen other images which told a story in pictures which reflected what was going on and the mood of a strong active majority of young people and the public at large that prevailed in the United States during the 1960s.
Everyone over the age of 70 ought to go to a modern day rock concert, like the one I went to on Friday June 15, 2018, and reflect how things have changed and haven’t changed in the United States since the 1960s.
Everyone under the age of 70 ought to ask people over the age of 70 who lived in the United States in the 1960s what life was like in the United States in the 1960s, what the mood of the people was with respect to (1) the Vietnam War, (2) the Civil Rights Movement, (3) with respect to segregation, race relations, and Freedom Riders, (4) with respect to Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., (4) with respect to President John F. Kennedy, (5) with respect to the Space Program, the Moon Program, (6) with respect to the assassination of President Kennedy, (7) with respect to the assassination of Dr. King, (8) with respect to the Civil Rights Act, (9) with respect to the Voting Rights Act, (10) with respect to social reform and (11) with respect to America’s dissenting tradition.
I am a visual person.
My personal reaction to seeing the light show put on by Chicago while the Chicago band members were playing their musical instruments was that I felt like was in a time machine that had transported me me back to the United States in the 1960s when the Beatles invaded America, when I watched the Beatles perform, when I listened to newly released Beatles’ songs, what was going on in my mind while I was watching the Beatles’ movie “The Yellow Submarine”, how I felt and where I was and what I was doing when I heard that JFK had been assassinated, vivid memories of watching Vietnam Protestors protest, the light show reminded me of what it felt like to be fully personally aware of racial segregation, my feeling as I was witnessing non-violent civil rights protests, how I felt upon hearing that Martin Luther King had been assassinated, what I felt while I watched President Nixon resign, etc. etc.
The 1960s in America was a time of civil unrest but also a time of feeling we (Americans) could fix anything.
For many Americans (myself included) the 1960s was a time of hope, a time of optimism, a time of being idealistic and a time of idealism, social activism was rampant, massive public protests were ongoing and there was rising prosperity.
The light show put on while the band Chicago played its musical tunes, brought back all those memories to me.
Below are some of the scenes flashed on the screen behind Chicago as Chicago performed at the concert.
Dr. King delivered the historic keynote address we know as his “I Have A Dream” speech before the nationalized televised March on Washington on August 28, 1963. He received the 1964 Nobel Prize for Peace. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
The alternative to violence is nonviolent resistance, made famous by Mohandas K. Gandhi, who used it to free India from the domination of the British empire in 1948 and made more famous in the 1960s by Martin Luther King’s leadership in a concentrated drive against injustice.
Laura Bush Speaks Out: Separating Children from their
parents at the border ‘breaks my heart.’
Laura Bush is a former first lady of the United States.
The following is my quotes of something written by Laura Bush on Father’s Day, June 17, 2018, which I read today in the “Washington Post.”
“I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.
“Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history…
“We Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite those detained children with their parents – and to stop separating parents and children in the first place.
“People on all sides agree that our immigration system isn’t working, but the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer. I moved away from Washington almost a decade ago, but I know there are good people at all levels of government who can do better to fix this….”
“In 2018, can we not as a nation find a kinder, more compassionate and more moral answer to this current crisis? I, for one, believe we can.”
Laura Bush, the performers and audience at the Friday, June 15, 2018 concert at the Forum, in Inglewood California, which I attended believe AMERICA CAN NOT ONLY BE GREAT BUT ALSO GOOD.
COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Gary Smolker
“Self-Control”, A Movie Review of RED SPARROW – by Gary Smolker
Gary Smolker, Cultural Anthropologist
I am a cultural anthropologist, a professional connoisseur of beauty, an adventurer, a movie reviewer, a book reviewer, a writer, a publisher and a trial attorney.
As a cultural anthropologist I study:
- The human experience.
- People’s behavior.
- The state of mind of people.
- People’s behavior.
- The actions people take, and
- How a person’s state of mind is reflected in their actions.
I can’t say enough good things about the recently released movie RED SPARROW, staring Jennifer Lawrence:
- I have never seen a more realistic portrayal of the truth and the reality of what life is all about in print or on the screen.
- I’ve never seen a more accurate portrayal of what it takes to be a leader, of what it takes to succeed.
- The movie RED SPARROW is an accurate portrayal of (a) how the human mind works, (b) of the impact of mindset on human thought and action, (c) of what it takes to be a leader, (d) of what it takes to be extraordinarily successful, (e) of what it takes to beat the odds, (f) of self-awareness, (g) of patience, (h) of how to handle a situation with grace, (i) of strategic talent, and (i) of how nobody understand anyone else.
Self-Control
The key to leadership and success is not strength physical strength.
The first key to leadership and success is self-control, particularly the control of pride and anger.
If you don’t have enough self-respect to swallow your pride when necessary, if you can’t swallow your pride, you can’t lead.
Mendy’s Gym
I work out at Mendy’s Gym in Van Nuys, California.
Below are photos of some of the guys I work out with at Mendy’s Gym.
The key to Jennifer Lawrence (the RED SPARROW) getting ahead in the movie RED SPARROW was not in any way about having the kind of self-control, or about having the kind of strength and disciple – or having weight lifting technique, control of muscles, and body movement know-how displayed in the photos above.
Nor was the key to the RED SPARROW getting ahead and extraordinary success against all odds the kind of self-control displayed by the fighters (Sumo Wrestlers) in the photos below.
[ASIDE] In Sumo Wrestling the loser is the fighter who gets thrown or pushed out of the ring or touches the ring drawn on the mat on which the wrestlers fight, and/or whichever fighter is first thrown down and off his feet and touches the mat.
Pain
Whenever faced with great difficulty or personal pain, the RED SPARROW funneled her painful sorrow into a great fury.
She focused the strength given to her by her fury into developing a tactic, a vision, a goal and a plan for destroying her enemy.
Talk
The RED SPARROW didn’t talk too much.
She only said what needed to be said.
She demonstrated her thoughts through her actions, not through her words.
Actions
The RED SPARROW demonstrated her thoughts through thoughtful actions.
Vision, goals and a plan are important.
Throughout the movie the RED SPARROW had a vision, goals and a plan.
Without the vision of a goal, a person can not manage their own life much less the life of others.
Strategic Talent
The RED SPARROW outsmarted everyone.
The RED SPARROW had the ability to not only have good ideas but to implement them as well.
Copyright © 2018 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion
Tenderness Is the Secret Sauce – by Gary Smolker
“The Shape of Water”
I love the theme of the movie “The Shape of Water”, tenderness.
It is a great movie about convictions.
In this movie people with strong convictions go where their convictions take them.
On top of that, “Shape of Water ” is a life affirming deep love story about the preciousness of life and love.
The love story at the heart of this movie develops slowly then flows smoothly from scene to scene, keeps the viewer in suspense and keeps viewer’s attention at all times.
This film is a cinematically perfect presentation of the actions of a variety of characters telling a story seamlessly through their actions and interactions – whoever wrote the script is a genius, whoever made this movie is also a genius (probably the director) because the actions of a variety of characters, each one of whom is a well defined character type, are weaved together flawlessly.
In “The Shape of Water” the viewer is shown what love is and how love is (and can be) expressed and felt in real life situations and conditions which sometimes are desperate, painful, challenging, and often awkward.
Throughout the movie, each character remains focused – doing what he or she believes is the right thing to do – while beset by extreme problems which seem unsolvable.
This is a well made movie and an entertaining movie. It oozes with greatness. It is an example of what a great movie is.
I identified with each of the characters in the movie and I always wanted to know what they were going to do next.
While watching this movie, I was thrilled by how the people/characters in the movie time after time rose to deal with the situations in which they found themselves.
Summary
This movie is a film that tells a story about passionately motivated conscientious people who interact with each other, in one life and/or death adventure after another, who experience – in their own minds – the kind of happiness that comes from doing what they are convinced they should do.
The screenwriter, the actors and actresses, the director and the producer of this movie have shared their enormous talent with the world by their joint efforts making this movie.
Good Friends
I saw “The Shape of Water” with good company.
My Friend Bob
I saw this movie with my good friend Bob, in the media center at my friend Bob’s house.
Bob is an open-minded critical-thinking conscientious extroverted agreeable individual, who is not in the least bit neurotic, who seems to always have an intuitive knowledge of what the right next step is.
Below is a picture of my friend Bob with SiSi.
Aren’t the two of them a perfect picture of contentment?
Instagram Post
I predict members of the cast, the screenwriter, the director, and the producer of “The Shape of Water” will be nominated for an Academy Award.
Immediately after watching “The Shape of Water” I posted a movie review on Instagram @garyspassion.
Below is a copy what I wrote in my movie review of “The Shape of Water” on Instagram @garyspassion:
“I saw ‘The Shape of Water’ tonight in my friend’s Bob’s Media Room. ‘The Shape of Water’ is a love story about TENDERNESS. A man and a woman in each interaction treat each other tenderly. This leads to them becoming addicted to each other, fully protective of one another, and loyal to each other. It is a beautiful movie. #Gary #Smolker #MovieAddict “BookAddict “AdrenalineJunkie, #Adventurer #Traveler #Technocrat #poet #Warrior-distrupter #financier #RiskTaker. ADVICE: Be true to yourself: Build the kind of world you want to inhabit, do what you love being, and be what you love doing.#Passion is everything. Photo of my friend Bob sharing tenderness and contentment with SISI – a Parisian world-wise woman of the world.”
In my Instagram post I included a copy of the photograph above, of Bob and SiSi.
I Am A Movie Addict, A Book Addict and A Story Teller
I am a movie addict.
Tonight I am going to a private screening of “The Darkest Hour” at Bob’s home.
I am also a book addict. At all times I am reading four or five books at a time.
Currently I am reading:
- “Tribe of Mentors” by Timothy Ferris
- “An Appetite for Wonder” by Richard Dawkins
- “Merchant Soldier Sage” by David Priestland
- “S*P*Q*R” by Mary Beard, and
- “Yes Please” by Amy Poehler
I am also a writer and a story teller.
At the moment I am writing an Appellant’s Opening Brief which is due on January 25, 2018.
I wrote this movie review on an hour break from writing that Appellant’s Opening Brief.
The complaint in that case was filed in 1997.
MY THOUGHT FOR TODAY: In order to ‘have’ you must ‘do’, and in order to ‘do’ you must ‘be.’
Each of the characters in “The Shape of Water” knew who they were, knew what they must do in order to get what they wanted, and did it.
Copyright © 2018 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion
The First Kiss – by Gary Smolker
I Ate It
I went to a small dinner party last night.
The host and hostess had one of their daughters and their daughter’s husband and three other guests over for dinner.
Dinner began at 8:00 p.m.
Persian Dinner Party
It is not unusual for Persians to spend an entire day preparing dishes they will serve for dinner.
Last night was that kind of meal.
It was an absolutely fabulous “home cooked” meal.
The seven of us spent the entire evening seated around a table in the kitchen: talking, serving ourselves food and drink, and eating.
The cake served for dessert (pictured above) was beyond being a masterpiece.
Dessert
The display of items set out on their kitchen table for dessert … is a picture to write home about.
See photographs below.
When I sent the above set of photos (via email) to a friend of mine in Sicily, she replied:
“Don’t forget the cake Caprese…with ciocolate and almonds” and sent a picture of the cake Caprese which she and her husband had served me and my daughter Leah when Leah and I were guests last month, in their 300 year old farmhouse (converted to a bnb), in Ragusa Sicily. inviato da iPhone
The First Kiss
With all of the above on my mind and day dreaming, while waiting to be seated for breakfast this morning at a local cafe, I asked the hostess if she remembered her first kiss. She replied, “Yes.”
“She was thirteen. He was seventeen.
“They were on a cruise in Mexico.
“She could hear the waves crashing…
“It was awesome.
“She has never forgotten that kiss, or the name of the boy who kissed her.
“Nor has she forgotten she was a little drunk after having drunk several beers.”
I also had a first kiss I will never forget. Hasn’t everyone?
I was living in Berkeley, California, attending the University of California at Berkeley.
We were on a camping trip on a beach on the Pacific Coast, 20 or 30 miles North of San Francisco, in the City of Inverness.
Her date, and my date, and everyone else on the camping trip except the two of us, had fallen asleep.
We were still awake, the campfire was still burning, stars were still blazing in the sky.
We stayed up all night talking to each other, as the campfire went out.
We went back to our dates, while they were still asleep, at the break of dawn.
I suspect, I didn’t kiss her.
But, I will never forget that night, that experience, or her name.
Copyright © 2017 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Gary S. Smolker, Publisher, Adventurer, Poet, Writer, Social Commentator Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog www.garysmolker.wordpress.com Gary Smolker, Fashion Blogger Dude's Guide to Women's Shoes www.dudesguidetowomensshoes.com Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion
“Willing to Sell Husband for Chocolate” – by Gary Smolker
Willing to Sell Husband for Chocolate
I posted the above photograph with commentary on Instagram @garyspassion yesterday (on July 22, 2017), then sent a copy via email to a happily married male friend of mine isn’t an Instagram participant/he doesn’t read Instagram posts on Instagram.
Triathlon
My friend replied:
“My wife is doing a triathlon this weekend – pedicure, manicure and a clothes shopping spree.”
Staying Ahead of the Curve
I replied:
“Stay ahead of the curve.
“Be a regular reader of “Dude’s Guide to Women’s Shoes” http://www.dudesguidetowomensshoes.com
“Be a regular reader of the “Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange” blog http://www.garysmolker.wordpress.com
“Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion
“Read my article on “The Perfect Wife” at https://garysmolker.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/women-by-gary-smolker/
“Read my article on “Shopping” at https://garysmolker.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/shopping-by-gary-smolker/
ASIDE: At 11:43 this morning (July 23) there were 43 likes posted to my “Willing to Sell Husband” post (copy above).
The man who sent me the note that his wife is doing a triathlon this weekend, has told me he is a world famous humorist whose cartoons are being read by millions of people each time they are published.
I appreciate the one on one attention he gives me.
In good humor,
I remain very truly his friend,
Gary S. Smolker
Copyright © 2017 Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Gary Smolker, Fashion Blogger Dude's Guide to Women's Shoes www.dudesguidetowomensshoes.com Gary S. Smolker, Publisher, Social Commentator, Adventurer, Traveler, Book Reviewer, Movie Reviewer, Idea Exchanger, Music Lover Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange www.garysmolker.wordpress.com Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion
Instagram – by Gary Smolker
The above photographs were recently turned into posts on Instagram @garyspassion by me.
Below are photos of some of my recent posts on Instagram @garyspassion.
More Photos Turned Into Posts on Instagram @garyspassion
The four photos below with commentary have been posted by me Instagram @garyspassion.
Freedom
I celebrate freedom of choice in what I wear (when I am not appearing in court as a trial attorney) and so does everyone else in America.
In Los Angeles people can wear whatever they are in the mood to wear and have the courage to wear.
Below are photos of men wearing t-shirts which exemplify the freedom of expression that is practiced all over America.
I turned those photographs into posts on Instagram @garyspassion. See photos below.
I saw the two guys in the t-shirts above waiting to get into a Deli (Nat’s Early Bite) and took the above photos of them as I was leaving.
A “Painkiller” is a drink served in the British Virgin Islands.
A “Harley-Davidson” is an iconic American motorcycle.
Unique Diverse Population Defines American Civilization
American culture is unique in the history of the civilizations of the world.
America is defined by having a multitude of differences in one place, a diversity of cultures and ideas created by a population of people in the United States who are all living in the same country at the same time.
Some people believe that the fact that America has a population consisting of people who belong to a diverse mixture of cultures and who have a diverse mixture of ideas and beliefs is the reason America is such a productive and creative place to live.
Motorcycles and Optimism Symbolize the American Way of Life
Optimism gushes in America.
“Every time I start thinkin the world is all bad, then I start seeing some people out having a good time on motorcycles – it makes me take another look.” Steve McQueen
Even years after his death, Steve McQueen remains an icon of cool.
In his movies, McQueen always had a great motorcycle or car.
A love of motorcycles pulsates in America.
See photos below recently posted by me on Instagram @garyspassion.
These photos/Instagram posts vividly portray American’s present day love for motorcycles.
Go to Instagram @garyspassion for a broader view of life in America.
Badass
I have photographed many badass people in L.A. and then posted the photographs I took of them with my commentary on Instagram @garyspassion.
I’ve also posted my photograph (shown below) of computer nerd Kyle with commentary on Instagram @garyspassion
Current Posts on Instagram @garyspassion
Currently, I have posted 873 posts on Instagram @garyspassion.
Copyright © 2017 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Gary S. Smolker, Publisher, Social Commentator, Book Reviewer, Movie Reviewer Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange www.garysmolker.wordpress.com Gary Smolker, Fashion Blogger Dude's Guide to Women's Shoes www.dudesguidetowomensshoes.com Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion
Not Virgin! – by Gary Smolker
BRAIN POWER
Whoever designed the container shown above has a lot of brain power.
Whoever designed the labels on that container has a lot of brain power.
Whoever designed the paper bag shown above has a lot of brain power.
What you see above is not just a container.
What you see above is not just a paper bag.
What you see above is an example of the creative communication of a sales pitch presented as a message.
ACTION
You are looking at a container with a story and a message.
You are looking at a bag with a story and a message.
The stories on that container and on that bag trigger action.
A CREATIVE ADVERTISING MASTERPIECE
Q: Is that a container of ice cream, or a container of hand and body lotion?
A: No. It is a creative advertising masterpiece.
Q: Is that a paper bag?
A: No. It is a creative advertising masterpiece.
TAKING A STAND SELLS PRODUCTS
The “Charity Pot” container looks like a container of ice cream.
I like ice cream.
The label on the top of the container states, “BY BUYING CHARITY POT YOU SUPPORT GOOD CAUSES…”
I am in favor of supporting good causes.
Another label on the container states, “NOT VIRGIN! Pot made from 100% recycled plastic. Recycle it or bring it back.”
I am in favor of recycling.
The bag states the following:
- 100% VEGETARIAN
- FRESHEST COSMETICS
- HANDMADE
- FIGHTING ANIMAL TESTING
Those are all appealing stands on social issues.
All of the above influences influenced me to buy that “hand and body lotion.”
WEALTH
Wealth at its deepest root is the product not of physical labor but of intelligence, of creative vision.
Action is required to actualize the vision, but physical labor not guided by human intelligence is virtually worthless.
BRAIN POWER
All business is fundamentally about brain power.
Without the guidance of an idea, action is just mindless motion, without direction, purpose or value.
POTENTIAL
There is no maximum to potential.
LIVING LIFE FULLY
Some people live life fully.
They know:
- You have to know what you need in order to find what you want.
- You can’t figure out what you really want unless you try everything.
MAGIC
People who don’t believe in magic, don’t find it.
Life isn’t magical on its own.
We make it magical
LUSH COSMETICS IS A GAME CHANGER
In the evolution of advertising, and in the evolution of business, Lush Cosmetics is not a virgin
Lush Cosmetics is a magician who speaks and does business in the language of popular culture.
Lush Cosmetics realized that people have a social conscious and that people are health conscious.
With that realization, Lush Cosmetics became a game changer, a rebel who never stopped redefining the business of cosmetics and never stopped redefining the business of creative communications.
The photographs above show part of the picture of how Lush Cosmetics got from there to here and now…. in the health conscious cause conscious popular culture and…. in the cosmetics industry.
STORY TELLING
Story tellings is fundamental to our lives.
We all love stories.
THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD WE NOW LIVE IN
It is a testament to the extraordinary world we now live in that Lush Cosmetics is a huge business success.
THE EVOLUTION OF BUSINESS
PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING FOR MEANING!
- The future is hyper-connected.
- People want to participate in causes.
- Lush Cosmetics lets them do so.
“Participate in an important social cause” is the central message of Lush Cosmetics advertising: that message is on the labels on “Charity Pot”, and in the statements made on its paper bags, etc.
CONNECTING
People connect with others not just with similar passions and interests, but around the causes that most resonate with them.
More and more, brands are identifying with a cause, and making that identification a central part of their ethos.
NOT VIRGIN!
I believe in magic.
I am not virgin.
I am 100% in favor of powerfully “living the engaged life.”
Gary Smolker
Copyright © 2017 Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved
This is the third in a series of articles I intend to post on the Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog at http://www.garysmolker.wordpress.com on “LIVING THE ENGAGED LIFE.”
I have continuously made posts on my Instagram account @garyspassion on “LIVING THE ENGAGED LIFE,” and intend to continue to do so.
Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion
Live the Engaged Life – by Gary Smolker
The goal is to laugh with someone you take serious.
Let’s deal with seriousness of Carly Ray Jepsen’s condition.
See http://www.dudesguidetowomensshoes.com whose mission is to protect the world from bad taste in women’s shoes and in doing so create the opportunity for everyone to live a full happy meaningful life full of joy purpose accomplishment and self esteem.
You will have the pride of having lived an engaged life well lived if you actively show good taste and encourage others to do so also.
Lead by example.
Gary Smolker, Fashion Blogger Dude's Guide to Women's Shoes www.dudesguidetowomensshoes.com Gary S. Smolker, Publisher, book reviewer, movie reviewer, social commentator Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog www.garysmolker.wordpress.com Instagram @garyspassion Copyright © 2017 by Gary S. Smolker, All Rights Reserved
Gary S. Smolker 