A group of us (Eliot, Marcia and Richie, Howard and Ruth, Howard and Rene, Steve and Robert) went to Jungle Island tonight to see the holiday light show. It was a transformation and celebration of the culture in the Magic City.
Instead of a movie and Chinese food on Christmas Eve, we all decided to do something different. The evening turned out to be truly unique. See the photos taken by Eliot Hess.
Several times this year friends on Facebook reached out to me to contribute to a good cause on GoFundMe, a crowdsourcing website.
Wikipedia explains GoFundMe as “an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for life events such as celebrations to accidents or illnesses.”
More than 50 million donors have contributed $5 billion from 2010 to 2017. Very impressive.
GoFundMe is free. The company is based in Redwood City, California, with offices in San Diego and Dublin, and with operations in France, Spain, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Tech writer and broadcaster, David Pogue, did a feature about GoFundMe on CBS Sunday Morning. I urge you to watch the segment to learn more about the online fundraiser. Pogue examines the “good and bad” of this site. The more you know, the more you will be able to take advantage of this opportunity.
As I mentioned a few days ago, I am receiving new product press releases every day in preparation for CES in Las Vegas, January, 7 to 10, 2020. For the DigiDame Yoga lovers, here is a yoga mat that is very smart. This is a photo essay. Enjoy.
If you are a romantic, don’t miss this episode of the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” He details how he met his wife. It’s one of a kind and you will remember it forever. Why am I writing about it in DigiDame? I thought you would just love the story. It’s as simple as that.
Look what I found. Andy Warhol was the one who introduced a banana to the art world. I had this greeting card stored away for a few years. I recently discovered it again, and wanted to share it with you.
It’s that time of year again when innovative companies try to lure investors and/or customers into their booths at CES in Las Vegas. CES takes place the second week of January.
I managed to get an editorial pass so I can see the press releases and letters manufacturers are using to pitch their wares. It’s been a lot of fun.
Here’s something a little different.
Dear Lois,
We’ve created a wireless portable brain scanner called NIRSIT that allows you to see how your brain is functioning from the comfort of your home.
Why do we need this? The portability is groundbreaking and will contribute to humankind by advancing brain research and accumulating brain data like never before.
Instead of going to a medical lab, now you can monitor a concussion, stroke, or PTSD on the fly. You can also explore other psychological processes like learning, memory, addiction, depression and anxiety.
We’ve even developed a brain imaging system for kids called NIRSIT LITE to help in brain development.
Do you have time to drop by our booth to give our brain imaging systems a try?
We’ll be at CES: Eureka Park, Sands, Hall G – Booth# 52443
I will check out the NIRSIT wireless portable brain scanner at CES and will report back to you. This sounds mighty interesting.
“Lying on the Beach” podcast by Steve Greenberg and Lois Whitman-Hess

Jamie deRoy is the queen of SHOW BIZ— first as an entertainer then as a Broadway and off-Broadway producer.
Jamie has appeared onstage with Joan Rivers and Norm Crosby, and has headlined at many of New York’s major clubs. She has 9 CDs.
She’s a 7 time Tony Award winning Broadway producer, her credits include:
The Ferryman, Angels in America, The Band’s Visit, The Play That Goes Wrong, 1984, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Fiddler On The Roof, The Heidi Chronicles, Catch Me If You Can, The Addams Family, Blithe Spirit, The Miracle Worker, The Seagull, and many, many more.
Off-Broadway, the list is even longer — Comedies, Dramas, Musicals.
“Lying on the Beach,” co-hosted by Steve Greenberg and Lois Whitman-Hess, is so lucky to have captured Jamie’s words of wisdom about Broadway. The information here is invaluable.
I just wanted to share this amazing presentation featuring “The 5 Browns,” sibling pianists — Deondra, Desirae, Gregory, Melody and Ryan — who are also five Julliard-trained pianists. I don’t know them, but a long-time friend of mine, Leslie Mark Alter, posted this on Facebook. The first thing I thought of when I watch the video was “DigiDame.” I must let others see this performance, a five-piano version of Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” The song is featured in the latest release on the Steinway & Sons label, “Christmas With The 5 Browns.”
My Girlfriend’s Dog Meets A Duck
Another friend of mine, Jodi Van Hoeck, was walking her dog the other day when they met up with a duck on a boardwalk in South Beach, Miami. I would have moved my dog in the opposite direction, but for some reason she didn’t. The following is a moment in time that is most unusual.
https://youtu.be/eP_xGyQHZNw
Eliot And Rabbi Zev Katz
I may have posted this video before, but I wanted to show it again because we often see Rabbi Zev Katz of Chabad House in Miami Beach and Chabad House on Wheels. He is very active in the community and is a friend to all.
Say hello to two teenage brothers, Drew and Jamie Frank, from El Paso,Texas. I have been recently promoting them. They have been giving away designer sneakers and socks to thousands of less fortunate students in several cities around the world during the last few years. They are quite remarkable.
It all started with needy students near the Texas border in El Paso. Drew (16) and Jamie (15) Frank noticed a few years ago that too many teenagers had trouble walking to school because of holes in their shoes.
They decided to do something about it. They took their Bar Mitzvah gift money, $25,000, and bought sneakers and socks for hundreds of poverty-stricken kids in their hometown. When asked why they weren’t giving away the least expensive sneakers possible, the brothers said it was so important to present teenagers with something that would make them feel proud, confident, and motivated to achieve success. That is so insightful.
Drew and Jamie also founded a charity called the “Kickpin Foundation” to expand their efforts worldwide. At the same time, they created a pop-up store in El Paso so young people can come by to see the collection of sneakers. They have given away 5,000 sneakers so far and this holiday season will be a record breaker.
My goal is to get them national recognition. We will score high.
Neil Plakcy is a professor at Broward College and the author of more than 30 published novels. He has also edited and contributed to many anthologies.
For the past 20+ years, Neil has been able to publish about four books a year, from a gay detective series to the very popular series of mysteries about a golden retriever.
His most recent series of books are Deadly Labors, a police procedural mystery set in Honolulu, and the latest in his golden retriever mystery series called Dog’s Green Earth.
“Lying on the Beach” podcast, by Steve Greenberg and Lois Whitman-Hess, is thrilled to have the unbelievably productive author and professor Neil Plakcy join us. Click the link below.
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