Independent Artist Spotlight: Katja Glieson

I don't think there is one thing in this world that unites us all more than the gift of music. It transcends time,distance,and all barriers. The life blood of the music industry can not only be found in today's chart busting artists, but also in the up and coming stars that are independent artists. 

When you think of your life, music has probably had a major impact on you and for good reason. When words fail,music speaks. I have wanted to find new ways to support people who inspire me, so I felt compelled to share one of my absolute favorite artists because she has not only got incredible music, she also has a very powerful story.

 Katja Glieson was born and raised in Melbourne,Australia and had always dreamed of doing what she loves most-creating and sharing her music with the world and making a difference. This young powerhouse came to the U.S. before she was 18 leaving behind her family and friends to pursue her dreams. Like many of you, I learned of  Katja from the highly successful "Princess Rap Battle: Snow White VS Elsa" YouTube video by Whitney Avalon. Since then I have enjoyed many of her original and cover songs and am very excited for the release of her new music video of her hit song "Ride the Wave". (Music available at www.KatjaGlieson.com)

Growing up Katja dealt with being bullied relentlessly. She was sought out specifically by one individual who would hit her. Despite all that Katja has been through, this incredible young lady somehow has the heart to love people for who they are and make her fans feel so important. Katja struggled with her weight and bullying all through school. When she lost the weight, the bullying didn't stop there. She goes into detail in a touching documentary on Vimeo called "We Are Human" where she makes a heartfelt statement that no matter who you are talking to, remember that they are not a robot, they are not an object-they are a person.(We Are Human Documentary ) Katja's anti-bullying song "Shooting Star" has just recently been selected as the theme song for Doctor's Hospital in Augusta,GA new "Live Your Healthy" campaign!

Katja is an inspiring and kind young lady and shares her daily life with an adorable Samoyed pup named Annika and has a loyal following of fans she affectionately calls her "Special Agents". She has shared her musical journey via her various social media platforms (Twitter,Vine,YouTube,Periscope,Instagram and Facebook) and she also shares more of her story with us at her website www.KatjaGlieson.com. I became a fan of hers after watching the Princess Rap Battle over a year ago, but what made me want to really get behind her was when I actually heard her story and was moved to tears. I hope after reading this article, you will too. When it comes to supporting any artist, especially your favorite ones, it is important to remember that it is not "just a song". There are hours of hard work and preparation involved. There are sleepless nights. There are heartbreaks. There are so many factors that an artist, (especially an independent one) faces each day just for the love of their craft and it is out of this appreciation for her hard work that I write this article and share the story of someone who has inspired me and so many others. 

You can hear Katja's latest song "Ride the Wave" on Spotify now, but even better-you can purchase a copy of your own on Amazon, Itunes, and GooglePlay. 

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change or control your life. And the procedure, the process is it's own reward."-Amelia Earhart.

Just a Girl From Kansas

One of the most inspiring women in history started out as just some girl from Kansas. Born in an era when girls were expected to be "girls" and it was frowned upon if they did anything considered to be "unfeminine", Amelia Earhart not only touched the artificial glass ceiling, she smashed through it-breaking stupid stereotypes pursuing her dreams of flight.She was not inhibited by the unspoken "rules" that women could not like sports, they could not be mechanics, or anything other than arm ornaments for their men. She was always a stand out character from early childhood, keeping a scrapbook of accomplished women who were in predominantly male dominated roles like film, law, advertising, and more.

In 1918, Amelia volunteered at a Canadian military hospital as a nurse's aide  for the Red Cross, and it was there she attended her first flying exhibition.In 1919 she took an auto repair class in Massachusetts, and in 1920 she took a flight in California for the first time and it was then she knew she was meant to fly. One year later she was taking flying lessons and purchased her own airplane. To pay for her lessons, she worked for a Telephone company clerk and photographer. Interestingly, her first flight instructor was also a female pilot named Anita Snook. In her career as a pilot, she became the first female vice president of the National Aeronautics Association and pushed for more legislation to help other female pilots. She formed a group called the "Ninety Nines" just for women pilots as well. Earhart was Assistant to the General Traffic Manager for TWA to attract female passengers, she wrote three books, "20 Hours and 40 Minutes, The Fun of It, and Last Flight" and eventually became a consultant at Purdue University regarding aeronautical jobs for women. She never stopped improving, she never stopped moving forward and broke numerous records even in the face of those who thought a woman could do none of those things. She faced the world with a can do attitude and she wanted others to know they could do the same. Amelia Earhart did more in her 40 years of life than most do in their lifetime.

Her organization, "The Ninety-Nines" still exists and thrives today long after she disappeared seventy seven years ago this June. For more information on becoming a pilot or joining the Ninety Nines see the links below: 

https://www.ninety-nines.org/

http://www.aopa.org/

http://www.eaa.org/

Special Report: United States Government Shutdown Effects

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Using Veterans & Military As Pawns

The photo above is my color guard. I am a 100% disabled veteran.

As a US Air Force veteran, I am proud to say that I served my country honorably. There are many others who served before me and many still who have served after me. That said, I am disgusted and appalled that our government has failed our citizens miserably.

The immediate affects towards veterans began the day it was announced by VA Secretary Shenseki that VA cannot pay veterans without funding approved by our government due to the shutdown. Many people including myself were blindsided because not three days earlier it was put on the VA website that our pay would not be affected. Therefore we immediately had to worry and watch every day for the past THREE WEEKS while the circus of stupid we call government engaged in a pissing match at the cost of our veterans and federal employees who were furloughed. 

The next slap in the face came with the vindictive closure of our memorials. How do you look a 90 something year old veteran in the eye and say they can't see their memorial that was paid for by private funds? The final slap in the face came when our fallen heroes killed in Afghanistan were denied death benefits, thus disgracing their sacrifice and further harming their families. 

The affects of the shutdown have grown more and more severe as the weeks went on. Last Tuesday all regional Veterans Benefits Offices were shutdown & the employees furloughed. This left advocate groups like DAV and the American Legion to scramble for alternative offices (as theirs is at the regional VBA locations) to assist vets. If we want to get our medical records we are unable to do so. If we have questions we cannot simply call someone-you are referred to the useless 1 800 number where many times the call centers are overwhelmed and you get this message "We appologise but the VA cannot take your call at this time, please hang up and call back at a later time." Click. The backlogs of claims grows by the thousands each day. I myself had to wait for THREE YEARS to have my benefits reviewed & approved. I just got my adjustment in March, and now after digging myself out of debt, I am slapped again by our government because they cannot do their jobs I don't get paid. Makes a whole lot of sense huh?

Many veterans who are severely injured or just returning home from service have had to wait years because of the overwhelming backlogs. The VA made a 30% increase in processing claims and the progress helped me finally get my case closed. But there are many others who are now stuck in limbo and it is no fault of the VA that our elected officials failed. The VA can only work with what it is given. 

For veterans who are in college trying to make a better life for themselves, their monthly checks to support their living arrangements & tuition will not be paid. For veterans like myself who are in the independant living program, those offices too are now closed as of last Tuesday. There are widows & families who depend on the benefits paid by the VA just to survive and now because of the government disfunction, they are now in jeopardy. 

Va Secretary Shenseki stated that burials at VA owned cemeteries will be at a modified schedule, maintenance at the cemeteries may go lax as there just is not the funds to keep things up to normal standards.

Last Wednesday Mr.Shenseki addressed the House and he said it best-" I never thought you all would allow things to come to this." Agreed.

The unrealized affects on our disabled veterans, widows, & families is yet to come. Without our benefit pay it means our bills don't get paid. Our own credit will take a dive because we will now have late payments. We will not have money for food. We will not have money for gas. November 11th is the day set aside for us, Veteran's Day. Is THIS how our government says thank you for your service? Thanksgiving is at the end of November. We won't be able to buy dinner to celebrate with our families because these banshees in office want to see who will blink first. It is stupid, irresponsible, and completely reckless to do what they have done. I am worried for our veterans who may consider suicide over this. It is no secret that suicide has been an issue facing our service members who feel there is no way out. I was one of them at one time. We need to stand together and protect our brothers and sisters in arms as we face this gross negligence by our elected officials who failed to honor our sacrifice. Remember that there are many many American citizens who love us and are just as angry that our military and veterans have been mistreated. I have not slept well since this whole mess started because I am uncertain if I will be paid the first. 

There are new reports that Wounded Warrior Project will step up and pay it's members  $500.00 to help offset the effects if we don't get paid. And that is great. But there are so many more of us who do not belong to that organization, there are veterans who are not part of any group. And therefore they will have zero income Nov 1. And our officials are silent. They are more worried about Obamacare and the debt ceiling. I have a debt ceiling too Washington. I cannot simply call Verizon, National Grid, and all my other monthly bills & say-oh gee the government is not paying me so you're SOL. Do you know what happens to me? My phone gets shut off, my fridge gets empty, my car insurance does not get paid, THIS IS HOW YOU THANK OUR VETERANS??

I am so angry with this that I am inclined not to go to any more ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day because there is always politicians there who say how much they love us blah blah blah. Those SAME individuals flipped us the bird by not passing the VA funding bill that went through the House four times.

I am scared for our country. Truly. The direction we are headed is the point of no return if people do not wake up and get rid of these crooked individuals who do not have the PEOPLE of this country at heart. IT IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS IT IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE.

Entertainment & World News Weekly Pop Music Edition

     Entertainment and World News Weekly

On April 22,2013 P!nk had to cancel one of her concerts in Birmingham, UK due to illness. Causing some disgruntled "fans" to criticize her for canceling. They are accusing P!nk of not caring about her U.K. fans. I'm calling B.S. here. First of all if you look at her track record, P!nk has an excellent history of keeping each and every concert date possible and this one was no different. She has even expanded her "The Truth About Love" tour. Take a look at how many cities and countries she has already been to not to mention the states here that she still has to tour. That is A LOT  for one person I don't care who you are! And she even performed through very serious illness just so she wouldn't disappoint her fans. P!nk is the real deal and one of the greatest artists of this generation and it is a shame that people cannot understand that while she is strong-she is still human and subject to the same illnesses and injuries that could happen to any of us on the job. P!nk has been very dedicated to her fans and the fact that she performed despite having the ROTA Virus proves just how dedicated she is. People need to remember that these artists and performers put their bodies through a grueling schedule and often have to perform under very tough circumstances just for us. It is very clear that P!nk loves what she does, she loves her fans, and she cried at the thought of disappointing anyone. Art and music is a labor of love and if you have actually seen her perform you know she goes above and beyond for her fans. She apologised on her own web page to her fans saying she never meant to hurt anyone by canceling but it was beyond her control. So to anyone who has beef with her for being human, I think she said it best when she told her critics to kiss her a**. 

In other music news, Mariah Carey is threatening to leave American Idol because she has grown tired of dealing with Nicki Minaj's childish behavior. It has been a season that made this blogger even stop watching due to the overwhelmingly rude behavior by Minaj. Here's something to think about here. This show has people who are in the music industry judging the talent of undiscovered future stars...should they not have some kind of credentials and a proven track record to be a judge?? Or did the producers just want to throw in some Jerry Springer type drama to "draw in viewers"? The latter actually backfired and many fans of the show were turned off by the constant bickering and insults. 

Nicki's disrespectful behavior is embarassing. First of all Ms. Big Bird hair-let's just take a look at  your stats versus Mariah's. You have no business being a judge of talent and certainly have no right to talk to Mariah in the disrespectful way that you do.

Mariah Carey has 18 number one pop hits. Minaj has 1. That's right...just one.

Mariah has 5 Grammy Awards. Minaj has 0. That's right...none.

Mariah Carey's album sale totals thus far-over 200 million. Minaj album sales-2.5 million.

Until Minaj earns her stripes like Mariah has, she should sit down and shut her pie hole. There is no defending Minaj's behavior because she just does not have the talent and experience to earn the respect of anyone after speaking about Mariah who has earned her way to the top. Maybe someday she will match Mariah's numbers but that takes hard work, dedication, and actual skill. Of which Minaj currently lacks. Mariah has stood the test of time. Minaj is just a blip on the screen. Sit down Big Bird hair...you need to learn how to be a real artist before you criticize others.

On Thursday May 3, I had the pleasure of going to The Comedy Club in Webster, NY to support my favorite comedian Iliza Shelsinger. Iliza risked her life to come and perform for our troops in Afghanistan at Kandahar during a USO tour and I came to thank her for supporting not only our active duty troops, but she supports our veterans as well. If you ever get the chance to see her stand up comedy act-I strongly encourage you to go. She is hilarious. You may recognize her from her hit television dating show "Excused", she also was the winner of "Last Comic Standing" being the youngest and only female to ever win. Iliza and her rescued dog Blanche tour the country together and I guarantee that you will love her act. You can follower her on Twitter @Iliza or visit her website for tickets and tour information- www.Iliza.com

A Letter From Your Dog

                    A Beloved Friend By:Jamie

I am your dog.I was sent by God into your life, because He knew that you needed a friend. My life is very short compared to yours, because my soul purpose is to teach-yours is to learn and grow from knowing me. I will teach you how to love, how to laugh from your belly, how to be patient and how to say good bye one day when my time here is complete. I will greet you with kisses, and keep you warm when it's cold. I will be there to wash your tears away and listen to anything you say. I will show you how to live one day at a time and find joy in the little things (like rolling in the grass or splashing in a pond!). I will be your clown, your confidant, your shadow, and I will never let you feel alone. Not never ever. All I ask is that you love me too. Please don't tie me outside and forget about me-I was meant to be with you. Please don't dump me in a kennel or abuse me-I may not understand what I did wrong. Just love me. I promise to be a good friend. I promise to love you always-even when you get mad. I promise to be the highlight of your day, and if you let me-I promise to stay in your heart forever. 

We're Back!

In today's post-we cover Robin Roberts recovery, Big Brother 14 finale, X-Factor, and much much more! Thank you for stopping in-please enjoy!

                 Robin Roberts Transfusion Day Has Come

UPDATE: Today Robin Roberts began her bone marrow transfusion but before she did, there was a very special message she left for us on GMA this morning-she says that she feels the love from everyone who has sent their messages of support. You can tweet her encouragement by using the @RobinRoberts and then #TeamRobin hash tag. You can also follow her journey on a special page on ABC.com on the Good Morning America Page. There is a page on Facebook for GMA and you can leave her a mesage there as well. Please continue to show Robin your love and support.

Big Brother Season 14 Finale

Chalk one up for the good guy! For those of you who follow the Big Brother show, season 14 was quite the ride. There was Willie the ejected player who head butted Joe and then managed to get himself arrested. There was laughter and tears. And then there was..Dan. Or as I call him-Dirty Dan who "left his morals at the door'" as he stated last night during the final two. I have been rooting for Ian the entire season because he is a genuinely good kid who wore his heart on his sleeve and proved to the world that you don't have to lose your morals to win. Dan tried to excuse his behavior by stating he was not as physical as some of the players he betrayed-but neither was Ian. Dan tried to bluff his way through the entire game by lying to everyone and then sucking up-but the truth came out and Ian won. He walked away with everyone's respect and won honorably, Dan on the other hand lied and back stabbed his way to the top only to be shot down by the jury whom he had betrayed. 

X-Factor

Last night I was finally able to catch the X-Factor and see for myself how well the show was doing with it's newest judges, Brittany Spears and Demi Lovato. While I do very much miss Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherziner it was interesing to see how the judges interacted with the audience. I am still not quite sold on the show this season to be honest. It felt awkward at times especially with the commentary between the contestants (like the overly rude CeCe). The asides showing the contestants trying to psych each other out was very unnecessary and whoever thought of that needs a huge smack on the forehead. This is NOT Jersey Shore, its a freakin' singing contest. Let the people sing. Let the judges do their flippin' job. You don't need to drama it up! For the love of cheese, I was so confused last night at times I thought I was watching Jerry Springer. When you over tweak something that was working well-people will get turned off. Just look at what happened to Facebook. Take notes X-Factor.

Automotive Highlight:2013 Chevy Cruze Eco

I LOVE cars. That being said, I have began my hunt for a new one to replace my aging 2006 Chrysler Sebring. As much as I love cars-I HATE car shopping. Mostly because of pushy salesmen and the hurry in gimmicks they use to lure you in then they try to upsell you to death. Finally after several months of debating and research I have decided to buy the 2013 Chevy Cruze Eco. It gets 42 mph highway, comes equipped with tons of safety features and is one of the highest rated cars as far as customer satisfaction is guaranteed. It has Onstar, and many options that can be added.You can have in dash navigation added to your vehicle which is nice if you are like me and always manage to forget to grab your GPS. Overall I am very impressed with this vehicle and I really think Chevy has hit a home run with this car. The Eco package makes this a green car that sips gas, gives you a lot of bang for your buck and starts as low as $16.995!

New York On A Dime

New York City is by far the greatest city in the world. With so much to see and do there is something for everyone, but if you are on a tight budget do not let that dissuade you from enjoying what the city has to offer. Parking in NYC is a nightmare and can get extremely expensive-so why not opt for a cheaper way to reach the city? Greyhound has the most reasonable prices and 

extremely flexible schedules with the most departures to the city than any other bus carrier. For $72.00 or less you can ride to NYC, you end up right at either the Port Authority Terminal (in Times Square) which is just a short walk away from the Subway, or you can take it to the Penn Station Terminal. Taking the train is slower and slightly more expensive, but if you like scenic rides and are not in a hurry this is another low cost option. However you get here,getting to the city is half the battle. 

If you are scared to come to the city, don't be. There are Police officers and security personnel everywhere and it is by far one of the safest places you can go. If you get lost, there is always someone there to guide you and there are amazing people in New York who are glad to help a weary tourist find their way.

Now. If you want to go to NYC, there is a way you can do it very cheaply and still have a blast!! Walking around Times Square is free and you can get some great shots of the buildings! Want to see some shows for free? Go EARLY and stand in line for Live! With Kelly and Michael (there's Starbucks across the street!) on W.67th and Columbus! You get to see what it takes to produce a live television show and it's completely free! Or go check out Good Morning America in Times Square! (Again get there EARLY)! You can pretty much stand in any stand by line for whatever show you want to see but I advise you to get there early, be polite and you should be able to get in!

Are you into photography? Go walk around Soho, Chelsea, Times Square, Rock Center, or any of the other picturesque and diverse places in and around the 5 boroughs. Go catch a Yankee's Game in the Bronx (I got tickets for $15.00 from Ticketmaster and they were great seats!!) Go visit Brooklyn or Coney Island. Are you a history buff? Go see the White Star Line dock where Titanic was supposed to be, it's still there! Or go see the USS Intrepid Museum which now houses the space shuttle Enterprise. This city is rich in history and has so many interesting things to photograph it is no wonder people who visit never want to leave!

While in line for The View and Live! With Kelly! there was a food vendor that the show pays to give cheap or free eats and drinks while you wait outside! How awesome is that!? 

Want to see more of NYC? Walk around Central Park, which is free, or go see some of the street performers in Times Square. Take your picture with the various characters that line the streets in the Square. For good coffee, head over to Cafe Benne on 49th and Broadway. For food in the Square, there's everything from McDonald's to four star restaurants. 

Want to do some shopping? NYC is a retail mecca! You can get I <3 NY t-shirts for as little as $5.00! So if you look around, there is a ton of free fun things to see and do. Go visit Macy's flagship store, or go check out the skyline from the Top of the Rock (Rockefellar Center) or the Empire State Building. Go take the SI Ferry to the Statue of Liberty! Even if you stay in the NY area for a week you would be hard pressed to see and do everything there is in the greatest city on earth! Whatever you do-have fun and take in everything this city has to offer. I guarantee you will fall in love.

Wednesday Edition

Hello and welcome to the Wednesday edition of my blog. In today's news we will discuss Kanye West being considered for American Idol as a Judge, Live! With Kelly News, and more! Thank you for stopping in and I hope you enjoy today's stories.

                      Kanye West Possible Judge On Idol???

VH1 has reported that Kanye West is being considered as a possible judge on American Idol which leaves just one question..do they not remember Kanye likes taking microphones?? SERIOUSLY Idol?? This season is already proving to be a bag full of crazy considering that they have also considered Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey (Mariah being the only sane one of the three). Can you imagine Kanye and Minaj as judges?? Oh my God...just throw Chris Brown in there and we could have an old fashioned smack down at half time. Ok folks, we realize that the numbers for Idol have been slipping as audiences have tuned out but come on, ya'll are just asking for trouble right from the word go.

               Live With Kelly Co-Host Search...the Real Deal

Ok so now is the moment of truth. There has been a report going around that Michael Strahan was selected as Kelly's new co-host despite the fact that ABC stated the co-host will not be revealed until Sept.4, 2012. Here's my take on this whole mess-as a former Disney employee (parent company of ABC) I find it very hard to believe that someone talked to the press regaurding Strahan. Disney does not take these types of breaches lightly and whoever did it would be fired immediately without question. Generally speaking this type of decision is usually kept from the general staff until the reveal for security reasons and therefore IF (and this is a HUGE IF) someone did talk it would be very easy to pinpoint who said something. So I highly doubt anyone close to the "situation" spoke to the media. Unless it came from Strahan's side because Disney is extremely strict on such matters. When I was on Extreme Makeover Home Edition I had to sign a two page disclosure that any photos I took could not be released until the episode aired. And I was not allowed to talk about any details of said episode until it aired that fall. It was filmed during the summer (August) and aired that November. If they required such confidentiality with us I cant imagine the paper work involved in an even bigger announcement such as Kelly's co-host. I think it is high time that the media had some respect for the show, for Kelly and the entire staff and respect the fact that they do not wish to reveal who will replace Regis until September. I think it is irresponsible and quite frankly wrong to just fire off reports and rumors that cannot be verified 100%. People get your facts first and if it cannot be confirmed then at the very least have some respect for the wishes of those involved with the show.

If it is true I think he would be a fantastic choice but this author is not buying into the hype out of respect for Kelly and all the staff at my favorite morning talk show. I believe that at the very least that respect is owed. As far as this blog goes I will not speculate or entertain rumors. I will only await the facts that will be revealed on September 4.

             NBC Premieres "Go On" with Matthew Perry

We know him from the hit series "Friends", Matthew Perry stars in a new sitcom  "Go On" on NBC that premiered last night at 10pm. This is actually quite a funny show! Perry plays a sports radio talk show host who is just returning to work after the loss of his wife and ends up in a support group. This is actually a lot funnier than the synopsis and worth checking out. It is no "Friends" or "Big Bang Theory" but it is a welcome change to the reality crap the networks keep churning out. I believe this will be a sitcom to watch in the coming months.

         Travel Spotlight: The Outer Banks, North Carolina

It's not too late to take that final road trip of summer and I highly recommend that you give the Outer Banks in North Carolina a try. I went for the first time in 2011 and fell in love with this slice of heaven on earth. There is so much to do there-from surfing, to sight seeing, horse back riding in the surf and more! This is a perfect couples get away place, take the kids to the beach or the many towns with activities like putt putt golf or taking pictures of the wild horses that inhabit the islands. If you enjoy the feel of a mom and pops town then the Outer Banks is for you. There are hundreds of family owned businesses all throughout the islands and there is plenty of great family owned places to stay. I stayed at the Breakwater Inn on Hatteras Island and ate breakfast daily at Sonny's (which had great prices and excellent food). They have entertainment and lodging to meet all kinds of budgets.If you are a Monster Truck fan, be sure to stop off at Dennis Anderson's home in Kill Devil Hills which is opened to the public and where you can take your pictures of Grave Digger I stayed next door to Oden's Dock where they had salt water fishing guides and tours where you could go see the wild horses on Ocrachoke Island. There is literally hundreds of things to do while you stay in one of the most incredible destinations you may ever see. Go have lunch on the beach near the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, one of several lighthouses that dot the strip known as the Outer Banks. Go relax in the sand and let all your cares drift away as you watch the sun rise over the ocean. If you would like to know more about the Outer Banks you can follow them on Twitter @TheOuterBanks or go to their website for activities, reservations and more.

                          "The Office" to End After Season 9

Dunder Mifflin is packing it in after 9 seasons according to NBC officials which means NBC will have to step up their game in their scripted shows. "The Office" is still very highly rated and according to its director, Greg Daniels it was just time to bring the story to an end. They are looking into a spin-off show in the future. The end did seem near with the exit of Steve Carrell, a fixture of the show since it's beginning. Best of luck to all who work for this great show. Thank you for the laughs all these years.