Published February 29, 2008 for Concrete Loop
Friedman stated businessmen believe they defend free enterprise when they state business isn’t just out to make a profit, but to also “[promote] desirable ‘social’ ends.” He opposed the idea that business possesses social responsibilities: “Only people can have responsibilities,” he declared.
According to Friedman, “there is one and only one social responsibility of business—to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engage in open and free competition without deception or fraud.”
To some degree, I agree with Friedman; every business hopes to make a profit, but I do not believe that is the only intent. Businesses can do good and do well (DGADW) at the same time.
So many times you hear a song on the radio and immediately fall in love with it so you go out and buy the album and discover that there’s only one song on the entire album you actually like. Such is not the case with Rachael Yamagata’s 2004 full-length debut.
My ears stumbled upon hearing “Under My Skin” and within a matter of seconds, I was hooked. Rachael’s smooth, sultry voice, reminiscent of Norah Jones, mixed with meaningful lyrics caught my attention immediately and I had to have Happenstance.
One of the few albums I find to be worthy of listening to in its near-entirety, Happenstance opens with the infectious “Be Be Your Love”, followed by “Letter Read” in which Rachael states that she’s “put so much into a life [she] made too much about you now to lie.” “I’ll Find a Way”, the next notable track, is a great relaxing song to play Sunday morning thinking about that special someone. It should be followed by “Even So”, a soothing, melodic ode to a wronged love. The string solo, “Moments with Oliver”, by Oliver Kraus, is a perfect introduction to “Quiet”, a deeply personal song that presents Rachael’s voice demandingly and gently, simultaneously.
Happenstance is one of the chance occurrences where you hear one song and yearn for more. Rachael’s smooth, sultry voice gets under the listener’s skin…but in a good way, of course.
Published March 23, 2009 for Clutch
Rolonda Watts was the host of her eponymous internationally syndicated talk show, Rolonda, for four seasons. She began her television career as a news reporter in Greensboro, North Carolina, before joining WNBC-TV in New York, where she received an Emmy nomination for her “Live Spot News Coverage” of a deadly train crash. She later moved on to WABC-TV in New York to anchor, report and moderate “Eyewitness News Conference,” the station’s weekly political forum.
Rolonda gained national exposure and attention when she became host of Lifetime Television’s talk show, Attitudes, in 1987. There, she received a Cable Ace nomination for “Best Talk Show”. The award-winning journalist went on to tackle news around the world, joining the Inside Edition news magazine team as senior correspondent, weekend anchor and producer. King Word Productions, the syndicator of Inside Edition then asked her to start her own talk show.
Rolonda has also emerged as one of the leading voice-over talents in America and has demonstrated her comedic and dramatic talents in various television shows and feature films.
Published January 31, 2008 for Concrete Loop
Nowadays, it’s easy to capitalize on pretty much anything, and that’s exactly what a lot of celebrities are doing.
About 47 percent of Americans between the ages of 18-24 voted in the 2004 presidential election, up from 36 percent in 2000, according to the Census Bureau. But I can’t help but think that “Vote or Die!” had something to do with that. Was using high-profile names such as Paris Hilton or Ludacris as a way to stress the importance of voting the best way to do it, though?
