Froggy Blog

Picture of Iraq From Moorhead Guardsman

2007-01-08T09:51:00.000-06:00

From the Grand Forks Herald...

VIEWPOINT : Victory in Iraq depends on your support
http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22772

CAMP AL TAQADDUM, Al Anbar Province, Iraq - Christmas has come and gone. But if you don't mind, I have an idea for a Christmas gift Americans could give their servicemembers overseas, and it would be so treasured and precious that we wouldn't mind a bit that it was late.

It's the gift of solid support for President Bush's new policy in Iraq.

I serve with the Army in Iraq's Al Anbar Province, and when I was in Minnesota during the mid-term elections for my leave, I grew very concerned about our country's divide over the war. It is incredibly disheartening to see civilian support for our mission crumble while we are forward-deployed. It is even more alarming for me to hear that we had the first instance (in Syracuse, N.Y.) of a citizen spitting on a soldier who was returning from the war zone.

I'm not alone in my concern. In October, when soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard took a picture with their now-famous sign for John Kerry, they were reacting to more than just the senator's comments. There is concern in the ranks that our country is losing its backbone to complete this mission.

Yes, America's sons and daughters are dying on this battlefield. However, we do not need and are not asking to be saved. We believe in our mission, and we need the American people and politicians on both sides of the aisle to believe in it as well.

In fact, I believe our victory here depends on it.

Having lived in Iraq for most of 2006, I know that there are no easy answers. Our country spoke during the midterm elections about the need for change. The president responded by appointing a new secretary of defense and including many new voices in his decision-making process. He is now about to announce a new policy, and we need to give him the support he needs to make it work.

As a member of the armed forces, I must support the orders of my president. However, all Americans should understand that without their support for this new direction, failure in Iraq will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Imagine the impact live TV reports would have had on the outcome of World War II, had reporters been broadcasting from Omaha Beach or during the Battle of the Bulge. Today, those battles are remembered as classic victories, but they were bloody and difficult fights in which winning was not assured.We are in a similar situation in Iraq. The fights for Baghdad and the Anbar Province are critical to our success, and those battles have yet to be completed.

But constant media reports of death and violence, as well as continuous criticism of our elected officials, are making the situation worse. I did not say, "it is not helping us to win"; I said, "it is making the situation worse." Terrorists want us to fail in Iraq, and they use the media as their weapon: Blow something up, show images of death in areas where the press travels, and reporters will cover the story. Do it every day, and it will drown out any coverage of progress made or milestones passed.

So what can we do?

I believe that in order for the president's new plan to succeed, two things must happen. These conditions are the belated but extraordinary Christmas gift that Americans should consider giving to their servicemembers overseas.

-- First: When the president announces the new direction, we need to make sure it works. That will take strong support from the American public, true statesmanship from our politicians to overcome partisanship, and accurate reporting from our media.

-- Second: I believe we must demand that American media organizations report a complete picture about what is happening in Iraq. The Coalition Forces and the Iraqi government are making progress in many areas; it is not always fast, but it is happening.

I have seen firsthand an Iraqi official who is willing to lead, despite the threat of death to him and his family, and rebuild his town. While we have worked together, we have opened a new school, repaired a water plant, created a sanitation project that employs more than 30 people and begun repairing the town's sewage system and power substation.

This is real progress, and he has stood up to partner with us in his village.

I believe we are making a difference in Iraq, and progress is taking place. However, such stories are not being told in the media or are being overshadowed, which is exactly what the terrorists want.

I cannot guarantee the above actions will win this war. However, I can say that without significant change in the political atmosphere in the United States, those who believe that this mission is doomed to fail will be proven right.

So many American servicemembers have fought and died for this mission; please don't let it fail. You can make a difference by helping to restore the resolve we need to win.

Gilberston is a captain in the Minnesota National Guard and serves with the Guard's 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry, which is based in Moorhead. He is a native of Fosston, Minn., and currently lives in Moorhead.

Priorities in Politics

2007-01-06T07:48:00.000-06:00

It's been another milestone week in our nations history.

Our country lost another great man in the passing of our 38th President, Gerald Ford. Even if you weren't familiar with the man or his term in office, you couldn't help but be touched by the outpouring of sentiments and accolades given in tribute to him by people from every walk of life. Known as the "accidental" president, the only one to date that was not elected for either the vice presidency, or the head office, the other act he will most be remembered for is the "pardoning" of our 37th President, Richard Nixon and the whole Watergate scandal. I was too young when that all happened to know what it was about, and now, it almost seems a small paragraph in the whole torrid page of what was happening in the chapter of those years of history. As an adult, I can only imagine the discord that act meant to some, yet what a courageous step. Mr. Ford had the fortitude to look ahead, and by doing so, helped our country to heal.

The media at that time was really just beginning to start reporting the "sensational" side of politics...I guess Watergate helped that along! Before that, the office, I believe, was more revered, and in some ways perhaps, too "secretive". But there are just some things I don't want to know about that go on behind the closed doors of the Oval office, and things that the public really doesn't need to know about. For instance, Gerald Ford was made fun of during his term for being "clumsy", tripping down the steps of Air Force One. Who really cared? Did it make him a worse president? Did Dan Quayle's misspelling of a word REALLY need to be the top news story for umpteen weeks? How about President Bush trying to open the wrong door at a function during a Presidential visit? Or even VP Cheney's shooting accident? Report them if you must, but quit dwelling on it! Even this week with our first female Speaker of the House being sworn in, too much emphasis was given on what Nancy Pelosi was wearing and how many thousands of dollars she spent on her suit and shoes. Are we missing the point?

Sometimes, it takes something like the death of a President for us to notice these things and remember the good and wonderful things that a person did, and is capable of. As our new sessions in government begin both locally and nationally, let's hope that 2007 is a "good year" for the history books, one that we may remember for working together, and making a difference that matters. Let's overlook the "small" things and focus on leaving a legacy we can all be proud of.

Tis the season!

2006-11-20T07:16:00.000-06:00

You've probably already been out and seen them...the Salvation Army Bell ringers! It used to be that you'd first see them at the "start" of the holiday shopping season, usually, the day after Thanksgiving. But now, they have to start their campaign a little earlier, as the need for the people they help is greater every year.

You probably saw the little village camped out in front of Best Buy last week too. Dozen's of folks braving the cold and more than rough conditions, waiting in line for the latest Playstation "toy" to arrive. Not food, not clothes, a TOY. The news has been full of stories of people across the country doing the same thing. In some cities, police had to be called out and there were even random acts of shootings with pellet guns and beatings, all because of a "TOY".

Thursday is Thanksgiving. A day set aside to reflect on many things to give thanks for. My hope for you is that you'll be able to spend the day with family and friends and make many happy memories. My wish is that each of you takes the time to reflect on your many blessings; living in a country that values freedom, your health, your job, your dreams, and your ability to help those whose blessings may be harder to see on the surface. May you reflect on what is "really important" this Thanksgiving. My prayer is that for every family who has an empty place setting at their table this year, such as Hoppy Gilmore's family, that you may be comforted.

Enjoy the day!

Oh, and did I mention that the Salvation Army Bell ringers campaign has already started?

Lilly

It's time for the LONG OVERDUE Labor Day Blood Drive report!

2006-09-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

First of all, thanks to EVERYONE who took one hour out of your day to help save lives! Special thanks to Miss ND 2006, Jacqueline Johnson for her appearances and support, and to Tom, Denise, and the rest of the great staff at United Blood Services for their help! Congratulations to Alexis Neppl who won the Minneapolis Weekend Getaway prize package!

As you know, our goal was 999 donors in 9 days, and we did quite well! We had a total of 415 donors in those 9 days, 59 of them first time donors! My hopes are that those 59 will become repeat donors, and that they'll tell 9 friends, and they'll tell 9 friends, etc. As I said during the drive, it would be GREAT if somewhere down the road, maybe even next year, Froggy may not HAVE to have a blood drive, because so many people will donate on a regular basis, there will never be a blood shortage!

I leave you with two thoughts, one is that blood donation nationwide is down and as we just experienced a few short days ago, an accident victim in Fargo used up the ENTIRE blood supply that was available. One person. What if it had been you, or someone you love? Eight out of every 10 people will need blood at some point in their lives. Whether it is a transfusion due to cancer or some other illness, an accident, surgery or some other reason, chances are quite high that YOU, yes YOU, will need blood in your lifetime. Fact is, only 5% of the population donates on a regular basis. As they say, you don't really have to "do the math" to see the deficit is not good. Make up your mind today to become a regular blood donor; it may change your life, and the life of others.

The last thing I want to leave you with is a story. When I was at United Blood Services at the closing of our 9-day drive, I met a remarkable young woman, who didn't want to go on the radio with me to tell her story, but I'm going to tell it to you now. She was 17, a Senior at Moorhead High, and a first time donor! When I asked her why, a 17 year old, busy getting ready for her Senior year in high school and plenty of things on her schedule would take the time to donate blood, she told me this. She had heard of course, about Hoppy Gilmore's brother being killed in a plane crash, and had read his plea on the Frog Blog for people to donate blood, since the only survivor had used 39 units. So as a tribute to Kelly, and all the others lost on the plane, she decided to come in. Then, she told me something else. A classmate of hers, also 17, had taken their life just days before. This wonderful young woman looked me in the eye and said, you know, I couldn't do anything to save them, but I can give blood and save another 3 lives.

Think about that please, and call to set up an appointment now, at 293-9453. You don't have to wait until next Labor Day, or until someone you know personally needs you.

Thanks,
Lilly

What I Learned Last Night on Grey's Anatomy

2006-09-22T08:14:00.000-05:00

“Time Has Come Today”

Episode 1 was titled “Time Has Come Today” because each person needed to “seize the day” and deal with the things they were avoiding. Some of these issues we’ve known about, some were new and some were exposed to us during various flashbacks of the interns before they were interns.

Christina: Christina’s role in the episode was to set Shiva for Denny because of her Jewish faith. Shiva is a way of dealing with death by basically stopping all daily activities except for eating. What we come to find out is that the Shiva isn’t really for Denny or Izzy, it’s for the others who are all dealing with other issues.
Key Moment: When she cries in Burke’s hospital room and tells him to never die.

George: George gets quarantined for the plague with McDreamy and he reveals to him that he can’t tell Callie he loves her yet, but he will soon-ish. He also tells him that he told Meredith he loved her. McDreamy tells him to let Callie know how he feels before someone else comes along. Foreshadowing? Maybe.
Key Moment: Callie hugs George and says “I love you.” George kisses her, but still doesn’t say it back.

Callie: She had the best line of the night and I finally started to like her—not that I hated her before, but she finally seemed like one of the “family” last night. Callie comes over to help with the Shiva in hopes that George will come home and notice her. She also explains to Finn how the interns are mentally still 17 and he should give Meredith a break.
Key Moment: “I’m a total freak. I’m the girl in the back of the class who eats her hair.”

Addison: We see Addison finally dealing with the fact that she is the reason for her own bad marriage and she should stop blaming McDreamy.
Key Moment: When she tells the teenagers that secrets always come out.

Alex: The most important thing we see about Alex is in a comment he makes to Addison. When dealing with the teenage girls who abandoned a baby he tells her that people can overcome a rough childhood. He says that you just have to survive and then you can do anything. Total insight as to why he does the things he does!

Meredith: We learn more about Meredith’s mom and her relationship with Dr. Webber (which has finally led to Dr. Webber getting a divorce from his wife). She’s deemed the “dark and twisty” one of the bunch because of her parents and her uncontrollable actions while under the influence of Tequila. Meredith and Finn talk about her night with McDreamy and Finn says he’s still in the “race” for her love. Meredith tells Christina that she lost her panties (which Addison now has).
Key Moment: McDreamy admits he loves her and tells her she has a choice to make. (We know! We’ve been waiting all summer for her decision!)

McDreamy: While in quarantine he tells George that he hasn’t told Meredith he loves her yet. But he does! He rushes to her house, says he loves her and she has a decision to make but she should take her time because when he had a decision to make he made the wrong one. I think we know now that he’s given up on Addison.
Key Moment: In a flashback we see him with Meredith their first night at Joe’s Bar and he says “I’m the kind of guy you grow to love”.

Izzy: Izzy spends the entire episode in her prom dress on the bathroom floor. She doesn’t cry, she doesn’t scream, she just lies there. She tells Meredith that she doesn’t want to be “poor Izzy on the bathroom floor in her prom dress” but she doesn’t know how to be anything else right now.
Key Moment: We see a flashback of Izzy the day before she started at Seattle Grace and she says “I can’t wait to be a surgeon tomorrow.” We also see Alex telling her that she won’t make it a year. Ouch.

Back From The Crash Site

2006-08-30T14:44:00.000-05:00

It’s been 2 hours since we left the crash site and our entire family is emotionally drained. My whole family and I spent an hour at the site with the other victims’ families.

The site looked surreal – like a movie set. There’s all this beautiful land around it and right through the middle of the area the ground is scorched. If you’ve viewed any recent pictures l you have seen everything that’s left. There’s nothing else. The only pieces of plane we saw were a wing, one piece of landing gear, part of the cockpit and the engines. That is all that’s left.

I spent most of my time looking at the cockpit where Kelly would have been. If you look at a picture you’ll see a “U” shaped hole between the last cockpit window and the door on the plane (that is the service door). If you drew a line from the “U” straight across the plane to the other side it would go right through the spot that Kelly was sitting.

We couldn’t walk directly up to the plane. Everything was taped off because the area is still under investigation. We could walk partway up the hill and see the trees that the plane initially clipped. Fire broke out immediately as is evident by the scorched earth. Maybe a hundred yards past that is the site of the impact and you can see how the plane just continued to slide up another hill to it’s final resting place – maybe 200 yards past the impact site.

There were NTSB investigators out there to answer any questions we had. Also in attendance were members of the American Red Cross and Chaplains to speak with anyone that wanted counseling.

There had to have been almost 100 police/sheriff/state patrol cars parked near the site. We were escorted by about a dozen squad cars along with 8 motorcycle patrolmen. Everybody – the motorcycle patrolmen, horse patrol, NTSB, Red Cross and others – were standing at attention as we drove up to the site in 5 buses. And while we were out of the buses at the site a police helicopter flew around the perimeter to keep the media from flying any closer.

The hardest part for me was when we had to board the buses to go back to the hotel. I didn’t want to leave. I know Kelly wasn’t there but I felt so close to him. And, like I said, I wanted to see a sign that he was there.

As we left there were about 20 people pulled over on the side of the road holding up big white signs that said things like “WE LOVE YOU” and “WE”RE PRAYING FOR YOU.” Total strangers, but to us they felt like close friends. It was tough to see.

Thank you for your prayers. We all know it made us stronger today.

-Gilmore

Blog from Lexington

2006-08-28T16:09:00.000-05:00

It’s Monday at 4:30 PM (ET) and I’m in my hotel room. Next to me are four different newspapers and I have CNN on the TV. What you didn’t see yesterday was that all four networks stayed on local coverage all day. The only interruption was the evening television. And since we’re on Eastern time we have news at 11 PM. I stayed up and watched everything I could.

I’m learning that I can’t believe everything the news media says. That’s not to say that they’re lying. In this case they’re taking small pieces of information and trying to come to a conclusion as quickly as possible. Why? I believe it’s human nature. We all want to know what happened. What went wrong. We all want the answers.

I’m also learning how quickly stories die in the press. Everything on TV is about the JonBonet Ramsey case. I’m not seeing anything about Comair Flight 5191 anymore.

The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is investigating the crash. They are a stand-alone agency so they will be unbiased in the investigation. We have been warned by them to not believe everything the media reports because the NTSB will give us the information as soon as they can. In fact, they had meetings with the families before they even held today’s press conference. They have warned us that one piece of information doesn’t mean much until the whole puzzle is put together. My family and I have resigned ourselves to the idea that we will not really know what happened for at least a year…if not longer.

To be honest…that’s not really of much concern to us right now. All we want to do is get our brother and son home. Hopefully that will be done by the end of the week.

I’ve heard that we’re getting a lot of emails and phone calls. Thank you for that. I know the Froggy 99.9 staff is hurting as well. Kelly spent a lot of time with them over the past few years and they mourn his loss too.

I would also like to thank Kevin Wallevand from channel 6 for the nice piece he did last night.

I will be back on the air as soon as I can. I also hope to answer each of your emails. But if I don’t, please know that we appreciate your words…thoughts…and prayers.

-Gilmore

One more thing...the only survivor lost 39 pints of blood. If you want to do something to honor my brother's life please donate in our Labor Day Blood Drive.

Kelly James Heyer

2006-08-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

My younger brother, Kelly James Heyer, died this morning on Delta flight 5191 as it was taking off from Lexington, KY. Kelly was 27.

I don’t know why I’m writing this blog. Maybe subconsciously I think it will be therapeutic. But since I consider you my family I thought I should tell you.

My brother was a lot like me. We both played trumpet in school. He was much better than me, though. I remember when I was a senior asking my Jr. High band instructor if he was better than me. My teacher replied, without hesitation, “Oh, God yes!”

We played trumpet together at church a lot at Christmas and Easter. That will always be one of my favorite memories with Kelly.

He was also involved in theatre, along with me. Again it was special to share the stage with him.

Kelly was a traveler. When he was in college he studied in France for a semester. For the first couple of weeks he was homesick but once he adjusted he really found a passion for traveling. He graduated with a degree in French and always wanted to go back. And occasionally he did once he started flying with Delta/ComAir. He saw much of Europe…sometimes on a quick weekend getaway.

I didn’t see him much once he started working full-time. He was always flying someplace. But he really loved his job. I was surprised to learn that he mostly flew on the small jets, like flight 5191. I asked him if it was tough being the only flight attendant on these flights. But he loved being able to work one-on-one with the passengers, making sure they were comfortable. He even got my mother to enjoy flying!

He was a wonderful brother and a terrific uncle to his nieces and nephews. Any time a jet would fly over our house my kids would ask if Uncle Kelly was up there.

The last time I saw Kelly was at this year’s WE Fest. He came with a friend and was our guest. I can tell you that the Froggy staff loved him as well. He always had a way of being the life of the party wherever he went.

I’m going to Lexington with my older brother and our parents. I’m not sure what’s going to happen when we get there or how long I’ll be gone. But I’ll keep Pete Moss posted on what’s happening and he’ll be able to share this information with you.

What I’m saying isn’t meant to entertain you. And I’m not asking for your sympathy. I just want you to know what’s happening in my life. I’ve shared my wedding with you. You’ve been there at the births of my three kids. It just feels right that I share this with you now.

Gilmore

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2006-07-12T12:20:00.000-05:00

Vacations at any time of the year are great aren't they? But when you get to go somewhere different, do something fun and the weather is great, it just makes it a little better!

I recently enjoyed 12 days off in a row...the longest I've ever taken other than "between jobs"! I started by attending a family reunion in Washington state. My dad, step-mom, older brother, 16-year-old niece and husband flew to Seattle and had just enough time the first day to visit Pike's Market Place and watch the sunset at the Space Needle. The next day, it was off to Port Townsend on Puget Sound where the rest of my relatives were gathered at a cool old fort that has been turned into a camp of sorts for youth groups, football camps and family reunions such as ours! We stayed in a beautiful century old house, "officer's quarters" and other than no electrical outlets in the bathroom and us women having to "fix our hair" in the dining room with the mirror over the fireplace mantle, it had all the modern amenities and comforts of home! We spent the next 3 days there getting re-acquainted with cousins we only get to see every 3 years.

Besides the "visiting" the highlight had to be going whale watching! It was a 4-hour cruise where we saw 2 "pods" of Orca whales in the wild! On the way back to port, we cruised near what they called "eagle island" where we did see 3 bald eagles and a two-ton nest, one of the only places in the world the birds nest on the ground! It was also home to a lot of sea lions, that looked like rocks from the distance! As we got closer though, a few swam out to greet us. They are so cute!

We made many more memories with the family and visited Seattle one more time before we flew back home.

Then on the second half of my vacation, we traveled to visit my little brother and his family in SD. You may have heard that Sean Penn is directing a movie in Carthage, SD. Well, that happens to be about 8 miles from my brother's farmstead and my sister-in-law is Principal of the small grade school there which the "movie people" have taken over during filming! We laughed because a new parking sign proudly displays "Director Parking" right over my sister-in-laws "former" parking spot! Although the county deputies were quite busy keeping areas of the town "closed" to shooting, we did get to see a scene shot with Vince Vaughn at the elevator! The movie also stars Emile Hirsch who we did get to see later when we were invited to the production supper! My niece was brave enough to go and ask him for his autograph which he politely gave her, my only "brush" came when Vince Vaughn carried his dinner plate to his trailer and walked behind my chair, and I sat three tables away from Sean Penn while he ate! Even though we stood for 4 hours on main street "waiting" for another scene to be shot, we got tired and left at midnight. The flood lights they used to light the street could be seen from my brother's farmstead however! It was a very cool experience, and I understand my brother was chosen as an extra for a bar scene they shot. He "worked" from 4pm to 4am...and said he hasn't been up that late since he was in college! Oh, the movie by the way is called "Into The Wild" and will be out next year! It'll be fun to see how much one week of shooting actually will make it into the final version!

That pretty much wraps up my essay on what I did on summer vacation! Hope you had fun reading it!

-Lilly

Why Is Froggy 99.9 Still Playing the Dixie Chicks?

2006-05-26T09:24:00.000-05:00

Why are you still playing the Dixie Chicks?

Lately that has been a popular subject heading in my email box.

And I don’t have the perfect answer to those people that ask me. I’m sorry, but I just don’t have it.

What I do have are some reasons that we still play them. And I’d like to explain that to you.

First of all, the majority of you still like their music. Froggy 99.9 tests our music very thoroughly. If we’re thinking about playing a new song we make sure that it has a high enough “positive” score to make it on the radio. There’s a formula that tells us what the score of a song is. Some of the factors include how many of you like the song (Hopalong Cassidy’s “New Tune at 2”)…how familiar you are with the song or the artist…does the song get old quickly? We even test the old songs! Every song we play has to be liked by the majority of you, or we won’t play it.

We all have songs we like. And there are some songs that we don’t like. That’s because everybody has different tastes.

You might be thinking, “OK, Gilmore. That’s fine. But the Dixie Chicks offended our President and now they’re even saying they don’t want to be pigeonholed as ‘country’ artists. Now how are you going to defend them?”

Remember when Billy Ray Cyrus was THE MAN? You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing “Achy, Breaky Heart.” I remember there were a lot of country artists who hated that song. Billy Ray and Travis Tritt were fighting with each other through the press much like Toby Keith and the Dixie Chicks did a few years ago. Eventually that died down and everybody went back to their corners.

People say bad things about the President every day. Why were the Dixie Chicks singled out? Was it because they said it on foreign soil? Maybe. But we need to remember that what they said was about the President…not our military. George Clooney, Martin Sheen, Dannie Glover, Rosa Parks, Harry Belafonte, Adrien Brody, Sheryl Crow, Barbara Streisand, Janeane Garofalo, Susan Sarandon and Mike Farrell are just a few celebrities that have spoken out against the President and the War in Iraq. A quick google search shows me that. Are we boycotting their movies? TV shows? Music? Why, then, do we continue to hate the Dixie Chicks?

Perhaps it’s because they won’t drop the issue. Now, I’m not going to defend the Dixie Chicks here, because I’m just as upset as most people are with them on this point. I just chalk that up to childishness – a character flaw.

Everybody has his or her character flaws, right?

I know of country artists that have been through drug and alcohol treatment. I know of country artists that either cheated on their spouses or broke up other marriages. I know of country artists that have been charged with assault. We’re still playing their music. Because at Froggy 99.9 we try not let their flaws impact our decision to play good music.

I bought the Dixie Chicks’ new album, Taking The Long Way, the first day it was available. I’ve listened to it a few times. I like most of the songs. Not all, but most. I hit the skip button on my CD player every time “Not Ready to Make Nice” comes on because that’s one song I don’t like.

If you don’t like the Dixie Chicks I hope you know that I don’t want to lose you as a listener. We play some of their old music because the majority of you still want to hear it. We’ll try their new music. If the majority of you like the new stuff we’ll continue to play the Dixie Chicks. If the majority of you don’t like the new music, we’re not gonna shove it down your throats. Because our goal is to play the music that the majority of you like. If it’s a bad song, we’re not going to play it regardless of who recorded it.

So I hope you’ve read this and understand where I’m coming from. You don’t have to agree with me. I just want you to understand the predicament I’m in.

And I want to know where you stand on the situation.

Send me an email and tell me if you do or do not support the Dixie Chicks. Because when you strip everything down, Froggy 99.9 is YOUR station. We just play the music and try to make your day a little better in-between the songs.

Hoppy Gilmore
Program DirectorFroggy 99.9

Lilly Invites You to Walk

2006-05-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hey there!

Coming up this Saturday, May 6, I want to invite you to spend an hour or so of your busy day in Lindenwood park for the Pathway of Hope Walk to benefit cancer research.

The walk was started by an acquaintance of mine who lost her mother to cancer. Now I know there are many great walks for cancer, including the Relay for Life, but I guess I wanted to point this one to you because of the timing of the walk, and news of my friend Nick.

Nick, and his wife Julie are ND natives that have transplanted in Phoenix, where Nick is a police officer in one of the most dangerous cities in America, and Julie is a free-lance writer and stay at home mom to their two boys.

About 18 months ago, Nick was diagnosed with testicular cancer, still quite rare, and most common with men in their thirties. It is probably most well known as being the type of cancer that Lance Armstrong had. It can also be a very deadly cancer as it is still rare and can spread quickly.

After initial surgery, Nick was on the mend. Soon back at work, and with blood tests every month, we all seemed to breath a little easier.

Then, last October, his cancer returned. A large tumor in his abdomen and chemotherapy was required. He became quite sick from that, but being the trooper that he is, rallied on, continued to work when he could and played dad to Brody and Colin.

After chemo, he was back to monitoring blood and body scans monthly to watch the tumor which was still there, but seemed to be dormant. Hallelujah! Remission was the word we'd all be waiting for.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago, when his tumor marker tests came back elevated.
As I mentioned earlier, TC is still quite rare and in only about 5% of cases, does it return, if treated early. Now Nick is one of the lucky 5%. Protocol for treating returning TC is invasive surgery and/or a stem-cell marrow type transplant, very experimental and often the last resort.

Last week, Nick and Julie flew to Portland, OR to consult with one of the best TC doctors in the country, as a matter of fact, he was one of Lance Armstrong's doctors. He suggested that Nick have the surgery to remove the retroperitoneal lymph nodes. He said anytime there is growth in a tumor after chemo, surgery is the next step. It requires an incision from his chest to groin, then the organs in his abdomen will be taken out so they can remove the lymph nodes which are located alongside the spine. He'll be hospitalized 5 days and will need 6 weeks of recovery time afterwards. Whether or not another round of chemo is needed will depend on whether the lymph nodes come back postive for cancer.

The reason I'm telling you all this is that I hope you can help Nick, and others like him with fighting this terrible disease. I know just about all of you have been touched one way or another by cancer, I myself am a breast cancer survivor of almost seven years. I will not be able to walk myself this Saturday as I will be working, BUT, I WILL be making a donation on behalf of Nick. I hope you will do the same.

Here is the website for more information: http://www.pathwayofhope.info/.

Thanks in advance.

Lilly

Intern's Blog

2006-04-26T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Reese Ribbitspoon and I am the newest addition to the Froggy Gang as their intern! It really has been fun so far! The whole radio programming thing is rather confusing and you’d be surprised at how much work goes in to it! Before I got here I thought they just played music and read the news…how hard could that really be? BOY WAS I WRONG!! :)

I come in MWF mornings at about 7, and I am not the best morning person...so for me another huge eye opener was how many people are actually up at that time in the a.m. I don’t think I even knew it was light out at that time :) ha! But now I am used to it and I think I could stick with becoming a morning person…we’ll see!

Everyone is so nice; I felt welcome right when I got there so that was big for me! The Froggy Gang Morning Show’s Pete, Anne and Gilmore are just as fun off the air as they are on! I have gotten to work with Lilly Pad a lot. She is very nice and has got me doing a lot of things for not only Froggy but for some of the other stations, which is fun because it keeps me busy! So yes, overall it has been a great experience thus far, I am looking forward to this summer…Ribfest, the Fair and of course WE Fest!!! :)

I don’t know for sure if I will ever be on the air or not, I am a little nervous which I don’t really know why because before I got this internship I used to ALWAYS call in to radio stations and always get on the air and just LOVE to listen to myself…ha! Now I just wouldn’t want to screw anything up so there is a little pressure there! Who knows…maybe someday…just keep listening! :)

Hoppy Gilmore Reveals the Thought Behind the Clues

2006-04-14T10:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who played in our Froggy Fugitive game. Hope you're working hard on the second one so Froggy 99.9 can give you $2,500 cash! Here's the list of clues for the first Froggy Fugitive. Maybe reading these will help in finding the second Fugitive. And a special thanks and congrats to Froggy 99.9's first winner, Steve Strasheim!

-Gilmore

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Monday, April 3rd

Clue #1
The Froggy Fugitive did not grow up in the town they were born in.
Travis was born in Bismarck but lived in Menoken, ND – 7 miles east of Bismarck.

Clue #2
The Froggy Fugitive has quite a nose.
Travis played noseguard in football.

Clue #3
The Froggy Fugitive works in a vital part of town.
Travis works in downtown Fargo.

Clue #4
Once stood up the Froggy Gang Morning Show.
When Travis was working with the FM Beez and early on with the FM Jets he stood up the FGMS many times because the guy couldn’t wake up in the morning!

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Tuesday, April 4th

Clue #1
The Froggy Fugitive once hung out with truckers.
Travis’ first paid job was a bus boy at the Oasis Truckstop in Bismarck.

Clue #2
The Froggy Fugitive can be seen working on its 11 handicap this summer.
Could it be Tom Szymanski, the avid golfer who does weather for Channel 11? Nope. Travis loves playing golf and has an 11 handicap.

Clue #3
The Froggy Fugitive was popular and had a buddy growing up.
Buddy was the name of one of Travis’ horses.

Clue #4
The Froggy Fugitive sings like daddy.
Travis sings bass in his church choir.

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Wednesday, April 5th

Clue #1
The Froggy Fugitive once picked up a hitchhiker near Lincoln, NE.
The hitchhiker was an ornate box turtle he found on the road. Michelangelo (the turtle’s name) just passed away last year at the ripe old age of 20.

Clue #2
The Froggy Fugitive has spent time around aircraft.
Not the jets that fly in the air. Travis is the PA announcer for the FM Jets.

Clue #3
The Froggy Fugitive tears up when one particular show airs on PBS.
Travis’ first car was a ’72 Chevy Supernova.

Clue #4
The Froggy Fugitive warns you to resist all clues that send you in the wrong direction.
Travis was on his high school rodeo team…and wore Resistol hats (“resist all”).

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Thursday, April 6th

Clue #1
Some say the Froggy Fugitive was quite the heel in High School.
Travis was the team-roping heeler on his High School rodeo team.

Clue #2
The Froggy Fugitive broke both collarbones acting out a scene from Napoleon Dynamite.
Travis broke both collarbones jumping a car on his BMX bike.

Clue #3
If you find the Froggy Fugitive you’ll be able to “claim” the reward.
Travis works for an insurance company.

Clue #4
The Froggy Fugitive has a well-known voice in the F/M area.
A lot of people started focusing on TV personalities around the area (Sorry TV peeps). Again, Travis is the PA announcer for the FM Jets and was the PA announcer for the FM Beez.

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Friday, April 7th

Clue #1
The Froggy Fugitive once lived in Neumaier Hall.
Travis went to school at MSUM.

Clue #2
When you see the Froggy Fugitive try pin them in a corner.
Travis attended MSUM on a wrestling scholarship (although he says he was the worst wrestler on the team).

Clue #3
The Froggy Fugitive knows what it’s like to be broke.
Travis grew up with horses and often broke horses for neighbors.

Clue #4
The Froggy Fugitive is very familiar with TV.
Sorry! This clue sent a lot of people to TV stations, but Travis’ initials are T.V.

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Monday, April 10th

Clue #1
The Froggy Fugitive is happy that they still have their second job after this weekend.
The FM Jets beat the Bismarck Bobcats over the weekend to stay in the NAHL playoffs.

Clue #2
The Froggy Fugitive has lived the life of a Garth Brooks song.
“Rodeo”

Clue #3
If you see someone buying a turtle at the pet store you better ask them if they’re the Froggy Fugitive because the Froggy Fugitive once had a turtle for a pet.
Go back to Clue #1 on Wednesday, April 5th.

Clue #4
Discover the significance of the letters J-E-C to find the Froggy Fugitive.
The FM Jets play at the John E. Carlson Coliseum.

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Tuesday, April 11th

Clue #1
If you’re in a traffic accident in the road construction you may end up speaking to the Froggy Fugitive.
People started checking into law enforcement officers…EMTs…highway workers. What about your insurance agent?

Clue #2
You may have spotted the Froggy Fugitive at the Shrine Circus Sunday and not even known it.
No lie there!

Clue #3
The Froggy Fugitive drives a black Accord.
Pretty basic clue. I was trying to get people to pull over everybody driving black Accords.

Clue #4
The Froggy Fugitive once worked for the FM Beez basketball team.
PA announcer. I sat by him when I ran the music during the games!

Froggy Fugitive Clues for Wednesday, April 12th

Clue #1
The Froggy Fugitive’s main job is in the same profession as the gecko’s.
Insurance.

Clue #2
The Froggy Fugitive works in 51-A.
On Broadway.

Kids, DVDs and the Lessons Involved

2006-04-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

By Nell Minow, The Movie Mom, Special to the Tribune
Published April 13, 2006

My husband, daughter and I had just settled in for lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants when another family was escorted to the next table. The mother helped the little girl, who looked to be about 4 years old, off with her coat and lifted her into the booster seat.

Then, before removing her own coat, the mother placed a personal DVD player on the table in front of her daughter and hit the "play" button. Disney's "Cinderella" started up, and the little girl began to watch. Without headphones.

Even after we moved to a table on the other side of the restaurant, we could hear the strains of "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" as we ate our tandoori chicken and talked about how many things were wrong with that picture.

Here's what we concluded:

First, the little girl's parents were teaching her to completely disregard the feelings, the rights and the preferences of anyone else.

The DVD made it harder for us to hear one another and the waiter and impossible to enjoy the quiet music that is normally a part of the restaurant's pleasant atmosphere.

Instead of teaching their daughter good manners and consideration for others, these parents demonstrated through their own thoughtlessness that they did not believe it was necessary to devote time or energy to thinking about how their actions might affect others.

Second, her parents showed the child she had nothing of interest to tell them and they had nothing they felt was worth discussing with her.

Family meals and car rides are the best time to share the stories of our days, to coordinate upcoming plans, to discuss the news in our communities and to make clear our values and priorities. This family communicated to its youngest member that she was neither valued nor a priority.

Third, the parents failed to take advantage of the opportunity to teach their daughter an indispensable life skill -- the ability to participate in a thoughtful and courteous conversation. If her parents keep it up, this girl will become a young woman who has nothing to say to anyone and no way to respond to comments and question at school, with friends, on dates, at job interviews.

Children need to learn the structure of a conversation, namely how to listen, when to nod, how to look the person who is speaking in the eye and how to know whether the other person understands and is interested in what you are saying. The art of conversation also involves knowing how to include everyone in the discussion, how to select the appropriate details to evoke a scene or convey an opinion, and how to disagree without being disagreeable.

Like music, these skills come naturally to some people and are harder for others, but everyone can benefit from practice and example.

Fourth, the girl's parents lost the opportunity to show their daughter how to pay attention to what is going on around her. The more we allow children to numb their brains and cut themselves off from their environment, the less we are able to encourage their powers of observation and inspire their imaginations.

By using "Cinderella" as a distraction instead of a fully engaging experience, the parents turned it into what Fred Allen called television, "chewing gum for the mind." The children who will grow up to create the next generation's "Cinderella" are the ones who are looking at the world around them and exercising their imaginations.

Parents should stretch their children's attention spans, a challenge in this media-saturated world. One way to do that is to set an example by turning off television, iPods, BlackBerrys, cell phones and PDAs when the family is together.

When our children were growing up, we had a "no headphones" rule on car trips. I preferred having my children argue about which radio station to listen to (that disagreeing without being disagreeable skill takes a while to get right) than having each of them off in separate zones of solitude.

Children need to learn to be engaged observers. Parents should both set an example and explicitly teach their families to be junior Sherlock Holmeses, seeing what they can deduce from what they see, and junior Scheherazades, telling stories to develop their senses of narrative, drama and humor. Is that couple at the next table on a first date or do they know each other well? What language are those people speaking? What can you tell about a person's profession, hobbies, education, political views and favorite sports team? How do you know?

As we looked across the room at this family -- the girl watching the movie, the father talking on his cell phone, the mother looking down at her plate -- we wished there was a "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" spell to turn their devices into pumpkins and get them to talk to each other.

Nell Minow reviews movies for Froggy 99.9 every Friday at 8:10am and on http://movies.yahoo.com/moviemom.

Yeah It's Easter!

2006-04-12T09:24:00.000-05:00

This is my FAVORITE holiday hands down, always has been, even when it's early and winter is still hanging on! But am I the only one who thinks this is another holiday observation that has gotten TOTALLY COMMERCIAL?? Since when did you have to start buying gifts for kids for EASTER?! The push is on to buy dvd's, 9 foot stuffed bunnys, Barbies, bicycles etc...

When I was a kid, my mom usually sewed me a new dress to wear to church, of course we colored hard boiled eggs and used them as a centerpiece on our table (and continued to eat them 2 weeks later un-refridgerated, but that's another story..) and we always were excited to get up in the morning and hunt for the basket of candy (with jelly beans and ONE chocolate bunny). We went to sunrise service, had breakfast there, then Grandpa and Grandma came over and we had ham, lemon pie and later, a "bunny" cake my mom baked from scratch, with coconut for fur. It was a great ritual and one I looked forward to every year.

Now that I'm older and my mom has passed on and there are no new dresses or bunny cakes, I still like the entire ritual of Holy week, the meditation, and the joy on Sunday morning. I like getting together with family and NOT feeling the pressure of having to "buy" things because it's a "holiday", or at least I try to resist! I guess there is no real harm in it, but I like the way it used to be. Simple, and more about WHY we have the rituals, and thinking about how Easter is a greater gift than anyone could ever buy.

So, may you have a blessed Easter!

Lilly Pad

Are 'educational' baby videos a scam? Research lacking to support claims

2005-12-19T09:36:00.000-06:00

By Nell Minow
Special to the Tribune

December 14, 2005

Nothing grabs the attention of nervous new parents and excited grandparents like a product they think can make their children smarter.

The market for educational "baby videos" aimed at children as young as newborn has skyrocketed, representing about $100 million in annual sales, according to Business Week.

It's ironic that while food labeled "fresh" or "low-fat" must meet very specific federal standards, there's nothing to prevent a manufacturer from labeling a kiddie video "educational" or "enriching" without providing much support for the claims. Indeed, for at least one educational baby video series, the PhD "experts" endorsing it on the box do not disclose they also are the experts paid to help develop it.

Our youngest children are growing up in media-saturated households, but a Kaiser Family Foundation report released last January found only limited research on electronic media's effects on them. (This week the non-profit private foundation plans to release a report on the marketing of educational media for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, as well as hold a roundtable discussion on the topic.)

There's also little available to help parents figure out the value of educational DVDs or videos or computer games designed for children under age 2.

Here's what we do know:

- The "Mozart effect" -- the popular idea that listening to classical music will make you (or your child) smarter -- has been discredited.

- The American Academy of Pediatrics advises zero "screen time" (videos, television, computer) -- none -- for children under age 2.

- No reliable body of research exists to support the notion that a child so young can measurably, permanently benefit from watching developmental videos.

Unfortunately for parents and grandparents, according to Dr. Susan Linn, psychologist at Judge Baker Children's Center and Harvard Medical School, so-called "developmental" videos won't put Baby on the path to the Ivy League.

"Essentially, the baby video industry is a scam. There's no evidence that the videos are educational for babies, and a review of the research on babies and videos concludes that while older babies can imitate simple actions from a video they've seen several times, they learn much more rapidly from real life," Linn says.

One of the best known series of developmental media for infants is Baby Einstein, which got its start in 1997 when new mom Julie Aigner-Clark created a video "to help her share her love of art, classical music, language and poetry with her newborn daughter," according to the company Web site.
Until then, instructional media for children usually began around age 3, with the focus on preschool curriculum content -- dancing alphabet letters and numbers and flashcard-style presentations of colors, animals and shapes.

Baby Einstein, aimed at infants, is more gentle and free-form, with music, words and images of babies, children, toys, pictures and nature.

The company names its products after people from history instantly recognizable as brilliant in the arts and sciences -- Baby Bach, Baby Galileo, Baby Monet, Baby Wordsworth, for example.

Now a part of the Walt Disney Co., Baby Einstein has expanded its series of DVDs, music CDs, books and toys to include many more titles intended for infants, some as young as newborn or a month old. The company also has launched a new line of Little Einstein products for preschoolers.

But to my mind, it's hard to figure out what these products do. Are they entertainment? Are they educational? Something between a baby-sitter and a hold button to give tired parents a break?

Smarter not the goal

I turned to the company Web site and online store -- www.babyeinstein.com -- and learned the videos, music and "discovery cards" (flashcards) don't promise to raise a baby's IQ to Einstein levels. "Baby Einstein products are not designed to make babies smarter," the Web site says. "Rather, Baby Einstein products are specifically designed to engage babies and provide parents with tools to help expose their little ones to the world around them in playful and enriching ways -- stimulating a baby's natural curiosity."

The Web site features parental testimonials for Baby Einstein's success at holding their babies' interest, increasing attention span, teaching colors and appreciation for classical music. There's also a separate group of testimonials attesting to Baby Einstein's power as a calming agent for fussy, fractious kids. "Thank you so much for making something that my baby is interested in because I cannot get him to sit down and watch anything else except Baby Einstein," says one.

"They have been almost like a baby-sitter to me, while I shower or wash the dishes," says another.

Nobody can take issue with harried parents thrilled to find something to keep the baby occupied for a few minutes so they can clear the table or grab a shower. But do we really want babies to learn that the best way to find something interesting to do, or to calm themselves down, is to watch a television screen?

I e-mailed Baby Einstein to ask if staff members know of any independent research showing what babies and toddlers learn from material like their videos. I heard back promptly from a publicist who ran my questions by the company's vice president for marketing, communications and educational products, Rashmi Turner.

"It is important to note that Baby Einstein products are specifically designed to provide parents with tools to help expose their little ones to the world around them through parent-child interaction," Turner said.

"The Baby Einstein Company does work closely with child development experts and relies on their insights and expertise to help ensure its products are appropriate for both parents and babies alike."

I brought up the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that babies under age 2 not have any "screen time" at all, whether television, DVDs or computers because children learn best through hands-on experience and interaction.

"As stated on the Web site, The Baby Einstein Company respects the American Academy of Pediatrics," Turner said. "While we don't necessarily agree that children under the age of 2 should not be exposed to television, as we believe it can be a powerful learning tool when used appropriately, we do agree with many aspects of the AAP's recommendation."

Notably, Baby Einstein agrees that parents should watch programming with their children and parents should interact with their children throughout -- talking, playing, singing and reading together. That part of the Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation, however, is supposed to apply to older children, not infants and toddlers.

Turner said the Baby Einstein DVDs are "not research-based" and the company does not have any data showing that children learn anything from watching them.

Evaluation difficult

It is very difficult to evaluate how much infants can learn from watching videos and DVDs, first because we can't ask them, but more important because infants are at the most receptive stage of life for learning. It is almost impossible to measure how much they pick up -- much less how quickly or how well they learn -- from a DVD compared with having a parent or caregiver sing a song or play with them.

Still, an academic review of the research to date by Daniel R. Anderson and Tiffany A. Pempek of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, discussing studies from different perspectives (measuring attention, imitation, new vocabulary), shows babies learn less from watching DVDs than from the same amount of time playing and interacting and observing directly.

In other words, your baby will learn more about gravity from throwing her spoon onto the floor than she will from watching a video of a baby dropping spoons -- no matter what kind of music is playing in the background.

If you look and listen carefully, that's what the producers of the baby DVDs themselves tell you.

Three "academic leaders" (who also are paid consultants, though that isn't disclosed) appear in a segment for parents on the Eebee DVD by Sony Wonder, for example, to explain to parents that babies need interaction and experience. They advise parents that "play is the work of childhood" and that children need to feel textures and explore objects for themselves.

"We know that passive viewing is not good for children," says Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, identified as a PhD and co-author of "Einstein Never Used Flashcards." On the DVD's box, however, which does not identify her as a consultant in developing the material, Hirsch-Pasek, provides a cheery blurb that reads: "Eebee's adventures sparkle with a creativity that shows how the magic of everyday moments can become extraordinary learning opportunities."

Also on the Eebee DVD, Dr. Deborah Linebarger of the University of Pennsylvania, another paid consultant, says, "It's not realistic to tell a parent no TV or no videos."

Not realistic? That makes me furious. Are babies going to tell you they're going to the library to study and then sneak off to a friend's house to watch something on a screen? One lesson babies cannot learn too early is that parents know how to set limits.

`What are we learning?'

Former FCC Commissioner Nicholas Johnson once said, "All television is educational. The question is what we are learning from it."

Despite adults' best intentions in turning on "enriching" videos, there's a danger babies and toddlers may be learning they don't need to develop imagination, curiosity and the ability to entertain and quiet themselves. As Linn says, "What babies do learn . . . is to turn to a screen for stimulation and for soothing."

These DVDs don't teach babies nearly as much about colors or words or shapes or the world outside as they teach them this: Watching television is and will be a major occupation.

So when we sit babies down in front of a video about how wonderful it is to touch, squeeze, roll, stretch, hide and feel -- instead of encouraging them to actually do those things -- the lessons they are most likely to learn are that watching television is important and that the grown-ups in their life will tell them one thing but do the opposite.

Maybe that's a new line of products. We can call them Baby Irony.

- - -

Alternatives

Media Mom suggests:

- Play music and sing to your baby (she doesn't care that you're not a candidate for "American Idol").

- Read books out loud and make audio tapes of yourself reading them to play to the baby when you are away.

- Give the toddler measuring cups and something safe to scoop and spill -- his cereal, maybe, or mashed potatoes. (Let him enjoy getting messy and be sure to take pictures before he takes a bath.)

- Describe what you're doing, and describe what you see. "We are driving to the bank, and oh, look! A fire engine! Where's it going?" is thrilling repartee for a toddler in a car seat, and your excitement and curiosity will be inspiring.

- Remember, you are doing much more than practicing words or pointing out things about the world around you. You are teaching your baby he or she is important to you -- that's a lesson no video can match.

- - -

What the American Academy of Pediatrics says about television, children and learning:

Television affects how your child learns. High-quality, non-violent children's shows can have a positive effect on learning. Studies show that preschool children who watch educational TV programs do better on reading and math tests than children who do not watch those programs. When used carefully, television can be a positive tool to help your child learn.

For older children, high-quality TV programs can have benefits. However, for younger children it's a very different story. The first two years of life are especially important in the growth and development of your child's brain. During this time, children need good, positive interaction with other children and adults to develop good language and social skills. Learning to talk and play with others is far more important than watching television.

Until more research is done about the effects of TV on very young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend television for children younger than two years of age. For older children, the AAP recommends no more than one to two hours per day of quality screen time.

www.aap.org

- - -

A crowded field

The popularity of the Baby Einstein series has inspired other companies to further pry open the wallets of competitive or worried parents. Psychologist Susan Linn has counted more than 200 titles for this age group. Among them:

Baby Chatterbox (where "learning is always fun!!!") is "designed by caring parents, teachers and speech language professionals" to "focus on promoting your child's vocabulary acquisition." Recommended ages: 3 months to 3 years.

Baby Bumblebee, which claims to rely on "a scientifically well-established teaching method," says it will "build your baby's brain" with DVDs devoted to vocabulary building and numbers. Recommended ages: 4 months to 11 months, though it adds that "many parents have successfully started earlier or later."

Eebee's programs ("when adventure becomes understanding") show adults interacting with babies and a baby puppet, playing with a ball and pouring cereal.

Tiny Tot Sports says it helps fight childhood obesity with its DVDs about baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and football for "ages 0-4."

Sesame Street announced in November the advent of Sesame Beginnings, "a new line of DVDs, books, toys and infant products, brings everything you love about Sesame Street to you and your infant." The Web site notes, "With Sesame Beginnings, every time you and your baby laugh and connect over a silly song, you encourage your child's curiosity and interest in learning."

----------

Nell Minow reviews movies each week as The Movie Mom for Yahoo! Movies and for radio stations across the country. She can be reached at moviemom@moviemom.com.

Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune

Lilly Pad: It's My Turn To Talk Christmas Music!

2005-12-15T11:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, Gilmore has been on this blog twice already about Christmas music...so now it's my turn!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas music! I have it cranked at the house whenever I'm wrapping gifts (which seems to take me about 12 weeks) and when I'm decorating, baking, writing on cards. Oh, wait a minute; I haven't been doing ANY of that this year! Anyway, the thing that puzzles me about a few Christmas songs is some of the lyrics. For example, in "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", they sing of "scary ghost stories"...just what season is this anyway??? Or how about the Beach Boys, "Little St. Nick" where the lyrics are "Christmas comes this time each year"...duh! My absolute favorite is "Here Comes Santa Claus" with the line that goes, "so let's give thanks to the Lord above, 'cuz Santa Claus comes tonight!" What?????

One more thing, songs that aren't about Christmas, but this is the only time of the year we hear them. "Hard Candy Christmas", "Thank God for Kids" and "My Favorite Things" to name a few, BUT I'm not complaining, because I LOVE hearing them...ALL year!!

Hope your holidays are "merry and bright"!

Lilly

PS What are the names of the other reindeer sung about in "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"?

1. "Olive" the other reindeer....
2. As they shouted out with "Glee"!!! :)

Merry Christmas…oops! Happy Holidays Everybody!

2005-12-14T08:38:00.000-06:00

In order to be politically correct the majority of Americans are politely being asked to refer to December 25th as “Holidays” instead of “Christmas.”

This has caused quite a bit of work for me since I am the Program Director of Froggy 99.9.

I’ve had to go through all our music and change song titles. During this “Holiday” season you will hear the following classics on Froggy 99.9:

I can’t decide which version is better…Vince Gill’s or Martina McBride’s “White Holiday.”

The Brenda Lee classic (and LeAnn Rimes remake) will now be called, “Rockin’ Around the Holiday Tree.”

What about everybody’s favorite Vince Gill song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Holiday.”

Pete Moss just loves Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Holiday.”

We should probably change the Oak Ridge Boys classic (and Kenny Chesney remake) to “Thank A Higher Power For Kids.”

Jeff Foxworthy’s funny take on the Holidays will be referred to as “The Redneck 12 Days of Holidays.”

Admit it, you get a warm feeling inside every time you hear Martina McBride’s “I’ll Be Home For the Holidays.”

And we can’t forget about my favorite Elvis song, “Blue Holidays”

“Merry Holidays Darlin’”…one of my mom’s favorites from The Carpenters!

You should hear Lilly Pad crank the studio speakers every time she plays Suzy Bogguss’ “Two Step ‘Round The Holiday Tree.”

And let’s not forget about George Strait’s “Holiday Cookies!”

I’d like to continue…but I’m not finished with the changes yet. Check back next week for the new “Holiday” movies list.

-Hoppy Gilmore

UNBELIEVABLE!

2005-12-06T10:22:00.000-06:00

A man called this morning to tell us about his co-worker, Ray, who's son is being deployed to Afghanistan with the 188th this week. Ray asked to take a few hours, which he would make up later in the week, to see his son off at the airport. He was told he would have to take a day of vacation, which Ray objected to, as sending your son off to war hardly qualifies as "vacation." Ray didn't put in for any vacation, but he did go to the airport, and when he returned to work, Ray was asked for his ID badge and suspended indefinitely for insubordination.

I understand company rules and rules of human resources, but I'm personally outraged to see that zero tolerance, once again, overrides common sense and decency. It's my hope that Ray will be back at work soon, though I wonder if he'll feel empty inside when he sees the numerous "we support our troops" signs which hang on the walls of his workplace.

-Anne Phibian

Let the Christmas Music Begin!

2005-12-06T07:17:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas music!

There's something comforting about hearing those songs I've grown up with. Kenny Rogers, Alabama, Bing Crosby...even the Chipmunks!

I would think that Christmas music would be difficult for today's current artists to record. For me, it's the songs that I grew up with that have such an impact on my Christmas memories. But what about the new versions? It takes me a year or two to warm up to them. It's like the song hasn't left an imprint on my brain until it's gone through the Christmas season with me at least once.

Two "new" Christmas carols I've really grown to like come from SheDaisy. Their renditions of "Deck the Halls" and "Jingle Bells" are not knockoffs of the versions I grew up with. But their tight harmonies and new melodies have catapulted them to the same level as Martina McBride's "Oh, Holy Night" and the Oak Ridge Boys' "Thank God For Kids." (And Kenny Chesney's version for that matter!)

One artist not on my list of fav's: Christina Aguilara. Can somebody please explain to her that the "Oh" in "Oh, Holy Night" is one note...not 35.

-Hoppy Gilmore