I am really feeling this new magazine cover for Hong Kong’s Ketchup January 2013 publication. First reason is obvious the Sesame Street/Elmo theme, poor Elmo got a lot of slack at the end of last year over Puppeteer Kevin Clash recent sticky-icky romance.

Second reason is the simple slogan at the bottom “Lets Keep Everything Neat and Simple” I am big advocate about doing just that. I think productivity and positivity flow with ease when things are tidy, clutter free and minimal.

If you are lucky you maybe able to find this in Asian boutiques around the US.

Check out the fill cover below.

From Sesame Workshop’s Regarding Kevin Clash:

Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential.

Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization.

Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street.

Do you think this was the right thing to do? share your thoughts.

“We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action,” Sesame Workshop said in a statement issued Monday. “We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation.”

The organization described the relationship as personal and “unrelated to the workplace.” Its investigation found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. But it said Clash exercised “poor judgment” and was disciplined for violating company policy regarding Internet usage. It offered no details.

“I had a relationship with (the accuser),” Clash told TMZ. “It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not.”

“Elmo is bigger than any one person and will continue to be an integral part of ‘Sesame Street’ to engage, educate and inspire children around the world, as it has for 40 years,” Sesame Workshop said in its statement.

“Sesame Street” is currently in production, but other puppeteers are prepared to fill in for Clash during his absence, according to a person close to the show who spoke on condition of anonymity because that person was not authorized to publicly discuss details about the show’s production.

“Elmo will still be a part of the shows being produced,” that person said.

The 52-year-old Clash, the divorced father of a grown daughter, has been a puppeteer for “Sesame Street” since 1984. It was then that he was handed the fuzzy red puppet named Elmo and asked to come up with a voice for him. Clash transformed the character, which had been a marginal member of the Muppets troupe for a number of years, into a major star rivaling Big Bird as the face of “Sesame Street.”

In 2006, Clash published an autobiography, “My Life as a Furry Red Monster,” and was the subject of the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey.”

via: yahoo

PBS was not happy with the comments made by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney ruffled some feathers (again) in the first presidential debate Wednesday. Romney claimed “I like PBS. I love Big Bird,”“But I am not going to keep spending money on things [we have] to borrow money from China to pay for.” Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit that produces the show “Sesame Street,” which made $46.9 million in revenue from licensing Big Bird, Elmo, the Cookie Monster and other characters in 2011. This money pay’s the salaries of 1,320 employees. Sesame Workshop depends on the channel to distribute its programming for free to all families, including those who can’t afford cable or satellites. This guy is gathering up a substantial amount of enemies. I am HUGE fan of PBS from their documentaries to the idea channel to my childhood nostalgia shows, PBS gives back to the community in one day then a Presidential candidate could in 4 years. Read more comments below and watch the video. And be sure to retweet PBS status!

“We are very disappointed that PBS became a political target in the Presidential debate last night. Governor Romney does not understand the value the American people place on public broadcasting and the outstanding return on investment the system delivers to our nation,” said PBS in a statement on its website. “For more than 40 years, Big Bird has embodied the public broadcasting mission – harnessing the power of media for the good of every citizen, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay. Our system serves as a universally accessible resource for education, history, science, arts and civil discourse.”

“[PBS] is especially important in a time when 33 percent of students arrive at kindergarten without basic skills,” said Westin. “We’ve been a partner of PBS for 43 years and highly value their ability to connect Big Bird and friends with America’s preschoolers.”

via: freshness.com