Clay Aiken Talks Career, Family, Charities with WKNO

WKNO: A Conversation with Clay Aiken
View Pierre Kimsey's interview full screen at YouTube.

Fans Campaign for $50k NIP Grant

Memphis PBS Chat Covers Bases

Uploaded to YouTube Thursday, WKNO's interview with Clay Aiken covers all the bases -- performing, sudden fame, the National Inclusion Project, UNICEF, family, fans, connection with former teachers, the Tried & True PBS Special, Broadway -- and much more.

Here is a portion of the promo or overview of Clay's chat with Pierre Kimsey, WKNO producer:

WKNO Producer Pierre Kimsey talks with singer Clay Aiken. The North Carolina native was beginning a career as an educator working with special-needs children when he took an opportunity to audition for the TV show American Idol, then in its second season.

His life was transformed as a finalist, and he has emerged as one of the most successful singers to have been launched by the show.

Aiken has used his celebrity on behalf of the international charity UNICEF and has traveled to Somalia, Afghanistan, and other countries where children have been impacted by war.

Check PBS programming in your area, as some stations prepare to re-air Clay Aiken: Tried & True ~ LIVE! leading into the 2011 Winter Tour supporting the singer's latest release with Decca Records.

Graphics depicting scenes from the singer's PBS Special include Fountaindawg, 1, 2, 3, and AmazingCA, 4, 5, 6, with photos by Jim R. Bounds:

NIP Needs More Pepsi Voters

While coming home from camp, my son asked if I knew that everyone's brain was different. He explained that some kids at camp are different from other kids because they have certain disabilities.

When asked what he thought about that, he replied, "It's all good, Mom. We're all special and unique in our own way." - Profound statement from a 7-year-old participant in a Let's ALL Play Camp.

The National Inclusion Project is competing in the $50,000 category of November's Pepsi Refresh Challenge and needs the creativity of its supporters to recruit more daily voters. The foundation is currently #15 and needs to climb into to top 10 to win the grant.

Dedicated backers maintain a daily voting schedule that includes the National Inclusion Project, official alliances, and partnerships formed with other charities.

Help spread the word so the Inclusion Project can bring Let's ALL Play training to more programs across the nation and open doors for ALL children to participate in all that life has to offer!

Vote 3 ways daily to expand inclusive programs for all children.

NIP Voting Simple as 1, 2, 3

1. Go to the National Inclusion Project page on the Pepsi site.
2. Click the "Vote for This Idea" tab.
3. You will be prompted to sign-in. Log-in with your email address. (If you haven't already, you can register very easily.)
4. Click "Vote for This Idea" again. (This is very important!)
5. You will know you have voted when you see the "Votes Left Today" change from 10 to 9.
6. If you are a member of Facebook, log out and back in. Select the Facebook option in the pop-up window, and vote for the NIP again.
7. You can also text the numbers 102308 to Pepsi (73774).
8. Share your vote on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, message boards, asking others to do the same.
9. Download the full page PDF version of the new NIP flier shown in a clickable screen cap below. Print and share the flier with prospective voters -- at ball games, fall festivals, malls, the zoo, the gym, church, school/business meets. Ask recipients to text the same vote everyday in November.

Click to enlarge screen cap of new NIP flier.

Partners Vote, Pull for Each Other

Inclusion Project supporters are not only voting for the NIP but also alliances and partners formed with other charities in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. A good example is Crown Pointe Academy's strategy this weekend:

Crown Pointe Academy is still voting for you. Over the weekend we are going to be recruiting for you, Hawthorne, Crone's, Colorado Solar, Monte Vista, and a few other favorites. Hope it helps you! - Sherri R.

Be sure to leave a comment on each organization's page that the NIP has voted for their charity. Here is an example:

The National Inclusion Project just voted for you. Thank you for your reciprocal support. Please leave a comment, as we re-evaluate daily. http://www.refresheverything.com/nationalinclusionproject ...Text 102308.

The foundation's current alliances and partners are listed on the NIP Voting Widget that Scarlett created and updates according to nightly reports.

To put these charities in your circle of support, locate their link and/or text number on the widget in the Carolina blog's sidebar or link to the handy tool's home page with the screen cap below.

Click to link to NIP Widget
Vote and add to websites.

Below are the Top 21 charities posting daily reciprocal votes for the National Inclusion Project. The groups refer to their placement on the NIP Voting Widget. This is where I'm using my extra votes -- three for the NIP and 27 for other charities. Hopefully, you -- and every eligible account in your family -- are, too!

Top 21 NIP Supporters

RETT Syndrome Clinic - Group A
She Shall Go Free - Group A
Hawthorne Elementary School - Group A
Weaver Bored of Education - Group C
RATCO - Group A
Spoede - Alliance
Karo Grillo Golf - Group A
INRS - Group A
Libby Tennis - Group A
Pandora's Project - Group A
Blue Shadows - Group A
Cure AHC - Alliance
Cystic Fibrosis - Group B
Granara-Skerry - Group B
Cedar Park HS Band - Group B
HUGS Adirondack - Group B
HVCPA Opportunity League - Group B
Girl Scouts Eastern SC - Group B
Earl Crowe SUV - Group B
Alleghany Wellness - Group B
The Bag Ladies - Group B

Have a wonderful weekend, Clay Nation!

Caro

Halloween 'Possesses' Clay Aiken Fan Sites

HAPPY HALLOWEEN -- AmazingCA created a Halloween setting for this Timeless Tour photo of Clay Aiken by kareneh. Click to enlarge.

NIP Rallies Votes for $50k Grant

Goblins Invade Clay Cyberspace

A brief tour of Clay Aiken message boards, blogs, and Facebook walls reveals that ghosts and goblins this Halloween Weekend have once again possessed the Internet landscape as well as real life terrains.

The same talented graphic artists who treat fans to handsome designs year round have taken the lead in decorating Clay Cyberspace for Halloween 2010. Seasonal decor in Clay Land features creative banners, avatars, as well as graphic designs.

Fledgling composers have blossomed within the ranks of my music students as many have created spooky songs for their instrument. High tremolos abound in songs by violinists while pianists have utilized the lowest and highest ranges of the keyboard, minor modes, and generous helpings of the damper pedal.

Text & Treat for Inclusion Project

Amidst all the Halloween fun, the campaign for a $50,000 grant for the National Inclusion Project is still top priority as supporters continue reciprocal voting with other charities in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge and enlisting new votes from friends, family, and associates.

A key project this weekend is to download the PDF version of the above Text and Treat fliers to hand to eligible voters (US citizens 13 and older) all weekend, including Sunday's bewitching hour for trick-or-treaters.

The October campaign closes at midnight Sunday ET, and the Inclusion Project needs every vote -- Internet, Facebook, and text -- foundation supporters can rally.

Register and vote through the National Inclusion Project website for a chance to win a new iPad if the foundation is successful. You can also vote for the NIP, alliances, and several reciprocating partners with the widget in the Carolina sidebar.

Origin of Holiday Customs Varied

Ever wonder where this October celebration originated? The word Halloween comes from a contracted corruption of All Hollows Eve (or "All Saints Day"), a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints.

In 5th century BC Celtic Ireland, the holiday marking the official end of summer, Oct. 31, was called Samhain (sow-en), heralding the Celtic new year.

The Romans adopted Celtic practices as their own. In the first century AD, Samhain was assimilated into celebrations of other Roman traditions, among them their day honoring Pomona, Roman goddess of fruit and trees.

The symbol of Pomona is the apple, which may be the precursor for the modern day Halloween tradition, bobbing for apples.

From Souling to Trick-Or-Treating

The custom of trick-or-treating is thought to have originated with a ninth-century European practice called souling. On Nov. 2, All Souls Day, early Christians walked from village to village begging for soul cakes. The more soul cakes the beggars received, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the donors' dead relatives.

From Irish folklore comes the Jack-O-Lantern custom. Jack, an evil, fun-loving man, made a deal with Satan that backfired; and when he died, he was denied access to both Heaven and Hell.

To light his way through the frigid darkness, Jack was given a single ember, which was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip.

Though some cults have adopted Halloween as their favorite holiday, it is important to remember the tradition did not come from evil practices. Today many churches sponsor Halloween parties, traditional pumpkin patches, as well as pumpkin-carving events and "haunted houses."

Halloween is as evil or as festive as we choose to make it.

HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS: Selected for their spooky themes, these clickable graphics are just in time for this weekend's ghosts and goblins. Featured are designs by Claystruck, 1; Clayquebec1, 2; AmazingCA, 3; Ashes, 4; and Fountaindawg, 5. Thank you for giving the visual artists a shout-out in the comments below.

Ghost Stories a Carolina Tradition

As a North Carolinian, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the plethora of famous Tar Heel ghost stories.

Even the titles are scary: Blackbeard's Queen Anne Revenge; A Colonial Apparition; Buried Alive; The Scull Hangs High; Bells, Books, and Rafters; The Headless Haunt; The Peg-Legged Ghost; The Greensboro Hitchhiker, The Devil's Tramping Ground.

Clickable

For this Wilmington native, The Maco Light easily tops the list of favorite ghost tales. Visiting the Maco Light was the theme of many an autumn hayride in my youth. Maco is located in Brunswick County, 12 miles northwest of Wilmington and in the past was a stop along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

Briefly, in 1867 conductor Joe Baldwin was riding the last car of his train when it somehow became uncoupled from the engine.

As he watched another train fast approaching his slowing car, Joe wildly waved his lantern back and forth in warning; but his efforts were in vain. The oncoming train barreled into the car, and Joe was decapitated in the accident.

Just seconds before the crash, Joe's lantern was hurled away by a mighty, unseen force, landing in an upright position. Shortly after the horrible accident, the Maco Light began appearing along the tracks. To this day, Joe's ghost "appears" swinging his lantern and searching for his head.

Tar Heel ghost stories have their own websites. For example, see The Maco Light and The Devil's Tramping Ground. Listen to, view, or read Ghost Stories of North Carolina here. For further spooky reading, see John Harden's books on Amazon.

Have a wonderful weekend, Clay Nation!

Special thanks to Linda (ABM)
for my sassy pumpkin signature
and the above Halloween greeting!

Here is one more Halloween greeting: Midnight Madness

Thank you for your visits and remarks in the Carolina blogs. To leave a comment, scroll to the bottom, click on the "Post a Comment" link, and write in the box provided.

I appreciate your props for the contributing visual artists. Have an awesome Halloween Weekend! - Caro