Twitter: IT’s Not Just For Business Anymore

Lee Hiller is my Light, My Love & My Inspiration. Because she's mine, I walk the line.

I never ever like to say I am a Horatio Alger story, mainly because I am not. I am part-way there,but still a very long way to go. Maybe I’m a middle-class Horatio.

This is Horatio Alger....Not Me.

In 1997, after twenty years on corporate America, I was put on the sidelines for several diseases, all of which were misdiagnosed. I was unable to collect social security disability because I religiously went to the doctor, took my meds, listened to his or her diatribe of how much better I was getting, and went home feeling worse than I did when I arrived.

I finally started researching as things were pretty rough. My mom had just died and we were very close. I had come home to Mississippi from L.A to care for her but lost my meager job selling ads for a local CBS TV affiliate. I had made a good amount of money working in Washington, D.C. Where I was even named “Entrepreneur Of The Year” but blew most of it taking classes in Los Angeles on how to be a screenwriter. I wrote several full-length screenplays but they now belong to be underbelly of the San Andreas fault. North ridge took them, and every other piece of lifetime memorabilia I every owned.

NorthRidge Earthquake Now Owns My Lifetime Memorabilia

At least I still had my trusted friend who saved my life, a golden retriever name Otis and a Mercedes 280S which got me around. I was forced to give Rusty away because I couldn’t buy another home, and had to go to an unfriendly pet apartment.

I had been gone from Hattiesburg, Ms for about 18 years, and didn’t know what to expect when I returned. But it was no surprise. Anything or anybody that was misunderstood was also hated as fear does often cause hatred, even in the most educated among us,  and or uncared for. Jimmy Buffett had it right on the spot when he gave his critique of Hattiesburg (he was a student at USM right before I was). He talked of many towns in his book, “A Pirate Looks At 50”. The only town he bashes is…you guessed it…Hattiesburg in which he calls it “The city that care forgot”.

Jimmy Buffett relaxes after "A Pirate Looks @ 50" Calls Hattiesburg "The Town That Care Forgot".

I couldn’t have explained it better. Because of the archaic medical system there I was still being treated for depression; something I did not have. I had something called TRD (treatment resistant depression) which is a bit of a misnomer, in that it only mimics depression. It is actually a nonfunctional vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body that ends at the brain’s mood center. In September 2004 it was approved by the FDA for TRD. Ironically, tIt had already been approved ten years earlier for TRE (treatment resistant epilepsy). It was still not easy to get, as most psychiatrists were not for it. After all, they had large suburban homes and German car notes.

Mercedes Hood Ornament: My Surgeon Drives One Thanks To Me

They had to keep patients. With a very strong aggressive case worker at Cyberonics.com, I was able to switch doctors, find an excellent ENT surgeon and the operation was performed January 25, 2005.  A small ceramic implant was placed right under the skin which sends a magnetic ray to the mood center, keeping all moodiness at bay. It is nothing short of a miracle. I was about the 1000^th in the U.S to receive it, and I believe number three in Arkansas too. Had I been back I Ms, I would still be a trash can for Prozac which did absolutely nothing.

The year was now 1997. I was still in Hattiesburg, but at least I had read in New Yorker Magazine that there was a chance that this VNS implant would be approved. Meantime I had the motivation to work on my cartoon project. I did it with a team. I had no idea within eight years, it would become the biggest independent cartoon on the Internet and Google’s number ranked offbeat cartoons, gifts, and collectibles. I realize that at age 55 this may not mean much to anyone else, but it mean the world to me. I was suddenly interested in myself, hence interested in other people. I very much enjoyed watching them (especially those close to me) succeed, and many did. I had a bad habit of editing and correcting, still do, but I know it is those tiny details that makes or breaks someone in the world of arts and letters.

I come from harsh family background who seemed to do everything right. My great etc. grandfather was Luis Gomez, who came from Spain and quietly bought 6000 acres, built a mansion, let the American Indians keep their home on his land, and was instrumental in bringing people of all religious backgrounds, races etc. Anything Peter Stuyvesant didn’t like, Luis Gomez went out to of his way to get it done in a democratic fashion. Stuyvesant finally threw in the towel. Aside from Irish and Lutherans, Jews were the other “devils” as were many others. Stuyvesant bowed out quietly as quickly as possible with his tail between his legs. In this Gomez family tree also contained U.S. Supreme Court Benjamin Cardozo (who wrote most of the “final say so” books on Constitutional Law which are still used in most major law school today). The New York School Of Law is named after him. Another notable in my maternal family was poetess Emma Lazarus, one of the first womens activist (not the kind you see today) but the kind who truly was interested in equal rights, nothing more, nothing less Her poetry led her into all kinds of door as it was truly classic. The last verse of one of her poems “The New Colossus” appears on the base of the Statue Of Liberty, “Give Us Your Tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to…..”

Paper Artist Dard Hunter Built Acutal Wheel Behind Home when he owned it to help with his artwork. It still stands and works. Dard lived and worked there 8 years

Gomez Mill House Museum (Maternal Side) Near Scarsdale NY 300 Years Old

Poetess Emma Lazarus My Great etc Aunt. Wrote words on Statue Of Liberty "Give Us Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses Longing...etc."

Needless to say, these were just a few accomplished ancestors and I didn’t feel I stood a chance.By age 40 I was just developing congestive heart failure and by age 44 had a full blown heart attack. This happened in spite of being an everyday runner who ran two marathons, loved the martial arts and taught Ishinru style for years. I even started a program at the Boys And Girls Club where we taught the kids who were otherwise destined for gangs the “true art of being able to say no and mean it”, as well as act, write plays and produce them. They went on to tournaments in Orlando at Disney world and many are now in college. This may have easily been my biggest feat; not just cause I didn’t it but because I did it under the most dire conditions. It took me 5 months to find 4 businesses who would put up $50-100 each. At first I didn’t understand. I had been away too long but then remembered I was back in Ms and though segregation was outlawed, there was and s certain ways to do it economically, and no way to really catch it. So I was hate even more for doing something positive for the community.

Why Canines Make Bad Executives by Rick London's Londons Times Cartoons

U.S. Supreme Court Judge Benjamin Cardozo. Great etc Uncle Maternal Side

I knew I was on a roll, the moment they started liking me, I’d have to move immediately and receive therapy as I would know something was very wrong.  On March 19.1007, I launched Londons Times Cartoons. It went through two different names before that, “Londons Fawg” and “Londons Bridge”. Nobody seemed to like them so I chose Londons Times. I slept on the dirt floor in a sleeping bag in this dirty tin warehouse with my loyal dog ‘Thor” for over a year. We had no oven, no bathtub (I bathed in the sink) and no running hot water. I survived and produced over 1000 cartoons that year with my team from around the world.

Thor My Favorite Dog Ever. Died at 22. Lived 13 years on totally raw diet. An angel.

Within a few more years I our cartoon inventory shot up to 4500. We were asked to be in the Hollywood Celebrity Black Book, asked nearly daily for signed cartoons and a manufacturer in Rhode Island was ready to strike a deal. I was now in Hot Springs Audience and I could concentrate without all the petty hate noise. Within a year I had seven more stores.

One of the store didn’t even sell cartoon products but a shoe style I created called ShoesThatAmuse.com. On the top panel it features a philosopher, poet etc from the past and one of his or her most famous love quotes on both side quarter panels.

There are the occasional days I don’t sell a thing and other days I sell from 10-20 items. I still haven’t figured that one out but I have figured out it has nothing to do with the holidays. People by my products when they feel like ordering.

So if dreams really do come true, I may have found it. It is sitting in the same home-office with my fiancée’ Lee Hiller who was leaving Ebay for a myriad of reasons (mostly not making a profit anymore) and had for many years been a power seller  She has been amazing and made around 7400 products as of this writing. She is an excellent self-taught designer who has won fourteen Zazzle Awards in just three months of work and completed over 7000 gift items designed digitally. Her store is only 3 months old. I can’t wait to see what happens in a year.

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS (FROM OUR STORES)

Londons Times Cartoons Greeting Card: Dog Lost In Katmandu...In Search Of Dogmandu!

Salad Bar Exam 100% Organic Cotton Tee

Picasso Renders Castro Coffee Mug: Neo CUBA-ism by Londons Times Cartoons

Tacky Flamingo Epiphany "We're Tacky!!" Poster by Rick London's Londons Times Cartoons

We use Twitter and facebook as the place to get out our messages. One funny note. U.S. Keds and Zazzle are business associates so I am allowed to design Keds as well. In February of 2009, I created some Ernest Hemingway love quote shoes. That night I decided to Twitter for the first time and one of the first people I met was Mariel Hemingway. At first I felt it might be a joke but the more we e-chatted the most I knew it was her. By the time we talked on the phone, the voice was so very familiar there is no way it could not be her We talked a long while and though we have had relatively happy lives, we still got a lot of the outcome with a high ratio of drug takers, drinkers, people who committed suicide, and more.

When Bad Things Happen To Good People Checked out At Library. A Londons Times Cartoon On A Mouse Pad

We became close friends and business associates. She is by far one of the nicest most pleasant persons one could befriend on or off Twitter and that goes for her super boyfriend Bobby Williams whom Lee and I love dearly (well, we love both of them). I don’t say it often but with my heart disease, and later in early 2010 a rare sleep apnea operation, Mariel took the time and no cost to

tell me what I was doing right and wrong. She was right. Within days I was well. They plan to come to our wedding which we plan to be high up on a hill. We give this caveat on the invitation. A lot my not make it to the wedding but surely can make it to the reception which will probably be a the Arlington  On an offnote Kathy (Ireland) was the one who asked Lee to marry me. I guess she got sick of me talking about it but I also get the sense she knew I meant it and that I was/am a bit shy. Kathy is not, obviously. Kathy like Mariel are very much alike in their zest and energy for life; yet they are different in so many ways. To me they could easily be sisters. Many don’t believe it, but that is okay as both Lee and I have copies of the tweets, and we both couldn’t quit laughing when they arrived. Though Kathy is a very serious businesswoman, several of her ambassadors and her CEO Jason Winters told me she can also be just as much fun and full of harmless mischief and the kind you would want to hang out with as  a friend. We don’t get to talk much due to our busy schedules but when we do talk, I rarely want to get off the phone.  Both Lee and I are impressed with Kathy and we enjoy her lifestyle, her amazing ability to be creative and make a good income, her love of family and God, and her love of humanity. She gets the facts before she talks publicly. for instance, she was bombarded with the Palestinian propaganda machine in her younger days. She smile her friendly smile. She is now one of Israel’s biggest supporters and their huge national hospital Sheeba, that happens to treat Lebanese for free, is expanding rapidly due to the work she is doing in the region.

Kathy (Ireland) In Israel Visiting Friends & Working with Sheba; One Of the World's Most Avanced Hospitals

Sheba Medical Center In Israel. Patients arrive worldwide for very complex treatment. Kathy (Ireland) Is An Angel For This Facility.

So when I complain about how goofy Twitter is (or can be), all I need remember that I found my fiancée;’ Lee, whom I love dearly. I also found my new best friend from day one on Twitter; and she can be as goofy and even more fun than me (Mariel) and Lee and I love talking to her; if ever there was/is a true friend, she is the one, and finally I because adopted by the best sister anyone should be able to enjoy, Kathy Ireland. She never has led me astray and is not afraid to speak her mind, happy or angry, but either way I learn from it.

I have met so many others on both facebook at Twitter and plan a sequel to this story after the wedding so please stay tuned.

Author Rick London is a freelance writer, cartoonist, inventor SEO professional, nature and animal lover. In 1997, London launched what later became the number one offbeat cartoon on the internet, Londons Times, and has stayed in that position for five years.

London later founded numerous stores such as The Rick London Collection which carries the most popular of his funny merchandise.  He also launched Rick London Organics which is the only offbeat cartoon shop that has dedicated its entire inventory to 100% organic cotton tees.

London also founded Londons Times Superstore which features over 80,000 original funny gifts and the only place to order his farm fresh (from 5 different countries) whole bean gourmet coffee gift baskets. Also included is an oversize cartoon mug with matching coasters. (and of course the gratuitous biscotti. The mega store also offers mugs, greeting cards, trivets, coasters, tees, caps, etc.

Rick London Wear is one of our smaller stores but features items that are not sold in other stores such as cartoon celebrity and rock star  gift and collectibles as well as other very fun gift and collecitbles. Pleasedro by ad hav a look

London is well known for his 2008 launch of Shoes That Amuse. These are the only shoes that feature a famous philosopher, writer, poet, etc and each side panels one of their most famous love quotes. They are colored to perfection. These are probably the most fun and talked about shoes today.

Roach Motel Ending A Londons Times Cartoon

Pink Slip At Victoria's Secret: A Londons Times Cartoon

Salad Bar Exam: A Londons Times Cartoons by Rick London

Great Twitter Of Wrath, Love, Glory, Mistakes & Triumphs

So I have utilized the forces of a social networking tool called “Twitter” for the past ten months. I

am waiting for the Jedi report card but I think all is well.   In that past near-anum, I have met a

plethora of wonderful people whom I consider blessings in my life, my darling fiance @LeeHiller

(the love of my life), a good many people whom I call friends (I can talk to them on the phone and

we speak as if we’ve known each other a lifetime, my newly-adopted Sister,

@KathyIreland, who has taught me right from wrong (I am 55 so I felt it was about time but I

wanted a very good teacher; they do not get any better).  A shining example to us all is

@DameElizabeth, she has never stopped fighting for those with HIV/AIDS and has joined with

@KathyIreland to raise money for the Christian Alliance Schools.

The Liz Taylor/KathyIreland story is interesting to me for a variety of reasons. Dame Elizabeth

educated us all early in the AIDS epidemic not to hate or have fear but to find solutions. Others

tried later but she put her money were her mouth was. I will never forget how her wisdom kept

our fragile culture adhered in a time where it could have easily fallen apart.

Nobel Peace Prize (Liz is next?)

Our Friend Our Hero Elizabeth Taylor

My Fiance' Lee Hiller @LeeHiller My Angel.

Another interesting aspect is that when President Obama called on all religions to work together

and find common goals. Liz and Kathy were the first to answer the President’s clarion call by

Elizabeth and Kathy. Kathy and her husband are instrumental in the Alliance For Christian

Education. Elizabeth is Jewish and donated $100,000 to start a “follow @KathyIreland On

Twitter” and “angels” would give $10 for every follow.  Kathy graciously allowed me to volunteer

at the start to help raise awareness that she was there, and, to become the White House liaison to

nominate Elizabeth for the Presidential Freedom Medal. Though Liz did not receive the medal,

Twitterers gathered in huge numbers and bombarded a private mailbox at the White House, so

much so that the White House had to call me on the phone and actually ask me to put a stop to the

tweeting.  Well, she was surely the people’s choice if not the President’s.  The same committee now

has nominated her for a Nobel Peace Prize using the same reasons in the same letters we wrote the

White House. The category is medicine and we won’t know for another 8-10 months.  Good luck

Elizabeth! You surely deserve it.

This is my Sister aka Kathy Ireland. We love you Kathy.

On an offnote, Kathy (Ireland) very very busy mom and entrepreneur, took the time to

official adopt me which I thought was the sweetest thing. As if that were not enough, when I

revealed to her that @LeeHiller was/is the one for me in a private message, later that night

in a “public tweet”; she did the proposal for me (Lee still has a copy of this). Kathy tweeted something like “Lee, Would you be my Darling SIL (Sister In Law). The two had just met a few days prior.  But Kathy took my word on it.  Kathy was right. Lee is the best.

I have met Rick, the @epilepsyguy and his sister Marilyn, both super wonderful and funny

Amazing Ricky Hicks of Detroit. Educated more folks on Twitter on Epilepsy than any other. FUNNY Wit on this man too! Super loyal friend!

persons from Detroit. Ok ok, who is NOT funny from Detroit, I ask.

Have met and even enjoyed a

friendship and business relationship with @MarielHemingway. I

can’t think of a person I’d rather have a friend. She watches your

front, your back, is a more loyal friend than a Golden Retriever

and a super business associate. Mariel saved both our lives with her

eating and healthy living tips, and never wavered.  We will always be

grateful.  She truly knows her work.  Mariel is one of those

rare people who, no matter what is there for you, regardless of her (often crazed) schedule,

wonderful boyfriend Bobby Williams, and a million other irons in the fire. When her wonderful

Yorkie went missing for 8-10 days, we, and many others worked with Mariel to help find him. It

happened, and Bobby and Mariel were the real heroes. They never gave up until Bindu was found.

Lee and I had the idea to create a “Reward Poster” and we got it into the L.A. shelter system.

Within days the L.A. Animal Law was on the ball and Mariel and Bobby spent countless days and

house posting it all over the general area of their new organic farm from where Bindu ran away.

Mariel & Bindu (on right) several years before his disappearance

Lee and I have met some of the craziest of the crazed; some of whom have

hired us to do tasks which have taken days, weeks, or months, on a

volunteered basis, then “fired us”. LOL.  Of that We have gotten the biggest

laugh. We have met faux dojo mystical martial arts leaders who

form “charities” that don’t give reporting and have a locked Twitter

account.  Really instill confidence in giving much less respecting. LOL.

We have met cyber-sages with very positive messages such as @eleesha,

@planethealer and @BarbaraDuke.  No matter what the day, one can read

their offerings and feel better.

Formerly @ReikoEoh Now HellOPolitics4U Brilliant DC Satirist & Friend

Dr. Tom V. Morris @TomVMorris does not tweet much these days due to the fact that he

is spending the bulk of his time with his large family in North Carolina. He was always the

voice of reason on Twitter; a superb philosopher and author, having published 2o books!

I was humbled when he asked me to write a blurb for the back of “Twisdom” which I did and

still am stunned. He and his wife Mary have helped Lee and I a great deal in managing and

learing about ourselves in our relationship, and gone out of the way to make sure we had

solid info to have a good one that works.  And it does. Thank you Tom and Mary.

Twisdom By Dr. Tom V. Morris

@LeeHiller has introduced me to @HootSuite which has been a Godsend for “scheduled tweets”

which is the saving grace of Twitter promoting. After Twitter banned auto-tweets, it left open

scheduled tweets since they are anything but auto. Still, some very confused twitterers, some of

whom claimed to be working in the media yelled “Fowl, You are Auto-Tweeting….Spam Spam

Spam Spam” (Memories of Monty Python).

First of all auto tweeting is about as far from spam as chicken and onions. Scheduled tweeting even

further away, but so many need a scapegoat for their own business shortcoming. Such is history.

Lee and I have met so many sweet people such as @HellOPolitics2U formerly @ReikEoh, a

brilliant journalist and cartoonist

as well as @AlexRaffi who creates wild cartoons, video, paintings and other art forms like no

other,  and @LindaVanoff a brilliant artist of the Photographic medium.

Photo Andy Garcia by our sweet friend Linda Vanoff

We have met @LynnMosher who gives a spiritually uplifting message to all on her blog. And

though it evolves from a Christian perspective, (and I am not even Christian); it is words by for

which to live. It pertains to us all.

Wonderful Friend Whom We Love @LynnMosher

Sample of My RW Emerson shoes at Shoes That Amuse

And as my professors instructed me when I returned to school in my forties, “Any social

network will have its advantages and disadvantages for creating awareness of your goods and

products (Twitter was just starting up then).  But he advised us, “All social networks can also be

“lonely hearts clubs, and many use them as such who maybe cannot afford the dating sites fees. Be

friendly but be fair and let them know you are there to do business. If they do not like it, move on

and meet other folks. Most social networks have plenty. No need to spam; (that is, direct your

unsolicited message at a particular user), but network hard and heavy, or nobody else is going to

do it for you”.

Amazing Woman Whom Lee & I think should be a saint. Well she is to us.

And he was correct.  It will be thirteen years from which I founded my offbeat cartoon property

and four years since I began my funny gift shops. Nobody really new a lot about them until these

past few years until I started heavily using facebook and Twitter.  That can be a pain in the arse but

it is common sense that to not do it, along with creating products from the cartoons (in other

words don’t make social networking one’s entire life with very little or nothing to sell, then it has

served its purpose, and you (or  I in this case) is helping brand the network each time I post there.

It’s win win for everyone.  From @38Harmony to @Lorimoreno who deliver daily messages of

love on Twitter, (and passion for life), these are just a few.  There are many more, of which I will be

writing soon.

Love Quote Expert @LorinoMoreno. One of my first & most consistent friends on Twitter.

Al Capone is a century gone from Hot Springs, and Gary Larson two decades gone from the newspaper. Action had to be taken. Here's a Londons Times Cartoon.

As often happens, when Lee and I were talking the conversation led to Gary Larson.  Even her son

who is a well-known Dallas mortgage banker, loves Gary Larson. Jane Goodall in the remote

jungle with primates was pleased to know she’d been mentioned in one. Her response, “I am

famous. I have arrived”.  When Larson left I felt at first our interpretations of cows as being

funny was a thing of the past.  I then discovered I was not the only cartoonist thinking of

cows as funny (I think my main cartoon website has about 250+ cow cartoons.  Most if not

all inspired by Gary Larson.  Here is one. Inspired by both Larson and Hot Springs, Ar. Hot

Springs was Al Capone’s favorite place, and he spent his early “career” here.  The Arlington

Hotel was by far his favorite spot. The town is full of such fascinating history. My fiance’ Lee

(Hiller) is doing a fine job in her nature blog of describing a great deal of it.  Way to go Lee.

Maybe The Most Popular Of Our Cartoons

If you did not see your Twitter user name in this article, not to

worry. I will be writing more

over the months.  Am just testing my writing skills now after several

weeks of being under

the weather and not writing. Thanks for your patience.

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Designer and offbeat cartoonist Rick London founded Google’s #1 ranked offbeat cartoons Londons Times Cartoons which have been Google #1 ranked since 2005 along with his funny gifts. London also founded Shoes That Amuse, the world’s only famous love quote shoes.

No Matter What, I Must Give, Before I Succeed

I woke up this morning and said, “Rick, you are going to write something important today aboutyour business. Several hours went by, and, as I suspected, I found every single diversion I could to keep that from happening. To top that off, I was still following closely the news of Haiti and trying to figure out what I could do best to help. I was so glad that the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) puts up the CharityWatch.org page that helps educated the public which charities are giving the bulk of donations to the actual cause, and which are keeping the bulk for administration fees. I was totally surprised to see the grades that some “established agencies” received (and they were not too great); but also relieved that such a place exists, so I would know where to donate, knowing someone would get fed, or have a roof over their head, simply because people now know the charities that are being managed properly, and those who are not http://bit.ly/5booob

So I studied and worked through that, knowing that this year I would not be able to give a lot butwould give what I could due to the fact that I was just getting by paying the bills. It is already January 15^th and I’ve really not had a chance to reminisce over the past twelve years, or thirteen years on this March 19^th. I had been living in an abandoned warehouse in rural Ms donated for my use as a studio by a friend to start Londons Times Cartoons which I swore would one day become the number 1 offbeat cartoon on the Internet. It now is, but took almost a decade to happen. The warehouse  had no hot water or bath. I bathed in the sink using cold water and soap. I put my clothes on a large table and folded them as neatly as I could as their was no place to hang anything. There was no bed so I slept on an old sleeping bag I bought at the thrift store for $3. It kept me warm since there was no air (or heat). So did my stray dog “Thor” who didn’t seem to mind our social status in life, as long as he had me, ate 2 good meals, and could run in the 2 acre fenced yard, he was extremely happy.

My friends had electricity put in and a phone line and I paid them monthly. I learned the Internet from a book called “Internet For Dummies”. The year was 1997. The town was Hattiesburg, Ms, the town in which I was raised. A town that had plenty of wonderful people but many not so wonderful too; in fact those “not so wonderful” were pointed out in Jimmy Buffet’s book “A Pirate Turns 50”. In the book Buffet mentions many towns in which he lived. The only one he slams is Hattiesburg, Ms. He calls it “The city that care forgot. Jimmy actually grew up down the road in Mobile, Al, but spent four years at USM (University Of Southern Ms); the same place I made my first attempt at academia. I say attempt since it was not very memorable.

While in my little rusty aluminum warehouse that I called “home” I launched Londons Times Cartoons without a clue as to what the cartoon industry was all about. All I knew is that I had written about a thousand ideas for cartoons (or a film) that people told me were funny. I found out how to get in touch with several veteran cartoonists including Leigh Rubin (Rubes), Jon McPherson (Close To Home), Dave Coverly (Speed Bump) and even Charles Schulz (Peanuts). I have never met a more open and candid group of professionals. Many of them called me back several nights a week to see how I was doing and if I’d followed any of their advice (which I usually had). By far Leigh Rubin was the most helpful; staying in touch for months if not a full year, and going into details of the ins and outs of the business. But they were all helpful in their own way. I was thrilled that Charles Sparky Schulz took time out for me. If ever anyone knew the industry it was this amazing man who, when I asked him why he chose cartooning, he jadedly told me, “I didn’t choose it, it chose me, I’d failed at everything else”. He was full of self depreciating humor and had a wit that could put Lenny Bruce to shame. He never missed an opportunity to speak his mind and his mind was all there (he was about in his mid-70’s when I found him) and he had some very funny stories to share about the cartoon business, some of which I have run into in on my own path. One thing those men all had in common was that even though they did not have to, they gave of themselves. They gave their valuable time. They gave information they had paid for in their academic pursuits. They gave because they wanted to.

They gave because they were generous and kind.  One interesting note, those cartoonists were the top in the world. They never neglected to help me. If they could not help the exact time I contacted them, they would later. However, when I would call cartoonists who were about in the middle and others who had started not so long before me, they didn’t give me the time of day. Not one of them. The bigger the fish, the more schooling they gave.

By September of 2001, I had several thousand cartoons in my inventory. Then I had a major heart attack along with several other major health issues; and three more surgeries. I managed still toadd another 2500 cartoons to the Londons Times inventory. By 2005 it was 4500 and we had lured 8 million people to the site; about 2.9 million per year. We became the Google #1 ranked offbeat cartoon and cartoon collectible gifts and have kept that position for the past five years. Our following ranges from Sri Lanka to Saudi Arabia to Israel to Martinique. I receive requests for signed cartoons from Russia to Prague. Almost every major charity has requested them for their silent auctions. I have found that giving, though it is expensive (Kodak paper, postage, envelopes, brochure) etc., but it pays for itself many many times over. It might not mean a sale right away (or ever) but when you hear your name in public, whether it is written or spoken, it is in a positive light. Who would have every thought that not only giving, but paying money to give, is not only the true key to success, but  the key to keeping it that way. I would never stop giving my signed cartoons to charities, schools, religious organizations etc for their auctions, even if I could not afford it. I would find a way to afford it. It is that important.

By 2006, I had eight online funny gifts and even mega collectible cartoon stores with an inventory of over 80,000 items. I have closed a few and opened others but I still have the same inventory. And it tends to sell well in any type of economy. People want to laugh no matter what; just like me. And to think, all I had to do was/is give a little and the entire project took on a life of its own. I am still amazed sometimes at the whole thing. But that’s okay. I would do it again any time if given the chance.

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Rick London is a freelance writer, cartoonist and designer. Aside from the Londons Times project, he also created the world’s only famous love quote shoes with U.S. Keds called ShoesThatAmuse.com and a brand designer for Mariel Hemingway Collectible Gifts.

Not Feeling Romantic? Don’t Panic! Valentines Day Will Help You Succeed.

At age 55 it is time to face it. I am an online shopping junkie. Why the Internet and not the local mall? Why not? There are a myriad of reasons. It all started in the late 1960’s at downtown storeswhen I just learned the power of credit cards; credit cards with my father’s name on it. It was so   easy to let the most generous helpful salesperson find what fit me best, regardless of if it made me look  like half clown/half Martian, and one had to take a second mortgage out on the house to own a pair of  white scotch grain penny loafer shoes, but I managed. Within a few years, that got bored but only  because it was repetitive. My town was medium size, and only so much merchandise could fit into a  medium-sized town.

I had managed to buy it all and charge it to my Daddy’s account with only  being grounded four times. This was usually “a girl’s job” but I wanted to know the deep dark secrets  of retail shopping. By age fifteen I had pretty much done plastic surgery on my father’s credit cards  and was ready for a new venture.

The backs of magazines and comic books was fun, but one can own so many See Monkeys and  family-owned plant seeds from Ohio and order by mail PhD diplomas and boredom set in easily. Many  years later I discovered the Internet and a number of mall brick and mortar stores opened their shops  in cyberspace and it was like opening Christmas packages all over again. But even those stores had  their limitations. Okay, not all of them. Spencer gifts always added new materials as did Lee Hiller Designs. I continue to shop at those two gems. Lee Hiller carried total orginal designed gifts created exclusively by her, and her prices were like going back in time.  I could find very attractive and romantic items from between ten and twenty dollars. It was truly an only mall full of romantic gifts!

I like Spencer’s because it has all the “old faithfuls” from fake doggie doo doo to fake vomit. Whenthey begin selling the real thing, I may give up on my loyalty. I have discovered my tastes have  changed, so I greatly appreciate Lee Hiller Designs due to the variety, the daily updates, thequality and quantity of the merchandise, and the impeccable customer service.

Worrying about finding the right Valentine’s Day gift is a thing of the past. There are way more“than one right one” in the Lee Hiller Design Store.  Hiller designers her own brand of shoes, mouse pads, all kinds of tops from womens tees and tanks  to mens jerseys and sweats, aprons, caps, men’s ties, etc She covers all the basest with the coolest  designs I’ve ever seen; from real wildlife/nature photography to retro 50’s & 60’s to Egyptian Motif and  more. The designs are so cool, so different, and very affordable,  one cannot help but form a sort of addiction to the store, a health one albeit, as one can shop for  a gift for everyone they know (about 10-20 gifts) totaling about $100-300 plus free worldwide  shipping. No standing in line, no standing at the gas pump, no crying while filling the tank, just  a click of the mouse, and merchandise is on the way that is not just memorable, but a cherished  keepsake for a lifetime.

There are a few other stores that come close to Lee Hiller Designs, and I will go over themnext week, but for now, I am busy opening the presents I bought for the one I love most; and Iwon’t get bored with them like I did as a child with Spencer’s fake doggie doo. Lee Hiller Designsis a must-see and the items are absolutely original, fun, and gorgeous.

These kinds of discoveries are great fun for me. I launched Londons Times Cartoons in 1997, 13 years ago this March 19th. I had no idea it would become as popular as it did. It remains the number one Google -ranked  offbeat cartoons since 2005, and my cartoon stores are thriving with funny gifts and have lured 8.5 million people since 2005.

I have become partners with actress/author Mariel Hemingway in several ventures and one couldn’t find a more pleasant person with which to work than Mariel.  She is like a sister to me. She gets along beautifully with my significant other, and I so with hers as well.  I even get along well with her now famous dog “Bindu” who ran away for 8 days. That’s a long time for a Yorkie, but that’s all for another story.

Does Social Networking Have A Silent Moral Code?

Morals In Social Networking?

The year was 1999. It was a hot sweltering day in rural south Mississippi. I had been working24/7 on my cartoon project and living and sleeping in an abandoned aluminum warehouse in rural Mississippi. I believe I had 180 cartoons on the Internet. I couldn’t afford a domain so I got a free sub-domain that had as many pop-up ads as I had cartoons.

I received an email from a Dr. Vinton Cerf. I had no idea who he was. I later discovered hehad invented the Internet in 1969 while a student at Stanford University. He was very well-spoken,kind, humble, and wanted to know if my creative group would make a particular custom cartoon for him that he could hang in his office. We did so.

As the months went by, we spoke on the phone and I learned a great deal about the Internet; things that the so called gurus may not even know. First of all, there are no Internet gurus, according to Dr. Cerf, who now heads the creative department at Google. He said “Especially not me”, and “If you hear someone tout themselves as one, run the other way”. I didn’t know much about the Internet then, I know a bit more now, but he certainly turned out to be correct.

I then asked him questions like “What is the right way, and the wrong way to do business onthe Internet”? He would reply back with a question, “How are you doing business on theInternet?” I replied, “Just like I did so person to person when I worked in retail, real estate,  and other sales jobs, in malls and downtown middle-America.” He added, “Then that’s how youdo it on the net, if it is working for you.”

I said, “With all the articles I am reading, there is a certain unwritten moral code we must allfollow.” I could hear him chuckle. “If someone selling you on their moral superiority with regards to the Internet, run the other way. They are not looking after you, their clients, or anyone but them. The “holier than thou” social marketer is the Elmer Gantry of today”.

It didn’t make sense at first, but it surely did later when I was introduced to social networking.I had returned to college as an adult (aged 46) and with Business Information Management as a major, we focused a great deal on blogging, still big at the time, and the upcoming social networking.

MySpace was only a few years old, Facebook had just begun, and in the middle of my education came Twitter. The profs all seemed to think Twitter might be best for business. They were right.

I now had Dr. Cerf, and some of the top professors on the planet; many of whom worked at Google, Microsoft, Dell, HP, and other giants to teach me the “real Internet”. I told them I understood there is no “silent moral code” on the Internet. They concluded I was correct. Most of them had a common thread in doing business on the Internet. There is the same ethical code that exists in brick and mortar buildings. But when you start spouting morals to others, you are putting your foot in your mouth. What is moral in one country is a sin in another. What is moral in one state is considered bad manners in another. What is moral in some towns or cities in the U.S. Wouldn’t even be talked about in another.

These wise men and women, starting with Dr. Cerf, the man who founded it all, seemed to be intotal agreement. Later, upon doing business through social networking, all the information they had purveyed rang true. It never failed. When someone took the posture of moral leadership or “I am the one with the answer” or “My path or you can’t play” or even “Life Coach”, there would usually be trouble and an odd sensation of someone sniffing at my bank account (but telling me I was great and they were only looking after me.” They would usually do a few gimmicky things at no charge and then drop the gauntlet for cash, but before they did, brag to everyone who would listen all the nice free things they did for me, so that then, when they went against their word and started charging exorbitant amounts (that was available on the Internet for free), the guilt trip was made and so was the payment. They were as sneaky as they were charming. It took time to learn, but Dr. Cerf and other executives at Google, MSN, and others taught me to “steer clear” and let them do their dirty laundry to/with others.

I can only thank Dr. Cerf, and all the knowledgeable professors who forewarned me ahead of time, “If you want to find a moral clone of yourself, go to your religious congregation. If you want to find and celebrate differences in people, and do business with them anyway, using common business ethics which ring true in any country, state, or area, go for it. If you want to slug it out with a “moral leader of the Internet”, turn the other way; there are millions more who do it there way, and if it works for them, and yours works for you, it is bound to work for everyone (and everyone will prosper and can celebrate their philosophical differences while working “on the same page” ethically).

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Rick London is a freelance writer, cartoonist, entrepreneur, nature lover, mountain climber and outdoorsman.  He is the founder of Londons Times Cartoons which has been the #1 ranked offbeat cartoon by Google and MSN since 2005. His site has lured over 8.4 million visitors and has an inventory of over 4500 original cartoons. London also founded Shoes That Amuse, the world’s only shoes featuring famous love quotes. In addition, he co-founded Pen And Ink Inc with his fiance’ Lee Hiller, an organic seo and full service web design company. He owns numerous funny gift shops and even a mega store containing his cartoon collectibles.

55 Year Old Cartoonist Named 2nd Top Twitterer In The World

Fifty-five Year Old Cartoonist & Internet Entrepreneur Named 2^nd Top Twitterer In The WorldRick London of Hot Springs, Ar. was named today the 2^nd top Twitterer in the world by Teqnolog the only statistics service that monitors the social networking industry.  London, who founded Londons Times Cartoons www.LondonsTimes.us and itsperipheral funny gift shops with over 80,000 cartoon gifts. London also created the world’sonly famous love quote shoes (ShoesThatAmuse.com) which he designs in conjunction with U.S. Keds on ladies champion Keds shoes.

A sample Londons Times Cartoon "Salad Bar Exam"

London, 55, was born in Hattiesburg, MS and is now a resident of Hot Springs, Ar where he enjoys mountain climbing, fishing, hiking, and just about anything outdoors or that has to do with nature. He supports numerous animal and environmental causes. His cartoon has been the number one ranked offbeat cartoon (by Google and MSN) since 2005.

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Rick London is the founder of Google’s number 1 ranked offbeat cartoon, Londons Times. He also founded the world’s only famous love quote shoes ShoesThatAmuse.com. He has over 80,000 cartoon gifts and collecitbles in his funny gift stores such as Rick London Collection and his mega funny gift shops LTSuperstore.

Love Columnist Expands Lee Hiller Designs with Her Passion for Fashion

Her store began with nature photographs taken in the mid 1990’s Erie, PA., continued with her 1999 collection of Washington DC shots which began her foray into digital photograph. If this were not enough Ms Hiller has begun a new range of designs based on her passion for fabric and fashion.

Egyptian Motif Womens Mini Slip On Shoes By Lee Hiller Designs

Born in Portland, Or., she knew she wanted to see the world. Her career in software as an instructional engineer took her from Oregon to the South Pacific to New Zealand to Erie, back to Portland and finally Hot Springs, Ar where she decided to settle along with her Sony Cybershot camera.

Though she began taking her wildlife and nature photography seriously in Erie, capturing squirrels, birds, flowers and trees all in their natural habitat, as far as she was concerned, she was simply enjoying the process of the creativity of photography and knew she was building a beautiful photo album.

In 2009, Lee Hiller, who was now Google’s top ranked “America’s Favorite Love Columnist” (yes she can write too), moved to Hot Springs to be with her fiancé’, Rick London. London, who had already been in Hot Springs a decade and ancestors who lived there many years ago when Al Capone settled there to open his headquarters, showed her the city and it was not long before Ms Hiller was climbing the main mountains with her Sony Cybershot capturing the local scenery and wildlife photography.

It did not take her long to pick up and literally run with digital designing. London, a cartoonist and designer, had been working within ten feet of her in the same home office, making gifts and after a month together looked up to find she too had begun designing items for her own store. Hiller took it a step further in that she has found a way to scan fabric, build a huge inventory and transform everything from designer shoes to Psychedelic mouse pads and retro 50s Atomic Martini Club tees, to key chains to aprons and much more. Working from her scanned collection she has created an eclectic mix of hip modern and retro designs. When ask about her inspiration she states, “My Fiancé’ Rick and his amazing designer collection of Love Quote shoes and wildly funny cartoon gifts”.

Valentine Heart Mugs by Lee Hiller Designs

Since moving to Arkansas she ventures in to the Hot Springs National Park to capture the beauty of its many trails. In the Hot Springs Historic District she is known for her photographs of Bath House Row architecture and tiles. She even has her own section of her store at LeeHillerDesigns.com which features Hot Springs, AR on various gifts products and collectibles.

In just two short months Hiller has designed 5000+ products in her main gift shop and won 14 TBAs (Today’s Best Award) which Zazzle gives to creators of the best products of the day. This may not seem like much but the competition is fierce with over 5 billion products a day in competition with her.

Internet’s #1 Offbeat Cartoonist Tells How To Be Funny..Even If You’re Not

More than once, people have asked me “How do you become funny?” Sometimes I don’t know if that is a compliment or a complaint. It has always been a question I’ve pondered because “funny” is not a major in college, we don’t study and get our degree in funny.

I really did not understand what went into being funny for many years. The jury is still out whether I do or not. I believe I have “paid my dues” though in learning just what is funny and what is not. And there is as much science to it as their is art.

Now I keep my ears open. I listen to not just the humor but the rhythm of how it is delivered. I watch people’s reactions to other people’s humor. I take notes. I see that short is sweet.

Shakespeare instinctively knew so many years ago that, “Brevity is the soul of wit”. Even then, he had the insight to know that people’s attention spans are short. Sure, they want to hear your joke or funny story, but they also have other things on their mind. Even if they think something is funny, if it is long-winded, and takes too much of their time, they may consider you “funny”, but chances are they won’t come back for more of your humor.

Consider the cartoonist and humor writer. That would be me. I created a single panel offbeat cartoon called Londons Times Cartoons in 1997. I based it on the Shakesperian theory that humor was and is the soul of wit. No long drawn out captions. Sometimes no captions at all. The picture would tell the story. It was an experiment. It was off the wall. That year, I posted less than a hundred cartoons on my website. Though I had thought of many others, those were the ones that past the litany test of “what is funny” to me.

So now I have one of the most visited cartoon sites on the Internet, 8.9 million visitors since January of 2005 when we first started counting. It all happened so quickly, it seemed, it would be hard for me to describe just how it did all happen. But I’ll try.

I am sure there is more than just one road toward making something like that happen. In my case, it was mainly listening to other people whom I felt were funny, reading autobiographies of funny persons, and studying humor. I watched sitcoms. I went to funny movies. I noticed one-liners in real life were really not much different than one liners in a cartoon.

They got my attention. They were of value. They were something I could repeat to my friends and they would receive enjoyment from it.

Another element of “being funny” at least in the marketplace is to find one’s niche or voice. Sometimes that can take time. A lot of time. In my case, I tried stand-up comedy, acting and other such venues for a number of years. The problem was that I didn’t understand the art well and was not able to perfect it to the degree to which I wanted.

Of course there is a lot more to being funny than just “being funny”. There has to be some “payback”. It may come in the form of laughter, cash, testimonials, or a myriad of other elements and the more the better. I remember when I opened my first store, LTSuperstore that showcased 60,000 funny gifts, I learned that when people bought your products, it was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world.  Then I created a store with specialized offbeat cartoon gifts, ones that I felt were the better part of our work, and when those sold, it was like nirvana.

So I tried writing, and I finally settled for cartooning. I had read the late great Charles Schulz’s autobiography in which he said the reason he went into cartooning is because he couldn’t do much else very well. That was the story of my life. If it is the story of yours, it is never to late to develop your sense of humor. Listen, read, learn, and have a leap of faith.. .and oh, and don’t be afraid to look foolish. They may just laugh at you yet.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rick London is a writer, entrepreneur, cartoonist and student and loves SEO and web design. He and his fiance’ Lee Hiller own PenAndInkInc.com full service web design firm which also features organic SEO and specialty Twitter marketing. He launched Shoes That Amuse in 2007, the only shoes on the market that feature graphics of famous philosophers and their most famous love quotes and is is branding agent for actress/author Mariel Hemingway for her Hemingway Collectibles.

“TWITTER” SUNG TO “FLIPPER” TV THEME SONG by Rick London

by Rick London c2009

Dedicated to my DF Lee Hiller

One of the many Twitter Logos

Social network with Twitter, Twitter, backlinks & content you bring,
Oh may I retweet with thee?
Our following grows on Twitter cyber-bullies unite hoping you go under.

You diminish their thunder, for all Twitter to see,
, But everyone loves and uses you to get to pages of verified celebrities.
Life coaches selling Kaballah wisdom for dollars, available on the net for free,
Some tweet aloof and others austere.

Some tweet in abstinence and others intoxicated with beer,

We’ve all gone Twitter, Twitter, with ads of Britney or tooth whitening,
As it zooms down my Tweetdeck stream, it all seems so extreme.
Biz Stone knows with Twitter, only that Google can wonder
Will Bing and Yahoo! Go under? Or create something new from their bell esprit.

Flipper From Londons Times Cartoons www.LondonsTimes.us

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Rick London is a writer, SEO professional, designer and brand developer, musician, student and cartoonist. He founded Londons Times Cart0ons in an abandoned rural Mississippi warehouse in 1997 which has been Google and MSN’s #1 ranked offbeat cartoons since 2005. His cartoon site, featuring over 4400 cartoons has lured over 8.5 million visitors since 2005. He also founded numerous cartoon gift shops which sell his licensed funny gifts at stores such as Rick London Collection and funny tees, coffee gift baskets, trivets, caps etc. at the LTSuperstore.

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Holidays Remind Me That My 22 Year Old Dog Thor Was Grateful Just To Love

 

Thor Was My Baby, My Shadow & Administrative Assistant

After my beautiful “Benji-looking” stray nearly died at age 12 around 1998, I began learning a great deal about alternative treatment and nutrition for animals, particular dogs and cats. Thor was one of those special kinds of dogs that everyone just had to play with and he loved to play back. His love of humans was uncanny, considering (the vet told me) he had been abused most of his life until he escaped (or was abandoned and I found him, or he found me).

This will be my first Thanksgiving without Thor. He is buried less than a mile from here on his favorite mountain where he endlessly chased squirrels, rabbits, and anything that moved. Every Thanksgiving I used to pull his bed next to the table, as he was family, and fill his plate next to the table. He was the most well-mannered at the table, and always imbibed the least. He was my hero but I could tell, he thought I was his. I miss him greatly and tend to remember him more on holidays like today, this Thanksgiving. I am grateful of the wonderful life I had with him. Sometimes it is important for me to share how that came to be, since it was not supposed to happen.

After what my local vet diagnosed as “juvenile seizures” and that he’s have to be on barbiturates
the rest of his life, and probably put down within a year, I said “No thank you, and begin to study on the Internet. I read all kinds of controversy, must of which I was not aware was happening such as attacks on the pet food industry for ingredients not much better than arsenic and vitamins. The dire warnings turned out sadly to be correct. But the dog food lobby is a most powerful one and we will probably never hear about it in our lifetime unless we live down under or in Europe where the lobby does not have a stranglehold on the veterinary community.

Within a few weeks, or Thor barely moving and my having to get water down him with a dropper, I learned of the b.a.r.f diet (barf = biologically appropriate raw foods) or (bones and raw foods). It took me awhile to become accustomed to it, and I knew I would have a difficult time feeding Thor raw chicken bones and all. After all, for my lifetime of owning pets I was always taught the fastest way to kill or choke a dog was with a raw chicken bone. Later I found that was both true and false. It is cooked chicken bones which do not bend and are not flexible that choke an animal; same as any other cooked bones. All my life I had given my dogs leftover rib or steak bones, and just lucky none choked or died.

Thor learned to love fruit and vegetables and I was learning his favorite blends and bought a food
processor. Within a month, he had more energy than when I had found him as a puppy. I introduced herbal tinctures; and learned tinctures (from western nations with strict growing guidelines which did not include dysentery etc were the way to go). I also learned pills and capsules have virtually no medicinal value (Even 60 Minutes did a story on that one). By the time Thor reached 18, he was walking five miles a day with me and even mountain climbing. Nothing could slow him down.

He already had phase 2 CHF (congestive heart failure) for years of abuse, bad eating habits, little
or no exercise, etc. But heart conditions in dogs is very different than humans. They do not feel the “freight train” pain, but their nervous system simply begins to go numb. Fortunately his new diet turned that around. He lived another four beautiful years of which three of them he acted like a 6 week old puppy. I’d never seen anything like it. Because I also had become disabled due to congestive heart failure, put on the sidelines of corporate America, and went back to school, mostly online at home, I actually got to truly know my dog for the first time ever. I mean really get to know him. I had had dogs all my life, but this was very different. He had a personality like a mature adult and the temperament of the best of the best border collies, though he was mostly Polish Lowland Sheepdog and bearded collie. He looked like Benji but about 15 pounds heavier.

Thor because my shadow. He stayed right by my feet while I worked and studied at my desk fortunately five years and walked with me at the end of the day. He loved his life, the attention of
the shopkeepers during the walk, the kids who all wanted to pet him. He taught me how to love life and love people unconditionally. He was certified and worked in nursing homes, with shut ins, and all kinds of people who when they even just touched him, you could see their own healing begin to take place.

Every elderly person with whom we worked felt compelled to tell me stories of all their dogs and experiences with them growing up Thor would listen as attentively as I did, actually more so, with his head right next to them; they would end up telling their dogs about Thor and seeming to forget that I was in the room

In late 2006, Thor finally succumbed to his heart disease at age 22. He died peacefully at home in my arms. He is now buried on atop his favorite mountains where I took him for daily walks to chase every kind of animal under the sun. I know now without a doubt, if it had not been the work of  a world renowned veterinarian surgeon from a small town in Australia and a pet nutrition researcher name Shirley Shirleys-Wellness-Cafe.com, he would not be here to help me too help me tell you his magnificent story, and, it truly is nothing less than spectacular.

Thor was upwardly mobile & optimistic

Rick London is a writer/designer/entrepreneur and founder of Google’s #1 ranked offbeat cartoon funny gifts where he sells tees, mugs, greeting cards, etc. bearing his Londons Times Cartoon images, and his over 8000 offbeat cartoons Londons Times which have remained the #1 offbeat cartoon on the Internet since 2005. A large portion of Londons gift sales benefits various animal charit