Kenney Myers

Author | Actor | Producer | Kickboxer | Entrepreneur

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Saluting10 Famous Military People or Actors Named Ken

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kennethtaylorWhether in reality or fiction, the Kens of the world have had a long and illustrious association with military service. The ten Kens on this list have risen through the ranks of the sea, air and land forces to protect the world from tyranny wherever it rears its head, be it in real life or on the silver screen.

  1. Ken Curtis – Better known as popular deputy Festus Haggen from the hit show Gunsmoke, Ken Curtis has a number of associations with the armed forces throughout his acting career. On Curtis’ own record, “Gunsmoke’s Festus Haggen Calls out Ken Curtis,” he alludes to Haggen’s history as a confederate soldier. Other military roles for Ken include The Horse Soldiers, as Cpl Wilkie, and a part in The Wings of Eagles, where he played the real life navy Admiral, John Dale Price.
  2. Kenneth M. Taylor – This decorated military man is a recipient of both the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart for his part in shooting down four Japanese dive bombers during the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1970, Taylor was again honored for his heroics in the successful Hollywood depiction of Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora! In 2006, Ken – a great American hero – sadly passed away from hernia complications.
  3. Kenneth O’Donnell – After serving three years in the US Army Air Corps, Kenneth O’Donnell took his first steps towards a high level political career when he met Robert Kennedy during his time studying at Harvard. The two men were roommates, which led to a lifelong friendship and political allegiance. Kenneth became a close aide to both Robert and John F. Kennedy, and served as Lyndon Johnson’s Presidential Aide between 1963 and 1965.
  4. Ken Hicks – One of the most successful CEO’s in American retail history, Ken Hicks attributes much of his success to his time spent in post-Vietnam military service. Hicks has held roles as both the CEO of Foot Locker and the president and chief merchandising officer of J.C. Penney. In an interview referring to his experience in the army, Ken is quoted as saying, “So I learned that you’re very dependent on your people to be their best. You train and develop and motivate them.”
  5. Kenneth Lay – The infamous Enron Business executive, who was found guilty on six counts of conspiracy and fraud in 2006, was once a proud military man, having served in the U.S. Navy from 1968 to 1971. Unfortunately, Lay’s military service was marred by the Enron collapse, which cost 20,000 employees their jobs and investors billions in cash losses.
  6. Ken Summers – The pride of the Canadian Naval Forces, Ken Summers played a number of pivotal roles throughout the Gulf War. He is the only Canadian admiral to command a “total” national contingent in war by directing both land and air forces in the Middle East during the Gulf War. These achievements alone are enough to cement Ken Summers’ place as one of the world’s most decorated military leaders.
  7. Kenneth Ahrens – Kenneth Ahrens is one of around 35 soldiers who survived the Malmédy Massacre, a war crime that took place on December 17, 1944 during the battle of the Bulge. 85 U.S. soldiers were cut down by the German SS after they had already surrendered. After the war, Ahren provided important evidence in the trial, which helped lead to the capture and conviction of a number of German war criminals.
  8. Ken Norton – One of the few and perhaps most unlikely men to defeat the great Muhammad Ali in the ring, Ken Norton learned to box during his military career. Norton broke Ali’s jaw in the second round of their first fight, before eventually winning a decision in the bout. The two men went on to fight twice more, with Ali winning narrow decisions in both rematches.
  9. Ken Berry – The army practically ushered Ken Berry into a successful television career when his sergeant announced a talent contest on base. Berry, with tap shoes in hand, won the competition without breaking a sweat, and later went on to star alongside Andy Griffith in F Troop and The Andy Griffith Show spin-off, Mayberry R.F.D. Berry is renowned as being a multi-talented performer, listing dancing, singing and acting in his repertoire of skills.
  10. Ken Jenkins – Before playing Doctor Bob Kelso on popular sit-com “Scrubs,” Ken made a bit of a trademark playing the role of military men. Some of his noted performances include General Kubrick in Five Minutes to Midnight, Admiral Pollack in The Sum of All Fears, and NSA Agent Moore in Clockstoppers.

Tips for Teaching Kids How to Care for Pets

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childandpetIf you are going to be working as a nanny in a home with pets, it’s important that you are able to instruct the children on how to interact with pets properly. Playful behaviors that often seem natural or harmless to children can sometimes end up injuring the pet, or worse, the child. As such, it is advisable to have some basic guidelines and wisdom that you can use to ensure that the children who are in your care behave smartly around animals. Here are a few tips to remember:

Know What Is Age Appropriate
It’s important to understand how much you can reasonably expect to teach young children and to what extent they are likely to listen to you. If you are caring for pets that are somewhat fragile — like a bird or a gerbil — or somewhat dangerous – like an untrained and aggressive dog – it may not be enough to simply give young children the proper instructions and demonstrations for handling the pet. The child’s and animal’s well-being are key, and if you fear that the child’s or pet’s safety may be in danger, you should keep the kids away from the pet until they’re old enough to have a safe hands-on experience.

Teach a Gentle Hand
As an adult in a position of authority, it is your job to impart the proper ways to handle and touch animals to the children in your care. Your actions should serve as an example to them, and as such, you should go out of your way to demonstrate soft, gentle and well-calculated handling techniques. Whether you are dealing with a fragile parakeet or a sturdy Rottweiler, you should teach the children what is and is not appropriate. Fully explain the possible negative outcomes so that they understand just what can happen when you hit or assault a pet (it gets hurt, the child is hurt in return, everybody cries).

Teach a Calm Demeanor
Teaching children to be calm around pets is particularly important if there’s a possibility that the animal could lash out and injure someone. A calm disposition is essential around dogs. Children should be discouraged from making loud noises, jumping around or making erratic movements. You may want to discuss the way that human behaviors can make animals feel with the children in your care. (E.g., what seems fun and joyful to a child can feel threatening or confusing to a dog.) If you can convey that frantic actions and loud noises not only frighten their pet, but also make the animal more likely to become violent, this should help to keep their behavior in check.

Teach Children to Look For The Right Signs
Being able to read animal body language and other indicators is essential for avoiding situations in which an animal attacks or lashes out. Make sure that the children in your care understand what certain animal behaviors typically indicate. For instance, it’s all too easy for a child to hear a dog growling and mistakenly think that the sound is an indication of happiness, like a cat’s purr. Similarly, a young child could see a cat waving its tail and think the animal is happy rather than annoyed or in a state of aggression. (Differences between dogs and cats always make for good lessons.) Making sure that children are aware of each type of animal’s specific indicators will greatly reduce the likelihood of an undesirable incident, such as a bite or scratch.

Teach Children How to Interact With New Animals
If you’re out around town with the kids, chances are good you’re going to come across people walking their dogs. To cut down on risky incidents, it’s important to teach the children in your care how to interact with new animals. Children will often assume that the same type of behavior and familiarity that they engage in with their pet at home is appropriate for strange animals. The Animal League of America recommends that you always ask the owner before allowing children to approach an animal. Even so, you will want to explain to the kids that they should be especially gentle and respectful when meeting new animals. It’s also recommended that you specifically instruct children to avoid touching the eyes, ears, nose and mouth of unfamiliar animals.

By maintaining constant supervision and instructing children to care for pets in the right ways, you stand to minimize the incidence of harm to the children and pets. More than that, though, you will teach them valuable life skills that should help them to better navigate future interactions with animals and become responsible pet owners down the line.

What Our Business Teams Can Learn About Winning Streaks from the Golden State Warriors

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winningI could have chosen to talk about the Patriots or Panthers, but instead I chose to focus on the win streak that the Golden State Warriors have going on in the NBA this season.  It’s not that one winning streak is better than the others (it doesn’t get better than undefeated), it’s how they have gone about it and what we can learn from their players and coaches.  I am a Rockets fan so this is by far the viewpoint of a homer/fan.  With that said, they have something truly special going on that is worth diving into and seeing what we can apply to our business teams.  I wanted to do this by focusing on some recent quotes.

  1. “I’m completely okay with the fact that the wins don’t count on any record book for me,” said Luke Walton. Since Walton is an assistant to Steve Kerr  (Kerr is not able to coach for health reasons so Walton is leading the team in games), the wins are counting for Kerr and not Walton.  I think we can learn how important it is to have a top-down commitment from our teams. It would be great if all coaches/team leads in organizations were more concerned with team wins than their own career achievements.
  2. “Whether or not we get it, it really doesn’t affect our ultimate goal of trying to win a championship,” said Luke Walton.  Here’s another lesson for management and team leaders to stay focused on the big picture and goals of the organization.  It’s a long NBA season and the Warriors know that from the top to the bottom of the organizational chart.  Their eyes remain on the prize which is to win another championship.
  3. “It would be a cool milestone,” Klay Thompson said. “Shows how special this team can be.”  It is important though to recognize that our teams are doing something special when they are on a streak of wins.  That’s far from losing focus it’s just appreciating a moment in time and recognizing that your team gets it.  There is nothing wrong with appreciating the fact that you are on a great team.
  4. “It’s kind of a quiet confidence that we don’t feel like we’re going to lose anytime soon,” Stephen Curry said.  I think this is a defining characteristic of this team.  They aren’t cocky about it, they just believe they can get it done.  That’s the kind of team that I want to be a part of and that I’d like to have throughout my organization.  How about you?
  5. “The way we’re playing … we can get even better, ” Stephen Curry said.  I think striving to get better realizing that we are never going to be perfect is a great outlook/attitude to have.  No matter how many wins your team racks up, knowing you can all individually and collectively perform better is contagious.  Staying hungry and pushing yourself is a great way to keep your team and organization moving in a positive direction.

It’s really hard to dislike the Warriors with the way they have been handling themselves (for me it’s impossible).  Even though we all know it’s a long season and they will most likely lose at some point, I’d like to see them get the record tonight and start 16-0 (I can’t believe I just typed that).  It seems like a classy organization and I think we can learn a lot from how they are going about their business every day.

The quotes used came from the following articles:

Twitter Tips & Vernacular for Us Fortysomethings

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hashtag2For those of us fortysomethings out there, we may just really be starting to leverage Twitter and one of the things that I know I have struggled with is the proper use of some of the abbreviations and Twitter slang. In order to provide myself with a quick reminder and to hopefully help others out, I prepared a quick list. If you know of anything that I missed that could help more people (including me), please add them via the comment section below.

Important Twitter slang/vernacular:

@reply (it’s like hitting an email reply button) – Here you substitute the reply with another username on twitter so @KenneyMyers for example if you wanted to reply to me. This is a simple way of responding to another twitter user in a way that will get back to them almost as if you are having a regular conversation.

ab/abt (about) – This is shorthand for about. Given we have only 140 characters to get our point across it can be really handy to use common abbreviations. There will be several throughout this twitter vocabulary list.

b/c (because) – I think some of the twitter abbreviations have been around forever. I remember using b/c for because a long, long time ago and it means the same when used in a tweet.

b4 (before) – Sometimes letter an number combinations are used to abbreviate like this one which means before (b4).

BFN (bye for now) – This is a way of ending a twitter conversation or just letting people know you have other things to do. It literally mean bye for now.

BR (best regards) – This is just a way to send someone your best regards. You might for instance tweet @KenneyMyers BR & good luck with your speaking gig in Dallas.

chk (check) – This is another abbreviation that has been around for a long time and literally means check.

clk (click) – If you want the other twitter user to click on a link you might use this abbreviation.

direct message (DM) – This is a direct message in twitter that is sent privately to the person you direct the message to. Use this feature if you want only one other twitter user to see a tweet.

EM/eml/EMA (email) – There are a lot of abbreviations for email including my favorite (because it is the shortest) EM.

F2F (face to face) – If you want to meet someone in person you would use F2F or if you are just describing a meeting that you already had in a tweet.

fab (fabulous) – This is a great way to say you really like something while just using 3 letters.

FAV (favorite) – This is referring to the fav action in twitter where you want people to fav your tweet and/or to let them know you did for them or someone else.

follower – This describes the people that are following your tweets on the network (they are your followers).

FF (follow friday or #followfriday) – FF is used when you want others to follow or favorite something else in your tweet.

Hash Tag (hashtag – #) – This almost deserves an entirely separate article but it in essence makes something more searchable and draws attention to that word (see more on hashtags below). So if you preface any word with a hashtag (#) it draws attention to it in the world of twitter.

IC (I see) – This is just letting someone know that you understand what thye are tweeting about.

IDK (I don’t know) – If you don’t know this abbreviation, you might want to give up now!

kk (kewl kewl – cool cool) – It’s just telling someone that you get what they are saying and/or you like it.  BTW, I’ve dropped this a couple of times when talking/chatting with my teen kids and they are quick to tell me that nobody does that.  Really?  I beg to differ! kk?

MRT (modified retweet) – This is literally a modified retweet identifier.

NTS (note to self) – This is used when you are just wanting to use twitter to remind yourself of something on your home page (where you see your own tweets).

OH (overheard) – This is an efficient way to say that you overheard something (usually juicy).

PRT (please retweet) – Use this when you would like your followers to retweet this one.

RT (retweet) – This is when you retweet someone’s message. The functionality is built into the twitter client or you can just type RT @KenneyMyers cool post!

selfie (taking a picture of yourself) – Thanks to the iPhone’s ability to have a forward facing camera it is easier than ever to take a picture of yourself (a selfie).

TFTF (thanks for the follow) – This is just a quick way to thank another twitter user for following you.

TMB (tweet me back) – If you want another user to message you back through twitter then you can just tell them to TMB.

Tweet (a message on twitter) – This is literally a message on twitter and how people let their followers know something (they tweet it out).

twis (dis) – This is the way of saying you got dissed or dissing someone else on Twitter.

U (you) – This is just a quicker way of referring to someone else on Twitter.

wtv (whatever) – This means whatever in one context or another and allows for a much more efficient message.

yoyo (you are on your own) – Use this when you want to tell someone you disagree and/or that they are on their own for any reason.

Important Inforamation on Hashtags:

So I have seen these abused so many times it is crazy. I think one good source of hashtags is hashtags.org, that site will help you understand a bunch about the do’s and dont’s of using hashtags on Twitter. Basically, a hashtag in front of any word makes that word searchable inside of Twitter. Because people sometimes abuse hashtags to associate a tweet with a trending topic (even though it is really unrelated), Twitter came up with the following rules:

Here’s Twitter‘s official statement on hashtag abuse.

“The following behaviors and others like them could cause your account to be filtered from search, or even suspended:

  1. Adding one or more topic/hashtag to an unrelated tweet in an attempt to gain attention in search.
  2. Repeatedly tweeting the same topic/hashtag without adding value to the conversation in an attempt to get the topic trending/trending higher.
  3. Tweeting about each trending topic in turn in order to drive traffic to your profile, especially when mixed with advertising.
  4. Listing the trending topics in combination with a request to be followed.
  5. Tweeting about a trending topic and posting a misleading link to something unrelated.”

In other words, don’t just put a hashtag in front of any word because you think it makes you kk (kewl kewl). It doesn’t work that way. If you use hashtags improperly you could find yourself suspended from Twitter in a heartbeat.

So hopefully you have learned one or two things from this article about how to properly use Twitter.  If not, I can at least confirm that it has been helpful for this fortysomething to simply research these and refresh my diminishing memory.  Happy twittering (okay, that’s not one of our vocabulary words, but that’s okay)!

10 Kens With Famously Funny Tweets on Twitter

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kennyhamiltonIn the Twitterverse, it’s all about how many followers you have. Some of the most successful people on Twitter use humor as a way to keep their followers engaged. However, before you start thinking you’re going to become the next famous Twitter comedian, you should know that it’s not as easy as it sounds. With only 140 characters or less to work with, you need to keep your tweets short and succinct, while leaving enough room for the punch-line. These 10 Kens have mastered the art, so make sure to check them out for your daily does of Twitter comedy gold.

  • Kenny Hamilton – Justin Bieber’s former bodyguard and now road manager, Kenny Hamilton, had this to say recently on Twitter; “Last time KobeBryant took 8 months off he was in the womb!” Obviously, Kenny’s talents stretch beyond being the hired muscle for young Bieber, as when he’s not posting funny tweets, he’s the right-hand man to the world’s most famous pop star.
  • Ken Jennings – If it’s not good enough that he’s the recipient of the longest winning streak on Jeopardy and is a successful writer, Ken Jennings, it seems, has a sense of humor too. He often posts gems like this for his adoring followers: “Look you can spell yeah as “ya” in texts & emails if you want. Just like I can forever imagine you talking in Swedish Chef voice if I want.”
  • Ken Rogerson – Comedian Ken Rogerson is a keen observer of life, and often shares the funnier side of the news on his Twitter account. When a 73-year-old woman was caught selling marijuana, Ken couldn’t resist having a dig with this gem: “73 yr old woman busted for selling pot. Mommy says smoking is bad for your health Grandma. Why are you laughing?”
  • Ken Freedman – DJ Ken Freedman is a professional cynic, which is clearly evident from this tweet: “Keep your friends close, and keep your enemies locked inside the walk-in freezer.”
  • Ken Baker – Who better to ask for a critique of dairy treats than Ken Baker, fashion writer for ENews? Baker often shares his views on fame, fashion and weight loss via his Twitter account. However, he took time out to enjoy the finer things in life, with this profound observation; “This whipped cream would be a lot edgier if it were called “whooped” cream.”
  • Ken Anderson – You can always trust a pro-wrestler to court controversy. Ken Anderson is constantly on hand to provoke a reaction, but the wink at the end is to let you know that he’s really not such a heel. Or is he? “It’s so freakin cold in the Midwest right now that I just saw a gaggle of liberals walking with their hands in their OWN pockets! 😉 ba dump.” No actual liberals were body-slammed in the writing of this tweet.
  • Ken Davis – Comedian Ken Davis has some valuable advice for his followers. “I learned a life changing lesson today. Do not keep your earplugs in the same pocket as your vitamins.” If that left a bad taste in your mouth, don’t worry, Ken’s act is strictly tongue in cheek.
  • Ken Garr – They make you laugh and brighten up your day, but comedians are also on hand to provide product and service reviews in 140 characters or less. Ken Garr shares his appraisal of Frontier Airlines with his Twitter followers: “I think they call it frontier airlines because they used these planes to settle the frontier.”
  • Ken McGraw – If you ever find that you can’t quite articulate what you’re feeling, take a page out of Ken McGraw’s book. He certainly has a way with words, as is evident in this hilarious self-evaluation; “If my self-esteem had a sound…It would be the last slurp of a strawberry milkshake on a Saturday night.”
  • deKenstruction – He does voice overs, is self-effacing and is an all-round funny guy. So don’t take this tweet from deKenstruction too seriously. “The amount of time it takes you to turn off the garbage disposal once it’s obvious that you’re grinding a fork is all the IQ test I need.”

What Nannies Need to Know About Background Checks

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umbrellaApplying for work as a nanny can mean jumping through quite a few hoops: there could be multiple interviews and personality assessments involved, not to mention things like specialized nanny resumes or portfolios you have to put together. But there’s a major part of the application process that many nannies overlook, often because they don’t expect or understand it, and that’s the background check. If you’re a childcare professional, you should familiarize yourself with background checks and learn what they’ll cover, as well as when and why you could be asked to submit to one. This isn’t about gaming the system, though. It’s about learning what personal information becomes part of the application process.

When One Can Be Requested
According to the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (an industry trade group focused on unifying best practices), employers in all fields are increasingly turning to background checks as a way to safeguard their investments and prevent instances in which they hire someone who goes on to engage in criminal activity in the workplace, like theft or sexual misconduct. In the childcare arena, such concerns make total sense. Theft in the corporate world usually means embezzlement or stealing office hardware, while sexual misconduct is usually harassment against colleagues. However, theft in a nanny-family relationship means stealing personal property, and sexual misconduct would mean awful types of abuse.

Because of this, you can expect potential employers to request a background check once the application process has moved into the interview stage. Some employers might request a background check before they move onto an official interview, as a means of winnowing the field, while others might request it after the interview so they only have to perform them on nannies with a serious chance of getting the job. Regardless, you can expect consent to conduct one anytime between sending out your resume and accepting an offer.

Why Background Checks Matter to Families
It’s simple: a background check is one of the best ways an employer family can gather information about a nanny that they can use to make an informed hiring decision. The interview process is all about getting to know the nanny, and a big part of that involves doing research like talking to a nanny’s previous employers, verifying references and certifications, and so on. Like any employer, a family looking to hire a nanny has to do as much discovery as possible and then, ultimately, take a leap of faith and hire someone. A background check is only going to show a) certain behaviors and b) instances in which someone was actually caught doing those things, so it’s not a perfect solution, nor is it a guarantee of a future free of negative incidents. It is, though, one of the best tools at an employer’s disposal.

What a Background Check Will and Won’t Cover
A lot of things won’t show up on a background check. Parking tickets, for instance (but if you’ve ignored a resulting warrant that could). Those are minor citations that didn’t require your fingerprints, so they don’t make the cut. However, your overall driving record, including larger misdemeanors or felonies — say, drunk driving, vehicular manslaughter, and others — will show up.

Unpleasant events that occurred when you were a minor won’t show up, but things from your adult life will, including drug test information and credit history (though your actual credit score won’t be included). Background checks also investigate sex offender and child abuse registries and criminal records at the state and federal levels. They do this by querying a variety of databases, including the FBI Identification Record, which deals with criminal history, and the Interstate Identification Index System, which lets states share criminal activity information for the purposes of employment/background checks. If you’ve been involved in a criminal activity, there’s a very good chance it will show up on a standard background check, even though the burden of keeping these databases accurate falls on the states, who sometimes don’t stay up to date. With states that have a reputation for having incomplete databases, however, savvy investigators will send court runners to manually inspect county court records in the area this is searched.

Giving Your Consent
This is crucial: an employer can’t conduct a background check on you unless you give them permission to do so. Proper background checks aren’t usually handled directly by the employer but outsourced to third-party groups called consumer reporting agencies, which are overseen by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA was passed to regulate the ways that consumer information (like the stuff covered in a background check) is reported and distributed, and that means that checks must have the consent of the person being investigated. If an employer wants to conduct one, they must ask for your permission, which they’ll usually do via a written form. If they simply present you with information they’ve found out about your personal history, you might have cause to take action against them.

Ultimately, nannies should know that a background check will detail legal events about their life but will not divulge any compromising information. In other words, the information can and will be used to learn about your criminal history, but it isn’t designed to invade your privacy or steal your identity. Be honest with your employer, and you can both walk away satisfied.