Rant About It

Dr. Adams is a man whose very nature is love, compassion, joy and caring. I just had the honor of listening to one of the most incredible interviews about love and compassion with Cher Duncombe, a long time member of BlogCatalog and Dr. Patch Adams.

Please if you have a moment listen to the man who has changed so many people’s lives with his simple yet powerful message of love. From Hug Patrols to Hug Hotlines and now on to building the Hospital of Imagination, Dr. Patch Adams is like no other. He is our “Patch.” A shining example of how to live a life of joy and compassion.

To watch the interview visit: Cher’s Q&A with Dr. Patch Adams

Thank you to the amazingly talented Richard Becker of CopyWriteInk for making this possible.

To join in on Sunday visit BloggersUnite

Interview with Claire Pitt, aka “Criptt”, and safe to say one of our all time favorites on BlogCatalog, is well known for a few hard to miss charming assets.

Tue, 10 May 2011 21:27:30 -0400

Interview with Claire Pitt, aka “Criptt”, and safe to say one of our all time favorites on BlogCatalog, is well known for a few hard to miss charming assets.

An Interview with Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont: A Woman of Purpose, Vision, Intellect & Playfulness

Tue, 10 May 2011 12:25:09 -0400

An Interview with Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont: A Woman of Purpose, Vision, Intellect & Playfulness

From Realtor, Web & Interent Maestro, Hero; An Interview with Carlos Sagastume Gordillo

Sun, 08 May 2011 11:34:23 -0400

From Realtor, Web & Interent Maestro, Hero; An Interview with Carlos Sagastume Gordillo

An Interview with Cher Duncombe; Woman of Substance, Understanding, Compassion, Empathy….

Sat, 07 May 2011 16:24:30 -0400

An Interview with Cher Duncombe; Woman of Substance, Understanding, Compassion, Empathy….

The Blogger Behind the Blog

Fri, 06 May 2011 11:14:45 -0400

The Blogger behind the Blog

BC is intensely focused on being the most compelling and valuable resource to the best Indie Bloggers by connecting them with each other and with interested readers.

This past month we launched a new series called “the Blogger Behind the Blog.” Here are a few snippets from each person that we have interviewed.

My hope is that you enjoy learning and listening to them as much as I did. Each blogger we had the privilege to interview has been outstanding, remarkable and admirable in their own unique way.

Enjoy!

The Blogger Behind the Blog: An Interview with Julie Anne Rhodes a woman of compassion and value.

As bloggers and consumers of digital content we are so truly fortunate to connect with an unbelievable mix of outstanding people. Julie Anne Rhodes is one of those people we should all welcome into our family and perhaps even more important learn from her values and beliefs and bring them into our homes.

I had the privilege to interview Julie and before we spoke I found the following quote on her site:

“My favorite part of being a personal chef has always been the knowledge that I make people’s lives less stressful, more healthy, and ultimately more meaningful in the way that sitting down together to a home-cooked meal can. It’s an integral part of staying connected and participating in our children’s lives, yet becoming obsolete as most of us are now seriously time deprived, double income families, or harder still, single moms and dads. The immediate and constant demand for my services since opening my award-winning personal chef service, The Roving Stove, in 2001 led me to realize everyone, no matter what your lifestyle, needs a personal chef.” – Julie Anne Rhodes

Read the rest of the interview

Loving Healthcare Professional, Advisor and Advocate; an Interview with Jana Hartley the author of A Doctor and a Nurse

Me: There are so many differerent opinions about healthcare and healthcare systems. I am curious what your viewpoint is on the current healthcare system? If you had a “magic-wand” what would you do to fix the system?

Jana: This topic is a little to big to put into one simple answer but I will try to give a snippet of how I feel and why: I do not believe the current plan for American healthcare is going to solve any of the problems that this country has in providing healthcare. I appreciate Mr. Obama’s compassion for those who do not have healthcare coverage and what that may mean to those people; however, I believe he has created a different problem. For example: I once had a patient who chose not to continue his chemotherapy because it was too expensive and he did not want to leave his wife and child penniless. That is a terrible choice to have to make, isn’t it?

Read the interview

The Artist, Creator of Beauty & Joy; Behind the Blog: An Interview with Artist Marie-Louise McHugh

_“I love the pear. Whether one had anything to do with the other I had no idea. Yet it happened to be a fruit that is equated to the body and I love figurative work. The pear and the women’s body have some similarities._” - _Marie-Louise McHugh

Me: Marie-Louise I have had the wonderful opportunity of at least seeing your work online on your blog Marie-Louise McHugh Paintings and your work is outstanding. There is something very natural and uplifting about your paintings.

Me: This may be a silly question though are you paintings really about the pear or is their a deeper meaning in each piece?

Marie-Louise: Why Pears? The Pear is a wonderful fruit (delicious too). Its shape is very “organic” and can be molded in many ways without losing the concept of the Pear. I discovered long ago, that I could use it as a metaphor in a painting. I used the image daily for several years on my blog.
My goal was to create a diary without words, just images. Well, I came up with a title for each entry but that was it. Later I felt sorry that all these entries only existed on the internet, so I printed a book with the entries of the first year entitled “A Pear A Day.”

Read the Interview

An Intuitive Counselor, Blogger & Spiritual Teacher; an Interview with Dr. Jenn Royster, D.DIV. M.S

Me: You write an incredible, spiritually enlightening blog, run a radio show and have a number of businesses. You are really active so it makes me all the more grateful that you giving of your your time to do this interview. Before asking you about your blog, would you mind sharing what 3 words most describe you best?

Jenn: Intuitive, Inspirational, Spiritual

Me: What does being intuitive mean to you?

Jenn: Intuitive means being connected to the Universe, your higher self, and the support that is there waiting for you to partake in. Everyone has the ability, you just have to connect.

Read the interview

A Brilliant Mind: An Interview with Attorney, Blogger & Scholar, Robert Scott Lawrence

Me: Has blogging, in particular, and social media, in general, impacted your life and if so how?

Robert: I think it’s had an impact on everyone’s life. You can’t deny the phenomenon of Facebook or Twitter, or the 70 million bloggers out there continually sending what marketers love to call “content” to the web. There are more voices in the ether now than ever before in the history of mankind, and while much of it is vapid pontificating cluttered with Google adsense, popups and other inane marketing for things no one really needs, a lot of bright people actually now have a forum to voice opinions which would not otherwise have found an outlet in traditional media or publication. We all saw how the Huffington Post exploded into popularity; we all saw how Sh*t My Dad Says went viral on Twitter and became a supernova bestseller and television show. Every day we are shown another example of how the old world of news and information is dying and how old authorities are withering on the vine. Law firms traditionally have been slow to adopt new forms of marketing (and were, of course, prohibited for many years from doing any marketing at all by ethical rules), and some of that reluctance to adopt social media still lingers on. But the days of getting clients solely by word of mouth or a call from a business school acquaintance are changing as the world changes. Social media is not about cheesy late-night TV ads by personal injury attorneys anymore, but about smart people finding a way to market their expertise in new media so that they can stand out in a world where you can shake a stick and hit 50 lawyers without even trying.

Read the interview

the best attorney blog on the web : Who Is Your Lawyere

Rosemary, a self-proclaimed Digital Media Geek gives shares he valuable insights in “Re-desiging My Blog”

My new blogging pal Rosemary, also known on BC as digitalmediageek, is in the process of redesigning her Digital Media Geek blog. Depending on how much is being changed a blog redesign can be a small project or a large undertaking. Rosemary’s is the latter. I wanted to see how her redesign project is going and what she could share with any other bloggers thinking about giving their own blog a fresh look.

Why did you decide that your blog needed to be redesigned?
My current blog that I’m retiring is called The Sexy Geek Files. I was writing about what was cool and sexy in the Geek universe from my perspective. I meant this to be an entertaining look at social media, technology and whatever “geek topic” that caught my interest.

But this turned out to be too broad of a topic. My blog lacked focus. I ultimately lost interest in it too.

On top of that, the “Sexy” in the title of the blog, attracted bad attention from spammers and potentially pushed away corporate sponsors.

My new blog Digital Media Geek is a better reflection of who I am and what I’d like to focus on. Digital Media Geek will focus on the media, movies and the gadgets and toys that we use to make and watch them. My full-time career is in digital education – I work for a PBS affiliate as a content editor and promote multimedia resources teachers can use in the classroom. This is my overall “brand.”

Read the interview

The Blogger behind the Blog : Awestruck by Alaska

Me: I was awestruck when I visited Arcticulates, the blog that you author, by the beauty and treasures of Alaska. In an hypnotic state I lost focus on what “Behind the Blogger” is about. The result is that I focused at first more on Alaska than K. Fields, the blogger. If it’s alright with you may I reverse the order of this interview so that we learn more about you and then discover Alaska?

K. Fields aka Arcticulates: Yes, of course J That happens often.

Me: What 3 words best describe you?

Arcticulates:

Natural – I am just me,
Creative – I am constantly finding new ways to do things and enjoy researching and discovery!
Adventurous – I like to travel to far away places, and trying something new at least once, I am always busy and not happy with same ole’ same ole’.

Arcticulates is a blog that focuses on Alaska’s Natural Beauty. For a virtual trip to Alaska, this is a must read blog.

Click here to read the interview.

Matthew Putman: The Man Behind Convering Minds

Matthew Putman’s bio is incredible. In addition to being the thought-provoking writer of Converging Minds, he is a research scientist at Columbia University, founder of the technology company Nanotronics Imaging, and an owner of Tech Pro Inc. which was acquired by Roper Industries in 2008. He is also a musician with 2 albums–”Perennial” and the “Gowanus Recordings.” He produces plays, including the critically acclaimed “Perdita” off Broadway, and films such as “The Definition of Insanity.” Matthew is a board member of The Montauk Observatory, and a patron of the World Science Festival. He is a member of The New York Academy of Science, American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, and a task force leader of ASTM. Last, but in no way least, he is married to Marine Putman, and has a 4 year old daughter, Juliette. Like I said, it’s an incredible bio and one that inspires me to step up my game a bit.

Click here to read the interview.

The Blogger Behind the Blog: An Interview with Mr. Chichester; A Social Media Master, Black Belt & Renaissance Man

Me: Mr. Chichester you’re a Renaissance Man, have a black belt, are a social media master and those are aside from numerous other amazing accomplishments. I feel compelled though to ask you one question before we start and that is whether Mr. Chichester is your real name?

Mr Chichester: Yes it is. My full name is Lavall Chichester nice to meet you.
Me: It’s certainly a pleasure to meet you too. You’re an inspiration to me and I am certain that after this interview, you’ll be one to anyone who reads this.

Mr. Chichester: Well, thank you!

Me: I am fascinated to hear what inspired you to select the name Live Learn Love Leave for your blog?
Mr. Chichester: The blog is constantly changing, I am actually in the middle of a full revamp. I called my blog Live.Learn.Love.Leave because it is how I live my life.

I strive to:

Live and not just be alive
Learn as much as I can and teach others
Spread love as often as I can and
Leave a meaningful legacy behind when I die

To read the interview

A BC Blogger who Plans to Make a Positive Difference Would Like Your Vote Now

What is NetRoots?

Netroots Nation is one of the biggest gatherings of the progressive media in the world. It was started some years ago byThe Daily Kos as a celebration of the power of the online media, though ownership has now passed to Democracy in America, and the event has come to attract the liberal media as a whole. Besides the keynotes, which are always very good, this is a gathering of the best minds of my, and several other, generations.

What is it you wan’t to achieve with this? How do you believe you can make a difference?

It is important for me to win because I am trying to document the plight of the middle class in America by traveling the country by bus talking to the people who have been hurt by this protracted contraction in our economy, whether you call it the “great recession” or, as I do, the 21st century depression. I am operating on a shoestring, and it would be very difficult to attend without the scholarship.

BlogCatalog is a site that is Pro-Indie Bloggers. We are agnostic regarding issues as our outcome is to for freedom of expression, provided it isn’t hateful or disrespectful. Why is this goal of winning this competition important to you?

My other blog, The Frugal Goddess, is intended to be of help to the same demographic, the forcibly frugal. I am almost done with a book directed at this audience, and being at Netroots would help further both blogs, and help me get the book into the hands of those who need it most.

Why should people vote for you and not someone else who is running?

There are many fine candidates, and as long as you vote for no more than three your vote makes a difference. I feel proud to compete with this crowd. But, if you care about leveling out the wealth distribution a little bit in this country, and giving the middle class a chance to thrive again, I am the best choice. Our democracy needs a strong middle class to maintain the values of freedom and equality that make it great. By telling the stories of those who were productive members of society until the crash of 2008 pushed them into poverty, I hope to make a difference. Going to Netroots will help me do it better.

I already voted for you? Where can other bloggers vote for you?

Click Here to Vote

Interview with BC’s Kristin Brumm, Woman of Courage and Substance

Kristin Brumm is new to me on BlogCatalog. I met her recently when she joined the Power Blogging Program. For many it’s so easy given our hectic lives to think, “oh another blogger who wants traffic.” Yet, you’d be mistaken if that’s what you thought. I learned the first time we ran a program that miracles occur. Each time we run programs to help bloggers it is as if each blogger was hand-selected for a far deeper reason than simply because they blog.

Today, Cher Duncombe, Editor-In-Chief of BrooWaha, published an interview she did with Kristin. In the interview she discovers and shares a story of a woman of such character, courage, compassion and strength that hearing Kristin’s story leaves you with a true sense of gratitude for the gifts that we all able to share.

Read the interview here

The Blogger behind the Blog : A Magical Treat Inside the Mind of Creationist TJ Lubrano

> “Happiness is not an ideal of reason but of imagination”. – Immanuel Kant

TJ Lubrano appears to be omnipresent. You’ll find her actively participating in the

BlogCatalog discussions, on bloggers bio pages and engaged in different communities across the digital ecosystem, while simultaneously creating painted worlds that appear to shout out, “we’re happy in here and you should be too.”

Getting TJ to stop and do an interview I knew would not be an easy task. Given my depth of curiosity I asked her to go into a magic world and let whatever magical words flow out. She agreed and I feel truly privileged to share the interview with you and extremely grateful that TJ took time to give us an even deeper sense of who she is aside from the author of the beautiful and appropriately named blog “A Look in a Creative Mind.”

Click here to read the interview

He owns nothing. He dreams only of helping people. Please help us show support for Patch Adams

“Each friend represents

A world in us

A world, possibly not born

Until they arrive

And it is only by meeting

That a new world is born.”

—-Anais Nin

In honor of International Day of Compassion for Patch Adams on May 15th 2011, which is sponsored by BlogCatalog and Bloggers Unite, we present this interview with Dr. Patch Adams. The effort here is that we want bloggers to unite and support Patch to build the Institute of his dreams.

Cher: It is a joy to welcome you today! Thank you so much for joining us.

Patch: It is a thrill to be so honored, thank you!

Cher: It is my pleasure! There is some ground to cover. I would like to ask you what your immediate needs are. You’re building the Gesundheit!Institute in Pocahontas County in West Virginia. Is that correct? What was the impetus for that, Patch?

Patch: I entered medical school at night in 1967 to use it as a vehicle for social change. I spent my medical school life studying the way health care was delivered and so in our first couple of years staring in 1971. Medicine is about care. We have found out that very few people are engaged in living a healthy lifestyle. We are the only hospital to integrate arts, and homeopathic methods. Our hospital design is meant to be a service not a business. Our entire staff makes the same salary. Janitors and surgeons alike make $300.00 per month. In these 40 years we have been involved all over the world. I lecture in countries all over the world.

Cher: It is an amazing concept. You actually have doctors on a waiting list to work with you, is that correct?

Patch: Thousands.

Read the Interview

An Interview with Nick Armstrong: The Business Storyteller : Humble, Marketing Genius & Philosopher

Fri, 06 May 2011 09:45:03 -0400

An Interview with Nick Armstrong: The Business Storyteller : Humble, Marketing Genius & Philosopher:

If you want to change your life or business this is a must read.

Loving Healthcare Professional, Advisor and Advocate; an Interview with Jana Hartley the author of A Doctor and a Nurse

Thu, 05 May 2011 16:32:40 -0400

Loving Healthcare Professional, Advisor and Advocate; an Interview with Jana Hartley the author of A Doctor and a Nurse