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MOMENTOUS MONDAYS: INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS OF ALL TIME – WEEK 49: FIVE FOR FIGHTING
April 27, 2020 Jonathan Andre Leave a comment
I don't know about you but sometimes I feel like a song can totally change the mood of a room, or it can lift the spirits of the entire world's population at any given point in time. As I've said time and time again in blogs previously written, there is power in the song that may not be present in an encouraging ted talk, or a sermon. Songs have a licence in a certain moment to be the catalysts of positive change, to delve down deep into the soul and to ask the questions that maybe no one has ever dared to ask before. To challenge our very being when other conversations and introspective discussions have failed to do so, because whether we agree with this notion or not, this much is true- songs have power over us in a way that no other entertainment medium has. We listen to music at all hours of the day- morning, noon, afternoon and night. Songs travel down deep into our psyche, make us realise things about ourselves that we may not have been privy to, to begin with. Creating a song, to put it blunt, almost gives you licence to speak about almost every topic that can be judged as being 'taboo' in a sense, if said out loud and not tied to music- politics, death and religion, the three major things that cannot be spoken about at a dinner table? Discussed in song, I'm sure, at one point in history or another. Faith, doubt, uncertainty, love, loneliness, worry, hope, joy, and everything else in between; are all given the go-ahead when it comes to songs, music, and what is given the go-ahead in terms of what topics can be availed to the masses.
Some artists have the knack for music that travels the line of being true to their own craft, while also not afraid to inch out of safe territory and be bold and discuss issues that may not be the norm- artists like Switchfoot, Tenth Avenue North, Lady Antebellum, Daughtry, Andrew Peterson, Sara Bareilles and Casting Crowns (to name a few) have all taken risks along their music journey to bring to us topics that would otherwise be considered 'dangerous waters' if they were uttered in commonplace and not wrapped up in the nice neat bow of music and 3 minutes. Nevertheless, music in and of itself is a gift that we behold, and be reminded that artists have come to bring conversation and discussion to the table, and all indeed are welcome to place their own thoughts on topics relevant and necessary for our unveiling, especially during a time in society where consumerism and dumbing-down of topical issues seem to be the norm. Enter in another artist that is willing to bring his own thoughts to this table of ideas, as some of his songs, though underrated and undiscovered as they may be, have challenged the very fabric and fibre of society within the last 20 years or so- Vladimir John Ondrasik III, or better known for his stage name, Five For Fighting.
By now that you've taken this arduous and long-winding journey with me for over a year, I'm sure you'd had a few questions- I know I have if I was ever an outsider looking in on this blog series. Let me just say from the outset that by no means is this list reflect reality- by an objective standpoint, the top 100 influential artists, could look and may be totally different from the one that I am writing about right now. First off- artists primarily writing music for the CCM industry will immediately get discarded from the list- Tenth Avenue North, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, Carman, Rebecca St. James, yes, even artists like Skillet, Switchfoot, DC Talk and needtobreathe won't be sitting on anyone's top 100 influential list aside from mine. And maybe that's ok. I've taken comfort in the fact that this top 100 list is certainly going to stir up a lot of people as they ask questions- where're artists like Lady GaGa, Madonna, Eminem, George Michael, Green Day, Slim Dusty, Cindi Lauper, Barbara Streisand, Cher, Korn, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Barnes and Black Eyed Peas, to name a few? (if you do happen to look at my top 100 list here, you can see that all of these artists aforementioned are not present on any list that I've conjured up!) And quite right so- on any other given day, if I didn't include the CCM artists that have been so relevant, influential and heartfelt in my own life, then yes, maybe some of these artists aforementioned would have had a real chance in being placed here on my list. But they haven't been. And I don't know if they ever will.
Frankly, I'm around 50 artists anyway into my blog series (this is blog #49 but who's counting?), and a lot can change between #49 and #100- you never know, this list can definitely fluctuate between now and then. But herein lies the point that I've always said in blogs gone by and I'll say again- influential and popular do not mean the same thing, nor should they. An artist's popularity doesn't mean that their music as a whole is even influential, and vice versa. There can even be artists that people may not have heard of, or maybe have only heard a few songs here and there, and their music, being analysed from an objective standpoint, is impactful, poignant, emotive, confronting and challenging beyond belief. The artist I'm about to delve into and discuss is more from the second category- I don't think that many people even know them, or their music, except for a few songs. And this may be exactly why I've decided that Five For Fighting is indeed one such artist that fits the 'influential' mould- since listening to their music over this last week, I've thoroughly enjoyed the songs I was presented with. Though not a huge discography (6 albums, 2 live albums and slew of singles over the span of 20+ years), John Ondrasik, the one-man-band behind this moniker Five For Fighting; has given songs of hope, love, loss, fragility, humanity and deep introspection- I'm sure people have heard of songs like 'Superman (It's Not Easy)', 'The Riddle' and '100 Years', to name a few.
'…though at their base music and sports are entertainment, they both have the potential to transcend and provide powerful cultural moments. Certainly we can escape from our daily grind by listening to a song or watching a game. But both have a voice that transcends. You don't need to understand a language to be moved by a piece of music or a drama of competition. Sports and music also have the unique ability to capture our memories in time. How often do you hear a song and flashback to the era in which it was released and relive your memories of that period? I still remember where I was sitting when Kirk Gibson hit his home run, Magic Johnson hit that hook shot, and Gretzky scored after high-sticking Doug Gilmour. There are great differences as well. Sports is a meritocracy where music is subjective. Music has no losers where sports is a zero sum game. And, of course, every athlete wants to be a musician, and every rock star a pro! Finally can you imagine our lives without sports and music? As irrational as we may get sometimes, they are the most important things to many of us…' It is in this quote that I've come to respect the necessity of music, and the need of music to bring people together across all culture of life and impart to the masses wisdom, hope, even some moments of tranquillity and comfort, especially during such a crazy and unforeseen time as this in the world's complicated history. Nevertheless, Five for Fighting is doing its part in making music that has been crucial to people over the years, even if people know the songs, but don't necessarily know who's singing them. Because let's be honest, you wouldn't necessarily think off the first bat that Five For Fighting would ever be considered to be in an influential list, let alone a list as big as the one I've delved into for a year plus. And you're right, upon reflection, I don't think at the time of making said list a year ago, I was ever across or even introduced to as many artists as I do right now, Five for Fighting included. Nevertheless, here we are in the end of April/early May, exploring an artist that is, by all intensive purposes, unknown, and exploring a musical landscape that isn't your typical musical genre that is across all the radio stations at this current stage.
Piano-pop, piano-rock, or what Five For Fighting is called, 'heartland rock'; isn't what you would think is getting the major traction right now, and you're right. Heartland rock isn't what is on people's minds right now, and maybe for good reason. For the definition of heartland rock, according to Wikipedia is this, and I quote: a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, a concern with middle class and/or blue-collar American life, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't think people right now in today's society want to hear music that has a lot of 'social or communal' purpose, especially in a culture where consumerism and the general movement towards radio pop is becoming more and more of a reality with every passing day. Gone are the days of artists like Bruce Springsteen, who has long been considered the founding father of heartland rock, and in has come the championing of packaged-pop (as I cleverly coin this phrase)- pop designed for the radio, for clicks and adds, for hits and charts, rather than for actual soul-searching and life-changing, that a lot of music of the past was primarily written for. Five For Fighting is as close as you can probably get right now to heartland rock, other than the legendary heartland-rockers who are still going (Bruce Springsteen included). I guess for me, I've tended to not really notice the intricate 'styles' of musical artists- if I connect to an artist and they speak to me about things in my life that I know I need to change on, then that's a good thing. Five For Fighting just happens to fall within the realms and confines of piano-pop meets heartland rock, and maybe that's a good thing, that his music isn't as popular as most other artists. Because I've said this notion before, that what comes with popularity is this whole other can-of-worms which is compromise, especially if fame and money are involved. Five for Fighting have relatively stayed under the radar, delivering album after album of emotion and poignancy, and though Vladimir John Ondrasik III isn't a household name (nor is Five for Fighting for that matter), songs like 'Superman', '100 Years' and 'The Riddle' are.
Five for Fighting is a perfect reminder that songs pierce deep within our souls, and certainly transcend the artist of which they should. Many people would know the songs by John, but not many people would know even John himself. And that is a great example of what writing not for self but for others, albeit accidentally, is really all about. For to have your songs known, but you not yourself; can be a bitter pill to swallow- because I reckon that even now, Five for Fighting isn't really that well known in an industry more concentrated on the Justin Biebers or the Katy Perry's of the world. But I guess if I were to say 'do you know the song superman (it's not easy)?', I'm sure you'd say 'yes'. For a career to go like this- for the songs to take flight and you to stay relatively anonymous to the general public, can really crumple your ego, but all in all, this artist's discography and life in the spotlight of music has taught me one thing, if ever there was anything from any one person's career- it is better to stay humble, and to take whatever success you can get: songs can take flight even if you don't. And so whatever grand expectations someone may have of becoming famous and earning the money, if success is only derived from these parameters (being famous and earning tons of money), then they're always going to be disappointed. Five For Fighting I'm sure has learnt about this, and their discography of songs certainly reflects this notion of the transientness of life, and the gratefulness and thankfulness that often comes when faced with the reality that you may not always be the 'next best thing' forever.
Five for Fighting started music in 1995, when John began using the 'Five for Fighting' moniker; and unveiled his first project in 1997 titled Message for Albert. While this album as a whole wasn't necessarily John's most impressive debut (in that it didn't give him any radio success ever), John nevertheless imparted to the world a collection of 12 songs, dear to his heart, and with time, has resonated with a lot of people around the world who has taken a liking to his songs and music, myself included. Though these songs on this album can seem a little too raw and unfiltered for the average person on the street who's more akin to hearing the carved-out radio-friendly melodies; Message for Albert nevertheless gave us things to ponder and consider- 'Happy' was a nonsensical song that didn't really make sense, but still reminded us all to be happy even if you're in the face of things you don't understand (like the song 'Happy'!), and to just bask in the happiness feeling without asking any questions; while 'Bella's Birthday Cake' is a song about this illusive person named Bella, and reminded myself of the timeless Beatles track 'Eleanor Rigby', and how the song itself tells us all a story about this person, as if they were real and made an impact on the band themselves (in this case, an impact on Five For Fighting). 'The Last Great American', recorded in its original format for Message for Albert and then again for America Town, is a sobering account that speaks of what it may have been like to live as 'the last great american'- implying that the values held by this 'last great american' seems not to be held by people of today. The song itself is about the funeral of this 'last great american' as Five For Fighting present to us a notion of the erosion of values that made once made America great, and that any understanding that such a country like America is great right now, is only a mere illusion. While for me it took a few listens for such a song as 'The Last Great American' to sink in, I've since realised that a lot of Five For Fighting's songs need a few go's to hear from start to finish, for the message to sink in. 'The Last Great American', quite possibly one of the most sobering and eye-openings songs of Five For Fighting's early music era, is such a song where its message is still penetrating and hard-hitting even now in 2020. I'm sure if the founding fathers of America (and also in turn the founding fathers of Australia) would see the way the country we are in at the moment, they may not like what they see.
'The Garden', also another song from Message For Albert, is a track that is indeed a standout, and upon hearing it and trying to analyse the lyrics, I can see why certain people may think the song is 'religious', with the song asking us all whether we '…believe in the man in the garden…that he was there…do you believe or do you care…' While the song itself doesn't make any alludes to Jesus, whether He is the man Five for Fighting is talking about; the song still asks questions, and is a reminder for us all to delve deep within ourselves and indeed ask what we believe, and whether we even care about what we believe or not- if there's only one thing that can be taken from 'The Garden'; while 'Love Song', another poignant and emotive song from John's debut, is indeed a sad melody and very ironic one considering the title is called 'Love Song'- the song itself is the depiction of a divorce of spouses from the child's POV. Sad and emotive, this raw and unfiltered song about the harshness of how 'love' doesn't work out how people intend it to, is what I reckon started to make Five For Fighting and their music a lot more accessible and relatable as we understand that this musician speaks of real issues that each human can relate towards (I'm sure if you don't belong to a family that is divorced, that you may know someone who is!).
As I continue to listen to Five for Fighting and the subsequent albums after the debut, I have a sense of earnest and honesty attached to these songs aplenty, as a lot of these melodies I'm sure have impacted a person on a soul level, even if they didn't impact the radio charts. Quite possibly, Five For Fighting's music has a lot of double (or triple) meanings, and I've come to realise that that is ok for an artist to have. I guess maybe I've grown up a lot in an environment where meaning had to be very clear, and any ambiguity was never welcomed- after all, if things were grey and not black and white, what did it mean for the whole system to begin with? But as I've grown up older and older still, I've noticed a thing or to- things aren't always as clear cut as they seem. Yes, songs mean something, but they can also mean something else as well, and that in and of itself is still as much welcomed. We understand full well that double or triple meanings don't devalue a song of any kind, but rather, brings in more people into the fold, of who the song can relate to- as more and more people gravitate to the song for a myriad of different reasons, either the song reminds them of their childhood or the song speaks about something in their own lives they need to address; a song can impact more people and change a life for the better, and that in and of itself means a 'job well done' for the song in discussion.
As for Five for Fighting, these songs that have a plethora of meanings can still be applicable today as well as when they were written, and looking through the albums, there are songs aplenty that stand out, quite a lot in the second album America Town, giving us clear reminders of the things that are indeed important to us and how we may often miss them along the way without even noticing. 'Easy Tonight' speaks of the very delicate, sensitive and complicated theme of suicide, and a persona's journey through those thoughts in her mind relating to the very act of taking a life, and understanding that that life taken is not going to happen anymore- 'Easy Tonight' alludes to the fact that suicide in fact is the easy option- alleviating pain if only for a moment, but then increasing the pain for people left behind. A sobering song for us to think about, as this topic as it stands is never really discussed in music at all, Five For Fighting continue to bring to us issues and topics dear to John's soul, and hopefully as we hear them, dear to ours as well. 'America Town', the title track from Five For Fighting's second album, is a melody where the persona is trying to be grateful for the town and city and country they've grown up to live in, while also understanding that this 'America' they've grown up to see in a certain way was never really that way to begin with- when you believe a country to be in an idyllic way, all sunny and rosy and sunshine and rainbows, it is then where we realise that our view of a place has been warped by what we like it to be rather than what it really is- 'America Town' seemingly paints a picture-perfect place to be, while simultaneously reminding us that in reality, no such thing is perfect, and often the cracks come showing through, crumbling a perfect society down, sooner or later. 'Something About You', with the undertone of electric guitars that create a 'grunge' feeling, speaks of an unconditional love between a boy and a girl, and this notion that there's something about this girl that makes the guy keep thinking of her (and the song can still be seen as hopelessly romantic or eerily creepy, whichever way you choose), but for me, it is the song 'Michael Jordan', over the first couple of albums from Five For Fighting, that has spoken a lot to me of late throughout the course of listening to John's first few albums.
A song that really opens the eyes of people when it comes to hero worship and wanting to emulate a person so bad that they are willing to forgo everything else that they should deem to hold dear, just to have a chance of being in the shoes of said particular person they admire, is nothing short of either just plain crazy, or utter devotion, which is again borderline obsessive and weird. The song itself picks on this notion that you want something in this world so bad, that you're willing to sacrifice whatever you think is necessary to BE that particular person- though the song is particularly about Michael Jordan and how people look up to him within the confines of the sporting arena; the song can be applicable to anyone who looks up to someone famous, and wants to try to emulate them in any way possible, even to the detriment of personal relationships. As Five for Fighting explain in a recent interview, about the song itself and its meaning behind it, we see the startling reality of hero worship and how its much more commonplace than we even realise- '…as a fanatic sports fan I still worry about the deification of athletes. Though many pros are good people, we have seen the effect of bad role models. We have a more selfish and narcissistic generation of kids largely because our media glamorizes both pro athletes and superstar musicians, many who fail us as examples for kids. I'm sorry. You don't get a choice to be a role model. When you're a superstar, you are one by default. I chose MJ because at the time (and probably still now) he was the ultimate God and I wanted to be like Mike like everybody else…' Admiring someone's handiwork is fine, but if it is to the extent of worshipping that particular person and lifting them up on a pedestal of perfection when in reality that isn't the case; that is when things may get out of hand, for all concerned.
Five For Fighting's songs have been a source of hope and solace for people over the years, of being a place where ponderings of deep, metaphysical moments of clarity and direction can be allowed to take place, and as we see the songs travel from pen to paper to radio as the years progress for this moniker band, we also see music that has reached our years and touched our souls, in possible ways that we may not have experienced in quite some time. 'Chances', the first single from his fifth album Slice, found Five For Fighting delivering a track where its main message was in the undertaking of assessing the chances in situations and circumstances, and weighing up options about which avenue to take- be it in a relationship or in life; and that even if chances and odds aren't necessarily stacked in someone's favour; the very nature of trying in relationships (and in life) ought to be encouraged. The song was released in conjunction with the 2009 movie The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock, and was the end-credits song for the movie- the song itself fits right into the movie's theme as well, as I can remember from watching the movie all those years ago, the main character in the movie was a black teenager who had to overcome a lot of obstacles to make in in his high school and in the school football team, situations and circumstances that made it seem like chances and odds were stacked against him.
'The Devil in the Wishing Well', the second radio single from the album The Battle For Everything, alludes to this notion that often if there are difficulties in life, or mental health problems or things of that nature, we often try to demonize such things and to just say 'well, a demon will have to come out, and everything will be ok'. Yes, sometimes demons do need to be exorcized, but more often than not, what was assumed to be a demonic force is more of a medical and mental health condition. 'The Devil In the Wishing Well' is about a persona wanting to help their friend out of the depths of an undisclosed illness, and all throughout the song, Five For Fighting reminds us of how quick it can be to misunderstand illness of a mental, and immediately deduce it can be something of a spiritual realm (indeed it can also be the case for that possibility as well!), but in most cases, it is indeed only a physical imbalance of chemicals, and such shouldn't be assumed to be worse than what it really is. The song itself cuts to the heart of the issue- to not make assumptions about someone's mental state until we spend time with them and talk to them like normal human beings.
The hard-hitting themes continue as the discography of Five For Fighting continues to click on- 'If God Made You' shows to us the persona singing to someone that's near to him who's dying, saying that in spite of death, and the impeding nature of mortality, God must still love this persona- He created his friend/lover/significant other, and that though there may be a unhappy outcome (i.e.: death of the friend), he can still spend whatever time that is left with them; while 'Disneyland', also from The Battle For Everything, speaks on the issue of utopia, and what it means to Five for Fighting about what the ideal version of utopia should look like (hint: the happiest place on earth!!!). 'The Story of Your Life', from Slice, is a joyous melody that is as uplifting as it is motivational- with the song presenting a theme that is very similar to 'The Story Of Your Life' from singer-songwriter Matthew West; we see Five for Fighting remind us all that life is meant to be enjoyed, that whatever is around the corner is meant to be worried about at that particular moment- not a moment before. Five For Fighting also impart to us heartfelt themes like being courageous through storms and unconditional love- 'Love Can't Change the Weather' speaks of the 'fairness' of the weather in that the sun shines down on everyone and the rain falls on the same people too. No matter how dark or disturbing someone's circumstances are, love will always be there in the form of people around us, in order for us to feel like we're not alone in what we're going through. Love may not be able to alter where the rain falls, but it will show us that there's something worth fighting for after the rain.
Vladimir John Ondrasik III and his music has been grabbing the attention of a lot of people over a lot of years, and while I myself still have a lot to uncover about his music- there is just so much 'gold' to 'mine' when it comes to a lot of his songs, the ones which I do know, it is a reminder that we as listeners and lovers of all things music need people like him in an industry full of artists just wanting to make a quick buck by creating a song that is as radio-friendly as possible. Nothing wrong with radio-friendly music, but more often than not, we need songs and albums from artists that really tug at the soul, not just releasing songs that fit a certain radio mould and fit a certain 'style' or 'message', something that is sadly transient and unfulfilling when it comes to whether the song means something to someone or not. 'One More for Love' is John's ode to this notion of love that someone has for another, one that fights to keep it alive and understands that '…as long as you are here I'll be all right as we roll on tonight…'; while 'World', from Five For Fighting's 2006 album Two Lights, asks us all sobering questions we all need to ponder- what kind of world do we want to live in as a society, and what kind of world are we willing to create with the tools and talents and gifts that we have? We as humans with our choices have the impetus to either change the world for the better or the worse, and thus a song like this reminds us all to '…be careful what you wish for, history starts now…', as we realise that where we are tomorrow hangs on the weight of today and what we choose.
'Two Lights' is a hard-hitting song about the military and how when someone goes off to war, it can be a scary thing not knowing whether they will be coming home or not- this notion of two lights on in the front porch of the house is an indication that the relatives of said person coming home are at home and watching and waiting in anticipation for the person to arrive and be welcomed back to normal and daily life; while 'I Just Love You' speaks of the loneliness that comes for every singer-songwriter/touring musician that is on the road and missing their family. Five For Fighting also bring to us a sense of nostalgia in 'Slice', a track that harkens back to the times when songs like Don McLean's 'American Pie' was released. Such a song like 'American Pie' was able to bring together a society that declared such a song together with all their might as music brought with it a sense of unity and camaraderie not necessarily seen that much across the years- 'Slice' is Five For Fighting's attempt to bring about a yearning and a longing for songs to be sung again in unison- whether it is a track where the lyrics transcend the artist and speak about issues prevalent to the heart, or whether it's a top-40 radio friendly track, remains to be seen.
'Hope' is Five For Fighting's attempt at a quasi-inspirational/spiritual song as this notion and message of having hope in the darkest of times is presented in this melody, as we are met with the lyric line '…there's always a reason to break…', a timely reminder that things, however bad they seem, always happen for a reason, however twisted or dark it can often look like at the beginning; and 'This Dance', complete with electronic keyboards that remind me of music from the 1980s, is Five For Fighting's way of presenting to us a romantic track, as John Ondrasik invites us all to see the intimate exchange between himself and his wife, all within the backdrop of a slow-dance song, where he declares that '…while is just me and you, I thought I might say to you, you put the beautiful in life…' Asking questions about heaven and what the afterlife could seem like, being in the twilight of your life not knowing if you'll get into heaven, but still certain of the love you have with someone on earth, as well as acknowledging that every winding road and step sideways and backwards leads you to your significant other (and thus you're grateful for all the things you've experienced); are all prevalent, necessary, and at times confronting themes delivered by Five For Fighting in the songs 'Road to Heaven', 'Heaven Knows' and 'Road to You' respectively; while Five For Fighting also brings in the motivational in 'Stand Up', a song of getting up after difficulties and moving forward in life, and also imparts to us this understanding of being just who we are in 'Your Man'- not more than the best that we can be, but rather, ourselves with all our faults and flaws. It is then and only then that we know that who we open ourselves up to is certain to love and accept us as we are because it is in who we express ourselves to be that we can find our truest of friends.
Five for Fighting's most recent album was 2013's Bookmarks, and while from a commercial standpoint, the album wasn't as successful as other previous releases like America Town, The Battle For Everything or Two Lights; the album did still have some bright spots, and moments where introspection and heartfelt contemplation took centre stage in songs that allowed us to travel deep within ourselves and really see what we're made of when our backs are to the corner. 'What If' asks a heartfelt question that we as listeners of music in general may not ask much, if at all- what if we were to place ourselves in each other's shoes and empathise and understand what they're going through, how can the world be better if understanding is at the forefront instead of judgement? It is one of the most emotive and confronting songs I've heard from Five for Fighting, and in this excerpt below of an interview that was had with GuardianLV.com; we hear some of the inspiration behind 'What If', and what that means for society, the country (America) and the world at this present moment (the interview was undertaken in 2014, but ideas and policies can still be applicable and relevant today!):
The sentiment of What If is putting ourselves in each other's shoes. That is why Star Trek was so great right? It broke so many boundaries and I've always been a Sci Fi guy. I just wanted to do a heart strings video [of What If] that was interesting that people could watch from beginning to end and whether you were a Five for Fighting fan or not, you would be moved. I think we did that – they did an amazing job – I can't take any credit for it. It is my favourite Five for Fighting video and always will be. The song itself has a larger cultural message. It is one we have heard before of course, look through each other's eyes, but I think in the country today we are so divided and there is so much animosity and politically I think there is very little good will. I think the message of the song is that it takes two to tango – two to solve problems and I don't see much of that which is very frustrating. That is the message of What If. We are not always going to agree, we might have different ideology and viewpoints but if we did put ourselves in each other's shoes, maybe we would understand that the person has a point of view and much the same goal as we do – they just have a different way of finding that goal.
Politically being the minority in the music business, I have kind of been on the other side of people making snap judgments and stereotypes and labelling and that is not healthy whatever side you are on. I think that is where What If came from, it's like, come on, you know? Maybe if you lived my life and shared my experience maybe you would understand where I am coming from and vice versa. We all have certain stereotypes and I just think this really hurts the country. I think we are seeing this now more than ever and we are polarized and nothing is getting done – we are kind of on the wrong track. I think a lot of that is just because we are unwilling to kind of listen to and respect each other and it worries me.
Five for Fighting has always opened the envelope and allowed for a lot of discussion about topics and themes throughout the years and albums, and what culminated in 2013 with the song 'What If' that allowed us all to see if we can empathise with the other by trying to see things from their POV, actually begun in the year 2000 and Five For Fighting's release of 'Superman (It's Not Easy)' way back in the day. From his 2nd album America Town, 'Superman' the song was about this feeling of being heard and wanting people to understand things from the persona's POV- in the song's case, the persona is Superman. Superman is powerful in the comics, but what this song depicts is the humanity of the superhero, and how this being who is equally human as he is a person with super-strength; can still have his off-days. Superman can be misunderstood, and though he is invincible, Superman can feel what humans do, and I'm sure Superman the character in the comics was created with human emotions as well. In a practical sense, 'Superman (It's Not Easy)' is for anyone who feels like they are toiling and working the grind and just doing the work, but not seeing the results that they want- the gratitude and thanks aren't there, what was thought to be an easy work turns out to be more difficult than anticipated. It's not easy to life this life of uncertainty, and 'Superman' is a reminder that we all who may feel like we can conquer the world at times, will indeed have other times where we feel like we aren't accomplishing the things that we should. The song gives us the hope that we are not alone in what we're feeling- Superman feels it too, and to a greatest extent, God, through His Son Jesus and His journey to earth as God in human flesh, can also empathise with our humanity. We are never alone in our plight, and such a song gives us assurance that our friends, our family, and our God, are there to call upon if needed in the circumstances and situations where we may need them. '100 Years', another great standout song by Five For Fighting, was unveiled to us in 2004 on the album The Battle For Everything. The song itself is a reminder to take life as it is and to enjoy every moment of it, because what we have been given- this life we've living; it's gonna be finite. We're all gonna die in the end, and thus we should cherish whatever time we have here on this earth, something I know people don't necessarily do. Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik wrote this song about pivotal moments in his life- the first verse about his schooling years at 15 when he couldn't find a girl, at 22 in the second verse when he did find a girl and got married, and in the third verse at age 33 when he had his first child. '100 Years' speaks that we should always be using our time effectively- our presence here on this earth is very fleeting, and we should treat it as such- '100 Years' can hopefully give us the impetus and the motivation to direct introspection and compulsion into positive change as we see what areas of our life do need fixing in the little time on this earth we could have left.
'The Riddle' is another track (and one of the three big super-standouts by Five for Fighting, inclusive of 'Superman' and '100 Years') that has been pressing on the hearts and lives of people around the world since it's inception through the 2006 album Two Lights. The song itself touches on the thing that has been on everybody's lips since the dawn of time- what is the meaning of life? While I do not know the religion of Five For Fighting, what I do know is that even in this song, God still moves, and the very act of asking about life and meaning in 'The Riddle' invites us all who listen to the track to ponder the very question that has been chipping away in our lives in the background, for as long as I'm sure we can remember. Five for Fighting is having an inward battle in 'The Riddle'- for a lot of people around the world, the definite meaning of life and why we're living seems to puzzle and stump a lot of people. Nevertheless, people try to find their meaning themselves, either through religion, or through familial relationships or just enjoying the simpler, finer things in life, what we would usually take for granted. Regardless of how people take the meaning of the song; one thing is clear about 'The Riddle'- we have to ask these questions- why do we live? Why are we here? Why do we connect and form relationships if in the end we die and that is it? It is in these questions that we can hopefully not be afraid to admit that maybe we don't have it all together as we seem we do. For it is when we are at the end of ourselves and know that we don't know much; that I firmly believe that the God of the universe, who's firmly involved- intricately and intimately- in our lives; can show us meaning and purpose as we journey on with this life, with Him in it!
Post-2013's Bookmark, Five For Fighting unveiled to us a few other musical endeavours, in a live Christmas album in 2017, a live project (with just him on the piano and string instruments) in 2018, alongside a slew of singles at various points throughout the years. 'All For One' was penned and released in 2014, and written and recorded specifically for the CBS TV Show Hawaii 5-0's 100th episode. As shared by Five For Fighting in a recent story-behind-the-song on Songfacts; we're reminded that '…as a fan of the original show – I'm old enough to remember the original show. I was intrigued when [executive producer] Peter [Lenkov] pitched me on writing an original song for the 100th episode. He told me about his idea – they didn't have the script quite done yet. But I thought it was very unique, and he wanted a song that reflected the, as he would say, "ohana" vibe of his show-the family vibe. And I thought I could do that. I sat down at the piano and wrote a song that talked about the relationship these characters had formed…' Two versions of 'All For One' was birthed out of this journey- the original one with a lot of musical instruments, and a 'ohana' version- stripped back and recorded acoustically. The song itself is a timely reminder, especially during this difficult pandemic time, that community and having a mentality of 'all for one and one for all', is adopted and fostered, now more than ever. With this message not being that new (I can remember a certain movie called 'The Three Musketeers' that embodied this slogan), it nevertheless is welcomed- we can never be reminded enough of how much we need each other during this fragile and difficult time. Five for Fighting also unveiled to us 'We are the Innocents' in 2018, a hauntingly refreshing and compelling song written specifically for the movie Gosnell, the true story about the trial of Dr Kermit Gosnell of the Women's Medical Society abortion centre in Philadelphia, and how Gosnell himself assisted in the murder of plenty of babies that survived their abortions (but where also not wanted by their parents either). The harrowing experiences suffered by these women at the hands of Gosnell has been translated with such grace and sensitivity in the song 'We are the Innocents', as the track is from the POV of either murdered babies themselves, or the women involved in the deadly practice. Five For Fighting also capped off the last few years with the single release of 'Born to Win' in 2016, a song that has its inspiration in the myriad of sports that John Ondrasik has enjoyed and loved over the years- while the song is not the anthem of just one sport, it is a reminder to always keep pressing forward and showing the team spirit when sport events and competitions are happening around the world. With the song itself being an ode to the underdogs in every sport competition, the song can still also be applicable to life, and how as we traverse the terrains of uncertainty and uncharted waters, our vision and goal to be where we want to be at the end of it all can hopefully spur us on and motivate us to be better and go further than we have ever been before.
It takes fate, luck and hard work to be successful and to be heard. Melody gets you on the radio – lyrics keep you on the radio for 20 years. I have always been a fan of the great lyricists. I think that for me it is always the hardest part and I spend days, weeks, months, trying to get one line for various songs. I think the reason that 100 Years has stuck around for 15-20 years is the words, the story and the sentiment that people can relate to whether they're 15 years old or 75. As a singer, the most important thing is not to be able to sing perfectly in tune, but to be recognizable. I think I have one of those voices where you kind of know who that is. I have been fortunate that I have had a few songs that culture embraced, that I have a sound that is not so generic that it is easily replaceable – so again I think that a lot of that is luck. My voice is my voice – I took a lot of voice lessons but it is what it is. But the lyrics are just, you know, 15-20 years of just trying to get better and writing songs that can touch people…
I think I can never be totally satisfied. I am certainly very grateful because in the big things I have been incredibly fortunate. I have worked hard for some of that but I have also been incredibly blessed. It may sound a little corny and cliché but to be born in the greatest country that has ever existed that allows me the opportunity to have the freedom of speech, to work – it's "Ameritocracy" – to have the opportunity to succeed. To have great parents who stood by me when I was pursuing my dream and everybody told me I was crazy. To have a great wife who understands the sacrifices I have to make sometimes – especially early in my career – who supported me. To have wonderful children and all that stuff and people who have helped me along the way – I feel very lucky. Are there things you want to do and continue to do? Sure, you always want to be relevant, you always want a seat at the table. You always want to have people hearing new music and keep growing but at the same time, at this point in my life I am going to be turning 50 this year. I do kind of sit back and can recognize some of the really cool stuff and experiences that I have had and my family has had. You always want more but at the end of the day, you know the big things… having a healthy family and the means to pay your mortgage and kind of do what you want…to have buddies like Andrew Breitbart and interact with some of the people who define the culture and move the sports world and the political world. Yeah, I am pretty satisfied. I am never complacent and I never take it for granted but it's been a fun ride.
Five For Fighting and the impact its music has had on society is just one of many other things that John Ondrasik has contributed throughout his career thus far. He has been compared over the years to other piano-prominent singer-songwriters like Elton John or Billy Joel, while a lot of his heartland rock material reminds people of 'The Boss' Bruce Springsteen. More often than not, Five for Fighting's choice of instrument has always been the piano, and a lot of his live shows are either just himself, alternating between guitars and keyboards, or very rarely with a backing back- from the 2010s onward, Five For Fighting has been accompanied by string quartets to make the music more orchestral. Overall, the music of Five For Fighting has been declared by prominent website AllMusic as one of the leading groups who has excelled in creating ballads throughout the 2000s, while John Ondrasik, frontman of the one-man-band, also engages in public speaking, and has presented talks and lectures in relation to TEDx, Virgin Unite and the American Cancer Society over the years. All in all, the music of Five for Fighting, alongside John's passion for speaking and his way of communicating hard-hitting messages in 3 minute songs is certain to strike a chord with anyone who loves introspective music and emotive poignancy, artists in a similar vein to that of either Switchfoot, Train, Lifehouse, Tenth Avenue North or even The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. John Ondrasik has delivered music that challenges the heart and encourages the soul, and if only for songs 'The Riddle', 'Superman', '100 Years' and more recently 'What If', and for them alone; this one-man-band and underrated moniker should be listened to by anyone who wants to be changed by the power of music…if only to listen to Five for Fighting once!
Does Five For Fighting and the music make the list for you all when you write your own 'Best Influential Artists of All Time' list? Is there any song, like 'The Riddle', '100 Years' and 'Superman'; that has impacted you on your journey through life thus far? Let us know in the comments. Till next time!
100 yearsbruce springsteenfive for fightingheartland rockjohn ondrasikmomentous mondaysmomentous mondays jonpiano poppoprocksupermanthe bossthe riddle
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A new website called "Your Holiday Mom " has been launched to give LGBT youth and adults a virtual family to spend the holidays with — in addition to lots of love and support. Because no one should feel alone or unloved during the holidays. The site posts a new letter every day leading up to Christmas, and this year has 40 mothers participating.
On the site, the moms describe their own family holiday traditions, their children, and their family, seeking to make the readers feel included in the holiday fun and sending messages of love and acceptance.
A beautiful and loving website that is guaranteed to restore your faith in man/womankind.


text:
Serial Addiction
Creators of This American Life bring new life to radio drama.
By Christa Avampato • March 21, 2016 • No Comments •
As the age of shrinking attention spans and visual overstimulation marches on, the Serial podcast defies convention as a runaway hit. Season One came out in 2014 and was self-described as "One story. Told week by week." Hosted by Sarah Koenig, it garnered nearly sixty million downloads over twelve episodes, which range in length from twenty-seven to fifty-five minutes. Each of the episodes was akin to a chapter of a racy mystery and revolved around the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, a popular Baltimore teenager. Her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was the lead suspect.
In Serial, Koenig takes listeners through the case, evidence (and lack there of), investigation, and trial. Over the course of a year of determined work, we hear her inner thoughts while she wrestles through the countless contradictory details of the case. As she questions and analyzes every turn, we're actively involved in the investigation and reconstruction of the story. We're privy and privileged to bits and pieces of interviews with the main players of the drama including Syed, who is now serving a life sentence for first-degree murder in a Maryland correctional facility.
A masterful storyteller and a keen, self-taught detective, Koenig weaves a tale that inspires binge listening. She invites us on her wild and dangerous journey with lines such as, "Someone is lying and I really wanted to figure out who," and, "If you want to figure out this case with me, now is the time to start paying close attention because we're at the heart of the thing." We're drawn into the story like a moth to flame, and before we know it we're in the investigation with Koenig as our fearless, unrelenting leader.
AS HEARD ON SERIAL
1) "Do you know how many people think I didn't do it because they say I'm a nice guy? I'd like someone to say I didn't do it because they looked at the case."
- Adnan Syed
2) "I think the odds of you getting the charming sociopath—you're just not that lucky."
- Deirdre Enright, The Innocence Project
3) "I told them the truth, I did not show them a location that was true."
- Jay Wilds, Key Witness
4) "I don't want to overdo it here, but it's possible that had this bench conference not happened, Adnan's whole life could have been different."
- Sarah Koenig
5) "You go from my savior to my executioner on a flip-flop flip-flop…"
- Adnan Syed to Sarah Koenig
For many, all it took was a listen to the first minute of the first episode to become entangled in the case. It's that compelling and confusing, which is a magical combination that breeds intense curiosity. The pieces of the case don't line up, much less lock into place. Which of Lee and Syed's friends are lying? The timeline is a mess and makes it impossible for Syed to be at the scene of the crime at the time of the murder. Or does it? We're left wondering how a jury allowed a prosecutor to get away with such sloppiness and why the defense attorney did such a poor job of defending Syed. Every episode drops a bomb of additional questions and takes us further down the rabbit hole.
As the only podcast to ever win a Peabody Award, which recognizes distinguished and meritorious public service by American media makers, Serial is a testament to the power of reinvention. In this case, the reinvention is the use of the radio drama as a powerful and emotional medium. It serves as proof that people love nothing better than a good story that makes us think as much as it entertains us. Give us a juicy enough hook, drop just the right amount of bread crumbs on the path, and we'll follow you to the ends of the earth. Koenig's gift, shared with her immensely talented team, is her reverence and respect for spin and its use in the justice system.
"The trouble with spin is you can't ignore it because somewhere swirling around inside of it is a tendril that's true," she says.
That tendril is what we're all looking for throughout every moment of Serial's twelve roller coaster episodes. We want that golden ticket, for our own intellectual satisfaction, and for the sake of justice, for both Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed. To her deep credit, Koenig raises enough doubt to make us adamantly want a retrial, and we're not alone.
Peabody Award aside, the attention the case received from Serial prompted the Maryland Court of Special Appeals to send Syed's case back to a lower court. This is a tremendous break for Syed and his legal team because it allows them to file a request to reopen the case. It's a small, albeit important, step for Syed—whether he and his legal team will succeed, remains to be seen.
What is for sure is that Serial has a tremendous opportunity, and an equivalent amount of pressure, to deliver the same quality show in Seasons Two and Three that they created in Season One.
Season Two began with a bang in December 2015 and immediately captured its audience.
In the middle of the night, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl grabs a notebook, snacks, water, some cash. Then he quietly slips off a remote U.S. Army outpost in eastern Afghanistan and into the dark, open desert. About 20 minutes later, it occurs to him: he's in over his head.
Download weekly episodes of Serial now to see how it all unfolds.
[©Image 2 courtesy of Meredith Heuer; Image 3 courtesy of Elise Bergerson]
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June 06, 2019 • No Comments
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Auto Repair Shops See Spike in Business from Fall Deer Rut
Written by Wes Johnson, The Springfield News-Leader
Thomas Voorhis and his son Sebastian Voorhis look at his vehicle after it was repaired at Hammer's Autoworks. Voorhis' vehicle was damaged after hitting a deer. (Photo: Andrew Jansen/News-Leader)
The vehicles start arriving this time of year with smashed grilles, broken headlights, dented body panels and shattered windshields.
Many Springfield auto body shops are inundated with repair work due to the annual fall influx of collisions between cars and deer.
"It started a month ago, and we've already written over 70 repair estimates for deer hits," said Nate Lillich, owner and vice president at Hammer's Autoworks, Inc., in Springfield. "It doesn't matter where you live — in the country or in the city — we still see lots of damage from collisions with deer."
Just within Springfield city limits, the public works department recorded 19 deer collisions in 2015 that damaged vehicles. According to the city, vehicles have hit seven deer so far in Springfield this year. According to one report, the average repair bill is $3,995. Missouri averages thousands of injuries and three deaths per year. And one in every 117 Missouri drivers is likely to hit a deer this year.
Missouri's whitetail deer are in the middle of rutting season, when bucks blindly chase does in an attempt to mate with them. The deer wander through yards and city streets and busy highways, often with disastrous results for both the deer and the cars that hit them.
"Typically, unless you just bump them at low speed, if you're going 30 to 50 mph and hit a deer you're looking at a $2,000 repair," Lillich said. "But we've got a (GMC) Terrain in the shop right now with $16,000 in damage from a deer hit. And if your air bags go off, the cost goes up a lot to fix it."
Fair Grove resident Thomas Voorhis, the driver of that Terrain, said he had only a split-second warning of "Deer!" from his wife, Sara, before the animal smashed into the front of his car recently in Dallas County.
"That car was only four months old; it was brand new with only 10 miles on it when we got it," Voorhis said. "The deer hit the right front and took out the whole grille. Both side panels got crunched and bent. I had to force my door open to get out."
Thankfully, his wife and their 19-month-old son, Sebastian, were safely buckled in.
Three weeks after the collision, the Voorhis family is about to get its repaired car back. Voorhis said he's out $1,000 for the insurance deductible, but he did at least come away with 40 pounds of deer hamburger, 16 pounds of deer sausage and 4 pounds of deer jerky after getting a deer tag to legally keep the animal.
"That's some expensive deer meat," Voorhis joked.
At Dodson-Williams Auto Body repair shop in Springfield, shop manager David Heideman said it's not just deer rutting season that triggers roadway collisions.
"After hunting season starts, that also gets them moving," he said. "On average, we're seeing one or two car-deer collision repairs come in per day right now. We're pretty busy."
Firearms deer season began Nov. 12 in Missouri, and hunters had already killed 122,818 deer by midday Wednesday.
Lillich said car-deer collisions tend to taper off by the end of December but pick up again in the spring after does have babies and the mothers and their young begin to move about. They're often hit trying to cross highways, the fawns not recognizing that speeding cars pose a threat.
Lillich and Heideman said there's no single kind of car that survives a deer hit better than the rest. It all depends on how fast the vehicle is moving and where on the vehicle the collision occurs.
Sometimes it's just the corner fender and panel that takes the hit, a fairly straightforward repair. Other times, a deer might hit the front corner of a car and bang its way down the side, damaging numerous metal panels along the way, resulting in a much bigger repair bill.
"We've got a Tahoe in here now with the antlers still sticking in it," Heideman said. "As for blood and stuff, we'll typically do a wash down, but most of the yuck is on the exterior of the car."
Worst-case scenarios are when a vehicle hits a deer head-on at high speed and the animal comes up over the hood and crashes through the windshield.
"Years ago, a customer came in who was driving a Chevy Tahoe going 60 to 70 mph," Lillich recalled. "A deer jumped from the side of the road and went through the back glass window on the side of the car. The impact cut the deer in half, with half of it going over the top while the other half flew out the Tahoe's back window. It's not fun cleaning up something like that. Typically you're going to replace a lot of stuff, like carpet and seat covers, instead of trying to wash it clean."
Heideman said the worst thing to do if you encounter a deer on the roadway is to try to swerve around it.
"If you do, you're putting yourself at bigger risk of losing control of your car and possibly hitting other people coming toward you," he said. "Plus, if you roll your car it's going to be way more expensive than repairing a frontal collision, and you could also lose your life."
4 deaths a year, on average, in Missouri
Deer-vehicle collisions can be deadly, as happened seven miles north of Springfield when a Fair Grove man hit a deer that crashed through the windshield of his F-250 pickup truck, killing him.
Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jason Pace said three Missourians died last year in vehicle collisions with deer, and there were 346 injuries from the 3,720 deer collisions in the state. He said most deer collisions happen in November, between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The International Institute of Highway Safety tracks all kinds of roadway accidents, including those involving collisions with animals. In Missouri, from 2005 through 2014, an average of four people a year died in a vehicle collision with an animal (mostly deer). Missouri's 10-year death toll total of 40 people in animal-motor vehicle collisions almost matched the national average of 39.3 deaths per year.
Texas and Wisconsin had the most human fatalities by a large margin — 187 and 121 deaths, respectively. Rhode Island had the fewest human fatalities from collisions with animals, with two deaths in that 10-year period. Connecticut and Delaware ranked second-lowest in fatality numbers, with four human deaths total for each state during that time frame.
Aside from the tragic toll in human and deer lives, the financial cost of deer-vehicles is staggering, according to the State Farm Insurance company.
In its 2015-2016 annual report on animal-vehicle collisions, State Farm found the average cost of a vehicle repair was $3,995.08, down slightly from $4,135 the prior year. A year earlier, State Farm calculated the total economic cost of deer-vehicle collisions to be more than $4 billion.
State Farm also calculated the likelihood of a motorist colliding with a deer from July 2015 through June 2016. In Missouri, one of every 117 motorists was likely to hit a deer, according to State Farm, ranking Missouri as a high-risk state for such a collision.
For comparison, State Farm ranked West Virginia as the most likely state for a motorist to hit a deer, with one driver in 41 likely to have such an encounter. Hawaii was the least likely place for deer collisions — one in 18,955 — while in the lower 48 states, Arizona was the least likely state in which to hit a deer, with odds of one in 1,175.
The Missouri Department of Insurance encourages you to review your auto insurance policies, since not all policies cover damage caused by deer strikes.
Comprehensive coverage is optional insurance, but it does cover deer strikes. If you only have collision coverage or liability coverage, your insurance carrier will not cover damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with an animal. You should also consult your insurance agent to find out how much coverage you need.
"We want to remind Missourians to be aware of their surroundings, to slow down and always wear their seat belts," said Director John Huff of the Insurance Department. "Deer strikes can cause serious damage to your vehicle, and not all types of auto insurance policies cover deer strikes. It is important to review your policy and speak with your agent."
The department offered these tips to avoid deer collisions:
• Deer tend to travel in herds, so if you see one, look out for more.
• Keep an eye out for deer-crossing signs. Reduce your speed when you see a sign.
• Deer are more active during dawn and dusk, so be extra conscious during these times and watch your speed.
• Make sure your headlights are working properly. Using high beams can help you spot wildlife, but be considerate of other drivers when using them.
• Stay focused while driving. Do not text, talk on your phone or allow passengers to distract you.
• Stay calm.
• If you can, move your vehicle to a safe place, like a highway shoulder, and turn on your hazard lights.
• Stay away from the deer. A frightened or wounded deer can lash out and hurt you.
• If you can't move your car or the deer carcass is blocking traffic, alert the authorities so they can clear the roadway.
• Document the incident by taking photos of your vehicle damage, the roadway and any injuries.
• Check to see if your vehicle is safe to operate. Check for leaking fluid, damaged lights, loose parts or other safety hazards. When in doubt, call a tow truck.
Missouri consumers can call the department's Insurance Consumer Hotline at 1-800-726-7390 with questions on deer accidents or go to the department's website at www.insurance.mo.gov for additional resources.
Animal collisions in Springfield
Data shows animal-vehicle collisions inside Springfield city limits that caused damage to the vehicle, for the past five years.
2012 – 17 deer, 2 dogs
2013 – 13 deer
2014 -10 deer, 1 opossum, 1 dog
2015 -19 deer, 5 dogs
2016, through June - 7 deer, 1 dog
We would like to thank The Springfield News-Leader for reprint permission.
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Participants will come away with new concepts and concrete examples that can be employed immediately. This series will build on what the NAMEN members have already been doing to address the issues brought up by #MeToo and explore ways to strengthen this work together.
Throughout this series we will focus on strategies to take these efforts to the next level, what policy and political action can be harnessed from men and boys who support #MeToo.
What has been Men's response to #MeToo?
What are the opportunities for fostering male leadership in support of #MeToo?
What are the theoretical frameworks for promoting responsibility and accountability?
What might be successful practice to put into place for your own community?
4 weeks later come back together to share what you have tried or are in the process of implementing and learnt.
Please Join us for these engaging discussions.
1. Thu April 12; 3 – 4:30pm; Community experience, how are men responding?
2. Thu April 26; 3 – 4:30pm; Dialog on theories of change for men.
3. Thu May 10; 3 – 4:30pm; Immediate Applications, what can we do now?
4. Thu June 14; 3 – 4:30pm; Reflection on lessons learned and next steps.
An ongoing discussion group will be offered.


Posted on December 20, 2018 January 12, 2019 by Kiran M.
When you take into consideration how frequently you're driving the youngsters to school, transporting the household to sporting events, or commuting near and far in your automobile with your children, you can see why so much importance is placed on having your kids ride in a safety seat. Parents often struggle when first buying a new child seat. There are many options available and every parent has their own budgetary restrictions, but this is an extremely important step to ensure the protection of your children as they ride in the back seat. It is not just a necessity, but it is the law.
Safety seats, if utilized properly, can significantly minimize the likelihood of injury or fatality for kids in auto accidents. Nevertheless, more than half of the car seats tend to be misused in a manner that could lessen their efficiency. And one out of three kids killed in car collisions were totally unrestrained during the time of the accident.
While most parents spend a sufficient amount of time researching the top child car seats , they don't spend that much time with the owner's manual learning how to use it properly. Installing a child seat poorly is almost as bad as not using one at all. This is one aspect that parents should take extra caution with.
Take a look at these 11 car seat safety tips to ensure that your children are safe and secure.
1. Setting up a car seat properly and using it appropriately isn't as simple as it appears. The majority get it wrong. Find the local licensed car seat inspection service providers for assistance and make certain your little one is riding safely.
2. Make a note of the safety seat expiry date. It is least complicated to write it using a blank label or a piece of masking tape and put it where it is noticeable on the seat itself. After that swap the seat as soon as it has expired.
3. Avoid using an impaired car seat. This will include cracks, missing parts, car seats which have been in mishaps, distressed harness straps, and over washed seats (strong soaps might damage the materials of the car seat, potentially decreasing its functionality under the pressure of a crash).
4. Don't accept any used seat as a present or even purchase one in case (a) it's distressed or damaged by any means; (b) it's expired; (c) it isn't licensed to be used in your location.
5. Be cautious about facing your kid's seat forward too soon. Youngsters are nearly 5 times safer in a rear-facing seat which supports their weight up to age four. You might be wary of "squished legs", however, it is absolutely safe. Children prefer to extend them, fold them, and also dangle them.
6. Never ever undervalue the necessity of your youngster's harness straps. Always keep them straight as well as tight all the time (if you're able to pinch an inch in between your fingers, they're excessively loose)!
7. Make certain that everybody who drives your little one is well equipped with the appropriate safety seat and also understands how to use it, irrespective of how short the trip is. It is suggested to have an extra seat for these occasions, and it is good for visiting family or giving your child's buddies a ride when needed. No kid must ever ride unprotected. It is unlawful and extremely dangerous.
8. Make sure to adjust the harness straps while your kid matures. For the rear-facing car seats, the straps must be at or slightly below the shoulders; and for the forward-facing car seats, they ought to be at or slightly above the shoulders.
9. No matter how short the ride is, do not hold a kid in your lap while out on the road. It might sound like practical but it is not worth the risk. If you must remove your child from their seat make sure the vehicle is parked and stationary out of the way of traffic.
10. In spite of pressure from the children wishing to ride up front, keep kids below 13 years in the rear seat where they're much safer and farther away from the active airbags.
11. Once you are expecting and you are planning your baby's arrival, have the car seat set up as well as examined prior to the due date. Not only do you wish your infant's first ride to be safe, some hospitals also might not discharge newborn babies till their car seats are set up properly.
It may seem like a lot to take in, but with a little planning and precaution, we can reduce the risk of injury of our children while they are riding safely in the back seat. Our goal should be to avoid the common child seat mistakes that parents make that may put your kids in greater danger. There are plenty of high quality infant, booster, and convertible car seats available, the trick is to make sure that we install them and use them as they were designed. The owner's manual is going to be an important piece of reading material early on. Fortunately, a lot of the car seat manufacturers also have very informative videos that illustrate the proper use of their child seats to give you a better grasp on what you should be doing.


Pune is the best city to live in India, while Delhi is among the worst cities in terms of economic prospects, according to the Ease of Living Index rankings published recently by the union ministry of housing and urban affairs. In terms of safety and security, Bengaluru is among the worst, the Ease of Living report suggests. How much do these rankings reflect the reality of urban life in India? A Mint analysis of the rankings suggests that there are good reasons to be skeptical.


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We're preparing for the coldest temperatures in 10 years here in Chicago, and I don't plan on leaving the house if I don't have to. One of the best things about quitting my day job and pursuing Windy City Dinner Fairy full time is not having to make the hour commute downtown every day. Especially in the dead of winter. I don't miss putting on three (yes, three) pairs of pants, two pairs of socks and the puffiest puffy coat you can buy to make that trek for months at a time. I still remember my feet being numb for hours after getting to work, only to have to go back out in the cold a few hours later.
Needless to say, working for myself has its perks. So while everyone is off to work tomorrow, I'm going to be in my toasty kitchen decorating these adorable Polar Bear sugar cookies. These are perfect to make with the kids, too! (and a great way to spend a snow day from school!) I'm partnering with Solo to show you how to make these super cute treats to cure your winter blues.
If you'd like, you can use store bought sugar cookie dough for these polar bear sugar cookies, if you want to go homemade, I'm including a soft sugar cookie recipe down below!
How do you roll out sugar cookies?
If you're going the homemade route, make sure your dough has chilled for at least overnight, if not 24 hours. I made things a little easier on myself by rolling my dough between two fondant mats. If you don't have a fondant mat or a silpat, you can also use two pieces of parchment paper. Flour each surface and roll between the two mats/paper. It makes it so much easier and less messy. Dip the cutter in flour in-between each cookie to make things even cleaner.
While your cookies are baking, you can gather your ingredients. For these Polar bear sugar cookies, you'll need something to make the paw, eyes and ears.
You'll need something around and chocolate or chocolate covered. I used an Oreo, but you could use a Peppermint Patty, a thin mint cookie, or something similar!
I used chocolate chips for both the toes and nose of the polar bear. You could use the brown chocolate M&M's as well! The kids could pick these out from the other colors in the M&M bag. Place each ingredient in Solo's paper snack bowl for easy access for the kids.
I used candy eyes and mini marshmallows for the ears on these polar bear sugar cookies. The fur will be made from sweetened shredded coconut.
Start by frosting the cookies with a delicious buttercream. Using a piping bag or a mini offset spatula, frost each sugar cookie. Put the shredded coconut on a Solo 10″ paper plate. Once the cookie is frosted, press the frosted side down onto the coconut. Flip over and place the Oreo "paw" near the bottom, and three chocolate chips pointed side down on top of the Oreo.
How do I make the polar bear face cookie?
For the polar bear face cookie, after pressing the cookie in the shredded coconut, place a chocolate chip "nose" in the center, pointed side up, two eyeballs north of the nose, and two mini marshmallows on either side of each eye on the top of the cookie.
Once you're finished, serve these cute polar bear sugar cookies with a warm cup of cocoa with some extra marshmallows and chocolate chips on top!
FOR THE FROSTING: Cream the butter, powdered sugar and milk, for 5 minutes on high. Slow speed and add vanilla. Beat till smooth and creamy.
You can pipe the frosting on the cookies or use a mini offset spatula. I piped it on.


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Dillian Whyte still hoping for shot at Tyson Fury: 'I've earned the fight … it's about time now'
Dillian Whyte has called on Tyson Fury to stick to his word and hand him a shot at the WBC title after a shoulder injury ruled him out of his scheduled clash with Otto Wallin.
Whyte was supposed to defend his WBC interim title against Wallin at O2 Arena in London on Saturday night but was forced to withdraw after sustaining shoulder damage during training camp. The fight was cancelled — not postponed — and Whyte admits he has no intention of rearranging his showdown with the Swedish heavyweight. Instead, the native of London's Brixton district will look to capitalize on his lofty status with the WBC who looks set to name Whyte the mandatory challenger to Fury's belt.
It will be up to the two sides to agree on a deal to fight or face a purse bid to decide who stages the clash. Then Fury would have to face Whyte or relinquish his WBC title just months after defending it against Deontay Wilder.
FURY DEFEATS WILDER: Round-by-round breakdown | Twitter reaction
"Tyson Fury is a major fight and one that I've wanted for a long time," said Whyte. "What fight would you rather see me in: Tyson Fury or Otto Wallin? Be honest. It's a simple choice.
"Fury needs to come back to the U.K. We've been mandated to fight and me and him have had a lot of backward and forward. We were meant to fight twice before and it didn't happen. But with Tyson Fury, you never know. I hope he will fight me because he says he's a fighting man and a man of his word so I would hope so. I would hope that he sees sense that it's a big fight, a major fight for heavyweight boxing.
"It makes sense and he's said many times that when he beats Wilder he will. I think this time he will fight, so let's see. I've earned the fight, it's not voluntary, I worked hard and challenged. I've fought more top 10 guys than most champions have. It's about time now."
Whyte is also hoping his status as a promotional free agent will help smooth over any deal and is happy to box on any network as long as he gets his crack at Fury.
"I don't care who promotes it," Whyte said. "What is most important to me is the fight, the belt is great and I want it but it's about the fight. I have an opportunity to fight the greatest of all time as everybody is saying. This would be my opportunity to beat the man who beat the man.
"We will go wherever the highest bid is. Let's see who that is. I'm a free agent so I can go where I want but I work closely with Matchroom out of loyalty over the years and we do good business together. Now Matchroom are with DAZN but we have to go wherever makes sense for us. Eddie [Hearn] is on board with that.
"I want to be in the biggest fight possible and I won't let a network stop me from doing that. When my career is finished I want to know I fought who I wanted to fight and fought all the best people. A lot of fights don't get made because of networks and everything else and that's why we've always been like this. It has been hard work but we put a lot of years, time and effort into it.
"The opportunity to fight and beat someone who people are saying is the greatest of all time, from where I've come from, what I've done and who I was that's major. I never planned to be great at sport or champion of the world. So for me this is all good."
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'African Horror is usually steeped in the moral values of individual tribes.' A blog by Nuzo Onoh.
Archivist Dawn Sinclair unearths documentation and covers of the Fontana Book of Great Horror Stories.
Find out which novel won the horror award, announced at FantasyCon last week.
Horror authors, fans, podcasters, bloggers, TV folk and screenwriters get involved.
Ghoulish and gory Instagram accounts that will get inside your head.
Petrifying Pinterest boards that will possess you.
Discover the winning books of the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement in horror fiction.
Check out these vibrant magazines and communities for horror film, literature, entertainment, interviews, art and more.
For interviews, stories and discussion with horror fans, TV execs, authors, check out these brilliant podcasts.
Christie, Shelley, Lovecraft - load up your Kindle with these classic horror ebooks - all under £2.
Find out from Leslie S Klinger why he has annotated Frankenstein (& Dracula before that).


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The Art & Entertainment Hub for all things Queer Made & Queer Friendly
#ReleaseTheKiss: Lez Hang Out Podcast Calls On Universal Pictures to Stop Queerbaiting Bechloe Fans
Posted byQueer Quality April 3, 2018 Posted inUncategorizedTags:anna kendrick, bechloe, brittany snow, clexacon, ellie brigida, ester dean, gal pal, glaad, leigh holmes foster, lesbian, Lez Hang Out, lgbt fans deserve better, lgbtq, lgbtq podcast, pitch perfect, pitch perfect 2, pitch perfect 3, Podcast, queer representation, queerbait, queerbaiting, rebel wilson, release the kiss, releasethekiss, representation matters, shelley regner, universal pictures
Last Monday, the ladies over at Lez Hang Out, released their sixth installment of their "Should've Been Gay" podcast segment, highlighting the subtexted lesbian relationship of Bechloe in the Pitch Perfect trilogy. Now, this lesbian podcast is leading the charge in calling on Universal Pictures to "#ReleaseTheKiss" in one final plea to make Bechloe a canon relationship and end queerbaiting the LGBTQ+ community for promotional purposes.
"Bechloe" refers to the non-canon queer relationship between two seemingly straight characters, Beca (portrayed by Anna Kendrick) and Chloe (portrayed by Brittany Snow). From the moment Chloe corners Beca in the shower to sing "Titanium" all soapy and naked in the first Pitch Perfect film, the Bechloe ship set sail. Fans have long been awaiting the day to see the two of them get together, as both romantic and sexual tension grew between the characters in the first two films of the series.
As Pitch Perfect 3 grew near, Bechloe fans found hope, when official social media accounts for both the movie and the Studio behind the film franchise, Universal Pictures (and it's international branches), began to outwardly and purposely acknowledge this ship. They baited the queer community with gifs and clips with some serious gay feels and purposely asked "Will they or won't they?"
Will they? Won't they? There's only one way to find out! See #PitchPerfect3 in cinemas in 2 DAYS. https://t.co/YnX4boqvjf #Bechloe pic.twitter.com/Qi83okaEUX
— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPicsAU) December 30, 2017
"The Studio didn't want to put it in the finished movie."
One day left … Will Bechloe ever happen 👯?#PitchPerfect3 in cinemas tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/4kWrThVayp
— Universal PicturesUK (@universaluk) December 19, 2017
Now when the third and final movie hit theaters in late December, the queer community was not surprised that the big Bechloe moment that they were subtly promised was nowhere to be seen. In fact, quite the opposite occurred. Chloe's character finally got a love interest, in the form of a hetero-stereotypical, masculine military man.
(The gif on the left is the original posted to Pitch Perfect's Snapchat. The gif on the right is a fan edit, reversing the original gif, but still displays Pitch Perfect's Snapchat Sponsor Ad, which we thought was important to prove our point!)
What was surprising, however, is that in late November, Rebel Wilson told fans that a Bechloe kiss was in fact filmed on the last day of shooting Pitch Perfect 3. Wilson plays the character of Fat Amy in all three Pitch Perfect films.
"The Studio didn't want to put it in the finished movie," Wilson is heard saying in the video below. She goes on to say that she hopes the kiss scene ends up on the DVD (presumably in the Bonus Features).
So fans waited until the movie was finally released on DVD on March 20th, with one final shred of hope for Bechloe to become canon. But once again, the Studio crushed the queer community by not adding the now infamous kiss to the bonus content.
The timing of Lez Hang Out's release of this particular episode was perfect, seeing as the DVD was released less than a week prior. A special surprise awaited listeners when one of the "Barden Bella's," Shelley Regner who played Ashley throughout the Pitch Perfect trilogy, joined hosts Leigh Holmes Foster and Ellie Brigida to discuss why these films "Should've Been Gay."
Regner confirmed once again, that a Bechloe kiss did in fact exist on film and that Rebel Wilson is a huge Bechloe fan. "It is very true. It is a real thing and we actually really wanted it to be in the movie!" Regner explained.
"We [the cast] were all anxiously waiting for the final scene, when everyone goes off to their prospective lovers. There was an outtake, and we were hoping it wouldn't be an outtake… there were really fingers crossed," Regner continued. When Regner and Lez Hang Out recorded this episode, the DVD of Pitch Perfect 3 had not yet been released, and she echoed Wilson's hope that the Bechloe kiss would be added as bonus material.
"It's pretty steamy, I'm not gonna lie," Regner teased. She went on to explain to the ladies of Lez Hang Out that the kiss was filmed on the last day of shooting, as the majority of the cast had already wrapped filming. As they waited for Kendrick and Snow to finish up, the remaining cast received a simultaneous text message of a video of them filming the Bechloe kiss scene. The cast was shocked and excited, just as all fans would be.
Holmes Foster asked Regner about the backlash Pitch Perfect 3 received after not making the relationship between the characters a reality, despite all the teasing and alluding that was given to Bechloe becoming canon during the promoting of the film.
"They did use a lot of that material for the promotional, which would allude to you thinking that maybe this is the film where they kind of [go there]," Regner acknowledged. "So I totally understand a bit of the backlash, and the let down. That's what the trailer and a teaser are for, to kind of show you what to expect."
Regner goes on to joke that maybe the world just simply isn't ready for Bechloe to be canon and to see it in mainstream media, but she does acknowledge that things are getting better. And it is true. We are seeing more and more queer relationships on TV and movies. But it's not enough. GLAAD reports that in the current TV 2017-2018 season, only 6.5% of regular characters identify as LGBTQ, which is up from last year's 4.8%, but this is still no where near accurately representing the queer population.
Unfortunately, queerbaiting is still very much a problem in the media and what Universal Pictures did while promoting Pitch Perfect 3 is a perfect example of this.
We asked the ladies behind the #ReleaseTheKiss campaign, if they believed it was Universal Pictures' intent all along to queerbait the LGBTQ+ community, by using the Bechloe ship for campaign purposes without ever having any intent of giving fans what they wanted.
"It's hard to say what their intent was because we weren't there when they were making these decisions, but from the promotional materials it seemed like they were using Bechloe to get people to come see the movie and the message is clear from the actual film and bonus material that they didn't want to ever fully go there. I do think there is unfortunately far more pressure on studios to be "inclusive" but not "too inclusive" and for them one lesbian character was enough to fill their diversity quota and three queer women were two too many," Brigida said.
Holmes Foster continued, "As far as the marketing goes, I'd like to believe that a lot of studios and networks don't really understand what queerbaiting is and how hurtful it is to communities."
The "one lesbian character" referenced by Brigida is the character Cynthia Rose, played by Ester Dean. Cynthia Rose is an out lesbian, who borders on predatorial, further perpetuating the "Predatory Gay" stereotype (but that's a story for another time). It should be noted, however, that a lesbian wedding is referenced for Cynthia Rose, but once again, Universal Pictures missed the opportunity to show positive queer representation on screen by cutting this scene from the script of the third film.
Now, Bechloe is certainly not the first non-canon queer ship in mainstream media that fans have latched onto, that studios have used to bait audiences. So why then is the #ReleaseTheKiss so important?
Holmes Foster explained, "I think that when studios mishandle events like this and are clearly still afraid to put content out there if it's in any way queer, it really creates a narrative where that content is "shameful" or "inappropriate" in some way. Why hide it otherwise?"
Brigida agreed, adding "I remember feeling like being gay was something to hide because of the way that people in my community talked about people who everyone knew were gay. My aunt and her girlfriend were "roommates" or "gal pals." I think it's especially important for younger audiences to see that a lesbian kiss scene isn't something to hide from your audience, but to embrace and share with an audience who so desperately want to see themselves represented."
Queer Quality agrees with the Lez Hang Out ladies and fully support their #ReleaseTheKiss campaign, urging Universal Pictures to give the fans what they deserve and to stop queerbaiting the LGBTQ+ community.
Hey #Bechloe fans: do you think @UniversalPics should stop queerbaiting for promo?
RT and use the hashtag #ReleaseTheKiss to let them know how important this is to fans!#RELEASETHEKISS #PitchPerfect pic.twitter.com/8KSPIK1Ph1
— Lez Hang Out Pod (@lezhangoutpod) March 27, 2018
You can join the #ReleaseTheKiss campaign in several ways.
First, click the link above to head to Lez Hang Out's Twitter page, where you can like and retweet the Bechloe image, using the hashtag "#ReleaseTheKiss." The more people who do this, the more likely Universal Pictures will respond.
Secondly, if you want to rock some cool gear and help spread the message of this campaign, head over to Lez Hang Out's Merch Store where you can buy a "#ReleaseTheKiss" T-shirt, mug, stickers and so much more! 20% of all proceeds for these items will be donated to LGBT Fans Deserve Better, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving LGBT representation in media (much like Queer Quality).
And lastly, tell your friends and family to do the same! It is so important to remember that you do not need to be queer to support queer representation.
Lez Hang Out and Queer Quality will both be heading to ClexaCon this week, where we will continue to discuss the importance of LGBTQ+ positive representation in the media.
It is a tiresome road that those who advocate for change must travel. What comes next for the queer community is dependent upon those who are willing to stand up to the people in power and demand safe and friendly representation. The "Bury Your Gays" trope and queerbaiting for an audience must end. #ReleaseTheKiss is a step in the right direction and we applaud and join the Lez Hang Out podcast in their efforts to bring quality queer representation to the forefront of mainstream media.
You can check out the Lez Hang Out podcast on iTunes and LezHangOutPod.com.
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Thinking back, he had stopped talking to Lin Qianqian ever since he got back with Song Xiangsi. Yesterday, after he had overworked himself the night before and had a long meeting, he decided to take a nap in his lounge area at work. At that moment, Lin Qianqian had come over, pouncing onto him and demanding to know when they were going to hold a wedding.
The moment he had heard the question, Song Xiangsi's image popped into his mind. He hesitated for a long while before randomly throwing out an excuse - after she graduated.
Lin Qianqian continued to ramble on afterwards about the wedding details, and weirdly, he felt strangely pressured. After enduring it for a short while, he pushed her off violently, heading to the restroom.
After that incident, his heart started to waver.
Was marriage between companies really that beneficial?
Didn't his parents end up in a tragedy?
What about Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao? They didn't quarrel and lived their lives in happiness, even if they bickered, it was overflowing with joy and love.
"Xu Jiamu? What are you doing here?" Lu Jinnian asked when he saw him outside the restroom.
Xu Jiamu extinguished the cigarette silently, washed his hands and headed out. Just when he was about to enter the changing room, the female changing room opened and Song Xiangsi walked out in a white lace gown, her hair done up into a tight bun.
He stopped in his tracks, staring at her as Zhao Meng continuously sang praises to her beauty.
Even though it was just a bridesmaid's gown, it was still beautiful enough to shake him, leaving him mesmerized and in awe.
The image of Song Xiangsi as a bride flowed into his mind uncontrollably, how pretty would that be?
Song Xiangsi as a bride... Who would the groom be?
He honestly had no idea why he had helped Song Xiangsi seven years ago, and even maliciously kept her by his side for so many years.
He had always thought that he would end up in a corporate wedding during those seven years, and so he had disregarded the happy memories. Not once had he thought of marrying her and never once thought that she could marry someone else.
But now, the moment he imagined her being someone else's ravishing bride, he couldn't help feeling empty and cold. It felt as though someone had dug out his heart.
"Brother Jiamu, why are you in a daze?" Qiao Anhao's clear voice sounded, snapping him out of his daze.
Xu Jiamu struggled to move his gaze away from Song Xiangsi. "What's up?"
Lu Jinnian pointed to the designer who had pushed a few male suits into the room. "Try the clothes."
"Oh." Acknowledging his tasks, he entered the changing room.
Qiao Anxia knew that Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao were having a fitting at "Bliss for a Hundred Years" tonight. Her mother had informed her two days ago, reminding her to try the clothes that she had ordered for her.
After crying for half the night, Qiao Anxia's eyes were terribly swollen the next day. Even though she had never intended to attend the fitting, she hesitated, finally deciding to drive over.